Sisters, soccer, Scripture and...Bollywood

It's been a while since I've posted so I thought I'd just write to let everyone know I'm still alive and well. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened in the past little while, except that I got to be an extra in a Bollywood movie...that was kind of a neat opportunity.
For some reason--I think because I'm white and trustworthy-looking(?)--they gave me one of the producers' behind-the-scenes cameras and I played the part of a tv media person. I would start filming before they said action, and I'd keep filming after they said cut, while I was in the scene. It was kinda crazy...all of these Indian guys were also acting as media people, crowding around the main actor, Shah Rukh Khan (big name apparently) and it made me and Nicole and Jen feel like we were in a mosh pit! We were the only women newspeople and we just got trampled on. But it was fun and I got only one scar so I'm going to be fine.

This past Saturday was the first game for a 5 and 6-year-old soccer team that I'm helping coach, along with my mentor out here, Amy Klassen. Her daughter plays for the team and Amy is a great coach. Props to all my previous coaches...it's kinda a stressful job. I guess it doesn't help too much that many of them have never touched a "football," we have only 15 minutes of practice time which is right before games, and half the kids have Indian names and don't speak English. Haha, we're going to need God's help so please pray.

Most of my days, however, have been spent with the "sisters," explained in the last posting. Me and Nicole take a 30-minute rickshaw ride most days and try to teach them English at their place. It has been a good experience and it's been nice to hear their stories a bit more. I am realizing more and more just how blessed I am to have grown up in Canada, to be respected as a woman and to be stood up for. There have been times when, listening to the sisters' stories, I have felt like a complete fool for ever thinking that my problems have been so big. In reality, God has blessed me with a family that loves me, awesome friends, ex-boyfriends who treated me so well, and most importantly the awareness of the love that can come only from God. If you're up for the challenge, I'd like to challenge you right now to think about something/someone that you take for granted, and thank God for that thing/person. It's interesting the things you might come up with. I'll leave it at that :)

Here's a piece of Scripture to leave you with...something that I've been hearing a lot about lately. From John 15:9-17 says, "I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other."

Have a great week ladies and gents. Miss you.

God bless,

Beth