Is it possible!!!???

Today I realize that I have begun my second week in India.  So much has happened that it feels like I have been here a very long time.  The FB posts of the challenging weather at home bring with them a reality check. Am I allowed to say that the weather here is delightful!?  The locals are finding it quite cool.  It feels like early Richmond Spring to me!!!

I was able to meet with Kedu and Rebecca on Fri night before leaving Mumbai on Sat.  It was so good to catch up.  Thurs and Fri nights I slept really well.  The flight to Kolkata left an hour late, but arrived with only a half an hour's delay.  Yakoob, one of the EMC drivers, was at the airport to meet me and take me to Premila's.

Sun a.m. at Jeevan Joyti Fellowship was quite exciting.  Reunions with the EMC family and my friends from Ukraine were indeed special!  After church I stayed for Youth Fellowship in order to get more visiting time in with the teenagers here that I have grown so fond of.

It was super to get a ride with Premila out to Pauline Bhavan, where I have lived the past two visits, on Monday afternoon.  This followed more reunions at the office during the a.m.  Getting more time with the girls and other staff members at PB was an added bonus as I was also able to get things from the store room where I left them. The moth ball smell prevails especially in the paper that I had stored, but the clothes aired out nicely, and it is good to be back to my Indian wardrobe!

I am writing today from a cyber cafe near Mother Theresa's Home and will leave here soon to go and have my second visit with the boys who live at Anandoloy.  It is 4:30 before many of them get back from school. Some are taking computer classes with one of the men from the Ukraine team.  A couple of others from the Ukraine team are coming every day to spend time playing with the younger boys.  Exams are hovering over us, so it is more of just a 'touch base' time.

Yesterday I had a brief visit with last year's English language learning class before women's Bible study which I led on Luke 8: 16 - 18.  Premila, who translates for me, felt that the things we spoke of were well received. It was nice to see familiar faces and meet some new women who are recovering from addictions.  A couple of them are just teenagers.

Tomorrow I plan to spend the day at school catching up with friends there.  Fri afternoons YPF (Young People's Fellowship) meets, and I am looking forward to being apart of that!  Pauline Bhavan is on the same 'compound' so again relationships abound.

I have spoken with Nicolas Narjinary who will be welcoming me up in N. Bengal in a week.  Dave and Cathy arrive here on the 5th a.m,. and I leave on the 5th night.  We plan to visit the workshop where girls rescued from the human trafficing scene here learn a new trade . . . jewelry making and also to visit the boys together before I take off!  Most of these girls were rescued by Freedom Firm, founded and run by Dave and Cathy's daughter and son in law.

I seem to have picked up a lot of congestion during the flights and no doubt from the pollution in the city. I don't feel badly, but it is rather annoying!

I am experiencing some sensory overload, more through the richness of relationships than the culture.  There is a big political gathering in the city today which is making life interesting for some, but doesn't really affect the part of the city where I am.

Praising God for all of the safe travel and updates, as well as the joy of relationships.  I am hoping for a bit of down time over the weekend.  I know we need it.

Another guest who was here and staying at Premila's left today.  That will help.  Please pray for her.  She has a nasty UTI which isn't keeping her down, but . . . She says that she feels better since going on meds.

'Guest season' is upon us as this is the best time weatherwise to visit India.  I am secretly glad to be going away from the fray.  It should be mostly over by the time I return on the 23rd.

A busy three days!

With storms predicted along the I 95 corridor on Tues, many events were canceled, and so I had the a.m. to leisurely get the last of my preparations completed.  Ginny (Laramore) and I decided to leave for the airport earlier than we thought necessary to insure that we were there, and she was back, before the snow started. Long story short, when I went to check in for my 2:19 flight, about 11:30, the man said to me, "I'm putting you on the 12:40 flight.  It's going to get crazy around here!"  So, about the time I was supposed to leave Richmond, I was in ATL.

The flight out of RIC was crowded and the attendant at the desk continually urged, "There will not be room in the overhead bins because the flight is full, check your luggage at the gate."  When I got my boarding pass, at the 11th hour, she suggested that I heed her advice.  My response was, "I am going to Mumbai, and I am flying standby."  She nodded, and down the gateway I went with an economy class seat assignment on my boarding pass.  I had just gotten into the plane when another attendant came in with a new boarding pass for me . . . a seat in First Class!  No problem with room for my luggage.

As I was early to ATL, there was plenty of time for me to walk from Terminal B to Terminal E, where the international flights take off.  I was hungry, and found a restaurant, with Yi FI, out of the fray; and enjoyed my last hamburger for at least two months.

When I went to the counter to 'report', I heard the Delta employee explaining to some women who were not too happy about new seat assignments that the likely explanation was that the computer didn't know they were together when it reassigned seats because we were flying to AMS on a different aircraft.  To keep another long story short, I got onto the flight to Amsterdam in Business Class!!!  I had been told my by friend Dave who had checked the 'loads' earlier in the week that it was unlikely that I would get the upgrade on that flight!  Maybe it was the change of aircraft.  Who knows!?

Though comfortable, I didn't really sleep on the overnight flight.  So, life seemed a little rugged when I got off the plane in AMS Wed a.m.  That same plane was going on to Mumbai in a couple of hours, but I had to go through the whole stand by procedure.  Again, I got on in Business Class.  Thank you, Lord.  I may have napped on that second flight, but was really quite out of it when I got into the Mumbai airport.  Certainly another perk of flying Business Class is that there is even a different line for you to go through immigration, and it is certainly shorter than the one for Economy.

I booked a hotel while still inside the airport, and was on my way out to meet the car that they were going to send for me, when who should I see but Dave Hicks!  He was waiting for Doug, his new colleague, who was also arriving, having been delayed because of the storm.  If I hadn't had a place, I could have gone to the same hotel where they were staying, but they leave today, so I just left things as they were  This place isn't great, but clean sheets, a Western toilet and AC . . . all of the essentials are here.  There is TV, too, which I haven't used yet.  (I later tried it, but it didn't work!)

I have managed to get some sleep and to eat breakfast and lunch.  I have not managed to get in touch with the old students from Woodstock School that I want to see, but . . . It is just about 4:45 Indian Standard Time, 10.5 hours ahead of EST.  I have heard from Rebecca via FB.  They are both working women.  Kedu is a surgeon, so no doubt she has had a busy day.  I'm going to try to stay awake now until after eating supper, and hopefully get a good sleep tonight.  That will help me get onto the right time zone and not feel so tired!

Almost ready!

Today has been a little bit hectic at times, but now that it is past 4:30, I am feeling a little bit better about things.  A trip to the Apple Store this a.m. was helpful, but I am still not overly confident on my new machine!  I can do the basics, though, and I think I will be fine.

I heard from Dave Hicks today, my friend who books the standby flights for me.  He can 'check the loads' and says that it looks hopeful that I will get ON all of my scheduled flights, but that it is UNLIKELY that I will get the upgrade on the ATL to Amsterdam flight.  If I only get one upgrade, I would prefer it be on the Amsterdam to Mumbai leg of the trip.  I'm still praying, and asking for at least an Economy Comfort seat!  Four extra inches makes a big difference on an 8 hour flight!

Admittedly I am disappointed that I will be missing Richmond's first real snow.  I am happy to be flying S from here, and trust that the storm won't affect getting to Europe.  Let's see.

Since I will have my little machine with me, I will try to update along the way.  I will put something criptic on FB, but don't want to give too much information to anyone who might be lerking.

I posted a link to some information about pornography and how bad it is in our society these days, and the affect that it has on human trafficking.  If you are a friend on FB, I ask you to take time to look at it.  Porn is becoming a problem for younger and younger males.  We need to educate and encourage.  A couple of weekends ago, I attended a conference about ending modern day slavery.  I was reminded again of how important it is to educate young people, both male and female, of the dangers.

Back to the task at hand.  Really looking forward to locking the door behind me for ahile and getting the journey started

Underneath are the everlasting arms!!!

The devotional book that I read regularly has been challenging me of late to TRUST instead of feverishly planning.  I have to smile as I am a planner, and can also be something of a control freak.  I like things to go smoothly, have what I need . . . the list goes on.  Since my self proclaimed 'retirement' I find myself so very unorganized and procrastinate way too much.  If all goes according to my attempt at planning my next adventure in India, however, I will be there in two weeks!!!  I am just not ready for that and know that I need to get down to the work of preparation, packing, et al.  To read the above this a.m. helped put it all in perspective.  I need to get busy, but HE has it all under control.  How grateful I am for that!!!

I mentioned in the last post about my stress test.  It went really well.  The cardiologist I saw comes originally from India, and we had a really lovely talk!  He reported to me that his daughter, a teenager, wants to do things like 'work among the poor' or with 'rescuing girls from the sex trade'.  I gave him some suggestions of organizations to Google, and he did it!  He said he would follow up with me when I get back in March, and that he wants me to meet his daughter!  Let's see.  I would love it, of course.  

The Delta flights that I am booked on are standby.  I did this last year, and was delayed in Amsterdam a day going out and in Mumbai a day coming back.  I am praying that this will not happen this time.  I am told that my position is good at the moment, though things can fill up as you get closer to departure.  My route is Richmond, Atlanta, Amsterdam, Mumbai.  Departure is scheduled for the 21st with arrival on the 22nd.

There are two old students from Woodstock School that I hope to see in Mumbai.  I will spend up to three nights in the city which will help facilitate that, help me get over the 10.5 hour time change and the long flight. It will be like Richmond summer when I arrive in Mumbai!  My plan is to fly to Kolkata, not on standby, on the 25th.

It will be exciting to reconnect with my Emmanuel Ministries family.  In addition to them, I will over lap with friends from Ukraine.  This will be the third time for some of us to meet in Kolkata, the second for others, and the second meeting at least for others that I met for the first time in Aug when I visited Ukraine.  Dave and Cathy Hicks will arrive at the beginning of Feb for a few days, and I am looing forward to overlapping with them.

On Feb 5 I leave on an overnight train for Hamiltongunj in N. Bengal.  I will be there for 2.5 weeks volunteering with NORTH BENGAL OUTREACH MINISTRIES (NBOM).   I visited there in Dec 2009 with Dave and Cathy Hicks. Nicholas Narginary, our dear friend and colleague from our days together with OM in Calcutta back in the '70's leads this work.  My heart was so touched, and Nicholas has been asking me to return since.  

Nicholas, among some of the first Indians to join OM,  led outreach teams until the mid 70's when he returned to his home area to focus on church planting.  This area is the northernmost point of W. Bengal in eastern India.  He lives 20 miles from the Bhutan border (China is 200 miles to the north); Bangladesh is 35 miles to the south; Nepal is just 75 miles to the west and Myanmar is to the east.  God is working in a special way in the Himalayan region.

When he returned to the area, he married Pushpa and bought land that they have developed into a ministry center.  They have three grown children, a hostel housing 100 orphaned or very poor children, cash crop gardens for food and for training the children in productive farming methods, and a primary through 12th grade school educating 430 students.

Joshua and Meni Narginary work alongside his parents in this great work of God.  They focus primarily on the school.  Noel (10) and Joanna (7) are their children.  They have asked that I help the children improve their English and to be an encouragement to them spiritually.

NBOM's primary focus is the unreached people of north Bengal and neighboring regions, bringing transformation and healing in their physical, educational, mental, emotional and spiritual lives.  Ninety five NBOM pastors and evangelists are placed strategically to preach the Gospel, shepherd and plant more churches.  As a result, hundreds are baptized and many new churches are started each year.

This area of Bengal is so very different from Kolkata . . . a big, crowded, dirty and noisy city.  Somewhat isolated and rural it will be a different experience for me.  I will stay in guest accommodation and be well looked after.  It is my prayer that I can quickly fit in, not as the foreign guest, but as a sister/aunty in Christ.

Back in Kolkata, I will not live in the same place, but otherwise plan to do many of the things that I have done in the past . . . Conversational English classes and Bible studies with women and teenagers.  It is my plan to pick up where we left off in the Bible studies on the doctrine of Grace which were so well received during my last visit.  I am looking forward to spending time with the children and teens in the residential programs as well as many young adults who have become very precious to me during previous visits.  Then, too, there are adults who work in EMC to reconnect with.  And, of course, I want to be an encouragement to Premila in whatever way I can be.

It's been a lovely day!!!

It is quite cold here in Richmond, but we haven't gotten any of the snow that has affected much of the country.  It was a week ago today that I made my final drive home after being in Pensacola with family for just over a week during Christmas.  Jackson and Maddie both turned a year older in Dec, and Seth will follow suit later this month.  I cannot get over how much they are growing and changing!  Admittedly, I would love to live closer to them so that I could see them more frequently!  Four days on the road round trip is becoming less enjoyable!  Getting to visit friends in the Atlanta area is a perk, but . . .

As usual, getting back into the groove in Richmond is a challenge.  But, the clothes are all clean, there is food in the house to eat, the Christmas decorations are down, and I am getting things done that I have been procrastinating over for weeks!  It is hard to believe that if all goes according to plan, I will be in Kolkata in three weeks.

It has been nice to spend time with friends since returning, and I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks here, just to see how things will all come together.  I have a stress test on Mon which I am pretty sure will say that I am fine, but I have had a few symptoms and wanted to leave for India with a clean bill of health.  Something funny is also going on with my heating system.  Someone is coming about that on Mon, too!  Hopefully it can be taken care of easily, quickly and inexpensively.

I think now that Christmas is over . . . the kids go back to school around here on Mon . . . I can put my head down, make a list of what needs to be done, and get it taken care of!