This cutie is Jessie. He is the son of staff members at the orphanage. He has the curliest hair of any little boy I have seen in Asia! I included him just because I think he is so cute:)

Once a month at the orphanage, the children who have a birthday during the month are celebrated. They are sung to and get birthday cake, which is a special treat for them. The rest of the children get to have cookies. This Tuesday night was that time. Below, you will see all the children who have a birthday and them enjoying a piece of their cake.

(birthday kids)

Below is a picture of a couple of the kids eating cookies. Not one cookie is left after they are done. Dow is the little girl who stuffed the cookies in her mouth:)

Those of you who know me well, know that I have little things about me that some may find odd. I prefer to think that it's just what makes me unique. One is that I don't like to eat chicken off of the bone. (Just one of my many food issues:) I just don't like to think about what it is that I am really eating and prefer to believe that chicken really comes in the form of nuggets. So, in the states, I would never be found eating anything that has a bone in it.

Things are different over here. I find that I am able to let go of those areas of control and attempt things I would never do in the states. Hence, you can see a picture of my favorite meal below that we happened to have for lunch Tuesday. It's "Five Star Chicken" and is eaten with sticky rice...all of it by hand. It's a communal plate where you just pick off the pieces of chicken that you want. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. It's absolutely delicious!

Over here, I will go places and do things that I would not typically do in the US. I have gotten on a boat that looked like it was put together from planks that were pulled out of the river. I have eaten at restaurants I would never consider in the states. I have hopped on the back of a moto with someone I couldn't speak to. In the four times that I have been here, I have tried more and more new things to the point that I can go with the flow and try just about anything. (There are still some dishes I won't eat, though:)

I started thinking about that yesterday. Back in the US, there are still limits that I put on life, areas that I like to control, and fears that I let stand in my way. Yet over here, I really don't have a choice...and life feels much more free. In moving halfway around the world, I have said "Yes" to God and allowed Him to take me the places He wants me to go, to protect me as I follow Him, and to bless my life as I step out of my comfort zone and let Him make up for what I can't do on my own. Why live any other way? What will I do when I get back to the states? And what am I missing out on as I try to put my limits on life? Food for thought.

One last item for the day...If you sit anywhere for any length of time, kids will come and find you. I know I have said before that they just love to be held and hugged and to be close to you. They will hold on for as long as they can after years of not getting that affection. In the picture below, I sat down to help kids with English homework one evening and quickly had three kids find me. If all I did was this for the next ten months, it would be completely worth it!