Home Sweet Home

The flight to Chicago was not full so the lady next to me moved giving me room to stretch out which allowed me to get some rest on the flight.  There was snow on the ground when we landed and the Christmas decorations throughout the airport built up the excitement of getting home.  Seeing my mom, sister-in-law and 5 month old nephew in the baggage claim was so great!!!!  I couldn't wait to get my hands on that baby, but he'd decided my arrival was the perfect time for a nap so had to wait a little while.  We picked up my brother and headed to lunch where my sister met us and then we went to visit my cousin's family!  It was so good to be with them all again!!! 

And we're off..

Did a little running around this morning before having lunch with Prabhudas.  It's amazing how fast everything happened once we got to the airport.  One moment we were pulling up and the next I was on my own inside.  I got checked in through security and wandered off to a little coffee shop that had some comfy seating.  The milkshake I ordered was very good and worth the price to spend a few hours sitting in the nice chair I was able to claim.  I did a lot of journaling and reading before seeing on the nearest board that my flight was being delayed.  I decided to give up the comfy seat and go to the gate to check on the status of my flight which was a good thing as we boarded a minute later.  I was able to find my way through the Delhi airport and again claimed a comfy spot for a couple hours while I waited for my flight.  In both Hyderabad and Delhi, as I sat in the airport, I was sad and fighting tears at the thought of leaving India, but as soon as I started walking toward the plane to board, the excitement of going home made me feel kind of giddy!  



My view at the Hyderabad airport.



The journey home begins...

We left early this morning to get to Hyderabad.  I fought tears as we pulled away and even further down the road as I watched the sun rising in the rear view mirror.  Ruth was not feeling well so did not come with us which meant I had just a couple moments to hug her good-bye this morning.  We stopped for breakfast on the way and I started feeling car sick a little later.  We did a little window shopping when we first arrived in town and then went to lunch with a couple of Ruth's nieces.  They kept me company in the car while Prabhudas was doing some Christmas shopping.  I had taken a Dramamine when I'd started feeling sick so found it difficult to stay awake on the way to the house.  We did a little work and then went to dinner.  It still amazes me that I leave tomorrow!!!

Heading home!!!

So, this is my last night in Chillakallu, India!  In about 7 1/2 hours, we will be heading to Hyderabad for a day of shopping and an office appointment Wednesday morning before heading to the airport.  It's going to be a LONG day getting home, but I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends!  It's been great seeing their faces and hearing their voices on Skype, but it will be nice to once again be face to face in the same room - especially to get my hands on the little ones in my family for lots of hugs and kisses!!! And I'm getting excited about Christmas just over a week after I arrive back in Texas!!!  Last week was cooler than it had been in a while and I was ordering gifts online while listening to holiday music which has really helped me feel more festive! 

But all that means I have to say good-bye to all the ones I love here in India.  That process has turned into a 4 day event that started with the church yesterday, included some time with the Children's Home kids last night, the school kids this morning and the CH kids again tonight.  I'll say good-bye to a few more people as we head out at 5:30 tomorrow morning and then the last, really hard good-byes at the airport on Wednesday!

Another hard good-bye!!!

Went to the school to say good-bye this morning and was presented with a trophy in the shape of India.  I came home and cried!!!  I will so miss these kiddos!!!!!!!  They are so precious and I truly love each one!  I just hope I'll be able to return soon! 


All my sweethearts!



My girlies!

My guys!

My new friends and coworkers!

Last Sunday

What an emotional morning!  It was my last time in the Chillakallu church before heading home.  Ruth "decorated" me this morning in the fancy purple sari she wanted me to wear when we were going through her wardrobe a couple weeks ago.  At one point, I was called up on stage to sit in a chair.  Prabhudas had the boys and girls from the Children's Home come up and one of the girls put a garland on me while the boys draped the beautiful shawl over me they were giving me.  Then Prabhudas had a lady come up and put another garland on me from the church, elders and women's meetings.  I was handed a microphone to convey my thanks and say good-bye before Ruth and Prabhudas prayed for me.  It was very special!!! 

I have started my packing which just seems unreal that it's time to go already!  I am spending some time with the kids tonight, passing out some candies and watching a movie with them.  It will be so hard to say good-bye!!!

An Indian Wedding

I had really hoped to be able to go to an Indian wedding while I was here and today I got my wish.  Ruth's brother-in-law's nephew was getting married and I got to attend with the family.  We went to where the bride and groom were getting ready first.  She was absolutely beautiful!!!

 We had to walk down a pretty muddy road to get to the vehicles once the bride was loaded up into the car.  We caravaned with the wedding party to the church.  This banner was outside the church for the event.

Side note:  While waiting for the bride's entrance, the musicians played.  The saxophone player did "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" with some accompaniment from the piano player which was incredible!!!  Decided I want the saxophone as part of the ensemble at my wedding. 





The bride's arrival.

The bride and groom sit next to each other on the stage facing the audience for most of the ceremony.  Various pastors prayed or read Scripture before a guy from Holland that has lived in that area for 3 years preached in English.  The couple signed a book, spoke something to each other and were prayed for before being presented as a married couple.  They continued to sit up on the stage as the guests filed by to offer congratulations and gifts.  We went to the back to eat before hitting the road.  When we left, the couple were still on stage greeting people!  It was quite an event to be sure!!!

Grand Christmas Celebration in Vijayawada

Prabhudas was scheduled to speak at the Grand Christmas Celebration in Vijayawada last night. We were just there on Monday and saw the posters up all over the city for it. When we arrived, Prabhudas was announced and went to sit on stage with a bunch of other people that were there. Ruth and I got comfortable on the front row with a great view. After a few minutes, I heard Prabhudas' name again and looked to Ruth to see what was being said. Her face fell as she gathered her stuff and headed up onto the stage to sit next to Prabhudas. The empty seat beside her should have been a clue, but I was still laughing at the look on her face when she was called up that it didn't register. Until I heard my name followed by, "We would now like to invite our beloved sister Carol onto the dais."   Suddenly, it wasn't so funny! 









I had a tad bit of panic that I would be asked to say something, so leaned over to check on that possibility with Ruth.  Her response was a nervous sounding "I don't know" which was not very helpful.  We sat as various people spoke, stood a few times for prayer, and sat some more. 

At one point, they passed out candles to everyone on stage as candles were distributed to the people in the auditorium and they also brought a huge cake out onto the platform.  A guy from the other end of the row we were sitting on started making his way down the row.  He talked to Prabhudas for a second before greeting Ruth and coming to me.  He asked me if I knew the words to "Silent Night" and would I sing it.  Prabhudas explained that they wanted to have that song sung in English but no one else knew the words.  I agreed and then struggled to make it through with the attempted musical accompaniment, a sore throat and an extreme case of nerves that made me forget everything but the first verse of the song!  The one thing in my favor while I sang was that the lights were down since they lit everyone's candles before having me sing.  

**Added note:  A day or so after this event, Prabhudas informed me that the whole service, including my singing, was scheduled to be broadcast on one of the Christian stations that goes to 40 different countries!!! 

Semi-Christmas

Today was the Semi-Christmas Celebration after church.  Everyone came down to the campus and spread out to eat lunch.  Then there were all kinds of games.  Foot races, sack races, a jumping rope competition and volleyball games.  The ladies had a race carrying a lemon on a spoon in their mouths as well as a very competitive game of musical chairs.  It was a very fun day!!!!!

Lunch



Fun and Games 

Return to Vijayawada

Today, we went back to Vijayawada to make some adjustments to the promotional DVD.  We again went through a part of the city I'd not been to before and I got some better pictures of the way the houses are built up onto the hills/mountains.

One of the stops we made was where Prabhudas gets his printing done.  I stayed in the car while he went to check on the calendars they print up every year.  There was this little boy that showed up beside the car and just seemed to be on his own.  When he headed to the door, I couldn't resist the picture!  He was a cutie!!!

Oh boy!!!

When we first arrived, we were shown a video they had done with pictures from the ministry and video of the church dedication.  I was told one of the projects I would be working on during my time here was to write up an English version of the narration for the promotional DVD.  Today was the day we went to Vijayawada to record and finalize the DVD with me narrating!!! 

This weekend we had a gentleman from Germany visiting for the first time and so our first stop was dropping him off at a church in the city.  He is friends with some of the people that had come from Germany a few weeks ago, but was in India working with other pastors.  He wanted to meet Prabhudas and check out New Hope Ministries while he was so close and was only here for the weekend.  I really enjoyed meeting him and it was nice to have English preaching in church again yesterday. 

This picture is of the street outside the church where we dropped him off.  I had never been to this area of town before.  The road was so narrow and the community went up the hillside from the road so there were a lot of steep stairways leading up to homes. 

The next stop was at a photographer's studio.  Prabhudas was needing some updated pictures for the events he is a part of.  In India, the speakers' pictures are posted on all the banners and flyers used to advertise special events and he'd been using the same picture for a long time.  It was fun to watch and the pictures turned out really good.  At the end, they insisted I sit for a couple of shots, but I'd put my own camera away already so don't have any pictures of me.

Before lunch, we went to this little office to record the narration for the promotional DVD.  They kept telling me to talk faster and if I paused too long they deleted the break so it is a very fast paced video.  They told me to do little sections at a time which was a good thing since my throat was sore and I needed the frequent breaks to drink a little water.  But it went much more smoothly than I had thought and we were off to lunch before I knew it!  Not something I would have expected to be doing when I first planned to stay in India, but I guess that's just how it goes on the mission field!

What have I agreed to?

Initially, my understanding was that if you were married you wore a sari and if not, you wore punjabis. I was fine with that as the punjabis are comfortable and I can dress myself. But this trip, I have been told that it is okay for girls that are not married to wear a sari on occasion, like dressing up. So, after many requests by the Children's Home girls, as well as comments by a few of the ladies, I finally agreed to wear a sari to church. For those who are unfamiliar with a sari, the lady wears a short top and then has yards of fabric wrapped around her waist and brought up over her shoulder. I enjoyed watching Sharelee being "decorated" by Ruth when she wore a couple saris while she was here, but was a bit unsure about going through the process myself. Now all the clothes these ladies wear are beautiful, but there is a difference in designs and materials so I knew wanted something light and flowy rather than the heavier material. Since I was just going to wear it once, we decided I'd just borrow one of Ruth's dresses, but I'd have to have a top made for me. So before heading into Jaggayyapet to finish my shopping, we decided to go through the options in Ruth's wardrobe. She kept pulling out the heavier, fancier dresses and I kept saying, I really want the light, flowy material. So we narrowed it down and I chose a dark blue printed one that didn't have any embellishments and was light and flowy. Then Ruth said, "Okay, and then you can wear this one too." She really wanted me to wear this beautiful, bright purple one tht had a lot of gold on it. Seeing how much she wanted me to wear that one, I told her I could just wear that one, but found myself coming home from the store that night with 2 tops instead of one!!! How did that happen?!? So this morning, I wore this beautiful dress to church and in 2 weeks, my last Sunday here, I will wear the fancy dress Ruth wants me to wear! Actually, it wasn't too bad. It did slip a little in the back, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as I'd expected.

Walking Tour



Picked up a few friends along the way!



Got to walk around the town a bit tonight.  Took the camera and a video camera to try to capture some pics of life in this region to use in the promotional video we are working on.  I had a couple girls from the Children's Home with me and a couple of the younger pastors as guides.  We walked for quite a while and I got to see parts of the community I'd not been to before.  It was dark by the time we got back, but it had been a lot of fun.  The pictures didn't turn out very well since the camera battery died right away and the photos on the video camera were not very good quality, but I enjoyed the trip anyway!!! 



Doctor from the church wanted me to sit at the desk in his clinic.





Visited a Catholic home for girls close to the church.







Thanksgiving in India

I've never been out of the country on Thanksgiving before, but thanks to Skype it was not as hard as I had thought it might be.  My mom had foot surgery 2 weeks before Thanksgiving and I was not home so my sister and sister-in-law were preparing the traditional meal for the first time in their lives.  I had wanted to talk to them in the morning during the prep time which was my Thursday night, but the internet went down after I chatted with a friend and I was not able to connect until I woke up Friday morning.  I was online with them from the end of the football game until they had already dug into the meal.  This is a snap shot I took on Skype of the dinner table.  All reports were that the food was delicious and the newbies had great success!  Well done, ladies!!!  I came home from school to a "Thanksgiving meal" of my own as Ruth had made me mashed potatoes and fruit salad in honor of the holiday I had missed.  Typical of a Thanksgiving meal, I was so full from the special dishes as well as the curry and rice that I didn't eat dinner despite Ruth's protests.  I assured her it was a part of Thanksgiving to be too full to eat again that day! 

Shopping!!!

Ruth and I spent the day in Vijayawada doing some shopping!  I really enjoyed my time with her and I got almost everything I'd wanted to find.  After our first stop, we walked with the driver to a church where he'd parked the car.  We were about to load up and Ruth asked me if I wanted to go inside so I said sure.  It was a beautiful church and I enjoyed getting to peek inside. 

Coming of age

I accompanied Ruth to the celebration of this young lady today.  Ruth said these parties started as a way for a family to let their relatives and friends know that their daughter was ready to marry.  Even when the law set a minimum age for girls to be able to marry at 18, the traditional celebration was continued when a daughter "matured".  It is a very interesting custom.  The girls have beautiful flowers in their hair and have their hands decorated with henna.  They are set up on a stage in one of the "thrones" I'm becoming accustomed to seeing at these events.  I was asked to share a few words before Ruth spoke.  Ruth prayed for the girl and then we had a wonderful lunch before heading home.  The young lady was about to change when we were leaving and I'm not sure what other festivities the day held for her. 

Engagement Day!!!



The bride and groom in their new clothes.

I've become friends in my time here with one of Ruth's nieces.  Shortly after I met her, she had a 5 minute meeting with the man she is going to marry.  My first trip to Hyderabad last month was for the meeting of her family and his to decide if there was going to be a wedding and to finalize an agreement for this arranged marriage.  Yesterday, I got to be there for her engagement.  We arrived in town late the night before and went to her home this morning.  After a short time there, we went to the location for the festivities.  People from both sides of Ruth's family had come for the occasion so they enjoyed some time visiting together while final preparations were made to the stage and we awaited the arrival of the groom's family.  The stage was set up with two large, red, throne-like chairs in the center.  When it was time to start, the groom was escorted up by his family and then my friend was taken up by hers.  Various pastors from the family spoke and prayed.  The groom's family presented gifts to the bride of food, flowers and a new sari.  The bride's family also gave the groom a new outfit and they both went off to change while two of Ruth's nieces sang a few songs.  The couple came back in their new clothes, the families joined them on the stage and they exchanged rings.  Then they stood there while the bride's relatives came up by families to bless them and take a picture.  We all ate lunch and then the photos continued as the groom's family filed across the stage.  The fathers also spent time with various other family members to discuss the details of the wedding.  The date is set for February 14 and now that they are engaged, my friend and her husband to be can finally begin getting to know each other through phone conversations.  We escorted the bride and groom back to the bride's home and then the groom left with his family.  We said our good-byes and started the long drive home.  We had barely pulled away from the house when I was trying to get a couple of bugs out the window and realized too late that I had grabbed a BEE!!!!  I'd never been stung before and it proved difficult getting the stinger out of my thumb.  My thumb thobbed for the first hour or so of the trip!  Bee stings are painful!!!  But otherwise, it was a great day!  =)

Baby dedication

Missed school again today and went to a family event about a half hour away instead.  A cousin came to church yesterday and joined us for lunch to give an invitation to come for his son's dedication ceremony.  We all fed the baby after P spoke and then had lunch.  I was amazed at what a large family this was...the father that invited us is one of 8 and his father is one of 11!!!  It was a fun day, though every time I turned around it seemed like I was staring into the camera - especially when I was eating! 

Movie night!!!

All the kids gathered in the courtyard tonight and we watched "How To Train Your Dragon" which they really enjoyed.  It was great to listen to them laugh throughout the movie.  What a great way to end the day!

Communion Sunday

Today was my first time in church for communion in India.  And I got to be a part of two services in one day!  Last night, I was asked to go to a church in Jaggayyapet this morning with Prabhudas to his friend's church.  On the way, I was told that his friend died 2 years ago, but the son was now leading and Prabhudas has been going for a couple months to encourage them.  I didn't have my camera so did not get any pictures, but I enjoyed it.  Back in town, I ran back to the house to get my camera.  The church was pretty packed and I snuck out after putting my stuff down to get some pictures.

I interrupted the Sunday School classes for pictures as well. 

 After the sermon, it was announced that communion was only for those who had been baptized and others were asked to move to the back so that those participating in communion could move to the front.  The elements were prayed for then given to a group of ladies sitting to the side to get it ready for passing out to the people.  When the cups were being passed out, I noticed a few ladies following those serving and collecting the cups as people finished taking it.