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!!!