Fearing that things were going south again, I published, but wanted to finish off with some encouragement from today. This morning Sudeepta brought Mashaphi up to meet me. She is single handedly taking care of 60 girls in boarding!!! We had a lovely visit. I had agreed yesterday to take devotions tonight with the girls, I assume . . . there are also 31 boys in boarding . . . these are all children of Indian nationals who are doing mission in India, but in an area that is not their own . . . that's a whole 'nother thing to explain. But, let's just summarize by saying that they are crossing cultures though not borders. India is sometimes referred to as a subcontinent because each state is like a separate country. They speak different languages, have different customs, may eat and even dress differently. There ARE 1.2 billion of them, after all! Only 6% of the population calls themselves Christians. And, in that 6%, a good number of them are nominal.
Since I was up so early this a.m. after having my own devotions, I prepared devotions for tonight. I am so glad that Mashaphi came up because as we talked, we agreed that it would be good for me to introduce myself tonight by telling part of my story. I had wondered about that, and was pleased that she felt free to tell me what she really thought . . . it is a huge gift when a younger Indian does that! May God lead us tonight as we spend time together.
I did have lunch with the girls today and will begin eating lunch and dinner with them when I am here. It is spicy, simple food . . . not my favorite. Rice wears off quickly in my body, but I just cannot eat it in volume the way that they do. I know that there will be chapatti tonight. I much prefer them to rice! May God give grace and show me if I need to make other arrangements.
Hannah, whose parents are Telegu speaking but work in Mumbai, came to get me for lunch, brought me food, walked me home, and will be back tonight to 'pick me up' for devotions. She is lovely!!! While eating lunch, a 9th grader began talking politics with me. I want to be totally available to these girls when I return, and to dear Mashaphi who really needs help! Help me, Lord, to listen to your instructions. My desire is to bring you glory!
I got everything unpacked yesterday and semi organized. It was a good feeling. I leave tomorrow afternoon for Mussoorie, a homecoming! The closer it gets, the more excited I become. So, repacking has begun. I will be gone a week, back a day, and then off to Kolkata and Nagaland before returning here for a month! Thinking about all of this is likely the reason for my inability to sleep. I did go for a long walk today to try to counteract the effects of too much sitting this week . . . my ankles are swollen again after yesterday. They have gone down some, but aren't right! Fortunately tomorrow's travel is only an hour and then walking everywhere and sleeping in the same bed for a week . . . I should be good to go by next Fri if it really is true that it takes a day for every time zone you cross to get completely on the new time zone! Thanks for reading this far!
Since I was up so early this a.m. after having my own devotions, I prepared devotions for tonight. I am so glad that Mashaphi came up because as we talked, we agreed that it would be good for me to introduce myself tonight by telling part of my story. I had wondered about that, and was pleased that she felt free to tell me what she really thought . . . it is a huge gift when a younger Indian does that! May God lead us tonight as we spend time together.
I did have lunch with the girls today and will begin eating lunch and dinner with them when I am here. It is spicy, simple food . . . not my favorite. Rice wears off quickly in my body, but I just cannot eat it in volume the way that they do. I know that there will be chapatti tonight. I much prefer them to rice! May God give grace and show me if I need to make other arrangements.
Hannah, whose parents are Telegu speaking but work in Mumbai, came to get me for lunch, brought me food, walked me home, and will be back tonight to 'pick me up' for devotions. She is lovely!!! While eating lunch, a 9th grader began talking politics with me. I want to be totally available to these girls when I return, and to dear Mashaphi who really needs help! Help me, Lord, to listen to your instructions. My desire is to bring you glory!
I got everything unpacked yesterday and semi organized. It was a good feeling. I leave tomorrow afternoon for Mussoorie, a homecoming! The closer it gets, the more excited I become. So, repacking has begun. I will be gone a week, back a day, and then off to Kolkata and Nagaland before returning here for a month! Thinking about all of this is likely the reason for my inability to sleep. I did go for a long walk today to try to counteract the effects of too much sitting this week . . . my ankles are swollen again after yesterday. They have gone down some, but aren't right! Fortunately tomorrow's travel is only an hour and then walking everywhere and sleeping in the same bed for a week . . . I should be good to go by next Fri if it really is true that it takes a day for every time zone you cross to get completely on the new time zone! Thanks for reading this far!
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