Is that really a firecracker...

Everything is louder in India. I can hear traffic and horns all night long... Tonight there is an added noise...or ruckus you could say. There are major firecrackers going off all over the town. we live next to government houses and they have been setting off firecrackers all night. It really sounds like we are being bombed. The first time a really loud one went off I yelled and ducked. I said, "Rob are you sure we are not being bombed?" He assured me that it is just another Hindu holiday called Diwali or festival of lights. I had heard about a big holiday coming up but I did not realize it would be soooo scary:) It does not seem to phase Moriah however. Since Moriah was born in India she seems accustomed to lots of noise. The doctor last week joked that Indian people thrive in a noisy environment. She said her husband studied in the states and while he was there he had to buy things to make noise at night because it was too quiet and he couldn't sleep. So when we bring Moriah home to the states we might need to invest in a similar set up.
Ernie is now back from the Philippines and Immanuel is coming back tonight. It sounds like the conference went really well and the pastors were able to spend lots of time together and grow closer. This is a huge blessing because the groups of pastors that went could really benefit from close fellowship with each other. Ernie said the only problem during the travel was convincing the Indian pastors that it was safe to eat at Burger King:) When they got to the Phillippines the pastors were hungry and the closest restaurant was a burger king. The pastors didn't know what to order because they didn't have rice. Finally Ernie made them all go sit down and he ordered them all chicken sandwiches, fries, and coffee. After that meal they just decided to order whatever Ernie and Immanuel ordered. Ernie reminded them that they always expect Americans and other visitors to eat their itly and Dosai (breakfast foods) and they should try to eat the food available in this country. So it was definitely a learning experience for all. I cannot wait to hear from the pastors about what they learned during their time away.
I took Moriah grocery shopping today as well. I was getting a little homesick so I went to the grocery store with some western products. Praise the Lord for stores with toilet paper and diapers:) I carried Moriah in a baby sling I brought from the states. The sling has been great because there are really not many places to put a baby here. There are not carts in the stores... (They are not that big and people cant buy that much for a cart) Other customers were amused by the sling. I have seen people use a similar thing here but mine still must have looked foreign to them. Either way it was good to get out with Moriah and get some items which remind me of home. We also received several cards from people in the states today which helped us feel loved:)