The Flower is Finally Plucked

Menuka got married December 15.  I'm a little late on this posting but thought ya'll might want to see some pics!

The "flower!"

(if you haven't read the blog posting on her engagement, go read it and you'll understand the reference!)

The reception tent

Me and Chokey having a morning snack before getting ready - chai and fried bread (not sure the name)

The ladies who made breakfast

yum!

Sunita was in charge of pinning a little flower on each guest

My sweet friends, Nick and Emily aka "Nickily" :)

Victoria, Em, me, and Chokey all dressed in our saree's

Jeff and Trish (aka Uncle and Aunty)  Trish's 1st time to wear a saree...and she's lived in India for 5 years!

Jeff escorting the bride - he's like a father/big brother figure for Menuka because her father passed away when she was younger and she has lived on her own for the past 5 years

Reciting the vows

"Menuka Weds Rajesh"

The wedding was over an hour long...partly because Indian and Nepali weddings are long anyway.  But also because Rajesh forgot the ring, so someone had to go back and get it!  Therefore, the pastor stalled...for an hour.  Man!  Fortunately, there wasn't much room in the church so we sat outside.

They took family pictures for about an hour!  Whew!

The Indian Picture - no one smiles

Honoring the couple with simple scarves 

Lots of Nepali's!

The best man and maid of honor was Rajesh's nephew and Menuka's niece.  Because they are young and single, they claim they're able to help out more and are available whenever.

Cousins - Menuka and Nelson

The chai girls!  And Nelson being silly

Lunch

Lunch after the wedding - rice, dal, fried cauliflower and potatoes, etc

Gopal's wife, Sermula, and son, Grayson - because they're Manipuri, Sermula wears the traditional skirt instead of a saree

Love this little girl!  haha!

Chan Chan and Angamla

This is Menuka's uncle and grandmother, a very strong (she's 84 and still works) and strong-willed lady (I'd heard many, many stories about her and they all seemed true when I met her!  I wouldn't want to get in a fight with her!)

V, Menuka (basically her older sister), and Chokey, now like a sister too :)

Me and Chokey.  So glad she got to come to the wedding.

Rajesh, Menuka, and Trish - lots of crying for Trish...Menuka is like a daughter to her.  It wasn't easy to give her away!  But as we've found out in the month after the wedding, Rajesh has taken good care of our flower :)

Christmas Break

Although I missed my family a lot during the Christmas season, it was neat to spend my first Christmas in Siliguri (last year I was in Hyderabad, India) with my "family" here.  I am truly blessed to have some stinkin' awesome people to live life with here - people who I could see myself being friends with back in the states.  That's pretty rare to find here.

Some things we did in December:

*We celebrated Advent in our house church.  It was neat to teach the kids (even Victoria) the meaning of Advent and how cool it is to anticipate and celebrate the coming of Christ.  Here's an example:

*We had lots of snowball fights...ok, I'm obviously kidding.  But it feels like it could snow here...it's been the coldest winter in India in 5 years.  So we decided to make snow flakes (many of which Victoria taped around my room) and even hung them from the trees outside for our Christmas party.

*We went to a craft fair and I got some jolly, cheap earrings and woven tea cups.

*On December 23, we had a Christmas party for our neighbors.  Me and emily decorated the backyard and people brought Indian snacks (salty) and American desserts (sweet!).  

There, we shared a lot of laughs and conversations and were able to share with our friends the reason why we celebrate Christmas.  And ultimately what God did for us that we couldn't do for ourselves...forgive us and save us.  We had a scavenger hunt of clues that hinted at the Christmas Story.  Then, inside, Nathan (the missionary who lives below us) told the Story.  

And then we gave fruit cakes and Bibles.  haha!  What a hilarious and awesome combination!  To end the night, Emily and I made CHAI!  

How else are you supposed to end an Indian party?  DUH!  haha!  Anyway, as a result, one high school guys - Sheriff (yes, that is his name.  awesome) - has been coming to our house church and hanging out with Adam, another missionary here.  He is learning more about what the church is and is getting to see us live out our faith daily.  Please pray that God will show him more of who He is.  It is obvious that God is pursuing him.  Below is a pic of some good friends - Nick, Emily, Anu, Munnu, Mary, and Nimesh

*For New Year's Eve, we had a fire on the basketball court and made smores!  This was such a treat because you can't get marshmallows here and a couple in our church gave us some of theirs from America to eat.  It was a jolly time of laughing and being together.  That day we also found out that foreigners no longer need permits to get into some eastern Indian states, which has been a long-time prayer for many missionaries who feel called to those places.  This will free them up to travel there often.  Kari and Emily also shared that at their medical camp that day, a prostitute named Diya became a sister in Christ!  The first prostitute to come to Christ in that area, Manju, had shared with her and invited her to come to this camp.  Kari's Bengali partner was able to share with Diya and it was obvious she wanted this forgiveness and freedom!  Please pray for Diya, that God would provide her a job (just as He did for Manju, who now works as a teacher) so that she won't have to work as a prostitute to survive.  This is a huge step of faith for her to trust God to provide for her.  But He is faithful and calls us not to worry/fret over these things but to seek His kingdom first and all of them will be given to us.  Pray for faith.  more at Kari's blog: http://www.nateandkari.blogspot.com/

Also, Kari said that the daughter (11 yrs old) of the Indian man (not a Christian) - who is in charge of an NGO to help these prostitutes and who is partnering with Kari and their group - could not walk because of a bone disease and was going to go to Chennai to have surgery.  They have been praying for her to be healed for months.  Her father carried her everywhere.  And we also prayed for her when they came to the Christmas party.  And at the medical camp, Kari saw her RUNNING!  Praise God!  And her mother told Kari that it was because they had prayed for her that she was healed!  Yes!  We truly have a God who listens and answers our prayers!  Pray that the whole family will decide to follow Jesus, the powerful and yet loving God who created them.

*Among other things, we had Nepali Christmas carolers/dancers, made over 100 sugar cookies, opened presents (2 packages from the States!  what a treat!  thanks mom, dad, and aunt beckie!), and had a birthday cake for Jesus

*Oh, and I've been reading Lord of the Rings, which has been a nice break from school work.  Love that jolly book and those jolly hobbits!

ps - next post is menuka's wedding

The Impact of Casting Vision

Catch up time.  Stay tuned for updates galore.  This one I started 2 weeks ago.  I'm such a procrastinator.

Been watching "Band of Brothers" for the past week with Jeff and Trish...2 episodes each night.  It's about the 506 parachute infantry regiment, "Easy Company," who fought in WWII.  When the first date rolled across the screen...D-day, June 6, 1944...I realized my grandmother was 23 when that happened (my age).  And she got married that year (I think, or maybe it was 1943).  Thankfully my grandfather (in the navy) didn't have to go to war because he was one of very few men who could type.  So they put him in a recruiting office in Chattanooga, where he met a fiery girl named Robbie, my grandmother, who worked across the street.

*I love these pictures below.  My grandfather died before I was born, but I can't wait to meet him someday*

I can't imagine what it was like to live through this kind of war or even to live in America during that time. But I couldn't stop thinking about the impact of this "band of brothers."  They were put on the front lines of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, among others.  Men in command of the war were confident in their ability so they assigned them to some of the most difficult missions. What was the key to their success in the midst of a stressful, seemingly hopeless war?

Of course there were many things, but two have really stuck with me:  good training and leadership.  Jeff, Trish, and I watched every possible "extra" on the DVD, including the interviews of the actual men of Easy Company.  Men kept reiterating the fact that they were so well-trained and were led by exceptional officers.

Easy Company was trained for 2 years before they went to Europe.  They endured grueling marches and exercises, one specifically to Atlanta, GA that was 118 miles.  I mean, RIDICULOUS stuff.  But they were disciplined like no other regiment.  And maybe that helped them endure the things in Europe they couldn't have fathomed.

The leaders that stood out were those who were selfless and who led by example.  They instilled bravery and confidence in the men.  Major Winters (who I found out just died on January 2 of this year at the age of 92) was the most inspiring.  Everyone loved him - for his competency, humility, quick decisions, selflessness, and care for his men.

As a leader, Winters knew it wasn't about him.  He knew it was about equipping his men to do the mission they were called to do.  Because of the vision casted by their training and leadership, the men were confident and determined to complete their tasks.  And through these common experiences, a bond was formed that is impossible to imagine.

In starting Young Life in Siliguri, I know God isn't calling me to tell every teenager here about Jesus.  But he's calling me to cast that vision to workers here.  To train, to lead, to show by example.  And even more than hearing my voice, my desire is that these future Young Life leaders would here God's voice saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (Isaiah 30:21)

We're having our 2nd leader meeting next Monday.  I'll be sharing the story of Luke 5, where 4 men lower their friend thru a roof because they're so desperate for him to meet Jesus.  Pray that the Word will pierce our hearts and spur us on to love the teenagers of India like this.  Pray for this vision to take root in our hearts.  God is already bonding our hearts together, as a result of His faithfulness and amazing work already taking place.  I'm thankful this bond is eternal and centered on Someone who is never-changing and ever faithful.