Category Archives: Life

India Travels Continued! M.A. Ideal School and Shilparamam

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Ahh, ok soo I totally should’ve written this forever ago. Buut, here I am picking up from my last post about food and the Secunderabad Club.

HYDERABAD, India. MONDAY morning (10/21 I think) we went to M.A. Ideal school in the outskirts of Hyderabad. This was definitely one of the most rewarding and meaningful things I did while I was in India.

Nadia met the founder, Muhammed Anwar, a few weeks before she left for India. Can I say nothing but God? After meeting him, Nad planned a family visit to his school to donate school supplies on behalf of her company once she got in town.
A little background about the M.A. Ideal schools: Mr. Anwar began the M.A. Ideal school chain in 1987. He started a low-cost private high school with 34 students in a small, rented building in Hyderabad. Now, there are currently 10 schools located in Hyderabad’s slums.  All schools are coeducational; teaching is in English; and the target market is low-income families. Talk about having a big heart and being true servant, this man is a great example.
Mr. Anwar welcomed us so warmly, gave us a tour of the school and sat down and shared some history and his vision with us. WOW. So much to share about this visit. It was an eye opening experience. Sharing some pics below, I think it will help you understand. The kids were beautiful, so eager to learn, so disciplined, the structure of the classes, the kindness of the teachers…everything was so orderly. Most impressive is that Mr. Anwar is running this just off his love, faith, desire to make change happen and the smallest bit of resources. He mentioned that they had never received any donations in the 26 years of his existence. It costs $2-5 USD per month for the students to attend his school, and that is a struggle for many parents in the neighborhoods he serves. Note to self: Set big goals. Accomplish them. Give back. Make no excuses.

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Words can’t even express how blessed we are. Don’t you want to bless others! Philippians 2:3-4

Uber long morning but so worth it. We finally made it back to my aunt’s place late afternoon, had a late lunch then left to go shopping at Shilparamam, this amazing market village with authentic Indian arts and crafts, clothing. One of those bargaining market places, amazinggg. Loved walking around seeing the different items, handmade rugs, pashminas, bangles…and on and on 🙂 Yepp…reminiscing, I wanna go back.

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Please keep Mr. Anwar, his family and the M.A. Ideal school in your prayers. For provision, strength and guidance 🙂
❤ Rinny

Life Is A Race. Run It To Win It!

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Life is a race and we’re all running it to win it.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

How can you win if you don’t train properly? Different sports and positions require different types of training: strength training, endurance training, sprints, healthy diet, stretching…you get what I mean. Different workouts, different equipment for each of these things…it’s just like life. The various seasons of life brings you different lessons, the trials, the happiness.  Each experience you go through is for a reason. Even when you don’t realize it, you’re taking away something from every experience: wisdom, discernment, faith, forgiveness, etc. I just hope you’re learning the right things from everything you go through lol 🙂 Your workout IS life.

God wants to strengthen you with the tools to keep running faster and stronger. Train with the word daily and I think you’ll have a good chance of winning. Equip yourself with the right tools and you’ll have an even better chance of making it to the finish line strong. What are these tools? Besides the word and praying and having a relationship with Jesus and knowing Him for yourself, a few things that I think are important are:

– A clean heart and pure spirit, one that is forgiving and giving

– Surrounding yourself with good spiritual (God following, loving, fearing) leaders and friends, people that will hold you accountable. Ones who will encourage you as needed and discourage you in your wrong ways. You need peeps that keep it real!

– Give thanks, have faith, love, be positive

– Discipline. Staying focused on God. Lay aside your fleshly desires, resist temptations (esp ones that you’ll regret later). You can do it! — Matthew 6:33, 1 Corinthians 10:13

– Healthy diet: Stay hungry and thirsty for the word. Feed your spirit with truth and life, the Bible.

– Strength training: Trials you go through (fights with family, friends, career issues, death, relationships)

– Endurance/sprints: You’re never in it alone. First you have Jesus. Then, these leaders/friends mentioned above (and fam of course) are there to help you.

Of course there is a lot more, these are just a few that are top of mind for me. What do you think is most important? As you run this race called life, don’t forget to stay in your lane. You are only purposed to run your race, God has not called nor equipped you to run someone else’s. We all play different positions 🙂 Our goal shouldn’t be to beat each other, instead it’s to beat the negative influences, the bad, the wickedness that’s all around us.

What is winning? For me, it’s eternal life and living in His will, not by my own strength but through God and glorifying His kingdom. The sacrifices we make now are so little when we compare them to the everlasting blessings we are storing up.

Lots of love yall!

❤ Rinny

A Life Changing Message

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“This is going to be a life changing message.” That’s kind of how last week’s Friday night young adult service began. *sigh* (confession) Sometimes when I hear that I’m like, is it really though??

Good news, it was a powerful message…and so I’m sharing 🙂

The Power of The Word

You can’t win at life if you’re not reading the Bible! We’re in a daily battle…with ourselves, spiritually and with the world. Are you equipped to fight?

In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus went head to head with Lucifer and was tempted three times. Check out the scriptures, “it is written…” Jesus said that each time he defeated the devil. This is a prototype for us. We have to use the word of God to fight and win…and sometimes, just to make it through.

Some of you might not understand this at all, what is meant by “fight the enemy” or being in a “daily battle”. Take a sec and think about your day yesterday, were you tempted to do anything you know you shouldn’t do (lie, cheat, fight, drugs, sex, etc.)? These are just some of the daily battles we have to overcome. Obviously, we experience much bigger battles in life too. So, how do we win?  

Jesus used the word from the book of Deuteronomy to defeat Lucifer, and even Lucifer used the word to tempt Jesus (Matthew 4:6). If Jesus needed the word, how much more do we need the word?

The pastor said a few other things that really got my attention:

– He never met a person who prays for 30 min and reads the word for 30 min daily who can’t defeat their problems

– If you get one thing down, reading the Bible, you’ll self correct several other things. (The word is life, it’s how you win.)

– Only study the truth so you can identify the junk, no matter where it’s coming from (sometimes people preach but they don’t preach the truth…you need to be spiritually strong enough to discern this)

– Other people can’t fight your battles for you (yes others can pray, give advice, etc, but if you are not in the word, it’s gonna be tough!)

Let God turn your Bible into a weapon. He loves you soo deeply and he always wants you to win. He’s patiently waiting for you.

Here’s a challenge for you: start reading the Bible daily. Even if you start with just a few scriptures, a chapter…it counts, just be consistent. Every book in the Bible is meaningful (even if it’s not making sense lol). Are you hurting, looking for purpose, struggling with something? You have the BIGGEST help from your Father up above. Can you know God’s voice if you don’t know Him, his word?

If you’ve fallen away from your faith, if you need strength, even if you don’t believe…just try it and see what happens. I want that W, that victory for all of us (Matthew 3:17)

With lots of lovee ❤

Rinny

P.S. Thanks to our guest speaker, Pastor Tim Dilena of Brooklyn Tabernacle, for the awesome word. http://www.brooklyntabernacle.org/

Questions, thoughts? Feel free to comment! 🙂

Having A Rough Day?

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I always say that I LOVE it when my mom writes me and my sibs emails because she writes the best emails ever. This one in particular I have to share because it’s amazing might I say…and I think someone will take something away from this.

From the heart of my mommy:

Subject: It’s me!

I went out shopping today and I was tired when I came home, but refreshingly so, and when I took a deep breath, it actually felt so good. The problem was that I couldn’t pass a single person who I was drawn to without sharing something on this level.

Having a rough day? Place your hand over your heart. Feel that? That’s called purpose. You’re alive for a reason. Don’t give up. I went through a phase in life, wondering if I was ever going to find a purpose in life. What helped me was following my heart. Although, it didn’t always lead me to sunshine, it did always teach me a lesson along the way. Finding your purpose in life doesn’t happen over night, it’s a life-long journey.

So hang in there, and if you continue to believe that you’re here for a reason, then eventually you’ll understand your purpose in life. Look forward to how good that will feel and that will help you feel great today.

Knowing that you all know this, share at your own pace and from your own encouraged heart.

Andrea shared something with me yesterday…I thought I was aware of all the simple things.  She said that we live our lives comparing it to what we see and hear around us. We sometimes desire these things that are right for others and think they should be right for us now too.  We should learn to be happy for being our own wonderful selves, and more wonderful things will follow.

This totally hit home for me yesterday. Just want to add a scripture for ya, Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Also, check out John 15:16. God has a plan for you. Don’t forget your purpose 🙂

With lots of love,

❤ Rinny

Late Night Thinking…

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Group think! Why do groups of young girls, teens, young ladies, grown women tend to choose someone to dislike, bring down, shoot down together?  I’m not sure I’ll ever fully understand…

This is so random but it was on my mind as I was getting ready for bed some time ago. I mentor a middle school girl who is smart, at the top of her class, well spoken, athletic, hard worker…etc. She’s focused and has set goals, her passions are so clear, its admirable. The stories she’s told me always shock me…girls want to fight her.

My advice to her: When you stand for something, are confident, won’t compromise your values or who you are for others, people feel threatened, annoyed, they want you to conform. You exhibit what they wish they had in them.

Speaking from experience, I’ve seen girls act crazy on other girls for no reason. None. And it never ceases to shock me. And I know people will say, “Well it’s not them, it’s her…why do people always have a problem with her?” Wrong. Look at the people saying that, usually they are intimidated, immature, feel inferior, want attention…one and/or all of the above.

Just remember,  everything happens for a reason. God put em in your life for a season and took em out for a reason. I’ve got a few stories of my own. Teaches you character, lessons learned, wisdom and knowledge gained. Don’t cling to things that aren’t meant to be. You won’t miss that “friendship” one bit.

If you walk with God, who can be against you? Romans 8:31 (I love Romans 8:28-31!) I think this goes for guys/men too even though its not always as blatant.

Y’all know I love open discussions soo share your thoughts 🙂

Mother India…I’m home!

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HYDERABAD, INDIA. Mother India, merii ghar men hoon! Hindi for “I’m home.” I landed FRIDAY morning around 3:45AM after 20+ hours of traveling. (Thank goodness for good seat mates on the plane. No crazy stories here..just a lot of loud babies crying.) Sidenote: sweatshirt, oversized tee, comfy pants…best travel fit.

You can imagine how happy I was to finally touch down in Hyderabad. I walked off of the plane soo excited, quickly went to baggage claim, customs, etc. to go meet my dad/mom who were picking me up from the airport. Mini reunion in India 🙂 I hadn’t seen them since the end of August. We finally get home to my aunty’s place around 5:30AM. I get ready for bed and surprisingly knock out until 10ishAM…No jet lag! Hollerrr.

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I woke up to say hi to the fam and eat breakfast: fresh fruit – custard apple (it’s not at all like the apple that you’re thinking of, buutt…new fav!), idli, sambar, chutney…wish I had taken more pics for y’all! Everything was so yummy.

custard apple

After breakfast, we all headed out for the day, aunty took me/mom saree shopping to a designer nearby, errands, dr visit for my sprained ankle (womp…but I went to an amazing tendon, bone, joint specialist. 3 more weeks til I’m back to normal :-/), met up at home for lunch, went for tea at a famous restaurant called Paradise (phenom! Iranian chai is what it’s called)…and in the evening, went go karting at Runway 9 with the family. I heard some great stories about my cousins and how they were champs in the Indian Go Karting world…SO MUCH FUN.

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SATURDAY morning. It is so beautiful here. I’m enjoying every bit of being here. I woke up early to pray and get some work done. It’s so peaceful. My aunty came out and started doing yoga/meditation. She’s pretty legit. I’m sitting, working on my laptop, and I look up and see her in sirsasana pose (headstand). I definitely have to join her the rest of the time I’m here. She wakes up everyday and does yoga and meditation…yes to healthy living!

I took a break from work and walked outside on the terrace to the view below. God loves us so. Took a few moments to take it all in, the morning prayers, the man across the way doing laps on his rooftop, the beautiful sunset. Pure amazingness. Thank you God for love!

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It’s amazing. As you can tell, I’m LOVING every bit of it 🙂 More shopping, more food, more Hyderabadi livin

1 Chronicles 23:30

❤

My 23rd Birthday Wish..

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A little secret…ready?

I’m sharing my birthday wish. I know, you’re not supposed to..buutt I am because I really liked my wish. I wished (i.e. asked God) for wisdom and knowledge this year. My inspiration was King Solomon (2 Chronicles 1:7-12). Good story…read it!

Here are some bday pics. My favs came to celebrate with me, I have awesome friends. Special shouts to the ones who came from DC and Philly..non-stop laughter. They really made my bday 🙂

Bday fit: Cutouts and red lipstick! I wanted to wear something simple, fun and not too bland. I feel like I wear neutrals a lot. I added a pop of color w/ my lipstick and nail polish (toes). Cutouts in moderation are great…so is red lipstick. I’m wearing one from YSL, they make the best lippies!
Rebecca Minkoff dress, Elizabeth and James shoes

Dreams, Favor and Faith

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Came across this on the web a few days ago…I love this.

I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favour in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings.

In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

– Henry David Thoreau

and think about this scripture with it:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Yeah, this is where my mind is today.
❤

NFL NCAA “Rule Breaking”

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I am currently annoyed frustrated shocked w/ this stuff…I was driving home from dropping my sis off at the airport while listening to some radio station discussing the NFL/NCAA rules, Tyrelle Pryor, etc. I wanted to call into the radio show so badly but I couldn’t get the number while I was driving haha

So, here’s the (most recent) issue…Terrelle Pryor, a former Ohio State football player, Pryor was suspended for the first five games of the 2011 NFL regular season for selling memorabilia in exchange for cash and “improper benefits.” The reasoning behind the suspension was that “Pryor had accepted at the end of the 2010 college football season a suspension for the first five games of the 2011 season for violating NCAA rules”, and that he had subsequently “undermined the integrity of the eligibility rules for the NFL Draft” by “failing to cooperate with the NCAA” on their investigation into the OSU football program.

Hellooo..that’s like saying I finished at one job, got hired at another, but my new job is punishing me for something I did at my previous job. Does that make sense?

People are saying they (athletes) break the rules, they should pay the price. Yeah, I think there should be consequences for some stuff and I think these athletes should be more careful, it’s not right to break the contract (not everything you’re offered is gold). But, I also think we should be questioning the rules…why not change the rules? Ethics? Morals? I think Roger Goodell and the NCAA board are the ones we should be looking at. These athletes give their heart and soul to this game. They bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars for their teams and schools. No one ever talks about that. Or, how in addition to their duties on and off the field, these guys do community service and charity work and are students like the rest of their classmates. They have families, they sacrifice vacations and holidays.  It’s hard work and hard earned respect that they should get. Why don’t they have the freedom to do what they want with a ring, or a jersey (that they worked for), or accepting a car for transportation? No biggie I don’t think…what if they need that extra help? We all know college student days weren’t the most balling of days, right? A scholarship is good but maybe not enough.

I could go on, but I’m lateee. I should be on the road to Austin to see my baby niece. Road trippin! She’s presh 🙂

Anywayyy, I really want to hear your thoughts, what you feel..am I wrong? Comment away!

Peace and love ❤

-Rinny