pray and act for Nepal

I took this photo while in Mussoorie, India for the first time in Nov 2012. A place where you very much feel on the precipitous edge of the world.

Join us as we pray for the families of the people who have been injured, killed, and those who are still unaccounted for. Let us pray for love to reign over people of Nepal and the surrounding regions. Let us pray that they know they are not alone. Let us pray that healing comes to those who have been hurt, and peace comes to those who have lost loved ones. Devastation like this take decades, if not lifetimes, to recover from. 

My friends in Mussoorie, India (about 1,000km from Kathmandu) felt the tremors after the earthquake in Nepal. A very startling reality that an event like this could have easily occurred in Northern India where I have spent much time and gotten to know a beautiful community of people.

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." - 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Let us not only pray for the people affected by the earthquake, but let us also be moved to action. There are dozens of humanitarian aid organizations on the ground assisting the thousands of people in need. Please consider donating to one of these reputable organizations -  UNICEF, Charity: Water, Save the Children, or Mercy Corps. 

-hannah

#mountaincrushmonday

I love mountains. I often find my thoughts drifting to mountain ranges I have visited in the past, as well as peaks I've never seen in real life - only ooooogled at in photographs. I live in middle Tennessee where the closest mountains are the Smokys about four hours to the east (and the Rocky Mountains are about 18 hours to the west). So, I'm going to officially dedicate every Monday to the majesty of the mountains. In this little blog space of mine I'm going to showcase some of the mountainscapes I have been so lucky to see in my life and the setting in which I came across them. Hope you love mountains as much as I do! 

Mountain Crush Monday, The Himalayas

You might be thinking, "Those can't be the Himalayas. Where's the snow? I thought the Himalayas were much bigger than those green hills?"

What you see here are some of the sweetest mountains I've ever been in. It was Monday March 17th when I stood in the lower bazaar of Mussoorie looking down over Dehradun. If that date sounds vaguely familiar to you, it's because that was the day Holi was celebrated in India last year. Hundreds of tourists had traveled up to Mussoorie from the plains to celebrate the colorful holiday. Bright powders were thrown throughout the streets and the city was alive with excitement. Street food and candies were being consumed on every corner and you hardly met anyone who didn't greet you, "happy holi!" The mountain dwellers and tourists were all anxious to be rid of the cold winter months with the promise of spring.

I had never traveled as far down into the bazaar as I did on that day, and the view from where I stood was well worth the hike back to the top. I was amazed at how far I could see, even though it was still quite hazy on that day (the photo you see is unedited). I will always be fond of this little space on God's creation. If you've ever been there you surely know how special it is.

Mussoorie is the ultimate melting pot of culture. It was a hill station built by the British during their rule in India, there are still antiques previously owned by British families that are sold in the bazaar today. Apart from that, you have the Indian nationals (of course), the Nepali, the Tibetan, and a half dozen other backgrounds in the mix. The food being cooked, the clothes worn, and the languages being spoken throughout the mountainside town will keep you in awe. There is opportunity to learn something new every day. And views like this one here, I mean come on, can there be a more special place?