bus fun

Some of us pulled out our cameras and the fun began. I said, "Cheese!" And there was a roar of laughter, which in turn, obviously made us laugh.
We took the public bus each morning, we had to get off at a stop and hurry across a busy intersection to get to our next bus. The first bus was packed with school kids every morning! Most of the time the boys were the brave ones to try out their English and ask us questions, but occassionally a girl would venture out and ask what our names were. When I say packed, I am not exaggerating, the guys in the bottom picture were in no way posing for the camera, they were hanging out there because there was no room on the inside. We calculated one day and figured there were between 100-200 people on the bus at any given time. Though the bus ride was only about 15-20 minutes, we really made some friends on the bus. On our last day, when we told the kids we wouldn't be seeing them again, you could tell we weren't the only ones sad to say goodbye.

what a treat!

At this point in the trip home we had been flying for about 16 hours (give or take a few) and had been awake for about 46 (minus plane sleep, which varies for everyone and can't be counted as real sleep). Much to our delight, the three of us discovered when we got to our seats that we were in business class! Our faces do not indicate that we were as sleep deprived as we were, it was just that great to be in those seats. The seats recline...fully, they have real blankets, real full size pillows; it was amazing.

hit the ground runnin'

So I have been back now for a week and a day. Two days after my arrival in OKC, the boys and I with some special extra guests made our way back to Colorado. My neice and nephew made the journey with us, which made the trip so much better!! Everyday has been an adventure, Helen Hunt Falls, the zoo, Garden of the Gods, swimming, Castle Rock, and a few park/playground visits in between. For that reason, I have still not posted any beautiful pictures from India, but they are coming soon.

from Canada..uh..the US

At some point during our trip in India, we felt like we should start telling people (locals, particularly drivers that we were trying to bargain a good price with) that we were from Canada, simply because the stigma is not the same for Canadians as it is for Americans. For some reason people think that we're rich...and perhaps it's because we are. Rich in so many ways and we take most of it for granted.
There were so many eye-opening things on our trip, I don't know where to begin. But maybe this is a good place to start. The drastic difference between India and America, what we value, what we eat, what we deem clean, and so on and so on. There is too much to list, and it's because of this that I had to start thinking through my own life: what I value, where I'm spending my money, what I'm willing to sacrifice for the sake of His Name, for His glory. And in the end, knowing full well that He is worth everything, since it is Him who has given it to me.

from India (2)

Yesterday we went by bus (which carries anywhere from 100 to 200 people) to a place called Pravaham, meaning stream, it is a place that selects under-privileged girls to come and train for nine months to be a nurse, they then intern in Bangalore and a nursing center there provides them with jobs (20-25 girls). We had the chance to sit with them, learn their names, and hear a few of their stories. It was truly amazing. These girls had only been there a week and already you could see hope in their eyes, a confidence that they can make a difference and make a change in their family and their community.

Today we walked through market in Vellore and got stared at by everyone we passed. Michelle (one of the girl on our team) and I almost got hit by a bus--very exciting!! :) We ate lunch at a Punjabi place (which is the state I visited last time), and it was wonderful!!

Thanks again for your prayers and I'll try to post at least once more before I leave.

from India (1)

We have successfully made it here and spent our first night in semi-air conditioned rooms. We are staying at a guest house for a hospital (where familys of patients would stay). The rooms are actually quite nice.

This morning we had guava and pomegranete and Indian biscuits for breakfast. We then took two different buses to get to the house of the man leading the trip. First one was packed with kids on their way to school, second one just packed, men, women, and kids.

It is beautiful. It is hot. It is wonderful.

here we go (or here I go)

well, folks. I leave tomorrow to go to India. For those of you that have known me for a while, you know that India has been impressed on my heart for a long time. I went on a mission trip in October of 2002, and now I'm going again. This time around, the team I'm going with is from Redeemer Church (check them out at www.redeemerlubbock.org) and we'll be spending quite a bit of time at an orphanage, some clinics that help HIV positive women and children, and doing some other projects. I anticipate that this trip will be very different for me because I am a mother now, and being a mother gives you an entirely different perspective on lots of things. This is also the longest time I'll have ever spent away from my boys. If you are one who prays, I'm asking for your prayers. We've been told we'll be able to have internet access, so keep an eye on the blog and I'll try to keep you posted.