Kari's Christmas Letter 2012

I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since I last set foot on Indian soil. This morning I woke up with the faces of the precious children and dedicated teachers’ fresh on my mind. It brought tears to my eyes. I miss them so much. It seems like ages have passed since I last saw them all. Periodically Calcutta Mercy Ministries will highlight Project Rhino in one of their newsletters featuring pictures of the kiddos and updates on how the program is going which is encouraging, yet leaves me wishing more could be done for them. When I left India last year, God had provided me with the peace to come home and leave the program in the hands of the local staff and teachers. I felt that I had accomplished what I had set out to do which was to help establish the Project Rhino Learning Centers and share the love of Jesus while doing it. As many of you know, shortly upon my return to the states, the Lord answered the prayers of many by providing me with a nanny job. I am currently still working for the Clark family who quickly took me in as a part of the family. The youngest three are boys ages 2, 3, and 4 and the oldest two are girls ages 7 and 12. I love seeing their eyes light up when I pick them up from school, and I enjoy playing outside with them until the winter sun goes down. One day while I was having a conversation with the oldest child, she concluded, “So let me get this straight. You left teaching and India to come be our nanny. Are you crazy? Thank you!” Nothing motivates me more than feeling appreciated, so it’s moments like these that make my job incredibly rewarding. God definitely handpicked me for the Clark family for this season of their lives, and it feels good to know I’m in the center of His will once again. In case you haven’t heard, my boyfriend Ryan, moved all the way down from Colorado to Texas this past August to live nearby. It’s been great! He only lives 10 minutes away from me now, so we get to see each other almost every day. We have been dating almost a year too. The funny thing is we actually met back in college, but didn’t really know each other very well back then. When he started going to my church several years ago, I got to know him a little better, but just when I felt like I was starting to get to know him, he moved away to Colorado. We actually reconnected on Facebook, and the rest is history, or at least we’d have to sit down over a good cup of coffee for me to spill all the juicy details ;). Ryan also has a huge heart for India/Asia. Although I know this is where we are supposed to be for now, I feel certain God will call us back to Asia one day. Thank you so much for being a part of my life. I hope and pray that the Lord will fill you will his love and peace this holiday season. Merry Christmas everyone!