inevitable.

It's a fact. Rain is inevitable. Some days are marked by a soft summer sprinkle, while others are beaten down by torrential floods full of thundering and lightening. Last week during one of the season's many monsoons, I couldn't help but think of the symbolic meaning of "rain" in our lives. And oddly enough, the similarities are shocking. Some days are marked by small, insignificant rains (or troubles), while others are characterized by life-changing storms (or struggles) that make or break us! The question is not whether these rains will come... the question is what do you do with them?

When the rain first rears its ugly head, we often feel like a fish out of water. We're not sure what happened, what we should do, or where we should go next.

We flounder around, helplessly reaching for quick answers and solutions. When those don't cure the problem, nothing seems more appropriate than a tantrum.

But don't be discouraged. I think a good cry is important. It's okay to get down, overwhelmed, and stressed, but you can't stay there forever. At some point, you have to take your eyes off of the rain, and focus on the solution.

So how do you overcome the rains of life? You start by rolling up your sleeves and getting busy.

Nothing comes from dwelling on the negative. We have a slogan at our house dedicated to school work: "Do your best, and forget the rest." The same can be true for problems. You are responsible for your actions. You cannot meditate on things that are beyond your control.

But occasionally, you face a nagging problem that just won't go away. It may seem as if something is dragging you down with each step you take.

For such extreme cases, you may just have to rid yourself of things that keep you from moving ahead.

But don't stress about what others will think of you. Get back in the game and finish what you started. You weren't put through such trials to impress others.

When those inevitable rains come, always remember that "two are better than one." Count on those people that were perfectly placed in your life to see you through the downpour.

One day... before you know it... you'll see a bright light peering through the clouds. As the sun breaks through, you'll look around and smile. Because you'll realize that you not only sang in the rain...

but you danced in it as well!

One of my favorite sections of scripture is found in Romans, chapter 5, verses 3-5:

³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

It is my prayer that when I run into trials-- when you run into problems-- that they strengthen us. I hope when we look back from the other side that we are proud of our endurance. I don't ever want my problems to walk away with a victory. Never the less... our struggles are inevitable. The question is not whether these rains will come... the question is what do you do with them?

five on friday

1. I know they say "Milk does a body good," but frankly, I don't like the stuff. In India, we have two options for milk: #1- We can get it straight from a cow, or #2- We get it in boxes from the store. I've been pretty adventurous since coming here, but I haven't quite figured out the "fresh milk" process. And because we typically only cook with milk, we use the shelf milk out of the box. I've never tasted it, but it must not be too bad. At least someone in this house is starting to like milk!
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2. I knew better. Fish were a BAD idea. We started with 12. As I write this, our tank is home to four happy fish and one that is well on his way to a "white porcelan heaven." It's starting to stress me out.

3. We got the biggest package EVER this week. Our sweet friends at East Heights Baptist Church packed up some of the most wonderful food items and sent them our way. Among many things, we received muffin mixes, side dish items, boxed meals, and recipes! The Marlins are about to greatly improve their weekly meals! :) And two little boys were pumped that some sweet person threw in some balls, cars, and other toys for them! I'm working on this video to post, but in the meantime if any of my East Heights friends read this, we are SOOOOO appreciative! You made our day!

4. Learning Hindi is still a struggle. Some days I feel like I'm learning many things, and other days I'm not sure if I can say anything past "hello." But today, my language teacher told me I was better than Jason. That's all I needed to hear. I've convinced myself that I am fluent! Sorry, Jason! I'll tutor you if you'd like! :)

5. I got my first haircut in India. It was so nice to have my hair washed with System Biolage Shampoo and Conditioner. The haircut itself wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it's hair-- it'll grow back. My favorite part of the trip was when he checked me for head lice! I'm still not sure if that makes me feel relieved or freaks me out! (Just in case you were wondering, I was "bug-free!")

five on friday

1. We are on Day 6 of being fish owners, and all 12 are still alive. I'm amazed!

2. For those who know me well, you know that cooking is my "achilles heel!" I have many talents, but cooking has NEVER come easily! But this week, I have made a lifetime of improvement. Keep in mind that everything has to be made from scratch here. Some of the highlights are: homemade chicken and dumplings, tomato basil soup, donuts, chicken scallopini, and Macaroni Grill bread! Along with cooking, I should probably take up exercising!

3. I've figured out how to get packages. If I don't take a shower, the mailman shows up! We love to video the opening of the packages, so I apologize that I look so terrible each time! Today, the mailman showed up with two packages. The first was from my brother and his wife! My sister-in-law should win an award for packing boxes! She filled EVERY bit of the box! And the boys loved it! We loaded up on fun toys for the boys, snacks, homeschooling supplies, books, kitchen ingredients... literally, everything but the kitchen sink! Thank you guys so much! You put a smile on every face in this house!

Package from Mark and Nona from Sarah Marlin on Vimeo.

4. The second package was such a blessing! God has provided such a sweet encouragement to me through Marla Ledbetter. She's a pastor's wife from Tupelo. Prior to moving, I think we had met a time or two, but she has just gone above and beyond to send emails often. A few weeks ago, she asked us to list a few things we missed from home. When we opened the box and I saw fudge rounds, my heart melted! Thank you so much, Marla! God is certainly using you to bless our family! (Please notice the hug Max gives Jack while waiting for the box to open. So sweet! They are building quite a friendship!)

Package from Mrs. Marla from Sarah Marlin on Vimeo.

5. I spoke too soon. Disregard #1. We just flushed the first fish! So much for our good pet care skills. I'm sad to say that a few of the others don't look far behind! :(

hooked

Dear Fish,

Okay... I admit it. You were not our first choice. But don't take it personally. We are dog people. We've tried this fish thing before. When I was small, my brother and I proudly adopted "Lillypad" and "Jaws" from the local pet store. Guess whose fish only lived a day? I vaguely remember my brother telling me it was because I gave her such a dumb name!

Fast forward a few years... Jason decided he wanted an aquarium a few years into our marriage. I knew it wasn't a good idea, but he insisted. He sadly murdered more than 20 fish. All we had left was an algae-filled tank and a reminder that we weren't meant to care for fish.

But somehow, we convinced ourselves to try this fish thing one more time. I don't mean to put any pressure on you guys, but if this doesn't work out, I'm resigning from fish for life.

Just so you know, it was fate that brought us to you. If the workers at the first store wouldn't have been so busy, we might never have met you.

Their horrible customer service led us straight to "Sea World."

The customer service was superior. The men went right to work, but Jack stood close by to monitor their progress.

In fact, both boys stayed very close to make sure your home was exactly to code and made perfectly just for you.

When everything was ready, it was time to choose the perfect fish. You can thank me for steering Jack in a different direction.

Max and I were more on the same page.

When all the choosing was over, we had 11 goldfish and one sucker fish to help keep the tank clean. I know you've probably heard stories of a place in America called PetSmart. Don't believe everything you hear. They've got nothing on "Sea World." One of their employees came HOME with us to fill your tank with water and plug in the cords. PetSmart should take notes!

So, here we are.

We're 24 hours into this thing. We still have 12 live fish, and I'd appreciate it if you would help keep it that way. I'm not ready to perform any fish funerals!

We are doing everything we can to make your stay comfortable. The boys are smitten. They keep a keen eye on you.

But there are times when they can't be right there to look after you. Thankfully they've set up a babysitting service with a few of their closest friends. You are never alone.

So swim, relax, and enjoy your stay. In the meantime, I'll see what I can do about the three-year old hand that keeps invading your tank.

Sincerely,

The Marlins

five on friday

1. I made an awesome discovery this week. Did you know the lid on a pressure cooker is slightly oval and if you turn it just right, you can get the top off? I wish I had video of Jason and I trying to get the top off of that pot! :) My sweet house helper, Kumlesh, showed me that little trick this week! Now that I know how to get the top off of that thing, I tried my hand at cooking in it! Amazingly, we came out with perfectly cooked black-eyed peas. I surprise myself every time I put something edible on the table!

2. My enhanced cooking skills haven't been the only surprise this week. We found out Wednesday that we are no longer headed to Indore after our language studies. We will be heading to Bhopal, India. This will be the first time our company has had anyone in this area, so we are excited to be a part of this pioneer work! More to come on that later!

3. Other surprises of the week were not so happy. A well-meant hug between brothers turned into a cup of apple juice emptying on Jason's Mac. Unfortunately, apple juice is lethal to computers, so we sold the children and bought a new computer with the money! Only slightly kidding!

4. We just completed our second week of homeschooling. We still have a lot to do to make it 100% effective, but we will get there. Does anybody out there homeschool and know any good internet resources or blogs that you enjoy? This is all still new to me so scheduling and covering everything is still making things difficult!

5. One of the things the boys have missed the most since moving to India is their dog! We've promised them a new dog when we move to our permanent city. Since it looks like that's going to be a little longer than expected, we're off to temporarily fill their need this weekend. By this time next weekend, we will be the proud new owners of FISH! I'm not much of a fish fan, but hopefully it'll make the boys smile! I'm sure I'll have pictures to post soon!

word of the day: intragluteal

This morning Jason awoke with a familiar pain. Before long, we knew he was suffering from yet another kidney stone. He’s a pro at dealing with them, but we were missing a very important survival tool this morning--- pain medication. Jason’s drug of choice is Percocet. So when the stores began opening midday, I headed out to see what I could find.

Though you can get almost any medicine you want over-the-counter, pain medication is only given with a prescription. So the pharmacist sent me to the doctor across the street. I walked in to a room full of sick people and was greeted by an English-speaking woman. I explained that my husband had a kidney stone and needed pain medication. After inquiring why I was in India, she wrote me a prescription and I headed back to the pharmacy.

The pharmacist gathered my items… some tablets and injection. Luckily, we have friend here who is a nurse so I was sure she’d come give him the shot. When I got home, I called my brother (a pharmacist) to see what exactly I had bought. He thought it might have been some sort of muscle relaxer, but we were never quite sure.

As the pain intensified, I called my friend Amy to see if she could come over. She asked where the shot was supposed to be given. Since my medicinal expertise comes mainly from watching late night reruns of ER, I didn’t think to ask that question. So I did some internet investigation only to read the words, “INTRAGLUTEAL INJECTION.” This meant two things: #1- Amy WAS NOT coming over, and #2- I was fixing to give my first shot!

Amy gave me the abbreviated directions of drawing up and administering a shot, and I went to work. I was careful to draw up all the medicine.

I was told to get rid of any air so I thumped the syringe just as I had seen on TV.

I prepped my patient.

And I stabbed him right in the butt. Amy told me the trick was to do it quickly. She didn’t tell me that it’d be difficult to inject the medicine. Jason informed me that of all the shots he had received, my speed could be compared to that of a turtle! Hey- that’s what you get when you get a nurse that was trained by practicing on baby dolls and watching ER!

I’m happy to report that the patient is still alive—has a slightly sore left cheek— but alive. I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of the kidney stone, but lucky for him, I bought two injections while I was at the pharmacy. A little more practice and I'll be performing operations and transplants!

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And just a little FYI… the doctor’s visit cost me nothing. I never even filled out a paper. The medicine (10 tablets, 2 injections, and 2 syringes) cost me $1.60. How about that for healthcare?

five on friday

1. We got our first package from the good, ol' US of A! I'm not sure who was more excited... me or the boys! I'm certain it wouldn't have mattered what they sent us! We had such a great time digging into the box, and just you know- the first package DID NOT disappoint. I can't wait to see that little postman again! Check out the video of the grand opening...

Our First Package In India from Sarah Marlin on Vimeo.

2. Please pardon the fact that I was wearing a red shirt with pink shorts in that video and that I had not had a shower or fixed my hair. I was much too excited about opening the box to be concerned that I might one day post this video on my blog. I vow to look nicer when the next package arrives!

3. I never- and I repeat- NEVER should have started looking at Pinterest. It sucks me in every time I click on it. If you struggle with addictions, you should probably stay away!

4. Last week I bragged about the man bringing us dinner for our anniversary. Turns out the BEEF that we mentioned was actually GOAT! I don't really have anything else to say about that.

5. One of the things I miss most from home are friends and the freedom to see them often! There's nothing like a hanging out with a friend that makes you laugh! Before you watch the video below, you have to say, "MILK BONE DOG BISCUITS" three times as fast as you can. Then watch my sweet friend, Andrea, in action! I hope our friendship will still be intact after this blog post! :)

Milk Bone Dog Biscuits from Sarah Marlin on Vimeo.

change of plans

Several months ago, I was burdened to start teaching the boys Bible verses. One of our recent verses was Proverbs 22:6- "Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not turn from it." The boys frequently recite this verse throughout the day, and lately, it's as if I hear Jesus speaking through their little voices.

In the last six months, my life has taken a dramatic turn. There are very few remaining characteristics of my previous life. And though I don't have to look far to be reminded of that, it seems most obvious as we roll in to August. For some people this month marks the start of football season, life threatening temperatures down south, or the finality of summer, but for me it means the start of school.

My "August" has always been predictable. I teach. I am 31 years old, and for the last 26 years, I have attended school EVERY year either as a student or a teacher. In the last eight years, August means I have my classroom meticulously organized and decorated, I've met the new "crop" for the year, and I have everything laid out for that precious FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. But this year, I've had a change of plans.

My new classroom looks more like a dining room table. My class has been significantly minimized to one student. That one student is the coolest second grader on earth, and our lessons are uniquely designed just for him!

This change will certainly require time and patience. It won't be easy, and I'll still miss those familiar August days when I had the opportunity to impact the first year of school for a group of Kindergartners. But on the days when I'm not sure I can do it or if I want to do it, it seems as though one of the boys can be heard saying, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not turn from it." And though I hear those words loud and clear, my heart hears the Lord saying this:

Sarah, I know you have plans for your life, but please remember I am the Ultimate Determiner of your path. Trust my plan. When you prayed for children, I already knew I'd entrust Jack and Max to you. And though you have spent much of your life using your talents and skills for the good of other children, today you will use them for your own! Train them. Teach them to read, subtract, explain photosynthesis, and recall historical facts. But teach them to love Me. Hide My Word in their hearts and teach them to meditate on those verses. And when they are grown and living independent lives, they will dwell on the days when they were younger. They will face struggles, but they will seek Me, because you invested in them. This change of plans is My perfect will for you. Trust me.

And those are the days when I take a deep breath, look at the boys, and saddle that horse once again! I am a teacher with the greatest students and the greatest responsibility. And I will trust God. I pray for great things in the coming year!

the list (cont.)

Today I am thankful for:

1. Sunday afternoon naps.

2. Cooking two edible meals in one day!

3. Verses from friends that remind me of my purpose:

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and

complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of

God’s grace." Acts 20:24

4. Watching the boys "skype" with grandparents.

5. After teaching more than 200 children in my career, finally getting the opportunity to teach my boys!

6. The kindness of random strangers in India. We have done nothing for these people, yet they freely give to us, help us, and pursue our friendship!

7. Extra bedsheets that double as forts to protect the boys from invisible aliens, bad guys, and whatever else they can dream up!

8. PACKAGES! We haven't actually received any, but we are awaiting a few from sweet family and friends. A few people have asked for our address:

The Marlins

D-14 Chanderlok Colony

Rajpur Road

Dehradun. 248001

Uttarakhand.

INDIA

9. Date night with Jason and a wonderful friend, Beth, for watching the boys.

10. Our language helper who sits quietly and comforts me when life in India and learning Hindi all become too much... yet reminds me that "I can do all things through Christ!"