We are all very thankful for a discovery found last night! Especially because we were worried for Jessica, Amy, and Janer! Are you all on the edge of your seats!?! After a few days of eating authentic Indian fare and trying to navigate an Indian menu for those taste buds who do not like any spice (which is virtually impossible), we found out one of our restaurants has "continental" fare. You maybe wondering what "continental" fare consists of...well, french fries, gourmet mac and cheese, Chinese noodles, and ice cream!!
We are all very thankful for a break from the spicy curry taste...although Janer insists they put it in everything!
Today, we are headed off to finish up the medical camp at the one school....should be a great day! Hopefully, I won't be falling asleep tonight as I blog about the medical camps because we have some great stories to tell all of you about the children we are serving....they are SO precious and definitely gifts from heaven!
Sending our love and gratefulness!
Katie
Monday, January 31, 2011
A wee bit tired....
Well, it has definitely been an exciting and exhausting couple of days. So much so it has been difficult to find time to post because I usually fall asleep the minute we walk into the room and lay down in bed. For some reason, the jet lag is particularly difficult this time for some of us...or me, I guess. The whole 36 hour travel thing and maybe one year older this year hasn't made it any easier to adjust to things. Oh well, I think we are on the brink of getting adjusted to India time, so keep us in your thoughts on that subject! :) I think once we get fully adjusted (yes, it will be time to come home), but we will just have more energy to love, to care for these young children, and just be open to what is in store for us.
Yesterday, we went to the campus where Tim and Karla and their four children live. They live on the campus of one of the schools they manage...it includes a crisis center, a sanctuary, three or four extra living quarters for those who are living there as a part of the crisis center, an extra living quarters for guests and interns, and then enough room for the classrooms. A vast difference between the other school we are working at through the beginning of the week, but still amazing nonetheless. The church service was packed to the brim with people from all walks of life and so welcoming....they of course called us up to the front and praised us for being here and making a difference here in India. It's amazing how happy our Indian brothers and sisters are to see us and to host us. You would think we are VIPs or something....quite different than America! :)
I did learn how to play cricket yesterday. It is a pretty fun game, but I definitely have a lot to learn. You think we would pick up quick because of our relation to baseball...well, it's quite different when the batter can hit it anywhere 360 degrees around them AND they have to hit it off the bounce....plus, keeping score is about as confusing as they come. So, needless to say, I still have a lot to learn about cricket, but it was a GREAT time to be able to connect with Tim, his family, and all the neighborhood children through such a cherished past time shared by them and this nation. Plus, they were sweet enough to let the girls play with them! (Jessica and I did a good job of holding our own!)
Okay....that is just a bit from yesterday and I will blog more later about our first medical camp today! I'm falling asleep as I write this post, so I will post more in the morning before our second day of medical camps....I'm sorry the posts have been few and far between, but we are getting there! Stay tuned for more...and I will post some pics in the morning.
Thank you again for your support and prayers.
With love and good night.
Katie
Yesterday, we went to the campus where Tim and Karla and their four children live. They live on the campus of one of the schools they manage...it includes a crisis center, a sanctuary, three or four extra living quarters for those who are living there as a part of the crisis center, an extra living quarters for guests and interns, and then enough room for the classrooms. A vast difference between the other school we are working at through the beginning of the week, but still amazing nonetheless. The church service was packed to the brim with people from all walks of life and so welcoming....they of course called us up to the front and praised us for being here and making a difference here in India. It's amazing how happy our Indian brothers and sisters are to see us and to host us. You would think we are VIPs or something....quite different than America! :)
I did learn how to play cricket yesterday. It is a pretty fun game, but I definitely have a lot to learn. You think we would pick up quick because of our relation to baseball...well, it's quite different when the batter can hit it anywhere 360 degrees around them AND they have to hit it off the bounce....plus, keeping score is about as confusing as they come. So, needless to say, I still have a lot to learn about cricket, but it was a GREAT time to be able to connect with Tim, his family, and all the neighborhood children through such a cherished past time shared by them and this nation. Plus, they were sweet enough to let the girls play with them! (Jessica and I did a good job of holding our own!)
Okay....that is just a bit from yesterday and I will blog more later about our first medical camp today! I'm falling asleep as I write this post, so I will post more in the morning before our second day of medical camps....I'm sorry the posts have been few and far between, but we are getting there! Stay tuned for more...and I will post some pics in the morning.
Thank you again for your support and prayers.
With love and good night.
Katie
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Day One...
Well, I'm probably not going to be the one to blog with the most exciting day for their first day in India. My first day consisted of breakfast, a nap (which felt like a little bit of heaven actually sleeping horizontally), a visit to the two schools, lunch and tea with Karla and Tim...and THEN, back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. So, I must say, a bit uneventful compared to last year, however, some of the others stayed at Tim and Karla's to play cricket and partake in a "English conversation Cafe" at the school. John, Nate, Amy and Jessica will have to tell you more about it, but by all the stories they had to tell, the excitement in their voices, and the smiles on their faces...they had an awesome time. It was a time where 60 people (they usually only have about 20 or so show up) from all different countries and nationalities come together to learn about each other, create relationships, and use language as a means to relate and learn new things about this world and thing we call life! How cool is that?! So, anyways, I will leave the rest to those who attended.
I must say it is good to be back. I'm fighting the fatigue right now and feeling the pressure of missing out on today's activities, but I think the rest was much needed. It's sometimes hard to remember you have 14 more days and it's not always good to get sick from exhaustion on the first day! I also must say that I'm a little perplexed at how I feel about being here whether I'm excited or whether it's just "another" thing or if I really know why I'm supposed to be here. Before I got here, I knew I had to be here....now that I'm here, I don't really know what I am supposed to do. So, I am hoping with some rest and being refreshed will make it a bit easier to find my purpose. Do you sense any ambivalence?!? :)
With all that being said, I still can't believe as I look around, as we drive through the cities, the people, the poverty, the filth, the faith, the kids, the dogs, the COWS (I saw them roaming around last year, but it's still crazy to see them in the middle of the road, in the city, tied to a tree), the women, the infrastructure, the rickshaws. As we were eating dinner tonight we were talking about how many people are here in India. I'm sure our estimates are far short (I didn't do my research to verify), but that there are 4 times as many people in India than in America with a fourth of the land we have in America. My numbers may be off a bit, but I think you understand my comparison. It is very difficult to explain and express to you, the people...the sheer amount of people....and everything we use as human beings.
As I walked off the plane today and we got into the bus, everything just came back. The smell of India is like no other...I wish I could bring everyone back just a little smell to test your senses just a wee bit. As we were driving last night with the windows open, there were a couple times, I felt the nose hairs burn a bit...it's amazing what we take for granted in America. And I promise you, I take clean, fresh smelling, salt water filled air for granted every day!!
It's amazing what each person considers to be their "normal" and how our "normals" are so different, but so much the same. As we walked through the schools, you see how we are all the same and we all want to have the same things. We all want to be appreciated, loved, and noticed. The kids just want to be noticed as they crowd around the van and get their pictures taken. The teachers are so proud of their school and want us to be proud, too. We all want and desire those same things. Maybe that is why I am here? (Sometimes I just need to talk/write through things...) To make people in India feel like their normal is like my normal and make me feel like my normal is like their normal. Whatever normal that may be....if there is such a thing! :)
Anyways, I'm hoping tomorrow brings a little bit more clarity for myself, but also hope I can continue to open my heart. I watch the members of my team interact with our Indian brothers and sisters and they are so good at it...so open, so free, and so loving. I'm so proud to be a part of all of this and keep hoping I will learn and be able to do the same.
A couple things about the school we went to today. Tim and Karla showed us two of their schools today...one school was about 35 ft wide by 56 ft deep and 3 stories high. The kicker, 450 children attend this school....yep, 450 in that tiny space. The kitchen to feed all of these children is about 8x8. It's amazing!! We are holding the medical camp in the garage and front room of Tim's father's house that is next to the school....what generosity. He will have around 450 kids going through his home for their first physicals ever....what a blessing he is giving! I know these medical camps are going to be amazing!
Okay, well, I think most of the team is fast asleep, so I better get myself headed in that direction. Ambien might be my new bestest friend! Tomorrow may be a little more structured of a post and not all over the place...I'm blaming lack of sleep!
Our continued gratefulness for all your prayers and support.
Katie
I must say it is good to be back. I'm fighting the fatigue right now and feeling the pressure of missing out on today's activities, but I think the rest was much needed. It's sometimes hard to remember you have 14 more days and it's not always good to get sick from exhaustion on the first day! I also must say that I'm a little perplexed at how I feel about being here whether I'm excited or whether it's just "another" thing or if I really know why I'm supposed to be here. Before I got here, I knew I had to be here....now that I'm here, I don't really know what I am supposed to do. So, I am hoping with some rest and being refreshed will make it a bit easier to find my purpose. Do you sense any ambivalence?!? :)
With all that being said, I still can't believe as I look around, as we drive through the cities, the people, the poverty, the filth, the faith, the kids, the dogs, the COWS (I saw them roaming around last year, but it's still crazy to see them in the middle of the road, in the city, tied to a tree), the women, the infrastructure, the rickshaws. As we were eating dinner tonight we were talking about how many people are here in India. I'm sure our estimates are far short (I didn't do my research to verify), but that there are 4 times as many people in India than in America with a fourth of the land we have in America. My numbers may be off a bit, but I think you understand my comparison. It is very difficult to explain and express to you, the people...the sheer amount of people....and everything we use as human beings.
As I walked off the plane today and we got into the bus, everything just came back. The smell of India is like no other...I wish I could bring everyone back just a little smell to test your senses just a wee bit. As we were driving last night with the windows open, there were a couple times, I felt the nose hairs burn a bit...it's amazing what we take for granted in America. And I promise you, I take clean, fresh smelling, salt water filled air for granted every day!!
It's amazing what each person considers to be their "normal" and how our "normals" are so different, but so much the same. As we walked through the schools, you see how we are all the same and we all want to have the same things. We all want to be appreciated, loved, and noticed. The kids just want to be noticed as they crowd around the van and get their pictures taken. The teachers are so proud of their school and want us to be proud, too. We all want and desire those same things. Maybe that is why I am here? (Sometimes I just need to talk/write through things...) To make people in India feel like their normal is like my normal and make me feel like my normal is like their normal. Whatever normal that may be....if there is such a thing! :)
Anyways, I'm hoping tomorrow brings a little bit more clarity for myself, but also hope I can continue to open my heart. I watch the members of my team interact with our Indian brothers and sisters and they are so good at it...so open, so free, and so loving. I'm so proud to be a part of all of this and keep hoping I will learn and be able to do the same.
A couple things about the school we went to today. Tim and Karla showed us two of their schools today...one school was about 35 ft wide by 56 ft deep and 3 stories high. The kicker, 450 children attend this school....yep, 450 in that tiny space. The kitchen to feed all of these children is about 8x8. It's amazing!! We are holding the medical camp in the garage and front room of Tim's father's house that is next to the school....what generosity. He will have around 450 kids going through his home for their first physicals ever....what a blessing he is giving! I know these medical camps are going to be amazing!
Okay, well, I think most of the team is fast asleep, so I better get myself headed in that direction. Ambien might be my new bestest friend! Tomorrow may be a little more structured of a post and not all over the place...I'm blaming lack of sleep!
Our continued gratefulness for all your prayers and support.
Katie
All I Can Say...
Is we made it!! Jet-lagged, cramped, exhausted, excited, shocked and all, we are here. We arrived on time into our destination and then had to travel about 4 hours in a van and small SUV to get to our FINAL destination. All in all, I think we traveled 36 hours....India, you are the only I would travel that long for....well, maybe I will change my mind someday if someone asks me to go to Australia or something. Anyways, that's the jet lag talking.
It is so good to be here and we are so blessed to have made it here safely with all our bags in stow! (Put on the roof of the van for the 4 hours trek to our hotel...yep...a little nervous on that one!)
Alright, I have to sign off for now....heading to the school to see where we are setting everything up for medical camp.
Thank you again for your love, support and prayers. Keep 'em coming!
More later.
Katie
It is so good to be here and we are so blessed to have made it here safely with all our bags in stow! (Put on the roof of the van for the 4 hours trek to our hotel...yep...a little nervous on that one!)
Alright, I have to sign off for now....heading to the school to see where we are setting everything up for medical camp.
Thank you again for your love, support and prayers. Keep 'em coming!
More later.
Katie
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Shuttle is here....gotta go!
Thankfully, my last night in my own bed for 14 days, was a good one. A bit difficult to get up, so I sunk in a little deeper for a little longer this morning. I unconsciously took a long shower with lots of really hot water. In fact, the hot water started to turn cold and I got out as soon as I could as I know it's going to be that way for the next 14 days. I took a short walk in the Florida sun this morning, listened to the bird sanctuary that seems to be outside my house, enjoyed the fresh salt filled smell of the air, and then sat in the deafening silence of my house with a COLD glass of water...for just a little bit longer.
Soon, we will be white knuckled in our van traveling on the roads of India, praying our drivers doesn't go down the wrong way on a one way and have a stand off with a semi-truck to see who is going to move first, the air full of pollution, curry, and dirt, trash everywhere, people everywhere, horns honking, dogs running through the streets, women sweeping up dirt and excrement, children running around with no pants on, rickshaws packed to the brim weaving in and out of traffic....yep, I can feel the heart rate rising and my palms getting sweaty.
I'm excited though....I'm ready. I don't know what it is about this trip, but my suitcases are packed...I'm not sure what is in them. I don't care. I know I will have enough. I know it will be good. If I don't have it, India might have it, I'm sure one of the 9 people I'm traveling with have it...if not, I didn't need it anyway. It's not about me...it's about them....I say it's about them and they will make it about me....amazing.
My goal on this trip...to open my heart a little bit more. To see what I couldn't see last year. To hear what I couldn't hear last year. I know I can't save the world. Don't really want to....but I know I can love one more person in India. I know I can listen to one more woman in India. I know I can touch and hold one more child in India. So....that's what I'm going to do.
Stan said it best...this trip would not be possible without all of our supporters. Your commitment to this country, to their people, to us, is unwavering. We are so grateful for each one of you and we will do our best to bring your gifts and love across the world to be an extension of you. Thank you for your thoughts and your prayers as we go forward on this journey!
Katie
Soon, we will be white knuckled in our van traveling on the roads of India, praying our drivers doesn't go down the wrong way on a one way and have a stand off with a semi-truck to see who is going to move first, the air full of pollution, curry, and dirt, trash everywhere, people everywhere, horns honking, dogs running through the streets, women sweeping up dirt and excrement, children running around with no pants on, rickshaws packed to the brim weaving in and out of traffic....yep, I can feel the heart rate rising and my palms getting sweaty.
I'm excited though....I'm ready. I don't know what it is about this trip, but my suitcases are packed...I'm not sure what is in them. I don't care. I know I will have enough. I know it will be good. If I don't have it, India might have it, I'm sure one of the 9 people I'm traveling with have it...if not, I didn't need it anyway. It's not about me...it's about them....I say it's about them and they will make it about me....amazing.
My goal on this trip...to open my heart a little bit more. To see what I couldn't see last year. To hear what I couldn't hear last year. I know I can't save the world. Don't really want to....but I know I can love one more person in India. I know I can listen to one more woman in India. I know I can touch and hold one more child in India. So....that's what I'm going to do.
Stan said it best...this trip would not be possible without all of our supporters. Your commitment to this country, to their people, to us, is unwavering. We are so grateful for each one of you and we will do our best to bring your gifts and love across the world to be an extension of you. Thank you for your thoughts and your prayers as we go forward on this journey!
Katie
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
My own little world.
In Matthew West’s song, he talks about how comfortable we get in our own little worlds, worlds where we are in control, life is comfortable, we have “earned” the right to be warm and well fed and happy. Then he sings this phrase:
“What if there’s a bigger picture,
what if I’m missing out,
what if there’s a greater purpose,
I could be living right now,
outside my own little world?”
In less than 48 hours I will leave my own little world. This team and I will spend 36 hours or so traveling half way around the world. We are leaving behind our comfortable world, internet access on our cell phones, TV shows we can’t miss, driving our own vehicles, our families, long hot showers, beef.
We go to be the hands and feet of Christ, to serve those who have so little. We are honored to be called to go.
We are going to help and encourage those who have dedicated their lives to serving the oppressed of India. They are the ones who live in this world 24/7. They are the ones who are changing lives in India.
But for these 2 weeks, we are privileged to walk beside them, work with them, share with them. Maybe give them some new ideas, maybe help them do what they do a bit better. But for all we will give them, we will receive infinitely more from them. It is the most humbling experience I have ever had.
Thank you to all of you who have made this trip possible, with your donations, your prayers, your encouragement. We truly go as an extension of all of you. We will do our best to be worthy of that.
Stan
“What if there’s a bigger picture,
what if I’m missing out,
what if there’s a greater purpose,
I could be living right now,
outside my own little world?”
In less than 48 hours I will leave my own little world. This team and I will spend 36 hours or so traveling half way around the world. We are leaving behind our comfortable world, internet access on our cell phones, TV shows we can’t miss, driving our own vehicles, our families, long hot showers, beef.
We go to be the hands and feet of Christ, to serve those who have so little. We are honored to be called to go.
We are going to help and encourage those who have dedicated their lives to serving the oppressed of India. They are the ones who live in this world 24/7. They are the ones who are changing lives in India.
But for these 2 weeks, we are privileged to walk beside them, work with them, share with them. Maybe give them some new ideas, maybe help them do what they do a bit better. But for all we will give them, we will receive infinitely more from them. It is the most humbling experience I have ever had.
Thank you to all of you who have made this trip possible, with your donations, your prayers, your encouragement. We truly go as an extension of all of you. We will do our best to be worthy of that.
Stan
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Pendulum Swings
This is trip #8 for me and I enter this familiar and unpleasant pendulum swing in my gut every time I step into the packing mode.
The whole team has worked so hard--sacrificed, saved, prayed, and we know to our core that what we do on this trip allows us to dip our souls deeper into God's mercy and grace and love for the poor, those who lack access to so many of the things we would never think of doing without. So why is it, when I'm shopping for things to put in my suitcase, that 90% of my thoughts are about trying to cover every possible need/want for myself? Mints, gum, plenty of hand wipes, a travel coffee press, collapsable water bottle (coolest thing from Eddie Bauer!), cheetos, .... you name it, I'm packing it! Shopping for extra apps, songs, and movies for my iPad to entertain me during the two international flights and a 6 hr layover in Frankfurt. Then I grab pills for colds, pills to help me sleep, pills for headaches, and heart burn.... Preparation has swung to alleviating every possible discomfort, and is fueled by self-obsession and anxiety.
Then I look at the stack of "stuff" piled in my suitcase and think of those kids..... They sleep on a mat, probably in a one or two room house with several family members. They bathe using a small bucket of cold water. They put on their school uniform and it makes them feel a foot taller as they proudly walk to school. They don't have a backpack full of contingency supplies; theirs is full of opportunities in the form of notebooks and textbooks. Their smiles are contagious, their gratitude is overwhelming, and their need, from my perspective, is staggering. The pendulum swings...so I dump the suitcase and start over.
The whole team has worked so hard--sacrificed, saved, prayed, and we know to our core that what we do on this trip allows us to dip our souls deeper into God's mercy and grace and love for the poor, those who lack access to so many of the things we would never think of doing without. So why is it, when I'm shopping for things to put in my suitcase, that 90% of my thoughts are about trying to cover every possible need/want for myself? Mints, gum, plenty of hand wipes, a travel coffee press, collapsable water bottle (coolest thing from Eddie Bauer!), cheetos, .... you name it, I'm packing it! Shopping for extra apps, songs, and movies for my iPad to entertain me during the two international flights and a 6 hr layover in Frankfurt. Then I grab pills for colds, pills to help me sleep, pills for headaches, and heart burn.... Preparation has swung to alleviating every possible discomfort, and is fueled by self-obsession and anxiety.
Then I look at the stack of "stuff" piled in my suitcase and think of those kids..... They sleep on a mat, probably in a one or two room house with several family members. They bathe using a small bucket of cold water. They put on their school uniform and it makes them feel a foot taller as they proudly walk to school. They don't have a backpack full of contingency supplies; theirs is full of opportunities in the form of notebooks and textbooks. Their smiles are contagious, their gratitude is overwhelming, and their need, from my perspective, is staggering. The pendulum swings...so I dump the suitcase and start over.
Monday, January 17, 2011
9 days...
In 9 days I will get on a plane again....
In 9 days I will travel with 9 other people across the world....
In 9 days I will have to open my heart again....
In 9 days I will be unsettled, unnerved, and uncomfortable....
In 9 days I will leave all the comforts of my home, my job, my friends, my family, my faith....
In 9 days I will trust this is the journey I need to be on...
In 9 days I will trust the 9 people I am traveling with to touch lives we don't know, we don't understand, we can't fix.
We will be on a journey together to open our hearts, to be His hands, to care and nurture those who have never felt the comfort of His precious touch, and to love those who have never been loved. We will love them without walls...without expectations...we will love them unconditionally.
It is amazing to walk into a world of unknown and have so many feelings....so many feelings words can't describe...there are no words that can explain the gifts we will receive in 9 days. We receive more gifts than we can possibly give....yet, our Indian brothers and sisters think we have sacrificed and blessed them a million times over. Amazing, isn't it?
It's amazing how I thought it would be different this year since I have been to India before...but it's not. It's all the same. It's hard because I am starting to get settled, I have a foundation, but now, I am going into the unknown again. I will be unsettled in my faith, again. I will be unsettled in my foundation, again. Why would I do this all over again? I ask myself every day....I don't know. I just know I'm supposed to go....
In 9 days I will travel with 9 other people across the world....
In 9 days I will have to open my heart again....
In 9 days I will be unsettled, unnerved, and uncomfortable....
In 9 days I will leave all the comforts of my home, my job, my friends, my family, my faith....
In 9 days I will trust this is the journey I need to be on...
In 9 days I will trust the 9 people I am traveling with to touch lives we don't know, we don't understand, we can't fix.
We will be on a journey together to open our hearts, to be His hands, to care and nurture those who have never felt the comfort of His precious touch, and to love those who have never been loved. We will love them without walls...without expectations...we will love them unconditionally.
It is amazing to walk into a world of unknown and have so many feelings....so many feelings words can't describe...there are no words that can explain the gifts we will receive in 9 days. We receive more gifts than we can possibly give....yet, our Indian brothers and sisters think we have sacrificed and blessed them a million times over. Amazing, isn't it?
It's amazing how I thought it would be different this year since I have been to India before...but it's not. It's all the same. It's hard because I am starting to get settled, I have a foundation, but now, I am going into the unknown again. I will be unsettled in my faith, again. I will be unsettled in my foundation, again. Why would I do this all over again? I ask myself every day....I don't know. I just know I'm supposed to go....
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