the longest update ever!

It has been sooo long since I have written on here! I dont even remember how far back I need to go to update everyone.. I havent really been able to use the computers this week mostly because of my bum ankle.

annyway. I will start at the begining. Last week sometime during the middle of the week our team of 6 took the Goa Express from Delhi to Pune. It was a 26 hour trainride - overnight - on a train stuffed FULL of Indian people. We had a good time keeping entertained with playing 'car' games like car-eoke (kareoke?) with our pods and reading a good deal. The toilets were an interesting experience, esp with an already funny stomach... but all in all it was a good ride down. The day after we got in we took the two new girls (from N Ireland - with Sword of the Spirit communities) out to buy kurtas and had a good day to rest. The rest of the team got in later that night and we frantically tried to plan out the weekends events before leaving the next morning. Thursday morn we were heading to a camp in Khandala (?) which we were leading the sessions/planning a good chunk of it. The camp was for about 100 christian youth from 4 different communities in 4 different cities in the area. And since we got all together just the night before the camp, all the planning was done during the tea breaks of the camp, etc. SO we caught the early train with some of the others from Pune and headed to the camp. The railstation was an adventure in itself! SO crowded.. it actually reminded me of high school hallways – but with way more people and all carrying luggage. Crazy. The camp itself was beautiful! There was a huge valley just off the backside of the camp. It is a very lush place with loads of trees and greenery. So on Thursday we had only one session to prepare for and a interactive time with games and dancing – the camp was split into two sections for the teachings. From 10 -17 in one and 18-30 in the other! I was in the younger age group and was prepared to give a talk on women in the missions field to the girls on Friday morning buut that happened to be the same morning that I sprained my ankle and between that and being sick already with the runs (and prob dehydrated too) I called in sick and SQ and Lidia took over for me. Thursday was a really fun day of getting to know the youth and figure out our system... but then Friday for me was basically a day of rest. The whole camp went on a 4 hour trek down the ravine (like an intense repelling down the cliffs sort of trek!) and I stayed between my room and the veranda. I was well taken care of though – getting carried to the dining hall and back and having drinks brought to me. It was actually a lesson in humility for me. I needed to be reminded to rest and be still and that its ok to not be going all the time. It was slightly humorous how it happened because even on Thursday I felt really low on energy and quite sick already, so I thought it would be good for me to take it slow.. but then when I sprained my ankle all I could say at first was ‘this is ridiculous!’. It was like God was really trying to say something clearly to me. I still don’t know exactly what that is, but I did have some really good solid hours of prayer and meditation with him. It was frustrating too, because anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE participating with all of me in any sort of camp experience. I love to go all out, and everything that I love (and feel that I am gifted in) was held back because of my health over the weekend. But like I said, definitely a lesson in humility as I had to allow everyone to serve me for basically a week straight. So I was there at the camp another day, but ended up going back a day early so I could get a lift back instead of taking the train. Again, time to rest and to pray. I've been able to do a little more forward thinking since having this happen – I'm getting really excited to come back home! Sunday everyone got home from the camp exhausted, and we went to join the community in the evening for their meeting. It is a community of believers that basically do life together – like church, but they go to church as well... I'm still learning really about what it is.. but essentially its families living together and meeting together and keeping eachother accountable. Called Sword of the Spirit Communities – when we were in Belfast we did some work with the community there. After that we went out to dinner with two of the youth leaders who basically ran the camp – Bruce and Joanna. I think they are 21 and 19.. and with a couple others in the community they are now leading the youth group... a couple times in the week we met with them to help plan and brainstorm ideas.

Whew. This is long.
Ok. ON Monday we started our ‘ministry’ with YWAM in Pune. Our contacts for the week were a couple named Anu and John, and they ran a girls orphanage/home for about 19 girls. We spent a couple days there throughout the week with the girls, dancing and singing and painting faces.. we even got to try on Sari’s one day and perform a dance for them! Another day we went to a senior’s home (but I think it was mainly widows there) and orphanage.. then another day in a slum home called Happy House which takes in HIV children and houses them until they die. The rest of the group also did a prayer walk and ministry time in the slum as well, but I opted out so that someone didn’t have to carry me on their back for 3 hours! It was good to see all these different ministries, but we really didn’t have the time to make the same lasting connections as we have with the kids in Delhi. I loved spending time in Pune just with the community members, and even with the YWAMers that we met.. just spending time and hearing about life. Every evening we also all split up and went to various houses for dinners. It was a neat way to get to know the people and the community too. Everyone was incredibly hospitable... driving us around, taking us wherever we wanted to go, coming early in the morning to take us out for breakfast, giving me medicine for my foot.. anything they could do to help. On the last day we were all together (the 5 that met up with us from Ireland were flying out from Bombay on sat I think) so on Friday, some of the girls took us out shopping again and 4 of us ended up getting our nose pierced! I love those spontaneous decisions! Dont worry.. it was at a safe place. AND cost only about 5 bucks! Then Saturday it was goodbyes.. and we caught the evening train to Mumbai/Bombay. One thing about Pune... I still haven’t figured out WHY but I felt a strong connection to the place. I mean in Delhi I LOVE the work we were apart of and really connected to the ministries and to the children... and in pune it was nice but not a really strong connection. But there was a moment, when we went out for a coffee all together that I just got a feeling in my gut that I would be coming back to Pune at some point. It is a feeling that I will hold onto... even though I have no idea what it meant. I do know that the longer I stay in India, the more it grabs ahold of my heart!

And now we are here in Mumbai! Our team went from 11 back down to 6 BUT actually its at 5 now because Brian got really really sick the last couple days in Pune and stayed there with a family to rest and get medicine. He was extremely dehydrated from being sick so long too. So there are 5 of us here in Mumbai. It is a period of rest for us – about 5 days of hanging out and eating and sleeping well. We are staying in our own flat, and so far have spent loads of time with the youth from the community here. We met most of the youth at the camp so it hasn’t taken us long to feel right at home with them.. and the best part is that youth here is exactly our age, and even a bit older.. so for myself anyway I am loving it! Sat night we went for dinner at ‘Uncle and Aunties’ house – they are the youth leaders or community parents if you will.. and dinner was more like a karaoke/dance party. EVERYONE here sings and dances soo late into the night someone was banging away on the piano or playing the guitar and we ate and danced and sang until well past midnight. Sunday we all slept in and had lunch at a couple’s house that own the flat we are staying in now (alot of the community families here seem to be rather well off) and prepared for the session that we led for the youth Sunday night. Before the session though we had a good time hanging out watching a movie and taking snaps and playing games. It really is no different from any friend group I've seen interacting.. its neat to see how similar we all are. I keep forgetting that I'm in India actually. The people we have been around are very westernized.. most of them don’t even really speak Hindi. SO Sunday night we shared with the group about Identity in Christ and the importance of having a community.. and it really opened up a good time of sharing afterwards. Turns out that for many of the youth here they are brand new to community and are really just beginning to grow in their faith. God really used our words, and it was just good timing for us to come and spend this time with them now as they are fresh from the camp experience and so filled with passion. Even today we sat with 4 of them and helped brainstorm different ministry ideas and ways to keep this all alive. Its a strange experience to have people my age and older looking to me for insight and wisdom, but encouraging too to see how God has already used us in a small way to speak into these lives. I feel inspired by the youth here myself, and it has been so good to just be with them and feed off of eachother. I think if I was here (or in Pune) longer, that I would make some really close friends with these guys.. I just get along with them so well! And every night when we all find our way back to Uncle and Aunties house there is hours of games and singing and dancing to be had. They even whipped out a couple violins last night and played some songs. The humidity here is unbelievable though and I don’t think I've stopped sweating yet! Its just constant wet.. and dancing on top of that! Man alive. Okay I think this is long enough to update you all.... we will be here in Mumbai until Thursday.. then its another long train back to Delhi – a completely different world compared to here!

Again, like Pune.. internet is difficult to come by here so I may or may not talk to you again until reaching Delhi. Love to you.

the stories unfold.

This week has been incredibly busy but ten times as good as last week! Weve been working with the street kids in the mornings and at the university in the afternoons. AND every free moment I get (when we dont have team time, etc) I go find the kids in the community centre where they 'work' and play with them and sing with them. I absolutely love these kids with everything in me! I want to do something more.. something long term for them. But I know that the best way is to pour into them NOW and to the organizations and people that are staying. Its going to be hard to say goodbye. This week carolyn and I have been spending our mornings in a sort of daycare for the kids. Between 8 to 12 kids go usually and shower, get clean and put on fresh clothes and comb their hair etc. and get chaitea and lunch and have times of prayer worship and teachings. Its a time where they learn discipline and structure. Its really good for them, and I can see the change in these kids compared to the ones who dont go. It is just the one full time worker, and he has been there for 8 years. There are so many challenges. We are planning on interviewing many of the different people we work with and their stories. So weve been cleaning the kids and trying to kill lice from their hair - which is nearly an impossible feat. Ive never seen so much lice before. Its unreal. and dancing and singing with the kids. They LOVE to dance! and then we rush over the the university to talk for a couple hours. The university has been going well this week too. Weve been learning lots and teaching some.. and really just having good conversations! Yesterday carolyn and I skipped uni and went with a medical team to where the kids live with many families. Its called the flyover.. and its literally loads of families living under and overpass on either side of train tracks. Its loud. its open. its dirty and its crowded. It was alot worse than the slums we went to. The smell wasnt so bad because it was so open, but WE smelled so much worse when we got back. I spent three hours there playing with (getting swarmed by) kids and I got more dirty in those three hours then I think I might have ever been. And that is where these kids LIVE. Its home. They are literally sleeping in dirt. Now I understand how the ones that we wash daily come back looking the same the next day. And the lice.. Im sure thats not the only parasite or insect that they deal with either, but it was the most evident to me. Lice bigger than ants, and kids hair so think with eggs that I couldnt comb through.. It was cute.. I was combing and braiding hair and there was an instant that a lice jumped into my hair without me noticing but one of the many moms standing watching saw and grabbed it out straightaway. They were looking out for me! Many people approached me with different problems too assuming I was there with the doctors to help.. I have never wanted to be able to speak another language so badly! The kids all had a riot mimicking all my faces that I make, and my laugh etc. And they played a game with us that we called pass the baby.. where people would hand us random babies and see how long it would take for them to cry! It was a surreal expereince the whole thing! But like I said, the kids that are going to the different programs are noticeably different from all these new ones we met. It neat to see the change.. and know taht they are making a difference! Walking back we ran into a whole family that we know out begging and we stopped and played for a bit. Then the kids started asking us to pray - so we prayed for their baby sister, and their cousin and auntie and their mother pulled us over to pray for her sick husband. This is a family that I think we all feel a special connection with. They really are good people - even the parents. The mom (of 4) cant be much older than I am. And the father is sick and cant work, or hardly stand. But you can tell that they do love their children. The begging really is their only income. How I want another ending for their stories though.. I dont want them to follow the cycle! I pray for healing and I pray for miracles. The kids are so happy and so trusting - this is why I love to be with them.

Ive got to run off to the University now.. last day. Happy Easter to all. love

rolling slowly

So we have been at the University for a total of 4 days now. And to be honest, it is not as easy for me as the last two weeks were. I feel more drained this week - in every way. One major difference is that here the work is slow.. with kids you get instant reactions and feel the love. I do enjoy what we are doing, and it is interesting learning more about Indian culture. Slowly we are forming relationships too and building trust. Two weeks is hardly time at all to develop friendships though. I would ask for your continued prayers for our group in this time. Today was a blessing, we had good conversation and the whole atmosphere felt lighter and less forced. Pray that it just continues to increase. And that as a group we will remain united and strong. I know that that is a very important part of who we are and what we are showing. For me personally I think I just really need to talk with my family! Ive become even more attached to them I think this year than I ever was at home - which I know my parents love! It is hard sometimes to be away from all that is going on in people's lives I love back home. I also need to spend more intentional time digesting what Im going though and thinking things through more. I need to be re-energized I think. I am looking forward to this weekend - we are having a birthday 'party' for two of the people on our team.. and we are going to a waterpark! I am so excited to just relax and have some fun.... and SWIM! Its been so long! The days are most definately getting hotter here and that might be a large part of what is affecting all of our energy levels. The past two days especially have been brutally hot, and it will only get worse! Its nice when you can go inside with fans or AC but some places dont have annd then its death. ALSO today we just moved in for 4 days with a few of our friends that we were working with in the preschools.. I am really looking forward to spending these next few days with them! They are wonderful girls. Tomorrow we are treating them to a fancy dinner, and the girls might all go get henna done as well! Its fun being able to bless people who are working so hard!

Other than that, I know that personally I am learning and growing.. but it almost seems like the majority of that will come out after I get back to my life. I think, just like I thought, this is all good practice for me. For so many different things. Its been a very practical time for me to try, and to get better at things, and to experience and do. I love getting to get my hands dirty after spending so much time taking in.

And now I go home to rest. Much love and Blessings.

a fresh start

Today we start our work at the university! We are working under the Tourism Department, and will each have about an hour during the week to give a lecture on the tourism, etc in our countries. Other than that, we are sitting in on classes, and hanging out with the students. I look forward to building some relationships! Even just in the markets or on the streets we have already experienced the curiousty that people here have for us Westerners. They want to know everything about us, and what we think of their country. Its very different from Northern Ireland! There we were always asked WHY here? Here, it is more of when are you coming back or do you want to stay! These next two weeks are going to test my knowledge of Canada that is for sure...

This past weekend we kept very busy. Friday we took the day to rest after two lonnng days of sanding and painting. And Saturday we went to a new market, then to the Street Kids Ministry. Yesterday - sunday - we drove out to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. It was magnificant! So beautiful.... and HOT in the sunlight. the white marble reflected all the sun and the heat. We spent the whole day in Agra and got in late last night... now ready.ish for a full week at the university!

time flies. and flies are everywhere.

there are so many stories to share. So many words I want to write! My heart feels like it might burst with love for the people I have met here. I actually think I was in some sort of child-deprived state for the last little while in my life.. I forget how much I LOVE the little ones! I could stay at the preschool for days and days and not grow tired. Hot and sweaty. Yes. But those kids make me so happy. Today was the last day of teaching for some time as we are starting our next thing on monday. The rest of this week we are painting and repairing the two schools and the clinic with some of the money that was raised for this trip. There is one family in specific in this slum that has my heart. They live in a one room house (like everyone else there) with 11 in the family. The oldest boy is 21 and is the main support of the family. He hopes to move to America soon. The father is sick (we dont know if it is a disease that can be digagnosed or if it is spirits). The two youngest kids are in the preschool - Deeplata and Amardeep. Ive been to this family's home four times now I think, each time being served chai tea (it is made with goats milk so I can drink it!) We sit and hear stories and encourage them (the family knows our Father, but they are losing hope) and pray for them. When we go - in shifts - in the afternoons or evenings to the slum we do house visits and the feeding program, which is giving eggs and medicine to a few select malnurished familes.

Its strange actually.. today I noticed while walking over the sewage channels and through the dusty 'streets' of the slum that I actually used to the conditions these people are living in. Not used to it enough mind you to try USING the toilet system there (basically just pull the pants down and choose a corner. seriously.) But it doesnt shock me. I think these people now have names and stories and it has helped me to see the life there instead of getting overwhelmed by the lack of hope and the poverty. My face is known as I walk through the houses, and the children trust me. And even moreso with the ones that have been there for years serving this community. Im actually really sad to leave. But I know that I will enjoy the university as well, and the house visits and night shelter.

Also, every saturday weve been hanging out with the street kids in the area for a few hours.. but we see them every day at the community centre where we eat as well. We are able to play with them and hug them and when they need it, to feed them and bandage their wounds too. They too trust us and feel our love. I am actually disappointed when I leave from lunch without seeing them! Last friday a few of us went out to eat and just to walk around for abit in the evening and we ran into about 8 or 10 of these street kids. They were really hungry and were asking us for food. At first we didnt know what to do (the kids dont usually ask US for things, if they have needs they ask our friend who leads the program). We ended up running into our friend though and talking to him, and then went out and got some biscuits and water and crackers for the kids.. so they could share and take some home too. Then we just hung out with them for awhile and played. I didnt even notice at the time, but when we finally went away to get some food for ourselves I saw that they was a crowd of Indian people standing around watching us play. In fact.. almost every time we stop to hug one of the little ones.. we get the same kind of attention. And sometimes we even get people trying to tell us to stop because we are getting dirty. Im not offended or even sad when this happens. I know that for Indian people, this is just how it is. And the kids themselves are used to it. We are the ones acting differently. I just hope that through us somehow the kids will feel their worth and their value and feel loved. and that by our actions, the people watching will at least start thinking about these kids.. and start noticing them. Im very happy that we see them every day.

As for prayers. Please pray for finances for basically every one of our friends here. And for all the different projects. Pray against the lack of hope that is everywhere. And for our continued health.. weve had a few minor issues, but nothing too serious.

So this week we are painting and on sunday is our first day of real tourism... we are off to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. I will keep you posted.. Much love.

a new day

We are full swing now in our work here in Delhi. Saturdays we are with Street Kids playing and Sunday is a day off. This week we are visiting two different slum areas - Jesola and Mohammodpur. Monday I went to the preschool in Mohammodpur just to observe mostly with Brian and Cortney, and in the afternoon all of us went to Jesola and did various jobs there. I went with Isaac and two friends. We just walked around the slum and visited with different families. A couple girls latched on to me and took me around to their houses and introduced me to all their family members. Then sat me down and did my hair... actualy any time I leave my hair down the little girls tend to grad my hair bands and start braiding my haid for me! Im starting to pick up on Hindi.. slowly. Its a difficult language - many of the words sound the same to me. I know how to ask How are you and What is your name and I know different greetings and nouns - like sandal and flower. (I love learning language and money and culture whenever I go to a new place.. its one of my favorite things about travelling!) Today I went back to Jesola and helped teach in the preschool. There was an incident with one of our friends this morning (we dont know the full story but apparently she was waiting outside the wall for another nurse to come and a drunk man came and beat her - please remember her and the others that work in the clinic) The teachers we were with had to go see if she was alright, so Carolyn and I took over the class. With almost no Hindi it was a little difficult to control the class, but I like the challenge of it! When they came back we had a quick break, like recess, and then Isaac and I took over the class again to teach some English. We shared the story of David and Goliath - translated and with big actions, and we taught some english colors and words. I love it!

Our Father has been so good to our team! I have felt so blessed here. Even when I started to feel sick with a fever/sinus cold over the weekend, He was quick to respond and gave me the strength and engery I needed each day so far. I havent been lacking in anything here. It is really good to be helping and learning from the community that is here already. They are doing great things in the places around and in Delhi. This is difficult for me to write differently than I would like to speak! I will try to answer some of the questions Ive been asked so far...

Personally, I am adjusting quite well. I dont know why, but I am blessed to be able to adapt quickly to new cultures and I tend not to get overwhelmed with very different sights and ways of life. It is all new and exciting to me here. And with the poverty and the street kids, etc.. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the vastness of it I prefer to look at the small difference I can make in the children that I do meet. As a team we have talked about different ways to cope with everything we see.. and it is different for different people. I just want to pour all my energy and love into the kids I meet, and their parents that serve me chai tea and food out of their own poverty.. that is how I "deal" with what I see I guess. And I would rather give that than keep the cycle going by giving money and keeping the kids on the street (do I need to explain more?). Definately my strength and all I have to give comes not from me, but from above.

There is poverty all around. on all the streets. You can see the Caste System in effect everywhere you look. I would say that in the slums though it is just gathered, or centralized. There is rubbish everywhere, and people urinating anywhere they want to. So obviously it smells pretty bad. In the slums, there are children running around naked and barefoot.. and flies everywhere. As for heat, it feels HOT but so far I think its only been between 25 and 30. Next month is the start of summer and will get up to high forties. The kurtas we wear (Indian outfits) are nice in the weather, even with the long trousers and long sleeves. The mosquitoes are bad here too. We are still learning about the food. We have tried some Indian dishes - our favorites so far are the butter chicken (but I cant have that because of the dairy) and the dhal and tandori and afgani chicken. None of these dishes are too spicy. Other than that we eat fruit and salads and weve had fast food top (subway pizza hut and mcdonalds) we are still learning the foods here. Everything is so LOUD here. There is constant honking in the streets and just people everywhere! And a few times a day they play out music and prayers I think from the Muslim temples..? we also have many birds and peacocks living around our house. This is super long so I will end there.. We hope to put videos up soon! lovelove

Namaste

Hello all from INDIA! We all made it safe and sound to Delhi. We arrived on wed night after a whopping 24 hours of travel or something like that. The location we are staying in is very nice... all us 4 girls are in one room - with one bathroom/shower/toilet and the boys another. We have fans in our rooms so at night it is even cool (we just wake up with sore throats from the ceiling fans but its worth not sweating in our sleep!) And we have breakfast served to us and cleaned up after us everyday. Usually eggs, toast, cereal, and bananas. We also have a balcony for our use and we can use the roof too - for very important things like catching up on our tans (its the only place sheilded from view so we can actually wear tank tops and cropped trousers up there!). We've spent the past few days going around in autos (see facebook pictures whenever I get those up) and visiting a couple different markets. We had to have much of our shopping done before this next week, because come monday we will not be wearing western clothes very much any more. Its been alot of fun going around and purchasing Dupatas and Kurtas. The patterns and colors are all so beautiful! For food so far its been alot of take out and fast food. We have a couple people on our team who really cannot eat spicy food, so until we figure out some local dishes made with cream or cheese instead of peppers and chili, we will be eating at more common places . We did try one Indian restaraunt - Al-Bake. And it was pretty good.. the butter chicken is perfect for me, but the Chicken Korma ( which is usually a perfectly sweet indian meal) was really hot. SO weve had mcDonalds and pizza hut and and indian fast food joint called Fast Trax a couple times. Tonight a local friend is taking us around the community centre - where we eat daily - and showing us the good/safe restaraunts and shops and good foods to eat. My "role" is kind of being developed as time goes on. For sure I am in charge of transportation - meaning arranging and bargaining for the autos (they usually charge double for us because of the "white tax" so I try and haggle it down to half that) and all the budgeting for that as well. Also, I am helping Lidia create the schedule while we are here.. and any rotas or calenders as needed.. and planning any tourist things. so far.

Today we are going with another friend to a street program where we will be playing with kids for a couple hours! And monday we start with our regular program - which we dont even know yet! Delhi is very different from any place Ive been before. But so far I really like it. Im just soaking everything in! Some of the team members so far I think have found the poverty and beggers and the shopping with the bargaining very overwhelming, so it is good that we have debriefing and accountability as a team. I look forward to seeing and experiencing more...

I will keep you posted!
Love joy peace.