WARNING: this post explodes with JOLLINESS!

Yesterday a package arrived in the mail...to my surprise, the Christmas package my mom sent a few weeks ago! The box was full of about 25 small, wrapped presents for me, Trish, Jeff, and Victoria. Because I'll be in Hyderabad for Christmas, we decided to open one present a day (22 days of Christmas!). So the first day I pulled out some colored paper! ha! Silly, right? Wrong! It was exactly what we needed for our paper fire place (a tradition my roommates and I started in college at our apartment "Gangsta's Paradise"). When I told my sister how excited I was about the colored paper, she said, "Wow Meg, you're such a missionary." haha! I guess you learn to be more appreciative even for the small things.

They have at least 10 Texas ornaments...oh TX, you're too big for your own good

Trish decorating the tree!

Yes, this was the jolliest surprise! Thanks Fam!

Yes, I was so excited about this colored paper. duh.

Our tree and paper fireplace...every time I turn the corner and see these displays of joy, I just chuckle to myself, exploding with jolliness

the 2nd day of Christmas, my mommy gave to Victoria...a beaded necklace book

ps - we decided you have to wear this jolly Christmas scarf they included while opening presents

Ok, I kinda cheated on this one b/c it wasn't wrapped and I just couldn't wait to open them. They're my favorite pens...I mean, I need them for teaching, ok. ha.

Picture Update

More pics on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2085075&id=34102968&l=7644287d43

Pictures taken by me and Victoria - maybe for promotion for the youth concert

Indian "School Bus" - they do have big yellow ones, but for smaller children, they have these cage buses. It's actually pretty funny...makes me chuckle.

Our 3-week-old puppies!

Sleepy ones

My new friend Mary (girl next to me) with her friends Minakshri & Ruben...celebrating Mary's birthday. What a sweet new friend! (I met her at a Campus Crusade student leader meeting)

Mary's brother, Dipak, and sister-in-law to the left

Ginger - our language teacher's dog - one of about 5 cute dogs in India. ha!

Ruff Ruff

ps - I ate dog for the first time in my life. Shhh! Don't tell Zippy!

Badminton Tournament!

Here's a video of some of the badminton tournament we had at Havillah School, where I teach Sports & Games. It was so jolly because all of the kids were cheering (we motivated them with chocolate...of course. ha! it always works!) and there were some really fun matches.

Touch of Faith

Sometimes faith is really hard.

When life doesn't look like what we planned, when the present circumstances require stepping into unknown territory in what seems like the dark, when all control is out of your hands....it's hard.

Victoria and I read a part of Scripture every morning before school. This morning I read the story of Jairus' daughter and the bleeding woman (Luke 8) from the Jesus Story Book Bible. I almost started crying because it was exactly what I needed...

"Daughter, your faith has made you well." All she did was touch the hem of Jesus' garment. Jesus stopped because he felt power go out from him. That's odd...so many people were bumping up against him and yet one particular touch made him stop in the midst of the crowd (on their way to Jairus' house). Because Jesus knew this wasn't just any touch or brush against him.

It was a touch of faith.

Oh Jesus, I need your power. I need your healing. Give me faith, and give me the courage to act on that faith. See, this woman didn't just believe in her heart. She took action because she was so sure.

I need and want that kind of action-filled faith. Not just a silent faith but one that trusts so much that I will do what seems ridiculous to the world. God, give me this faith every step of the way.

You can definitely pray for me in this regard about the upcoming youth concert we are putting together on November 19th or 26th. Please pray that God would move you to faith, asking if He wants you to help financially with this seemingly God-size event (it will cost about 350,000 rupees, or $7500). If you want to know more, please email me at moogsmullet@gmail.com.

Also, here's a link to my October Update if you didn't receive it:

http://www.goingforgod.com/webalizer/OctoberUpdate.pdf

"Most Jolly Meal" Award Goes To...

Surprisingly, I don't crave many things from America so far. Maybe turkey and salad occasionally. But that's about it. I really didn't eat a lot of beef in the US anyway, so I don't really crave it here in India (although, also to my surprise at first, we do have it...we get it from the Muslims!).

HOWEVER, tonight I had a cheeseburger for the 1st time in 3 months, and well...it was so JOLLY!!! Not only b/c we had homemade buns, but also because we had star fruit from Nagaland (state in East India). It was like a jolly solar system on my plate and in my mouth! haha!

ps - I know I have been MIA in the last month as far as blogging goes...I apologize. A LOT has been going on...so I will update very soon. I'm also working on posting a link to my monthly update here, too (PDF file). So look for it soon!

Fun Facts

Indian or...?

Surprisingly, many Indians look Chinese or Korean - there are a billion kinds of Indians (Naga, Bengali, Nepali, Manipori, Assamese, South Indian just to name a few). This is Chotu; he's a wee Naga Indian. He's the cutest!

22 completed, 23 running

Indians count birthdays a little different...Pawal turned "23" this week (even though he was born in 1987) b/c he completed 22 years and is "running" 23 years. It's actually pretty logical. So I guess I'm 23. Cool.

Indian Mail

Receiving letters and packages are jolly - I got my 1st letter and package this week...over a month after they were sent. ha! The package had been opened on one side, but my iPod was actually still tucked inside...amongst Alabama memorabilia. You can probably guess who that was from...brotha! Roll Tide!

P.E. 101, Indian Style

I taught Freeze Tag and Badminton to almost 300 Indian kids on Wednesday at Havillah School. It was so jolly to see them having so much fun. And God continues to open doors for relationships with teachers there.

Pandels for Puja

Pray that God would provide opportunity to talk to people about Jesus, who does not dwell in earthly temples and is not made by human hands. Many Hindus do not even understand why they worship or do the things they do. It is tradition and maybe even just cultural tradition that is void of true life (maybe not unlike cultural Christianity in America).

These are made out of bamboo and cloth and are all over the city

What's jolly about this picture is that Sujay, boy who I met playing soccer, is waving. He's like my little brother!...who I can't understand b/c he doesn't speak English. ha! So I practice my Hindi with him.

Update on Jaazaniah

Trish got back from Delhi today, where she was helping Kikon (guy who works with Jeff) and his wife get medical care for their baby, Jaazaniah. He's been diagnosed with West Syndrome and is undergoing a 10-14 day course of steroids as treatment. Kikon and Lireni are staying in a private room with him during this time. The doctor said "his prognosis is guarded." Please pray for his healing.

Indian English

Many Indians don't know past or future tense verbs, so they speak in present tense all the time. And they repeat the verbs many times for some reason. For example, Menuka (our househelper) says, "Morning time, so much is paining, paining, paining..." So you find yourself talking like that so they can understand...and even when you're not talking to them. Bad habits! This is Menuka and me:

Week in Pictures

Sunday Market with Menuka. This one's for my sister Becca...she loves the Farmer's Market in Nashville and this reminded me of it. However, most Indian markets aren't like this...they're just on the sides of the road. This was a jolly reminder of home.

Well, it's official...geckos love my room. I think there are about 5 regulars (2 big and 3 small). I think this is Rufus. Victoria accidentally beheaded one the other day by smashing the window...half a gecko sticking out of the window. Yeah, gross.

There were municipal elections last week, so I guess they determined the winner. And a lot of people were really happy about it!

There was a huge parade of cars, motorcycles, walkers who put colored powder on their bodies. Strange, but funny. Gopal and I got a kick out of it!

Drums and powdered faces...it was like a dance party in the street!

Gopal and his wife, Sermula (who is pregnant and due in November...so exciting!)

Me and Pawal, the Sports & Games teacher. He was fascinated by my Mac and the video camera. I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I basically became a P.E. teacher at Havillah School this week. ha! The principal came in and told Pawal that I would be in charge for the next 3 months and that I was to "train him." I was thinking, "Um...when were you going to tell me that?" Ha! That's the Indian way! But I'm excited about it, and it's only 1 day a week (Wednesdays for 3 hours). I feel like God has opened a lot of doors at this school, and I'm excited to walk through them this year.

Ministering out of Brokenness

As many of you know, Trish has been pretty sick lately - in bed, fever, sore throat, shaky muscles, headaches, neck pain, etc. So we have been praying for her, that God would heal her and in a sense bring her back to life! This morning she said she woke up and felt that God had laid on her heart to help Kikon (a guy who works with Jeff) and his wife as they take their 4-month-old son to Delhi for tests, care, etc. Their son has been having seizures for a few months and is just not getting any better. So they felt it best to go to Delhi to receive better care. Jeff would have gone with them, but he has to teach all weekend. So he asked Trish if she would consider it, and I think it's so awesome how God confirms things by speaking to many people about it. I don't think Trish would have been willing to go if she had not heard God's voice this morning.

So why would God call someone who is feeling sick and weak to serve a family who is also struggling with the emotional and physical pain of their son? Because when we are weak, HE IS STRONG. His grace is enough for us. I am so humbled to see Trish willing to serve out of her own brokenness and pain. Please pray that God's power would shine through her weakness, that His grace would be so real to her during this time (she doesn't know how long she'll be there). And for Kikon's son, that they would find some answers in this frustrating season of life.

Walls

Remember my post about playing "football?" Well, I went about 5 times but was not able to go for the past couple of weeks because I have been experiencing constant shortness of breath (trouble taking deep breaths but no wheezing). So a few days ago, Victoria and I were going to walk to the field just to watch and maybe talk to some people.

But, low and behold, there was a wall.

I guess some people got tired of people walking through their "yards" (dirt area around their house) to get to the field...understandable. So they built a brick wall. Now you have to walk about a mile to the main road and back around in order to get to the field. And as a result, I think the guys have stopped playing...at least the past 3 days when we walked to the field, no one was there. And they used to play every day!

I really feel like it is not only a physical wall, but a spiritual wall. As soon as I started building relationships and seeing God open doors to share Jesus, a wall was built. Pray that God would show up in a mighty way, despite this obstacle.

"My grace is all that you need. For my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 cor. 12:9

Worship

This morning I went to a Nepali church with Menuka, our househelper. As is custom for any church in India, the visitor is asked to share a word with the church. Since I knew I would be coming, I had been praying about what to share. Because Puja (Hindu festival starting late Sept. and into October) is about to start, I really felt led to talk about worship.

God led me to tell the story about Elijah and the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18 and 19. King Ahab was a really evil king b/c he worshipped the false god Baal instead of the LORD, leading the Israelites to do the same. So God sent Elijah to show everyone He was the one true and living God, and that the gods they were worshipping were dead. But more than that, God wanted to bring his people's hearts back to himself. So he gathered the people and said,

How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow him; if it's Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!

So 2 altars were built: 1 to Baal and 1 to the YAHWEH. Whichever god answered by fire would be proved to be God. So the prophets of Baal and Asherah spent the entire day shouting, cutting themselves, and dancing in order to summon Baal. NOTHING HAPPENED.

All the odds are stacked against the God of Israel...his prophet (Elijah) was outnumbered by 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (850:1 ratio. Wow). Elijah ordered that 12 huge vats of water be poured on top of the altar and sacrifice to the LORD. Imagine all these prophets who have just been humiliated and hundreds of thousands of Israelites watching this altar. And Elijah walked up to this drenched sacrifice, pleading that the LORD, the God of Israel, would make himself known to these people, that they would know he is leading their hearts back to him, and so they wouldn't think Elijah was a lunatic. God answered immediately. With fire that burned up

EVERYTHING...THE BULL, ALTAR, STONES...EVEN THE WATER.

So who do you think the people worshipped? The gods who never showed up? The gods who never heard their cries? The gods who could never love them or have mercy? NO WAY! They chose YAHWEH. Who hears the cries of his people. Who loves with an unfathomable love. Who is merciful. Who is ALIVE.

*Pray for the believers of India (who are outnumbered, just like the prophet Elijah that day) during this season of Puja, that they would remain committed to worship of the one true and living God, not swayed by their old way of living (that even we, non-Indians, would have boldness in sharing during this time).

*Pray that God would specifically lead men in that village to Himself (there were 2 men in a congregation of nearly 30). If the man of the house becomes a Christians, it is likely that the whole family will then follow Jesus as well.

WHO WILL YOU CHOOSE TO WORSHIP?

Bows and Arrows

Today I went to Havillah School (the one I went to on Saturday for Teacher's Day) to help the teachers with ideas for clubs (Science Club, Hobby Club, Quiz & Literary Club, and Sports Club). They have a theme every month ("Landscapes" - Sept.), and 2 Saturdays a month the children will come to school and work on creating activities or projects for their club. I think the teachers are getting burnt out, though, because they are having a hard time being creative. And honestly they do not have a lot to work with - no internet or other research materials, besides the children's school books, and their craft supply is limited to this small shelf (although they did not even complain about it or ask me for money, etc):

The school's "Treasure Box": Craft supplies for the whole school (hundreds of children)

My first instinct is to buy them all the supplies they need. But sometimes that can stifle creativity, and it does not encourage students (or teachers) to use what is around them. So I want to encourage teachers to help the students figure out what resources they can use around them. I am excited to see what they come up with. I am also helping with "Games" (P.E.), so if you have any ideas for kids ages 5-14 besides Soccer and Cricket...I think they have those down pat...I'm up for suggestions!

Anyway, today I went to the school but it was closed because of a strike. Apparently it has been closed for 3 days. This strike does not block the road but only forces the schools to close. Trish told me that she read in the newspaper that some Adavassi people (tribe or caste of people) want better Hindi-medium teachers because apparently there are a lot of English-medium schools and teachers around this part of town. So they told the teachers and students that they would shoot them with bows and arrows.

I am not kidding.

BOWS and ARROWS.

I started laughing, but it's not a laughing matter for these people. It seems so crazy, but it's what they know and how some people think they can makes things "better." So please pray for these teachers' safety and their witness to the community around the school.

ps - I was able to talk with 2 teachers (single women in their 20s who live on the campus) for almost an hour. It was really great to connect with them...that's one of my favorite things here...connecting with Indians. I think it's because I wasn't sure if I would be able to. But God makes the seemingly impossible possible.

Random...as Usual

The last week has been extremely busy, with Trish coming back from Texas last Thursday, visiting a Tea Factory on Friday, and celebrating Teacher's Day (every 5th of Sept. in India) on Saturday at Havillah School, where I'll be teaching every Wednesday.

Interesting Tidbits:

*There was a strike on the way to pick up Jeff and Trish at the airport on Thursday where all vehicles were blocked, so (to make a long story short) I ended up approaching the group of men who were blocking the road to ask if we could go because "I had to catch a flight." While this was not entirely true, we did need to get to the airport. Miraculously, they let us by. After I turned to go back to the car with Gopal (our driver), this huge group of 100+ men started howling/cat calling, whatever you want to call it. I chuckled to myself and was slightly embarrassed. It was the first time I had used my being an American woman to my advantage and it probably won't be the last.

*There is a Hindu festival called Puja which starts at the end of September. And almost everywhere you turn, there are groups of men collecting donations (usually just 10 rupees, which is just a few pennies) for decorations or offerings to the gods, etc. We were stopped on Thursday probably 7 times by these groups. Every time Gopal would tell them that we were Christians, and the first few let us go. But after we picked up Jeff and Trish, many decided to argue and demand that we pay. Jeff was wise in saying that it was just a donation not a tax, what they were doing was extortion, that he would not ask a Hindu for money for a Christian celebration, and ultimately we did not want to give to their gods. At one point, there were several men who surrounded our car to make sure we did not drive off, and all we could do was pray. But one time God provided a gracious man who was insistent that we be left alone and another time the police came and let us go. It would be so easy to simply pay. So pray for courage in these kinds of situations especially coming up during the month of October, and that we would have opportunities to share Jesus.

*Please pray for Trish and her health. More times than not, she feels tired and shaky. She is having to transition back into Indian life and started to take Indian medicine because it is a whole lot cheaper. So pray for its positive effects, that the salmonella will be gone when she goes back to have tests again.

*I was able to watch the season opener of Alabama football at 5:30am this Sunday morning (because of a neat little gadget called SlingBox), so that was a good taste of home. Roll Tide! During halftime I was able to talk to my roommates, JuJu and Christa, on Scype. Christa (also known as Critta!) got engaged on Saturday!!! So it was really fun to listen to her and Josh tell the story. I'm so happy for those little lovebirds!

Hope you enjoy the random pictures and video from the past week...

Jesus, Love, and Soccer

So God's been teaching me a lot about love. So many times we as Christians live out of duty...going to church every Sunday, doing "good" things, loving people because we're supposed to, etc. But God will not love us any more or any less if we do those things. We live in God's unconditional grace through Jesus. It's all about love. Paul prayed for the Ephesians not that they would be able to do more good works to feel good about themselves, but that

they would be able to grasp how

WIDE

and

LONG

and

HIGH

and

DEEP

is the LOVE of CHRIST

that we would know this love IN ALL OF ITS FULLNESS

that we would REST in this love

that we would be ROOTED in this love

This love is scandalous. It's the kind of love that is almost embarrassing because it is absolutely undeserved. On Sunday at a house church we are going to, a brother spoke about Luke 5:27-31 where Jesus calls Levi to follow him. Levi was a tax collector - a low down cheat in those days - and Levi threw a banquet for Jesus and invited all his friends (who were also cheats and the ones who had a reputation for being really bad "sinners"). People freaked out b/c Jesus claimed he was God but was hanging out with the scoundrels of the town. But his response to people was this,

Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? [obviously the sick!] I'm here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out.

I want that...a love that loves every part of me, who desires to affect all parts of me, even the most filthy and embarrassing.

I've also been thinking about my tendency to love only the "healthy" (those who appear to have it all together). Because when you love people who are "sick," sometimes people talk about you like they did Jesus. But Jesus thought it was worth it...they are worth it.

There are some guys who play soccer in our neighborhood every day at sunset. And I've gone a few times and played with them...I think they're shocked that I can actually play. The first time I had jeans on (NOT EASY to play soccer in jeans on an uneven, muddy field) but Menuka, our house helper, said that I could wear basketball shorts. I felt so scandalous walking to the field and then having everybody watching me play...because girls just don't wear shorts, not even capri's. But I guess playing football is the exception. Anyway, Victoria told me that those guys are always having parties and doing drugs, etc. While I would never put myself in danger (I don't go alone to play, etc) I don't think I should just run away because they're "bad." So pray for opportunities to talk about Jesus and show them his love. And maybe even try to find some girls who play soccer too!

Indian Sunrise...4:30am

(this was @ 5:30...maybe someday i'll have more motivation to get up earlier)

Two brothers after house church on Sunday. So jolly.

Football!

Experiments, Landslides, and Coconuts

So this is one of those random-tidbit blog entries. Short and sweet.

Victoria and I dusted off her microscope yesterday (also discovered a dead frog we have to dissect later in the year...woohoo) and looked at several objects, one being...

how cool is it that you can take a picture of what you see in a microscope!

The first person to guess what this is gets a gold star!

Another random tidbit: Brittany, a journey girl from Kalimpong (met her 2 weeks ago), stayed with us last night b/c she was taking a friend to the nearby airport, and it's a 3 hour ride back to Kalimpong from Siliguri. So she left this morning...and came back at 4:30pm because the landslides were so bad on the mountain. Needless to say, she was exhausted from being in the car for 7 straight hours with a driver who didn't speak English. Ha! I felt so bad for her, but we just had to laugh. I was selfishly glad for the extra night to spend with her.

Nadil Kah Pani Piah May

I drank coconut water!

Today, I was about to read in my ENO hammock outside when Hima (househelper downstairs) and Nelson (our gardener - 15 yr old Nepali guy who is so sweet) came outside eating coconuts. They're right in our back yard, so Nelson grabbed another one from the tree and cut it open for me. And he really surprised me when he came outside with a glass of what looked like water. He said, "Coconut Water!" Ha! He is so jolly and loved watching my face as I drank it. He laughed and laughed. And I tried to learn a few other Hindi phrases, but I feel like I can only take in one or two phrases at a time. Anyway, so we all sat outside drinking coconut water, which Indians love apparently. Guess I'm gonna have to learn to love it!

Tour of Indian Hospital Room - ps, VICTORIA IS ALIVE!!!

For the past week and a half, Victoria has had really bad stomach pain and a constant fever (which got up to 103.5 on Monday) so we've spent a lot of that time at the hospital...no fun. We were praying hard then because she did not look good at all. But thankfully she came out of it, through many ice packs and a lot of prayer. We were at the hospital from 9am to 8pm on Monday. They finally confirmed, through a CT Scan, that she doesn't have appendicitis (woohoo!) but she does have a urinary tract infection, which might have gone to her kidneys (which would be the cause for all of her stomach pain). So she's taking antibiotics, but still has a fever. So pray that it would go down and that she would have an appetite. It's been a tough week and I think we're all ready to just get back to normal life, Victoria especially. Hope you enjoy the movie...sorry I didn't get the outside of the hospital. Maybe another time...but hopefully not! ha!

Getting out of the "Short-Term Mission Trip Mindset"

Well, I've been in India for 3 weeks on Sunday. Something that has been difficult to process is the short-term mission trip mind set. For those who haven't been on a mission trip, they are packed with hands-on work or evangelism for the majority of each day. Days and hours and minutes are not wasted, and for good reason - make the most out of a possibly expensive short-term trip. Having gone on many mission trips, local and international, I have been accustomed to their packed and purposeful schedules. But this is not a mission trip. I am living in India. I often feel guilty for not doing "missionary things" - sharing the gospel, serving my neighbors, praying with people. I've been reading a book about Mother Teresa, and something that has encouraged me about her life is that she was in India for 20 years before she moved to Calcutta and started Missionaries of Charity. Wow! Was she useless during those years? Of course not, she was living out what God had called her to do in that moment. So that is what I am doing. I have been called to India today to teach a missionary's daughter and I want to be faithful in that calling, also trusting that his plans are good. I believe God has also called me to other things but I want to be patient in seeking God's will about them.

There are currently two opportunities to teach at Indian schools. I visited Havillah School on Thursday. They are in need of a computer teacher. They have 5 computers in a small room, and the children are anxious to learn more. But since they don't have a teacher, they have stopped classes. After looking at the curriculum and meeting a couple of the teachers (Ajano and Benri), I could see myself teaching there (probably 3 days a week in the afternoon). I am also visiting a school on Monday. It is associated with a church in our neighborhood, so I could just walk there. I think I would probably teach English there, which is intimidating to me since I do not know very much Hindi. But I'm assuming I would use a lot of pictures, and they have curriculum so I would just need to get used to it. Please pray for discernment in knowing where to serve.

ps - I actually like when it rains in India. For some reason, it's not depressing like it is in the US. Maybe it's because it makes it cooler!

UPDATE ON VICTORIA:

We went to the doctor twice yesterday, and the doctor finally said that she doesn't have appendicitis but it is probably a urinary tract infection (even though she has no problem going to the bathroom). So they gave her antibiotics and told her to give a urine sample today to see if it is UTI. Please pray that they would find the true diagnosis and that Victoria would feel better. Also, pray for wisdom for Jeff to know what to do and for Trish who is still in Texas and very worried about Victoria.

Indian Hospitals

Well, I just had my first experience with an Indian hospital in Siliguri. Victoria probably has appendicitis so we went to the hospital to see what they could do to ease the pain at least. As you walk up to the lit Emergency sign one might be surprised to find that the gate is locked, the lights are off, and no one is around (except 3 stray dogs...they're everywhere in India...and they're not cute). Is this hospital abandoned? Just wait. Another thing that caught my attention was the glowing green idol in an indented space (about 2 feet high and wide) in the front of the hospital as you enter. You don't see that every day in America.

Jeff banged on the gate, at which point a guard (who wasn't wearing shoes) opened the gate and turned on the lights. He called the nurses (probably to wake them up). They opened the door to a hot, dark, and what appeared to be a dirty room with 4 hospital beds close together and limited medical supplies. I was kind of relieved that all they did was check her blood pressure, temperature, and press on her stomach because the facilities were so dirty. I watched a nurse wash her hands in the corner and use a really dirty towel to dry them, then throwing it over the open window. Yeah, gross. They couldn't do anything else (blood test, ultrasound, etc) until 9:30am. Wow! So we're hoping Victoria's appendix doesn't rupture...please pray that it won't.

Only positive aspect of Indian hospitals at 2am: THERE'S NO WAIT!

Pray for Kalimpong

Ministry can be really tough, especially in another country where everything is so different. One such place is Kalimpong, India. The family I live with (Wards) live on the second floor above two journeymen (IMB 2-year missionaries), Adam and Pete. They moved in a couple of days after I arrived in India. So yesterday Adam and Pete invited me to take a trip to Kalimpong with another "journey-girl" (I think that term is funny), Brittany. So we made the crazy 3-hour trip up the mountain in the dark. The road was full of holes, mud, and landslides. Fortunately, we made it there alive! Most of the roads there are one-way because the town is on a mountain...not a lot of room.

Brittany and Martha, the 2 "journey girls" who live in Kalimpong, were so sweet in letting me stay with them. It was so nice to be with girls my age and just encourage one another. In the morning we had Dunkin Donuts Cinnamon Coffee. Um, I don't even like coffee, but this stuff was like heaven! Mom, send me some! ha! Then we went to a Thai restaurant with Michelle (the career IMB missionary there...her husband was in Darjeeling) and I started crying because the food was so spicy.

The highlight of our trip was when we got to Michelle's house and began to share some of the hard things going on (even thoughts of leaving) and what the LORD was teaching them through it. It was so sweet how God allowed us to shoulder some of their burdens through simply listening and then praying on their behalf. What a sweet time with fellow believers...who I didn't even know very well. That is the beautiful thing about the body of Christ. We are united under one common thing: Jesus, and the acknowledgment of our desperate need for Him.

PRAY for the missionaries in Kalimpong:

Jared and Michelle

Brittany, Martha, Cody, Chuck

*That they would find open doors to share the good news

*That they would be connected to national believers there

*That God would give them renewal and vision

"But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our LORD Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the LORD, because you know that your labor in the LORD is not in vain."

1 Corinthians 15:57-58

Brittany, Michelle, Adam, and Pete

Motorcycles and Culture Lessons

You will find many kinds of vehicles/animals/objects on Indian roads, motorcycles being one of the most common. Victoria, the girl I am teaching, is obsessed with them and wants one when she's old enough to drive. She knows the exact one she wants, down to the very last detail of which engine she wants. It's pretty funny actually. Anyway, today we went over to her friend Lisa's house. Her dad has a motorcycle and Victoria asks to ride it every time she's there. So her dad actually took us home (in two trips of course...4 people on a bike would be a little crazy). And, to my surprise, I loved it! My mom probably would have freaked out if she'd known we rode without helmets, but what can I say? I'm a rebel without a cause! ha! Here's a pic of Lisa, her dad, and I. ps - Lisa's dad is one of the jolliest Indian men!

CULTURE LESSONS

I've only been in India for a week, but it feels like I've been here for months. I think that's a good thing! But I am having to get used to some cultural norms, most of which are extremely different than America's. For instance, honking is used not to say, "Hey crazy, get outta my way!" but instead, "Just want to let you know I'm here. Don't hit me!" So the roads are crazy, but for some reason I trust Indian drivers more than the ones in America...which is insane because Indian roads are about 1000% crazier and more chaotic.

And, of course, DON'T DRINK THE WATER! There is a corner of the kitchen dedicated to bottles of water to use for drinking, cooking, and brushing your teeth.

Almost no one has a dryer, and although the Wards do have one, it is not often used. Therefore, you do it the "old-fashioned" way...although it's always been the way in India.

Fans are absolutely IMPERATIVE. Since we only turn on the AC at night, it gets up to about 90 degrees inside the house. If the fans aren't going, it's noticeable. I've come to be extremely appreciative of them. Also, the electricity where we live is spotty, so sometimes they can go off, or the AC goes off at night. Those are sad times!

There are parts of the grass that Nelson (the gardener) cuts by hand with a small tool. He actually makes designs in it. It's pretty sweet! I guess you have to find some enjoyment in cutting grass by hand!

Obviously, tea is a staple in India. It's funny because in America I got used to plain green or black tea...no milk or sugar. And I come here, and they load it with anything and everything to make it taste delectable. So Menuka has started to make me Ginger Tea, and it's super good! But I'm still craving green tea, so I'll have to search for it (since black tea is most common).

Playing too much soccer can cause bruises...hence my foot.

Indian food is INCREDIBLE! This is one of its staples...rice, vegetables, and "doll" (sp?)...a yellow liquid you can poor over anything to make it taste good. Kind of like gravy, if you're from the South.