I celebrated my 25th birthday this week and it was a joy to spend it in India with my team. Our ministry contact knew it was my birthday so he planned Thursday to be our off day so we had the whole day to do fun things! Here’s a little glimpse into what it looked like.
We had breakfast at the normal 7:30 and then we got ready and spent time with Jesus. Around mid-morning, we left to go into the city a little more and find the henna man. He wasn’t hard to find but negotiating a price proved a little more difficult. Eventually, we all got henna for 200-300 rupees each, which is about $3-5 USD. When they do the design, it looks like puff paint and after it dries you peel it off and it is like a stain on your hand that is supposed to last for a few weeks. We walked around for a while after that and found a nice Americanized restaurant that had A/C. They don’t eat a lot of meat in India and I had been craving beef so I was so excited to order sirloin strips. It was delicious and only like $5!
After lunch, we got flurries from McDonald’s and got a rickshaw (the main form of transportation here besides the public buses that are crammed full) to go back to the house. We stopped by the house for a few minutes and then walked up the street to an awesome salon and spa that we found. I got probably one of the best pedicures of my life, partially because the service was incredible but also because my feet have been in a constant state of dirty for the past 3 months.
Kate, Nancy, and I then walked to the nearby coffee shop just for a treat. We love visiting the coffee shop because they have good coffee, delicious sweets, it’s just around the corner, and it’s a quiet place without distractions. They don’t have Wi-fi and at first was a bummer but now I am thankful that they don’t because we can go just to read or spend time with the Lord or hang out together. A Christian couple from Kansas owns the coffee shop and they also run an orphanage for girls around the corner. We met the lady and she invited us over to the house for dinner some time so that was an added bonus to our visit!
We went back to the house and watched a few episodes of Friends before dinner. We had dinner at home and then a few more episodes of Friends. If you know me, you know that watching Friends is the perfect ending to any day! (Side note: the Esther house where we are living houses about a dozen girls who come from rough backgrounds and they are learning different trades like cooking and sewing so they can get jobs. So they prepare most of our meals for us). I got a surprise, enormous flower garland from the other team that we are with this month. Two of my teammates then came back with an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins! Their rickshaw driver had gotten lost trying to get back home so it was half-melted but it was still so good!
It was difficult not getting to be with my family, especially with the passing of my grandfather this week but I had a wonderful day surrounded by people who love me well. Thank you to all of you back home for the Facebook comments or Instagram posts as well! I will try to do another post soon to update you on life and ministry here in India.
Love to all!
Alyssa
