The Twins finally have their party

So, for some reason the Twins that live downstairs didn't have their big birthday bash until today, but it was worth the wait! You'd think someone was getting married or something. Family members from out of town were there as well as almost every family that lives on our street. It was interesting seeing people in our neighborhood at a semi-formal function. I got excited when I started recognizing people. "Hey, that's the kid that rides his bike with training wheels that are bent up off the ground and don't even function!" "Hey, that's the family that owns the German shepherd!" Can you tell that I'm easily amused?

These are some pics of the lunch we had.

This is in the family's garage/ice business. They set up three rows of tables and people ate food in shifts. That thing that the guy is holding up is a banana leaf which they served the food on. Before they serve the food, you cover the leaf with water (I guess this makes it easier to grab the food?).


Here's a picture I took of the food after they served it, actually this was in the beginning of the meal, so this is a fraction of the food they served us. Sorry it's not a better pic. I took this after I had already started eating (with my right hand, mind you) and I'm really bad at taking pictures with my left hand only. The food made my nose run like crazy, but was sooo good. I love the food, but it's really hard to finish everything they serve you because it's such a large quantity of rice, bread and side dishes. My roommate and I were the last people that finished our food. The Indians probably finished 10 minutes before we did. Imagine this room with these tables, everyone has cleared out, and there in the back are two white girls sweating with runny noses furiously trying to finish their rice. Yeah, that was us.

After the lunch, we went into the family's flat to visit with all the relatives and wish the twins a happy birthday, or happy "burday" as they say here. I ended up chatting with a girl my age who lives and works in our city. She trains tech support employees how to answer calls and how to perfect their accent and grammar (all the calls they get are from people in US). So, if you end up calling Apple, CitiBank or probably any credit card/computer company really for tech support or troubleshooting, you may end up talking to this girl!

Have a great weekend everyone!

-C

Easter Sunday at the Orphanage

On Easter I went to an orphanage to hang out with the girls, play games with them and enjoy a meal together. There were around 150 orphan girls on the day I visited. These are the "Juniors". They were my group for games. Check out the flickr for more pics (see link at left).

He is Risen!

C

Holi Cow!

Just a taste of holi in B'lore. For more pictures of the holi festivities (and a very colorful covered Camille), go to my flickr site.

-C

Update A Week Later.

Dear Friends,
Much has happened that I need to update you on! So, the dinner with the student from Iran, "CeCe", went really well. There was also another couple there from Iran who know Him and who have lived here for the past three years. The husband, who I'll call "James", shared with us how he came to know the father and the persecution he's experienced since that time. His whole family has disowned him, his wife, and their 12-year old son. His father called him once to tell him he couldn't come back home unless he turned back to his previous faith. This was mostly a warning given out of love to protect James from what he will face when he returns to his home country.

James shared with us how the government from his homeland has found out about his decision and how they are already calling him with death threats and warnings to not return to his home city. James and his family will move back to their home country in three months.

The last thing James shared with us was a dream he had a few months ago. In his dream he was in his home country and there were several people swimming in a lake. Suddenly, a giant bird swooped down and started attacking people in the water. James remembers thinking, "I can stand here on the shore helpless or I can jump into the water and try to save these people." In his dream, he chose the latter and jumped in the water to save his country people. He explained to us how powerful and real this dream was and how he sees it as a clear sign of what he is supposed to do and why he is supposed to return to Iran. He has counted the great cost, yet he's still obedient to His leading. Needless to say, we were all in tears at the end of his story, especially when he told us of the persecution he is already experiencing here.

It was a powerful night and I'm glad my new friend from Iran "Cece" was able to join us and hear James' story. Before we left, James gave CeCe a CD with the word on it in her language.

I asked James how many Iranian students were in this city (these demographics were part of his thesis for his Ph.D.). He told me when he came here three years ago, he only knew of 15 students from Iran. Now, in just three years time, there are more than 3000!


Please pr for...

-CeCe - that James' story would have an impact on her and that she would have a desire to read the word from the CD she received. Also, she is having trouble enrolling in classes at the university here, so pr. that she would be able to register and start classes soon.

-Pr. that I'll have opportunities to meet up with CeCe again and get to know her better (she lives very close to me!).

-Pr. for "James", his wife "Suzie", and their 12-year old son, "Adam". Pr. that He would be preparing them for what they have to face when they return to their home country in a few months. Pr. that they would be a light to the people around them in this city and to those in their home city.

-Pr. for James' family. Pr. for doors to open for James to be able to see his family again and share with them about Him. Pr. that He would soften James' family's heart's (especially his father's and brothers' hearts) to hearing about James' obedience and his new life in Him.

-Pr. for the 3000+ Iranian students in this city that have never heard of Him. There is much more freedom to talk about Him here than in their homeland. Pr. that He would urge them to ask questions about the word and have opportunities to meet those who believe.

Finally friends, for those of you who are reading this from the US, rejoice in the freedoms you have there. You can choose to read the word, share your story and most importantly, share His story with whomever you want. So many in the world, like James, don't have these freedoms or they don't have these freedoms without a huge cost. I urge you to remember these things, especially as we prepare to celebrate the great sacrifice He made for people in every country.

Blessings,

C

Neighbor's Birthday

This is my neighbor's twin son and daughter posing with their auntie on their third birthday. Keeping with birthday tradition, they stopped by our flat to bring us a piece of their birthday cake...yes, they brought us cake, not the other way around. They were kind of shy in this pic, but they warmed up the longer they stayed, especially after they discovered our twirly chair. See more pics (that are upright and don't require a head-tilt) here.

Rain and New Friends.

It's raining here! We so desperately needed the rain. It hasn't rained since I first arrived in January, and it's been incredibly dry and dusty here, especially on my route to work because they're doing construction on that road to widen it for the new airport. My roommate and I were starting to have eye problems because of the dry, dusty climate. We were even starting to ride to work with our eyes shut.

Last night it rained and it's raining this very moment. I'm so thankful for the cooler weather and less dust. I guess it's a trade-off, though. Dusty roads + lots of rain + no road drainage system = flooding/mud!

Also, I've been invited to dinner party tonight. There will be a girl my age (a student) and a family from Iran there. I'm really excited about meeting this girl as I've heard a lot about her from my friend that first met her on the street in our neighborhood. If you're reading this this morning maybe you can say a pr. for me and my friends. Hope to post more updates on this later...

Have a great weekend,

C

Everyday is a Holiday

This is my neighbor's house across the street. I didn't even notice the decorations until I was cooking dinner that night and looked out my kitchen window. The next day the lights were gone and this is pretty typical here. No, they're not celebrating Christmas three months late. Most likely, someone in this household is getting married or a baby was born...or anything really. Anything to decorate and have a celebration. Indians are really good at this and put our holidays to shame. Because of the diverse population and religions in this country, it seems like every other day is a reason to celebrate some holiday. Last week was International Women's Day, a big deal here (was it the same in the States?).

Next week is a perfect example of what I mean:

Friday, March 21st - Good Friday and Eid-E-Milad
Saturday, March 22nd - Holi
Sunday, March 23rd - Easter

In just three days, Christian, Hindu and Mslm holidays are celebrated! I'm really interested to see what Holi will be like here. I've heard that it's celebrated with more fervor in the North and sometimes lasts up to a week long. In preparation for Holi, I'm wearing the worst outfit I have (aka "clothes I don't mind getting ruined"). Throwing colored powder is a big part of Holi and I'm told these colors usually stain clothes permanently. Still, it should make for some good pics that I hope to post here sometime next week.

Holi or Phagwah (Bhojpuri) is a popular, Hindu spring festival, observed in North India and Nepal, also called the Festival of Colours. In West Bengal, it is known as Dolyatra (Doljatra) or Boshonto Utsav ("spring festival").

On the first day, bonfires are lit at night to signify burning the demoness Holika, Hiranyakashipu's sister.

On the second day, known as Dhuleti, people spend the day throwing coloured powder and water at each other. The spring season, during which the weather changes, is believed to cause viral fever and cold. Thus, the playful throwing of the coloured powders has a medicinal significance: the colours are traditionally made of Neem, Kumkum, Haldi, Bilva, and other medicinal herbs prescribed by Āyurvedic doctors. A special drink called thandai is prepared, sometimes containing bhang (Cannabis sativa). People invite each other to their houses for feasts and celebrations later in the evening.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi)

Eid-E-Milad is the the festival of the birth of the Prophet Muhammed. Look under "Observances" here to learn more about this festival.