We will leave tomorrow to go on a one week trip with our American friends and then live with a national family for a week or two to practice Hindi. We are very close to this family and look forward to the time with them. They own a coffee shop that caters to westerners who live at an Ashram across the street. We enjoy helping them as well as partnering in other projects.
Levi's sickness is hopefully coming to an end. We are on week two and today went to get a heart test done because he was having pain in his chest. The tests came out clear and the doctor feels that it is just acid. So we have new pills and are packing our bags. I will try to capture the travel experience for all of you. It is pretty crazy!
Our Family
Monday, February 8, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Levi's new bathtub substitution
Since Levi has been so sick, he has really been longing for a bathtub. We are bathtub people and rarely take showers in the states so living in a house that only has bucket baths can get old sometimes. Here is what I found this morning when I went into the bathroom downstairs.
So now we can sit on one bucket and pour water that we get out of the other bucket! The thing on the bucket is the floor mat. I have no idea why that is necessary.
This is for my sister Sarah. I tried to tell her that we have to turn on our hot water heater and let it heat for like 30 minutes before we get in. Sarah was so confused as to what this looks like. Well, this is it! This is our bathroom water heater inside the bathroom wall and the switch that turns it on.
Pre-Valentine Celebration
Valentines Day is definitely one of my favorite days of the year. I love the fact that on this day you are completely free to tell all those who you love how much you love them without it being weird or uncomfortable. In the states, I love to call all those I love and tell them just how much I love them. I also love to go out on an awesome date. This Valentines day will be very different for us. We will probably be in the village and not even realize that it is Valentine's day so I planned on spending this night having a romantic dinner. I bought candles a while back and found a white sheet in preparation for this day. There is a flower shop about 20 minutes away and I had a plan to go there.
Unfortunately, plans change quickly around here. Levi has been so sick and we found ourselves desiring a lazy day since this is our first day with absolutely nothing to do in a long time. The new plan came from Levi and sounded great to me: Bar-B-Que nachos (one of my favorites), Dr. Pepper, and a football movie (the Game Plan...not your average f-ball movie but not many choices).
Here is what it looks like when we make nachos!
We make our own tortillas first and then cut them up into little pieces
Then we fry them. We boil the chicken, shred it and put it in the other pan.
These are our secret ingredients! The cheez whiz, barbecue sauce and barbecue spices are from the states but we can get the jalapenos in Delhi! (maybe you can use amul cheese spread in place of cheese whiz if you live overseas)
You then mix your barbecue sauce and meat together
You put the cheese spread on top and cover it in barbecue sauce and spices and then put it in the oven until hot. This is the finished product!
Of course it is even better with these!
Unfortunately, plans change quickly around here. Levi has been so sick and we found ourselves desiring a lazy day since this is our first day with absolutely nothing to do in a long time. The new plan came from Levi and sounded great to me: Bar-B-Que nachos (one of my favorites), Dr. Pepper, and a football movie (the Game Plan...not your average f-ball movie but not many choices).
Here is what it looks like when we make nachos!
We make our own tortillas first and then cut them up into little pieces
Then we fry them. We boil the chicken, shred it and put it in the other pan.
These are our secret ingredients! The cheez whiz, barbecue sauce and barbecue spices are from the states but we can get the jalapenos in Delhi! (maybe you can use amul cheese spread in place of cheese whiz if you live overseas)
You then mix your barbecue sauce and meat together
You put the cheese spread on top and cover it in barbecue sauce and spices and then put it in the oven until hot. This is the finished product!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Conversation with my Hindi teacher
Most of the time in class, I don't get to talk much. I mostly get drilled to death about my verb usage, ect. But since today was my last class and we have finished the book, my teacher thought we could take an hour and have a real conversation in Hindi (and English when I didn't know the hindi vocab) It went like this:
Teacher: I noticed last night when you were around English and Hindi speakers that your Hindi and English are both slow. I think you are just a slow speaker.
Me: That is because I am from the south. If you think I speak slow you should hear my papaw speak! ;)
Teacher: what is the south?
Me: It is the states that are in the southern US. Mississippi is very southern. Our culture is very different from the culture of the north.
Teacher: we get a lot of people at language school from NY and California. What are they?
Me: Well, new yorkers are definitely from the North and most people from California are granola and that is a conversation for another day.
Teacher: so what does the south look like?
Me: Well, it looks different depending on where you live. I am from the village and to me it looks beautiful. Like home. My grandparents house is the staple of the neighborhood. It is where everyone just opens the door and walks on in. You can always expect a great home-cooked meal, a long conversation and a feeling of love from them. Not just for the family, but for everyone who passes by. You always have something to do outside. You can ride 4-wheelers, go fishing, hunt, just play outside because there is so much land. You know most people that you see in the store and if you don't speak, then you will hear about it from your family or your neighbor later because it is an unspoken rule to speak to everyone, to wave when passing others on the road, and to ask every store clerk how they are doing.
Teacher: I'm glad we talked about this. I always thought the US was urban only and that everyone had the same culture.
I'm just so thankful that I grew up where I did. I forget to be thankful until I am reminded by simple conversations about where I am from. They are good for the heart.
Teacher: I noticed last night when you were around English and Hindi speakers that your Hindi and English are both slow. I think you are just a slow speaker.
Me: That is because I am from the south. If you think I speak slow you should hear my papaw speak! ;)
Teacher: what is the south?
Me: It is the states that are in the southern US. Mississippi is very southern. Our culture is very different from the culture of the north.
Teacher: we get a lot of people at language school from NY and California. What are they?
Me: Well, new yorkers are definitely from the North and most people from California are granola and that is a conversation for another day.
Teacher: so what does the south look like?
Me: Well, it looks different depending on where you live. I am from the village and to me it looks beautiful. Like home. My grandparents house is the staple of the neighborhood. It is where everyone just opens the door and walks on in. You can always expect a great home-cooked meal, a long conversation and a feeling of love from them. Not just for the family, but for everyone who passes by. You always have something to do outside. You can ride 4-wheelers, go fishing, hunt, just play outside because there is so much land. You know most people that you see in the store and if you don't speak, then you will hear about it from your family or your neighbor later because it is an unspoken rule to speak to everyone, to wave when passing others on the road, and to ask every store clerk how they are doing.
Teacher: I'm glad we talked about this. I always thought the US was urban only and that everyone had the same culture.
I'm just so thankful that I grew up where I did. I forget to be thankful until I am reminded by simple conversations about where I am from. They are good for the heart.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunsets and Stoves...a picture from the kitchen
Just wanted to share a little from my kitchen. We just got back from buying a new 4-burner stove in a market about 4 hours from our house this weekend. Our two burner stove was lop-sided and was pretty hard to cook on. Since we cook at least 2 meals a day, a stove that cooks evenly was something we decided to save for. So we have been saving to get a nice 4-burner. We got a good deal on this one for only 100 bucks!
I also wanted to show you some pics I took of the last few sunsets out of our kitchen window. I get to see them almost every night because the sun goes down right as we go in the kitchen to cook supper. If you don't know this already, I am a HUGE fan of sunsets. We don't feel like we have given up much to live here. I always thought, however, that I could live anywhere as long as I had a good bathtub and a comfy bed. Our bed is good, but the bathtub is a dream that isn't likely to happen for a while. Now I have learned that I can live without the bathtub and get a bonus from the Creator every night. A love letter, if you will. Just telling me how powerful, mighty, great He is. How He can do more than I could ever imagine. I really enjoy these letters in the sky and I cherish the nights He writes to me and I take the time to read the fine print written in each stroke of His hand.
I also wanted to show you some pics I took of the last few sunsets out of our kitchen window. I get to see them almost every night because the sun goes down right as we go in the kitchen to cook supper. If you don't know this already, I am a HUGE fan of sunsets. We don't feel like we have given up much to live here. I always thought, however, that I could live anywhere as long as I had a good bathtub and a comfy bed. Our bed is good, but the bathtub is a dream that isn't likely to happen for a while. Now I have learned that I can live without the bathtub and get a bonus from the Creator every night. A love letter, if you will. Just telling me how powerful, mighty, great He is. How He can do more than I could ever imagine. I really enjoy these letters in the sky and I cherish the nights He writes to me and I take the time to read the fine print written in each stroke of His hand.
The new stove!
An Amazing sunset
Taken through the glass so a little hazy.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Sarees and Smiles
Here are a few pics with a few of our closest friends. We love this national family. They are very close to us. We spent the night eating, laughing, trying on clothes, putting on bangles, taking fun pictures and telling lots of stories. I've forgotten how much fun it is to play dress up!
P.S. Yes mom, I forgot to put on makeup. And thankfully, Indians think my pale white skin is beautiful! Not sure why or how they can think this way!
Diana is a very close friend who leaves tomorrow to go back to the states. She has been with us since we've been here and we will miss her very much!
P.S. Yes mom, I forgot to put on makeup. And thankfully, Indians think my pale white skin is beautiful! Not sure why or how they can think this way!
Diana is a very close friend who leaves tomorrow to go back to the states. She has been with us since we've been here and we will miss her very much!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
When should we "butt in"?
There is a marraige back home that is in trouble. They are pretty young in their faith and seem to have lots to blame for their problems. For some reason, the Father has put this on my heart all week. As I've been prying, I've also been asking for wisdom for the fellowship they are a part of. We live in an area where we have to have a home fellowship with Westerners for many reasons. This fellowship consists of those we work with and see on a daily basis. We know all of each other's drama. Levi and I can't even have a tiff in private because we are with people so much. The Indian way is for the fellowship leader to get involved in family problems and pull in other leaders from the fellowship to refocus the family on what really matters. America has told this lie that we should all mind each other's business which leaves young marraiges as bait for the wolves. As they are attacked by the enemy, we sit back and say..."well, it just isn't my business" and let the enemy devour the marraige that the good book says is part of the plan of the King. It is a huge covenant.
May we not be the ones accused of doing nothing while those in our fellowship have their lives torn apart. May we fight for truth, for righteousness, for love. May we humbly and gently "butt in" to people's lives and give them advice from the word instead of all the advice the enemy is telling them through the media, ect.
May we not be the ones accused of doing nothing while those in our fellowship have their lives torn apart. May we fight for truth, for righteousness, for love. May we humbly and gently "butt in" to people's lives and give them advice from the word instead of all the advice the enemy is telling them through the media, ect.
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