Books!!!

I'm a teacher at heart- always have been.

I'm also a major bookworm.

So put those two things together- one of my favorite things to do is read with kids and help children learning to read and watching as children discover the joy of books.

The children at LCH (the orphanage I work at in India) do not get to know this joy like I did.

I had a never ending supply of books. At home, at school or at the library, I could always find a book to read.

These kids don't have that. They don't have a library that they can go to and check out books. They don't have books at school that they can read (don't get me started about schools in India, I can't wait till we can get these kids out of the school that they are in and into our own school).

I don't want my trip this summer to be all about me. I want to give something to the kids.

I want to give them books.

I want to help introduce them to the worlds that they will find in books.

I want them to be able to read books.

So...

In addition to the support that I am raising to go on this trip at all, I am going to be raising additional money to buy books for the children.

The goal is to build a small library in the girls' house. They already have some books, but need more!

We need to first buy a cabinet to be the library and then we will fill it up! With books in Hindi and in English.

Think how much these kids will learn reading and practicing their English!

We need at least $150 to buy a cabinet and then everything beyond that will go towards books.

So here's what I'm going to ask of you...

Can you give me $5 so that I can buy a child a book?

Just $5.

Skip your latte one day and instead help a child learn to read.

And if you are willing, can I ask one more thing from you?

Will you ask your friends to give $5?

I'm going to be asking everyone that I know (sorry if I get annoying haha). I'm going to ask my classmates, my friends, and anyone who will sit still long enough for me to talk to them.

Will you ask your friends? Will you ask the people in your classes (professors typically don't mind if you make an announcement)?

Will you help me?


If you want to donate, there are two ways: 1. Use my PayPal button  and 2. Send it straight to the Crosspoint office. The address for Crosspoint is:

Crosspoint of India 

3714 Gailyn Drive
Bartlett, Tennessee 38135-9444

Oh! And if you missed this post about the kids at the orphanage and the work that God is doing there, please go read it! I think it got overshadowed by the scarves haha.

An Adoptive Generation

A comment yesterday made me think.

One of the dad's that I babysit for said that he hopes/thinks that his generation will be known for adoption. That its happening all over the place- people in the church adopting children from all over the world.

It got me thinking about what the church will look like if that's true. If the generation that is having children right now becomes known as the adoption generation.

How cool will that be?

I know that I write a lot about adoption not being enough to solve the orphan crisis (and I did share with him some of my thoughts, I can't seem to help it haha), but I really think adoption is awesome and thinking about what the church will look like when adoption is common.

When an adopted child isn't the only adopted child in his class, neighborhood, or church.

When an adopted child isn't the only non-white child in a church (adopted or not).

When people won't think its strange or do a double-take at a white mom and dad dropping a non-white child off at Sunday School. 

When adopted children and families have friends to turn to for support and comfort.

When adoption becomes normal.

Right now, when someone adopts, the reaction (I hope) is really positive- people say things like "that is so great!! You're doing such a great thing. God is going to use you to change the world for that child!" I say things like that!!

But think about it- when someone gets pregnant, they aren't told that they are doing a great thing- they're just having a baby. It's great, people are happy- but its normal. You're just starting your family like everyone else.

How cool would it be if a day comes when adoption is just normal.


Instead of being told how great someone is for adopting or how awesome is it that they are following God's call for their lives, people just say "congratulations! where from? when do you hope to have him home?"


It won't make adoption any less great. Having kids is still great, its still a call from God. Your children are your most important mission field.


But it will be normal.


What if people didn't think twice about adoption- its just one normal way of starting or adding to your family.


How cool will that be?

Studying with Sweet Katie!

Saturday 3-19-11

What a fun surprise visit (well not really a surprise, but it wasn't when I expected to see her) from my fave Tulane student!! Although we spent the our time together doing school work, it was still so fun to get to see her happy face!!

Park time with H!

Friday 3-18-11

His mom is a photographer, so he's very used to this ordeal haha. 

I love that it is warm enough to get outside! Babysitting is so much more fun when we can go to the park or at least the backyard.

Too soon after nap time to take pictures

Thursday 2-17-11

Got to hang out with this cutie and his brother, he did get a little bit happier after he woke up a little better haha.

Oh Spring....

I love this time of year.

I love the days when its finally warm.

If you know me at all, you know that I hate winter.

I miss my flip-flops and my shorts and not having to wear all sorts of heavy layers.

I love the sun and warmth.

The first day that I can break out my rainbows and not freeze my toes off is a lovely day.

The first sunburn of the season- love it!!

The first time that my extra pale legs see the sun is very wonderful!

And if you haven't been on UNC's campus in the spring- you are missing out!


But this time of the year is also miserable for me..

Chapel Hill is covered in green.

The bricks (that cover the campus and trip us all day long), they are no longer red- they are yellow.

Already!

I can't walk outside without my eyes itching, my nose running and lots of sneezing.

And I take medicine.

I like being outside.

I've started running- I can only run outside, I hate the gym with a passion.

But being outside is miserable.


So, I'm asking-

Can anyone sympathize with my misery?

Do you have any advice, suggestions, ways to not be miserable that doesn't involve staying inside all the time?

I could sure use some help!!

SCARVES!!!!!

Wednesday 3-16-11

In order to raise funds for my trip this summer, I will be selling scarves straight from Central Asia!!! (Not an exaggeration, K brought them over herself!!)

I was trying to decide how to best go about selling all my scarves and what I thought would be best and easiest would be to post pictures of all the scarves on my blog. 

Look through, see which one you like and then let me know and I will mark that it is yours!! 

First come, first serve!! So be quick!! I'm thinking they might go fast!! 

I marked a price on each scarf.

The price is somewhat negotiable (if you want to give more I will not stop you ;) ). Basically, I did it like this- $10 for lighter, cotton, summery scarves, $15 for mixed pashmina/silk mix, $20 for 100% pashmina.  The pashmina and silk mixes and full pashmina scarves are heavier. 

So here we go!!!

Update: as people order, I'll update this post by saying which ones are no longer available.

All of these are mixed material.
#1 is no longer available. 
 

#4-6 are no longer available. 

 #7-9 are no longer available. 

These are more summery.

#10 and 11 are no longer available 

#13-15 are no longer available 

#16-18 are no longer available. 
 

#20 is really pretty! It's half the gold and silver stripes and then the other half is black, so pretty!

#22 and 24 are no longer available.

#25-26 are no longer available. 

Please buy some scarves everybody!! Go ahead and buy birthday presents and Mother's Day presents and heck, Christmas presents!!! 

If you want one, e-mail, text, call, facebook, comment, tell me to my face (what no technology??) and let me know what number you want!! 

 I will accept cash or checks. Make checks out to Laura Droege.

Thanks!!! Help get me to CA and India!!!

Much love!!

Oh!! And PLEASE post this link everywhere!! Tell everyone that you know!!

One more thing-- I'll be happy to ship scarves wherever, just e-mail me for my address to mail me the check and I will put the scarf in the mail! 

Oops again...

Tuesday 3-15-11

Again, last week was crazy and I forgot to take a picture on Tuesday. 

But trust me, I made up for it the next day.

Are you excited?? 

 I am!!

It was just that type of week

Monday 3-14-11

I can't even really explain, except that I had a lot of work to do and I was stressed, so I ate marshmallows. Whatever. haha

Back to campus

Sunday 3-13-11

My dorm-room door. I know SO exciting!

Another teaser

Saturday 3-12-11

Local Yogurt!!!

Friday 3-11-11

First time I had been to Local Yogurt in a long time. That place is so good!!!

A memory from India

It broke my heart.

It was the second day of VBS.

We knew better what we were doing and how the day would go. We were hoping that it would be smoother, transitions would go better.

I wasn't expecting to hear what I did that day.

I was the teacher in the group, so I began the Bible story, about how Jesus fed the 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish.

And then I asked the question.

I asked them to share something that God had done to provide for them.

I asked ORPHANS, in India. Children who had been abandoned, abused, neglected, were once starving and completely rejected by the world.

I asked them something that God had provided in their lives.

I honestly don't know what I expected the answer to be, but their answer stills echoes in my mind and my heart.

After a little prodding from my translator, one girl stood up, I don't remember which one.

She stood up and said that God had brought her to this home, where she learned about Him.

I'm tearing up just thinking about what she said.

Several other children said the same thing throughout the day and the different groups.

"God brought me here. And because I am here, I learned about Him. Because I am here, I know Him."

Do you understand what they were saying to me?

They were thankful that they were living in an orphanage, because it provided a way for them to hear the gospel.

They were thankful for all the pain and hurt in their lives, because now they know the love of God.

They can see that the pain of loosing earthly parents led to them to knowing the love of their heavenly Father who will never leave them or forsake them.

They know that though their lives are hard, they have hope because of Christ.


This is why I love orphanages.

Because through this one orphanage over a 1000 children will one day know the love of their Father!! More than 1000!! Because they will keep coming!!

Because through this orphanage, these children have learned that though they do not have the kind of family that we do, that we say they are supposed to, they have a better family. They have a heavenly family. They have siblings and friends and workers and a whole bunch of American college students who miss them and love them so very much and most of all, they have a GOD who loves and cares for them.

A FATHER who wants the very best for them and will see that all things work for their good.

And you know what else, because of this orphanage, they aren't going to keep this message to themselves.

Because they know that God is the only one that they can truly rely on, the only one who can truly save them, they are going to tell EVERYONE.

India will be different because of God's work through this orphanage.

A teaser for what is coming soon...

Thursday 3-10-11

Scarves!!

The problem when K comes back...

Wednesday 3-9-11

She bakes a lot!! Seriously! We eat so many sweets when she's here!

The drive back

Tuesday 3-8-11

We drove back on Tuesday, it took forever!! But this was the first time that my siblings and I really did any form of a road trip, it was really fun. I love getting to spend time with my brother and sister.

Is that just lovely?

Oopsies....

Monday 3-7-11

We spent all Monday hanging out at our grandma's house playing nerts and other card games. I meant to steal a picture that my mom took, but I forgot, and for real, you all can imagine what us playing nerts looked like.

Lots of cousins

Sunday 3-6-11

Here are some pictures of my cousins and family taken in Florida. Sunday was the funeral, so that is why we are all dressed up. 

The two on the right are brothers- Andrew and Owen. The girl is Megan, she's my age.

My youngest cousin on my mom's side. Andrew took this picture, don't know why it needed to be crooked.

 

We played a lot of card games. 

My grandmother, Megan and Philip (brother and sister). 

And my lovely family.

Guess who's happy here!!

Saturday 3-5-11

Me and K!! The Carolina girls!!

My traitor brother could have enjoyed this evening as well, but he has decided to worship the devil instead (the blue devil that is, not Satan).

Headed to Florida

Friday 3-4-11

On the Tuesday before Spring break began, my grandfather passed away. And so, as soon as K got in at the airport Friday morning, my dad, K and I drove down to Florida for the funeral and to see the family. 

I took this picture while driving down. I also love the way that roadsigns and stuff look while you're going somewhere. don't really know why. 

G babies photo shoot

Thursday 3-3-11

While babysitting for the Greear family, I took some pictures of the kids playing/posing. 

Somehow, K wound up pushing the other ones around in a laundry basket... I don't know how this started, but RL enjoyed it...

Little A... not so much. Its blurry, but I loved his "Laura get me out of here!!!" face. Real cute. I could eat this kid up!! 

RL was getting tired of me taking her picture haha. 

Big A's typical picture face haha. 

And I just loved this one of RL. Too sweet!!

More Hindi practice...

Wednesday 3-2-11

Have I mentioned how awful the Hindi numbers are? Awful! So hard!!

The view from my desk

Tuesday 3-1-11

Lots of pictures and verses that daily remind my of India. Also, drawings from sweet, sweet A (who lives in India). I can't wait to see her so soon!!

Prayer

So for the month of March, Summit is focusing especially on prayer and I am trying to do the same.

I believe strongly that prayer changes things. I have seen what happens when people pray, fully believing that God will act.

So...

I want to be praying for you!!

Please leave comments below or facebook/e-mail me with any prayer that you might need.

Another blogging marathon..

I keep getting behind on my posts. School is getting crazy right now, and spring break was just insane. and I'm loosing my momentum on this whole project. But the school year is almost done!!

Monday 2-28-11

This looks really familiar...

more Hindi vocab cards. One of these days I'll learn not procrastinate on these things...

We NEED discipleship!

Pictures are coming and I have a fun fundraiser for my trip this summer that you are all going to LOVE!!

But first I wanted to share something that has been on my heart recently.

Discipleship

Titus 2 says: "Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." (Emphasis added)

This verse is very clear. 

We ARE NOT supposed to live this life alone. 

We NEED older women in our lives teaching us.

We need someone who has been through what we are going through now, who have seen what is on the other side of graduation, who can teach us and guide us through our struggles and our lives. 

We NEED that. We are made for that. We are commanded to live this way.

This past fall, my spiritual life hit a rock. I was exhausted. I love serving and being there for other people, but I had no one directly pouring into me, serving me, leading me. I had my small group and I was learning from them, but even then, it wasn't quite enough. I also had a women discipling me for the work that we do with international students. I love my time with her, but our time is focused on training me for that ministry, not always just on my personal walk. 

I needed a woman who was older. Who was out and completely away from the college world. Who could tell me that the thoughts and worries that I have about my future are totally normal, that she had them too, but that God truly is in control and has a beautiful plan for my life. 

So I asked someone to be that person for me. I asked a woman who I have babysat for for many years, if she had that time to pour into my life. I am so thankful that she said yes. 

We have just been meeting for a few short months, but already I have learned so much from her.

Even just watching how she interacts with her family. How she loves and disciplines her children. How she interacts with her husband. Just watching a Godly marriage has taught me so much. (not that my parents don't have a Godly marriage- they do, but watching someone else's marriage)

We talk about struggles that we both have, struggles that I'm going through that she has already been through, struggles that she has that I KNOW I will one day go through as well.

We NEED relationships like this. 

I'm not saying that the campus ministry way of having older students disciple younger students is wrong. Its not. You can still learn so much from people who are just a few years older than you, and I have. I am so thankful for the leaders that I have had in small groups over the past two years. I have learned so much from them.

BUT, there is something different about being discipled by a senior and being discipled by a wife and a mother. Someone who has done college, but has also done work, marriage, and children. She has so much more life experience and knowledge to be shared. 

AND, while I hope that I will stay in touch with the people from college that have made an impact on me and that I will stay in touch with the woman from international friends who is also discipling me, the relationship with these people will change when I am no longer in college, when I'm no longer working with international friends. 

I KNOW that I will still be in touch with Veronica LONG after I graduate. I love her kids WAY too much to just not be in their lives anymore. I know that even when I'm on the other side of the world, I will need to talk to her and see pictures of her family. And when I come back to the State's, her's will be one of the first homes that I go to. 

I'm writing this today because I know that there are girls out there across the college campuses in the area that desperately want this kind of relationship. That desperately want to just be inside someone's home. That want to simply SEE a child! 

I'm from Summit, its my home church. So when I hit a rough patch in my faith, I knew who I could turn to. I asked Veronica, but I know countless women who would have been willing to be that person for me. I have a huge support system at Summit to fall onto when I need to. 

A lot of people don't. A lot of students only know the college students that they ride to church with every week. A lot of girls have never met a woman at Summit. 

I want to start to fix that. 

I have already sent 2 of my friends who want to be mentored and discipled to a woman that I know and love to be discipled. I want to do more. 

If you are college student who desperately feels this void in your life and wants to be discipled by a woman in the church, PLEASE let me know!! I will find you someone!! I want to help you fill this need.

Ladies, if you would be willing to disciple one of this wonderful young ladies, PLEASE let me know!! We NEED you in our lives!!! And remember, we are college girls. When I go to Veronica's house, yes, we talk about our walk and our struggles, we also play with her kids, I watch her kids while she runs to the grocery store. I help her fold her laundry, we look at catalogs and I tell her if shoes are cute or not (not that she should really trust my fashion advice). 

We NEED relationships in our lives. God did not create us to do this life alone. We need people who have walked the road that we are now on and can help us along our way. 

We NEED that. 

So please, comment, e-mail, text, call- WHATEVER just please let me know if you either want to be discipled or would be willing to disciple someone. 

My e-mail is lsdroege@gmail.com

PLEASE get in touch with me!!

Also, feel free to pass along my information to any of your friends who might be interested in either being discipled or discipling.


Much love!!

Love some Cosmic!!

Sunday 2-27-11

One of my small group leaders is in Durham craze currently and wants to experience 9th street and all the cool places in Durham, of course I am happy to oblige in showing her around. Sunday, she and another friend of ours went to Cosmic with me after church. I miss this place when I'm in Chapel Hill, the one on Franklin St is no good at all!!

Babysitting help

Saturday 2-26-11

My friend Becca came and helped me hang out with some kids that I was babysitting on Saturday. It was nice to have some company since the kids were asleep pretty much the whole time haha. 

Nexxus Project

Friday 2-25-11

I love helping with the youth events at Summit, but this year, I wasn't able to help with the Nexxus Project as much I would have liked because I had to take a Geol lab midterm on Saturday (SO lame!!). But it was great to help on Friday and get caught up with some of the wonderful people who were such a huge part of my high school. 

Love these girls!!

Hanging out with Baby A

Thursday 2-24-11

So many shoes

Wednesday 2-23-11

I'm often too lazy to put away my shoes at the end of the day and so they just pile up and this is the eventual result.

This picture also shoes how spastic the weather has been recently. Of course, NC is always like that this time of year, but one day I'm wearing sandals and loving it, then the next I need to get my boots back out.

Cute right??

Tuesday 2-22-11

I decided to rock my Toms, with some white socks. Cute right??

No?? you don't think so? Why ever not??

Tunnel fun

Monday 2-21-11

Some fun pics of another family that I babysit for. 

 

Oh my!! I love these children! Little K is way too adorable!!

How many boys does it take to figure out a toaster??

Sunday 2-20-11

Here's hoping they don't burn the house down!!

Night with Jane Austen

Saturday 2-19-11

Well, the Anne Hathaway version of her at least. 

Side note, all of my friends are totally ready for me to be done with this whole project so that I can quit taking random pictures of them all the time.

I love my bed at home

Friday 2-18-11

One reason why I love going home is that I don't have to basically rock climb to get into my bed. Also, I was going to bed, it was midnight, and I realized that I hadn't taken a picture yet haha. 

Yes I do realize that I am no longer 5 and yet I have a day bed. I'm working on it haha. It most likely will not be going with me to my apartment next year.

Popcorn + scanning

Thursday 2-17-11

Attempting to make some money

Walgreens run

Wednesday 2-16-11

My sickness survival kit. Would you believe that 2 days after Valentine's day, there was absolutely NO Valentine's Day candy left?!?! It was crazy! I was so looking forward to some cheap candy.