Traveling half way across the world… we are here. India is as we left it. The people are overflowing with joy and excitement. The services and experience in the last week alone have been beautiful and full of God's grace, mercy and power. For now all I have is iPhone/Instagram photos to share. My camera won't connect to my computer… prayers that we find a card reader soon!
Our trip started with a 8 hour flight from Minneapolis to Paris, a couple hours spent in the airport and we boarded our second flight to Mumbai. The flights were spent movie watching, attempting to sleep, the occasional reading of books (aka: kindle) and the "delicious" (sarcasm) smell (and sometimes taste) of airplane cuisine. Our arrival into Mumbai was smooth and getting through customs without any hick up's is always a blessing. Off to a little hotel for a night stay and then back to the airport for our final flight to Hyderabad. The shower and the hours of sleep we got were priceless and the second flight went smoothly. Then into a car for a 6+ hour drive on Indian roads, where horns are honked and bumps and swerving are a normal occurrence. Sleep is impossible but when the sun set it was inevitable.
Our arrival at 9:00 pm (9:30am Minnesota time) was a large group of people with flowers to throw and garlands to go around our necks. As we walk through the tunnel of petals falling into our faces their voices sang "we welcome you in the name of Jesus." This is our home for the next five weeks. After bringing our bags up to our "apartment" we were hauled off to dinner : rice, chicken curry, chicken fry, thumbs up, and ice-cream. Then back home to make our beds with our clean sheets from Minnesota only to fall fast sleep in seconds. The next few days were filled with getting things figured out. When you are gone for 11 months there are so many little things to iron out.
We snuck to the grocery store and filled our cart with snacks : Tic Tac's, Mento's, Lays chips, Little Hearts, and Appy Fiz. Upon returning home we cleaned all our shelves and began unpacking, attempting to make everything feel like home. B, sister and I stay above the bible school in what we call the apartment. It is a two room, two bathroom area. We have a little spot on the terrace with chairs. Inside we have a fridge and a little gas stove. It has all you need for a month stay. Showers are warm, and come from a bucket. It's like being a little kid again washing your hair with a cup of water. But it is a blessing after being covered in sweat and bug spray from the days and evening spent out and about.
Nothing is like America. The people are different, the culture is hugely different, the food is different, the language is different, everything is different. Even the third time around I am amazed at how everything is here. Sometimes the chaos can be overwhelming but when you take the time to sit, breath and enjoy the moment, you take in the beauty that surrounds you. God's glory is everywhere.