sugar and spice and everything nice

My journey to India has been a humbling experience. This is a story of grace. To begin, I had not checked to see what the luggage allotments were before leaving, so at the check-in counter I was shocked to find out that not only was one of my bags over weight, but only one bag was allowed and the fee for additional baggage is $25/kg! In my close-mindedness I had just gone by the US international standards without thinking through the fact that I would be flying within Asia before returning to the US. After some tearful pleading, rearranging and elimination of a few items, I was able to carry on one of my intended check-ins and check the other. Once in Guangzhou for a change over I found myself humbled again. I tend to pride myself on airport navigation, not really because I have a special ability, but because airports in my experience tend to have very good signage. Either I was blinded by my frustration or Guangzhou truly is one of the poorest marked airports, but I had a particularly difficult time finding my way. To their credit, however they do have volunteers posted throughout the terminal. At the security gate I had, for the first time ever, an airline personnel tell me that I was exceeding the allotment for carry-ons. I could not deny it, but he generously let me through anyways. At the airport in Delhi, I once again was graciously let through security. So many flight regulations have been broken on this trip, but by the grace of God and helpful people that He put in my path I made it through with more than I needed. My short overnight in Delhi was an adventure including dropping my bag in storage, a motorized rickshaw ride, a visit to the 24hour tourist service office, and sleeping in the airport. Thanks be to God, I arrived in Anand to the welcome of my dear friend Katherine and the director of the girls home here, brother Mainesh. 

 

Anand is a smaller town that lies at a major crossroads in Gujarat State. It is also home to the first dairy in Asia which remains a major supplier of dairy products for the country. This and the Hindu-dominant local government account for the vast number of cows that roam the streets freely. Throughout the day we are reminded to pray by the call to prayer from the nearby Mosque. This particular village is predominantly Muslim and Christian and neighborhoods are roughly divided according to religion. The Elwyn Parekh Children’s Home is a home for orphaned girls in a village just outside of Anand. Mainesh lives on the upper floor with his wife and two children, and they run the home of 10 girls with the help of one staff lady. They have been more than gracious hosts for Katherine and I since our arrival at the beginning of this week. The girls have been so delightful to be around. They keep a fairly regimented schedule each day, rising at 5:30 for homework, breakfast and morning devotional. After school they have some free time, do their chores and homework before dinner and evening devotional. Katherine and I have been asked to lead the evening devotionals while we are here which we hope is at least as much of a blessing to them as it is for us. The girls love to sing and dance and they are very talented. They love to laugh at our attempts at speaking Gujarati, but they still try to help us improve our pronunciation between their giggles. The girls call us didi, which means “elder sister” and a chorus of sweet voices always greet us with “good morning didi” or “good afternoon didi” or “good evening didi” when we enter the room. We taught them to play duck, duck, goose and red light, green light, and they have taught us some games as well. Their favorite game though, is musical chairs, played with a tambourine and everyone running around the chairs. They have also loved making bracelets with the thread that I brought for them. Every day there are bits of string scattered around the house that they have to sweep up.

Every evening we eat diner together on the floor in a big circle. The children sit in order of their age. We sing a song and someone prays before we eat. Two things that I love about that is country: everyone goes barefoot inside and you eat with your hands. Following our hosts’ examples we mix the rice with whatever meat or veg dish that is served and mash it together until you can form a good clump to put in your mouth. We also eat a lot of chapati (flat bread, almost like a wheat tortilla) which aid in the absence of utensils. Nearly every dish is spicy to some degree, but so far nothing has been too spicy for Katherine and I to eat. Thankfully we have had no stomach problems, but we’re taking our acidophilus just in case.

Today we made a visit to a nearby village where some of the girls are from. It was basic, but not impoverished. The families welcomed us graciously and served us chai. By the end of the day we had 6 cups of chai and several biscuits (cookies). We also ate lunch with a family in the village. The hosts do not eat until the guests have left so we ate while they served. It is a selfless custom, but seems odd to me when I think of a meal as something to be shared. 

The pace of life here has been a nice change from my usual full schedule. We have had a good balance of time with the girls, time with our hosts and time to rest. Tomorrow is our last full day here before we head back to Delhi. Please pray for the girls home here, for the girls and for Mainesh and his family in the work they do. They are nearly certified to accept infants into their home as well, please pray for them as they expand their ministry, that God will continue to provide for them. In this area there is tension between the Hindu-dominant government and the Christians which makes their work difficult. Pray for peace. And please pray for Katherine and I as we say goodbye to these precious new friends and make our way back to Delhi on Friday.