Reflecting

My plan was to stop blogging after I returned from India. I thought that since my journey abroad was over for now, there was no need to keep blogging. However, the journey is not over, it has just begun. I am still processing and struggling with all that India opened my eyes and heart to. So, for my sake more than the few readers of this blog, I have decided to start blogging again in hopes of making sense of my scattered thoughts and scribbled sentences in my journal.


For the past month I have been reading through my India journal. It has been fun to be reminded and reflect on many of the things I forgot about. In my very first journal entry I shared my goals for the semester. I wrote these during a layover in the Portland airport. I had no Idea what to expect. Besides what I read on the internet and a little packet I got in the mail, I was basically clueless to what the next 3 ½ months had in store.


Exactly as written in my journal:

My goals: (a work in progress)

• Develop a deeper compassion & love for the orphans & widows God calls us to care for.
• Decide if teaching abroad is something I want to do.
• Grow in my relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Develop an understanding for the world outside of America.


I forgot I wrote these. I did not look back at them until a few weeks ago (usually results in major goal failure). However, if you were to ask me what I learned and how I grew, these four goals are exactly what I would tell you. It makes me smile how perfectly God placed these goals in my heart and how perfectly they were fulfilled.

.the twelve. in washington dc about ready to fly halfway across the world

Too Much Thinking

It is official, I have landed in the US. I cannot comprehend that I will be home tonight. It does not feel real that I just said goodbye to people and a culture that have made such an impact on my life these last 3 ½ months. I am excited to go home, but I can’t help but miss India and all that came with it.

I have been thinking and reflecting a lot lately.

I have been thinking about how to share my trip. I saw, learned, and experienced more than I ever thought possible in 3 ½ months. What parts do I share? A lot of things cannot be fully understood unless you actually experience them yourself.

I have been thinking about what changes I am going to make in my life. I learned so much, but that means nothing unless I apply what I learned.

I have been thinking about what I was exposed to and want to explore deeper. Poverty, consumerism, contextualization, caste system, sex trafficking, and the list goes on and on.

I have been thinking about how I help my community and make a difference here. Most of the problems that I saw in India can be found in some form or another in the US. It can be overwhelming to think about all the problems and injustice that exist. I may not be able to fix all of them, or even any of them. What is my passion? Where do I want to start making small small change?

I have been thinking about how much change God has made in my heart and I hope and pray that change continues.

Those are just a few of the MANY things I have been thinking about.

Hopefully, sometime soon, I will be able to make sense of these scattered thoughts and put them into action.

Thanks to all you readers for your prayers and encouragement through this whole journey!

Merry Christmas everyone!

And we're off!

Saying goodbyes has not been fun, especially when I don’t know if I will EVER see these people that made such an impact on my life again. That is sad too think about. However, I am so thankful to have met wonderful people that make saying goodbye so hard. I will also miss the city of Coimbatore. The door man that greets me with a cheerful, “Good morning madam” each morning when I get the paper, walking around racecourse seeing all the people, and yoga on the roof are just a few of the little things I will miss. Enough of the sad stuff. Thanks to the travel packet we received yesterday, I will share about our travel to the north.

Tomorrow morning we leave for Calcutta

In Calcutta we will visit-

Sari Bari:
Sari blanket making NGO whose employees are women who were all working in the sex trade.

Ramakrishna Mandir and Museum:
A famous temple

Kali Temple:
Another Temple.


St Paul’s Cathedral:
It was the first Anglican cathedral in India and is today the seat of the Church of North India bishop of Kolkata.

Then a LONG train to Varanasi (11:45 AM – 2:35 AM)
Is famous for the “ghats,” or stairs down to the river Ganges, where devotees go to bathe, believing that such bathing removes sins and impurities. Many Hindus believe that if one dies in Varanasi and is immersed in the Ganges at Varanasi one will immediately obtain Moksha, or liberation.

The Ghats:
  A small number of ghats are “burning ghats” where dead bodies are cremated, typically on pyres made out of sandalwood (so as to cover the smell of burning flesh). Once the bodies have been completely burned the bones and ashes are immersed in the Ganges. A special breed of snapping turtles were bread to eat the flesh that doesn’t burn completely.

Sarnath:
Sarnath is the site of Gautama Buddha’s first sermon after he received enlightenment.

Varanasi Walks:
A tour through the twisting back alleys of old Varanasi and a sunset boat tour of the Ganges .

Open Hand Café:
Manufactures, exports and retails fairly traded high quality Indian-made textiles, garments, bags and handicrafts,

Then a train from 12am - 11:45am to Jaipur

Amber and Jaigarh Fort:
To get to the temple we are riding an ELEPHANT! Yes, another check on my India bucket list!


Bus to Agra!

Fatehpur Sikri:
Ancient abandoned capital of the Moghul Empire.

Agra Fort:
It is the place where Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal, was imprisoned by his son.

The Taj Mahal:
The Taj was started in 1632 and completed in 1648, built by the Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. We are going on a sunrise visit!

Train to Delhi!

Red Fort: Also built by Shah Jahan.

Within this packed schedule we will have some free time.

Then, on the 15th I head home. Bittersweet.

Don’t know how much internet I will have the next two weeks. I will try to update you when I can.
Bye for now :)

This is a picture from the candlelight ceremony we had Wednesday night. My friends Christy and Jenifer.

Just Doin’ the Needful

To sum up what I have been up to lately, I would simply say I have been doing the needful (a common Indian phrase). Finals week has kept me busy with writing papers, preparing for presentations, and studying for exams. I got sick for a few days, so that put a damper on things, but now I am good to go. I wanted to experience EVERYTHING I could here and the hospital was definitely an experience. It cost just over $4 for everything, the visit and 4 prescriptions.

Along with school work I have been trying to wrap up my time here in Coimbatore. Little things like giving last minute fabric to the tailor and spending time with people I will miss is what I have been up to. On December 2nd we leave for 2 weeks of travel in the north. Some of the places we are going include, Calcutta, Varanasi Jaipur, Agra, then we end in New Delhi. I am so excited to see other places in India! Although they don’t have dosa in the north, so that is sad. Then on December 17th at 8:10 PM I will be home sweet home! Yay!

Here are some pictures of the meal we made for our final exam in cooking class.

Tawa Paratha. Kasmiri Pulao. Butter Chicken Masala. Paneer Mutter Masala

And can't forget the dessert!

The cooking crew

A Lesson from a Mosquito

Ok first of all you all probably know how much strongly dislike mosquitos, like a lot. I especially don’t like the ones here. First of all, they are sneaky. They only have to land on you for like half of a second and you get bit. Seriously, today I was keeping a close eye on one. As soon as it landed I tried to kill it and if flew off. He barely even landed on me and I got a bite. The second reason mosquitos suck more than usual here is some of them hurt when/after they bite. So along with the constant itch of the bites it feels like you are being stabbed with little needles.

Alright back to the point of this blog. Let me recap a typical night for you. I am laying in bed trying to fall asleep. I am extremely exhausted , but have trouble sleeping at night because India just does that to a person. Each night this stupid, annoying mosquito buzzes in my ear. I wave my hand near my ear to get it to go away. The buzzing stops for a bit, then it returns. After frantically waving my hand, whipping my sheets, and trying to hit it in the dark with my pillow, you would think the mosquito would get the hint that I want it to GO AWAY, or at the very least be quiet. This mosquito has returned every night for the past couple weeks. And yes I am sure it is that same mosquito, it has a distinct buzz.

The other day I was laying in bed when the mosquito once again returned to buzz in my ear. Instead of getting angry this time I just laughed. I was reminded of how God is kind of like that mosquito. I can fight His presence, not listen to His voice (or in this analogy, buzz), but He will always be there loving me all the same.
So now every night when I hear that mosquito, I thank God for never leaving my side. No matter how many times I ignore Him or try to make Him away because I think I can do it on my own He never leaves.

So thank you mosquito for the lesson, but you are not God. Not even close, so if you could leave for good and stop buzzing in my ear, I would greatly appreciate it.
This week I would encourage you to find God in every part of your day. Let Him in on every thought, every fear, every joy, because the truth is, He is a part of everything whether you chose to acknowledge His presence or not.

“Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.”
Psalm 73:23-24

Update:

The final weeks here in Coimbatore are coming to a close. I have been busy preparing for the papers, presentations and exams that are all due the last week of November. Along with schoolwork I am trying to make the most of my time left here. I cannot believe in less than three weeks we will be leaving for two weeks of travel in the north. Crazy how fast time flew by!

Great Day

Like the title says, today was a great day!

Started the day off the day right with a little yoga on the roof.

Finished the day off right with an amazing dinner.

Dosa. Sambar. Coconut Chutney. Tomato Chutney. Mint Chutney.

Poori. Potato Masala. Coconut Chutney.

Tea.

A sweet.

Broken Heart

Dear Hindu Boy,


You break my heart.

You pray to gods and worship idols because that is what your family does.

You do not know any better because Hinduism is so deeply rooted in your culture.

You make me thankful to have grown up in a Christian home.

If I had grown up in a Hindu family would I be worshipping idols just like you?

You always look forward to Saturdays because a group comes to your village every week to tell you about Jesus.

For three hours you sing, dance, pray and learn about Jesus Christ.

The only reason your parents let you come is to learn good habits.

Other kids have to fight with their parents in order to come.

Will you get in trouble if you tell them what you learned or if they see you praying?

Is three hours a week enough to teach you about Jesus if Hinduism is not only your family, village, and country’s religion, but way of life?

I wish there was something I could do for you.

All I know to do is pray for all the girls and boys like you.