Email Update - "Are you a foreigner or Indian?"

December 19, 2005

Short Version:
1) “How can I not do this for Him!” (Village Visit Thoughts)
2) “Are you a foreigner or an Indian?” (My friend’s wedding went very well!!!)
3) “How did we get here?” – and other things we’ve said/experienced over the past five months!
4) P & P (including trips for the end of Dec)
5) “Is my response half as excited as the Shepherds?” (Advent stories…)

Longer Version
1) “How can I not do this for Him!” (Village Visit Thoughts)
Robin and I took a day trip (hike!) to the village this past Friday. It was good to make additional contacts with the family we hope to live with as well as another family who may be able to help us with language learning. Although I didn’t particularly like the certain kind of daal and rice that was given to us for lunch, I sat there and thought: “I can learn to like this…and if this small thing is something else that will help us connect with these people so that in the long run they might hear stories and eventually know Him, how can I not learn to like it?”

We plan to move to the village the first week in January for more concentrated language and culture learning.

2) “Are you a foreigner or an Indian?”
I was asked this question by one of Trisha’s family members the wedding last week. I replied, “I’m a foreigner, but thank you for the compliment!” :) It was great to be able to see my friends, Rahul and Trisha again and celebrate their marriage with them. Being able to actually spend 24 hours with the bride over the course of the wedding week gave me additional insight into Indian weddings that I’m still processing. As one of her only friends to be able to attend the wedding, I’m glad that I was able to be there for Trisha.

3) “How did we get here?”
As we're getting ready for Christmas on the opposite side of the world from our families, we often laugh at the differences between this year and past Christmas seasons. Here are some things we've said/experienced in the last month:
· “I’m not sure if I can drink this water, there is more dirt in it than normal”
· Wearing 3, 4, 5, layers of clothing, and it’s only December!
· “Do we have water?”
· “Why would we have water?”
· Sleeping with hot water bottles
· Sitting outside to get warm (i.e. the sunshine verses the cold cement rooms).
· “Where are we?” “How did we get here?”
· Learning (from our supervisor) to say the phrase “If we live through this it’ll make a great story, if not, heaven’s better.”
· “It’s the weather” (the weather takes the blame the electricity going out, the phone not working, Aunty feeling sick, the shops being closed, kids staying home from school, etc, etc).
· Here are some things we’ve gotten excited about:
putting on clean PJs on a day that you’re actually clean.
having electricity on bath day (that comes about once every 4 days or so.
Not having grass for a meal.
Being able to see the reaction on people’s faces when we try to speak to them in their mother tongue.
Having a rug on the floor.
Getting a new plastic cup to use to pour water over yourself during a bath.

4) P & P
Praises:
* Health- minus a cold here and there (because of the cold weather!), we have been fairly healthy
* Language learning has been going well.
* We received Gas this week for our burner! I initially typed this update with this as a prayer request, but God answered it before I even sent it out!!!)

Prayer:
* Safety while traveling.
* Good time and conversations with Gajju, Asmita, Keyur and Neeta!
* Pray for all of us as we miss home, especially over Christmas!
* Trips for the end of December: Please pray as I take took two trips at the end of December. One for my birthday (Dec. 21), to visit Gajju and Asmita (two more Indian friends that many of you know!). The other trip (over New Years) is to attend another friend’s wedding (Keyur). Neeta, another Indian friend, will be in that same city at the same time, so I’m hoping to stay with her.

5) “Is my response half as excited as the Shepherds?” (Advent stories…)
We’ve been taking turns crafting and telling stories each week related to Advent…Last week I told the story of the Shepherds and was challenged by this verse…Reflect on these thoughts with me…
Luke 2:15: The shepherds went as fast as they could to see for themselves what the angels had told them.
Luke 2:17: After seeing Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, the shepherds went and told everyone what they had heard and seen. All who heard the shepherds story were amazed.
Luke 2:20: The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for what they had seen.
I was challenged by their response and wondered if my response to our Lord is half as excited as the Shepherds was!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!!!

Til All Have Heard,

~ Elizabeth

"Pour Out All" by Amy Charmichael

“Pour Out All” by Amy Charmichael’s book: “Candles in the Dark”

A word in Deuteronomy that brought you to me when I read it some days ago is this: ‘The Lord is their Inheritance as He hath said unto them’ (Deut. 18:2). I thought then, as I think now, of the lovely inheritance you might have had. But He is your Inheritance instead of that lovely earthly joy. Throughout all eternity that word will be opening up its treasures. You will never regret your choice. It is wonderful to be free to pour out all, every drop of one’s life; and that is what you have done and are doing. No, you will never regret it, never.”

Thank you Lord, for this confirmation this morning. Thank you for leading me here- I suppose it was “my choice” in a way- but really, ‘how could I not come?’ While I may not always be thrilled about being here, I came because you led me here. No other direction even compared to the glory this would bring you as well as the blessing that I might receive! Did I do it just for the blessing I would receive, thus did I do it selfishly? I think part of me desires adventure, and yes, for that part of me, I selfishly came. Yet, there are many other ways to have adventure, “comfortably.” :)

How could I forget? God WAS/IS Faithful! (Journal Entry)

I just read part of my journal and an email to Mommy and Daddy that was during a time of homesickness after about 2 months of being here. I had forgotten that I had even gone through that!!! How could I? God brought me through that- how quick I am to forget his faithfulness and care for me! Wow!

Right now, I pray for the K. people. I pray for the contacts we’ll make in the village and the city here. I pray for good communication even tomorrow as we go to the village. I pray that they would be receptive to the idea of stories and would not only like the stories, but believe the Truth in the stories. And that Truth would change their lives.

Email resonse to Janna

Janna,

Thank you for your email. Reading it makes me re-evaluate what I signed up for!! Haha…But then also makes me realize how short our life really is and for me to desire to have a comfortable life and friends and family and ignore the nations around me is indeed a sin! We are serving our Lord, and what could be more fulfilling and satisfying than that!? Yet, those homesick and missing friends feelings are still there…hmm…

I’m doing better the past few days- the devotions I’ve been reading seem to be pinpointing my homesick issues…don’t you hate it/love it when God knows exactly what you need and gives it to you? Part of me is thanking Him for comforting me and showing me that He does care for me and is in control- the other part of me says, “Let me pity myself a little longer!!!” Haha…

Anyway, thank you for your friendship...Thank you for being there, for listening and sharing your insight and wisdom with me.

Have a wonderful Christmas and time back “home.”

~ Elizabeth

Missing family - thoughts (Journal Entry)

“Those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” ~ Gal. 5:24

Thoughts from Oswald Chambers:
“…It is not a question of giving up sin, but of giving up my right to myself, my natural independence and self-assertiveness, and this is where the battle has to be fought. It is the things that are right and noble and good from the natural standpoint that keep us back from God’s best."

“…Very few of us debate with the sordid and evil and wrong, but we do debate with the good. It is the good that hates the best, and the higher up you get in the scale of the natural virtues, the more intense is the opposition to Jesus Christ…”

“… ‘Those who belong to Jesus have crucified the sinful nature’ – it is going to cost the natural in you everything, not something. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself,” i.e. his right to himself, and a man has to realize Who Jesus Christ is before he will do it. Beware of refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence."

I think about missing my friends and home, and while I’m not sure it’s a sin, I do realize that these “good” things can keep me back from God’s best. Right now, I’m somehow allowing those feelings to distract me from what God has planned for me. Not that He didn’t know I would miss my friends and family, not that He didn’t plan for that or isn’t in control now, but just that He has a goal and purpose in mind for me...

Below is an email reply from Janna- another Epic member in response to an email I sent to her about missing home/family.

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Hi friend,
....I do believe Gd has called you here. I don't know what experiences He needs you to have for your future and what you'll be doing. Maybe he needs you away from the states for two years to cement things in your life. Maybe you need the quietness. Maybe it's to pull you away from where you're so independent and to teach you to rely on him. Maybe it's to take you out of your comfort zone and break some things in your life.

Regardless, these two years have a purpose for your heart, even though you might look at it as though there is no point. Maybe it's to teach you to work with others who are so different from you.

I know the heartache of missing friends. Missing people you really connect with, you know? We have had plenty of friends overseas but none whom i have connected with like my friends from college. And maybe i'll never have that again. That was a hard realization for me. It took me about a year to work through. I am not Thai or Chinese or Bangladeshi. Therefore, i will never know how they think the way I do with Americans. I will never be able to speak their language as well (that's frustrating!). What did i do to get over it? I'm not so sure. I guess it took time and some good talks over skype (which i can't do from here and i know you can't from where you live). But it just took time and a grieving process to go through and realize it all.

Ok, i need to go to the airport. Miss you too and i promise more later!!!

Email to Herd, my Indian friends.

Hello Herdies!!!!!

I realized it’s been a while since I sent out an update and a lot has happened!!!!

Trisha’s aur Rahul ki Shaddi:
I took two trains and a rickshaw to their town this past week and had a wonderful time with Trisha and Rahul at their wedding! A few memories:
* Dancing at the sangeet (“koi ee ka hai”- what does that mean?)
* The entire Kesar family coming in to wake Trisha, her sister and me up, the morning of the wedding
* Eating wonderful paneer dishes at each event
* Dancing at the bajhun (spelling?)
* Watching Trisha and Rahul eat ludoo after ludoo
* Dancing with Trish and Rahul
* Sitting with Trisha while she got her makeup and hair done
* Wearing a sari one night, and a lengha the next- dancing in both!
* Watching Rahul ride a horse!
* Dancing at the wedding with Rahul’s family
* Staying up ALL night for the shadi ceremony
* Crying as they left- tears of joy because they are now married, tears of sorrow realizing I won’t see them again for a while….
* Talking in my broken Hindi with Trisha’s family as they tried to get me to stay another day
*Oh yeah, did I mention dancing yet?

Life Here
My life here is going well- we’ve started learning the language that we’ll be working in- Kahani. We are going to move to a village in January most likely. Where we are right now isn’t much different from the village in that last week we didn’t have water for 5 days, today our gas cylinder ran out and apparently there isn’t much gas in the city- or something…we may be building a fire soon! Bucket baths- which are few and far between because it’s so cold and our bathroom is outside our house. I will say that I’ve been using the sleeping bag you all gave me- it’s been keeping me quite warm, and I’m so thankful for it!!!- And of course think of you every night when I crawl in it!! For the next two months we are language learning and studying the culture in preparation for telling Bible stories later on.

I hope you are all doing well. I would love to hear from you…and appreciate those who have kept in touch!!! You are my best friends, and I do miss you lots. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Years.

Aapka dost, (your friend)
~ Liz

Packages (Email to Parents)

Guess what- I think that one of your packages you sent is in Kahan somewhere!!! YEAH!

I went to the post office today and said, “Do you have my package?”
They talked a little bit to themselves and told me to go around to another area where I’ve looked for my packages before…
I went back there and asked again- they talked to themselves again and weren’t sure and then I heard: “blah blah, Elizabeth, blah, blah…”
I said, “Wait- Elizabeth? That’s MY name!”
“Your name?”
“Yes, I’m Elizabeth”
“Oh”
Then, they showed me my name written down in some book and also showed me the slip from the package that you wrote on the address and the contents of the package…I don’t know why it was separated from the package. They had the paper, but not the package. They said, “Oh, the package is with the postman- it should arrive today.” I wasn’t about to believe them- what a coincidence that the day I come to the post office, the postman would deliver it. Hmm….I said, “if not, then what?” They said, “Come back tomorrow at 9 or 10am.

So, I’ll do that….and ‘hum dekaingai” (we’ll see). :) I figure they just said that so they’d have time to repackage it, whatever’s left of it!

How can I not go? How can I stay? (Journal Entry)

Some thoughts today….

I would be fine with going home. Right now would be good.
How can you think that?
Why not, I don’t need to be here, I don’t want to be here…I’m allowed to go home if I want to.
So many people think that India is a dream come true for you, how can you let them down?
True…but all well. I’ve let people down before…they’ll get over it.
So many people are praying for you…how can you ignore that?
True…they’ll just have to start praying for someone else, I guess.
Just like many years ago when reflecting on the unreached peoples, you said, “How can I not go?” Now, you need to think and say to yourself, “How can I leave?”
More than anything else, this has to be the reason I stay…not for the people back home, not for myself; but for the people here, and ultimately to bring glory to God.

Water Issues (Email to Parents)

Good morning/evening,

So, I might have to break out the “no water needed” shampoo today. And even the soap.

It’s been a week since I bathed, and three days since I’ve washed my hair- and today, our landlord came up and said, “We have little water, don’t use much…I don’t know when we’ll get it again.”

Ugh. UGH, UGH, UGH. What to do? Kya karoon? (that means, "what to do"- in Hindi).

And last night, while pouring boiling water into my water bottle (it's so cold here, we use hot water bottles to sleep with), the boiling water came bubbled back up over the water bottle and all over my hand. I put cold water on it for a while and Vivian had some burn cream and while it was throbbing last night, it seems okay now- sore, but okay.

Anyway, you must know my life isn’t all joys and happiness!!!! I know you know that. And yet….would I want to be anywhere else right now? No, honestly, no. Would it be nice to take a trip to somewhere and have a warm shower for as long as I want, and not be freezing cold at night, and be able to speak the language perfectly, and etc, etc, etc….? Sure, that’d be nice.

But, at least now, that won’t happen. I might as well accept that, and realize that…and adjust my expectations.

Pray for patience, strength and “humor” in the midst of it all!!!

~ Elizabeth

Weddings! (Email Update)

Update: December 1st, 2005

Short Version:
* Wedding update:
* “She’s speaking MY language!” (Highlight from this week of language learning)
* Next week- Wedding of one of my best friends!!!

Longer Version:
Wedding update:
The wedding I attended in the village over American Thanksgiving weekend went very well. Thank you for your prayers!

We arrived after three hours in a crowded jeep (a jeep made for about 10 people, but we had 17 fitting inside and three more on top!!!). Once we got there, we had to cross a little river and climb up part of a mountain to get to the wedding. The ladys' “sangeet’ was taking place, which is when the women do dances and prayers for the bride. They asked me to dance
too- and I did.

After this, it was already evening and Aunty and I climbed up the mountain some more- about a half hour to her mother’s home. We spent the night there- which including eating dinner in a mud kitchen around a fire, brushing my teeth while watching the goat eat leaves from the tree next to me, and watching Aunty say prayers to the sun when I woke up in the morning…

After the ladies painted typical designs on my hands, we hiked back down and spent the day at the wedding. The groom arrived, with the band. Yes, “band”- including two drums, a trumpet, a clarinet, and some maracas. They played and many of the men danced.

The rest of the day included the bride’s “pastor” called a “pundit” performing rituals and chants from an old beat up book, and the groom’s pundit making exchanges for gifts from the bride’s side and the groom’s side. Near the end, the groom and the bride were tied together with a long strip of cloth and walked seven times around a fire while the pundits said prayers. The people stood around and watched.

I’m actually still trying to process it all- but I hope that gave you a little bit of an idea what took place! Here is a picture of some of the women and girls and me at the wedding…

Highlight from this week of language learning:
Since we have started learning Kahani, we have had positive responses from the people when we tell them we are learning their language. One encouraging moment I had was when I was sitting on the porch with my language helper and a lady named Panna, who comes to our home every day to cook for us. Panna is from a nearby village and her mother tongue is Kahani. I was trying to speak the few words I’ve learned so far with her, and after a minute she turned to my language helper and exclaimed: “She’s speaking MY language!”

It was so encouraging to hear that and to see her face and the faces of others when they find out we’re learning their mother tongue or when they hear us speak it! I’m motivated to study more and excited about how learning their mother tongue may help us connect even more with the people.

Next week- Wedding of one of my best friends!!!
I leave tomorrow (Saturday) and take two trains to get to another city where my friend Trisha (who many of you know) and her fiancé (Rahul) will get married. I am thrilled not only to be able to see my good friends, but also able to celebrate this special day with them. My prayer is that during the celebrations, including religious rituals, that I would be able to be an ancouragement to Trisha and her family, and support for Trisha and Rahul.

Thank you for your prayers!

Till All Have Heard,

~ Elizabeth