"Work"

Currently in our house there are:  our 3 kids, our adopted son, 3 orphans from the school (staying for a month), an alcoholic (who somehow managed to sneak off and get fall down drunk the last time he came over, someone who stole from us the last time they were over, 2 teenage boys with HIV, and a few others.  We all ate dinner together last night and played Rook, and they all stayed over.  It was a blast.  The boys come over every Saturday night to do this.  And we love it.  Our house is bursting at the seams and we wouldn't want it any other way.  Everyday I'm realizing that the "work" we came here to do is disguised as real life, and real people.  It's much less about rolling up our sleeves and using a backwards shovel as it is loving this that are terribly hard to love.  Or just those that are forgotten and overlooked by everyone else.  Right now work looks like lots of dishes and cooking a huge breakfast before we all head off to church together.  And I think that's it.  I think we've found the most important work for our hands to be doing.  It's hard.  It's messy.  Sometimes very uncomfortable.  But this is how Jesus lived.  This is who he had dinner with.  This is who his crew was.  We are in good company.

Radio Silent

You haven't heard from us in a long time.  It's been radio silent.  *I know everyone is desperately awaiting an update from us. (*sarcasm font)  Basically our entire world was just flipped upside down, again.  In the last 2 months we have:  Been informed that Josh's pay has been cut, Moved from our furnished home to a new home that has zero furnishings.  Zero.  (Our kids have eaten their meals off the floor for the last month and a half like animals)  Hosted 2 separate teams from America, Not had internet for 5 weeks,  No communication with friends or family for weeks on end, Found out Josh will only teach 1 class instead of 2 - cutting his pay by half, Had our renters break their lease and move out of our home in Virginia, mourned the loss of a dear friend and mentor, attended an Indian wedding, attended an Indian Funeral, attended an Indian Memorial Service, been notified that our email accounts will be deleted while we have no internet access to backup our stuff, not homeschooling for 8 weeks because of no table and packing and unpacking, learned how to cook chicken curry by myself,  Been informed Josh now has 2 classes again - hurray.

Guys, I'm spent.  We have sheets over our windows for curtains and only 1 room with working AC in the 100 degree heat.  2 kids have thrown up in the past 24 hours.  It's hard right now.  I don't think its hard just because we're here.  Life is hard.  Parenting is hard.  Employment is hard.  Home ownership is hard.  Death and grieving are hard.  Those are true in any country on earth.  I don't think I have it worse than anyone else, I know I don't.  But right now as we continue to shop for ridiculously overpriced dining room tables and continue searching for a reliable and trustworthy AC repair guy it feels really bad.  We miss you dear friends and family, even if we are terrible at communicating that with you.

Please continue to lift our family up in your prayers.  We need each and every one.

Republic Day

 On Monday (January 26) we celebrated India's Republic Day. 

India has 3 National holidays, Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti.
Republic Day celebrates the day the Constitution came into force in India.
It is truly fascinating to me that India did not become independent from British rule until 1947.  1947!  This country is a baby at 66 years old.  We had a blast celebrating at the school.

Christmas Feelings

I had my game face on.  I really did.  I knew that Christmas away from home would be difficult, but if we just had a good attitude & powered through it everything would be ok.  But this is really tough.  I thought I could plan a fun filled and busy day to keep our minds distracted, but that didn't work out.  I thought it would be hard on the kids.  Nope, they are fine.  They never even noticed that we don't have a decorated house, that our tree is only 2 ft. tall with no lights.  They didn't notice that we didn't make or eat a single Christmas cookie, or drink any eggnog.  They didn't notice that we didn't have matching Christmas pajamas or warm socks.  They didn't notice that I haven't been blasting Christmas music on Pandora for the last 30 days.  But I did. 

It just doesn't feel like Christmas.  It's 82 degrees today.  Flip flops are not Christmas attire!  Christmas is supposed to be with family, but my family is 8,375 miles away.  Some days, with the help of technology, that feels just fine.  Today it doesn't.  Today feels like we are every one of those 8,375 miles away from home.  Don't get me wrong, we love it here.  We are having a great time.  Most days are really good.  We get tremendous joy out of being here, but some days are hard.  Really hard.  Soul crushingly hard.  And today is one of those days for me.  I hoped that it wouldn't be; I really did.  But I am way too emotional and sentimental to not grieve over the fact that I am not celebrating with my family for the first time in my life.  And then the guilt over how it makes our families feel.  I'm still a people pleaser all the way over here; some things won't ever change. 

But this is also one of the best Christmases we've had.  "But how can you say that with tears streaming down your face Deb?"  Thanks for asking; let me explain.  I didn't stress over Christmas this year.  I didn't spend weeks & months shopping for every person I know.  I didn't spend every night wrapping presents & finishing gifts until the wee hours of the morning.  I didn't spend too much money.  I didn't run myself (or my family) ragged.  I got to count down the days to Christmas and the birth of our Savior.  And we had a very quiet Christmas with very few presents (which they have been playing quietly with ALL day!).  And that's what I've always wanted.  I just wanted a simple Christmas.  Now, I do wish that all my loved ones were here for it, but I don't know if I can go back.  I just don't know that I can go back to the commercialized day that is all about gifts, and things, and money.  Because on this Christmas, more than any other, I get it.  Jesus, Emanuel - God is with us.  And He is!  He is with us here in India.  He is with you in Lynchburg, or Canada, or wherever you are.  He is with me on my worst day, and my best day.  That was His gift to me.  And that is the greatest gift.  It is a good day.

Miss you & love you all!

Humble Beginning

Christmas is a time of celebration of the birth of my savior, Jesus Christ.  It is such a special time, because it is the first time that God sent his son to us to identify with our fallen condition.  I sometimes have wondered why God, who is all-powerful, would choose such a humble way to showcase His glory: a baby born in an animal pen, using a manger as a bed.  A stable is certainly not the accommodation that the God of the universe deserves, is it?  He could have chosen anywhere for the birth of His son, yet he orchestrated such a modest beginning with only a star to alert the world to His presence.

I think the birth of Jesus helps us understand what is important to God.  We tend to think of pomp and circumstance as the appropriate measure of honor.  We tend to consider the trappings of wealth and privilege to be the measure of glory.  God sees things quite differently, though.  God values relationships with the people he created and loves.  God values our heart condition rather than parties, gifts, and ceremonies.  I believe that the humble birth of Jesus is God’s way of telling us that he loves us so much that he is willing to get down in this dirty world with us and identify with our condition.  From the very beginning He has been willing to suffer humanity so that one day we might accept Him as our savior and build a relationship with Him.

As for me, I am both humbled and honored that He would love us so much that he would become something so small.  This Christmas, as you celebrate the birth of Jesus with your friends and family, please remember that the God of the universe loves you deeply.  He loves you with an everlasting love, and He will do whatever it takes to pursue a relationship with you.  I ask that you consider sharing a story about how much he loves you with someone who may never have considered the love of Christ.  I believe that the best way to honor God is to continue the mission of reaching his people that He began in a stable so long ago.  May each of us answer his call to do so.

The Humbling

It is very humbling moving to a new country.  In the US, I drove my own car, communicated effectively, blended in, knew the rules and expectations for myself and my children.  Here, I know nothing.  I cannot even drive myself to the store.  I am at the mercy of other people every minute of the day.  We have a driver here.  (if you don't understand why, please google Indian driving and/or Indian traffic)  Although in theory it seems nice to have someone drive you around all the time, in reality it looks more like me crying, while riding around town, with my driver, well after dinner time, trying to find pizza hut, just so I can provide for my family.  I do not like to ask for help.  I do not like to feel dependent on other people (some may even call me stubborn), so this is all very difficult for me.  Humbling if you will.  Yesterday I saw 2 live turkeys outside the butcher shop.  I got SO excited!  Maybe we really could have a Thanksgiving after all!  Then I remembered that we don't have an oven.  (Oven's aren't really a thing here)  And there it was again, the humbling.  I cannot even take care of my family in the way that we are accustomed.  And that's frustrating, but ok.  I'm ok not having a turkey or a pie for Thanksgiving.  I really am.  That's not what we are here for.  Yesterday a boy asked me to pray for him because he had exams coming up at school, so naturally I prayed for him.  Done and done.  Not so fast Deb.  Then an older lady came up and in Telegu asked me to pray for her health.  They interpreted that she wanted a Christian to pray over her.  Check and double check.  So again, I prayed over this lady and her health issues.  Then another lady comes forward.  She matter of factly told me that she needed prayer because her husband has left her and now lives in another state.  Um, what?  I thought we were just keeping it light and easy here.  Tests and arthritis, I can handle.  Restoring a marriage, yikes.  So of course I got about 3 sentences into the prayer before I lost it.  I'm sobbing.  I am broken for this lady, who's entire life and future has been ripped out from under her.  And she's turning to me for help.  She thinks that I have the answers.  That is humbling.  I am not qualified to help her.  I am not qualified to do any work here.  I have no discernible talents to bring to the table.  I think Paul said it best when he said " I am the chief of sinners", because I am too.  But never in the bible did God call the qualified, or even the Righteous.  He called the screwups, he called the losers, he called the unremarkable.  Because His glory is revealed by working through the nobody.  So that's what this nobody is going to continue to do.  To take a hurting soul, and direct them to the only one who can heal/redeem/restore/make new.  Because at the end of the day, that's all I am, a road sign.  Pointing the way home.  And that is not humbling.  It is the greatest work.

We have arrived

We have arrived in India!  Finally.  It was a long journey getting here.  Literally and figuratively.  After 2 years of dreaming, hoping, praying, and stepping out in faith we have arrived at our destination.  And we are thrilled to be here.  The plane ride(s) was brutal.  The first leg is 13 hrs from DC, so, after 4 hours in the car we were ready to start the trip.  Did I mention that 2 out of 3 of our kids get motion sick?  Yep, it's not just for cars and boats apparently... There was so much vomiting.  keep in mind everyone is very concerned with Ebola and such, so I was terrified of getting put in quarantine.  The flight attendants kept asking me to fill out a form so they could contact a doctor in the states.  Um, no thanks.  The AC was broken on the flight.  There was straight heat pumping down onto my seat.  It was so bad, that the Indians on the flight complained about the heat.  It was so sweaty and uncomfortable.  Plus the vomiting kids, a tiny cramped plane for 13 hrs.  All I could think about was breaking a window to get some fresh air.  I figured the Air Marshall would understand.  When we landed in Abu Dhabi for our 2 hr layover, we realized that our late takeoff in DC only gave us a 20 minute layover.  So, yep, missed our flight.  We were so close, but still so far away.  I would have cried, but I was so dehydrated from the sauna flight that I didn't have any available liquid to spare.  Some wonderful man took pity on us (read: wanted my screaming kids out of his airport) and got us food vouchers (no Abu Dhabi money on us), a car service, and a hotel with breakfast buffet, and booked us on a flight for the next day.  We got to our hotel around 1:00 am UAE time.  I gave up trying to figure out American/Indian time at that point.  We tried to wash out our sweaty/vomity clothes in the bathroom, but our car was coming at 8:00 am, so it was a very short night.  Breakfast buffet was awesome.  Had some beef bacon (guys, don't waste your time.  it's NOT bacon!)  Made our flight, which was pretty uneventful.  Except the tv's were broken.  At least it was only 4 hours.  No barfing that go round.  Then we landed.  And it was glorious.  I'll have to tell you all about it...someday.