Here’s the skinny on our race to the Taj Mahal!
Thursday morning at 6am, 5 jeeps pulled into the orphanage ready to take us on the 4 hour journey to the Taj Mahal. As our race rules met to get the list of tasks we had to perform on the way, the others cast lots for driver and vehicle. We got a very nice guy wearing a turban and a vehicle with very colorful interior. The race began and we jumped in.
Immediately, we started working on our first task of finding and writing out 20 verses that have to do with poverty. This we shortly interrupted as we passed a group of water buffalos. Gary, Katherine, and I quickly hugged the hairy neck beast, while Ashley snapped our photo. Back in the car and on the road.
It was several hours before we could accomplish anything else. However, these few hours were not wasted as we got to see some monkeys, camels, an elephant, and an Adriatic bear. The roads of India…more like a jungle safari.
Finally we pulled up to McDonalds and ordered some food without using English or pointing to signs. Then we found out 5 facts about Hindi culture by asking one of the workers at McDs. We were even able to complete one more task, finding a foreigner from one of the countries we have visited (the good ole USA). We were off and on the tail of the Blue team. Yellow and Brown were close behind, coming into McDonalds as we were leaving.
Only 2 tasks remained. One was buying a pair of shoes and giving them to a needy person, and the other was taking a picture with a snake charmer and snake. The shoes were easily accomplished, but our complimentary guide we picked up on the way said that we would not find a snake charmer or any live snakes. We asked around and everyone else said the same thing.
We faced a choice. Do we go into the Taj Mahal and bank on the fact that no one else will find one either or do we keep looking? We opted to go in and visit one of the best buildings I have ever seen. However, tragedy struck on the way through security. Of all the things that could be confiscated from my bag…Flat Phil was detained and denied access to the Taj! Don’t worry though, he was placed at the coat check and promptly picked up upon exit. Whew!!!
The Taj Mahal is amazing architecture. The symmetrical white marble building with inlay stones was built over a period of 22 years by over 20,000 men for the king’s beloved wife who died in the childbirth of her 14th child. Our guide kept telling us that the Taj was a symbol of amazing architecture and even more of undying love. I kept thinking how cool this building was, but how much better Heaven is going to be and how much more our God loves us!
On the way out, after I took pictures with many many people whom I’m pretty sure had never seen someone with red hair before, we ran into the Brown team, who had found a snake charmer! Their guide somehow knew a friend of a friend’s uncle’s cousin’s nephew’s friend who knew a snake charmer. The Yellow team had followed them their as well. So now to finish the race, our guide got directions and we head to find snakes.
We arrived at the back alley restaurant where someone called the snake charmer to come out. He brought his 3 cobras out that he charmed with his snake charming pipe and a viper, which Katherine put around her neck. While I don’t like snakes much…that was one incredible experience.
Overall, even though we were first to the Taj, we ended up in 4th place. The Blue team happened upon a random snake charmer on the way and came in first. The poor Lime team drew the bad vehicle that had 2 flats. They also struggled finding a snake charmer. We definitely had fun and enjoyed experiences.
The past week has been spent mostly painting. We have only one big room left to go and then the outside of the building. I can’t believe there is only one week left before we leave. It is going to be hard to tell these kids bye! They have been so loving and really opened up to us more!
Tomorrow I am going with the group to a leper colony. Please pray for me because as most of you know, I don’t do well with human abnormalities. Pray that God give me the strength to show Christ’s love to these people!
