Running with Endurance

Itinerary

2010-06-14T20:07:00.000-07:00

Here's where Mike and I will be this summer:

June 16-17: Rome, Italy
June 17-20: Dubrovnik, Croatia
June 20-23: Montenegro
June 23-26: Back to Rome
June 26-July 10: Beijing, China
July 10-17: Shanghai, China
July 17-August 4: Tokyo, Japan
August 4-10: TBD

We will return around August 10 - just in time for Mike's sister's wedding on August 14. :)

Keep checking back! I don't know what my internet access will be like, but I plan to blog during our trip.

Prodigal Daughter Animation

2010-05-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

Hockey Commercials

2010-05-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

In light of the NHL Conference Finals and all the hockey we've been watching recently, thought I'd post some hockey commercials.

Wall Decals for Kids

2010-05-11T18:55:00.001-07:00

Looking for a cool way to decorate your child's room? Check out Kids Decal Corner

A good friend of mine is selling wall decals. It's an affordable and EASY way to decorate.

Here are just a few of my favorites...

Enjoy!

Trunk Monkey

2010-05-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

I want a trunk monkey...

Happy Birthday!

2010-05-03T15:46:00.001-07:00

Happy 20th Birthday, Lydia!

North Korea Persecution

2010-04-28T07:22:00.001-07:00

Bold Women in Iran

2010-04-22T08:45:00.001-07:00

2 women are jailed in Iran because of their Christian faith...

Bold Women in Iran

DUIN: Jailed Iranians stand by God - Washington Times

Free Themm - Afshin Ziafat from Free Themm on Vimeo.

I added these to raise awareness of what is going on in other parts of the world. I'm not asking you to give financially, but to consider praying for these two women.

Improv

2010-04-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

This would totally freak me out...

Vandalism

2010-04-16T08:41:00.001-07:00

(A couple weeks ago)

My heart sunk at Mike’s text message. Someone smashed our car window while Mike was in class. The GPS was gone.

After our initial shock and disappointment, we spent the evening laughing at all the ways we wish GPS’s were made.

1.) What if we could track it? (You can’t – we checked.) We laughed about calling the person and messing with them a bit. (“Hey, we heard you’ve recently acquired a GPS system…”) We wouldn’t be stupid enough to show up at someone’s door, though.

2.) What if we could detonate it? Imagine someone holding their “brand new” GPS and it suddenly exploding.

3.) What if – with one click of a button – it could be deactivated? So much for selling it on the street.

4.) What if, instead of exploding, it let off some awful smell? Like a skunk.

Mike talked with the police. It turns out that because he parked slightly off of the school campus, nothing was caught on camera. Oh well.

Thank you, North Philly, for yet another exciting experience.

15 Things That Changed the Decade

2010-04-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

I know this article is a few months old, but I thought it was interesting. I forgot how far technology has progressed in the last ten years.

I don't agree with all their choices, but it was fun to think back and remember life without them. What are some things YOU think helped to change the last decade and the one we are currently in?

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-04-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

So our Easter afternoon went like this.

After lunch, my mom announced there was going to be an adult Easter egg hunt. (This must be what happens when your parents are tired of waiting for grandkids.) As if the neighbors don’t already think we’re nuts enough, us 20-somethings are running around the house looking for plastic eggs. She stated all the rules up front because – of course – Babbs have to go over every single rule before any competition (even hunting for plastic eggs filled with candy) or someone might wind up dead at the end of it. :-) (See I Will Wreck You Comic from previous blog entry.)

Don’t believe me? Check out the pictures.

And we realized that some things haven’t changed even after all these years...

...like Lydia only being able to find a couple eggs while the rest of us found all of ours in a few minutes.

Caleb – with the help of Mike – decided to hijack the plan and re-hide our eggs. (To make matters worse…they were re-hidden in the front yard.)

At the end, as I opened up my plastic eggs, I found snickers, sweet tarts, skittles, strange flavored jelly beans,and – wrapped in tissue paper – a dollar. Suddenly everyone was going back through their eggs, digging through the candy in search of tissue paper.

Caleb & Bethany = $11
Lydia = $6
Destiny = $2
Mike = $0

We ended the day with a family-friendly game of croquet, which ended up being ridiculously hard thanks to clumps of grass, a slanted back yard, and Bethany – who set up the wickets.

Who said you can’t have fun when you get older??

Win a $250 Amazon Gift Card!

2010-04-12T09:04:00.001-07:00

Mike is doing a consulting project for an Israeli company as part of his MBA program. This company is attempting to launch a website that makes reading easier by providing definitions of words in documents.

So that brings me to how you can win a $250 Amazon gift card. All you have to do is go to this website and fill out a survey. It doesn't take long - 10 minutes at the most. If you have school-aged children, they can also fill one out. You will be entered into a drawing for the gift card after you complete the survey.

Deadline: Monday, April 19.

Thanks!

Happy Birthday

2010-04-11T18:36:00.001-07:00

Happy 23rd Birthday to my sister.

(A dance of joy after a great shot in mini-golf.)

Love you, Bethany.

Civil War Museum

2010-04-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

My mom, sister and I went to the Civil War Museum in Harrisburg. I was pleasantly surprised – it was very well done. It showed the various viewpoints of the North & South – and those who were for and against slavery in both regions. It’s a somber portion of history that should be remembered.

(A skull drill. Surgery sure has come a long way. When men were in surgery, they were given bullets to bite to help "cope" with the pain. There were bullets on display that had actual teeth marks in them.)

(Left - a 100lb canonball. Imagine getting hit with the thing.)

(The clay figures looked very real. Look at the veins in his hands!)

Bethany and I doing in the gift shop what I tell my students NOT to do...
(The guy selling the stuff was good humored or we might have gotten kicked out. ;) )

"Land of the free and home of the braaaaaaave!"
(After Bethany and I made idiots of ourselves in the gift shop, my mom went crazy too... haha)

Easter

2010-04-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die

Flyers Hockey

2010-03-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Last night, Mike took me to my first NHL game. Seeing the Flyers play was a dream- come-true.

Long gone are the days of Lindros, LeClair, Renberg, and Brind'amour

- where the dream of winning the Stanley Cup playoffs was becoming a reality. We thought it was “our year.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t. And it looks like it won’t be for a long time. Not with various players hurt and Boucher in goal.

And not with our fans. I’m sorry if you’re a Philadelphia fan, but I’m about to insult you.

What is up with Philadelphia?! I thought their bad driving was getting to me, but the game pushed me over the edge. I heard rumors that they boo Santa and have a tendency to get irate with their teams. I wasn’t prepared, however, for their hostility from minute one.

They booed when they weren’t impressed with the team. Booed when the offense was unable to score on a powerplay, though there were many shots on goal. They booed their goalie. Booed after letting in one goal. Believe me, I’m not defending Boucher. He looked pretty bad. But seriously…boo your own team? What happened to encouraging them? They rarely clapped if there was a good save. Of course there was some cheering – like when Hartnell busted an Atlanta guy in the chops. The solo Flyers goal-of-the-night also brought lots of excitement. But they were back to booing after those two moments. When the last buzzer sounded, ending the game, the remaining fans stood up and gave one last, long booooo for their team to hear.

I’ll still go for my team. After all, I’ve followed the Flyers since I was 9. But I’ll be the one in the crowd cheering them on.

I’m sorry, Philadelphia fans, but most of you need to lighten up.

March Madness Bracket

2010-03-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

Competition.
Seconds turned to minutes.
Upsets.
Losers becoming winners.
Winners suddenly losers.

March Madness is the only time of year I am glued to my television. After the first night, everything was looking good.

But I am tanking fast...

Look at all that red! *groan*

Living Without Hope

2010-03-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

“She may not make it, but they told me I will.”

The father sat at the breakfast table, glancing down at his food. I couldn’t believe what he was saying. His daughter, the rebel of the family, the honor-roll student who had gotten into drugs her senior year, was being cast to the side by her family. Did he really believe what he had just told us?

Someone suggested to him that she probably wouldn’t make it – she would always be caught in drugs and alcohol. They told him he could make it if he moved on without her. Though Mike and I had only met the man a few moments before while sharing a meal at the bed and breakfast, my heart broke.

My heart broke for the daughter and for her father. I knew he was tired of the lies and the heartbreak. But someone somewhere had given him false hope. Move on without her? How can you move on from someone you love? I knew that without God, they had no hope. She had no hope to get out of drugs and he had no hope to offer.

I should have offered them my hope. But to my shame, I ate in silence.

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...remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:12-13)

India's McDonalds Menu

2010-03-12T18:22:00.000-08:00

Thought you might enjoy seeing what a McDonalds in India has to offer...

The Scare

2010-03-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

Half asleep, I heard a high-pitched scream coming from the second floor of my parent’s house.

My stomach lurched. As I raced up the stairs, different scenarios flashed through my mind.

Did someone break in?
Was something wrong with one of my siblings?
Was someone dead?

I could hear my mom’s distressed voice mixed with someone’s….laughter?

Lydia and my dad seemed to be having the time of their lives. Something was obviously hysterical to them. My mom didn’t seem amused.

There…hiding in the bathroom…was a rat. Oh, not just any old rat. A HUGE rat. A huge rubber rat.

For the past couple months, my dad and Lydia have been hiding this rat in various places around the house. To their great delight, my mom lets out a blood-curdling scream every single time she sees it. [Sorry, mom. Hearing you scream that loud is pretty funny.] It's a good thing she wasn't in India when our rather large friend came for a visit.

(Rat in India)

Now I know to be careful at my parent's house. Who knows where that thing will turn up – the fridge, the pantry, behind cabinet doors, in my bed…

My Soul Waits in Silence

2010-03-03T18:51:00.000-08:00

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.

He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.

Psalm 62:5-8

5 year old Inspiration

2010-02-25T19:05:00.000-08:00

Original Herb Brooks locker room speech prior to the USA - Russia hockey game...

A 5 year old with a whole lot of personality giving the exact same speech...

BTW- I'm not advocating a 5 year old should say "screw 'em" :)

I LOVE hockey. Go USA!

Remembering...

2010-02-23T18:24:00.000-08:00

Has it really been two months? In some ways, India seems like a lifetime ago. In other ways, I feel like I just left.

(All of these pictures were taken at the leper colony)

Are Those Real Guns???

2010-02-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

Where have I been all these years that the Biathalon has been a sporting event? I'm intrigued.

My first question: Is that a real gun? And the answer is - Yes! According to Yahoo Sports...

Though they look like toys, these rifles are very real. They shoot .22 caliber bullets at over 1,000 feet per second. To put it another way, if used in the wrong way, it could be deadly. It rarely is. Though biathletes deal with dangerous conditions and elements, the sport has a remarkable safety record when it comes to the rifles. Our search found no known fatalities in major competition.

If I was in a hurry, I'd probably forget to put the safety on and inadvertently take out the competition. I think I'll leave that sport to the pros.

Feeling Worn Down by the Cares of this Life?

2010-02-18T12:04:00.000-08:00

A lot of people seem to be going through difficult seasons of life right now.

At Covenant Fellowship - our church in Philly - Jared Mellinger has been going through a sermon series on suffering. If you have a chance, check out the following sermon. He's a great speaker and the message is not only geared toward those who are suffering, but also to those who battle anxiety and worry.

Here is a portion of the sermon...

Words of Comfort: The God of All Comfort from Covenant Fellowship Church on Vimeo.

(For the full sermon, go to the following link)
http://www.covfel.org/media_player.asp?messageID=51835

It brought a lot of comfort to my soul. Not that Mike and I are suffering, but it's easy to get worn down by the cares of this life.

God comforts his people.

Adopted for Life

2010-02-16T08:19:00.000-08:00

~~~~

Mike and I would love to adopt children. Mike's twin bro. gave "Adopted for Life" to Mike as a gift for being in his wedding. It's the best book I've read in a long time - hands down. One of my top favorites. Sometimes nonfiction books can be long and drawn out. This is a quick read - Bethany, Mike, and I all read it while in India. It not only highlights the author's own experience with adopting two boys from Russia, but also highlights how every Christian has been adopted into the family of God. It has a good mix of humor and seriousness while packed with sound theology. I walked away from this book with good advice about how to adopt children as well as the challenges we may face. But, more importantly, I walked away from this book with a greater understanding of what my adoption into the family of God means. For these reasons, I highly recommend "Adopted for Life" by Russell Moore.

It's a must read - even for people who don't plan to adopt children.

Valentines Day Commercial

2010-02-16T08:07:00.000-08:00

Cute Valentines Day Commercial for the moms...

(Taken from Kevin DeYoung's blog)

I Will Wreck You

2010-02-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

(Pearls Before Swine Comic Strip)

Welcome to family competition at the Babb household (minus the swearing). haha

"Far Away" (Haiti Relief Song) by Lecrae

2010-02-11T09:39:00.000-08:00

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Calvin & Hobbes on Snow

2010-02-10T14:47:00.000-08:00

Since our area is getting hammered by snow, I thought these comics were rather appropriate. :)

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For more, see...
http://www.angelfire.com/wa/zzaran/calvin.html
(Taken from Justin Taylor's blog)

I miss India

2010-02-08T16:47:00.000-08:00

@ the leper colony. I miss these sweet girls.

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If Jack Bauer Was My Pastor

2010-02-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

Are you a fan of 24, even though it's pretty over the top?
Need a laugh?

Check out "If Jack Bauer was my pastor," an article written by a friend. The comments are pretty priceless too.

http://www.theblazingcenter.com/2010/02/if-jack-bauer-was-my-pastor.html

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Mumbai

2010-02-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

The church we attended in India had a street presentation of the Christmas story on December 22nd and 23rd. Here is a short video and description of what they did.

The Christmas Story Street Play

Christmas time was near and in our continuous efforts to spread the love of Christ, two street plays were organized near Golibar Subway, Santacruz and Kama Estate, Goregaon on the 22nd and 23rd of December. These areas are predominantly surrounded by poor people living in slums and the culture being rural a ‘naatak’ or street play on the Christmas story was presented, adapted for the setting.

20 volunteers and 5 actors made the play happen with simplicity yet a powerful message about how Christ is important for everyone, from the rich to poor, to the hopeless to the one who thinks he’s got everything in order. Being in Hindi the crowd easily understood the play and around 40 – 50 people gathered on this occasion. This was very encouraging to see as the love of God was communicated through a short message after the play. Many of the audience came eagerly seeking prayer for ailments, family issues and other problems. The team prayed for every one of them and made sure no one left without knowing the love and care of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

What was most significant about this play was the fact that with limited resources, in an area hardened by life, we were able to impact them with the word of God and touch many lives.

Following is an encouraging video of the event:

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Churches in Haiti

2010-02-08T14:01:00.000-08:00

Mark Driscoll visited Haiti a couple weeks after it was hit by the earthquake. Here is his sermon following the visit, which includes footage and interviews from Haiti. One word of warning - portions of it are graphic.

If you don't have time to watch the whole sermon, check out the video presentation. If you want to know the stories behind many of the pictures, watch the sermon (above).

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Adopted for Life and Death

2010-02-06T16:38:00.000-08:00

A story from Haiti.

http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/02/03/adopted-for-life-and-death/

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Villanova Basketball

2010-02-01T08:42:00.000-08:00

Looking for something fun to do in the Philadelphia area? Check out Villanova basketball! Mike and I had a blast when we met up with friends to see a game. And the tickets up high aren't too expensive for a good game of college ball.

Nova vs. Notre Dame @ the Wachovia Center

The Dot Game

2010-01-29T08:53:00.000-08:00

The Dot Game Rules:
Goal: To see who has been to the most countries

1. Each family member in the Bell household gets a colored dot. (Mine is light blue)
2. If you have been to a country (you have to leave the airport), then you get to place your dot on the country.

Mike is winning with 20-some dots. I believe Kayte and Gabe are very close behind. It helps to study abroad. :)

I am very happy with my nine. The funny thing is that I've been to all of these places in the last 3 1/2 years.

1. United States (everyone gets to count that one. :) )
2. Canada
3. Mexico
4. Costa Rica
5. India
6. Dubai/UAE
7. Kuwait
8. Myanmar
9. Thailand

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Mike is doing really well in his classes. More on what's going on with us later.

Liberty Bell

2010-01-28T11:10:00.001-08:00

130 days to go in Philly...

Last week, I finally got to see the Liberty Bell for the first time.

The Last Few Weeks

2010-01-15T10:09:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things we did over the holidays.

Bringing in the new year with friends and family...

Mike turns 27.

Over the holidays, we found a new card game called Rage. And as the name suggests, it creates many opportunities to ask for forgiveness. :)

Winter

2010-01-11T17:18:00.000-08:00

I love winter in Pennsylvania...

...though I'm freezing. :)

Kuwait

2010-01-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

Before returning home, Mike and I visited our very good friends - Chris & Stephanie Freeman - who are currently living/teaching in Kuwait. It was fun to relive old memories, talk about missions, and see what life is like in a middle eastern country.

Arabic label for diet coke.

While in Kuwait, I went to Steph's school where she teaches 11th grade English. She is an awesome teacher and the girls LOVE her. She even let me teach part of the lesson about Pride & Prejudice.

The last day in Kuwait, we grilled food on the beach during sunset.

Thanks for having us, Freemans! We had a blast.

Our Trip Comes to an End.

2010-01-06T10:07:00.001-08:00

New Friends.

Fun with our pastor & his wife. Now if we can only find those Mango Smoothies around here!

This Sunday we move to Philadelphia. I think I might continue the blog while we're there, so check back for updates if you're interested.

The Homecoming Welcome

2009-12-16T02:08:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, Mike and I spent the last four days visiting some good friends in Kuwait. (Pictures coming soon) We had a blast.

We finally arrived home (Mumbai flat) this morning at 5:30am. Dirty, exhausted, and ready for a good sleep after the flight, we had an unexpected greeting.

As I threw my backpack on the couch, I heard Mike gasp and mutter something under his breath. My heart stopped. That gasp could mean only one thing: something not too pleasant was in the house. Only a foot from where I stood, I saw a huge rat run up our curtain and balance himself on top of the rod. I barely remember what happened in the following moments.

Pacing.
Running.
Shouting - both at Mike and the rat.
Refusal to go to bed with a rat in the house.

It served me right. I had nonchalantly commented on the way home that I hoped "the rat" hadn't moved in. On our last trip a couple months ago, ants had taken over the flat and a certain rat had decided to live in Bethany's air conditioner. She covered it with newspaper and had a couple run-ins with him in the days that followed. One night, she woke up to the rat body slamming himself into her window, apparently angry that she had covered the air conditioner. She banged on the window to get him to go away. Instead, he pranced up to the window, and gave Bethany a stare-down. We thought we had out-smarted him. I guess he got the last laugh. Well, sort of.

As Mike and I wondered what to do, the rat jumped into the living room air conditioner above the curtain rod. He made one mistake, though. This time, it was running. A few clunks later, the air conditioner stopped. The rat not only killed the air conditioner, but also himself.

In the previous months, I had named other creatures to help overcome my fears. I highly doubt, however, that fatso ratso and I will become friends anytime soon. And his friends better not try to pay us a visit.

Mike's Business

2009-12-11T09:01:00.000-08:00

We're excited to announce the launch of Mike's online business, which he's been working on since April. We're selling Amish quilts from Lancaster County. Please check it out!

www.amishquiltshop.net

Dear Santa

2009-12-09T02:34:00.001-08:00

A kid from the leper colony handed this card to me last week. Cute. See if you can figure out what it says. :)

I love how he calls me "the destani madam."

Bethany packing for home. Her flight leaves tonight. I am sad. :'-(

Answers

2009-12-08T10:57:00.000-08:00

Here are the answers to the True/False questions from the last post...
And I should have clarified that all of these questions relate to Mumbai and not all of India.

1. Eating beef is forbidden. --False.

Yes, folks, check out those beef steaks. :) In other parts of India, especially the North, we were told that eating beef will land you in jail.

2. Trash is thrown anywhere and everywhere along the sides of the roads. --True.

Don't be fooled by the dumpster here. Trash is thrown along the roadside pretty much everywhere. In "higher end" places, it seems to be swept up a bit better, though.

3. Dinner is served at 10pm. --True. It's a very typical time to eat dinner.

4. Public transportation is usually reliable. --Surprisingly, very true, though chaotic.

5. It is illegal to drink alcohol. -- False.

6. English books are very difficult to find. --False. Books = my weakness. We found some great places to purchase books.

7. People only go to the bathroom in designated areas. --False. As one woman put it to her daughter, "Honey, this is India. You can go on the side of the road." :)

8. Toilet paper is seen as unsanitary. --True. Most people do not use toilet paper. Instead, they wash themselves off using a small hose next to the toilet.

9. Due to laws about homosexuality, men holding hands with men and women holding hands with women is strictly forbidden. --False. Men hold hands in public all the time. What's more - it's NOT seen as a homosexual gesture. Women don't usually hold hands. There are very strict laws about homosexuality, however.
Gotta look closely.

10. Slumdog Millionaire was a realistic portrayal of current life in Mumbai. --True.

11. Only husbands and wives are allowed to hold hands or have physical contact in public. --False. People of the opposite sex, regardless of marriage, usually do not hold hands or have physical contact in public. It is usually looked down upon.

12. Honking a horn is seen as rude. --False. It is a way to communicate with other drivers. Why use a little lame turn signal when you have a horn?!

13. Pushing is not considered rude. --True. Bethany and I started pushing each other when we were getting onto a bus. Hah.

14. Standing in a line is the cultural norm. --False. Why wait when you can just push your way along?

15. The most popular burger at McDonalds is the chicken burger. --False, it's the veggie burger. But with an Indian accent, it's called a "weggie burger." ;)

16. The police use wooden batons to control crowds. --True. If in doubt, watch the video I posted during the Ganesh festival.

17. There are 7-elevens and Dunkin Donuts everywhere. --False. Many Indians around here don't even know what they are.

18. You only eat food with your left hand. --False! The left hand is used for something else. ;) (see number 8) You should only use the right hand when eating food.

19. During the wintertime, it gets down to 25 degrees. --True. 25 degrees Celsius, that is. (or approx 75 degrees F.) Though it still gets to about 85 around here, people are purchasing wool sweaters and turtle necks. At night, when it "drops" to the 70's, one of our security guards sits inside the front door wearing a ski mask. :)

20. Mumbai is not crowded. --Hah. Think New York City on New Year's Eve. That is Mumbai.

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This evening, we had a wonderful time eating steak with our very dear friends from church. We will miss them so much when we leave India.

True/False

2009-12-06T11:37:00.000-08:00

Sorry I seem to have fallen off the face of the earth. With only a week left, things have gotten rather crazy around here.

Today's Post: Which of the following statements are true and which are false? (We will post the answers on Tuesday)

1. Eating beef is forbidden.

2. Trash is thrown anywhere and everywhere along the sides of the roads.

3. Dinner is served at 10pm.

4. Public transportation is usually reliable.

5. It is illegal to drink alcohol.

6. English books are very difficult to find.

7. People only go to the bathroom in designated areas.

8. Toilet paper is seen as unsanitary.

9. Due to laws about homosexuality, men holding hands with men and women holding hands with women is strictly forbidden.

10. Slumdog Millionaire was a realistic portrayal of current life in Mumbai.

11. Only husbands and wives are allowed to hold hands or have physical contact in public.

12. Honking a horn is seen as rude.

13. Pushing is not considered rude.

14. Standing in a line is the cultural norm.

15. The most popular burger at McDonalds is the chicken burger.

16. The police use wooden batons to control crowds.

17. There are 7-elevens and Dunkin Donuts everywhere.

18. You only eat food with your left hand.

19. During the wintertime, it gets down to 25 degrees.

20. Mumbai is not crowded.

Thanks for those of you who posted questions over the past few days. They will be answered shortly. :)

And in other news:
My old washing machine broke.
Here's my new "washing machine"...

Yes, he really IS washing clothes in that bucket. :)

What Do You Want to Know??

2009-11-30T06:48:00.001-08:00

We have a little less than two weeks left in India. I'm opening the blog up to questions. Is there something you would like to know about? Feel free to post questions under the comments section. I will try to answer as many as possible. :)

Upcoming posts in our last few days:

1. Interesting foods that aren't in the US
2. A few days of posts entitled "The Harsh Realities of India" which will have pictures and explore more serious topics such as poverty and living conditions.
3. Guess the scenario. We will provide a couple true stories and one that is a fake. You'll have to guess which one you think isn't true.

Upcoming Itinerary:
~ Bethany leaves for U.S. on December 9th in the evening
~ Mike and I visit our very dear friends - Chris and Stephanie - in Kuwait December 12-16.
~ Mike and I meet up with our pastor and his wife on December 17 in a nearby Asian country. We can't wait to see them again.

Don't forget to post questions!! :)

The Mama and the Saas

2009-11-29T02:10:00.000-08:00

“The mama and the saas! The mama and the saas!”

We could hear the little shouts of delight as the ambulance began to pull into the leper colony. My mom and Mike’s mom had joined Bethany and I for our weekly visit. Armed with new coloring books, crayons, puzzles, and stickers, we were ready for the crowd of children. And they were ready for us. Bethany and I had explained the week before that we would be coming with new things as well as the moms. As a result, children were already gathering as we arrived.

The children adored our mothers. Many wanted their pictures taken with them. And they couldn’t get over that I introduced Mike’s mom as my “saas” (pronounced ‘sauce’), which is the Hindi word for mother-in-law. They giggled and giggled, whispering to one another that she was the saas.

A huge thank you to….

Marti – who dug through bins of coloring books and found ones that the children absolutely LOVED. The stickers were a huge hit as well.

Allie and Claire – who gave crayons and puzzles. Claire, thank you for picking out crayons! They couldn’t get over how many we brought. Lots of great colors!

Our moms – who carted all the stuff from America and also brought wonderful puzzles.

Anyone else I may be forgetting – thank you for donating things for the children!!

There are a few more pictures at my Picasa account here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/DestinyDBell

Em S...I picked a couple just for you. :)

Colaba

2009-11-26T21:57:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, we went to Colaba, which is in the Southern part of Mumbai. Due to traffic, and the taxi driver's need for fuel, it took us 1 1/2 hrs to get there. Luckily we got air-con taxis for this particular trip. Sitting in traffic with the window rolled down while a huge truck is blowing exhaust all over your face isn't exactly my idea of a good time. :)

1 year ago, on November 26, Colaba was hit by a terrorist attack. A group of Pakistanis came across the water and shot up Leopold's Cafe and the Taj hotel, a very well known and magnificent hotel. Mass chaos broke out. The police were very disorganized and to this day there are disagreements about how many people died.

Many foreigners and backpackers frequent Colaba. It's an area where you can find some amazing food and great buys. We ate at Leopold's Cafe, wandered around the Taj hotel, and spent money at the market. :)

The Taj Hotel - the inside and out.

This is just one small stairwell in the Taj.

The entrance to the Taj.

Eating at Leopold's. There are still bullet holes in the walls from last year's attack.

Here are some pictures from the Gateway to India. Jidu, Mike's grandfather, was there during WWII. We made sure to get lots of pictures. Jidu, does it look familiar?

Thanksgiving in India

2009-11-26T08:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

During all of these Indian festivals, there are a million things hanging everywhere and lots of loud blasts. In an effort to celebrate Thanksgiving, we hung a small sign on our door. It's too bad we couldn't shoot off fireworks from our flat. ;)

We decided to celebrate on Tuesday because we volunteer at the leper colony on Thursdays. My mom stuffed her suitcase with decorations like plastic pumpkins, candles, and even pressed leaves. She also packed boxed stuffing and spices. Mike's mom packed 4 cans of cranberry sauce - a very essential part of the Thanksgiving dinner. :-D

Menu:
~ Did we eat Turkey? Of course not. :) Tandoori Chicken was our main dish, though we
renamed it "Tandoori Turkey" for the day.
~ Corn
~ Mashed Potatoes
~ Green beans
~ Deviled eggs
~ Cranberry sauce
~ Stuffing
~ Bread
~ Apple Crisp, ice cream, and banana bread for dessert

We invited Mike's American classmates over for dinner too. (Temple U., where Mike is studying, calls the group a 'cohort') We had a wonderful evening eating and hanging out. Here they are...

Have a great holiday!

"I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds." Psalm 9:1

Birthday in India - Monday

2009-11-25T08:20:00.000-08:00

My mom celebrated her birthday in India this year. We had a wonderful time at the children's center. Sunita made a feast and Robert bought my mom a cake.

In India, it's a custom to feed a piece of cake to the birthday person. It's funny to watch since this is our wedding custom in America.

Sorry I'm a couple days behind.
Next Post: Thanksgiving in India!!
The following post: Visiting the Gateway to India, shopping, and seeing the Taj hotel.

Sunday

2009-11-23T10:51:00.000-08:00

My mom's first rickshaw ride. Unfortunately, we have to take two rickshaws because there are 5 of us. I don't have any pictures of Mike's mom....yet. :)

Church was great. The Hindi and English services met together because of a guest speaker. I always enjoy those Sundays because we sing more Hindi songs and the entire message is translated into Hindi. The interaction between the speaker and translator is so interesting to watch. Patricia, one of our good friends, helped to translate all of the Hindi songs into English for our moms. And actually her husband - Michael - was the Hindi translator during the message.

Afterward, we went out to eat with Michael and Patricia and their children - Neil and Ruth. We consider their family one of our closest friends here and have learned so much from them during our stay.

Here are a couple pictures of our ice-cream stop at Naturals - the best ice cream shop around.

Thanks Quadros family!! We love being with you guys.

And In Other News....

2009-11-21T10:15:00.000-08:00

Our moms made it to Mumbai!! :)

Their 14 hr. flight went well because they were upgraded to 1st class! Here were a few of the perks:

~ Reclining Seats. In fact, they were able to stretch their legs out so far, their feet didn't hit the seats in front of them.

~ Food. Food. And more food. It took 2 hrs. just for dinner to be served because there was so much food.

~ Choices. In coach, we were asked "Veg" or "Nonveg" and then given some unidentifiable foods in a plastic container. Some of it was very good. Some of it not so much. Our beverages were served in good 'ole plastic cups. In 1st class, they had a tablecloth, goblets, and many many choices.

~ 300 movies/shows to choose from. Well at least coach offers this as well. :)

~ A warm cloth to lay on their face.

~ A travel bag with a face mask, toothbrush, and lots of other travel-type things.

~ Lots and lots of attention.

Unbelievable. :)
No wonder they look so good after that flight!

Raju

2009-11-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

Here is our favorite security guy - Raju. He mainly works inside the first floor door of our building. When he sees us, he stands and says, "Hello sir! Hello madam!" Then he usually runs to the elevator door and hits the up button for us. Just as the elevator doors are closing, he smiles and says, "Goodbye!" or "Goodnight!" Those are about the only English words he knows.

Who is the security guy here - Mike or Raju? Let's just hope that anyone trying to break into our flat is a small person. :)

Remember when we got locked out of our flat due to a faulty lock? Raju was the first to help us break in. :)

Notice how in these pictures Mr. "Tuff" is trying to be "Mr. Tough." :-D

Colony Pics

2009-11-19T06:43:00.000-08:00

Some of the older boys showed up today with sunglasses. Everyone had to pass them around for a picture.

After chants of "Auntie, Auntie, Auntie!" by the kids, this woman in a sari put the sunglasses on for a picture. Everyone cheered and she laughed when she saw what she looked like.

What's for Dinner?

2009-11-17T06:24:00.000-08:00

Tonight's dinner = stuffed peppers.

Today was grocery day. For those of you looking for a bargain, check out the prices of our veggies and fruits (some prices are better than others):

16 onions = 80cents
Cauliflower = 34cents
5 potatoes = 42cents
4 imported oranges = $1
2 regular sized carrots = 4cents
4 tomatoes = 16cents
9 green chilies = 4cents
2 lemons = 10cents

In the beginning, we did our best at making Indian dishes. A woman from the church let us borrow her hand-written recipe book with her grandmother's recipes as well as another one of her favorite cookbooks. After visiting Dubai, however, we decided we needed a break from curry and wanted some American food. Here are a few of the beloved things we found on the hunt for American food. We paid dearly for these items:

I never drink this at home, but my mom laughed and said they had this around when she was a kid.

And in case you're wondering...I still haven't cooked any meat on my own.
Scenario at the meat market:

Something rotten is permeating the air. Not wanting to be rude, I breathe out of my mouth instead of covering my nose. I'm standing in front of cages filled with chickens. They are piled in so tight, I'm surprised they are still living. Hmmm. I'm not really fond of cooking something that is staring me in the eye (sorry to all my hunting friends out there). Scanning the area, I look for something already butchered. Bloody meat hangs from pegs on the ceiling. The flies are having a grand time swarming the meat as well as my head. No thanks. I turn my attention to the fish. The smell is making my stomach turn and the ants crawling all over the tables of fish aren't helping the purchase. In the end, I decide that vegetables really aren't that bad and egg curry sounds much better. :)

Friends from the church tell us that we can go somewhere to find meat that is already packaged. I just don't know where to find it in our area. I'm quite happy eating meat when someone else cooks it, even though I know we're all going to the same place to purchase it. I just can't bring myself to make it.

We're eating a lot of peanut butter to make up for the lack of protein.

Our moms arrive in 2 days, so it's back to Indian food for dinner. I'm ready to start eating it again for most of my meals, though the short break was nice.

The Children's Center

2009-11-13T02:45:00.000-08:00

Bethany and I volunteer at a children's center three times a week. It's run by one of the New Frontiers churches within walking distance of our house. (We don't attend this church because they primarily speak Hindi during the service.)

Set in the middle of a village in Mumbai, this center is open to children between the ages of one and three. Most families in this village are poor and do not speak English at home. As a result, many of their children will fall behind in their studies once they reach school age. The women at the center care for the children, feed them, and teach them English. This also allows the mothers to find a job - usually cleaning - to help support the family. This is crucial because many of the fathers are either unable to find a good paying job, or they are spending all the family's money on alcohol.

Today was the first day we took our cameras. As soon as the children saw them, they ran over to pose. Even the one year olds pushed and shoved each other to see their pictures after they were taken.

Since it was such a huge hit, expect to see more pictures of them on the blog. Here are a few from our day today.

These are the 2's and 3's. They love having their pictures taken...

This is Rohan. He's still growing into this warrior name. ;) He cries almost every day he is dropped off at the center. But once he's over it, he loves to run around and terrorize everyone else by grabbing their toys and creating a general sense of pandemonium. Can't get over his cuteness, though.

Crazy boy #2 (left). If there was an award for biting and bossing others, he would win! For the first few weeks, he bit me every day - even once on the butt! And yet even through all that, I love him to death. Once he has your undivided attention, he is quite pleasant. And those long eyelashes are way too cute.

I love Nitesh too. The first day we came, he was completely scared of us. Minus the past two weeks, each time he saw us, his eyes would get HUGE and his mouth would drop open. We get along really well now. And, as you can probably tell from the picture, he's a little goofball.

Snacks!

So I guess the boys won out in getting their pictures taken today. It's the girls' turn next time.

Rice cereal after a nap for the 1's...

This little one kept grabbing for the camera to see her picture. She was moving around so much, this is the best shot I could get.

We received a sari as a gift last Sunday. I brought it to the center so the women could teach us how to wrap it. I learned that I must have chubby American arms because they had to keep ripping stitches to make the top larger. :-D A woman from the neighborhood came to eat at the center today. She couldn't stop laughing as they kept trying to get it to fit me. Everyone thought it was hysterical and kept laughing at all of my faces. Let's just say I am taking very small breaths. I need to go to the tailor to get one fitted. Finally....they got this one to work!

Here I am with Sunita, Jyoti's mother-in-law. She makes amazing lamb/chicken curry for us at least once a week. And she's also the one who showed us how to wrap the sari.

Neeta also works at the center. She helps Sunita with the 1's.

More pictures to come.

Next Friday: Our mothers arrive in India!! Don't worry - it will be well documented. ;)

Will I Get Leprosy?

2009-11-12T02:32:00.000-08:00

Why don't Bethany and I get leprosy when we visit the colony? After all, we shake hands and have physical contact with people who are missing many of their fingers and clearly have the disease.

There are many misconceptions about the disease. Did you know that leprosy is caused by bacteria and is fully curable? There is a treatment available that, if completed, will stop the disease. Early detection and treatment will actually prevent deformities. And after only one dose of the treatment, patients will no longer spread leprosy.

This is why only the elderly have leprosy at the colony we visit. Unfortunately, some of them already had deformities before they began the medication. It's interesting to think that, in the next decade or so, this "leper colony" will no longer be the home to anyone with leprosy.

And it wouldn't be a Thursday if I didn't post at least a few pictures from our visit.

Who was in charge of dressing this child?! :-)

The Registration Story

2009-11-09T09:16:00.000-08:00

Mike wrote the following post about his registration experience. We were trying to travel to Dubai on a break and were detained by Immigration (see October 27 post: Immigration Nightmare).

---------------
As you read in a prior post, Immigration wouldn’t let me out of the country because I wasn’t registered in the country. (Not sure I understand the logic here. If I leave, we both win, right? I’m not supposed to be here so how bout you let me out? Hmmm…)

Immigration officials at the airport, in an attempt to calm me down, said that I could "easily" register at some place in south Mumbai and then fly out to Dubai the next day (Sunday). Later, from another source, I learned that the “registration office” was closed on Sundays. She told me, “Ok, ok Monday”. Later, I learned from yet another source that Monday was a holiday. "Ok ok Tuesday” was the new answer (Nobody likes to bear bad news here). The office opened at 9:30 am. I took a 40 minute train ride and made sure I was there by 9:15.

Since this country likes paperwork, I brought everything I had:

* Passport
* Visa
* Copy of passport
* Copy of visa
* Passport photos
* Letter addressed to the Indian Embassy by Welingkar (my school)
* Letters with the address of my flat
* A lot of rupees

I signed in on the first floor. (You have to sign in for everything here; including Internet use at café’s which always mandate photo id. One shop copied down my Pennsylvania Driver’s License number before I could use the net for 15 minutes. Not sure what they’re going to do with that...Maybe they’re tracking Organ Donors)

I marched up to the third floor and waited in line to “register”. Looked simple. Everyone before me was being passed through to another room. My turn came. I smiled and said hello. I then started dumping everything I had on the desk. The woman paged through it.

“Sir, where are you staying?”

I told her my address.

“I need a copy of the lease.” (I don’t have a lease. It’s a really complicated scheme here that I’m not quite sure I understand. I pay Welingkar who pays a guy named Captain K. who somehow gets the money to a guy name Mungaker who supposedly owns the flat. If there’s a problem, I’m supposed to call Professor Bidkar, who calls Mugaker, who calls the maintenance department where I live, who comes to inspect the flat, who then—after determining that our problem is legit—calls Mungaker who sends out a handyman. Nothing is in writing. Nothing. In fact, I didn’t pay my rent for two months and nobody called me.)

“No paperwork. I know that’s really disappointing because this country loves paperwork, but I have nothing.” I explained the complicated connections detailed above.

She seemed satisfied. Then she looked at the Letter to the Embassy.

“Okay, well I need a fresh letter from your university.” (What?)

“Why can’t you use this one? It says I’m a student at Welingkar.”

“Sir, this is to the Indian Embassy. It is not to us. It needs to be fresh.”

“Okay, can I have somebody fax something over?”

“No sir, it needs to be fresh.”

I muttered that they didn’t make things easy, confirmed that they were closing at 1:00 pm, and then rushed out of there. It was 9:45 and I knew I had 3hrs. and 15mins. to get this finished. I texted as many people as I knew and notified Welingkar of my time sensitive dilemma. (See, we wanted to fly out of Mumbai that night for Dubai. So I needed to get this sorted so I could book the tickets.)

I ran to the train station and took a train for 30 mins back to Matunga where Welingkar is. It took about 45 minutes to get a letter drafted which basically said the same thing the Embassy letter had said. But, yes, it was indeed a “fresh” copy - complete with signatures and the purple seal that they put on everything here. I made some photocopies that they said I needed and rushed back to the train station. It was now 11:15am.

I made it back to the office, signed in and rushed up to the third floor. I waited in line again and noticed that some of the people who had been there at 9:15 were just leaving. Oh man. It was noon and I had one hour.

Again, “hello” and I dumped my material in front of her. Phew, everything looked good. I hurried into the lobby next door where I needed to “register” online. I walked into the room and saw about 30 foreigners. This was going to take some time. I pushed my way to a computer (pushing is not rude here—it’s necessary), sat down and filled out the online questionnaire.

Much to my surprise, a representative came and told me that I needed to come see her when I was finished. Great, looked like this process was moving. I would understand my preferential treatment later.

I printed the form out and then found the lady in the adjacent room. She looked at everything I had brought.

“Okay, now go buy a registration booklet for Rs 25 (50 cents).”

I went back into the lobby to another counter and waited in line to buy this booklet. Took about 10 minutes. I came back to the lady.

“Okay, now go into the other room and fill out the booklet.”

Okay. Went into the other room and filled out the booklet (in red pen) which asked the same questions as the online questionnaire. Came back to the lady.

“Sir, you cannot do red pen. Go buy another booklet and you need to buy a file for your paperwork.”

Waited in line again at the other desk and shelled out some more rupees. Started filling out the booklet again in a borrowed black pen. The lady came out and pulled me aside.

“Okay, you were supposed to register in 14 days but it is now 75. You owe a fine of $30. I will waive this for you.”

Great! Finished filling out the booklet. Went back to the lady. Gave her everything.

“Okay, you go wait in the waiting room and I will come see you.”

Okay. Waited 20 minutes. She comes out again and pulls me aside and whispers.

“Okay, I am doing you a favor. You pay me 2000 rupees ($42), you understand?”

I guess this is what they call bribing, and in this case, bribing a government official. I didn’t have a choice. I was so close to being done—so much for waiving the $30 charge. I now understood the preferential treatment.

“Okay, I understand.”

“Okay, you wait here for a few minutes. Then you come in and see me with the money.”

I waited and then slipped into the room and slid her the cash under a book.

“Okay, you wait out in the other room and I will come see you.”

I went to the lobby. Sure enough, she came out in 5 minutes and gave me my registration booklet. It was now 2pm. The whole process took 5 hours. I high tailed it back to Chembur. Got online at 3 pm, booked the flight (which filled up), and we left at 6 pm.

Wow….

Concert

2009-11-06T23:06:00.000-08:00

We went to our first concert in India last night. I LOVE live music and this concert was no exception. It was a blast! We knew quite a few people in the audience because it was put on by the New Frontiers Church.

Though I didn't know any of the words, the band was amazing! Virendra, the lead vocalist, has an album and the purpose of the concert was to film some of his songs.

During the evening, they combined art with singing. One guy painted during a set. There were even dances and skits.

Here are a couple pictures:

Tukaram!

2009-11-06T00:17:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day I saw Tukaram after he ate my besan ladoo and then ditched the evidence. (See October 28 post) He was standing in a crowd of about 15 or 20 guys playing cards, calling the shots as usual. I pointed my finger at him and said while laughing, "Hey! You ate my besan ladoo!!"

His eyes popped open and his jaw dropped. Half of the crowd burst into laughter, knowing the story. He laughed too and as I walked away, I could see them all laughing and smacking him on the back as he recounted the story.

It's fun to make those guys laugh.

------
Update:
A month ago, I posted about a group of people with leprosy planning to be baptized on the beach, even though it is dangerous. Everything went very smoothly the morning of the baptism. I believe a total of eight were baptized. The work among the colony, hospital, and on the street continues to go very well. Thank you for your prayers.

Thankful for friends and children who steal our hearts

2009-11-05T04:38:00.000-08:00

Jyoti

Me stuffing my face with fish curry at Jyoti's house.

Jyoti and Sonali - friends who work at a children's center for 1-4 year olds. Bethany and I volunteer at the children's center three days a week.

Jyoti was passing the hat around and wanted me to wear it... this is the Indian way...

...and this is the way my students in America would wear it.... (they couldn't stop laughing and I could barely keep a straight face for the picture)

Bethany and I had a lot of fun at Jyoti's house, though Jyoti and Sonali don't speak a lot of English. We laugh a lot.

And here are a few pictures from the colony today:

Getting a picture taken with mr. happy.

Jumping rope (or skipping rope as they call it) is the new big hit.

A dog who colors? :) (--the kids really wanted me to take a picture of this stray who wandered up)

Diksha is way too cute.

H1N1

2009-10-30T03:49:00.000-07:00

This is a story from our second week in India. I was culture-shocked, starving, and very sick.
--------------------
Every morning we get The Times of India delivered to our flat. For our first two weeks here, the paper was filled with reports about the H1N1 flu. Schools closed down for an entire week, including Mike’s college.

Almost overnight we began to see lots of people wearing masks on the streets. And since there was such a high demand for them, bandanas were thrown into the mix as well. Imagine walking down the road through a sea of people wearing masks and bandanas. It was almost comical. In some places, the masks even became mandatory. Bethany and I tried to get into a mall for food and were quickly stopped by security demanding to see our masks. We explained we didn’t have any and were turned away from the doors. In a moment of near-insanity, I briefly contemplated pushing past them anyway. I was hungry and desperate. I wanted to shout that masks don’t help keep the flu away, especially when everyone is sharing the same cup at the community water fountain. Instead, I threw my hands in the air and walked away. We settled for an ice-cream shop next door.

At almost the exact same moment panic was spreading about the H1N1 flu, I became sick. Ironically enough, I had the same symptoms. When my fever went past 103, Mike decided to take me to the local doctor. The small concrete building looked more like a tiny warehouse than a doctor’s office. The waiting room was separated from the examination room by a sliding door and there wasn’t a check-in. I sat down and waited – eyeing all the other sick patients around me. We were a sorry looking bunch.

Meeting the doctor was an experience. It only took a moment to figure out that he was Hindu because of the idols in his office. And I had a really hard time understanding him because he had a thick accent and was wearing a mask.

When I told him what my symptoms were, he quickly asked me a series of questions related to the swine flu.

• What part of the US am I from?
• Was the swine flu an issue there?
• Did any of my friends get the swine flu?

He took a huge flashlight – similar to what cops carry around in America – and shined it into my mouth. He listened to my heart and lungs in about twenty different places. After prescribing three different types of medications, he wanted to take my temperature. I watched in horror as he walked over to a small jar with yellowish liquid in the bottom. He pulled an old-school thermometer out of the jar and washed it with tap water. Rubbing the water off the thermometer with his fingers, he popped it into my mouth. I tried not to think about how many other mouths it had been in – or the yellowish liquid.

Two days after visiting the doctor, he began to call our cell phones for regular updates. Talk about service! He wanted Mike to bring me back into the office. Mike refused. He kept telling the doctor I was getting much better. We were afraid he would try to quarantine me – much like the stories we were reading in the newspaper. And after the thermometer experience, I flat out refused to have my blood taken. They were going to have to wrestle me to the ground. At that point, I didn’t realize being tested for the flu was only a mouth swab. :) Luckily, I did get better. And Mike must have convinced the doctor that I was fine because after a few days, he stopped calling.

Let’s hope nothing serious happens while we’re here. If so, I’m on the first flight out of here.

Did you eat my besan ke laddoo?!

2009-10-28T02:36:00.000-07:00

(photo taken from Internet)

One of my favorite Indian desserts is besan ke laddoo, which is basically a ball of ghee, besan flour, and powdered sugar. Mmmm.

Yesterday, Mike decided to surprise me with a small box of them. As he got to our apartment gates, he noticed three rickshaw drivers sitting on a bench. As you may know from the earlier post about Mike, he enjoys striking up conversations with the drivers. Many consider him a friend. Since there were eight besan ke laddoo balls in the box, he opened it and offered each of them one. In a split second, he had drawn a crowd. Rickshaw drivers came from out of nowhere and surrounded him, each taking a sweet. Before Mike knew it, he was holding an empty box. Knowing the drivers were excited, he decided to make a joke of it.

"Hey, don't tell the wife. Shhhhh." Mike said, pointing to the apartment.
Their eyes widened and they said, "Ohhhh, no problem, no problem."
The leader of the bunch took the empty box and threw it over his shoulder - where it soared over a wall, hidden from view. Everyone grinned.

When Mike told the story at dinner, I couldn't stop laughing. First, that Mike drew a crowd in an instant when he opened the box. And second, that they threw the evidence over the wall.

I can't wait to see them again. I will run up and say, "Hey!! You ate my besan ke laddoo!" And since they're already a little timid around me, I'm sure their eyes will pop open and they will speak very quickly in Hindi, assuring me of their innocence. :)

The Immigration Nightmare

2009-10-27T01:31:00.000-07:00

This is what originally happened when we tried to go to Dubai last Saturday...

“Excuse me, sir. Where is your registration card?”
Mike stared at the immigration officer, confused by the question.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
The officer, impatient to push us through immigration, repeated the question.
Within three minutes, they escorted Mike to a back room while Bethany and I stood silently at the counter and waited.

We were on our way to visit friends in Dubai. Though we love India, we were excited for a short break where we could kick back and relax.

A woman appeared a few minutes later without Mike.
“Are you still flying with us today?”
“I don’t know. What about Mike?”
“Um, Mr. Bell is finished.”
Finished? What does that mean? Finished as in not flying? Finished as in being deported? Finished as in being jailed? (I’ve been watching too many Jailed Abroad shows on television.)
“He will not be flying today,” she clarified.
Mike holds a student visa. Unknown to him, student visa holders are required to register within fourteen days of being in India. And as the immigration officers continued to point out, there is a tiny stamp on his visa that says so. And so in an ironic twist, they would not allow him to leave their country until he registered. The earliest he could register was three days later.

We begged, but nothing could be done. Bethany and I had checked our bags under Mike’s name, something we never do. All of our bags were taken off the flight and Mike’s seat was canceled. Bethany and I couldn’t stay in Dubai without our bags for three days, so we opted to stay in India with Mike. They told us our bags would be brought to us in fifteen minutes, which around here means at least an hour.

Disappointed, shocked, and maybe a bit angry, we sat against a wall, watching others flow through the immigration line. After a couple minutes, we started to list all the positives of the experience.

“It is good that…
1.) It happened now and not when we were trying to go back home.
2.) Bethany and I didn’t get onto the plane – not knowing that our bags wouldn’t arrive.
3.) Mike went first in the immigration line. Bethany and I could have gotten stuck on the other side.
4.) It was a quick process. They took us off the flight very quickly.
5.) Our bags didn’t continue to Dubai without us.
6.) The woman helping us was kind.”
It helped to review the good and try to forget the bad. It was a slight nightmare getting our bags and leaving the airport, but we finally got out of there.

There is nothing more demoralizing than hailing a taxi and carting all your junk back to the apartment you just left – which doesn’t have food because you ate it all, thinking you wouldn’t be back for one week.

And so some of you may be wondering what happened with the registration process for Mike. Was it easy? Of course not. Where’s the fun in that? :) But I will leave that story for another day.

More Dubai Pictures

2009-10-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

To see more pictures of our trip, check out http://picasaweb.google.co.in/DestinyDBell

Though we met Dan K. while there, I don't have any pictures of him. I need to go through Bethany's pictures. :)

Enjoy!

Dubai

2009-10-25T04:04:00.000-07:00

After a very large snafu with immigration (which I will write about in a later post), we finally made it to Dubai. Even though we were three days late, we had a blast with friends.

Dan took us to the Dubai Mall - the world's largest mall. It had the most amazing bookstore ever. We went back the following day with our friends Chris and Steph - who were in town from Kuwait.

The mall had a fountain show - the world's largest - that was set to music. It was created by the same guy who did one in Vegas. It was definitely a highlight of the trip.

We hung out at the beach for a while. The sunset was beautiful.

Dan took Mike and I to the beach at 2:30am our last day. We sat on a pier and looked at the whole skyline of Dubai. It was so peaceful and a great way to end the trip.

And I stole the following pictures from Stephanie's blog. ;)

Thanks for the fun times!!
(I will post more pictures later.)

What Was That?!

2009-10-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

When I first heard the explosions, I knew there were three possible explanations:

a. Mumbai was getting bombed. I could easily have been convinced of that considering the noise.

b. There was a gang war or a large group of people running around shooting guns. In the United States, pops like these usually mean gunfire.

--or the more likely reason…

c. A Hindu festival.

The lights have been strung, the candles are lit, the colors are spread all around, and loud explosions can be heard everywhere. Think Christmas and the 4th of July all wrapped up in one. Happy Diwali everyone!

Diwali is the festival of lights. And in case you haven’t figured it out from earlier posts, Indians sure do know how to celebrate their festivals! This is a Hindu holiday that celebrates one of their god’s victories over an enemy. It also emphasizes the good in a person’s life that overcomes evil.

During this festival, designs are formed with colored sand, children run around shooting cap guns, and fireworks are set off at all hours of the day and night. It’s also a huge shopping season. The markets are super crowded and there are many bargains to be had. For a shopper, this is a dream come true.

When Americans do the 4th of July, they shoot off fireworks between the hours of 9 and midnight. Some counties have multiple displays that might last the weekend, but never more than a few days. You might even have annoying neighbors – or maybe you are one of them – that decides to have a heyday and set off a ton of stuff in the driveway. If you stay in the house, though, it’s usually bearable and only a faint sound. Here in Mumbai, the neighbors sound like they are blowing up the neighborhood. People start the explosions around 7 and it can go through the night.

Remind me never to watch the movie U-571 during the first night of this festival again. In the middle of the night, large explosions could be heard from our parking lot. It was hard to differentiate from reality – fireworks- and the movie we had seen the night before.

On our way to the airport, people were setting off bottle rockets and other unknown explosive-type-things right next to the roads and on the street. The only way to survive a taxi ride is to keep the window rolled down due to the heat. A huge light burst next to our car and made a loud noise. Mike jumped up and over so high, I thought he was going to knock out the driver. Our driver couldn’t stop laughing as we – and especially Mike – jumped at every explosion.

Don’t get me wrong – I love the 4th of July. It’s fun to set off fireworks and watch the displays. The first day of Diwali was cool too. I could see about four or five fireworks displays at one time while our parking lot had so many sparklers it looked like something was on fire. But after three days and nights of explosions – I think I’m ready for this festival to come to an end. :)

(This is the colored sand and flower petal display in front of our neighbor's door. I love this part of the festival. You should see some of the displays. They are amazing. I can't imagine how long it takes to do these. Notice how this one says "Welcome" in the sand. )

Train Ride

2009-10-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

Anyone still wondering what Mike's experience on the train is like? This video captures it so well. :)

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More Pics From the Colony

2009-10-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

This is the face of a wild child. :)

Drying henna

This is Raul. I met him the second week we were at the colony. He's really mature for his age and helps out with the younger kids.

The Maintenance Guy – O how he loves us!

2009-10-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

We live in one of the nicest flats in Chembur and are very grateful for it. Having said that, here is a list of things that have stopped working in our two month stay… :)

• Our light switch AND the hot water switch blew in the bathroom– it took them one week to fix. We showered with cold water in candlelight. Surprisingly, it ended up working out. Better than no shower, right?
• Our hot water switch AGAIN. This time they installed a new switch instead of rigging it.
• Our fridge stopped working and the very small freezer had the temp of the fridge. We tried to fit everything we could into the freezer.
• Our internet has stopped working about four different times. This is after it finally started working three weeks into our stay.
• Our cable, which isn’t that big of a deal. Sort of stinks when you’re in the middle of a good movie. But it’s probably better to read a book anyway.
• Our toilet. They turned off the water. Hopefully they weren’t working on the pipes. We filled huge buckets of water from the sink and poured them down. :) Takes care of that problem.
• The water can sometimes come and go. Yesterday we didn’t have water for 24 hours. That isn’t typical for this part of the country.
• Our lock was really hard to get open. One day that it seemed impossible to get in, one of the guys across the hall helped Bethany and I. It took him about thirty minutes to get it open. He then oiled it and told us it was almost time for a new lock. That worked for about a month.
• Our lock completely stopped working the night before we were leaving for Delhi. Since it was 12:30am, we didn’t have many options. Mike talked to the security guards and they tried opening it for us. It took four of them to realize that yes, we were using the right key and no, it really wasn’t going to open. One of the guys went to the apartment right above ours, dropped down onto our porch, and broke the glass to open the door in the kitchen. We now had a lock that didn’t work on our front door AND a broken window the night before we were trying to catch a flight. Mike called the owner in the morning and he said he didn’t want to deal with “petty issues.” The head of maintenance came up and yelled at a whole lot of people for breaking in – even though Mike gave the okay (we weren’t going to sleep in the hall, after all). Since he didn’t want to fix it, and the owner was refusing to give permission at that moment, they took one part of the lock out of the door. When we left for the airport, we just padlocked the door shut.
• A pipe broke above us and flooded the porch – including the washing machine area. Whoops. :)
• The water filter. Oh well. We should buy stock in Aquafina water. I’m pretty sure we’re helping to sustain sales for all of Chembur.
• Our washing machine. Sometimes it decides it will work and other times, not a chance.
• Our doorbell. Thank goodness this finally broke! All sorts of people keep showing up at our door – mainly bill collectors. The university doesn’t seem to think it necessary to pay their bills on time. :)

The maintenance guys just love us. Each time something breaks, we have to contact them. The head of maintenance glares at me every time he shows up at the door. Next time he comes, I’m hiding. ;)

I don’t write this to complain. I actually find it rather humorous. The most important things have continued to work through it all: the air conditioners. Let’s hope those make it until December.

------

PS – This past week all three of us became homesick. I’m not sure why. Maybe it was the death of a friend. Maybe the novelty of being here has worn off. At any rate, we spent many hours recounting fun memories of everyone at home. Don’t get me wrong, we are still enjoying our time here. But do know that we miss all of you and can’t wait to see you again.

A Dream Job

2009-10-13T00:52:00.000-07:00

What an enticing job description.
(Mike and his classmates saw this sign in a shop window.)

The Post about Mike

2009-10-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I have promised to write about Mike for a while now. Here is the long awaited post. (It's written by both of us.) :)

(His hair is getting out of control)

1. What Mike does with his time…
Studies and goes to school. That about wraps it up. :) He has been working very hard to do well in his classes. Welingkar Business splits their semesters into two terms. He finished up his first five classes before our vacation to Delhi. He just started the other five this last week. He should receive his first set of exam grades this next week.

2. Local Transportation
Mike has been riding the second class train to school, much to the surprise of many locals. It is extremely crowded and hot, but Mike loves it because it’s cheap and gets him home faster than a taxi. This type of transportation can be summed up in one word: chaotic. No one waits in an orderly line. Instead, hoards of people push on and off the train. Because it was so crowded, one day last week he rode home hanging out the side – holding onto one little bar above his head. :)

Many love to jump on or off while it is still moving. He isn’t thrilled about jumping off the train while it is still moving, though he gets “yelled” at by many people saying, “Chalo, chalo!” (which means, hurry!!) Since he is larger than most Indians, he blocks the door, takes his time and causes lots of people to panic. Once he was disembarking while an impatient soul was trying to board through the same small doorway. Husky American meets 120 lb Indian. America 1. India 0.

3. What is your country name?
A common question: what is your country name? The second week he was here, a rickshaw driver asked Mike if he was from Japan. Japan? No, not quite. :)

Because he rides in the 2nd class compartment, he gets a lot of stares from the locals. Occasionally a brave boy will try his English too. The questions are predictable.

“What is your country name?”
Mike paused and looked at the teenage Indian boy as his friends awaited his response.
Straight face. “Pakistan.”
Jaws drop. Big eyes.

Now, you have to understand, India does not like Pakistan. At all. For example, there was a recent round robin cricket tournament. The top two teams of 4 advanced to the next round. India needed Pakistan to beat Australia in order to qualify for one of those 2 spots. Pakistan lost…on the last ball (or pitch) by one run. Folks suspect that the Paks threw the match to keep India out. Yeah, they really don’t like each other.

Mike eventually smiled and said America. Everyone gave him hi-fives to celebrate the cross-cultural joke. :)

4. The rickshaw drivers
The rickshaw drivers park their rickshaws and rest on benches right outside our apartment gate. As a result, Mike has seen the same ones frequently and has been able to strike up some conversations. They LOVE Mike. He has made a point to memorize almost all of their names. They high-five each other when he walks up, telling them all hello by name. They asked him to play cards and even took him to get some chai. Today, Arjun – one of the rickshaw drivers - took Bethany and I to where we volunteer. Halfway there, he turned around and said, “Mike…he is my best friend.” Guess he doesn’t get out much. :)

And those are just a few stories from the life of Mike.

Vacation

2009-10-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

We went to Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur last week during Mike's break from school.

The following link will take you to my pictures. http://picasaweb.google.co.in/DestinyDBell

(And if you guessed the Taj Mahal from the last post, you are correct!)

Travel

2009-10-03T06:33:00.000-07:00

We have been traveling around for the past week. I'll post stories and pics tomorrow. But here's a little taste of what's to come...

Do you know where we are from the picture below?

The Pictures Continue...

2009-09-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

We continue to bring the coloring books and puzzles to the leper colony. Today we saw a whole new group of children. There were a few from last week, but most I had never seen before. Since we show up every Thursday at exactly 1, I can't figure out why we keep seeing completely new groups of kids. It must have something to do with school.

They also had a new god in their colony - a woman who destroys all enemies. When we arrived, they were ringing a large bell and singing to it. Many children wanted us to take pictures of them with it. They even asked Bethany if she would eat some of the food that was in front of the god. Because they kept asking, I kept repeating, "I don't pray to that god - I only pray to Jesus. I am a Christian." After a while, they finally understood.

I have been praying that God would give us opportunities to share our faith with the people in the colony. The language barrier has made it very difficult to say much of anything. Please pray for us - that God would give us wisdom in knowing how to convey the hope that we have.

This little guy followed me everywhere today. He loved coloring but wanted my full attention. Anytime I got up to talk to someone else, he would follow me and tug on the bottom of my shirt. What a cutie.

Brother and Sister

PS - I promise to write about Mike soon. :)

More Pics...

2009-09-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

A school in the leper colony.

These boys were not camera shy. They kept doing tons of tricks and wanted me to take pictures. Here are a couple.

In addition to this clinic/colony, our church reaches out to people with leprosy who are living/begging on the streets. Recently, a few of them became Christians. This week, they will be baptized. Baptism is important because it is a step in professing your Christian faith. Because these people are considered social outcasts, the church is forced to baptize them in the sea. What is usually a joyous occasion for a believer may be a dangerous time for them. Groups against Christianity have formed. If they see a baptism occurring, they will attack. Just a few weeks ago this happened to a group from a different church. Please keep these Christian brothers and sisters in your prayers.

Next post: What Mike is up to.

More Leper Colony Pics

2009-09-18T05:44:00.000-07:00

Pics at Leper Colony

2009-09-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

I met this girl the second time we came to the colony. Her English is amazing. She is getting married in November. She will see her husband-to-be and his family for the 2nd time in her life this month. She invited me to her wedding. :)

A very proud grandmother with her three grandsons. The boys asked me to take the picture with her. When I showed her the image on my digital camera, she was so excited and couldn't stop smiling.

The village

After spending the afternoon at the leper colony, one of the older boys invited us to see the village.

"Ti-Ti, Come!" Many young ones shouted towards Bethany and I. (They like to call us ti-ti, or Auntie.)

Children grabbed our hands and pulled us around as they shouted things like - This is my house! That's my mom's house! My best friend lives there! Come see our school! They were so proud to show us where they lived. Even the older boys and girls were so proud. Many adults waved from their homes - greeting us and smiling as we passed. I felt so privileged to be given a glimpse into their own world - knowing that they trust us.

Leper Colony Part II

2009-09-17T06:05:00.000-07:00

I was squatting in the middle of a small group of girls at the leper colony.

“We brought coloring books and crayons!” As I showed them what was in the backpack, they let out a squeal.

It was our second week in the leper colony and Bethany and I were excited to do some activities with them. As I stood up and turned around, I was startled to see that the group around us was larger. Even adults were inching forward, curious to see what was in the bag. As we walked to a large overhang, the group following us got larger and larger.

Excited children of all ages pressed forward as I held up the coloring book. Some were one years old and others had to be near fourteen or fifteen. Kids were coming from all over the place. The noise was getting louder and louder, drawing other children from the village to see what was happening. Adults stood outside their doors to watch.

I realized the group of children – now close to 70 – could quickly get out of hand. Telling them to sit down, I started to tear pages out of the coloring book.

“Who wants this one?” A dozen hands shot into the air. After handing out three or four pages, I realized no one cared what they were coloring. The children just wanted to make sure they got a page too. I tore the coloring book in half so Bethany could help hand out the pages. We could barely keep up with the outstretched hands. Handing out one crayon to each child, we told them they would have to share. They didn’t seem to mind.

The teenagers and adults were also very excited. They helped to hand out crayons and continued to tell the children to share. Everyone was laughing and one girl my age continued to say, “They are sooo happy! Look at them! They are so happy!”

As children finished, they handed their colored pages back with their names on them. They were so proud when we pronounced – or tried to pronounce – their names. I couldn’t understand why no one wanted to keep their pictures, though. I realized that somewhere along the way, one of the teenagers or adults told them that the top three pictures would receive a prize. Bethany and I had no idea what to do. How in the world would we choose three pictures out of seventy? And how would the other children react when their picture wasn’t chosen? Surely we couldn’t choose only three pictures. On the other hand, there was no way we could hand out seventy prizes. We decided we had to do what was promised and chose three pictures. The award was American money.

Luckily, we couldn’t find the three children the following week. We asked and asked, but no one could tell us where they were. So in the end, we didn’t have to worry about disappointing half of the colony’s children.

Leper Colony Part One

2009-09-12T01:13:00.000-07:00

(above: picture by Bethany)

Did you know that many people who live in leper colonies do not have leprosy? An entire family will live there even if only one of their relatives has it. When Bethany and I first showed up to the colony, we were surprised to see that none of the children had leprosy. A nurse told us that there are only a few cases of leprosy among people in their 40’s or younger in this particular colony. Most are 50 or older.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our small group huddled in a tiny room, eating lunch before members of the colony came for medical care. A line of patients was already beginning to form outside as the doctor sat back to regain energy from working at the leprosy clinic for three hours.

It was our first time in the leper colony and more than one head turned to stare at Bethany and I. The children were especially curious. I suspect some had never seen foreigners before.

As we ate, small heads bobbed up and down outside of the window. I could see little eyes peering in, trying not to be noticed. I smiled and waved, causing some of them to duck out of view for a few seconds. As time passed, they got bolder and bolder. Some began to wave back and one little girl blew a kiss. When I blew it back, she giggled and motioned for others to come and watch. Kids began pushing each other out of the way to blow kisses, hoping I would blow one in return. I excused myself from the table and stepped outside to meet them. The group of children shouted in delight and scattered. I tried to introduce myself to one or two, but they ran after the others, laughing and speaking in Marathi. I shouted after them, “Hey! Come on! I know you’re not shy!”

In the process, I had somehow cornered one boy of about six years old. He was smiling but refused to look into my eyes. I walked up to him and grabbed his hand, telling him, “This is a handshake. In America, we greet each other with a handshake.” I knew he couldn’t understand a word of what I said, but I was at a loss of what to do. I hoped I wasn't scaring him to death.

Slowly the group of children began to come back and gather around. They had a million questions - where are you from, what is your name, what is your favorite color, what are your hobbies, have you seen our Ganesh, do you have brothers and sisters?” They pushed in, shouting questions and wanting to shake my hand. I was surprised to see that their English was so good. I had a difficult time with some of their pronunciations, but they knew the basics.

The following week, Bethany and I came prepared to play with the children. We brought puzzles, coloring books, and crayons, hoping some of the younger ones would feel comfortable enough to do some activities with us. We were totally unprepared for the response.

Next Post: Leper Colony Part Two - The week we brought activities.

Leprosy Clinic

2009-09-10T03:48:00.001-07:00

Leprosy/HIV Clinic

The ambulance

This outreach is funded by the New Frontiers Churches in Mumbai. A doctor, a nurse, and a few others arrive each Thursday in an ambulance to provide care for the eighteen or so leprosy patients at the clinic. Today was a special day...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The volunteer turned the bag upside down, revealing the contents inside: new shoes. The thirteen men gathered around, smiles lighting up their faces. They eagerly waited to have their name called, rejoicing with others as each new pair was given out. I could barely hold back the tears as they grinned at each other, proudly showing off their new shoes.

Above: Raaman - he was the first guy I met at the clinic. Through a translator, he told Bethany and I that he was so happy we were coming and would just keep smiling. Every week, he gives us the largest grin when greeting us.

Above: I love this guy. He always looks so surprised when I smile and say hello to him. He's so cute with his glasses and the way he cocks his head back to look at you.

Look at that smile! So happy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“There are no extra beds here.”
The guy shuffled his way back to the ambulance with one very small bag of belongings thrown over his shoulder.
“What do you mean there are no extra beds?” one of the volunteers asked. He walked over to the group, ready to advocate for the man sitting in the ambulance.
I had walked the halls of this hospital. I knew very well that there were empty beds. But nothing could be done. We were told someone would move out in a couple days, freeing up a spot. In the meantime, they would have to find a different place for this man with leprosy.
I wanted to cry. He just sat in the ambulance and stared out the window. Couldn’t anything be done? One volunteer from the church explained that the clinic is helping more and more people with HIV instead of leprosy. Many do not have places to go because they are considered outcasts. It makes me ashamed to think that I am quick to complain about my daily situation when things don't go the way I want them to. My "problems" pale in comparison to what others are facing.

Would you please consider praying for these leprosy patients? Though their society sees them as outcasts, Jesus loves them. Please pray that they come to know the One who died for all of us sinners. He is the only One who can bring joy and peace in the midst of what seems to be a hopeless situation.

(Pictures taken by Bethany)

Tomorrow: Leprosy Colony - including pictures of children who live in the colony.

Sunday Stroll

2009-09-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

We spent Sunday afternoon eating lunch and walking along Juhu beach with friends. (Juhu beach is in Mumbai) Hopefully we will get some pictures at the leper colony this week. Bethany and I are giving out prizes for a coloring contest. Check back in the next few days. :)

Stampede!

2009-09-03T02:59:00.000-07:00

“Do you think here is ok?” I asked Bethany.

We were standing at a sidewalk on the edge of a sea of people.

“I don’t want to get too close. Here is fine.”

We both whipped out our cameras and began taking pictures of the people around us. I noticed that everyone was straining to see something in a certain direction. Ganesh. He was huge and coming our way on a float.

One girl turned to me. “Be very careful. It will get crowded soon.”

“Ok, ok.”

She continued to repeat herself for emphasis. I wondered why she seemed so adamant, especially considering there was already a large crowd gathered. Thinking she was warning me about pick-pocketing, I slung the camera around my neck and told her that I would be ok – I didn’t have anything else in my bag.

The Ganesh got closer and a ton of television news cameras shot into the air. People started shouting and the drums got louder and louder. The excitement didn’t seem to be just for the Ganesh, however.

“There he is!”

I wanted to shout back, “Who?” Is that even the right question? Should I be shouting, “What? What is it?!”

An actor. Our flat is next to RK Studio, a small Bollywood studio. An actor had shown up to take the Ganesh idol to the beach.

Suddenly, people started pressing in. Bethany and I were pushed to the back of the sidewalk. I kept snapping pictures, hoping for good shots. I couldn’t even see what I was taking pictures of. People were pushing and shoving to catch a glimpse of the famous actor, whose name I still don’t know. I saw glimpses of men with sticks.

“Huh, they’re beating people!” I shouted to Bethany above the din. She was happily shooting video. I don’t think she even heard me.

The crowd continued to push and shove. It was quickly turning into a mosh pit. One guy about my age was standing next to me. He looked and me and continued to say “Get back! Be careful!” People continued to push and shove and I wasn’t sure I would be able to stand if the crowd got any more intense.

Suddenly, fists were flying. The guy next to us was pushing and punching people away from Bethany and I. I inched back behind him as he continued to shout in Hindi and punch parts of the crowd away. At one point, I laughed and said, “You are my bodyguard!”

As quickly as the actor and Ganesh had appeared, they were gone. Parts of the crowd were following them down the street. Others, however, turned and saw Bethany and I. In a matter of seconds, we had a crowd around us of about twenty people deep.

“Where are you from?” someone in the crowd shouted.

“America!” I shouted back.

People smiled and took out their camera phones. We posed, answered questions, and took lots of pictures of the people around us. They were thrilled. After a while, we shouted “Goodbye!” to the crowd and headed back towards our flat. Many followed us, asking questions and continuing to take pictures.

And so now I suspect that people will go home and say, “We saw the actor, we saw the Ganesh, and we saw these two American girls! Do you want to see their picture?”

Here are some pictures of the people around us...

A video of our experience...

I Spy:
- an actor coming through the crowd on the back of a truck
- red flags
- a shoe flying through the air
- a group of people falling over a motorcycle
- bodyguards beating other people with long sticks
- drummers wearing red hats
- a Ganesh idol
- Destiny getting pushed around

Intimidated

2009-09-01T23:43:00.000-07:00

Though she was a tiny little thing, she walked right up to me while I was sitting on the floor. Staring into my eyes, she started to speak in Marathi. I didn’t understand a word of what she said and just smiled. She continued to talk, her voice getting shriller and her sentences faster. Laughing, I said something in English. She cocked her head, put her little hand on her hip, and continued to speak. She was adamant about something and, for the first time in my life, I felt intimidated by a two year old.

Language barriers are, at times, difficult to overcome. Bethany and I volunteer at a children's center through our church. There are four women who work there. Only one is taking classes in English and the rest know very few words. I, on the other hand, know absolutely no Marathi or Hindi. I purchased a phrasebook, but it doesn’t get me very far. We use lots of hand gestures and break into fits of laughter when we don’t understand one another, which is most of the time.

The young ones do not understand that I don’t speak their language. They excitedly take off in what sounds like jibberish to me. This creates some issues when they want to tattle on one another. I’m not exactly the best person to tell.

And I can’t explain how stupid I feel when a two year old is talking to me and I can’t understand a word of what they’re saying. Usually the other women laugh, both at me and the confused child.

Children’s Center Background:

About fifteen years ago, a woman from London started a children’s center in Chembur, where we are living in Mumbai. She then handed it over to someone in the NFI church. It’s in a very poor section of town. This center takes young children (1-2 yr. olds) while the mother is working or doing other things around the home. Each family must apply to have their child enrolled in the center. While there, they are teaching the two year olds to speak English. This will help when they go to school because learning English is a requirement in most schools. They currently have around 30 children.

Many of the children are from homes with alcoholic fathers. People are paid very little in India and if the father refuses to work, the family will literally starve unless the mother can get a job. Even then, the family struggles. The center is able to aid these families by watching the children, teaching them important concepts, and feeding them throughout the day.

They are funded through the church as well as donations, but are struggling financially. Robert, who runs the child center, said that they used to offer medical services to the community. Due to lack of funding, they were forced to cut back. They are still able to do house visits, though. It is during these times that Robert and the others are able to share the hope that they have.

Even without the things they used to do, it is obvious they are impacting others in a powerful way. Please pray that God would continue to provide for this program.

Sonali (left), 21, and Jyoti (right), 23, work at the children's center. They told me they are best friends. It's fun to work with them because Sonali knows a tiny bit of English. These ladies love to laugh.

Hello to the AP students....

2009-09-01T07:02:00.000-07:00

Hello to all of Mrs. Bell's AP English students who are now following my blog. No, I'm not in your AP English class. Mrs. Bell is following this blog because I'm married to one of her sons and we're in India. But feel free to keep checking back. I was "stalking" your blogs already (through Mrs. Bell's blog)...and I must say, I'm really interested to see what you guys post. Sounds like you're going to have a great year. Good luck!!

PS

2009-08-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

We sang Mark Altrogge's "Jesus My Only Hope" in church today. Nothing like feeling a little closer to home... :) Miss you guys.

Tree of Life Church

2009-08-30T07:52:00.000-07:00

Yeshu tera Naam sabse uncha hai - Jesus your name is higher than (or above) any other!

While in Mumbai, we are attending a New Frontiers International Church named Tree of Life. It has been an unbelievable means of grace in our lives. It is wonderful to see how God works in other countries.

There are about 100 people that attend this particular New Frontiers Church (NFI). It is one of six church plants from an original NFI church in Bandra. All the members are Indian and most have come from a Catholic or Hindu background. My favorite question is, “How did you become a Christian?” We have heard miraculous stories of how God has saved various individuals. Just today we were having lunch with a couple who shared that God saved the husband out of alcoholism twenty-six years ago. The wife was at her wits end and was planning to send their four children to an orphanage and then take her own life. A neighbor invited them to church and God drew their hearts while they were there. He laid down the bottle that night and hasn’t turned back since. They are pillars in the church. Another couple was having marital issues. The wife was Catholic and the husband had grown up Hindu. The wife was saved first and eight weeks later, the husband followed. Others have been healed from sickness and disease, leading to a saving faith. Though they have very few things materially, they talk about the power of God and how good he is.

For Hindus to convert to Christianity is a huge deal. They must give up everything they have to follow Christ. Often, their families shun them. I don’t think we, as Americans, fully comprehend how difficult this is. In India, family is extremely important. In the church, one young guy’s inheritance was given away because he converted to Christianity. He told his family that it was ok because he knew he could trust in God. He happily serves, often joining other guys for prayer on Sunday morning at 5am.

When people sing the worship songs, they sing with all their hearts. Jesus’ name is especially sweet during these times. They are freshly aware of what Christ has done for them and what he has saved them from. It’s amazing to see their passion.

They also have a lot of zeal for sharing the gospel with others. Because Mumbai is a large city, there isn’t persecution coming from the government. The church is free to worship, which is not the case everywhere in India. The Hindi service starts at 8:15am and they are seeing quite a few people coming to faith. There are new visitors every week. The English-speaking service starts at 10:30. It is obvious that God is also moving there.

The hospitality of the church has been amazing. Every Sunday we are invited to a new home for lunch. We have lunch plans for six Sundays in a row. Every week, someone else comes up to us and invites us over for the following Sunday. Everyone is extremely helpful and the women are showing Bethany and I how to cook authentic Indian food.

We are being well cared for while in India. Thanks for your prayers! And remember that we serve a God who is mighty to save!

Our Flat

2009-08-27T02:28:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple shots we took outside of our flat. It's a really windy day today.

Here is a picture of our flat. We live in one of the tallest buildings in Chembur. It has 18 floors. Actually, it has 19. They call the ground floor 0. At Mike's university, they have floors -1 and -2 because they are under ground level. :)
This bill is worth 50 rupees. The exchange rate is about 50 rupees to the dollar.

And since I posted a picture of our bathroom, I might as well show you the rest of our flat.

The kitchen. We have a microwave and three gas burners for cooking.

Destiny & Mike's Bedroom

Bethany's Bedroom

Our living room/dining room. The couch and chairs are a golden color. :) The curtains in our bedrooms were these exact colors. They smelled really bad, though. We purchased the curtains that are in our bedroom pictures.

We have been volunteering at a leprosy clinic/colony and a children's center. I will get pictures of both next week. Many stories forthcoming...

A Few More Pictures...

2009-08-26T03:50:00.000-07:00

This is the view from the living room window in our 4th floor flat. We think the boy on the roof was washing when the picture was taken. (No worries - he's in shorts.) :)

I took this picture while riding in a cab. Sorry it's a little blurry. This is what many of the apartment buildings look like from the outside. Though Mumbai is built up, a lot of places are pretty dirty compared to America. If you look closely, you can see clothes drying outside. This is how everyone dries their clothing. We hang ours from the curtain rods in the house, though. The pidgeons like to gather around our drying area. :)

This is one of the beaches in Mumbai. You can't swim in the water, but it's nice to walk along the beach. There is a great breeze. This is where people will submerge their Ganesh gods in a few days.

Random Pictures

2009-08-25T04:49:00.000-07:00

Lots of people have been asking for pictures. I haven't carried around my camera much, so I don't have many pictures yet. Here are a few random ones in the meantime...

Mumbai

Here is Bethany trying to get into our flat. The lock is pretty tricky.

I'm sure you didn't really want to see a picture of our bathroom, but here it is. It's called a wet bathroom because everything in it is made to get soaked while you get a shower. :)
This is how we wash our bathroom floor.

Mumbai has a ton of stray animals. Here is a kitten that visited our flat the other day. We're not sure how he made it to our deck since we live on the 4th floor.

Bethany has some more pictures on her facebook page. I'll post more later...

Traffic

2009-08-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

Imagine yourself sitting in New York City traffic. Replace the yellow cabs in the streets with black and gold cabs as well as autorickshaws and tons of motorcycles. Instead of rule-bound cab drivers and pedestrians, there are no rules. Vehicles swerve at every moment there is a slight opening in traffic. Dotted lines that indicate lanes mean absolutely nothing. Traffic lights? Only a suggestion – unless there is a guard blowing a whistle at certain times of the evening. Instead of a turn signal, the horns, flashing headlights, and hand signals indicate where a driver is at any given moment. Welcome to Mumbai.

I hate and love the transportation in Mumbai all at the same time. The downside is that it takes forever to get anywhere other than a few feet from your flat. The traffic is horrendous and the exhaust fumes could just about kill a person. But there’s something thrilling about riding in the back of a rickshaw, racing around cars and trucks, while the driver is honking his horn and signaling for people to let him through. In America, honking horns and anger go together. In Mumbai, honking the horn is the polite way to let someone know you are coming through. A three lane highway is immediately transformed into a five lane highway with motorcycles squeezing through any small openings. When traffic stops, I can literally reach my hand out of the rickshaw or cab and touch the cars next to me.

I love that the drivers see us and immediately stop to take us somewhere. Though they overcharge like crazy, I’m beginning to understand the real rates. I hailed my first autorickshaw last week and realized it was quite easy. By the 3rd driver, I got the price I wanted. Unfortunately, I got seriously ripped off because I didn’t understand that he couldn’t take me from Chembur to Matunga. Oh well. I learned my lesson.

The drivers are funny because when you say where you want to go, they shake their heads and grunt. There are two types of grunts: the “Ok, I will get you there” grunt and the “I’m not sure where that is” grunt. You know you’re in for a real treat when the driver starts asking you – the foreigner – for directions about halfway there. Some drivers continue to drive before you realize they might not be exactly sure where they are going. Today, it took us an extra thirty minutes to get to church because our driver had no idea where he was going. It was pouring and he didn’t want to stop for directions. Typical male. :)

In Mumbai, no one follows addresses. In fact, none of the seven pieces of mail delivered to our flat have had the same address. You have to know some surrounding landmarks to help the drivers (or mail carriers) find the area you want. The problem is that we have only been in the country for three weeks. If the driver is completely unsure where to go, and you’re obviously no help at giving directions, it’s very common for him to pull over. He will either shout out the window at other drivers or get out and ask someone on the street. Somehow it all works out.

So on second thought, though the “rules” are completely different in Mumbai than they are in America, they work because everyone follows them.

I have yet to try the trains, although I hear they are really cheap and fast. When I see them, they look packed and people are usually hanging out the doors. (Don’t worry, mom – and all the other mothers out there – I won’t hang out the door.)

Ganesh

2009-08-20T22:43:00.000-07:00

(Pic taken by Bethany)

As I sit here typing, our neighbors are going crazy. It sounds like a bunch of little kids banging pots and pans while jingling bells. In reality, adults are getting ready for the Ganesh festival that starts on Sunday.

Ganesh is the god of wisdom, prosperity, and good fortune. According to legend, Lord Shiva was away at war and his wife, Parvati, wanted someone to guard the door to her house while she was bathing. She decided to create a son out of sandalwood paste and breathed life into him. Ganesh stood guard with strict instructions to keep everyone out of the house. Lord Shiva returned home from battle but Ganesh would not let him enter. Lord Shiva became angry and cut off Ganesh’s head. When Parvati saw what happened, she became angry and threatened to destroy the three worlds of heaven, earth, and the subterranean earth. In an attempt to make Parvati happy, Shiva sent others out to find a new head for his wife’s son. The first thing they came across was an elephant. Since it was facing north, which is associated with wisdom, they brought the head of the elephant to Shiva. Shiva placed it on Parvati’s son and breathed life into it. Parvati loved the elephant-headed son, but was still upset about the situation. As a result, Lord Shiva announced that everyone who worships Ganesh before any other form of god will be blessed.

Lights are being hung all around the city and areas are being prepared for various sizes of Ganesh statues. Men are practicing their drumming skills and small crowds of people are beginning to dance. On Sunday, the entire city will begin their worship of this god. The festival will go on for ten days. At the end of the ten days, everyone will gather their Ganesh gods and throw them into the nearest body of water. I’m curious to know how this will happen since I’ve heard that some of the gods are over 25 feet tall.

Please pray for us over the next week and a half – that God would give us opportunities to share our faith. Please also pray that the gospel would go forward during this season.

Hello to the Outside World

2009-08-15T05:15:00.000-07:00

We don't have Internet access in our apartment right now and getting to an Internet cafe can be difficult. Right now I think I'm typing on the world's oldest computer with dial up connection. :)

We are fine. We are learning to enjoy the area. It's not as hot as we thought it would be and the smells aren't that bad. Though we miss the preaching back home, we love the friendliness of the church. On our first Sunday, a couple took us out to eat and showed us around town. The pastor and his wife also came to visit us this past week. They took time to show us how things in our apartment work - like the stove and the hot water heater. It means a lot to be cared for in a foreign country. The smallest things go a long way.

Bethany and I went shopping and found cleaning supplies for our flat and toilet paper - which is like gold around here. It's imported. :) We're learning how to get around the city and we don't get quite as ripped off when taking an auto-rickshaw.

We feel very safe around the city. Not only is everyone watching (literally), but people are very willing to help us. The first time we went shopping, five people followed us around the store. Because we live in an area where there aren't many foreigners, people are very curious about what we're doing. And now when I see a foreigner in our area, I find myself staring at them too. :)

Mike is doing well in his classes and the American students are very nice.
Bethany and I spend most of the day just trying to survive. :) It takes a long time to get anything done around here because we aren't familiar with the way things work.

I will write more later. We also have some pictures to post but we need to wait for a better Internet connection. :) Please keep checking back. Hopefully we can get the Internet in our flat to work soon.

We miss everyone!!

Congrats to Gabe & Emily

2009-07-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

(Rehearsal)

Packing...

2009-07-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

The game “If you were stranded on an island…” has taken on new meaning for me.
· “If you were stranded on an island, what things would you hope to have with you?”
· “If you were stranded on an island, what three books would you want to have?”

The new game: “If you were going to India for 5 mo. and could only take 1 bag, what would you take?”

Books are my weakness. I can get my clothes and shoes down to a small pile, but please don’t ask me to leave behind my books. I had my pile down to 4. And then last week our caregroup blessed us with a kindle.

Problem solved. :)

August 3rd

2009-07-24T21:44:00.001-07:00

We leave for Mumbai, India on August 3rd at 8pm.