Rest and Renewal

This time in Delhi has been a blessing for us, but also has been a retreat of sorts. We've been separated from our work in Shimla and Himachal Pradesh but have been able to use this time to reflect and fix some of the issues that have arose in our own hearts. I believe that everyone needs a time to sit back and just listen to the Lord as he shows us little hidden issues that we have not seen in a long time. We will not only return to Shimla with a baby, but with a renewed vision and passion. I know that we are in a rare circumstance to completely pack up our lives and move for a month, but I do pray that you will find rest this Christmas. The kind of rest that renews your heart and your soul and leaves you fulfilled with a purpose that comes only from the Lord.

that big ole' belly!

well, we are coming near the end and i think it is hilarious the way my belly looks. I feel like you can't get the full effect unless you see the belly itself...I really hope men don't look at this site because that would be pretty embarrassing. As you can see, I got the line and I hope it goes away. Levi always laughs at me when I am changing because he says I look so funny...and I must say that I agree with him. I praise the Lord for no stretch marks so far! Only like a week or two to go and hopefully this big ole' belly will shrink a little!

Saying Goodbye

One of the hardest things to do here is to say goodbye. We have never had to say that word so many times. It feels like we live a life of hi's and goodbyes...and I must say that is one of the hardest things about this job. This week we had a party and said goodbye to two couples. The first one is a retired couple from the states who had planned on staying for another three years and then last year found out he has Lou Gehrig's disease...it has progressed and they must go home. So sad. We will miss them as she has been the nurse when we were stressing over sickness and he has booked tickets for us when we couldn't make it to the mall to get them. They are major servants, Mississippi born and bred, and have been special to us.

The next couple is an even harder goodbye. We met at FPO and have hung out ever since. They spent last Thanksgiving with us, we stay with them when we pass through Delhi, and now their 2 years are up. Amberley found out she was pregnant just months after I did and we have had so much fun being pregnant together. It is almost like a dream for them to be leaving. I can't let it take root in my mind that they won't be coming back in a few weeks. But their families are in Arkansas and that is not far at all from MS so we have already made plans to meet again. We love them and will not be able to replace this sweet friendship that will now be separated by much more than an 8 or 9 hour journey to the city.

Christmas time is coming!

We are staying in an older couple's house while we are here in Delhi. They are not "old" just older. They retired in the states and can afford some of the "finer things in life" here in Delhi so we have enjoyed their nice house and nice furniture. For us, Delhi has been a whole new world. We are just country people who can sit on the front porch for hours and dream about our kids growing up with animals of all kinds, sports, and lots of time outside. The city has definitely given us a change of pace. We are shocked that we like it so much! We really miss our "home" in Shimla and just the village life, but it has been so awesome to be amongst so many western things while here. There is an awesome export store here where I have racked up on house stuff, and at least 4 shirts for pregnancy. The malls are decked out with Christmas and there are times where Levi and I are frozen in awe! I don't think Wyatt will show up before Christmas, we are hoping he will wait until after Christmas is over so we can still have a big Christmas breakfast and a good lunch with my mom and our friends here in Delhi. Here are some pics of what our place looks like for Christmas this year.

 I love the stockings! So cute!

 I've gone crazy shopping this year. Levi (AkA Scrooge) has handled buying stuff pretty good. As long as I can space out the buying by a couple of days, he doesn't have too many melt downs! ;) I have to make sure I buy him something almost every time and then he is happy. Pitiful!

 This is a German advent calendar. It has chocolate in it for each day until Christmas

I got these decorations at the export store. I definitely love that place! I brought the candles from Shimla. They came last year from America for Christmas. Nothing better than the smells of Christmas!

Christmas is coming!

Well, I'm not enjoying preggo pics of myself these days. I'm 36 weeks here! But I had to post a picture of the German Christmas Mela's gingerbread house in Delhi. Levi and I were in Shimla last year for Christmas and didn't see many decorations at all. It didn't really feel like Christmas. This year we are in Delhi and are experiencing a totally different feel. We get to go to an English speaking church where we can sing Christmas Carols and we get to go to malls and see all kinds of Christmas decorations. There is even an export store here with tons of Christmas stuff for sale. We are loving this!

Surprise Baby Shower

I am not one to really enjoy the idea of parties centered around me. I hate the idea of them...but when they actually happen, I really love them! I didn't think I cared about a baby shower. Showers tend to overwhelm me, but when these ladies surprised me with a time of gifts, sharing and lots of prayer....well, the Lord used it to bless me in ways I had no idea that I needed! As they prayed over me, my sister Emily, and our little ones I found myself in tears of joy and gratefulness! You never fully understand what a gift of love can do for your soul. On this retreat I was able to talk to others about Wyatt coming, get advice, and just fully enjoy pregnancy. (Indians don't talk about the baby for fear of bad luck)

What a sweet time, one I will NEVER forget! And we got lots of cute things! I praise the Lord so much for these ladies who have stepped in to take the role of family and friends.

Fun Meeting

A couple of weeks ago Levi and I went to our cluster meeting. We met with lots of friends who do the same thing we do and talk about business stuff. But, we also got to play! They had a flat yard there with real grass (something we don't get in Shimla) and Levi and I brought our baseball gloves that we got when we went to Thailand. We have been DYING to play for a long time so we called in all the little boys and it was pretty awesome! Here are some pics!

Levi waited for at least 30 minutes for more friends to play with. Then he settled for frisbee. But friends finally came, and he had a blast!

When Village people come to stay

We leave at the end of this week to move to Delhi for 2 months to have the baby. Unfortunately, this is also the week where everyone has decided to visit us. This morning our Indian friends came to stay. One is a teenager who has never left the village (we are talking no bathroom, no running water, little electricity, ect.) It has been so funny teaching her about the shower, making sure she uses the toilet instead of the floor, and taking them out to eat Indian food since we have cleaned out our food for the move! It has been a sweet and exhausting time. They leave tomorrow and we will welcome 5 Americans who work in another part of India. I believe they will stay even after we leave our house. We will pick up a friend and his 2 kids on the way to Delhi and they will stay with us in Delhi before we go to a conference. After the conference, one of our teammates is wanting to stay with us for a night or two on her way back up to Shimla. We hope to find some rest after these weeks are over. We are so glad to have this time with our Indian friends before we leave. They are so funny about this baby! Everyone can tell that I'm pregnant these days so I get tons of advice to stay at home and make Levi do all the work. They say it is the only time for Indian women to rest while their husbands serve them! Indian food is back on the menu for me so my landlady (Indian mom) is proudly cooking all she can. I must say that although we are so excited about Delhi because we can order Pizza Hut delivery, get chicken strips at KFC and go to Hard Rock, we are finding this move for the next few months so hard! Shimla has become a home to us and leaving is not fun. I'm sure our trip back home will be one we will be longing for!

visitors!

We have great friends from Nashville who were working in Delhi for 2 years. They will be heading back on the 15th of November and came to visit Shimla for 2 days. They got to ride the toy train back home.We had a great visit together. Here are some pictures!

Melissa's surprise for Wyatt!

Melissa and I became best friends at Meridian Community College. She is amazing. She has never failed to forget a birthday, anniversary, ect. Now she once again went out of her way to bless me again. My Indian friends are amazed at the diaper wreath and my favorite was the "motherly advice". I will keep it forever. Thanks so much Melissa for these awesome goodies! It totally made my week! Love you friend

Shower in boxes! Thanks Courtney and Nicky Tutor!

We were so blessed today to receive 3 boxes full of newborn diapers, wipes, and baby things. Courtney and Nicky were some of Lindsey's best friends in college and have blown us away while we have been overseas. We feel that God has really used them to encourage us and bless us beyond measure. Thank you will never be enough to repay all that you have done for us. We are so very thankful and love yall so much. May the Lord bless you guys beyond measure. P.S. Levi loves his magazines too Nicky!

31 Weeks!

Whew! 31 weeks and I feel really big these days! I drink tons of water and the swelling and fluid retention have definitely arrived!  Wyatt moves all the time now and is already very strong when he hits and kicks. Looking forward to a couple of weeks in Shimla and getting this little one's room ready. Only a few more weeks and our lives will change dramatically. I think we are beginning to process this more and more

Electrocuted

Today the lady that cleans my floors decided to clean the bathroom. This is a rare event that happens when she wants to be nice to me. Today she did it while the washing machine was running. She cleans by dumping water everywhere (very strange and don't worry I always come behind her and clean again). Today she came downstairs and told me that she kept getting electrocuted! I had to explain to her that pouring water all over the place while the washing machine was running in a house that is not grounded is a bad idea. Oh my.

Feeling my sister's pain

My little sister, Emily, found out she was pregnant a couple of months after we did. We were so excited to go through this together. Then she found out she was having twins and we realized our situations would be a little different. She is having girls and we are having a boy. But now Emily is going to the doctor at least twice a week two hours away and there is always a fear that she is going to lose the girls. It has taken an unspoken toll on our family. I am 2 years older than Emily and so much of me feels this strange need to protect her from pain. When she went through a tough breakup, I was ready to kill the guy. It took me forever to forgive him and move on. Now I am on the other side of the world and there is NOTHING I can do to fix this. There is nothing we can do to take away the fear and the pain that she feels every day. She is 20 weeks and has to make it to 30. So ten or 11 more weeks of drudging through the trenches and learning more about the depth of the Lord's grace and mercy. I know I have no choice but to watch and pray as she struggles, so that I will do. It is hard. I find myself torn between excitement of Wyatt coming and this melancholy lull as I constantly think of the twins situation. If the twins make it to 30 weeks they will be born around the same time as Wyatt. If they don't make it then Wyatt will be a constant reminder of their loss. Uggh! Very hard times right now. Please continue to pray for us, for our family, and especially for Emily and Mike.

Arranged marraige

This is one of my favorite parts of an Indian newspaper. Never gets old! Kinda like this magazine my dad always picked up to see what things were for sale. At the end of the magazine was the meet-a-mates!  But in these articles, the parents are the likely ones who are sending out the ad for their children!