Psalm 28:7 says, The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. I can say with complete certainty that I would not be living in such peace without my faith and my loving God in India - the land of honking cars, power cuts, cows in the middle of traffic and where nobody is anywhere on time... Well, anywhere else, for that matter, but REALLY in this place that is so opposite the world I came from, the world I grew up in. The world of efficiencies, conveniences, somewhat decent drivers, Mexican food and cows in pastures (where they belong!) I am so thankful for the wonderful church we have made our home and the friends we have met, continue to meet, and are already considering our church family. God does amazing things when we allow Him in our lives, hearts and homes. The most recent example is that He has provided Savannah the opportunity to work with the boys' Home of Hope orphanage. She is writing a little about it on her blog. She had talked about missionary work and teaching before we came to India, but seeing her put these into action has brought me more pride, joy, and blessings than I can explain. I think the biggest part is seeing HER joy as a result of the time spent. She's been twice officially teaching, and twice just meeting the boys and kind of gaining an insight as to where they need help. We were both surprised with the amount of English they know, but she needs to focus on teaching them how to speak functional English. They know words, colors, shapes, even spelling. They KNOW this stuff. But they can't say, "This is a tree," as well as they can point and say "Tree." She is praying for focus so she can sit down and write lessons that will truly help these boys. She's a typical fifteen year-old and gets sucked in by Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill reruns, playing on Facebook and Twitter, and anything else that normally distracts a teenage girl, so this has been a challenge.
I still hold fast to my favorite verse, the verse that has come up so many times since my acceptance of this job and arrival to India - Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future., " This verse continues to drive me as I watch His plans unfold in front of my eyes, in my heart and in Savannah.
I went to the doctor last week for the first time in the nine months since we've arrived. I was having trouble getting deep breaths and was never really fully recovered from my self-diagnosed sinus infection from a few weeks ago and with the breathing getting worse, I threw in the towel and figured it was time to go. It helped that our American friends have already seen this particular doctor and recommended him, so I felt somewhat comfortable making the appointment. The only issue was that since we are in the far south side of Chennai, everything is a drive. We drive about an hour each way to church on Sunday, the day of little to no traffic. We drive about 45 minutes each to school and work, each way, so doing stuff during the week isn't very realistic. But I made the appointment for Wednesday, knowing Savannah would be with her Indian grandma (our American friend and my coworker, Tom's wife, Cheri) and that I could go before work and then go straight in. So after nearly two hours of traffic, I finally made it to Dr. SivaKumar's residential office (picture detached garage turned into a room/office). After a quick chat and upper respiratory infection diagnosis along with a prescription for the Indian version of Singulair and an antibiotic, I paid my 500 rupees (less than ten US dollars) and stopped by the pharmacy where I picked up both meds for less than 200 rupees, or about $3.50. It is amazing how affordable medical attention is here. I read an article the other day explaining the cost for a particular chemotherapy in the US was nearly $80,000 for one person while the same (generic) chemo was less than $2,500. Lots of thoughts about this, but I'll save that for another time. After a few days on the Indian Singulair I am breathing better and prepping for the upcoming trip.
Mom, Dad & Michael will be here in 2-3 weeks (Mom & Dad are planning to head this way May 4, Savannah's 16th birthday! and Michael will leave on the 7th) and we will be going to Singapore for two nights and then Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for 5 nights. I CAN HARDLY WAIT! So excited to see my parents and Michael and almost as excited (but not quite) for our first official holiday in Asia. After being here for three quarters of a year and no notable travels to speak of, we are going to make this count. And I would LIKE to plan on an every other month long weekend excursion around the country or quick trips. Unfortunately, I am not sure if my wallet will allow, but will definitely be checking the local websites for deals and packages that might make this realistic for us.
I'll leave you with a funny story and then a note off another blog I read, written by another white chick. She's an Australian writer, married to an Indian, living in Mumbai. She is funny, witty, smart and honest. I could not help but laugh out loud when I read one of her recent posts. The topic of marriage is a big one here and weddings are a big production (I know you guys think they are in the US, too, but it's just different here. I don't know how to explain other than that. Come visit me and I'll bring you to one LOL) There are lots of things to think about when the topic of marriage arises - Is it a daughter or son? Is he or she the right age (appx. 23 for the girls...)? Is he going to fetch a slim, lovely girl who is willing to stay home and raise the children? Will she bring a nice dowry from a wealthy family? Today's generation is more worldly and love marriages are becoming more and more common. So some of these questions might not apply, but in many instances they do. Yesterday when Savannah and I went to get our hair cut (oh, gosh, that's another story... we miss our Aunt Lauri and her fabulous hair skills!!), I overheard a girl on the other side of the wall on her mobile. She was having quite a serious conversation, telling someone they were despicable and she had no respect for them. She went on, bouncing back and forth from Tamil to English and back again, and was not quiet about her conversation. Of course, being curious, I listened closely to the parts I could understand. First I thought she was telling a company they had wronged her and she did not appreciate it. As the conversation went on, however, I realized she was telling a suitor that he was not fit to marry her. I am not sure if it was someone who she once dated, in a love relationship, or if it was an arranged suitor who was vying for her hand, but she was not soft with her words when she told him how she felt. She said she hated him, he disgusted her and she did not feel he was responsible enough to be the head of a family. Ouch! She was on the phone for quite a long time and I really wanted to ask her the details, but figured my daughter would have died of embarrassment (sometimes I don't let that stop me), because I am just so curious and interested in this culture. Anyway, if you click here you can read some hilarious matrimony ads (and then click around and read Sharell's, story - you won't regret it). Some REAL ads for a marriage service. Pretty good stuff.
Sending big love and hugs from Chennai!
I still hold fast to my favorite verse, the verse that has come up so many times since my acceptance of this job and arrival to India - Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future., " This verse continues to drive me as I watch His plans unfold in front of my eyes, in my heart and in Savannah.
I went to the doctor last week for the first time in the nine months since we've arrived. I was having trouble getting deep breaths and was never really fully recovered from my self-diagnosed sinus infection from a few weeks ago and with the breathing getting worse, I threw in the towel and figured it was time to go. It helped that our American friends have already seen this particular doctor and recommended him, so I felt somewhat comfortable making the appointment. The only issue was that since we are in the far south side of Chennai, everything is a drive. We drive about an hour each way to church on Sunday, the day of little to no traffic. We drive about 45 minutes each to school and work, each way, so doing stuff during the week isn't very realistic. But I made the appointment for Wednesday, knowing Savannah would be with her Indian grandma (our American friend and my coworker, Tom's wife, Cheri) and that I could go before work and then go straight in. So after nearly two hours of traffic, I finally made it to Dr. SivaKumar's residential office (picture detached garage turned into a room/office). After a quick chat and upper respiratory infection diagnosis along with a prescription for the Indian version of Singulair and an antibiotic, I paid my 500 rupees (less than ten US dollars) and stopped by the pharmacy where I picked up both meds for less than 200 rupees, or about $3.50. It is amazing how affordable medical attention is here. I read an article the other day explaining the cost for a particular chemotherapy in the US was nearly $80,000 for one person while the same (generic) chemo was less than $2,500. Lots of thoughts about this, but I'll save that for another time. After a few days on the Indian Singulair I am breathing better and prepping for the upcoming trip.
Mom, Dad & Michael will be here in 2-3 weeks (Mom & Dad are planning to head this way May 4, Savannah's 16th birthday! and Michael will leave on the 7th) and we will be going to Singapore for two nights and then Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for 5 nights. I CAN HARDLY WAIT! So excited to see my parents and Michael and almost as excited (but not quite) for our first official holiday in Asia. After being here for three quarters of a year and no notable travels to speak of, we are going to make this count. And I would LIKE to plan on an every other month long weekend excursion around the country or quick trips. Unfortunately, I am not sure if my wallet will allow, but will definitely be checking the local websites for deals and packages that might make this realistic for us.
I'll leave you with a funny story and then a note off another blog I read, written by another white chick. She's an Australian writer, married to an Indian, living in Mumbai. She is funny, witty, smart and honest. I could not help but laugh out loud when I read one of her recent posts. The topic of marriage is a big one here and weddings are a big production (I know you guys think they are in the US, too, but it's just different here. I don't know how to explain other than that. Come visit me and I'll bring you to one LOL) There are lots of things to think about when the topic of marriage arises - Is it a daughter or son? Is he or she the right age (appx. 23 for the girls...)? Is he going to fetch a slim, lovely girl who is willing to stay home and raise the children? Will she bring a nice dowry from a wealthy family? Today's generation is more worldly and love marriages are becoming more and more common. So some of these questions might not apply, but in many instances they do. Yesterday when Savannah and I went to get our hair cut (oh, gosh, that's another story... we miss our Aunt Lauri and her fabulous hair skills!!), I overheard a girl on the other side of the wall on her mobile. She was having quite a serious conversation, telling someone they were despicable and she had no respect for them. She went on, bouncing back and forth from Tamil to English and back again, and was not quiet about her conversation. Of course, being curious, I listened closely to the parts I could understand. First I thought she was telling a company they had wronged her and she did not appreciate it. As the conversation went on, however, I realized she was telling a suitor that he was not fit to marry her. I am not sure if it was someone who she once dated, in a love relationship, or if it was an arranged suitor who was vying for her hand, but she was not soft with her words when she told him how she felt. She said she hated him, he disgusted her and she did not feel he was responsible enough to be the head of a family. Ouch! She was on the phone for quite a long time and I really wanted to ask her the details, but figured my daughter would have died of embarrassment (sometimes I don't let that stop me), because I am just so curious and interested in this culture. Anyway, if you click here you can read some hilarious matrimony ads (and then click around and read Sharell's, story - you won't regret it). Some REAL ads for a marriage service. Pretty good stuff.
Sending big love and hugs from Chennai!
