Sumgum and Shopping

Yesterday, we arose early and drove to where there is a Hindu holy site where the Ganges River and another two rivers meet.  Hindu followers will come at sunrise and wash in the river.  They will buy flowers and candles and ;put those on the river.

 This is a platform that they put where the rivers meet (Sangum) so people can buy their flowers and dip in the river.  It's a shallow area.

 You can see the two different colors of the river here.

 More platforms with a man in the cold water beyond.

 Vendors in the area to take advantage of the many visitors.  In January and February, there are hundreds of thousands.  Andrew says India really only has one God.....money.

 Aren't these two guys adorable?

Yesterday, Morgan and I had some time together.  We went out for coffee and then some shopping.  Have I said I LOVE shopping here?  That's only because I don't do it all the time probably.  As Morgan has said, you have to go to many little shops to get all your shopping done.  But, I love the narrow streets full of rickshaws, animals, bicyclists, pedestrians....We went to a kitchen shop.  It was one aisle where you could only sqeeeeze by someone else.  Goods hanging from the ceiling and packed into every nook and cranny there is.  The lady asks what we want.  We tell her and she sends her son here and there and in the back of the store getting what we need....laying it out for us and then starting over if it isn't just right.   Then we go to a clothing shop.  The clothing and fabric is folded neatly on shelves on the wall.  At the base of the shelves is a platform that the shopkeeper stands on. In front of the platform is a row of benches  which we, the customers sit on.  We then point at different pieces/colors we want to see.  He pulls the items down, unfolds them and lays them out on the platform for us to look at and handle.  If we say no, he tosses them in a pile to the side to refold and put back on the shelf.  We say,  "too fancy"...."sleeves too short"  ....."too much blue in that green" ....."too expensive"...."I want a fuller skirt"....and all those picky things that people who can be choosy say!!  Of course, Morgan helps put things in Hindi when the English of the shopkeeper wears out!  And usually that's very quickly!

Today we are packing to go back home.  Our flight leaves Allahabad this afternoon.  We will spend half the night in the Delhi airport and fly out of there around 3:30am.  It has been a wonderful trip, and we appreciate your prayers for good travels home!

Country Visit and High Tea

We did some shopping Friday afternoon.  Here are some pictures from that:

 Ariana had some henna painting done....

In the evening, A&M's Hindu landlord invited us over for high tea at 5pm.  His house is directly in front of Morgan's.  None of us had been to a high tea before so we weren't sure what to expect!  This couple has a very beautiful home.  Sharma is a retired gun maker and had his own shop in Allahabad.  As we were brought into the dining room, there were at least 8 bowl of different snacks waiting for us at the table!  As we ate, Sharma's wife or servants would bring more things out of the kitchen and put them on our plates!  Sharma's family was planning on eating their supper that night around 8pm.  We decided that this high tea WAS our supper!  We had samosas, curry, a type of falafel, Indian snack mix, potato chips, cucumber and onion sandwiches....very good!  Don shared with Sharma about the time Bro. Helm was burdened for us prayed for us the day we had a car accident.  Sharma said something like "The man of God was sent for you!"
Then Sharma told us he had a karaoke machine, and wondered if we wanted to do some singing!  We agreed and we all went into the living room which is a sunken living room and one entire wall is glass.  First he and his wife sang a song in Hindi for us.  They have beautiful voices and did very well.  Don looked through the list of songs and there weren't hardly any Christian ones of course. He found "Morning has Broken" and he sang that.  Sharma was SO impressed.  He said Don sounded like a professional and it was perfect.  He had him sing it again and recorded it so he could play it for his son!  There were other songs sung like a Christmas Carol, Amazing Grace and Don sang "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Ole Oak Tree" for fun.  It was an enjoyable time and probably important in building a relationship with this dear family.

Saturday, we went to a tributary of the Ganges River.  It isn't too far from Morgan's neighborhood.  We took rickshaws and their scooter part of the distance then walked the rest....Andrew did bring the scooter all the way to help the little ones and anyone else as it was at least a mile walk there and back.  It was beautiful to be out in the quiet open after being in the city.  And so quaint to see the little huts with the threshing wheels and animals around.  On the way back, I rode on the scooter with Andrew, Justice and Josiah.  It was exciting!

 You can see the threshing wheel in this picture below.

 Dung bricks

 

We had dinner out on Saturday night.  We're all sitting on cushions on the floor.  They served southern Indian food.  There were pancakes with different seasonings and curries to put on top.    

Life in India for the Streets

I would like to give what we see Andrew and Morgan doing in India.  Sharing Jesus with others is similar whether at home or abroad, but when abroad, there are many other things to consider.  They still spend 2 hours a day learning language.  I've heard them carrying on Hindi conversations on a basic level with various ones while here so they are learning!  Below is a picture of their new language teacher.  He has talked to us several times this week, and Don and I have been impressed with his knowledge of the Word and of God.  Today we found out that he is Ravi Zacharias' first cousin!

 Learning the culture is another big job they have.  How do you handle employees who try to ask for too much money?  What is the legal process for transportation, taxes, visitors (yes we have to be registered).  At the college, they found differences in how genders were permitted to relate to one another and how professors were expected to relate to students.  What do parents expect from babysitters?   What is the proper way to connect with different levels of the culture?  The Streets live around those who are wealthy...but right behind their house, are families living in these conditions......

 If they want to befriend the  upper class in their area, it is recommended they only connect to the poor and needy in a different neighborhood.  Of course, the leading of the Spirit trumps all....but they are learning the sensitivities.

While we've been here, the Streets sat down for tea with electricians who were working at their house.  They visited in their living room with their new landlord who in return invited them over for tea.  There have been some very meaningful spiritual conversations with their Hindu housemaid. They are connecting with other American missionaries in the area ....some to glean from their experiences and some for fellowship.  Andrew also attends and contributes to church planting meetings here in India.  His heart's desire is to train church planters for the harvest in India and beyond.  He also spends time researching a possible business to do in India to help with the visa situation.  All this plus being a big help around the house!

 Being here drives home to me the big task it is to raise a family of three small boys very far from extended family, adjust to a new culture, and to learn a new language.  They've dealt with heat, a difficult government process to do ANYTHING, rats in their home, culture shock, loneliness, difficult baby delivery, misunderstanding......and more.   But suffering these things is part of our suffering with Christ, and He gives strength and blesses beyond our comprehension.   The above picture is a picture of Andrew and Morgan taking off tonight from their home for an overnight date while we get to watch the boys!  They need the time to refresh and recharge.

You've Got it All in Allahabad

In America, some like it in the suburbs and some insist on the city and others cannot get the farmin' out of their blood.  But, in Allahabad.....you can have it all!!  The Streets are experiencing it all in this city of several million!

There are cows to milk if they would so choose at the end of their drive....

 There are manses around the corner...

 A Hindu worship center open to all....

 Andrew's favorite tire pumping station on a nearby corner.....

 You can still have your trash burn pile....

 A friendly neighbor who tells me not to let my grandsons play in the dirt....in Hindi...but her motions made it clear....

 A toothless grandma.....

 Public transportation at your beck and call....

 My grandsons are not lacking for the education a farm offers.  Pigs, goats and cattle abound on the nearby streets.

   Not to mention fresh, home grown produce on about every corner.
Makes America seem a bit compartmentalized!  But, if you get into the social expectations in India, the real compartmentalization begins!

The Taj And Me

I woke up on my 5oth birthday on a hard bunk of a rocking train in India.  We were approaching Allahabad after spending a day in Agra.  We had visited the Taj Mahal the day before.  It is a beautiful sight, but I won't bore you with a lot of pictures or details since you can google that info anytime!  One thing you may not know is the Taj is over 350 years older than me so that helps when you're having your 50th b-day! :-)

The train ride was fun and interesting.  We took all night to get to Agra and then all of the next night to get home.  It was a simple train with curtains to pull in front of your bunk when you want ;privacy.  The bathrooms were filthy....most of the train was....and there was not food and drink offered on our ride.  There also was no speaker system.  Meaning that you had to figure out yourself which train station the train was stopping at and when you had to get out.  Hopefully you won't be asleep!

 Lots of people sleeping on the floor...

 Amos being a monkey!~  We did see a good number of wild monkeys climbing around on the buildings

 Above, you can see our breakfast.  Some of the group went to see a factory where they hand make Persian rugs.  They said they were soooo beautiful!

 Josiah gets excited and screams "Awwwwww!" with his hands straight up in the air. I say he's going to be a holiness shouter and aisle runner! Sometimes he screams and claps his hands! The boys had a great time playing together. All these things are experiences that we cannot have over skype. Skype is way better than nothing, but it tends to be more of a formal conversation with the children. We tend to sit around in the evenings here in India, watching the boys show us their various skills. Amos will get on his hands and knees and tell Justice to climb on his back for a ride. Justice will comply, and then jump off and get on his hands and knees and say, "Nana, watch this!" And tell Amos to get on his back for a ride. He's very proud of himself, despite the fact that Amos get's too far forward on his back and makes Justice do a nose dive onto the hard marble floor. Amos will say, "Nana, look!" and get himself in the crab walk position and try to walk. Justice then says, "Nana, watch this!" and he'll get in a crab walk position with his rump still dragging the floor and try to scoot. These are priceless experiences for Don and me!

 You know you're adjusting to the culture when you can carry two bags of eggs on your scooter through Indian traffic and not crack even one!

My birthday request was to be sung to!  These three started out with "Here is Love vast as the ocean.."  The Spirit fell and Josiah started running around with his arms straight up screaming "Awwww!"   I am blessed, and love of God is as vast as the ocean....and stretches across the oceans.....

Back to India

As this trip got closer and closer, I was wondering why I'm going back.  There was no doubt I wanted to connect with the grandsons, and was missing A&M, but the reality of the expense and the effort of the trip was hitting me.
After the 16plus hours of flying and a 12 hour layover in Delhi, we were picked up in Allahabad by the Streets.  What a joy to see them again!  As we entered the congested streets on the way to their home, my love for this place returned and the thrill to be here was back!  The chaotic, risky driving, the smell of burning trash, the fat cows standing in the pathway watching you go by, the colorful saris, stray dogs, whiffs of Indian spices cooking.  What a fascinating place to be!

A&M have moved so we enjoyed the tour of their new home before a supper and to bed.

Here's a happy girl with a syrupy sweet that A&M bought.

 This is in the living room.  This apartment is much bigger with 3 bedrooms plus a room for a study and 3 western toilets.  Versus Indian ones where you just squat! :-)  Lots of transom windows above the doors.

 These two best buddies reunited....

 Lots of cabinets!!

 Another living room shot....Don thinks the ceilings are 12 foot.

 Bedrooms have built-in wardrobes.  Morgan has more storage than she can fill right now.

 A large laundry room!  Yay....no more sharing the laundryroom and bath room.

Don and I slept well the first night....but it never felt like morning.  We drug ourselves out of bed and felt like it was the middle of the night.  Yesterday, we felt like a truck had hit us, but we still manged to visit a few friends of the Streets and help around the house and enjoy the boys!!

 The dining room with another built in cabinet and the new dining room table....

 Using an Indian broom to sweep the laundry room

 What do you bring Americans who live in India?  Reeses are not found here (CRIME!).  Snickers, yes, but Reeses, no.   Their favorite marinades, utility blade, plastic wire connectors.....and rat traps!!!  The rat traps here are the glue kind which catch the rat, but don't kill them.  Most Indians will take the rats they catch in their home and let them go elsewhere!!  But not Andrew (I knew he was a good choice for Morgan).....well....if you want to know what he did with the ones they found after they returned home....message me!

This is how Morgan buys plain yogurt from a street vendor.  Yes, she gets to keep the pot.