making a home...

this past weekend we spent in Chitwan National Park.

holy crap,

that place is gorgeous,

and there are elephants...

elephants!!!

which make me weak at the knees...

i LOVE elephants, especially baby ones. 

fyi...the CUTEST video of a baby elephant is coming your way,

if my techy skills win out. 

anyway, besides the point. 

all that to say, Kev and i are flipping exhausted. 

6 hour bus rides in nepal slap the life out of you,

especially when said bus is leaky rain water onto your head like chinese torture

and a women is banchee wailing in the front of the bus 

the.whole.trip. 

and the chair in front of Kevin's broke so that a lady was practically lying asleep in his lap. 

yep. 

buses in nepal. 

ke garne? {what to do?}

but today, as we were coming back I realized what a home we have made in Kathmandu. 

we've made a life here. 

And in some small way, I believe it's God affirmation of showing us, that no matter where we go, He will provide community, love, warmth and a place to call home. 

and this is a huge step for me...

Kev and I definitely feel that God is calling us to overseas work sometime in the future,

but i've struggled with the fear of feeling lonely. 

i'm such a people person, that I get depressed when i'm not around friends and family all the time. 

usually when we travel it's not like forever that we're gone,

so being in Nepal has really helped imagine what it might be like if we did move somewhere 

"longterm"

{that phrase scares the heck out of me!}

but you know what?

i'm not lonely. 

faaaarrrrr from it. 

The minute we moved to Nepal we met SOOO many friends. 

and almost every night of the week are with friends of some sort. 

so, i'm thanking God that He provides what we need,

and I need not fear for the future when he calls us somewhere new. 

for I have Him, and I have Kevin. 

and that means, i'll always have a place to call home. 

can't wait to show you pictures of Chitwan, and some crazy stories too. 

have a great week friends!! 

love Katie 

ps- just a few pics around KTM

 {haha, i laughed out loud at this picture! this is what never doing anything to your hair looks like!} 

being beautifully overwhelmed

In the last few days I have been so beautifully overwhelmed. All these blessings keep piling up, one on top of the other, and my heart seems to be spilling over contentment. 

i'm certainly not always in a season like this, so for now, i'm soaking it up and thanking Abba. 

nepal has been a time of sweet healing, and I'm watching God pour his balm into my heart and give me so many of my hearts desires. 

as you know, we currently live in Nepal. this fact alone has showed God's faithfulness in answering our prayer to live and serve abroad before we have kids. We love how free and adventurous we can be, taking off at a moments notice to explore this mysterious place. 

we also love that our marriage is a team, as we work together to love and serve the girls in the aftercare home. watching my husband redeem these precious girl's view of men has filled me with adoration I cannot explain. 

and many of you know that just recently we found out that God provided us a way to go to Europe for 2 weeks this summer to go to a wedding of our dear exchange student sister Aline. Seriously, He mysteriously lowered the airline points we needed on our credit card to get a free trip. during peak travel season. what.the.heck. Not to mention we will get to travel around with my family through france, belgium and holland. 

and lastly, one of my dearest friends and her husband flew half way across the world to spend 3 weeks with us. they are here now, and it's been so so fun to have them here with us, laughing and seeing our "world" as we know it now!! 

so i am overwhelmed.

but in the very best way. 

have a great weekend friends! 

we are off to Chitwan national park to bathe with elephants and do an animal safari! woo hoo! 

love Katie

here are a few pictures of our adventures the last few days....

on being rescued

on Saturday night something really special seemed to unfold before our eyes. 

Our friends Patrick and Michelle are here, 

which you know, 

and they have already blessed our hearts more than I can even say.

 To be with friends that know you,
don’t judge you,
and will go into the depths of your heart with you to help process the difficulties and joys of life,
is a priceless gift. 

not to mention who laugh with you in the craziness that is Nepal. 

ie: like the time when a bird popped literally all over michelle’s head and we could not stop laughing slash feeling really bad for her, especially since it’d be a few hours before we got home.
She was a champ, poop stains and all! 

but, 

like I said Saturday, there seemed to be heavenly magic in the girls home. 

Like the holy spirit was there, soft and gentle and palpable, 

cutting deep into the wounds of the girls heart and allowing peace and freedom to pour in. 

Kev, Patrick, michelle and I spent almost 3 hours at the home, playing games with the girls. 

At one point after a large group game, everyone kind of dispersed. 

Patrick helped one girl with her science homework, 

Kevin played with the little ones, 

Michelle was in the bedroom teaching English and being taught Nepali, 

and I was sitting on the couch with sweet K. 

K is always laughing and has a smile on her face. 

Sometimes the joy is so intense I forget these girls have a past that haunts them. 

But this night, I was invited into her heart. 

And it changed my life. 

Like all our girls, she grew up Hindu. 

She told me that one time in class a friend spoke up that she was a Christian. 

K said she began to make fun of Jesus, and said 

“your Jesus I will cut up like a potato and fry and eat for dinner”. 

A few years later after horror I cannot describe, K was rescued and sent to a transitional home. 

One night in tears, she lay in bed praying, and then she remembered Jesus. 

She prayed 

“Jesus, I don’t know who you are but I know you are one of many gods. 
Will you help me, Jesus, will you save me?” 

A few days later K was brought to our home. 

Where the staff welcomed her with open arms. 

Her face lit up as she looked at me and said, 

“Katie, Jesus saved me and He loves me” 

tears streamed down my face as I sat there listening to this story of redemption. 

Listening to a story of a God that sees and hears and moves and responds. 

and saves. 

A God who is powerful yet tender. 

And mostly, a God who transforms lives. 

Rescusing us from darkness and bringing us into marvelous light. 

K described that when she came to the home, 

she met people that “understood her” and didn’t judge her past. 

People that loved her like she had never been loved. 

You guys, the way she talked about her Jesus was so intimate. 

So real. 

So transforming. 

i couldn't help but be humbled. 

almost, embarrassed. 

how often do I forget the magnitude of God? 

I treat him like a genie who should fulfill my present needs, 

and forget to thank him, and thank him, and thank him for rescuing me. 

So that night as I sat with K, we both looked heavenward and thanked our sweet Abba for rescuing us. 

For seeing us in our pain, and bringing us to greener pastures. 

for He is kind. 

that is his nature.

 He is the kindest person I know.

today, i'm thanking Abba for seeing me 

and rescuing me. 

happy Monday dearest most precious friends,

love Katie 

where your sponsorship money is going...a confession

happy Friday dearest readers:) 

my friends arrived today. 

i have LITERALLY had a perpetual smile on my face for the last few hours! 

isn't it amazing when your worlds collide? 

a wee bit of home right here in the Nepal in the form of my friends! 

today i wanted to share a little more of my heart in regards to sponsorship. 

I was so overwhelmed by the response I got after I posted yesterday,

thank you. all of you. it almost made me cry. 

this morning when I was in the shower I was all giddy thinking about how awesome it will be to sponsor and promote so many of you! 

and then, 

in the back of my mind,

I felt the Lord nudging me...

"katie, will you give it ALL to me?". 

I froze (literally, IN the shower, stark naked!) 

Sponsorship had been exciting for the networking aspect, but also because I felt like I would be able to earn a little extra income for the small things Kevin and I need on a daily basis. When you're a missionary, there isn't much "extra income" lying around. 

ya feels me? 

but in that small moment, 

I realized,

ALL I have is the Lord's. 

This blog is HIS. 

All you dear readers are HIS. 

So if he is asking me to give of it...how could I refuse? 

it belongs to Him anyway. 

And really, 

the bottom line is this...

God is a provider. 

He has met every need Kevin and I have ever had. 

We've never been without. 

ever. 

And yet, so many around the world go without every day. 

without food

without clean water

without medicine

without a roof over their head. 

without parents or family to care for them. 

friends, it wasn't easy. i'm human, sue me. 

 I know it seems small and trivial, but I tried to justify why I should keep the money. 

"But Lord, this will help Kevin and I continue to do your work....blah blah blah"

...as if God needs my help in providing for us. He's ALWAYS provided for EVERY need...

and then some! 

I just finished reading "The Hole in our Gospel" by Richard Stearns. 

and the chapter on money really convicted me. 

our world is controlled by money, and if we're not careful it can control us. 

But the BEST way to  cut the ties of dominance it has over us is to simply, give it away. 

R. Scott Rodin says this, "Our check stubs speak more honestly of our priorities than our church membership" 

Money is a great treasure that only increases as you give it away.” — Lord Francis Bacon

so, I've decided that every penny that comes in from sponsorship, 

I plan to give away to a charity of my choice. 

currently, if you sponsor Hope Engaged for the month of July (with 3 free weeks of sponsorship in June) I will be donating all that money to the aftercare home that we work at in Nepal. This home takes girls rescued out of sex trafficking and seeks to love them, feed them, clothe them, provide shelter for them, and care for them. 

And you guys, God is moving in AMAZING ways there as girls who were once trapped in darkness both physically, emotionally and spiritually are being renewed, restored and LOVED by the Lord our God,  and our amazing staff. every day I see freedom rising forth from the ashes. 

So, all that to say, as you sponsor Hope Engaged, you are not only advertising your blog/business, but you are providing for tangible needs around the world! 

how awesome is that? 

have an amazing weekend friends

as God teaches us all how much he loves a cheerful giver,

love Katie 

ps- if you would like to sponsor me, send me an email at katie.emma.cook@gmail.com and i'll send you the information! 

our week and sponsorships

Hello sweet friends:) 

I hope you are having a wonderful week. 

Our week consisted of monsoon season starting

 (with massive downpours throughout the day, which means crazy muddy streets!) 

playing volleyball with nepalis and eating korean food

teaching the girls in the home the cupid shuffle and casper slide 

(because that's all my whiteness can handle in the form of dancing...basically having a SONG tell me what the heck I should do...)

making home made granola and almond milk (umm....how did I NEVER do this before? unthinkable!) 

discovering the KTM bead market and sweet coffee date with a friend

killing spiders (or...more like me freaking out about them and Kevin killing them)

and our dear British friends teaching us a new game called jungle speed. cra.zeeeee. 

and MOST exciting is that one of my best friends and her husband are flying into Kathmandu tomorrow to visit us for a few weeks! I seriously feel so honored that anyone would come visit us, and am so humbled they shelled out the big bucks to come over here and support us in what we are doing. I certainly don't deserve the sweet friends I have. 

and ahem...hint hint, any of you are ALWAYS welcome to come visit:) haha! 

in the next 3 weeks we plan on doing a jungle safari in chitwan, visiting the beautiful sites around Kathmandu, making tacos for the girls in the home (their first time with Mexican food), and a few fun day trips outside the city! 

ok, enough about me. 

let's talk about you. 

When I first started my blog, I had no idea what I was in for. Really, it was a place to update family and friends on my life happenings.

 Little did I know I would meet the most AMAZING WOMEN....

YOU!! 

Honestly, you have all become so incredibly dear to me, and I've loved every comment, email, skype date, and phone call i've had with each one of you. 

So thank you. 

Because of that, i've decided that I want to open up some sponsorship on my blog. This decision came out of a lot of thinking and prayer, and realizing that I want to give any of you a platform for sharing about your life, your shop, or your endeavors! 

We're a community, after all, and we all can work together:) 

If any of you are interested in advertising through my blog, feel free to email me. 

I've decided that if you sponsor me for the month of July, I will give you the month of June for free! So really, anyone that emails me in the next week will get two months of sponsorship for the price of one:)

Soooo many of you are incredibly creative and are doing amazing things. I want to show that off and feature you! So yes...if you are interested, email me at katie.emma.cook@gmail.com 

Can't wait to partner up lovely!! 

Have a GREAT rest of your week, and be brave with every moment you have! 

love Katie  

baby, let's get lost...

saturday afternoon Kev and I set out with the sole intent of just getting lost in Kathmandu. 

we hopped on a micro-van for 15 rupees,

crammed in with dozens of nepalis, the wind whipping through our hair 

as we rode and rode and rode,

 until the route ended and we were forced to get off. 

then we just picked a street, and started walking. 

ohhhhhh, it was so much fun

i love getting lost in big cities:) 

as we were walking down the street, I looked to my left and saw this alley way below. 

so excited, I called to Kev, and we crept down the ancient path. 

little did we know the beauty that awaited our curiosity. 

as we stepped into the courtyard an expanse of old houses opened up,

laundry hanging,

and people living their daily lives

around a buddhist stupa in the middle. 

as we crept closer, we saw these two little boys smiling up at us and telling secrets. 

then the little boy gave the traditional greeting to Kevin, "namaste"

an older woman doing laundry, hanging bright color cloth to dry, looked up at me and we smiled as I greeted her. 

I then glanced over at sweet Kevin. sometimes I just like to stare at him (is that creepy??)

and then swoon because I can't really believe that he is mine. 

Kevin is like a kid whisperer...wherever we go, children flock to him. 

He is so warm and welcoming towards the little ones,

and never fails to make them laugh! 

about two seconds after this picture was taken of him below by himself, 

he soon had a crew of kiddos following his every move!! 

and soon all the kids were showing Kev their tricks! 

laughing and loving life....

this little cutie below stole my heart

oh waaaiiitttt....more tricks! 

after a half hour of playing with the kids and practicing our nepali, we wandered on. 

down another alleyway, I chased these monks. 

it's what i do. 

stalk people, that is. 

after hours of exploring we were exhausted! 

like I wanted to fall over. adventuring can be hard work! 

but we are so thankful we live in a place where we can move around in freedom and explore all the country has to offer! 

happy Monday sweet friends! 

love Katie