Thankapalooza!

Thanksgiving has been more than a one day event in our home this year!  What a privilege we have to live at this time, in this place, for this purpose!  My parents recently came to visit and brought with them news of your support.  We are continually amazed at the way our friends and family go out of their way to encourage and help us!

We really enjoyed getting to introduce Nonna and Pop to the country and people we love.  In the picture above, that is a camel's rear end behind us.  One day we rode on a cart pulled by one and by the time Mom and Dad left we had used several kinds of transportation.  Below is a picture of us on a bicycle rickshaw, one of our favorites.

They really walked the path with us for a few days!

It wasn't just getting around that was new, we also ate things that were a bit different than back home.  They said (more than once) that they hoped the trip would help their diet plan, but found out that they actually liked what we eat!  Here is a photo of me buying us a snack from a roadside vendor.

We have also found a few places that serve food more familiar to us.  Here is one of B at a new mexican joint in town.

Like any newcomer to this place, my parents were overwhelmed by the number of people.  Sometimes it is easy to forget that each individual has a name and a story.  Here is a little girl we saw on the road.  I wonder what her life is like?

Anytime we go anywhere we always draw a crowd.  This group of boys gathered one day while we were playing at the park.  I got to play a little soccer with them and tell them my story.  I wonder if they thought about what I said before they fell asleep that night?

While driving, we are confronted at every street corner.  Some are simply asking for money while others have some product that they are wanting to sell.  At times they can get very aggressive.  They will hit on the windows, climb on the car, and even hang on for a while after we begin to move.  Here is a young fella selling magazines.  I wonder how he ended up on that street corner?

One day dad, C, and I got to play golf.  Someone had told me of a golf course in town and we decided to give it a try.  Well, we ended up playing with a guy about my age and by the 4th hole we had all been invited to his house for dinner.  It ended up being one of the most significant encounters we have enjoyed!  Here families all live in the same house, so we were even able to meet his father and grandmother.  We are excited about our new friendship!

We also took a short trip to place outside of our city.  There we found a fort palace that was over 500 years old.  It had been restored and adjusted to accommodate overnight guest.  We had an incredible time just being together in this beautiful place!

Our Thanksgiving get together (we called it Thankapalooza) couldn't have gone any better!  Thanks to all of you who helped by sending the supplies that weren't available here.  I wish you could have seen the smiles.  One girl even had her picture taken with a napkin because it made her feel at home.  Many of those involved left thank you notes for you.  One of them said, "This was my first Thanksgiving away from my family and being able to have real American food made it feel like home!  Thank you so much!"  Our tables were full, but I suspect this will become an annual event and only gain in popularity after the word gets out!! 

T spent a lot of time in the kitchen, but took a few breaks to play a video game called, Guitar Hero.  I'd never say it to her, but when the smoke cleared we all knew she was the rock star.  I think it had something to do with the apron?

There was plenty to eat and everybody got their fill.  A couple of little ones found the deviled eggs early and downed quite a few before they were caught.

We also celebrated both C and B's birthday!  We had one big party and the boys had a blast. 

 

So how can I give enough thanks for all that is happening here?  Sure there are days we feel a million miles from home, but think what He must have felt when He left glory to save us!  What a privilege it is to be with Him here and what a blessing to have friends like you supporting us.

eating an elephant

My birthday is on the same day as our arrival here and our celebration reminds us that a year has passed.  These days we have really begun to settle into life and work here.  Many of you have asked what exactly it is that we do and a simple answer just isn't that easy to come by.  Over a billion people in desperation live here and if your eyes are open you will see a different need in any direction you look.  The darkness can be seen, touched, heard, and even smelled.

We began asking what we might possibly do to change this reality ten years ago, when we were first exposed to the need.  Today we are involved in two things that we believe will make a difference.  First of all, we live here.  Secondly, we mentor others who are coming to live here.  

Being here places us (and those we lead) in complete dependence on HIM and in constant contact with people HE loves.  As we go about life, we both make and take opportunities to engage those around us.  This looks like having tea at the bank where I get the check I need to pay the electric bill, or C explaining Christmas to a lady at the mall.  We have discovered that Sunday is a free day for our neighbors and we are asking how to make the most of it.  I have also been spending some time with the religious leaders in our local temple and we have become good friends.

Our mentoring responsibilities mean that we get to have guest at our house most of the time!  This group is mostly made up of young adults who recently graduated from college and are spending two years in locations all over the country.  We are currently hosting 12 young ladies (yes, we also wonder where the men are).  These girls are awesome and are adapting quickly to their new culture.  T took them shopping a few days after they arrived.  This is important because the dress code here is much more modest than they are use to.

For their first 10 days we do various training sessions and activities to prepare them for the journey ahead.  We took them to see the Taj Mahal last week and along the way taught many of the do's and don'ts of life here.  They were a bit overwhelmed, but have recovered well.

We do many of the training sessions at our house.  Sometime the boys jump in and help us out.  They love having people around and end up getting everyone to play with or read a story to them before they leave.

Thank you for your concern and support of our family.  Last week we had a run in with culture shock and really got our first taste of how it can affect you.  Please continue to remember us and the people here!

dirty diaper detour

These days we have been pushing little B pretty hard to do his business somewhere (ANYWHERE) other than his pants.  He is a stubborn guy and seems to be unaware of our encouragements or of the smell that follows him around.  Did you know G can even use a dirty diaper for His glory?  Saturday night T and I went to a worship gathering (I'll say more about it later) and left the boys with a friend of ours at our house.  They were planning a trip to the market near our home.  As they were leaving B's fragrance became a distraction and the trip was put on hold for a quick change.  They arrived at the market only to find a chaotic mess with fire trucks and ambulances all around.  At the gathering, T and I heard everyone talking about the bomb blasts that had just rocked the city.  After questioning a few people it was clear that two of the explosions took place in our market.  We anxiously called, knowing the plan and timing pointed to bad news.  Our friend answered with the message that G had used a diaper to save the day!  However, the reports say that 20 people died and 100 more were injured in this tragedy (people we are growing to love).  Please ask that many would hear and respond to His story before something like this happens again.

The gathering T and I attended was incredible and probably the first of it's kind in our city.  A man and his wife had come to live in this country many years ago.  They worked very hard to learn the language and culture (as our family is doing these days).  Unlike T and I, this couple is gifted musically and learned to play traditional music.  They led this roof top concert at the home of a following family who invited all of their non-following friends.  T and I were so encouraged to see this couple and the beginnings of the movement we are so urgently asking for.

A new experience in our world is our weekly trip to the US embassy for C to play T-ball.  They have green grass, pine trees, and T's coveted Diet Dr. Pepper there!!  I am assistant coaching and we are all having fun with it.  There are kids from all over the world on C's team.  Oh and as a proud daddy I have to say, he is knocking the cover off the ball!!

C also started school last week.  The first week was a little crazy around the house, but I think teacher and student are getting the hang of it.  If we can just get little brother to play by himself for a little while C might just pass kindergarden!!

only as far as you feel

This weekend Justin and Brooke (very close friends of ours) are getting married.  We will literally be half a world away from this event.  It has been difficult for us to know we will be missing something so special, but we decided to celebrate as though we were there and (with the help of some technology and good friends) we may virtually get to be there!!  

Weddings are a huge part of life here and the rituals involved are taken very seriously.  One of the traditions involves something called mehndi, where the bride and her girl friends have an artist apply Henna to their hands.  This temporarily changes the color of their skin and the design remains visible throughout the marriage ceremonies.  Well, in honor of Brooke, today T got mehndi and in some unexplainable way we felt a part of the celebration!

Still Standing!!

One of my early attempts at playing football almost ended in disaster.  I took the ball and ran with all my might.  I ran and ran without meeting any resistance and then I realized (with the help of a hostile crowd) that I was running the wrong direction. 

 From this I learned that running into the enemy only means you are going the right direction.  A lot has happened since our last update, but very little of it was on the schedule.  Given the choice we would have passed on these events, but somewhere deep inside they have given us new resolve in the task for which we have come.  The first event that turned our world upside down was a water leak.  

For the first time in our lives we have discovered what a privilege running water is.  Our home only receives water during certain hours of the day and stores it in a big tank on the roof. 

 One morning we awoke to an empty tank 

and it has taken three weeks to find the broken pipe and to have it repaired.  During the process of repair, water was left standing around the tanks and pump system where we were working.  The standing fresh water was a breeding ground for mosquitos that carry the Dengue (usually pronounced DINGY) Virus.  Long story short, C and I both ended up with the Dengue Fever and have spent the last ten days in discomfort (unable to do much of anything).  

To be honest, in the middle of this time I felt as distant from our creator as I can remember.  Then I 

remembered 

2nd Cor Chapter 4 and how our treasure 

is in a clay pot, that it is in our weakness that the truth will show itself!!  Our friends, we can't thank you enough for remembering us.  Your request have real results here and we bear witness of His faithfulness.  Oh, in case you were wondering, today we had water and both C and I are 100%.  We took a couple of hard licks, but we are still standing and hopefully what's left shines brighter than before.

We also added a new member to our family.  Let me introduce you to 

Choco Master ShiFu!!  I won't tell you how much this imported hamster cost, but let's just say we are expecting gold pellets to appear any day!!  Regardless, it has been worth it to watch the boys enjoy their new pet.  

Wherever you are, be there!

The boys got some Thai boxing shorts, which fits their daily activity!

Our little engineer has us building cars, rockets (with his "Uncle" Brett), and everything else imaginable!

This is the backside of our new place. Construction is going on, look how they use Bamboo!

They use bamboo a lot. Like this guy who is cleaning out our septic tank with a bunch of pieces tied together. That TV show called "Dirty Jobs" has nothing on this!

And here is the front side of our new place!

Here is a pic of the neighborhood from the roof!

This is the main road close to our house where we catch auto ricks (The green three wheelers).

This is in the middle of the neighborhood park which is full of young families in the afternoons.

This is a nearby market where our focus group hangs out and where we get our food and things.

I got the title for this post from a recent discovery we have made. We all are (I am) bad about living in the past or the future and missing the now. Our Master taught us differently, but most of us forget this life giving truth. John Lennon once sang, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.", and how right that is. Anyhow, our family is learning to live out this truth and to embrace each moment of this amazing journey! We want to challenge you to do the same!

We are now fairly settled into our new home. It is quite a bit different being in a city of 15 million! Our new place has extra room for us to house the people who we are training before they launch to their locations all over the country. We just finished our first training and it was amazing. One of the young men was from Arkansas and is going to a country that NOBODY has ever gone to before!!! This part of our responsibilities has us mentoring guys and gals who are working in many cities and areas which have previously been untouched. We are so excited that we get to be a part of developing these folks, not to mention the joy of seeing the Story get to people who have never heard it!!

As motivated as we are in this work, the more primary part is getting to do what we are asking those we lead to do!! Our focus group is young educated families, a community which our new home is right in the middle of! Although attempts have been made, there has never been any significant movement among this group. We hope to befriend families in our neighborhood and tell them the story that has so radically changed our lives. Please ask that we would have wisdom and strength as we carry out our responsibilities and that we would embrace this beautiful opportunity to live for eternity, TODAY!

The 50 Yard Line

Everybody at a football game wishes they had seats on the 50! We recently heard a man describe our situation as sitting on the 50 yard line of history. What a privilege it is to be here for such a time as this!! After about a year and a half of transition we are now in the place we set out for when this journey began. It has been a wild ride, but every step has been crucial in our preparation for the task ahead. We are so thankful for leadership who ask us to take the best road, even though it may not be the easiest. Our most recent journey was to the annual meeting of all the people who are working in this part of the world. It was amazing to have everybody in one place! A fellowship from Florida came also to lead us in worship and to hold a VBS for the kids. C and B had more fun than they could stand and we really enjoyed getting to see the big picture of what we are a part of. We are excited, humbled, and a little scared to be involved in training and mentoring young men and women (and even some couples and families) who have committed to spend 2 years in the hardest places on planet. We are even getting the opportunity to have them stay in our home during the trainings and whenever they are in the city. We also get to focus our attention on making friends among "the educated" which has historically been seen as an impossible task. Please ask that we would be used in the roles we have come so far to play! As for the pictures: you may recognize the guy holding B (he recently won the Heisman trophy and decided to pay us a visit in his free time), C had a special part in the VBS presentation and did an incredible job, the boys and I took an opportunity to hike in the mountains (we ended up covered with leeches which is a whole other story for another day), we moved up from elephants to tigers (only babies though). By the way, if you are interested in teaching your kids more about this part of the world check out http://www.go2southasia.org/caravan.html