I can hardly contain it...

THREE DAYS TO GO!


Thousands of crayons? Check.
Thousands of salvation bracelets? [Almost] Check.
Thousands of coloring pages? By tomorrow morning, check.
My homework load? Definitely not check.
Packing? Almost.

This week, God has again provided in His supernatural way by using His body to step up and sacrifice a bit of themselves, or by opening some crazy door. I have felt so loved and cherished by my brothers and sisters, especially in their eagerness to help me and in their devotion to pray for me.

Tonight, my entire Islam class came over to the apt and we had a potluck dinner, watched a few Islam videos, and discussed what we saw. Seeing my own distinguished professor in my own living room was really cool. She and I have prayed about me meeting some Muslims in Guatemala.

I'm going to spend the next two days praying and fasting about the trip. A big conference is being held on campus, thus, all classes are canceled. Therefore, besides work and homework, I'm anxious to get alone with my Abba and talk and listen to Him about these next two weeks...

He is so good to us. "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

Countdown: 7 days to go

It is a little late and I have decided to blog out of a heart that overflows with gratitude to the Lord.

(I am also supposed to be cleaning my various messes around my apt for a friend's weekend visit, but my cleaning is a little erratic and I thought that blogging would be a good "break"--I only started cleaning about 15 min ago.)

God has been so gracious and kind to me today in these various ways:
My alarm didn't work so I got to wake up a little later, making my sleep total about 6 hours, exceeding the amount of sleep I've gotten per night this week. :)
I got to finish some homework and was consequently quite late to work, but my boss was so gracious to let me come in later. :)
I got to eat some delicious homemade wheat-and-raisin bread for breakfast and lunch. Mmmm. :)
When asking my Botany prof if I could use one of her aloe vera plants for a personal experiment, she gave me an entire plant for myself! :)
When I acknowledged that my presentation on offshore drilling was not quite complete for Botany lab, I was given great mercy and my presentation date is extended to after I come back from Guate. :)
I was enlightened about biofuels and its effects on rising food prices worldwide. :)
Lab consisted of testing soil samples with various chemicals and wearing fun gloves and cool goggles. :)
I got to lay on the lush carpet of green grass in the library and soak in the sun's warmth as I read a few chapter of Great Expectations before my night class. :)
I went to my Victorian Fiction class and discussed Dickens, watched a clip of G.E., and took a test where I wrote a HANDWRITTEN essay (my first one in perhaps two years?). Jesus was kind and provided energy to last till 11 pm! :)
Had a yummy cappucino smoothie. :)
Upon arriving back to my apt and sprawling on the floor, my entertaining roommate proceeded to sing and dance a song from a recital she had attended. So grateful for her. :)
Talked about various things with my dear brother on the phone. :)
Realized that there are only seven more days till Guatemala.

Was reminded that GOD is GOD and I am not. His strength is sufficient. His joy is supernatural. He loves me.

Countdown: 8 days to go

Thoughts of the day: http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/my_utmost/utm.cgi

I am leaving for Guatemala next Saturday morning, quite early in the morning. WOOHOO.

There is great excitement in my heart, but much preparations that are still to be done, mostly concerning last minute fundraising for things that I need to bring, a massive bracelet-making endeavor, and completing all the homework that I will miss in  school during one of the two weeks I'll be gone.

I've attempted to blog twice these past few days and halfway finished two postings, to only get caught up with other things. But something that has been decided today: I need to postpone my 30 days on a dollar-a-day and resume it when I return. I have completed 21 of the 30 days so far, but have not been in the best physical and spiritual shape to prepare myself for this upcoming trip due to my limited caloric intake. A turning point came two days ago when I knelt by one of my dearest bosses' chair, crying, as she prayed over me, asking the Lord to fill me with great peace, strength, vigor, and wisdom to prepare myself for this medical missions trip which He has clearly annointed (He has done great things for my team and I this week by providing key provisions, like 2900 crayons, and softening the hearts of the Guatemalan bankers to release funds we sent for the purchase of medicine to our contact person without bribery). Oh praise Him! It has been such a struggle internally and externally for me these past few days, and there has been much unrealized spiritual warfare, that the peace and joy that He has restored today is so refreshing to my soul. He has used the Body to encourage me time and time again, from the various friends who have volunteered their time, energy, and resources to help me bake goodies or make things; to the friends who text me, call, or hug me, reminding me that they're praying for me; to the ones who have bought me personal toiletries and promise to send me off with yummy dried fruit and trail mix.

I decided last night that it would be the wisest choice for me to resume "normal" eating patterns to build myself up physically, and I have noticed a great difference today in my mental alert and focus. I was even able to run and do various other exercises in the gym, and felt so grateful to be able to move my limbs without the thought of possibly passing out. Praise Him! I was able to eat a whole orange today without thought of how the cost of one small piece of fruit was half of my diet, and then enjoyed two slices of PIZZA (oh my goodness, what luxury!) for dinner with many friends.
Also, one of my Nutrition projects that is due next week involves me logging my daily consumption and analyzing it, and my professor specifically stated that I could NOT use my dollar diet, so that's another factor into this decision. 

The night ended with getting a call from Kyler from Nepal, and studying with two goofy brothers who have been so dear to me since we started college a few years ago. Now, I am going to finish some more homework and study for a test for tomorrow. What a privilege. Good night! :)

Day 18--Counting the Cost

This morning, I have been reminded that I must count the cost.
I must count the cost of doing this dollar/dollar fifty a day diet. I have to confess that in the gluttony and physical wearyness of my mind and body yesterday evening, I consumed more chocolate than I have in the past few months combined. It was sickening, and I woke up nauseous this morning. I forgot the cost.


After a breakfast of oatmeal and milk, I read this and turned to various passages in Matthew and Luke, specifically Luke 14:26-33:

²⁶ “If anyone comes to Me, and does not ^[a]hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 

²⁷Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 

²⁸ For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 

²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 

³⁰ saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 

³¹ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 

³² Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends ^[b]a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

³³ So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

Much more than just this diet, I must count the cost of being a disciple of Christ. This cost is great and was not commanded lightly. Luke 9: 57-62 says this:

⁵⁷ As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” ⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” ⁵⁹ To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ⁶⁰ And Jesus^[a] said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” ⁶¹ Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” ⁶² Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

This is very heavy on my heart right now. God is calling me to a complete surrender, to a letting go of people in my life and the possessions that I own.  I am going to spend the rest of this day fasting and seeking more of what this means in my life.

Day 15- An apple, a glass of milk, and meta narratives

Midnight: mushroom coffee (from Malaysia, courtesy of Suzy. My favorite caffeinated drink!) $0.14
Breakfast: oatmeal with raisins and a cup of MILK! (It made the oatmeal super creamy and delicious.) $0.37
Lunch: ramen with egg, and carrot slivers $0.36
[failed attempt: sauteed dandelion greens. Picked from my adventures yesterday evening.]
Dinner: apple with 2 tbs peanut butter $0.51
Late snack: 3 wheat biscuits $0.12
Total:  $1.50

The highlights of today's meals were definitely the apple and the milk. I had not had milk for more than 2 weeks, so it was such a treat!  We may gag at the thought of having to drink powdered milk here in the States, but this is the way that many third world countries consume "milk" and it is a luxury to them!

After taking my very first Hopper test in Islam, my class went to hear Dr. Denison speak about the Arab Spring. It was absolutely FASCINATING. For an hour, he talked about the meta narratives of several key Middle Eastern countries and its politics, conflicts, instabilities, religious factions, and American responses in the past. Ironically, alot of what he covered during his lecture was also on the exam.
If I can challenge you today, I'd challenge you tonight to pray for Muslims that Isa  (Jesus) would appear to them in dreams and visions. He loves them so much! We are commanded to love them also, instead of making oversimplified generalizations or hardening our hearts towards them.
---------------------------------------------------

P.S. Meet Emma and Edi, two of my precious roommates!

WOW.

I have had a moment of epiphany.


In the truest and most original definition of that word.


A few hours ago, I laid on my floor discouraged and disheartened, on my face praying aloud Prov. 3:5-8.

God showed up.

He led me through Matt 4, Heb 2, Gen 3, Deut 8, and for a few hours straight, I furiously scribbled in my journal, voraciously read through Scripture, and laid paralyzed by the weight of the convictions and glory of what He had to say to me. I'm still in a state of shock right now.

On a much lesser note, I have decided that I am indeed going to increase my food limit to $1.50. My body has needed extra nutrition these past two weeks, and I am really looking forward to incorporating a glass of [powdered] milk and a piece of fruit every day.

Day 14

Verse of the day: " He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High 
   will abide in the shadow of the Almighty." Ps. 91:1

Today has been splendid. I was able to spend time with the Lord outside in the grandeur of His creation. I had my dinner of brown rice and egg on the verdant lush carpet of grass in the woods and roamed around, dug plants, watched the sunset, and was silent. My heart is full.

A snapshot by the pond

The dandelions I dug up. Yuum!

Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast: 1/2 c raisins, 1 small homemade wheat biscuit  (This was just a little past midnight, and I was up late studying, and couldn't stop munching on these purple guys. My friend Hope and I had made biscuits with very minimal ingredients using wheat flour straight from the mill that was $.096 per cup.) $0.40

Lunch: 1.5 c spaghetti with 2 tbs sauce $0.22

Snack: have to admit this, but I had a small bite of a brownie $0.12

Dinner: 1.25 c brown rice, egg $0.25

Approx total: $0.99

Happy, happy birthday, Alex Martinez! Thank you for blessing me with that voicemail today, and I'm sorry I could not make your bday dinner tonight!

Day 13

HUGE PRAISE OF THE DAY: Got this email from Thali, my Guatemalan team leader this morning. Remember how I asked for prayer for the $12,00 needed for the medicine?
Here is how God answered!

"we all better get on our knees and praise our God. i'm at work and have

to take time to tell you that the medicine guy needed the money today to 

order all the meds, including eye drops, and the Lord arranged for $13,500 

to buy the meds and the eye drops."

WOAH! When I talked to them on Sunday, it was estimated that we only had $3600,

and somehow, miraculously, $13,500 was provided today! PRAISE GOD!!! 

WOOHOO! God is seriously lavishing His provision on this trip!

Anyway, today has been such a sweet Valentine's day. One of roommates, Julie, made the whole apt delicious strawberry  smoothies for breakfast (which I approximated to be $.50). I was able to study for Islam with Joan, who shared the cool story of how she married her husband out of complete obedience to God because she was not at all attracted to him for a long time, and then had "lunch" (aka sipping water) with a middle school friend. I then went to work to find the men of the office had gotten pink roses for all of the women of the office (there's a 2:10 ratio of men to women) with a hilarious note.Another friend popped in to drop off a delicious-looking red velvet cupcake, and then I had an awesome friend drop by to give me the very best Valentine's card I have ever received.

To be honest, as I am approaching the halfway mark, I am seriously praying and seeking God about increasing my dollar limit to up to $2 (or an amount slightly less than that). One of my main goals of this challenge is to be able to prepare myself in all ways for my Guatemalan trip, and it has been very trying with my busy schedule eating approx 900 kcal per day. Today, I had a smoothie ($.50), an apple ($.38), and a handful of pretzels ($.15), but went to a dear friend's apt for a surprise bday dinner. Going into it, I knew that I had the option of not eating at all, but I had spent the day in prayer about it, and felt like I had freedom to fellowship and celebrate this wonderful occasion by partaking in some food, so I had one small chicken tender, a medium dollop of mashed potatoes, a corner of salad greens, and a square of cornbread which I estimate all to be around $1. Therefore, I have definitely gone over today, but remain confident about finishing this challenge, though I will most likely change my limit. Please pray for wisdom for this.

I stumbled upon this very interesting video today! This is what one dollar will buy in Guatemala:

Day 11

This morning started out a little differently for a Sunday morning. I went to church and went to the prayer room, expecting to see a few beloved faces of the prayer team that I'm part of. There was no one there. (In a church of 11,000 people, this is quite rare, although our prayer group is still rather small...) I spent about an hour with the Lord by myself, going through some prayers in the New Testament, and listening to the birds chirp in the courtyard outside as the sunshine gleamed through the windows. Silence. I don't partake in that enough.

To be quite honest, these past two days have been tough as I've battled (and lost) to my gluttonous flesh. So many lovely people have given me treats and foods out of their kind hearts or due to a premature celebration of  V-day, so I've eaten bits and pieces of those treats and gone over my dollar limit. Other times, at night, my overworn body has simply gone to default mode, and my default mode is to consume everything in sight, so that's led to more cheating. Sigh. The enemy is quite crafty in our weak moments! God has been so gracious and giving me many passages in 1 Corinthians about overcoming temptation, though, and remaining humble and accountable to others continuously. However, I have started praying more about what to do in situations when it's inevitable that people will give me food and it is the best response to accept the food and eat it (for example, in cross cultural ministry).

On the way back from church, we stopped by Vickery to pick up Patrick and Godfree, and had an edifying time laughing and encouraging one another as we drove through the maze of highways in downtown Dallas. The topic? Our identity in Christ, primarily in our satisfaction with our outer appearance. G and P told us of how in Africa, women are preferred who are more buxom and curvy ("but not 'fat' ") as opposed to the Western concept of being model-thin. Then, we went around the truck and edified one another: "Heath, I like your beard," "Alex, you have a great smile," "Syeldy, I like your smile and [asian] eyes, and what do you call the black spot below your eye?" Haha! As Psalm 139 says, we truly are "fearfully and wonderfully made."

I think life is made up of many wonderful small moments that are as quick as a blink. It JUST started snowing here a few minutes ago, and I heard my ecstatic guy neighbors yelling as they eagerly rushed out to view the little flakes. I soon joined them, and there were three of us leaning against the apt balcony whooping and hollering as we tried to capture the white flakes with our tongues. Somehow, a moment like that evoked so much pleasure and delight and pure humour, that I couldn't help but laugh one of those deep-from-your-gut laughs that make you feel like you just did 75 crunches. Thank You, Jesus, for the wonders of Your creation!

Breakfast: Energen ($0.13)
Lunch: Ramen, then a 1/2 c brown rice with 1/4 c chili ($.46)
Snack: A few raisins, 2 crackers, a few grapes ($0.25)
Dinner: Two slices wheat bread with sweet condensed milk ($0.15)
Total: $.99

Prayer Request from my Guatemalan Team:  We need to raise $12,653 for the cost of medicine alone. So far we have raised approx $3600. Please pray for supernatural provision!

Day 8

The day started off with prayer. A group of friends and I meet in my apt every Thurs morning to pray for each other, to pray for the nations, and it was wonderful.

Breakfast (running late): a cup of Energen. $0.13
Lunch: brown rice, one fried egg, wild green onion, 1 tbs of fresh salsa $0.29
Snack: another cup of Energen $0.13
Dinner: brown rice, one boiled egg, wild green onion, salsa $0.29
Snack: a handful of raisins $0.14
Approx total: $0.98

On the way to my first class, though, I got a text message from my best friend, saying to check another friend's facebook status, and it read this: "Well for those who don't know. my brother Tim's patrol was hit by an IED very early this morning. Tim lost both of his legs in the explosion. from what i have heard he is stable and the doctors are saying he should live. please keep my family in your prayers and especially my brother." 


When I was 15, my family had moved to the Middle East and I had met a bunch of missionary kids who became my closest friends. Though I was better friends with Tim's older brother, Phil, I still thought of Tim as a younger brother. Phil and Tim are now both Marines, but this awful accident has apparently happened. Please pray for this family right now!

Day 7--Seeking More

Seven--the number of completion.
I have endured one whole week, praise the Lord! As silly as it sounds, when I first started last week, I thought to myself that if I would be able to endure the first seven days, then I would be able to get through this challenge, and here I am...
Today, a few key people have encouraged me to keep on going and to keep seeking the deeper purposes of God for me through this time. I have to admit that these past few days have been filled with internal grumbling and complaining as I have set my mind on foods that I could not eat, instead of using those pangs to remind myself of God. Reading His word today, He showed me Deut 8:3 through the accounts of Jesus' temptation in Matthew 4 and Luke 4.
"He humbled you and let you be hungry and fed you with manna which you did not know...that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of God." 


I am learning this, be it ever so slowly and begrudgingly as my gluttonous self rears its ugly head quite often, but I am slowly discovering the joy of being sustained by God and not by man orby man's food. Hunger and thirst is absolutely mandatory in our walk with Him, for it is leading me deeper into the presence of God. As I type this, I'm realizing this powerful fact: I live by what proceeds from the mouth of God. Wow. Not food, not people's words, not my own dreams or my own plans,  but I move and breathe and be out of that which proceeds out of the mouth of God. Let us not miss out on this spiritual component of living.


"Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" Jesus asks in Matt. 6:25. Absolutely! That is why he continues that chapter to say, then "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness." He asks us, invites us, beckons to us urgently: "Come and seek Me! Seek Me and live! Come and take up your cross and follow me! Come and lose your life for My sake!"

These words have haunted me these past few days. I have been so challenged by them.
 I have decided: I want the theme of my life to be in the losing of my life. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

This morning began with an early walk with my lovely roommate Emma. We went in search of wild edible things we could dig up to supplement my diet (I'm quite grateful for Dr. Noyes and her Botany class that showed me the marvels of creation!) and found some wild onions, carrots, and dandelions by the creek that we dug up with a spoon (haha) and put in brown paper bags. My breakfast consisted of two homemade oatmeal squares and Energen ($.29). Lunch was another cup of Energen ($.13), and dinner was spicy Ramen soup with some bits of cabbage, carrots, and egg ($.40). Dessert included a small piece of a graham cracker, several raisins, and one walnut ($.18). What a feast!

This day is winding down with homework and the news from a dear friend that she would like me to be one of her bridesmaids! (Emma and I just danced around my room, screaming "I'm going to be a bridesmaid, I'm gong to be a bridesmaid!" Hilarious.) My heart overflows with the fullness of this last semester of college. Thank You, Abba.

Day 6- I think I went a few cents over today.

As the title indicated, I think I did not eat as carefully and mathematically conscientious as I should have today...
Breakfast: 1 c brown rice, 1 egg, small carrot pieces, 3/4 avocado. (This is breakfast, Asian style, with rice! I also had a test this morning so I needed extra carbs and protein, and then I decided that an avocado would be quite tasty.)  ($0.50)
Lunch: 2 homemade oatmeal square bars  ($0.16)
Snack: 2 oatmeal squares ($0.16)
Dinner: 1 cup rice, 1/2 c corn and pea soup ($0.32)
Approx. grand total: $1.14

Oh yeah. I totally went over today! :(  Nonetheless, I am not holding myself in guilt but I'll try to be extra careful in the days ahead. On a side note, my mouth totally started watering in the office today as my coworkers ate cookies and the delicious smells of various foods tingled my olfactory sense. Ahh.

This song was on repeat all day today. Meditate. 

Day 4--Prayers in preparation

Breakfast (at 12:15 am): rice, vegetables, chili sauce, and pulled pork pieces $0.50

Lunch: 1 c brown rice with ¼ c corn & pea soup $0.35

Dinner: 1 c oatmeal and 5 raisins $0.15

Approx. total: $1

Today my palate is desiring some fruit or a sample of dessert. I’m not quite sure what I’ll do about appeasing my sweet tooth this month. It may be that I simply deny my sweet tooth altogether, as a bite of brownie would be much less nutrient dense than a bowl of rice and beans, for example.

Church was wonderful. We went to pick up the two African men that were mentioned in yesterday’s post, and the prayer group that I am part of gathered around and prayed over them. During the service, the campus pastor was able to inform the congregation about these men, and a few individuals even came up to meet them afterwards. Then, after a semi-frustrating time with directions, we met up with a few friends at a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant, where I was able to enjoy my sips of water as they took bites of friend rice and soy-sauce covered dishes. We conversed about many things under the sun and laughed at the fortune cookies’ prophecies at the end of our meal.

I was unfortunately quite late to my skype meeting with my Gutemalan team, then experienced some technical issues with my laptop (what a day of technological frustrations!). Therefore, this post is dedicated to the prayer needs of my Guatemalan team and the preparations for the trip.

These are the names of my teammates: Athalia, Randall, Elizabeth, Daniel, Jay, Dale, Kendall, Sherri, Ben, Josh, Pastor Stanley, Tom.

• Please pray for additional fundraising that is needed, and the physical, spiritual, and mental preparation for each of us.
• Please pray against any worries, especially towards the planning that is still needed to be done. This is the first medical missions trip that this group is taking, and we are unsure of just how many patients we’ll have, though it should be in the thousands.
• Pray for the $2500 additional dollars needed for the team to purchase medicine.
• Pray that the Lord would provide additional translators, as English to Spanish, and Spanish to Kekchi translators are needed. We have a few right now, but there is concern about whether or not effective communication will occur. Pray that we trust the Lord to give us supernatural language skills/we simply trust Him to provide. 

"Now to Him who is able to do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory!" Eph. 3:20-21

Day 3--To God be the glory!

Verses of the day:  Psalm 91

The day started off quite early for a Saturday morning. A few friends were coming over for breakfast at 9 o'clock, so that we could be done before 10 in time to go do refugee ministry at an area in downtown Dallas. Preparations needed to be started around 8am so that the casserole and muffins could be done before 9. After a hilarious time cooking with Alex and Hope,  the six of us cozily sat down around the dining table and feasted on fruit, muffins, casserole, and milk, while I was able to have half an apple and Energen. Cooking and being around all that food was not a temptation at all, praise the Lord! However, none of us would fathom what would happen later that day.

Vickery is an area in Dallas in which thousands of refugees from around the world are settled into low-income housing. Global Connect, a missions group that I am part of, go there every other Saturday to walk around the streets and evangelize, play soccer, meet families, or whatever else the Spirit leads us to do. Today, instead of splitting up, we stayed as one group and went into one apt complex where Alex recognized a young man whom he had met once before named P. P invited us into his apt, where we sat on the floor as he began to share with us his testimony of how he is a Rwandan genocide survivor. He proceeded to tell us that he had lost his 5 brothers, friends, and many friends during the genocide and his leg was hit by a grenade shrapnel. Then another man named G arrived, who also told us his incredible testimony. G was living in Nigeria when Muslim militants began attacking his village and was captured by them. Because he is a Christian, they beat him and bound him up and put gasoline on his hands and body. They lit his hands on fire with the intent of allowing him to suffer a slow, excruciating death. Through a supernatural miracle (God literally struck his captors with a lightning bolt), he was able to get away. Now, they are living here all alone with nothing and no one (both of their families were killed in Africa), yet they declare that they are "rich" in God and that "God is good." Through their suffering, their love for Jesus has been refined and deepened. It was so humbling and inspiring to listen to them! We ended our time together by singing and praying on the floor in different languages. Simply incredible.
Psalm 91 is the chapter of the day because it was the psalm that P started reading to us in Swahili, a psalm that is "very special" to him. Read it in light of his past and current circumstances, and see how significant it is.

Today, day 3, means that 10% of this challenge is done, and yet I'm realizing more and more how this is absolutely not about me.

Breakfast: 1/2 apple, 1/4 cup Energen. $0.28
Lunch: 1 c brown rice, 1/4 c tuna, a handful of wild green onions (picked from the woods!) $0.46
Dinner: 1 packet Ramen, 1/4 c brown rice, 2 cabbage leaves $0.26
Approx. total: $1.00

Day 1

I've just gotten out from my Understanding Islam class, and am attempting to make dinner (i.e., boiling rice to mix with something else) at 9:43 p.m. The hunger pangs went away a few hours ago and I'm a bit light-headed, but I'm feeling strengthened nonetheless.

But first: I want to share the verse that the Lord pointed out to me today, so that you may mull it over with me:

"Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" john 11:40.  Meditate.


Now on to my food consumption for the day. I woke up quite late and was unable to make breakfast, so I grabbed a package of Indonesian "Energen," which is a powdered mix of milk and oatmeal fortified with vitamins and minerals. It comes in little sachets and looks like this:
You combine one packet with hot water, and voila! A cup of sweet runny oatmeal-like substance that was quite filling. I had requested that my mom send me these many months ago, but they've been sitting untouched in my pantry so I'm rediscovering the joy of  having something so convenient, cheap, and satisfying.
For lunch, I made a packet of Ramen noodles and added one egg and a handful of spinach. I brought that to work and ate it progressively throughout the afternoon since work was busy. When I went to the bathroom later that afternoon to wash out my Tupperware, I realized that there was a bit of noodles and egg leftover on the bottom. Now, I normally would've thrown it away under other circumstances without a second thought, but I realized in that moment that those noodles were precious to me and my body. As I was already starting to feel hungry, I knew that I needed those extra amounts of calories. So I proceeded to use my finger to scoop out the last little bit as I held the container over my head (ladylike, I know), then washed it out in the sink. Oh how satisfying.
I had a 5-9 pm class today, so I did not have the chance to make anything to take to class, so I again combined some hot water with Vanilla-flavored Energen (yes, it comes in four yummy flavors!) then headed to Islam.
I'm now thinking that I'm going to have some rice with something else...

Breakfast: Energen instant milk cereal. $0.13
Lunch: Ramen with egg and spinach. $0.45
Snack: Energen again. $0.13
Dinner: 1 cup brown rice with  1/3 c assorted veggies $0.24
Approx. total: $0.95


I'm going to post pictures hopefully this weekend, but I am working on thinking of a system of how to do this in the most efficient and creative way. I've not had enough time this week to sit down and pre-plan how each day's meals will go. I'm realizing now that my discipline and time management will be a key component to this endeavor, in terms of cooking and preparing the food, and managing work, classes, homework, ministry, hanging out with friends, etc.

Today I was offered free pizza and then one of my roommates made some delicious-looking, chocolate chip brownie rich gooeyness which beckons to me from the top of our stove. Oh yum.

Guatemala & The Challenge

1.  1.    I AM GOING TO GUATEMALA!

For two weeks in March. Into two rural villages. For medical missions. With a team of 10 from Richland, WA. Do I know much Spanish/Kekchi/indigenous languages? Nope. Do I know this group of people from WA? No, I’ve only met them through skype. Did I plan this? Absolutely not! It never even occurred to me to go to Central America! Then how did it happen? An impromptu opportunity by God Himself through a random email. Confirmation? He provided two thousand dollars in one week. He allowed other supernatural things to occur. There is overwhelming peace in my heart. Am I excited? OH YES. The thought of going to remote areas where there is no running water, electricity, and sleeping on the floor are foreshadows of where I feel my future calling lie. For what purpose? To provide medical care to villagers who do not have access to or cannot afford health care. To love them with the love of Christ. To humble ourselves and learn from them and acclimate ourselves to their culture and way of life. Most of all, to glorify God and to partake in His greater, indescribable, unfathomable work amongst the nations! As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I can’t shake this “weight of glory” feeling in my being, the powerful yet humbling realization that I (and you) are part of something INFINITELY bigger than ourselves and our present circumstances.

With that being said….

2.      2. I am going to live for 30 days eating on a $1 a day, from February 2^nd to March 2^nd. 

     There are a few reasons for this, and I have no doubt that these reasons will be more defined, deepened, and perhaps changed over the next few weeks. Because my trip is on the forefront of my mind, I would like to prepare for it in this way. On one website, I read a statistic in which 61% of Guatemalans live under a dollar a day, and 80% live on less than $2. Therefore, it would give me a small glimpse into their lives and how I too will live once I get there. This idea was first inspired many months ago by a dear professor of mine when she sent me a link of a British man who did this experiment to personally experience what it would be like to live like the 1.4 plus billion people on this earth who go about their days with than a dollar a day (click here for article). The World Bank define this as the standard for “extreme poverty” an idea which I am only familiar with through stories, media, and some places I’ve gone to in the M.East and Indonesia. My dad grew up living in “extreme poverty” for the majority of his life; growing up, his family of six couldn’t even afford a cup of ice at one time. In one of the many conversations we’ve had about his childhood, he said this to me: “Syeldy, you will never know what it’s like to be truly hungry.” His eyes pierced mine, and as his voice cracked with this utterance, his black pupils reflected countless memories of going to sleep with sharp pains in his stomach, dreaming of something more than tempeh and rice, of being unable to study well because of insufficient caloric intake, of rarely having enough. His words will always haunt me.

 Therefore, to give concise goals for this experiment:

Developing empathy for the plight of the poor.  I am currently reading “The End of Poverty” by Jeffrey Sachs as well as seeking Scripture about those who are less unfortunate around the world. I need better understanding of the plight of the poor in this world and greater awareness of my role in this issue. 

Having a right perspective towards food. I, unfortunately, am the victim of knowing how to feast with little experience in having to fast for more than a few days. One of my chief weaknesses is gluttony and I need a new perspective on hunger as well as practicing self-control. Exploring the strong psychological, physical, and spiritual ties between man and food. Developing a grateful heart.

Raising awareness for the people and country of Guatemala. I will keep a countdown of the time until my trip, and in that time, I will post facts, pictures, and prayer requests for Guatemala!  Because this will be a medical trip, my team is also seeking for donations for vitamins, over-the-counter meds, and eyeglasses!

Prayer. Prayer for the nations, especially Guatemala. Prayer for the poor. Prayer for you. Prayer for strength and endurance for myself so that God would teach me how to pray and it would increasingly become a greater delight for me to do.

Nutritional analysis and body changes. Being a Biology major who is taking Nutrition this semester, I am intrigued as to how my body will adapt and change. I will record what I eat each day along with its nutritional content, and analyze whatever weight loss occurs in light of my changing diet. I will attempt to diversify what I eat and how much of the RDAs I can actually follow on such a small budget. I am truly a nerd at heart, and am excited at the thought of using my own body as an experiment!

However, after some thinking and referencing from the articles/blogs of others who have done it, there will be some guidelines:

1.       I will not take free food or beverages from others, excluding water from the fountain or a public place. This means that I will bring prepared food for every meal, even if it is in public for a get-together.
2.       I will not “carry over” any extra money from a previous day to the next day (i.e., if I only eat $.85 on Tues, I will not eat $1.15 on Wed).
3.       The maximum amount of food I will eat will be $1.00 exactly, though I will try to aim for a cumulative total of something a little lower.
4.       Because I will be heavily involved with school, work, and various other activities, I cannot risk making my body sick by completing depleting it of various vitamins and nutrients, so I am going to continue taking my multi-vitamin. I’m not sure yet if I’ll factor that into the equation because that would leave me an estimated amount of $.70 of food/day. Hmmm.

I will try my hardest to blog every day (except Friday) but do not be surprised if I can only do it five days a week. I'm going to the store tomorrow to purchase the food, so I'll blog about my first day on Thurs evening.

I have found guidance, inspiration, and creativity from these blogs so I'll be referring to them often. I'm very thankful that I'm not a pioneer in this! Click here and here to read them!

Ready? Here we go!