Sunday 20 October 2013

How to set yourself up for failure while abroad and possibly alienate people.

Here is a new recipe I recently came across to set yourself up for failure while abroad (in my case India-- just think curry) and possibly alienate people (though not anyone on my team here, because they are loving people):

1. When getting dressed, put on M.C. Hammer-esque pants that come equipped with a drawstring as opposed to the button and zipper on your skinny jeans.
2. Sometime throughout the day, manage to subconsciously tie that very same draw string in a double knot--- genius, I know.

*I was literally thanking God this happened on Saturday as opposed to Thursday after some airplane food. This could have been devastating for me, but was averted by delicious (and safe) home cooked meals by Anu (my sweet Indian mom who lives upstairs).

That's enough bathroom talk for now.... I really want to thank everyone who sent me birthday wishes for the big 3-0! Seriously, thank you so much :)  I completely failed to reply to all the Facebook messages and emails, but I still want you to know that I feel loved! I really need to get back into the wonderful world of Facebook. It's been about a month and a half.

As for India, the state-wide strikes (yep they're happening here too) and some extended holidays have really cut into our teaching schedule. It's been almost a month, but we should be able to start teaching again this coming week. I'm really excited to get back into a regular schedule. In the meantime, we've been trying to connect with some Harvest India staff... In fact, last Sunday I got to paint 70 nails :) It was nice to have some girl time with Carli, Kacie, and Sreelatha (Ravi's wife). And the other night, while Ramaraj was at work, Anu made some mahindi (henna) in her kitchen and did a lovely design on my hand. I'm hoping that tomorrow night I'll be able to paint her nails for some more girl time.



The team and I also had some time to do some traveling. We went to Mumbai for 2 full days. I was expecting much of what I've already seen in India, but that city definitely has its own personality-- some  good and some bad. First and foremost, we found a starbucks!!!!






Yep, we got in on Monday night and I had a decaf pumpkin spice latte!!! Not only was it the first sugary-delicious flavored latte that I've had since leaving home, but it was also the first decaf coffee as well :)  I entered the Mumbai airport security Thursday morning to head back to Tenali with my fourth latte of the trip in hand. Please don't judge me.... Please.

In addition from the beautiful architect and delicious food, we saw some of the heaviest poverty I've ever seen in Mumbai. The slums are literally right next to or across the overpass from incredibly beautiful and rich areas. One night, John, Kacie, Courtney (Kacie's sister) and I were walking to go to a famous ice-cream storefront and we saw 2 children (probably around age 5) sound asleep on a well lit sidewalk-- no blankets, or pillows, or even a mat. It was tough. Sort of like one of those things you look away from because it doesn't make sense and its not something you want to see, but you can't help but remember and ponder later. It really was heartbreaking, and still is.


On a lighter note, Tenali is so great.  It was different entering back into India in this stint of the trip.  As most of you know, I spent an extra month in Palestine to finish up a dance project, so I got back to what I like to call my "second home" later than the rest of the team. Our first six months were spent acclimating to our new life and family while immersing ourselves in the culture and ministry. But for some reason, I entered India with the weight of the "what's next" question. Will I stay until April? Or should I go back to the states in January? Am I going to travel on my way out? What about work, school....?" So many big questions, so many options, and incredible friends (Indian and American) to serve God's people with. There was this urgency to figure things out and have all the right answers immediately. To make matters worse, it was really hard for me to be fully present in what was happening in the moment while trying to find answers for the future. It was rough. But the good news is that God is bigger than these big life questions. The beauty of it all is that I don't have to have it ALL figured out. Granted I do need to figure out when I'll be back in the states and have somewhat of a plan for picking up where I left off, but these decisions don't have to establish my future.

I don't have all the answers but I do feel free to be in India-- and that freedom is a gift that I am choosing to hold onto :)  I still have unanswered prayers, but just because they have yet to be answered does not mean that they fell on deaf ears. He's heard them and I trust that in His perfect time we'll hear/see/live in the answers. And isn't that so much better than anything that I could possibly come up with. After all, 1 year in India was not originally on my agenda, but His story is so incredibly beautiful and there is no other place on earth that I would rather be writing this from.



















Please continue to pray for Harvest India, my team and I . Christmas is coming up as well, so naturally there will be dancing!

*Thank you so much to all my friends and family who have supported me both financially and through prayer. Amazing news... I'm almost fully funded! I have $23,854.96 promised, which mean that I only need to raise an additional $1,145.04 by January. Please prayerfully consider helping me reach my goal  :)