hop, skip, and a jump

The picture above is from an overnight passenger train we were on this week. The last month has meant some traveling for us and our longest trip has yet to come. In a few days will be making a brief journey to the good ol' US of A!!!! We will be speaking in DeQueen on Feb 22 and in Russellville March 1-4. Our time will be short, but we would love to see everyone. Please check your schedule and see if you might be able to attend one of these meetings.

Our other recent adventures have been connected to a river that is the center of hindu spirituality.


Four times a year we welcome and train new people to join us here. The latest group was our largest yet (in more ways than one)!


This was a pack of 16 people (14 of them stayed in our home for the 10 day training). One of the highlights of the time was a trip to a city north of us (at the base of the Himalayas) where the river is just begining to pick up speed. This city is a place of pilgramage for many and a perfect place for us to immerse our friends in their new culture. In 2010 a big event called the Kumbh Mela will take place here. The last one was held in the city we use to live in and 60 million people attended. Here is a picture to give you a sense of what that will be like.


This place is beautiful and horrible all at the same time. The river and the mountians surrounding it are incredible, but everything is set up to give worship to the created rather than the Creator.



This massive statue of the one called "destroyer" stands at the entrance to the city.


Unlike most that we have visited, this temple houses very few idols. When we entered, we were immediately taken to the edge of the river and told to give our worship to it. It was a great opportunity to talk of the one who made the river and how He offers living water to all people!



We broke into small groups and I got to spend the day with two really cool girls. We were making new friends all day long, but spent the majority of our time with the two girls and two guys in the pictures above.


We joined them on their pilgrimage to a temple overlooking the city. They had come to tie strings to this sacred tree. It is believed that if you make a wish while doing this you will get what you ask for. You can imagine the conversation this led to as we sat together in a tea shop afterward.


The training was an overall success and our house felt very different when after about 20 days we had waved good bye to almost all of our guest. Each one traveled to the location they will spend the next 2 years. A few in the group are assigned directly to us and we get to be more involved with them. The team above will be living in the north and we will be their "coaches".


A few days later we made our way east to another city on the same river. This one is the most famous and to be honest the most crazy! Our journey had two purposes, I had a meeting to attend and we wanted to see some girls there who arrived and went through our training in October.



We took them out to a nice dinner at an amazing hotel and spent the day getting into what life has been like since they moved out of our house. We got to see their apartment and we got to help them think through what they are doing. It was altogether an incredible trip!


Our travels are putting a cramp in our soccer career, but C is really begining to pick up the game and we are really getting to know some of the parents of the kids on his team.


So, we have been busy here. We took a hop north, a skip east, and now a leap west! Please ask that all of our efforts would be used to advance His kingdom on earth! Thank you!

earth, wind, and fire

"This day is very special for us!  

At this time we celebrate the birth of the one who gave us salvation!" 

December was filled with conversations that began with this statement.  Again and again we told the story to people who knew very little about Christmas (other than santa and the snowman).  Of course it is hardest to be away from family during the holidays, but the carols we sing come to life when you are living among people who still wait to hear the good news!

This year it was the phrase, "let EARTH receive her King" that stirred my heart.  Any view that limits redemption to something smaller than EARTH is wrong!  He didn't come for one or some, He came for ALL!  What a privilege to tell the world that Salvation is here!

Another thing we got to do in December was to host several of the guys and gals that are working here.  We are all a bunch of orphans during the holidays and end up becoming a family ourselves.  One night T baked some cookies and we all sat around and decorated them.  To be honest, I never would have imagined how much fun that would be.  Afterwards, we took the cookies to our friends in the community and explained to them the reason for our joy.

Most of Christmas day was spent packing to leave the country.  This is an every six month journey we take to keep our visas.  This time we got to spend a few days with the group we lead beside a beautiful beach.  A speaker from South Carolina came and did an incredible job encouraging and challenging us from the word.

We also got to spend some time hanging out with the group and going deeper in our relationships.  These folks are spread across the country in some tough areas doing some amazing things.  One day we took a boat out to an island together.  Our boys were so excited they could barely control themselves!

C got to work on his surfing.

And B got to work on his tan.

Daddy got to eat a hamburger.

And momma got to change the world by investing in these amazing young women who are doing things in places that leave many men shakin in their boots.

After this gathering we traveled to another location to receive training on how best to lead those we are mentoring.  It was an intense time that really challenged us to view ourselves as feet washers rather than supervisors.

C wanted to drive us around town on this bicycle rickshaw, but his feet couldn't reach the peddles.

Now that we are back, life is getting back to normal.  C has just started playing soccer and is beginning to get the hang of it.  I am coaching, but everybody recognizes that the American is clueless about "football" and the Scottish head coach makes fun of me on a regular basis.  I don't mind the abuse though because this is a great opportunity for C (and for us) to make friendships with people.  Hopefully this will open the door to a community that has thus far been pretty difficult to break into.

The boys are getting to use the tent they got for Christmas these days because right now we are hosting 16 people at our house.  These are mostly new comers who we are helping to learn the ropes before they launch to there new homes.  C and B don't seem to mind giving up their beds because they love all the excitement a full house is bringing!

So life has been busy but good the last few days!  We have been reminded to keep HIS EARTH in our sites, HIS WIND at our backs, and HIS FIRE in our hearts as we watch HIS KINGDOM come!

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!