Humility in receiving.

With the timing of my visa coming, the price of my airline tickets was more than I had expected. But, its nothing God couldn't work through. In His work; He has once again humbled me by who He has chosen to use. From a 16 year old girl who felt convicted to give her small savings of $100 and to commit to praying for me daily...to a 50ish year old women who had been given a substantial amount of money and would like to in turn give to me. With every gift of support I get I am hugely blessed. People I don't expect to receive support from are giving above and beyond my imagination. I am so thankful to serve a God who is able to do abundantly more than I could ever ask or imagine. Thank you all for your support, Thank you for listening to Gods voice. My flight leaves on Friday (April 1st - no joke) and I will be arriving in Pakistan on April 3rd.

More updates to come...

Visa in hand

I thought I'd let all you guys know that my visa and passport arrived in the mail this afternoon. I didnt have to go to the Embassy! YIPEE!!!

Now, if you could please please please pray for the flight arrangements to work out. The prices seem to have jumped overnight. Yikes!

Thank you to all who have been praying!!

the embassy

So, saturday was the day I expected to get my visa and passport back from the Embassy. It's now Tuesday and I still haven't gotten it. So, yesterday morning I call the Embassy to see what the hold up was. Here's how it goes:

ext. 2010: How can I help you?
Me: I'm calling to see if my passport and visa have been mailed to me yet.
ext. 2010: What is your nationality?
Me: American
ext. 2010: What kind of visa did you apply for?
Me: Missionary.
ext. 2010: You need to talk to Javeed at extension 2013.
Me: Ok, Thank you, Bye.

click.

ext. 2013: [pakistani music playing....then ringing] Hello, How can I help you?
Me: Yes, My name is Katy Heinle, I have been granted a Missionary visa, I'm just calling to see if it has been mailed back.
[more music]
[ringing]
"How can I help you?"
Me: Yes, My name is Katy Heinle, I am calling to check if my visa and passport have been mailed back to me.
"You just called didn't you, I said, You need to talk to Javeed at extension 2013!"
Me: That is the extension I dialed.
ext. 2010: Well, I don't deal with that, you need to talk to extension 2013.
Me: Thanks, Bye.

click.

[more music]
[ringing]
ext. 2013: Hello, How can I help you?
Me: Hi, My name is Katy Heinle, I'm calling to see if you guys have sent my passport back to me yet.
ext. 2013: You have to speak to extension 2010.
Me: I just talked to them and they sent me to you.
ext. 2013: Well, I don't keep the records. Its not my job. You need to talk to extension 2010.
Me: Thanks.

Yeah, so an hour later and I didn't get anywhere....except more frustrated. So, tomorrow my Dad and I are going to pay the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC a visit. See if we can get anywhere. Please pray.

Let your conscience be your guide - J. Cricket

WARNING!! Graphic pictures below!

I have been giving much thought lately to conviction. I would consider myself someone with a very healthy, and somewhat loud conscience. My conscience will not allow myself to get away with much. Not that I want it to. I want to be consided a woman of conviction. My latest struggle, although it might come across as a bit extreme, either way it is something I have been giving much thought to - Speeding. Yes, I said speeding. As in, driving faster than the Speed Limit. I believe God has put certain people in government over us, and that we are to honor that. So, by speeding I am going against something that God has set up to protect me. I like that I feel guilty for driving even 5 miles over the speed limit. It doesn't really bother me that I am driving faster than the speed limit, what bothers me is that I am going against something God has set in place. I think in some places the speed limit could/should be higher.

Anyways...this sort of ties in with something esle I was thinking about. My time in Thailand. I've sort of been reminiscing [sp?] of my time there, and the things I learned. Especially about the religion. As I am preparing to go to an Islamic country I am trying to prepare myself, and educate myself on their beliefs. I love learning about religions. Even though I find so many of them very sad. When I was in Thailand we were able to spend an afternoon with a Monk, he told us all about what they believed. Then when he was done talking he showed us the different 'hells' you must go through for all the sins you have committed in your past life. If you had lied in your past life you got your tongue ripped out and molten lava poured down your throat...and well...you can see from the pictures. It made me sick, and I had to wonder how many Buddhists knew this about their religion. The pictures of the 'hells' were hidden at the back of the temple, behind a buddha statue. It was not easily visable. Who would want to be a part of a religion where they that is what they have to look forward to??? They say Buddhism is a religion of peace. How come you don't see any buddhists helping the refugees in the south of Thailand, or any buddhists helping the children in the slums who have to dig through the garbage every day for food?

The more I study religions the more I am thankful that God sent his Son to cover my sins, from lying, to speeding, to any of my selfish nature working its way into my life. Someone loved me so much that He went through a hellish death for me....I don't have to go through any HELL. I think its sad that so many people look at the christian religion and want nothing to do with it because of the christians. I've met some horrible christians in my life, but I've also met some real saints too. The thing about Christianity is...its not about the christian...its about Christ and his sacrifice for us. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a hypocrit. I don't always do the things I say. But one thing is for sure, I don't claim to be perfect!! In fact, the older I get the more horribly disgusted I am with my sins. I am a work in progress.

Anyways....I will stop with this little sermon here. Below are some of the pictures from Thailand. A country I will always hold very dear to my heart, and will always be in my prayers as I look forward to some day returning.


Buddhist Temple in Thailand

Hell for Liars 

Hell for those with sexual sins 

Hell for Thieves 

Buddha Statues in Thailand 

i am a victim.

And before you sit there and fret about it [or about the fact that i just used the word fret] I will tell you the story of my victimization [is that even a word?].

Last Saturday I was driving home from Michigan. Since driving that far would require any car to need a refueling I had to stop for gas. I was in Ohio. I must add, Ohio has some very nice rest stops on the turnpike. I hear back in the day [not sure what day that was] Ohio was known for its rest stops...and in that day, it wasn't a good thing. But on Saturday of last week their rest stops were pretty rockin'. I would have to say the best I've ever been in actually. Big, clean, nice eateries [man, I'm using some pretty old school words here]. Anyways...I was talking about petrol [score! another fun word!]. So, I pull up to the gas pump and swipe my debit card and enter in my PIN number. For some reason it tells me to enter it again, so I do. The same thing happens. Finally the gas station attendant comes out and tells me it must not be working right and suggests I back up and try the other pump. So I back up and try the other pump which works fine. Meanwhile the gas station boy fiddles around with the other pump and puts up an out of order sign. I finish pumping my gas, checking my oil, and cleaning off my windshield and go on my merry way.

Now I'm sure your wondering why on earth you just spent that last 60 seconds of you life reading that terribly unexciting bit of text. Here is why. As I found out yesterday when I was online checking my banking history so I could balance my check book I had been a victim of identity theft! Thats right, when they say 'it can happen to you,' they really meant 'it can happen to Katy'. And it did. A whole $71.70. I called my bank to ask about that extra charge and she said I had authorized my card three times at this one gas station, it triggered in my memory that whole episdoe at the station. The little weasle!

My Dad told me he heard of this guy who went to a store and payed with his credit card and the cashier set his card on the counter next to his register and picked up his cell phone like he was going to talk on it, when actually he was taking a picture of it. And then there was this other time when this guy was eating pizza with his family and he gave the waitress his credit card, but when she brought back the card, it wasn't actually his card. It was a credit card that looked like his card. Pretty sneaky.

The moral of the story: Be careful with that piece of plastic you carry around in your wallet. It can cause great troubles for you. Luckily for me, I have a great bank and they will credit my account the money all I have to do is fill out some form. Oh, and if that sneaky little gas station guy is reading this....I cancelled my card. So good luck using it again!

Emma Noel

I have to brag for a moment. I love my littlest sister. I love them all actually. But Emma is the only one who I can tell doesn't try to get my attention, she just acts herself. She is the cutest, most adorable, most unique, silly, quirky, intellecual little 6-year-old I know. She comes into my room when I'm busy cleaning, doing laundry, writing, whatever and will sit down and have a normal mature conversation with me for an hour or so. But then I will catch her doing and saying the silliest things in the world. Sometimes I wish I could spend a day in her mind, to see what goes on in there, but I think I would die laughing. I hope I have a kid like her someday.

the cutest kid in the world

visa situation.

Most of you who read my blog already know that my visa for Pakistan has been granted. But for those of you whom I have failed to inform...this ones for you. Its been a crazy week or so....so forgive me. My visa was granted last Saturday, however, there has been some confusion at the embassy regarding it. I will be making a quick trip in to the post office tomorrow morning to send in a money order since the "missionary visa" requires more money than whatever visa I was applying for when I mailed in the application. Once they recieve the money they will mail me my passport. This could possibly, most likely, delay my departure by a few days. I've been running around like mad, trying to get things done before I leave, pack, see people, get paper work done etc....
So...if you think about me anytime over the next few days...I could definately use your prayers!

4:15 am

As most of you know, I am not a huge talker. Sure, I have my moments where I can ramble on and on uninterrupted for 30 minutes straight...but those moments are few and far between. Molly likes to call me mysterious, like I'm holding some deep dark secret about me, or pondering some great truth. I think it would be more accurate to say that I don't have a lot of important stuff to say, and so I'd rather not fight for the chance to get my voice heard and so I allow other people their time to talk. I do tend to keep my thoughts to myself out of fear of being ridiculed for the silly things I would say...or not even fear, mostly just laziness I think. Now I seem to have lots the train of thought of this blog. I attribute it to the fact that it is now 4:42 in the morning. I worked last night till 11:00 and I have to be back at work in an hour. In my tiredness I seem to have set my alarm to the wrong time and now I sit here trying to use up a few of my free minutes of the day. I don't think I slept at all last night. I was on the internet till 1:00, then all those thoughts that I keep to myself tend to all lay there in a cluttered mess as soon as my head hits the pillow and I find myself thinking of all the things I shouldn't have said that day. Oh! maybe thats where I was going with this blog. Yes! thats it! Last night I believe I said two things that I now regret. One of those things was... I told my boss that if I was his "ladyfriend" [his live-in girlfriend who he's been with for 8 years] I would not have stuck around for so long. Did those words actually come out of my mouth!!! I'm ashamed of it. What an awful thing to say! We had got into this whole discussion of marriage and attraction and before I knew it the words were out of my mouth "so, why don't you marry the girl?" It was one of those moments where you wish words were like a fishing line and you could just reel them back in. No such luck. He was very nice about it all, giving good reasons...fear of committment, not wanting to tie himself legally to someone with so much debt, etc. etc. But as I laid in bed last night trying desperately to fall asleep for the remaining 4 hours of my night I just westled with the shame of the situation. I was such a jerk! Why do I say such things. For someone who doesn't talk very much, I sure find myself wishing I had talked even less. Maybe I will just go become a monk and submit myself to one of those monestaries where your only allowed to say 10 words a day. I'd have to make them worthwhile then. Something tells me I'd lay on my stone slab regretting even those words. I just can't win. But, I can apoligize for my insensitivity to the situation. Good thing I work with him again this morning.

Why am I not dead yet?!

I'm a bit of a daring person, I must admit. I've lived a daring life. I've done some pretty crazy things in my life. I like to push my limits and do scary things. I never realized until just recently how far back that desire for the dangerous went...all the way back to childhood [i know...its not that far away]. I also never realized until now that the further back I go...the more dangerous it seems I was. Basically, I should be dead. Here is why:

- When I lived in Japan my siblings and I would take tent flys and use them as parachutes. I know your thinking...no big deal right. Well, we did this in the middle of a Typhoon!! We would literally fly down the street!!

- At one place we lived we had an enourmous tree in our front yard. It was serriously the best climbing tree ever. Well, we would climb from the tree to the roof and then swing down from the roof on a rope swing. In this neighborhood rope swings were the thing, cause I destinctly remember two other rope swings that were not only very high off the ground to begin with...but also sorta swung out over a very steep hill. Good thing I never feel off.

- We would take a bike tire inner tube and pull each other around on a make shift skate board and fling them across the concrete.

- And my personal favorite. There was a hill across that street call 'dead mans hill' [with good reason or so the rumors go] we would quite often slide down it on cardboard boxes pushing to see who could go on the steepest part without getting hurt. Well, we set up our own zipline using a yellow nylon camping rope tied to a tree on the top of Dead Mans Hill all the way down to a tree at the bottom. Then we would take a damp washcloth [it had to be wet otherwise it would burn up and break] and lay it over the rope holding on to both sides and slide down. Yeah, that one baffles me...how am I still alive?

You may be wondering...where is my mother during all this. Well, for the most past we got away with it by telling her we were going to walk the dog [ a dreaded chore at the age of 10] especially in the case of the Typhoon when we weren't supposed to be outside. Whether she believed any of it I do not know. I do know, I loved my childhood, I loved living in Japan, and I especially love all the crazy things by brother and sister and I did. We were crazy.

forever moving onward...

Today I get the priveledge of letting my boss know that this will be my last week at work. Good timing too, cause he hired one two new people and so there will be less hours available.

I got an email yesterday from the Secretary at Murree Christian School in Pakistan. They say 4-5 days till my visa is cleared. Finally.

[sigh.]

So much to do....so little time.

I am hoping to fly to Sri Lanka and spend time with my brother and his family there before I go to Pakistan. It costs about the same....so why not. A little tropical paradise before I head to the himalayas.I'm estimating I will leave the US around the 18th....and arrive in Pakistan sometime at the end of the month.

I have loved being here in Michigan [except for the dreary, overcast, depressing weather] and working at Starbucks and getting to know some pretty cool people. A special thanks goes out to Molly and her entire family for putting up with me these past two and half months. I will miss it here....but I'm ready to go.

Thank you all for your prayers in this very long process. Please continue to pray as a lot of things need to fall into place in the next three weeks, not to mention travel safety, and just the whole idea of leaving my family to go to a very different culture.

I'm hoping that this will be how I keep you all updated on everything while I am there. So be sure to keep checking back.

I love you all!

-k



soon to be my new home...