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
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