housewives and cupcakes

I'm not really sure how it happened, but I've become a housewife and I don't even have a husband.

Irma

Well, I know how it happened, I believe God brought me to this place.

But I mean seriously, since Marina started to live with me, I have 2 kids and a house to take care of (but not on my own), and I do things like make pizza and cupcakes and give children baths and read books about raising kids and stuff like that. It's really strange, I like it, but when I really think about it, it's a little crazy. And also, basically all day I'm talking in Georgian because Marina doesn't really know English, and it's crazy because I don't even like really know Georgian that well, but I think for the most part we understand each other.

David

I really like the fact that I have my "own" house though, and I can have my things out like my colorful Turkish coffee cups without having to worry that another guest or someone will use it/break it/think it belongs to the hotel or something (because before I was staying at the "Vazi" which is sort of a "hotel" for Christians and missionaries, and is also where we hold our DTS, but there were people frequently coming in and out). But the bittersweet thing is that though I have my "own" house for now, in just like 2 months the owners are coming back from America, and I'm off to another place, that is still to be determined.

But I'm learning to enjoy each day as I have it. Because at least for now I'm living in a way cool old Georgian house with grape vines and pomegranate trees in the yard with a great view of Tbilisi. And I'm learning a lot about life. So I am grateful.

Marina & I

NOTE: For those of you who don't know, Marina was one of our DTS students and was on my outreach team. She's a new Christian (formerly Muslim) who's husband was beating her and is now in jail. She has 2 kids, Irma-3 years, David-8 months and she's going to join us on staff here with YWAM Tbilisi.

Gekvecebi

So tomorrow is our DTS graduation, and I spent all this time working on a slideshow/movie, and also another thing of student interviews. I think I worked for nearly 8 hours straight, and I finished and wanted to put it on a DVD, and lo and behold I discover that my disk drive is not working, like a serious mechanical problem! At first I was very stressed out, but then, praise the Lord, I calmed down and realized that it's going to be ok. Our base leader has an external disk burner I can use and I'm planning on coming home in like 5 months anyways, so I can get the problem fixed then, unless something miraculous happens and it begins to work, and I'm totally ok with that too.

Since DTS is over for now (until next March), I'm faced with the question(s) of what I want to do during these next 7 months, and what God wants me to do, and how I can make an impact on this country, and on peoples' lives, and on my own life too. Big questions.

Trains

We're on our way to Tbilisi now, on a night train. The first time I took this train more than a year ago, I thought it was for like an eternity: 8 hours! But when we went to Armenia we took the train, and it was like 16 hours, so this feels like nothing now! And besides, there are some trains that go for like days, in Russia and stuff, so I guess I don't have it that bad! :-)

But I'm really excited to be back in Tbilisi, even though it will be for only 1 week. We will have debrief, I'll move into the house I'll be staying in for like 2 months while one family goes on vacation, and then I'm off to Kiev for a week with Diana for a staff conference.