A Woman's Worth.

Hello my darling,

My sweet, precious little girl, one day you will grow up to be a woman. And you will find that being a woman is not the easiest thing. It's a hard life. It's a trying task. It's a challenging road.

Many men have forgotten the worth of a woman. Sadly, so have many women. Today we are treated as cooking and cleaning machines. We are used as a source of entertainment and pleasure. We are disrespected, devalued and unappreciated. We are like an accessory on a man's arm or a perverse image in a man's mind or a guilt stain on a man's heart.

We are constantly compared to corrupted images. We are encouraged to lose whatever diginity and self-respect we have, to please men, to win their love and affection. We are told that the more you show of your body, the more attractive you will be to a man. We are encouraged to be anything other than ourselves. In fact, we have lost ourselves and most of us are running around in the dark trying to figure out who we really are.

And because of all this, you will find it's easy to become bitter as a woman. It's easy to get angry. It's easy to look at men and life and think how unfairly we are treated. How unfair are their expectations on us. You may find, no matter how hard you try, it's sometimes nearly impossible to be appreciated and loved for who you are. And you will find that gradually, because of how men look at us, we start doubting our worth as a woman.

But it is not in their hands that your worth lies. It is in your hands and it is in God's hands. You are a beautiful creation. Before you expect anyone else to know that, you need to know that. And the only comparison you need to make is with God's word. Because when He made you, He made you perfectly. Porn stars are not our standard of beauty, the Bible is. You don't need to take off your clothes to prove you are beautiful. You just are.

And your worth also lies in your ability to be gracious and forgiving. God put a strength in women, that they must use to their advantage. Graciousness. I believe that is why a woman can care for her children. So no matter what men do or say to us, we continue to look at them through the eyes of love. Not because we are weak and helpless. But because we are strong. We are strong enough to CHOOSE to forgive and strong enough to trust again and strong enough to be gracious to them, regardless of their crimes against us. 

We are women. We have incredible worth. We are important in God's eyes and we are loved beyond our capability to understand. We may not have bulging biceps but we have the strongest and most powerful muscle of them all, our heart. With this muscle, we will change the hearts of men and women around the world. We will not do it with shouting and wars and protests.

We will do it with love.

I love you always,
Mummy.

Feel-Good Generation.

Hi baby girl,

Welcome to the Feel-Good Generation.

We are the generation that does what feels good, no matter the cost. We spend our whole lives chasing for that one high, that one moment, that one experience that makes everything else worth it. We run behind superficial happiness, but only because it's easy.  We want the things we can never have. We want the things everyone else has. We are never satisfied with who we are or what we possess. We always want more.

Patience is for losers. We are the super-fast generation. Super fast technology, super fast cars, super fast girls and super fast boys, super fast relationships, super fast noodles. Everything is so fast, that the reality is most of us are trying to keep up. Keep up with the fashion, keep up with the latest trends, we spend our lives keeping up. We're all out of breath but we don't stop for a second to think, we just keep on running.

The motto of our youth is get rich or die trying. Money and sex. The two things that control our lives. We think those two things will complete our lives. Make us happy. Give us peace. Give us status. Give us respect. Oh yeah, we don't earn respect anymore. We demand it. With guns and foul language. By bullying and looking down on people. Women think they gain respect by taking off their clothes. Men think they gain respect by being the man who gets with the most number of women who take off their clothes. We don't respect others, but they must respect us.We don't even respect ourselves anymore, yet we expect others to respect us.

We love to look good on the outside, but we pay no attention to our insides. While our faces are painted with colour and vibrance, our insides are decomposing. There is no room in our lives for compassion and kindness. Why? Because it doesn't benefit us. Why should we bother with it? Everything is about me. I have to look out for myself. I have to succeed. It doesn't matter who I have to hurt or trample on to succeed. This is MY life.

Commitment, honesty, keeping your word, respect, honour, dignity are a thing of the past. They are too old-fashioned. You can't be successful and be honest at the same time. Can you? You must get divorced at least once in your life. You must sleep with as many boys as you can before you get married. You must lust after as many women as you possibly can. You must lie and cheat otherwise you just can't get to the top. It doesn't matter if what you are doing is wrong, as long as it feels good to you. It's ok to walk out on relationships just because you don't feel in love anymore. It's ok to curse at your parents and elders, after all, they are just a bunch of old people. What do they know? It's ok to watch porn cos everyone else does. It's cool to be rebellious and have no respect for authorities.

NO.

Today, I'm taking a stand. I refuse to be a part of this generation. I refuse to accept all the lies and the standards this world has set. Because in my opinion, these are not standards that I want to base my life on.

My standard is Jesus. My standard is the Bible. It's the oldest book and yet the most relevant book. I have found all my answers in this one book.

The Bible tells me to be honest. It tells me to give to the poor. It tells me to protect my body and my mind. It tells me that I have been put on this Earth not just for myself, but to be a blessing to others. It tells me to honour my commitments. It tells me to respect and be kind to everybody regardless of their nationality, religion, cast or creed. It tells me to forgive, not just once but over and over again. It tells me not to lie or cheat. It tells me to honour my parents and elders. It tells me that money should never be my master. It tells me that I am created beautifully, that I don't need to slobber my face with makeup to look attractive. It tells me I must respect the authorities. It tells me to look after the Earth I am placed on, and not pollute it. It tells me God sent His Son to die on MY behalf, even when I didn't deserve such a sacrifice, so I should love others like He loves me, whether I think they deserve it or not.

So that's my standard. I believe in a new generation. A generation that is cured of this 'Feel-Good' disease. A generation that is consumed with real love, not with superficial, feel-good love. A generation that is kind and honest and seeking to do the right thing always, especially when it's hard. A generation that is respectful and a generation that seeks to find the best in everyone. A generation who gives and not hoards. A generation whose motto is 'Unselfish to the Core'

That's the generation I long to see. The generation I want you, my little angel, to be part of. So it starts with me. I'm going to live differently, and hope and pray that others will see and others will follow.

Because after all, it takes just one tiny matchstick to start a forest fire. So wherever you are, be that little matchstick.

Love you muchly,
Mummy

Far Too Kind.

Hi my baby girl,

First of all, if you were here, you would LOVE today's weather. Just gorgeous! With the sun and the blue sky and snow and frisky air...gorgeous!

it's so BLUE!

But today something very sweet happened. I just wanted to share it with you because it reminded me of an important lesson, which us humans tend to forget so easily.

Today I was walking for a meeting to my office and I was focusing very intently on where I stepped because now the roads are quite slippery and I did not desire to fall. So I was walking when I saw this fairly elderly lady walking towards me so I smiled at her and she smiled at me and said 'Hei'. My heart leaped up inside of me with joy because for months and months I have been trying to smile at people on the street here and for my 8 months here, maybe one or two people smiled back. Glum, I know. I would tell daddy, I am going to get people to smile at me!! I was determined! And she smiled!! And then I was walking more and ANOTHER gentleman smiled at me and said something inaudible but who cares! He smiled too!!

Now you are probably wondering what is the big deal here. Two random people on the street smiling at you. But here in Finland, it just doesn't happen that often. I come from Sri Lanka where everyone is smiling at each other and whistling at girls on the street and laughing at random people. So I miss that!!

And then I thought about kindness. Their little smiles brought me so much joy. I don't know why, but it did. I was smiling like an idiot the whole way to my meeting. They probably don't know what an impact they had on me, but I was quite grateful to God for our short encounters.

It made me think more about the impact my actions have on others. Am I too busy to be kind to people? Am I too absorbed in my own life and my own problems to be unselfish for a few seconds to smile at someone? Or give them a small compliment? Or just check up on how they are doing? What impact am I having on people? How is my life touching others?

Because the reality is, everyone is busy. I don't know what we are doing so much, but somehow we are always busy. Busy getting rich, mostly. So busy that we have forgotten to be kind to others. Especially the people we don't know or won't benefit us in anyway. Also we are scared to be kind to people. What if they take advantage of us? We never have time for others. We are far too busy thinking of ourselves. Even if someone is writhing in pain on the floor, we don't have time to stop and help or we are too scared to get involved. Let someone else take care of it. No.

I like to take my example of living from Jesus. The kindest man I know. He hung out with the rejects in society. Showed them love. He gave to the poor. He went out of His way to be kind to people, no matter how tired He was. He encouraged people. He gave them hope and life. He gave people second chances. He didn't judge people the way society did. Eventually, He gave up His life on a cross for the very people who pinned Him to it.

I want to be like that. I want you to be like that. Kind to the core. I never want to be too busy to care about people. To smile at strangers. To encourage those who are down. To pray for those who need it. To push down the walls that people have built up because they are scared to let people in. To tell others about how much Jesus loves them. To bake a cake for someone else. To send a text or message to someone telling them I'm thinking of them. I never want you to be too busy for those things also. These are small things, but important things. And it doesn't matter if anybody notices or you feel it's insignificant. What matters is you do it with the right attitude of being a blessing to somebody else.

Be kind, my darling. Someone else needs it today.

Love mummy

"Look at me"

Hey baby girl,

I remember when I was a kid I went with some friends to this amusement park. And we were on this ride which just went round and round and it got faster and faster. But all it did was go round. And somewhere in the middle of it, I started feeling sick in my stomach. And I was wondering what is the point of this? Why am I even on this ride? I just wanted to jump off but I couldn’t. It wouldn’t stop. And I remember someone saying, don’t close your eyes and don’t look around just look at the ground. You will feel better. And strangely, I did.

And some mornings I wake up, and I ask myself the same question. Why am I living? Why am I here? Because some days it’s easy to forget the reason. Some days it’s easier to close my eyes again and hide in bed. Some days I hear only silence and echoes. Some days I just want to go back home. Some days I just want to scream and cry but I don’t have enough energy. Some days I just need someone to tell me that I’ll make it through. Some days I need hope.

And on those days, I’m tempted to close my eyes. I’m tempted to give up and walk away. But then I hear this still, small voice saying, “Don’t close your eyes. Don’t look around you. Look at me.” And in those moments, He gives me the patience and the grace to live that day and the day after that. He reminds me He loves me. He reminds me my life is not just for me. He reminds me that there are more broken souls to be touched, more broken hearts to be fixed. He reminds me that He is always here with me.

So when you feel tempted to give up or run away, look at Jesus.

I love you…

Mummy

P.S:- one of my favourite songs.

Blame God, shall we?

Hi baby girl,

Today I want to talk to you about something that is very close to my heart. It's something that troubles me about today's world.

People have little respect for their environment. They feel like it's ok to just throw rubbish on the street or cut down forests or dump oil into the seas or kill innocent animals. They feel like this is our earth, we can do whatever we please with it. They have no respect and no genuine love for the earth they live on. It makes me sad.

We treat the Earth like this and when nature reacts aggressively against us as a result of our foolish actions, the first thing we do is turn around and blame God. God brought this Tsunami. God caused these earthquakes. God is making this drought and millions of people are dying. God caused poverty. God is responsible for Global Warming. God is responsible for this boo boo on my thumb.

NO. We are.

We polluted the earth and the seas. We cut down the trees. We brought about global warming which is the simple reason for these strange weather conditions globally. We are corrupt and evil. Instead of using our financial resources to end hunger around the world, we spend excessive amounts of money to buy 5 cars and 3 houses and about 15 designer hand-bags. We spit our chewing gums out of our car windows. We use a million cans of hair spray for a year. We waste food. We just drop our used cigarettes on the road. We chuck our finished bag of chips on the street. WE are responsible. Not God.

But it's so much easier to blame someone else, isn't it? So let's blame God, shall we? I mean after all, He could stop all of this right? NO. When God created this Earth, He set some laws. One law was 'What you sow, you reap' So you can't sow a potato seed and reap a banana tree. Doesn't work like that. So you can't start dumping oil into the sea and expect birds and fish not to die. Our actions have consequences, no matter how big or small they may be. It's not God's responsibility to clean up our mess. Too often we hand over our responsibilities to God and get mad when nothing happens. We need to grow up.

The two things God asked Adam and Eve to do was 1. Be fruitful and multiply and 2. TAKE CARE OF THE EARTH. He asked of only 2 things and we couldn't even do that.

No. I'm tired of this irresponsibility. We can't change how other people treat the Earth.We can only change how we treat our Earth. So we must be different. God gave us Earth as a gift, to take care of it. We can't destroy it any more.

So, as you grow older into an adult you will learn to protect your environment and encourage those around you to do the same. If you throw rubbish, let it only be in a bin, not on the street. If you see a piece of paper on the floor, pick it up and put it in a bin, even if it's not your piece of paper. Don't keep the water running while you brush your teeth. Save electricity. Love animals. You may not be able to stop people from dumping oil or toxic waste into the sea, but try and do your part. Do whatever YOU can no matter how small or insignificant you may think it is. That's what's important. If everyone did their small part, things would be easier. Our planet could be cleaner.

I love you. I only want you to have the best this world could offer. So I need to do my part to protect this Earth so that you could have the same opportunities I did to enjoy the beauty of this Earth.


Love always,

Mummy

Mummy & Daddy are tree-huggers <3

Valentine Shmalentine.

Hi baby girl,

First of all, I love you.

Secondly, today is ‘Valentine’s Day’. Another pointless day people celebrate by spending ridiculous amounts of money, stuffing their faces with little balls of diabetes, getting wasted and all in the name of showing that someone ‘special’ that they love them. This is one day that disgusts me the most. Why?

Firstly, if someone is really special to you, why are we dedicating just one day of the year to show them our true, deep feelings? Why not lavish them with your love every day of the year? Why not have candle-lit dinners every night? Why just today?

And then it got me thinking about the age we live in where the whole meaning of love has been disillusioned and corrupted by sex, the music we listen to, the movies we watch and the moronic reality shows we follow.

We are taught to ‘follow our heart’ and we are told that ‘it’s ok if we can’t help how we feel’ or that ‘it’s ok to fall out of love’. People get married and divorced at the drop of a hat. It’s almost 'cool'. And somehow everyone has gotten very comfortable with this cycle.

I want you to remember this. Listen to me carefully. Choose the man you are going to marry with wisdom and obedience to God’s voice. Don’t just marry a man because he pulls the chair out for you or holds doors open for you or because he calls you beautiful. Don’t marry a man because he is good-looking or has a super fit body. Don’t marry a man because he has a similar taste in music. All of those shallow things could fade. Marry a man because after seeking God’s face, He gives you the peace and assurance in your heart that this is the man you must spend the rest of your life with. And also marry a man who loves Jesus with all of his heart.

After that, no matter what obstacles come your way, you don’t give up. Why? Because you made a promise to him and to God. There are going to be days you don’t ‘feel’ like you’re in love. It’s not going to ALWAYS be sunshine and ponies. Some of those quirky little traits about him will become simply annoying. Some days you won’t have anything to talk about. He may not always open doors and pull out chairs for you. He may be insensitive some days. He may not call you beautiful all the time. He may betray your trust. He may not meet your expectations. There are going to be days you are going to want to walk out and quit. There are days when your 'heart' tells you to give up 'cos it's pointless. But you don’t. Because you made a promise. We live in a generation that doesn’t keep their word. But you must be different. If there is only one promise you make in your life, let it be this and then keep it until you die.

You don’t follow your heart. You follow through with the promise you made to your partner.

People don’t fall out of love. They just choose to stop loving the other person when things become too difficult or uncomfortable.

You can help how you feel. This is how you do it. You write down how you feel. Whether it’s pain, anger, betrayal, sorrow, grief, jealousy, distrust, hopelessness, despair, fear and the list goes on. And next to that you write down what you need to do and what 1 Corinthians 13 says about love and then you do it, regardless of how you feel. That is what honouring a commitment means.

And this is the most important thing to remember. You can look at the other person and complain about how much he has changed. But I can guarantee you this. You changed first. This is something I as a wife struggled to accept at first. I can’t change daddy. I can only change myself. He is not responsible for my happiness. I am. In fact, the more I focused on changing myself and less on changing him, he and I were both so much happier.

And remember, marriage or any relationship is not a tit-for-tat game. You don’t love someone because they love you. You love someone because you choose to love that person. If we only loved people because they loved us…well, there will be days we won’t find anyone to love. The same goes for all other qualities, like trust, compassion, forgiveness, encouragement and the list goes on.

I am blessed to have daddy. He is not a perfect man (thank God for that!) but he is absolutely perfect for me and I only pray and hope that you find a prince like daddy :) After all, we only want the best for you!

But remember, love is not a fairytale. It is nothing like the movies. In fact, it’s even more beautiful and significant. It’s something that takes years to perfect and it requires commitment, not feelings. So remember these little words of wisdom, I have shared with you. Because one day when you are down in a pit of despair, they might give you some hope.

We love you!

Big cuddles,

Mummy

P.S.: This is such a beautiful song, enjoy :)

How I Met Your Father.

Hi my baby girl,

So I probably should have started all my letters by telling you this important story but oh well. Here it is now.

How I met your father.

If you haven’t gathered it by now, your dad is from Finland and I’m from Sri Lanka. So we are from two very different ends of the earth, two very different cultures. He lives in an igloo, while I live in a furnace. He is white and I am…chocolatay.

September 2007. I remember the first day I saw your dad and his family. It was in 2007 at Church in Sri Lanka. They had just come to our church and had started working in Sri Lanka and I was leaving our church because I was moving to Malaysia to do my degree. I noticed 4 white heads in the sea of brown people and I remember thinking, ‘I wonder who the new-comers are’ But that was all the thought I gave them at that time.

I left to uni, had a ball of a time there and in the summer of 2009, I came back to Sri Lanka for a holiday and it was also the 2^nd time I met your dad. 

September 2009. The youth in our church happened to go to the beach for the day. There were about 6 of us and it wasn’t hard to notice the quiet, shy white boy seated at the back of the van. I remember getting into the van and smiling at your dad and saying hi. The first thought I had when I looked into his eyes was , “He seems kind”

So we spent the day out and I tried, I really did try, to talk to him and make him feel more welcome in the group. What I didn’t know were that Finns are extremely shy when you first meet them. So for every question I asked, he gave me a one word answer. And after that I just gave up thinking, “Man, this boy is ruuuuude” But that wasn’t the case, at all!

A few days after our beach encounter, he added me on facebook (ah, what would we do without facebook?) But I went to uni and I forgot about him and he forgot about me. Time passed on and the following few months were both difficult months for both of us as individuals. It was a time in our lives when God was cleaning us from the inside out, getting rid of bad habits and getting us ready for something. We just didn’t know what. Also I had been praying since June 2009 for the man that I would spend the rest of my life with. I wrote down a list of the qualities of the man I would like to marry and I brought it before God every day. What I didn't know was that God was actually working on that list!

10^th December 2009. Daddy randomly writes on my wall on facebook. At first I was thinking, “Ok no boy just ‘randomly’ writes on a stranger’s wall. So either he is flirting or he is crazy” I actually told this to one of my friends in uni. And this was 2 days before I was to come back to Sri Lanka for the Christmas holidays. In fact, I wasn’t even supposed to go back for those holidays but I think God had a secret plan ;)

So I decided to write back to him even though I thought he may be crazy and we actually started talking about pretty normal things. We would talk nearly every day and we got very close in a short period of time. What I loved most about talking to daddy was that we talked about important things. We talked about God, the Bible, life, love, music, our pasts, our weaknesses and strengths, our dreams, our desires for the future. And it was funny because he liked another girl, and I liked another boy but God somehow managed to erase everyone else from our minds in that short period of time. And the more we talked, the more I realized, 'hey I like this boy's heart!'

However, in my mind, I was thinking I would only date this boy if there was a chance of getting married to him, but it seemed too much of a risk to take. Where would we both live? How would we learn to live with all our differences? I had all these questions in my mind so I would pray about that and share my woes with God, hoping for a sign. I even remember joking with daddy while talking saying, ‘Hey wouldn’t it be easy if the man I was to marry had a big heart or a sign on his forehead or body saying I’M THE ONE!!’ And then a few days later the youth went out to a waterpark and we were hanging out in the wavepool when I noticed a sunburn on daddy’s chest in the exact shape of a heart. I quietly freaked out on inside :D But of course, I needed more than that to know if this was from God or not!

4^th January 2010. My grand holiday in Sri Lanka had come to an end and I was planning to head back to Malaysia for my final and most crucial semester before I graduated. 2 hours before I had to leave to airport, your father tells me he likes me. Now what do I do?? So I gave him no answer. Instead I told him, I like you but God needs to tell me for sure if this relationship is His will or not. So we both agreed that we would spend one week without any kind of communication and we will pray especially regarding this matter.

So that’s what we did. But before that, we agreed to talk to both our parents. I was NERVOUS. I very sneakily wrote an email to my parents explaining the situation. I remember on that list of qualities I presented to God each day, I told God that one condition I need is that my father has to say yes on the first time I ask him. I wouldn’t need to beg or try very hard to convince him, because God needs to talk to Him. My parents read the email and they just said, ‘ok we will pray too’

9^th January 2010. This was the first day we spoke after praying. God had spoken to daddy and God had spoken to me and we decided, yes. Even though it doesn’t make sense to us, God gave us the peace in our hearts and in the hearts of our parents and we knew that if we entrusted our relationship to God, instead of trying to figure everything out on our own, this relationship would stand through every storm and turmoil. And baby, so many people said so many negative things to us to discourage us, but you must remember, the only opinion that counts is that of God's and of course your parents. No matter what you do or go through, use the word of God and His voice to lead, guide and mold your steps. Not the opinions of the world or friends or anyone :)

We have been together for over 2 years and we have been married for nearly 8 months and though it has not always been easy, it has been a blessed time together and we can’t wait to grow old together and mostly, we can’t wait to see you and hold you and love you!

some pictures throughout the years <3

Any kind of wisdom that I can give to you, my precious, from my experiences is this. Let God choose your husband for you. He will only choose the best and the finest man for you. Until then, don’t get distracted by other boys who will only damage your heart and body. Listen to the voice of your Father in Heaven and let Him guide you to the right boy. Keep your eyes on the prize and guard your beautiful heart. Give it only to the man you want to spend the rest of your life with. And yes, you may feel like you have to wait forever, but wait. It’ll be worth every single second!

I love you my baby girl. I only want to see you happy and safe.

Love and cuddles,

Mummy

Winter Wonderland.

Hey baby girl,

Mummy's bestfriend, Priscilla, came to Finland. WEEE!! And here are some fun memories from January 2012 :) I hope they make you smile :)

Love,
Mummy

P.S. Music : Everything's Magic by Angels & Airwaves

My 2011 (Part 2 - Finland)

Hey baby girl,

So I have started this letter many times and failed to finish writing it. I guess it has been hard and emotional to write this. Probably as it has been few of the hardest months in my life. So here I go, this time I hope I can finish it.

I landed in Finland on the 7^th of July 2011. It was summer and it was beautiful. My first few hours in Finland were like some sort of dream. I hadn’t quite realized what has happened. A part of me was sad, a part of me was excited. I just didn't know what to feel or think exactly.

The first few weeks were both fun and stressful for me. I had a great summer here. It was absolutely beautiful nature and so much to do and so many lovely things to eat! It was also lovely meeting Daddy’s family and friends. But meeting so many new people and trying to remember their faces and names was also quite stressful. And to add to that Daddy and I didn’t have a home so we lived from suitcases for a month. We didn’t have any idea of what we were going to do, where we were going to live, how we were going to support ourselves. Everything was left open for us and it was a little scary.

But the hardest part was people didn’t speak English here. So I felt thoroughly excluded from conversations. Everyone kept telling me to learn Finnish but what they didn’t realize was you can’t learn Finnish in 2 weeks. It’s one of the hardest languages to learn and I was scared that for months and months and maybe years, I would be the silent observer in ever conversation. I was also scared that I would not be able to make new friends because I wouldn’t be able to talk to anyone. But more about that later.

So having nothing except two suitcases, we prayed. Within a month, God gave us a beautiful little apartment in such a convenient location. He blessed daddy with a job in the same week! And life got started for us...

It was scary for me being a new wife. I was in a new country so things were quite unfamiliar. It's not easy being newly married and moving to a new place and having to learn so much in such little time. I didn’t know how to cook or bake. And to make things worse, in the grocery store, nothing is in English. So God and Google Translator were my best friends. And I remember telling God, “Ok Juho is going to come home from work today and I need to put some dinner on the table. What do I do??” But step by step, God helped me. I remember the fear I experienced as Daddy had his first bite of the garlic chicken I made for dinner for the first time by myself. He survived ;) Little by little, God taught me how to cook and bake, run a house and helped me adjust into my role as a wife. God is the best and most patient teacher you will find. Remember that.

But from here things started going downhill. Daddy would work very long hours. Sometimes he would leave home at 6am and come back by 10pm. And all this time, I was alone at home. I didn’t have a job, I didn’t have friends, I didn’t have family. I became very lonely. I would cry out to God asking Him, “WHY did you bring me to this place? I am just wasting away in this country. What do You want me to do here??”  Many times I would reach out to the phone to call my parents to ask them to book me a ticket back home, but every single time God said, “No. I have a plan and a purpose for your life. Don’t look back.”

I was sinking further and further into depression until after about 2 or 3 months of feeling sorry for myself I decided, NO from today I am going to surrender to God’s will. I made a decision that I am not going to complain about being in Finland or being alone. Because I am not alone. God is right here with me. I decided to love Finland, love Finnish and love Finns. I made a choice that I was not going to waste time being sad, instead I would make the best of this situation. And after all, if God brought me here, God will take me through!

I started by praying for a job. Everyone told me, you can’t speak Finnish and therefore you won’t get a job. Within 2 weeks, I got a job. I work in English and I can work from home and my boss is such a lovely person. And it was a miracle because my boss was praying for an assistant at the same time I was praying for a job!

I started praying for a church. There was an English and Finnish church we attended on and off but I felt like God asking us to join the Finnish church full-time. It didn’t make sense to me as the whole service is in Finnish and I couldn’t understand a thing. But Daddy and I obeyed God and joined the Finnish church. The moment we joined they invited us to join the worship team and help out with the youth. I was scared because how would I communicate with people? But they were so kind-hearted and caring that even though they would usually speak in Finnish, because I was there, they conducted their meetings in English too, even thought it was hard for everyone else. I felt so loved and part of their family. I led worship at our youth night and I sang in Finnish! I was SO nervous ‘cos I had no idea of what I was singing but it was still awesome to worship God in another language. Now this week I will be teaching at the youth night, in English! Yeah, God is good! And not only our church but He also opened so many doors for Daddy and I to minister in many other churches around Finland.

I then started praying for friends and God brought so many lovely people into my life. Not only that, He made it possible for my parents to visit Finland during Christmas and even for my bestfriend to come visit Finland!!

And finally, the greatest miracle. I was struggling to learn Finnish. At first, I was angry at the people around me because they were speaking in Finnish and it seemed like nobody cared I was in the room and I couldn’t understand. So I told God, ‘No. I am going to speak Finnish fluently before the end of 2012’ And you will not believe how much my Finnish has improved! It’s not perfect but I was able translate quite abit for my bestfriend here when people speak to her in Finnish. I can literally hear the Holy Spirit whispering in my ear what people are saying around me.

These last 6-7 months have been hard but also I have learned many things. We are never alone. God is always with us and if we let Him, He can move mountains around us. He had to break me first though. I had to surrender to Him. That was the hardest part, but I’m glad it happened. Cos I learned to depend on Him more and less on myself. I learned to change my attitude first, before the situation around me changed. And most of all, I learned to be brave and face challenges instead of run away from them!

And now instead of complaining about what I lost or don’t have, I thank God for what I do have. An amazing husband who has been so supportive all the way, a loving and caring family, a great church with a big heart, wonderful friends, a job I love doing and of course, the ability to speak and understand some Finnish.

God is good, baby girl. Trust in Him and He will never let you down.

….and that concludes, my 2011! 2012 is going to be even greater!

Love you always and I’m waiting for you,

Mummy

My 2011 (Part 1- Sri Lanka)

Hey baby girl,

So it’s 2012!!! A new year! It seems like I blinked and then 2011 flew by so fast.

2011 was a big year for mummy & daddy. A lot of changes and a lot of decisions and big steps were taken. So I’d like to run you through our 2011 in a very big nutshell. This is going to be long, so don’t fall asleep reading this one ;)

The start of the year was somewhat undecided. There were so many decisions to make. I was only 21 and in a few weeks I had to decide what my whole year and possibly my future was going to look like. I was really scared. At that time, mummy and daddy had prayed and with God’s peace, we decided we wanted to get married in June. We told our parents and after the initial heart attacks, they prayed too and agreed! Hurah!

Now came the next steps. What were we going to do after our wedding? I wanted to live in Sri Lanka. I had just got back from Malaysia about 6 months ago and I didn’t want to leave to a new country so soon! I was determined NOT to go to Finland!! I didn’t know the language, I wouldn’t be able to work, I didn’t know anyone there, daddy wouldn’t have a job, we didn’t have a house, we didn’t have money and basically we didn’t have anything! So, no, I’m not going to Finland.

We started looking for apartments and jobs for me and daddy in Sri Lanka. Every time we walked into a place, I felt God saying, no. I was getting more and more frustrated. Until one day, my mummy and her friend was praying and God gave them a vision. And my mummy comes home and tells me, “You have to go to Finland. That’s what God wants from you” I think I felt like my legs melting into the ground. My heart breaking slowly and all hope vanishing. And then to make it worse, my daddy says the same thing!

But I love God. I knew He doesn’t just say things. So I went back and with a downcast heart, I prayed. I asked Him what He wanted from me. Sometime that week, I had a dream. I was walking through a desert and it was dry and sandy. Suddenly from no where your daddy follows me in to the desert and immediately snow started falling. I got startled in the dream and I started running and this time I ran into a garden with pretty flowers. Then your daddy ran into the same garden and AGAIN snow started falling. I started running until I could run no more but there was still snow. Then I turned around and ran to your daddy and when we held hands, the snow turned back into that beautiful garden. At that moment, I knew what God was telling me. You can’t run away from His plan for you. His plan is perfect and He always thinks of what’s best for us, even if we can’t see it that way at first. So guess what, I told your daddy, we are going to Finland!

So now starts the wedding planning. My goodness that in itself is a tremendous task. And then your daddy informs me that he is going to Finland for 3 months before our wedding. I was like WHAT?! But then we both felt that it’s best if he goes to work in Finland for a few months and prepare the way for when we move there in July. He also had to do his entrance exams for Uni. I knew this was the wisest thing to do, but inside I was scared. I would have to plan this wedding alone. But I thank God for my wonderful parents and family and friends who did help. Especially my mother. If not for her, I don’t know what I would have done.

But nevertheless, those 3 months were very hard for me. I had to prepare myself mentally that I would have to leave my home again and this time I don’t know when I would be coming back. I fell very sick in-between. I was missing your daddy. I was exhausted as I was juggling work, driving classes, wedding planning and of course, trying to soak in the last bits of Sri Lanka as I could! I would go to sleep crying most nights because I felt like I couldn’t leave my family again or I wasn’t ready for Finland. Time went on like this, but through it all, God was there with me. He was my only true friend and companion. Every time I was about to give up, He would miraculously pick me up and keep me going. And I say that to encourage you, baby girl. He will be your closest and most faithful friend. Remember that!

Those 3 months passed and in those 3 months, the wedding got planned, I worked at an amazing place with such a wonderful and encouraging boss, I passed my driving test (HURAH!), your daddy came back (DOUBLE HURAH!) and finally, the arrival of our wedding day! The only thing I wanted from our wedding was that not only daddy & I would be blessed but our beloved friends and family would have something to take away from it. And I believe God answered our prayers in some ways!

We got married, had a lovely honeymoon and the days grew closer for us to leave to Finland. It was hard. I forced myself not to cry in front of my family or friends. Only daddy knows the sorrow I carried inside. But to say bye to my parents at the airport was heart-breaking! Nevertheless, I had to do it! We boarded the plane and together, daddy and I set off to face new challenges….

Tomorrow I will finish this letter for you…I will tell you about the next 6 months of my life in Finland in my next letter. But for now let me tell you the few things I have learned through all of this.

Be obedient to God. Face challenges, do not run away from them. Don't ever give up.

I love you always and forever.

Love,

Mummy

Pictures from our first 6 months of 2011

Brown & beautiful, baby!

Hey baby girl,

It’s been a couple of busy days these last few days. Mummy’s parents are here! And it’s quite exciting!

However, today I saw a video a young boy had posted on youtube. It seems he has been bullied throughout his school life.(Video here: 'What's Going On?" )While watching this video, I remembered the times I have been bullied myself in school.

As I have told you in one of my earlier letters, when I was in Australia, during my first year I was bullied for having dark skin and looking like a little boy. It was hard at first because I was a very timid girl back then. But I learned to fight back and overcome those insults.

Mummy, age 5 or 6, in Aussie

And I thought when I go back to Sri Lanka, my home, people would accept me. But sadly, they were even more narrow-minded.  A common mindset in Asian countries and one which I find utterly disgusting, is that fair is beautiful. So you can imagine how darker girls get overlooked very easily. So when I went back to school in Sri Lanka, my home, I was STILL bullied for having dark skin. Some famous nicknames I had were “Kalu Kella” (Black girl) or “Kalu Kaakka” (Black crow). Naturally I was confused. How could these people, my own people, look and talk about me this way? I just got back from Australia hoping that the bullying would end. So for some years in school, this continued. I laughed on the outside, but on the inside I started hating my skin colour. I felt ugly and angry. All I would think was why did God make me this colour? Why am I so ugly?

It took me a long time to become comfortable in my own skin. I didn’t want to hate myself anymore. It was too exhausting and I was wasting precious time! I needed to be sure of who I was and I needed to love it, because until I was sure and until I loved myself, nobody else would either. It took me a long time to realize that no matter what other people say, the truth cannot be changed. And the truth is that I am beautiful, chocolate skin and all! Why is this the truth? Because in the Bible, David tells God, in Psalm 139,

 ¹³ You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
      and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
 ¹⁴ Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
      Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it

In the same way, God took trouble to put me together. He carefully chose every part of me and with skill He put it all together and He looked at me and said, “Oh this is perfect!”

So I could either choose to listen to the lies of mere mortal humans or believe the most beautiful truth that God Himself made me wonderfully complex and marvelous! And let me tell you darling, the truth sets you free!

Brown and beautiful, baby! WOOT!

 Now why do I tell you this? Because someday, I’m sure you are going to stand in front of the mirror and criticize your nose or your hair or your eyes or your body. But in those moments, I want you to remember who created you. You were not a haphazard mistake. You were wonderfully and marvelously knit together. You are a masterpiece, my baby! And no words or comments from other people will or can change that.

Now I’m not only talking about your looks. I’m talking about the labels people give us. Those people didn’t create you. Therefore, they have no right to decide on your behalf who you will be. But the truth is, we cannot stop or control people from airing their opinions or passing out their insensitive comments. The only thing we can control is whether we choose to believe them or not.

Something that I constantly try to do, is if someone says something mean or harsh to or about me, I go to God’s word and see what He says about me. Because what He says about me is always uplifting and encouraging and true. And when you soak yourself in the truth, all these external lies lose their power on you. It’s such an amazing feeling knowing that God who is Heaven, thinks about YOU! :)

Remember darling, your failure or success in life lies in what you believe. So choose carefully what you believe and always seek out the truth!

You are beautiful, not because you are my daughter, but because you are firstly God’s daughter.

Love always,

Mummy

My Heroes.

Dear baby girl,

EXCITING NEWS. Tomorrow MY mummy and daddy are coming to see me! :D WEE.

It's been 5 months since I've seen them and I've missed them a lot. You know, it's so easy to take your family for granted. That's something I've really understood these last few months.

When I came to Finland, the thing I missed most was being known and being loved for it. When I was in Sri Lanka, people knew me. They knew my name, my nature, my personality, my family. But here, I was a stranger to everyone. And I guess that was a hard thing to accept. When I was with my family, they knew me and they loved me just as I was, with all my flaws and  rough edges.

My parents. My two heroes. I'm the only child. So they were all mine and I was all theirs. They have gone above and beyond their call of duty to be good parents to me. I have not always seen it, but now, I see it. They have been people of principle and faith. Loving God devotedly and serving Him faithfully. The sacrifices they have made on behalf of me and hundreds of others is unbelievable. They gave when they didn't have and they did it joyfully. I learned most from my parents by watching them, not from their lectures. They lived what they preached. They have been my pillars of strength and support throughout my life with them. They were not perfect people, but they were the perfect parents for me.

My mum and dad on my graduation :)

However, I was not always a model child. I've definitely not been an easy child to raise. There were a few years in my life when I would be considered any parent's nightmare. During my teenage years I was quite rebellious. Something I regret today. But I have learned and I have grown and I have changed. However, now when I think of you, and how much I love you and adore you, I think of how much it would be break my heart if you lied to me or hid things from me. Not because of anything else, but because of how incredibly much I love you. That's something I guess a child could never understand, until they are put in a parent's position.

Nevertheless, my parents had to watch me go from one bad decision to another. I'm sure it broke their hearts. And every time I would fall flat on my face, they would pick me up in love, not anger. I used to sit and ponder, how could my mum and dad love me so much after all the pain I put them through? Something I couldn't understand. I could talk to them about anything. Even though so many times I rejected their advice and concern, I knew I could not get through this life without them. And what bugs me is that 99% of the time, they are right. Just remember that your mummy and daddy are always right ok? :)

No, but in love, the reason why I tell you this is because someday if you are anything like mummy when she was young, you might think I'm old-fashioned and insensitive and I don't understand how you feel. But remember that mummy was young once. I have been through some valuable experiences. I've had many broken hearts, I've had addictions, I've been beaten down, bullied and ignored, I've had eating disorders and a very low self-esteem and the list goes on and on. But the good news is, by God's amazing grace, I managed to overcome those things. So in those moments you feel like, okay my mum will not understand this, think again. I may not know EXACTLY how you feel, but I will try my best to. I may advise you and you may not agree with me. That's ok. But remember the best way to learn is from another person's mistakes. So I'm laying down all my mistakes before you. Please learn from them! I'm still going to make a lot of mistakes, even as a mummy. But at the end of the day, I want to be the best mummy I can possibly be.

I can never be grateful enough to God for blessing me with such incredible parents. All I ask from Him now, is that I could be as good to you as my parents have been to me.

You are precious.

Forever yours,
Mummy <3

P.s. :- You will probably make a lot of mistakes in life. But remember, no matter what, mummy and daddy will love you unconditionally. For sure.

...and this is a song I wrote in honour of my parents and anyone who sacrifices on behalf of others...it's called 'Superman'. Enjoy :)

You will not discriminate.

Dear baby girl,

Today I will write to you about something that is very hard for me to write because it means I have to dig deep into some of my hardest and possibly painful memories. Nevertheless, I must write about it because you must know. You mustn’t be shielded and hidden from unpleasant things. You must know them and understand the seriousness of these issues so that you never inflict those things upon others.

When mummy was a little girl, maybe around 4 or 5, my family moved to Australia. My parents were to study there and I went to school. My first year in Australia was a very hard one. When I went there I was a quiet, timid little girl. I had short, black, curly hair and I looked like a little boy. I was probably one of the 4 dark-skinned kids in my school. And of course, I was bullied for it. 

Mummy's first day of school, in Aussie

 They would call me names, compare me to shit, call me a boy, insult my parents, insult my God, even insult my grandmother. They would push me around or completely ignore me. So I spent most of my lunch breaks alone, walking around the big school. Or I had a small bush which I would eat my lunch in. I found comfort and solace in hiding.

But to make things worse, it wasn’t just the children. In my first grade, my own class teacher bullied me. She would keep me in the ‘dark room’ (the room where kids were put when they were punished) for no reason and make me write my ABC’s even though I knew how to read & write already. Once when someone in my class suggested that I should be made class monitor, she said no. Why? Because apparently I was stupid. Even though my reading, writing and spelling skills were far better than the other kids in my class. Thank God, my parents had me removed from that class and after taking a small test I was promoted to grade 2 in the middle of the year.

I was very scared as a little girl. I hated white people. I hated how they thought they were far superior than me simply because their skin was a lighter shade. I vowed that I would never marry a white man. I had been wounded too much as a little girl. And I believe the scars you receive when you are a small child are the ones hardest to heal.

But I grew up. I had to forgive those children and adults who hurt me. Instead of expecting them to change their thinking, I first had to change my thinking. I had to accept that all white people are not hurtful. All white people are not cruel and selfish and are not ignorant. In fact, they are beautifully human just like me. Now who I am married to? A Finn.

But this is what I have to tell you. As my daughter, you will not discriminate. You will not judge a man or woman or child by the colour of their skin. You will not look down on people because of their culture. You will never mock, joke or insult another human being because of where they come from. You will love people no matter how different they are from you. They did not choose the colour of their skin, or the country they were born in or the accent which they have, therefore you will NEVER mock them, insult them or humiliate them because of it. Do you understand me? You will also never think you are above anybody in this world. Because you are not. It doesn’t matter if you are the queen of a country, nobody is beneath you that you cannot respect their humanity. And when you see people being put down, you will stand up for them. You will not tolerate racism. Why? Because when I was being bullied, nobody stood up for me. And I cannot explain to you how much that hurt.

Love people. Be different. Think differently. I have faith that you will grow up with character and integrity and most of all, a heart for people.

I will love you always,

Mummy

Daddy is the best husband I could ask for  <3

Cover it up, girl.

Hey baby girl,

I’ve been troubled by something. Thus I’m going to share it with you. Listen carefully.

In today’s world, you can’t walk down the street, watch a movie, listen to a song on the radio, browse through a magazine without seeing a half-naked woman plastered all over it. Girls in skimpy little outfits exposing everything that is precious and should be treasured. Why? Because apparently it attracts buyers. Men mostly.

But the thing is, those pictures of girls, they are not just pictures. They are actual women. Somebody’s daughter. Somebody’s sister. Somebody’s mother. They are very human, just like me and just like you. And when people look at those images, very rarely do they remember that.I'm sure at least 90% of men would be ashamed to see their mother or daughter or even sister pose nude on a poster.

However people argue saying, well, if you got it, flaunt it. NO. If you got it, be damn grateful you have it and protect it. Your body is yours. You should be respecting it and honouring it. I mean how can you expect anyone else to respect you, if you can barely respect yourself? Am I being old-fashioned? No, I’m being intelligent. There is nothing old-fashioned about protecting important things. If you have a million dollars you aren’t going to run up and down the streets waving it for people to see, are you? No, if you were intelligent, you would store it safely in a bank. Only an idiot would be parading the cash, unsafely and unguarded.

Let me tell you what happens when women so carelessly walk around with barely any clothes on. It causes honorable men to fall. Contrary to popular belief, not all men are vile and disgusting. There are actually many men in this world who want to protect their minds and want to be honourable towards women. But we are so insensitive and selfish, that we think very little of how our rash actions can affect them. And what makes it worse is that when we expose all we have, and they fall, we turn around and point our fingers at them.

NO. This is our fault. We are responsible for what they see. We need to love and honour the good men in our lives by dressing appropriately. Help them. Appreciate the effort they are making to honour our dignity.

Would you run around on the beach in your underwear? Hopefully not. So why would you wear a bikini then? Doesn’t it cover up only as much as underwear would? We give names to things and we try to mask how things really are. But let’s face it. Women are just as, if not more responsible for the damage caused to our society by sex. We are trying so hard to be ‘attractive’ but there is nothing attractive about a woman who has no self-respect or dignity!

I’m not afraid to offend women all over the world. You're worth a million dollars so cover that body up, girl.

Honour men, by honouring yourself, my darling.

I will love you always,

Mummy.

P.S.- I love this song 'cos it's sung by a real man.

Christmas is not about reindeer.

Dear baby girl,

So Christmas is coming round the corner and I am mad. Like angry mad. I was just listening to some 'Christmas' music and all they are singing about is stupid reindeer and Christmas trees and stockings and Christmas eve.

I am going to inform you now. There is no such thing as Santa Claus. I mean Santa Claus is the dumbest thing ever invented. A big, fat man in a red suit riding around the world with reindeer with red, shiny noses in ONE EVENING spreading gifts to only good children. Whoever invented this story should be given a Nobel Prize for his moronism. And of course, parents use this load of crap to entice their children into being good and well behaved. My darling, I would never insult your intelligence by trying to make you believe this rubbish.

Let me tell you what Christmas is all about. One word. SACRIFICE. Christmas is all about God sacrificing His precious and only Son to an evil and selfish world. And no, Jesus wasn't born on the 25th of December. But okay, people like to make a big deal out that day. Personally, I don't care which day Jesus was born. What matters is that He was born. God trusted us humans with His beloved Son. I mean, doesn't that awe you? And look what we did to Him.

So hurrah for Christmas eve and decorations and dinners with your family and gifts and blah blah. If your Christmas is not about being a blessing to people who actually need it, then you're just wasting this precious time of year. I mean why are we spending so much money buying gifts for our family members who have pretty much everything they need, when we should be buying gifts for those less fortunate? Those kids who don't have parents or the older folk who have been forgotten by their own children. What are we doing for them? Nothing. Instead we choose to sit around a table full of people who have more than they need, selfishly laughing and being happy with each other and gobbling down tons of food which isn't even good for us! We choose to buy gifts for ourselves and our 'loved' ones instead of spending that money on someone who is not so fortunate.

NO. I am angry. I am sad. Christmas is NOT Christmas if you are not helping someone else. I mean of course you should spend it with your family, but it shouldn't end there. There are more people in this world than just our family!

So let me inform you, that when you are born into our family, we will not be spending our Christmas wasting money and time and energy on decorations and stuffing food down our throats. We will be a blessing to those less fortunate. Because when God asks me at the end of my life, what did you do during Christmas? I do not want to answer Him, 'Errr I bought a Christmas tree'. Nice. God gave to me. I need to give to others.

I love you. And I want you to love people.

Always yours,
Mummy

P.S.:- Listen to this. That is all.

Astro.

Baby girl, doesn't matter how old you are....work hard, work with integrity and work with passion! This 15 year old boy, Brian "Astro" Bradley, inspires me :)

Just do it.

Hey baby girl,

So yesterday it's been....4 months since I moved to Finland! Honestly, it feels like much longer than that. I guess that's because so much has happened in such a short time. So many lessons I've had to learn in just 4 months which I hadn't learned in years. Nevertheless, I can tell you that being in Finland has been an incredible journey so far.

Yes, there have been many nights I've cried out to God and asked Him, 'WHY AM I HERE?!' But God, in His kindness and love, has always replied, 'Don't be afraid. I am with you.' And true enough, He has been with me. Though the journey, so far, has been bumpy, it's been a good one!

Today I look back and I can understand why I was brought here. I have changed a lot as a person. Mostly in a good way. God has pushed me to push my limits. He has made me face my fears. But above all, He has caused me to lean on Him. And this is probably a lesson you should learn at an early age, for the faster you learn it, the better! It doesn't matter who is around you. It could be people who you love the most or people you can't stand at all. The only person you lean on is God. Because I can assure you, He is the only person who will NOT let you down. Everyone is human and they are just as fragile and vulnerable as you are. So don't forget, lean on your Heavenly Daddy!

I also know that another reason God brought us here was to serve Him. Your daddy and I have had so many opportunities to serve God. We have been given the amazing privilege of singing and playing in many churches and we got to share our little life stories in the meantime. Our faith has been tested and so has our obedience.

I just thought I would share a little story with you, which happened a couple of days ago. So daddy and I go to a Finnish Church. It's a nice church but it's all in Finnish so I understand very little of what's going on. Daddy translates for me usually. However something I do love, is singing the old songs in Finnish. They are slow and so different from what I'm used to but they are incredibly beautiful!

So last Sunday, we were seated at the back and daddy was translating for me, when a somewhat elderly lady came and sat next to me. She was smelling of cigarettes and she didn't look like she was ok. The moment she sat down, I sort of felt an electric shock in me and I heard the Holy Spirit telling me to pray for her. So I asked your daddy to stop translating as I wanted to concentrate and I started praying for her quietly. Somewhere during the songs, she started crying. Now I knew it was not just a voice in my head asking me to pray for her. The service was coming to a close and I heard the Holy Spirit asking me to talk to her after the service that He had something He wanted to tell her. Now in Finland, people don't just walk up to strangers and start talking to them so I felt a bit nervous. I was wondering, okay is this REALLY God or is this just my own voice? But I thought, no, I'm not going to think twice about this. I'm just going to do it. So after the service daddy and I walked up to her and he asked her if she could speak English and she said no. So I started talking to her in English and daddy translated. I told her how much God loves her and how her life is so important to Him and how He has made her to do great things for Him. And there in the middle of the church she started bawling and hugged me. And in the little English she knew, she asked me, 'What's your name?'

It was just a small act of obedience on mine and daddy's part, but who knows how far that small act could go. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, no matter how scared you are, when you hear God's voice asking you to do something. Just do it. Whether it is to talk to someone you have never spoken to or leave all your family and friends and move to a different continent, when God asks you to do something, just do it! You don't know how many lives you can change :)

Lots of love and cuddles,
Mummy <3

P.S. IT'S AUTUMN!! And that's mummy's favourite season :) Here is a picture of me and daddy showing a tree some love ;)

Africa.

Hi baby girl,

Yes, I haven't written in awhile. Shame on me. But today I have some interesting thoughts so here they are...

So you may not know this but my heart lies in Africa. Since I was a teeny weeny girl I've had this passion to go to Africa and to serve children and women there. I had a dream (literally!) when I was small and I knew exactly what kind of work I wanted to do there. Of course, not many people were very supportive of the dream. Nevertheless, if God puts a dream in your heart, nobody can take it away darling!

So this little dream lay dormant in my heart until it came time for me to choose which university to go to. I so badly wanted to go to Singapore. I had my heart set on a certain university and I was sure it was going to work out. But alas, the door was shut and I had to choose the last place on Earth I wanted to be in. Malaysia. The time came for me to leave to Uni and you would not believe my surprise when I got down from the taxi and I saw hundreds of Africans in my university. I was so excited. Could God have shut all other doors to bring me here for this purpose? I can tell you that in those 3 years, I had the privilege of getting to know the Africans and learning about their culture and some of the best and happiest memories of my life, I was able to share with them. They are such beautiful people! So kind and generous and full of laughter and joy! And I remember the night of my graduation I wept because I had to leave them and I may not see them again. That was how much they impacted my life. They left a mark in my heart, no other nationality has ever done.

Even a few days ago, I thought about them and was crying in daddy's arms 'cos I realized how much I missed them. How much they brought into my life and how much goodness they brought out of me. And yesterday your daddy and I were invited to sing and play at a english church in Finland. So we went there prepared to be a blessing to them. But when I got there there were two Africans singing and playing. I just sat there and smiled and tears came to my eyes again. Because for the first time since coming to Finland, I felt so much at home. I felt unexplainable joy. I didn't know but I felt like they were my family. I felt like this is where I belonged. It was a beautiful moment. And the funniest thing was that I met my first Sri Lankan in Finland that night as well, but it didn't compare to the joy of being in the presence of these beautiful Africans and hearing that so familiar accent and those beautiful voices.

And in moments like those, I know Africa is not just a dream. It's my future home.

Love,
Mummy

Just a few of my amazing African friends <3

Almost Everything.

Dear baby girl,

So yesterday mummy was feeling kinda down and I was listening to this song and it made me smile on the inside :) Someday if you are feeling sad, here it is...

Love you!

Four.

Hey baby girl,

So yesterday daddy and I have been married for 4 months! *does a celebratory dance*

So in honour of that I have made a small list of some (not all, obviously!) of the things that I love about your daddy...

1. The scrunchy face he makes when he thinks
2. The boyish excitement he exhumes when a cool car passes by
3. The wierd things he does in his sleep (sing, yell things in Finnish, peek over the sides of the bed for no apparent reason, poke me in the eye etc.)
4. How he kisses me and says 'thank you' every morning after breakfast
5. How much he loves God
6. How he tolerates my utter ridiculouness
7. How when we fight he slowly comes and tries to hold my hand
8. How he steals the quilt at night (I'm kidding, it bugs me like nothing)
9. The way he checks out his biceps randomly while talking to me
10. His cute little text messages during the day
11. His hair flip
12. His little dance to Justin Timberlake's song, 'My Love'
13. His penguin & chicken dance
14. The lame jokes he cracks
15. The way he sighs after a lame joke and goes 'okay that was lame'
16. His gigantic squishes
17. How he hides under the quilt in the morning and refuses to get out of bed
18. How supportive and encouraging he is
19. His Mr. Bean voice
20. What a good cook he is
21. How he never gives up
22. His beautiful grey-blue-green eyes
23. His constant need to scientifically explain things
24. How he can make a sad, gloomy day look so much better
25. The look in his eyes when he tells me that I'm beautiful
26. His big dreams
27. How much he loves his little sister
28. How respectful and honourable he is
29. His eyebrow wiggle
30. That he knew he wanted to love me and be with me for the rest of his life :)

These are just 30 reasons. Trust me, I can't even count all the reasons why I love him. But I think it's really important to notice and love the little things about your partner. Because after all, we are all just normal people. Your future husband may not buy you a castle and a white pony and give you diamonds every day. But he may wash the dishes for you and tell you that you're beautiful and be patient with you and darling, in marriage those are the things which are important. So remember that when you pick that lucky guy!

And I'm sure to people who have been married for years and years, 4 months is probably not a very big deal. Nevertheless, whether 4 months or 40 years, I personally believe not a second should be taken for a granted. 'Cos I can't imagine waking up and daddy not being there anymore. I just can't picture it. That's how much he has changed my life. 

So what I am trying to say is when you find that special someone, celebrate everyday! Don't wait for birthdays and Christmas and anniversaries to celebrate. Celebrate your partner everyday! Appreciate them everyday. I guess it does get harder to do when you are living with someone and you see them everyday. But say thank you for the smallest things and mean it! The people who have to put up with us everyday are the ones who should be thanked the most I guess :D

I'm sure you're going to be a great wife :)

Love,
Mummy

P.S.- Here is a cute cheesy love song by Joshua Radin which mummy loves :)