(this was written yesterday - but I am only now able to get to an internet cafe)
Well, after over 24 hours in transit, we arrived in Delhi at last! (granted, 8 of those hours were spent waiting in airports!) We landed a half an hour early, breezed through customs and had all of our bags arrive with us! Definitely a GOOD day! (quite shocking, actually, if you know ANYTHING about how things happen in India!) We discovered this morning that they did not ask me for some paperwork that was securely tucked inside my passport… ooopsie!
We were greeted by my dear friend Palwesh and another friend of his that grew up in the orphanage I used to visit. It breaks my heart that I cannot return there to visit, however, I have found out that there are only 190 children there (as opposed to the 1400 that were there before!) so I may not even know any of the children that are there today.
My accommodations are meager, but comfortable. I have not one, but TWO fans in my room!! (so anyone that knows me, knows I am in hog heaven!) However, to compensate with that slice of heaven, they only have a squatty potty here… If you don’t know what I am referring to, PLEASE check out this link so you can fully understand my plight! But God is good, and it all works out in the wash and all that other blah, blah, blah… I’m just happy to be here!
I slept almost the entire flight from Chicago to Delhi with the help of Benedryl! (Babu said he was jealous!) Then when we arrived here at the house, I took more & slept off & on all night. He hasn’t slept much, so will force himself to stay awake today and take Benedryl tonight in attempts to catch up. He has a lot to do in the coming weeks, so please keep him in your prayers! Pray for favor & grace as he deals with officials in attempts of establishing the second Asha Mission home.
Babu has just left with a copy of my passport. Apparently, the local authorities have to be made known of my existence! Helps them have more of a controlling edge on what is going on in their community, I guess. He has put minutes on a cell phone that I can use while I am here. In India (as it is in most countries other than ours) you don’t get charged for incoming calls, only outgoing. If you are interested in having the number, please send me a note. You should check with your provider to find out about international charges (it can be quite expensive).
Well, after over 24 hours in transit, we arrived in Delhi at last! (granted, 8 of those hours were spent waiting in airports!) We landed a half an hour early, breezed through customs and had all of our bags arrive with us! Definitely a GOOD day! (quite shocking, actually, if you know ANYTHING about how things happen in India!) We discovered this morning that they did not ask me for some paperwork that was securely tucked inside my passport… ooopsie!
We were greeted by my dear friend Palwesh and another friend of his that grew up in the orphanage I used to visit. It breaks my heart that I cannot return there to visit, however, I have found out that there are only 190 children there (as opposed to the 1400 that were there before!) so I may not even know any of the children that are there today.
My accommodations are meager, but comfortable. I have not one, but TWO fans in my room!! (so anyone that knows me, knows I am in hog heaven!) However, to compensate with that slice of heaven, they only have a squatty potty here… If you don’t know what I am referring to, PLEASE check out this link so you can fully understand my plight! But God is good, and it all works out in the wash and all that other blah, blah, blah… I’m just happy to be here!
I slept almost the entire flight from Chicago to Delhi with the help of Benedryl! (Babu said he was jealous!) Then when we arrived here at the house, I took more & slept off & on all night. He hasn’t slept much, so will force himself to stay awake today and take Benedryl tonight in attempts to catch up. He has a lot to do in the coming weeks, so please keep him in your prayers! Pray for favor & grace as he deals with officials in attempts of establishing the second Asha Mission home.
Babu has just left with a copy of my passport. Apparently, the local authorities have to be made known of my existence! Helps them have more of a controlling edge on what is going on in their community, I guess. He has put minutes on a cell phone that I can use while I am here. In India (as it is in most countries other than ours) you don’t get charged for incoming calls, only outgoing. If you are interested in having the number, please send me a note. You should check with your provider to find out about international charges (it can be quite expensive).
There are 3 new children at the orphanage - they just came last week. I mention it now because the little boy, who speaks only Bihari, is standing next to me watching me type this. He has an amazing smile, and, believe it or not, is named Santos. This is him...
Who knew this was a Bihari name!?! Koman and Simrian are the girls names. They are sisters. There father died recently and their mother could no longer afford to take care of them. They are quite sad, but of course, I am doing my best to bring them out of their shell. Santos & Koman are old enough to go to school, but because they moved here so late in the school year, officials will not allow them to attend. They are trying to get them into a small, local government school (our equivalent to public school) - while the other children go to a “public” school which is equivalent to our private schools. They pay over $500 a month for the children to attend there. Pray specifically that Babu can meet with a lady that operates a nice, Christian school here in Delhi. He would LOVE for these children to attend her school, but it is quite expensive. If God can move mountains, He can surely arrange this, right?The pastor (Saji) and his sweet wife (Gracie) take impeccable care of these children despite their humble surroundings. It is a nice, family atmosphere.
There isn’t much for me to do, so I have spent some time here on Babu’s laptop typing out this message. I’ll then save it to a flash drive and we’ll eventually visit an internet café where I can upload it to my blog… EVERYTHING in India takes at least 5 times longer than in the states!
In the coming weeks, I hope to spend some time with a childhood friend who is working with another ministry here in Delhi. She’s been here a couple of years. The ONLY thing she asked me to bring her from the states was brown sugar! Can you believe that?
Stay tuned.....
1 comment:
Is this my friend too? If so, tell her I said hello, and tell Babu hey for me as well. Keeping you in my prayers and loving the details and pictures!!!! :)
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