Fun Ashraya Mission fact: Until Friday, November 12, a certain Travis Fruge' had never been seen in person by two certain Katherine(Kathryn) Elizabeths. (Yes, we have the same name...sort of...but also, not at all.) Katie Beth and I (Kati Hultman - or KtH) met briefly in India one (eventually) fateful day in June. But until last Friday, we were just taking it on good faith that this Travis person really existed. Good news: He does.
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| Some of the amazing nurses KtH mentions below |
Since Nashville is technically the center of our operations, and basically equidistant from New Orleans, LA (T's current home) and Kalamazoo, MI (KtH's current home), the Ashraya Mission trio decided to meet for the weekend for some business mixed with fun. What an incredible weekend! Here are some things that we learned:
1) The Lipscomb University Honors Freshman Seminar class is made up of basically the world's most awesome 18 and 19 year old world-changers. On Friday night, we met with these students who have done (and are doing) fund raising and awareness raising for Ashraya Mission and for the issue of human trafficking as a whole. These guys are passionate, driven, brilliant people who caught our vision and they're running with it. They blessed our socks off...I just know that we were staring a bunch of world-changers (and hopefully future Ashraya Mission interns) in the face Friday night.
2) God is raising up an incredible supporting community around our organization. Saturday night, Katie Bethy Crocker "whipped up" (read: toiled over a crowded stove, a blaring blender, and hot oven) an amazing dinner for a crowd of people who have showed support in many ways to Ashraya Mission. KB's Daddio, Will the videographer, our fave Freshman, some of the greatest nurses in history, friends with great hats and musical inclination - just a sampling of the dear ones God is bringing up around us...more world-changers, no doubt. Praise Him.
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| Friends with awesome hats and musical inclination |
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| Another amazing nurse with our special guest Samson, a 200 lb great dane |
3) When visiting a friend who does not drink coffee, it is a true blessing to be within walking distance of a Starbucks.
4) We are broken people in need of redemption. Here's an exercise that we often do at my church in Michigan: Check your pulse...(go ahead...check it.) Do you have a pulse? (Yes.) Okay, then you have issues. I have a pulse...I have issues. It's as simple as that. There is so much beauty in realizing and recognizing that we all have junk and that because of Jesus, we are all redeemable. I am a broken, messed up person. And I'm not alone in that. And Jesus paid it all so that I can have abundant life. What. Good. News.
5) We are definitely going to need a piano at the Ashraya Mission home in India. Thanks to the baby grand in KB's living room, we all got turns playing and listening to some good-for-the-soul piano solo stylings. We're gonna need more of that.
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| Everyone's favorite late night piano |
6) Sometimes, something that tastes like it's going to go into a pie actually ends up making a KILLER lasagna (butternut squash lasagna = culinary magic)
7) Pictionary Telephone is probably the most fun game ever.
8) Travis doesn't sit down much.
9) Katie Beth is extremely productive - even on 3.5 hours of sleep.
10) KtH hates squash, pumpkin, and other orange foods unless KB has made them into delicious muffins or lasagnas.
11) We like each other. It might seem strange after these months of weekly skype conferences and (seemingly) endless emailing and text messaging, but really until last weekend, we'd never met each other. I think we all had inklings that we would like each other but having time to spend together in person sealed the deal. (Well, it did for me anyway.) God is smart. I'm so grateful for this trio he designed.
12) It IS possible for man and beast to have "guy bonding time" - Travis and Hubbell proved that. (KB's dog Hubbell is basically the best black lab/Clydesdale mix on the planet. We all love him.)
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| Puppy shot of Hubbell-too cute to not include. |
13) Holding hands in a circle is a nice way to bond, and should always be an item on the “to-do” list.
14) We can basically do business anywhere...via skype, text messages, and phone calls, of course. But also in the car, in the kitchen, and in Katie Beth's bedroom (Don't judge us just because we signed our final 501c3 paperwork while sitting on a queen-sized bed together. It's just how we roll. At least until we have an office.)
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| T-Doodles signing our 501c3 on KB's bed |
We leave for India in 19 days (20 for KtH). We're working on firming up our connections in Delhi and Kolkata and still working out some details of our travel. Please be in prayer for continued provision as our trip approaches.
Grace. Peace.
~KtH
P.S. All photography courtesy of Christy C, Katie Beth and Travis Fruge
P.S.S. Show some love to Andrew Peterson for this blog. "Counting Stars" is a great album.
Blessings,
