This is my INDIA:
1. Need a trash can? Right below you. Everywhere is a trash can except for inside a house. No fine. (SHOCKING)
2. I've peed on myself a handful of times now (EXPECTED) from going to the bathroom in squatty potties. If you want toilet paper you better have some on you.
3. Boys under the age of 5 don't wear pants so they can relieve themselves wherever, whenever. (UNCOMFORTABLE)
4. The best coffee in the world: Goat's milk, sugar, coffee grounds. (DELICIOUS)
5. Favorite: No sluts here. Everyone is covered completely from head to toe with a sari or a bonjari, no exceptions. (REFRESHING)
6. The 10 orphanage children smile more than I do… They are really teaching me how to be happy with what God has given me. (ENCOURAGING)
7. I actually eat the spicy food , (UNBELIEVABLE) if you know me you know that's huge. White rice is the main dish to every single meal, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
8. We paint with pretty much colored water here… it's very fulfilling to paint these beautiful children's homes. (INTERESTING)
9. There are no rules to the road, it's all free game. (SCARY)
10. No one shaves their legs. (UMMMM YEAH)
11. One of the villages we got to had a parade for us.. This boy dancing to men banging on their drums. They placed flowered lays they made on us…awesome experience 🙂 (SWEET)
12. Bathrooms don't exist in restaurants or basically anywhere in the town, so I find a mountain of dirt in an abandoned lot, hide and squat.. No big deal, It's just what you do. (OKAY I CAN DO THIS)
13. Coke here is 50 cents. Snickers are 25 cents.(HALLELUJAH)
14. Porn dosnt exist in India. (HOW IT SHOULD BE)
15. Everyone uses their right hand to eat, always. (OK OK)
16. Free refills of rice and everything else except for meat at restaurants… Yay! (IMPOSSIBLE?!)
17. When they say we are taking you to a "waterfall", it means a dam. It can also be mistaken for the Indian Ocean. (DISAPPOINTED)
18. Our 8 hour bus ride to our next orphanage was actually 5. We were suppose to go to the city first to get internet then to the 3rd orphanage, instead we just ended up at the orphanage, thats just one example. Everything is constantly changing. (FRUSTRATING)
19. Most people don't know what Facebook is or who Justin Beiber is. (GOOD:)
20. Bucket showers. Grab a bucket, get water from the pump, go chill near the squatty potty in the bathroom and wash away. I've been blessed to have luke warm water. (POSSIBLE)
21. Naps are common. I'm getting lots of use out of my hammock. YES!)
22. Bangles and necklaces are worn no matter how much money you make. Flowers are made into hair accessories & necklaces , then placed everywhere, even tractors. (FUN!)
24. Anyone will just come up to you and stare, for at least a couple minutes, it seems like forever. I proceed with a hello & age, then the language barrier enters the room…Ummmmm.(AWKWARD)
25. Jesus is teaching me patience. This month has been a lot about God teaching me things through my team, and just being in community.. The ups & downs. I have kept my mouth shut many times and learned to give it to God and wait on him. I'm slowly learning that no matter what happens, I should give it to God, he's the fixer not me. I just need to focus on his love and serving him. (DUCT TAPE)
26. The boys in the orphanages have one parent…the other has passed away. The reason they are at the orphanage is because their parent can't financially feed or take care of them, so this is a better solution. (FRUSTRATED & SAD)
27. If you buy candy or cookies, place it in a bag, leave it anywhere for more than a half hour, it will then be owned by ants. (NOOOOOOOOOO!)
28. Come sundown, a huge speaker on the roof of the orphanage blasts out Telegu Christian music…for the whole village to hear. (ARE YOU SERIOUS???)
29. We were called to pray for the "Grandma" of the village to walk again. "FAITH"
30. Mounibab (19) & Babland (25) are the married couple we are traveling with. Mounibab submits to her husband without question, Babland respects, loves and never over abuses the way his wife submits to him. They have the most adorable, loving, comfortable young marriage I've ever seen. (REFRESHING & HOPEFUL)
31. When they pray it's like they are saying 1,000 words per minute. (HURT MY HEAD)
32. Majority of men have never cooked, cleaned or done their laundry, it is precisely the women's job and most men marry for just that reason. (EW)
33. Arranged marriage is how most of India gets married. When it is not arranged its called a Love marriage. (THANK GOD I LIVE IN THE USA)
34. We did a prayer walk/house visit in the village. We visited a total of 10 houses. its custom when you visit someone they ALWAYS give you a snack or some tea or water. These where the snacks we received from each house: bananas, biscuits filled with coconut &sugar, desert crapes, 2bananas each, watermelon, Indian Chex mix & lime sugar water, cookies, catalope & biscuits, make do Oreos, bananas. (BEST TASTING PRAYER I'VE EVER EXPERIENCED)
M35. I got lice. (DIRTY) In India me and my team traveled to 4 different children's homes around the Anhdra Pradesh area that housed 10 girls or boys. We painted either the inside, outside or both of each children's home. We spent time with the children and people of the villages we stayed at. We had bucket showers, cleaned our clothes on rocks, ate sitting on the floor, drank the best chai in the world, visited houses and prayed over the people, I prayed for a lady to walk again that bad been paralyzed her whole life, experienced young children get down on there hands and knees and worship God better then I do. I learned to love rice and deal with spice. I learned to make different Indian foods such as;
"Indian curry:"
Sauté: oil, red onions & tomatoes.
Then throw in:
*cooked hand mushed potatoes &1 glass water
*curry powder 2 spoons
*indian leaves
*rosemary
*mint leaves
*ground up coconut, ginger & peanuts 1/2 cup
*ground up water & peanuts made into mush 1/2 cup
"Chekralu (pancake type things)"
*ground peanuts
*rice flower 1/2 cup
*oil
*tameric powder
*2 spoons chili powder
*salt Mix that and make into pancakes
"Chipathi" (tortilla)
*wheat
*oil
*salt
It's crazy how yummy chipathi is and it's only 3 ingredients! I can't wait to make these things at home 🙂
I enjoyed most how the pastor, pastor's wife and children that didn't know us or our contacts from adam greeted us with chai and food and treated us as if we were family. If we visited someone's house in the village we were warmly welcomed with a smile and a snack or a drink.
I also stayed n Hyderbad a few days, took a trip to Deli where we left from and stopped in Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Fun fact: The Taj was built for the Kings 3rd wife. On her death bed she had one last request, that he build a tomb for her unlike anyone has ever seen in the world. When the architect was done drawing the Taj the king had his thumb and pinky cut off on one hand and thumb and ring finger on the other, so that it could never be recreated.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6
This was what God chose to teach me this month. Where does it get me worrying? worrying about something little like something that was said that bothered me to something big like what's my life look like after the race? He says give it to me, give it all to me and have rest, trust that I am wiser and the plans I have for you are something you could never come up with in your own head, so let it go. He says let to of that offense, of that hurt or that anger because someone was unfair to you, or hurt you or whatever is it, GIVE IT UP.. I didn't die for you to live you life with little black clouds over your head tying to rain on MY PARADE for you 🙂 So I did my best to give it all to God, me when I do, I feel light as feather. He's the Best 🙂
Thank you Lord for all you have done for me, and thank you India for your hospitality.
