Micro-finance

It has been an extremely long time since I have blogged! I apologize! Life has been busy around here.(as it is for everyone) Ryan and I are both working part time, we have been actively pursuing ideas about South Asia, and our intern load has picked up.

Speaking of pursuing ideas about South Asia, here is one thing we are really excited about:

We have been trying to learn as much as we can about micro-finance (lending) and savings among the poor. It is amazing how much this can affect communities and change people's lives. Before I began reading stuff I had no idea what micro-lending even meant(and my understanding is still really limited.) In a nutshell micro-finance is is the provision of financial services to low-income clients or solidarity lending groups including consumers and the self-employed, who traditionally lack access to banking and related services.

Surprisingly, there is a really cool organization that is right here in Lancaster called Hope International that does micro-finance. (http://www.hopeinternational.org) We were able to participate in a really cool exhibit they have about poverty all over the world. Here is a video done by Hope International that helps explain the heart and vision of micro-finance.

We are hoping to be a part of something like this in South Asia. Do any of you have any experience or thoughts about micro-finance and savings or any connections to anyone that does?? We are wanting to learn anything and everything we can!

English Class

One very exciting thing, that we didn't expect in moving to Lancaster, is a large refugee population. We have heard this is due to the Mennonite presence here. They believe taking care of refugees is important, so that means this small town in Pennsylvania has quite a few refugees living here. Very cool!

As most of you know, Ryan and I love working with refugees and decided we wanted to get involved with them here in Lancaster. There is an non-profit organization that helps settle refugees and so we connected with them and they have helped us get the word out about an English class we started. There are a few classes already offered through out the city, but most of the refugees want as much help as they can get to learn more English. It helps them find jobs and adjust to their new culture...America!

We have been offering a class on Wednesday nights. It has been great. We have a lot of volunteer teachers, which means much more attention/practice for the students. Most of our students are beginners. Some know very little and some can carry on basic greetings. I personally(Kristin), love this stage because you see such amazing progress as they learn new things.

The class is very diverse. The students are from Ethiopia, Cuba, Iraq, Burma, and Nepal. It is so amazing to think how all these people from such different countries and backgrounds are all together once a week in a little room in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Not everyone in our class are refugees. We have a few students that have moved here and want an opportunity to improve their speaking skills.

Here are a few pics of our students :)

Ryan working with some Cubans. They are so fun and lively. The first week I asked one of the Cuban guys if he knew how to salsa dance. He very quickly and passionately told me(as if this was dumbest question I could ever ask a Cuban), "CLARO!!" =translated..."OF COURSE!"

These students are from Nepal. The man on the far left is the son of the man in the middle and the woman beside him(with the red shirt). The son, Bishnu, speaks perfect English. His parents do not know any English, but I am so proud/inspired by their determination to come every week.
This is a picture of some of the ladies from Africa and some Burmese students in the background.

****We found out some great news! There is an organization that has pledged to match funds with us. That means if we raise $250 dollars they will match us. This would be great to help cover classroom costs. If you are interested in donating, please let me know!!!****

One Year!

This past Sunday, October 3, 2010 was our first anniversary! I absolutely can NOT believe it has been a year since we got married. This first year of marriage has been one of crazy transitions. Besides the transition of just being married, Ryan has quit a career type job, we have moved across the country, we have started an internship to prepare us to move to another country, and we both now have jobs with bosses who are younger than us :/ (ie: coffee shop for R, Banana Republic for K) It has definitely been an adventure so far. It seems as if this next year will be one of even more transitions! Life is fun, crazy, and a little stressful.

We decided to go here for our anniversary.

http://www.thepotteryworks.com/

It was so fun! We don't have any flower vases and so we have flowers we have to use our pitcher, which means we then don't have a pitcher. So, we both decided to paint vases. R did a bud vase and mine is a little larger. I think I would like to do something like this on a regular basis. I loved painting and can't wait until we get to pick them up next week after they have been glazed and fired.

Wow, those baby blues make me melt. Also, check out R's cool new hat. I got it for him for our anniversary. I wasn't sure if he would like it...but he did :) I think he looks quite artsy in this pic.

I wish I could do this every week!

After we finished our pottery, we decided to go out for Mexican food. Unfortunately, most of the restaurants in downtown Lancaster close on Sunday evenings. We found a restaurant called El Rodeo and it wasn't so great. There is nothing quite like Tex-Mex, so we were a little disappointed. We hear there are some better places up here, so we have not given up hope yet.

To end our evening we decided to go to a crepe place downtown, but it was CLOSED. So we ended our night in one of our favorite places, Barnes and Noble. We enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie and also saw this guy there:

that is our friend Steve :)

It was a great night and has been an amazing year!

Texas our Texas Part 3

I continue with Ryan and my favorite places in Austin. (I promise that I will start writing about Lancaster soon :)

5. Tree House Italian Grill

http://www.treehousegrill.com/

This place is so yummy and has a very cool atmosphere. They have a patio with a very large oak tree growing in the middle of it. I love Italian food and it has a romantic feel. Honestly, we have only been here a couple of times, but it is very special to us. We went on our first "real" date here. It was a double date with Les and Nicole Williams. It was a very interesting and funny night to me. A couple funny memories:

1. As I am looking at the menu trying to decide what to order, Ryan very awkwardly turns to me and announces that he will pay for my dinner. He hadn't made it very clear if this was a date or a "hang out" so he wanted me to know he was paying, which in turn was suppose to clarify to me that it was a "date." He is so smooth :)

2. I had no idea, but Ryan wanted this night to be special and he wanted to dress nice. He had texted Les asking him what he was wearing. Ryan has many, many gifts and talents, BUT when it comes to fashion he is pretty clueless. Apparently, Les and Ryan had decided he should dress nice for this date. Ryan asked his roommate Steve Husmann if he could borrow something nice to wear. Steve let him borrow a very cool tan sports jacket. The only problem is that Steve is a few sizes larger that Ryan. I remember walking through the door and realizing he was trying to dress nice, but his jacket was very large on him. It was really funny!

Les and Nicole. We love you two!

6. Mozarts

http://www.mozartscoffee.com/

One of our favorite coffee/hang out spots for sure. Mozarts is located on Lake Austin. They have an awesome wooden deck and great coffee and desserts. We didn't have internet at our apartment while we lived in Austin, so this was one of my favorite places to go do internet stuff and read. The view of the lake is beautiful.

Texas our Texas part 2

This is part 2 of a series about our favorite places in Austin, TX. As we made the list of our favorites, we quickly realized most of them revolved around food. We do enjoy food and especially bakeries and coffee shops. However, I am proud that our next place has nothing to do with being unhealthy but the complete opposite!

3. Town Lake (Lady Bird Lake)

The reservoir was formed in 1960 by the construction of Longhorn Dam at its easter boundary by the city of Austin. The western end of the lake is bound by Tom Miller Dam, built in 1939. The lake was created for several reason, including the need for a cooling pond for the Holly Street Power Plant. The reservoir was also envisioned from the beginning as a recreational venue for the city.

I think it has done a great job as a recreational venue! There are miles of trails to walk, run, and bike. We have also gone kayaking a few times and love that. The trees and lake are beautiful. Although you are in the middle of the city, you still feel like you are surrounded by nature.

Here is a link explaining more fun things to do around Town Lake if you happen to be in the area and want to make a day of it:

http://www.texasoutside.com/townlake.htm

4. Austin High School (AKA Austin Stone Community Church)

We love being a part of The Stone (that is what the locals call it :) We have learned and grown so much while being a part of this group of believers. When I (Kristin) moved to Austin, I started going to the Stone and then after Ryan and I got engaged we decided to go there together. They have really great pre-marital counseling and that was a big deciding factor for us. The Stone's vision for combining truth and being a catalyst for renewal in the city is also something we feel really strongly connected with.

Here is the Stone's website. I love how passionate they are about Jesus, the city, good teaching, the world, and community.

http://www.austinstone.org/

More to come.....

"Texas our Texas"

I have realized a strange phenomenon happens when a Texan leaves Texas. It seems that their love and devotion increases. I (Kristin) have left Texas before and experienced it myself, but now I am experiencing it in a new way through Ryan. For example, before we moved he didn't really show that much Aggie pride, but the last few weeks I have heard more A&M chants and songs than I have in our entire relationship! It's been crazy. Anyways, in honor of our love and longing for Texas, we wanted to dedicate a few blog posts to some of our very favorite places in Austin. So here are a couple. (Disclaimer) Most of the destinations include food and beverage. These are in no particular order.

1. Whole Foods

http://wholefoodsmarket.com/storesbeta/lamar/

I never imagined that one of my favorite places in Austin would be a grocery store, but oh this is no ordinary grocery. Everything here is fresh and organic. I could wonder around this store for hours. I also love watching the people who shop there. Most of them seem fit and organic and there are always many, many cool tatoos. I would love to know their stories.

We started a little ritual of going to Whole Foods on Sundays to get tacos after church. They are so delicious. Here is a picture of them. If you have never been to Whole Foods, you should!

Yummy produce section!

2. Upper Crust Bakery

http://www.theuppercrustbakery.com/index.cfm

(Excluding Mr. Youngblood's cinnamon rolls, which I barley remember because it has been so long!) Upper Crust has the best cinnamon rolls I have ever tasted. They are unbelievable. Upper Crust is a cute little bakery with all kinds of cookies, cakes, desserts, chai and coffee(according to Ryan). We started a little ritual(also on Sundays) of going to Upper Crust in the mornings and getting cinnamon rolls and drinks and reading scripture together. Great times!

I was trying to take a picture that would look so good you would have to go there and taste it! I hope it worked.

Austin, Texas we do miss you and your delicious food! However, we ARE discovering some very cool places up here in Lancaster...stay tuned to hear more!

Hello World (from ryan)

Well, this is it! My (Ryan's) first blog post EVER! I'm a little nervous because Kristin is an EXCELLENT blogger - it's really fun to read her stuff - so feel like I've got to live up to the bar she has set.

But anyway...

We have lived in Lancaster for 3 weeks now. Here is our new home - sweet huh?!

Notice, it is a beacon of MAROON in the middle of two poor, burnt orange homes - surely a symbol of hope in the midst of despair! People live in row homes (or terraced houses) up here. So neighbors are VERY close and we love it.

We also went to NYC this weekend to see my sister and her husband. Here we are in front of the Rockefeller Center

As it has been said: "Each man reads his own meaning into New York." (Meyer Berger) From my extended experience in NYC (2.5 days), I agree. I read into it this: it is the most amazing mixture of cultures I have ever seen! In fact, Jessica and Matt (my sister & her husband) live in Astoria - home to the largest population of Greeks outside of Greece! And there are many other cultures clustered throughout the rest of the City.

One other interesting cultural thing we got to see is the location of the proposed mosque near Ground Zero. If you haven't seen it, here are a couple of pics:

Welp, hope to see you back here often!