First Time with Play Dough

Today we had another VBS meeting. The pastors were coming up with object lessons to use in the curriculum and John Wesley brough a type of play dough that he made. He tore off pieces for each of the pastors to test out. They had never used such a thing before. They were having a great time smelling, touching, and molding the stuff. They sere excited about using something like this in their lessons. It is so interesting for me to realize that things like play dough are rare here. VBS in America tends to be very elaborate and to think that play dough would be a huge addition is mind boggling to me. The pastors are getting their materials together and will have a great program to offer the churches this year.
We are still praying for Yesaw (Raja's Dad). He had surgery on the multiple fractures in his arm and is in a lot of pain. In addition, Indian hospitals do not provide meals or help with personal care so Raja has had to go back and forth and care for his dad. This is very emotionally and physically tiring for him. Als0, Kiruban's brother in law is very sick and in the hospital. They are not sure what is wrong. The family is very worried because the other brother passed away of cancer in Septmeber. Please pray for their strength.
Two of the kids living at the mission came down with chicken pox. It has been interesting to see how they handle this. They have so many worries and superstitions about it. Ernie printed off some info on chicken pox to help educate that it is a normal thing. I guess they believe that a kid with chicken pox must wash in water heated by the sun three times a day and if it is not gone in 3 days then there is bad luck or something. These are influences of the Hindu culture and sometimes we just need to help show the people that these HIndu beliefs are contrary to Scripture. It is definately interesting.

102 new outfits

Today I went to Pothy's. You think a shopping trip at Wal-Mart druing the holiday season is crazy; you haven't seen anything yet. Pothy's is a huge clothing store. The price range is large so poor people and upper class people can shop there. I think everyone in Chennai shops there acctually. I went with three ladies from the mission and the office worker so he could translate and pay for us. We had to buy 102 outfits for the children at the orphanage next to our home. These will be Christmas gifts for each of them. It was a lot of fun to know that we would be able to afford a new outfit for each child. The ladies had a great time passing Moriah around as I picked out the clothes. Which brings up another chaotic factor to the shopping trip. Indian people get really excited about seeing an American baby. I cannot do anything with her in public without a large crowd surrounding me and wanting to hold her and see her. Ultimately the only way we were ever going to get the shopping done was to pretend that she was an Indian baby. Grace wrapped her in the balnket and rocked her in a chair while I shopped. Unless Moriah's little arm popped out, nobody could tell she was my baby.
I found myself wanting to do more than just anoutfit for these kids. I would like to buy games and toys and jewelry for the girls. I realize though that these kids are very thankful to receive necessary items. I ran into a problem because they did not have enough in one price range so some of the older kids got slightly nicer outfits. I asked Deviraj if this would cause tension. He said, "No mam, these kids do not see what other kids have. They are only excited for what they receive." I think it is amazing the wonderful spirit these kids must have to survive what they have and to still be happy for such a small gift.

Lessons in Culture

We were incited to go to a Christmas music festival put on by some of the churches. It is a big thing they do every year I guess. We asked Kiruban about it and he said they sing songs. He said they do not want to sit all day so it will be a short meeting of only 4 hours. Rob and I laughed. No church meeting in America lasts four hours without some complaints. I wonder what a long Indian church meeting is. Keep in mind this was the third meeting scheduled for us that day so it was a tiring day...
Anyways, today I went with Ernie to a ladies meeting where they were going to pass out sarees to the widows who need them. We showed up but no one was there. It turns out that the pastor was embarassed that he had to reschedule it and did not want to call us to tell us. We finally tracked him down and through poor communication due to a language problem we learned that he was scared we would be mad. It makes me sad that they fear us. I think we finally communicated that it is always best to call us and we will never be mad about changed times, places, cancellations and stuff. We are here to serve and bless them. If we are upsetting them then that defeats the purpose. In India it is against the culture to be blunt or straight forward so it always takes time to figure out what the problem is but I think today we were really able to find the root of the issue and address it. So we did a lot of driving and didnt really do anything but we at least learned a valuable lesson in culture:)

Death and Life

Last night as I was preaparing for bed, my mom called and told me that my grandpa passed away in his sleep Friday night. This was shocking and hard to handle but I also know that God is here in the midst of our grief. I know that God is present with my family in the states and that He is here with me. I am grateful that I was able to talk to my grandpa on THanksgiving over the computer and he was bale to see MOriah through the video camera on our computer as we talked. I guess he talked all day about seeing his great granddaughter in India and how he wanted to send stuff for us. I am blessed to know that God knew the importance of this call.
Despite the giref we went to a 6am service in the slums today. The church was built out of concrete pieces and many scrap pieces of metal. The people are the most impoverished I have ever seen. They have absolutely nothing yet when I walked in with Moriah I saw their faces light up. I could see that the gift of life in Moriah brought them true joy. One older woman held her in her lap and just raised her hands and thanked God for Moriah's life. I believe it is truly amazing that in the midst of grief God can give us such gifts as this. I know that God has revealed to me that part of our ministry here is simply sharing the miracle of our little girl. It was also a blessing that the goats ate Rob's sandals and not one of the believers who cannot afford for a goat to eat their shoes:)

Happy Thanksgiving

Today Rob and I shared desserts with the office workers at the mission and told them that we were celebrating Thanksgiving. It was entertaining to try and explain the concept of Thanksgiving to them because it involves American history and culture. Even to explain that many people watch football and eat lots of food is kind of a strange concept to them. Hardly anyone can afford a TV or a meal with meat, so to celebrate this way is very strange to them in deed. The ladies cooking made mashed potatoes though and baked pumpkin in honey to try and help us feel at home:) I appreciated the effort and thoroughly enjoyed the potatoes. Moriah rested a lot today as she recovered from her shots she got yesterday and it was overall a very quiet day. We continue to rejoice in God's provision and pray for His guidance on how to serve Him in a better and deeper way.

All in the Timing

Yesterday Rob was going through the mission files, books, and things that have been left by other missionaries. He found many tracts written in Tamil stored away. At the same time Magimadoss came to visit and mentioned he was going to the hills to do evangelism this weekend. Rob asked if he could use the tracts and his eyes got real big. Magimadoss said he was just praying for the money to buy some tracts for his ministry. So Rob was able to share these things with him and some other things we found which he could use. Magimadoss has a wonderful ministry in these villages and now we are praying for the resources to plant permanent churches in the area. These are previously unreached areas.
Paul Sunder Raj also came today to pick up the boxes of clothes which he will take to Bihar and distribute to the villages. He was thrilled to find over 20 boxes from America, New Zealand, and Chennai. We were blessed to see even the local churches here try to find clothes to send. These people already struggle for their own clothes but know that the destruction is immense in Bihar that the need is greater there and so they give even in their own poverty.
It is also interesting to note that it is now winter here. Winter means the high is in the low 80s and the low is in the low 70s everyday. It is amusing to me to see people wearing coats, hats, and gloves when it is 78 degrees. Kiruban asked why I did not have a sweater on Moriah and I laughed. I told him that people in America keep their Air conditioning on lower than this temperature. I was still sweating in my short sleeves. All of his kids were bundled up:) So the cultural lessons continue. Meanwhile the Indian people are sure that I am freezing my daughter in 80 degree weather:)

Motor Bike Wreck

Raja's father Yesaw was in a motor bike wreck on his way home from preaching at a local church on Sunday. Raja is our driver and I have written about him and his family several times. Raja has an incredible heart for God. He is a sweet man and true servant of God. He was there with my mom as soon as they brought Moriah out of the delivery room. All of this to say he means a lot to us. His father Yesaw is a wonderful carpenter and has also worked for the mission for years. He broke his arm pretty bad and it is going to need surgery. We are thankful that God protected his life and now we pray for the healing of his arm. He is in a lot of pain and needs to find a hospital that will perfom the surgery for an amount that he is able to pay. The first hospital he went to said it would be 40,000 rupees which is about 1,000$. This is twice of what he would make in a year. So Raja's family continues to be attacked physically and financially. I believe there is a spiritual battle over this family because of Raja and his families great faith and spirit. Please pray for him. Raja fell down the steps two months ago and is still in pain. His wife has ongoing health issues which require an expensive specialist and his brother in law is having heart issues. Please pray for him.
Another worker here named Danny is going blind and this is a major concern. He is already blind in one eye and the other eye is deteriorating quickly. We are trying to send him to a specialist he cannot afford but they may not be able to anything. Please pray for Danny as well.

Another Answer to Prayer

At the mission here we have been praying for Neil Armstrong and his wife Jansi. They were Indian missionaries to Malaysia but had to return to India because of visa problems. Jansi has had a very difficult pregnancy. She has been on bed rest since I arrived to India and in a lot of pain. Jansi has been in the hospital for the last couple of weeks so they could monitor her condition. Finally the did a c section and delivered a healthy baby girl! We are so thankful that God has given us so many healthy babies in the last couple of months. We truly have reasons to rejoice.
I have not written much this week because I have not felt well. I think I was trying to do a little too much after Moriah was born so I laid low the last couple of days and just focused on Moriah:) She can be tiring enough on her own. She is still growing fast and enjoying Indian life!
This week there was a VBS meeting. It was very confusing because the method of getting VBS started over here is way different than I am used to and the Tamil thing has made communication difficult. It is part of my job description to help with VBS because in America VBS is typically a womens thing but the male pastors are the ones that are on the committee here. At this point in India women are not equal in any way. Make pastors here would rather do it themselves and not consult a woman... So it has been a little crazy. I believe even the Christian view of women here is a cultural sin and does need confronted but I do not know if forcing myself as a part of their VBS thing is the way to do it. Christian men here treat their wives better than Hindu men but both are still not good. For example, Immanuel bought us chocolate on his recent trip. When Rob thanked him he said something about LIndsey being happy for the chocolate. Immanuel asked if Rob allowed me to have chocolate as a part of my diet... ummmm can you imagine an American man not allowing his wife to have chocolate. We would call that abusive! That is a very small example. The plight of the woman here goes much farther than that. Many girl babies are even murdered at birth because families only want boys. For poor families a girl is a burden because they will have to pay a large sum of money as a dowry when she gets married however a male baby brings in lots of money at a wedding. In some places there are only 900 girl babies to every 1000 boy babies. This is also why finding out the gender of the baby is illegal. Marriages are aranged and the dowry plays a large part. If the family cannot pay completely the dowry many times the wife is murdered so that the man can get married again and receive another dowry. The police force is not to great here so many times they get away with it. When the woman goes to live with her husband she usually lives with her in laws and becomes somewhat of a slave to the in laws. She is usually treated horibbly by the family. So these are some of the issues the women here face and that is what I want to deal with. I am working on meeting with pastors wives and learning how I can support and encourage them. Rob will continue to work on meeting with pastors and encouraging healthy families that way. We will continue to pray that God give us wisdom on how to handle these immense issues.

Locked in the Library:(

Rob had a rough day at school today. He got there a little early so he could use the departments small library. He cant take books out of the library so he has to go and study when it is open. He was reading around 12:30 and the office worker acctually locked him in the library. They did not check to see if someone was in there or anything they just locked the door. Luckily a prof had class in there at 2 so he got out a little over an hour later. He was also informed that he has class everyday this week at 8 am and that he has missed several classes because no one informed him of the time change. For his one class they have had 4 different profs because the profs keep getting mad and quitting. The books just came in and the class is over in two weeks. The organization at this university is insane. We have tried to avoid saying things like, " This would never happen in an American University." but it is getting a little difficult. Anyways pray that we learn how to operate in this system a little better. And pray God provides an answer for me about my visa because it will be very difficult for me to make classes this randomly. It is not exactly what we signed up for:)

Sunday Naps

Today we went to Paul Stenneys church about an hour away from where we live. It was a nice, small church. The people were celebrating their 7th anniversary at the church. They do this every year and it is a special time of fellowship for the church people. The service was long but very neat to be a part of. The service lasted from 9-1. Rob preached about the festival of lights they had this week and about how Jesus is the true light. It was a great message and very culturally relevant. He does great preaching with a translator... I am not nearly as smooth:) Moriah slept in between feeds at the service... She didnt want to sleep last night so church seemed to be the place to sleep:) The people loved to look at Moriah and pray for her. They are all still convinced that the acne on her face are mosquito bites but thats okay. We had a big meal of briyahni and then we came back to the house.
All three of us were ready for a big nap by the time we got home. It was great to have a break and be able to all rest together. Tonight we go to the airport to pick up the rest of the pastors from their trip to the Phillippines and Malaysia. I am excited about having everyone back and getting into a routine again:)

Study

Rob has been doing lots of study this week. He is preparing to preach on sunday. We got a letter in the mail last week and the only words in English said, "Rob Musick will bring God's message." We had to have the letter translated so that we could find out when and where he was supposed to preach. I guess he is committed now:) Since many of the pastors do not speak english this is their way of asking us to visit and preach at their church. So that is what we are going to do tommorow. Rob has also had lots of school work. The semester wraps up pretty soon and since we started a month later than we were supposed to there is a lot to catch up on. Hopefully next semester will go at a better pace. Also we have been doing research on how we can set up training programs for pastors and leaders. Part of our job is to help establish a system for training. We are trying to decide whether it is better to send our people to established schools or whether we should try training through seminars which we put on. There are many things to take into account in making these decisions so we must continue to pray and research to make the best decision.

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:)

Downs Syndrome

Today we met with pastor Stanley Foljer and his family for prayer. He brought his ten year old son Danny who was born with down syndrome. danny has had a difficult time because, as mentioned before, health care is severely lacking for the lower income/lower caste people. Stanely said that when they diagnosed Danny they simply told him that Danny was retarded and sent him home. Stanely looked for a special school for Danny for years. Finally after keeping Danny home for five years, he found a school which could meet Danny's need. The school cost 2000 ruppees a month which equals 50 American dollars and is 3/4ths of Stanely's monthly salary. He has found a donor to help pay for Danny's tuition for a year and is very thankful for this. He is receiving some occupational therapy as well but all of this falls short of the care Danny really needs. In America he would receive speech, physical, and occupational therapy. He would not have to pay for a special school and he would be given much more info on how to care for Danny. As it is Danny is a struggle for their family because special needs children are veiwed as a curse by Hindu's so when a Hindu meets them they think they are bad luck. This also effects their ministry because Danny can be very disruptive in church and this scares people. They do not understand his developmental delays. This has shown me that we must pray and act to help the situation of special needs folk here. There is a true need for education and medical care. We will pray for God's guidance on how to proceed from here. We will also continue to love Danny and his fmaily and learn how we can support his family and ministry.

Rains

The monsoon was in full force today with major rains as people tried to go to church. The rains are so heavy that they really do shut down the city to some extent. Most people travel by motor bike, bicycle, or foot so this would be a very wet experience. All the buses even have open windows because of the other eleven months of intense heat and no access to A/C. You will find that schools even shut down because of heavy rains. Moriah and I did not go to church because of this. We are still trying to keep her in a lot to protect from mosquitos and heat and other things until she is a little bigger. Rob went to a church and preached on Psalm 147. He talked about God crying out for the plight of the poor. The pastor of the church is Gerald and he is a very happy man. He is always smiling when I see him. He loves to practice english so he calls often. His life is also an incredible answer to prayer. He and his wife literally hate each other several years ago. They were ready for divorce. He met with the missionaries here many times and through prayer God restored their marriage. God helped them to understand His heart for each other. This is a major blessing.

Saturday rest

Moriah did not sleep last night so, her and I spent today resting... which of course sets us up for failure tonight:) Rob worked on his school papers which are due this week. We had several visitors from the mission today. It was Grace's birthday, she is one who helps clean and cook at the mission. She brought us breakfast and greeted us early this morning. It was also Noah's birthday today and he came to visit as well.
Does anyone have a guess as to why his name is Noah? Well his mother lived here at the mission when she was pregnant with him. He was born during monsoon season and the rains were so bad that it was impossible to leave the mission and go to the hospital. It was necessary for the missionaries here at the time to deliver the baby because the flooding was so bad. Well despite the incredible flooding, and inexperienced "doctors" Noah was born healthy. Noah seemed the appropriate name since he too survived the flood. This makes me grateful for many reasons. One reason is that my delivery was much easier!!! I am also grateful that Go has seen after His people here and met all their needs for a long time. We are new here and just begining to learn of all the incredible things the Lord has done.
We also got to play with hostel children next door today. They are very excited about Moriah. They all come and just look at her and talk to her. They love it. It is great to be able to bring a smile to their faces. They were also happy to have Rob take their pictures... They love the camera almost as much as they love Moriah! Pray for these children that God will continue to provide their needs in the absence of their families.

Deviraj's Story

Today we invited one of the office workers at the mission to eat lunch with us. You could see that he was incredibly nervous as he sat down. It is a huge thing for someone from the bottom cast to sit and eat at the table with us. We assured him that it was fine and he should feel free to eat lunch "Indian style." (Which is with your hands.) We also ate this way to help him feel at ease. We asked him how he came to know the Lord and he told us a great story of God's love which is most probably a typical situation for those who convert from Hinduism. Deviraj said that he had no peace in his heart when he was Hindu and raised in a Hindu family. He said his family was very hard and his dad would beat his mother. When he was a young teenager he went to a bible school program and heard a preacher share. He also saw the Jesus film there. When He saw Jesus' crucifixion story he said he wanted to know Jesus. It was then that he found peace. He also said that soon after he found the Lord, God healed him from an appendix problem. He was in so much pain and when he prayed to God the pain went away and he did not need surgery. He knew it was the Lord who healed him. We asked how his family handled his conversion and he said it was not good. He suffered a lot from his father because of his relationship with God. His dad came up to him while he was eating one day and just kicked him in the face. This makes marriage also difficult for an Indian because marriages are arranged here by the parents. He knew his parents would pick a Hindu wife for him so he did not go to them for this. He instead saw one woman at church and asked his pastor if he would arrange the marriage for him to this girl. The pastor was very happy to arrange his marriage and Deviraj and his wife are very good together. Deviraj also has a daughter named Daisy. It was good to hear his story today. He also bought us a sweater and hat for Moriah... (I know it never goes below 70 degrees here but they think 70 is really cold:) The sweater and hat are beautiful and we are so grateful for his kindness.
We also went back to the hospital I gave birth in today for a checkup. I love our doctor so much. We laughed a lot about Indian customs that Rob and I are not used to. She talked also about how when her husband went to study in the states he could not sleep because it was too quiet. He had to buy a fan and things to make noise because he could not handle the silence. We said that Moriah does not seem to be bothered by all the noise in India because she was born into it. It is good to know that the cultural struggle goes both ways. We also tried to get Moriah's Birth Certificate from the hospital today because we need it to take to the consulate to get her Americanized. The hospital had promised it would be ready in 20 days and it has been more than that. They told us it would be three more days... This is the game though. They will always say it will be three more days because they are waiting on a bribe. Rob got very frustrated because it is really not okay for hospitals to keep asking for bribes for everything they do for you. We Americans can afford the bribes but so many people cannot afford to pay every single person you run into in the hospital. So we debated about the birth certificate for an hour and then they said it would be ready later today. This is fine but it takes us almost an hour to get to the hospital so it is a huge waste of time to go back and forth but that is what we settled for. So the this afternoon we finally got Moriah's birth certificate. Now we must pray that we do not run into any more chaos at the consulate on Monday:)

It's not a rash!!!!!

It has been quite educational to learn how Indians raise babies. Indians love to give advice, ecspecially to first time moms. I have heard several lectures on breastfeeding and they are very adament about it. The other topic that keeps coming up is baby acne. Moriah has a small case of baby acne and it is very apparent on her pale white face. Acne looks different on Indian babies. Every single Indian person that has seen Moriah in the last two days has asked if she has a rash or mosquito bites. One lady insisted that it must be her baby bed that is causing the rash because she has never seen a baby bed before and she has never seen acne on a white baby... so I guess they must be connected:) They dont use car seats here either. I bought one at an American baby shop but everyone who sees it is amazed at it. They call it Moriahs basket... They cannot figure out why I would need such a thing. I told Immanuel that I would be in big trouble in the states if I did not use on of these every time in the car. He was suprised. The moms here usually hold onto the baby while riding on the back of a motor bike. So the school on culture continues.
Today a woman came to the mission and asked for money to buy a train ticket for her family. Her husband is in a cancer hospital and she needs to take him back to their home village but could not afford the ticket. The mission gave her the train fare and prayed for her and her son before she left. Health care can be a horrendous ordeal for the poverty stricken here. If they cannot afford a doctor than they are sent to the government hospital where they most likely will not be treated at all. To get anything done a person must bribe the doctors, nurses, doorman, etc. There are very nice hospitals but very few can afford them. Please pray about how we can impact the situation of the sick here. We have a desire to do more social ministry but are seeking a way to best accomplish this.