One Week for the Streets

Thursday, August 29, 2013

One Week Mark!

By this point we now have a working phone, our own internet, a refrigerator, and a washing

machine (that we can’t use yet). Amos and Justice have made their ways into many hearts on

campus. I’ve been able to visit in four other apartments, chatting with very wonderful ladies.

Anim has helped us with our laundry and is planning on taking me grocery shopping. Sharda has

put me more at ease with having a home birth, and took me to her OB/GYN doctor today for a

regular checkup. Akim is all alone in her apartment and was very glad, I think, that I knocked on

the “wrong” door trying to find Sharda’s apartment. J I think we will have very good visits in

the future. Preety is very outgoing and is fun to talk to.

Amos asks every day, “Are the kids outside?” He is thriving on the little school books we

brought with us in our backpacks, and I think he’ll be ready for the curriculum that is being

shipped once it gets here. I’ve been asked almost every day about Amos going to school, so I

have started turning that into an opportunity to explain why we feel it is important and that it

is our responsibility, biblically, to teach our children about the Lord all throughout each day.

So far I haven’t had any response to that. I’m learning how to manage my days between two

active boys, the hot afternoon, and the evening visiting time. I think there is a routine slowly

developing, although a good deal of that will change once we begin language classes and I start

to cook.

On that note – we get to meet with the language school director, Rollee Narrain, and another

American couple next week! Yay! We will have a meet and greet time, and then we will talk

about our schedules for doing classes, which should start next week. We found out about a lady

who sweeps and mops the floors daily for several apartments on campus, and we might enlist her

help (with money, of course) in our apartment as well. It’s about six US dollars a month. Yeah –

wow. And that’s helping her out.

I found out that prenatal care is also very cheap – and it is considered expensive here in India.

Around 3 dollars will pay for a checkup, 6 dollars for an ultrasound, and about 300 dollars for

delivery. My checkup went well. Everyone here was very nervous about me, so I think they

will be relieved now that I have seen the doctor. After being at the maternity home, though, I’m

pretty sure I want to stick with a home birth if possible, especially since I don’t speak Hindi. The

doctor could speak English, but I could tell she is much more comfortable with Hindi, and I’m

afraid that might cause problems in the middle of delivery and things may not go like I would

want them to.

Andrew has found out more than he ever would want to know about Indian mechanisms so far –

or the lack of them. After 5 visits to the phone store and many hours later, he has finally got our

cell phone working, but is still wrestling with getting the internet package working that he signed

up for. (News flash: he got it.)

Andrew has been to chapel once this week, and was very impressed with the message on the

book of  Joel. He wants to be more regular in attending those if he can. He was also able to help

Sundara Raj by taking pictures of all of the 1

purposes. I had my first motorcycle ride today to the maternity home. J That was fun. One of

the staff took me, since there was some confusion on having a driver available. We have found

that (1) you can’t count on anything happening the way it’s planned, (2) relationships are very

important here, and (3) the Lord is faithful to keep His promises and His word to us – as we seek

Him, He is found, and satisfies our hunger for Him.

nd

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 and 2

 year students. This is for fundraising

Shopping & Scrubbing

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Scrubbing and shopping – the two things we’ve been doing the most in the past 36 hours. I’ve been cleaning windows and getting the kitchen in order, and Andrew is out buying a refrigerator right now. We still aren’t quite ready to eat here at the guesthouse, but it’s getting a lot closer. J Okay…later: Andrew picked out a refrigerator, but couldn’t buy it today. He also purchased a cell phone but couldn’t get it activated today. Very warm-culture. Amos has been playing very well today by himself. Please pray for Justice – he has been very tired today and may be having some intestinal issues.

Andrew saw our apartment today – it’s quite large. It takes up the whole bottom floor of a building. The ceilings are REALLY high – like you could put a second floor in. We feel a little weird moving in there when the guesthouse is much more standard for faculty here. We would be happy staying in the guesthouse and making that our home. We’ll see what they say.

We can hear the Muslim call to prayer multiple times a day. In Allahabad, 20% are Muslims – a larger than average percentage.

I’ve seen a couple mice in Sundar Raj’s house, but none in ours so far. J We have one screen that needs replaced in our bathroom, so a lizard and mosquitoes have gotten in through there, but other than that, the house is pretty well closed in.

Today I have really missed talking and working with friends. There is so much to do, and it takes me so long to accomplish things on my own with two boys and the heat, that it’s kind of depressing if I think about it too much. We went out this evening again though, around the time when the children and adults come out (when it’s cooler – about 5:30-7pm), and I had a very nice time talking to two other mothers who live in the same apartment building. I’m really thankful for that. Amos and Justice had fun, too, with the kids. I also was encouraged by what I read in A Chance to Die, the biography on Amy Carmichael that I’m reading through. It was talking about when Amy’s mother and a close and trusted fellow worker both died in the same year – and how she had to accept the Lord’s will as being “to do without” for the time being.

So far, the topics of homeschooling and home births are very weird and “unacceptable” to the people here – we ask if it is okay to do, and they say, “No, everyone goes to the doctor,” or “No, homeschooling is not recognized.” This is really hard for me to deal with – I would really appreciate your prayers that we would have wisdom to know how to handle both situations. It also seems very much the norm for both the husband and wife to work outside of the home. They probably won’t understand that I want to stay home and take care of my family first and foremost. I’m thankful that both EFM and OMS, the mission organizations that we are working for/with, understand us and sent us anyway. J It’s just going to be interesting dealing with the subjects here on the field.

All for now – I need to get back and help get the boys ready for bed and spend some family time together. 

The Streets in Ireland

As you all know, we are now - finally - en route to India!!! It's still a little weird to be past the farewells at the airport that I've been dreading for so long, and to realize that the time changes are not going to be "changing back" for quite a long time, etc. We are VERY much enjoying our time with Jordan, Naomi, Nathanael, and Anna-Joy!! I just relish being able to watch Nathanael stomp his feet in excitement, smile, laugh, or just take everything in with his intense demeanor. Anna-Joy is so beautiful, sweet, and alert, and loves to be held, which I have enjoyed. :) Amos and Justice are having a really good time, as well. Being able to visit with Jordan and Naomi has been so refreshing too, especially since we hardly ever get to see them. Naomi and I connect in many ways through our husbands being pastors of small churches, and through having little children, and so we've had a really good time talking together.
Last night the boys were having a hard time getting to sleep, which gave both Andrew and I some extra individual prayer times. While holding Justice, I decided to sing to him, and the Lord brought to mind the song, "Day by Day." It was so encouraging in this transition time. One part that sticks out to me is where it says something like the Lord mixes toil with joy and peace. During my prayer time the Lord reminded me that while I'm in India, just like when I've gone through trials before, He will give His presence, He will mix joy with hardships, and He won't throw anything at me that I cannot handle. It has been so easy for me to picture this first year as something almost impossible that I will hardly be able to handle - and maybe that will sometimes be the case, but at times I have also forgotten the love, care, and presence of our Lord. I am so thankful for how He does take care of us, and ministers to us exactly what we need in each moment. 
Anyway, we love you ALL and you are all welcome in India!!!