"Dhanyawad, Didi"

Hey Everyone!

Things I Have Learned:
-Setting up tents in the rain leads to good bonding time.
-I can't survive without a pen.
-Chocolate chip cookies have the power to bring a group of eleven tired, dirty Edgers together at the end of a camping day.
-There is no better feeling than holding a small child in your lap, their cheek pressed against yours.
-"Monsoon season" has to be a myth.

We left last Tuesday for our fourth camping trip. We arrived early afternoon and set up camp. We put the kitchen tent in the village and then set up tents on some terraces just outside the village. It started raining as we were setting up the second girls' tent, so by the time we were done, everyone was soaked. I don't know about everyone else, but I really enjoyed the experience. :) I didn't do much on Tuesday. I spent some time in the tent journaling. After supper, we gathered as a team and ate cookies and talked about random stuff for about two hours. When it was time for bed, the inside of our tent was still wet (the one that was set up in the rain) so the three of us who were sleeping in that tent had a drying party and soaked up the water with our socks and the shirts we had been wearing that day. It was a good bonding moment. :)

I have to tell you about something really tragic that happened on Tuesday. I was sitting in the tent journaling, and . . . (prepare yourself) . . . my pen ran out of ink. And if you know me at all, you know how sad that was for me! Background story: I have a favorite pen. (Yes, I know. I'm a nerdy English major. Moving on. . . .) I have had this pen for five years now, and I made sure to buy pen refills (I know, I know) before I came to India. Well, the refills were at the house. And when my pen ran out of ink, the only thing I could think of was that I was about to face four days with no way of journaling. Very scary. Luckily one of the other girls had an extra that I could use. It wasn't the same, but I managed. First thing when we got back, before I even showered, I put a refill in my pen. One of my roommates was watching me and apparently it was really funny. She took pictures. I don't care - I feel whole again now. :)

Anywho, back to camping. . . .

Wednesday I slept in until 8:45, then went to the kitchen tent and ate some breakfast. I spent the rest of the morning sitting in the tent, reading and journaling. In the afternoon, a couple of us grabbed some lunch and went for a short walk to the jungle. We ended up sitting on a big, flat rock and eating lunch. A couple of the village girls walked by on their way home from school and they stopped and talked for a few minutes. When they left, we sat and journaled for a few more minutes and then walked back to camp. Supper was soon after, then a short team meeting, and we all went to bed early.

Thursday morning, a couple of the girls woke us up by crowing like roosters. Obnoxiously. :) We ate breakfast and then walked to a nearby village, Bungsheel. (I think I butchered the spelling, but this is how it sounds.) The team gave a presentation about American culture at the high school. We sang a couple of songs - one children's song in Hindi, and "Lean On Me." Both with actions. One of the guys on the team is really talented at beatboxing, and he beatboxed during "Lean On Me." It was a lot of fun. :) Then different members of the team talked about ethnic diversity, driving, dating, schools, and Christianity. Since it was a government-run school, we had to be careful about what we said about Christianity, but I still think the presentation turned out well. This all took place in about an hour, and we were back at camp in time for lunch. A couple of us walked to the jungle. Our intention was to sit and journal for about two hours - instead we entertained children for four hours. We no sooner sat down, and a group of five girls walked by and stopped to visit. They must have been at the school in Bungsheel because they wanted to sing the songs with us. Maybe twenty minutes after the girls came, a group of six other teammates came walking by and stopped. Then the girls left and then the rest of the team left. Then maybe ten minutes later, a group of seven kids (whom I think were herding cows, or gathering sticks, or both) stopped to visit. There were five girls in the group and when they saw our french-braided hair, they got really excited and wanted their hair braided that way. Between the two of us, we braided four heads of hair. I tried not to think about what might be in their hair or how greasy it was, and in the end I truly enjoyed braiding their hair. I remember thinking, when I was braiding the first girl's hair, that this could be the entire reason God wanted me to come on this camping trip. Just to be sitting in the jungle, braiding this girl's hair. You should have seen how excited the girls were when we were done. They kept reaching up and running their fingers down the braid and smiling these big smiles. One of the girls came over and gave me a hug and said "Dhanyawad, Didi," or "thank you, big sister." Mmm. :) Then they all scampered off the way they had come and we quick packed up and left before another group of kids could come by. When we got back, everyone was eating supper. We ate quick and then retreated to the tent to finally get some quiet time. :)

We got up at 7:00 on Friday - we probably would have slept later, but the tent was already really hot and uncomfortable. We gathered our things and took down the tents. After breakfast we sat around the kitchen tent for a couple of hours, waiting for the donkeys, and some of the village kids were there. At one point, a little boy named Papu was standing in front of me and I had the sudden urge to reach out and grab him. So I did. I sat him on my lap and we cuddled for a while. It was a nice moment. :) Once the donkeys were loaded up, we walked to Bungsheel and loaded into the jeeps. We got back to the house around 3:00 and took showers and ate an early supper.

We knew before we came to India that we would be going on three camping trips. This last trip was number four. The only reason we went was because the team (us Edgers) wanted to go back. And you know what? Two village girls gave their lives to Christ while we were there. We weren't even supposed to be there - but God had plans for us. God is moving in this place.

Saturday morning we had a team Bible study. Then we all went to the bazaar for lunch. After lunch, the guys went one direction and the girls went another and we did some shopping. We got back to the house in time for supper. We picked up our sarees while we were in town, and some of the girls tried theirs on. Saturday night we had a team movie date and watched Slumdog Millionaire. Awesome, awesome movie. I'm glad I watched it for the first time after I had lived in India for six weeks - I could appreciate so much more of the culture of the movie.

Nothing out of the ordinary on Sunday activity-wise. Went to church, ate lunch, and had a quiet afternoon. I was lying on my bed listening to my iPod and realized that in that moment I felt homesick. Which is weird because I never get homesick. I was thinking about calling home in the morning and praying that the phone would work and that somehow morphed into a daydream of greeting my parents at the airport and then all of a sudden I was consumed with thoughts about America. Has BP fixed the oil leak yet? Has Obama made any controversial decisions? I haven't watched TV or read a newspaper since leaving Iowa in June. I have no idea what is going on in America right now. And Sunday afternoon, for the space of about thirty minutes, that really bothered me. But then it was time for supper and I forgot about it. After supper, I sat outside journaling (and writing out this blog entry) until dark. Then some of us went for a walk (yes, at night). We didn't go far - just to a spot that overlooks the mountains but blocks out the lights of the village. We sat out there talking for two and a half hours, then came back to the house and talked for another couple of hours. I went to bed really late (or, early?) but it was so worth it. I love my team. :)

So, needless to say, I slept in yesterday. I ate a late breakfast and took a shower. I went into town with one of the missionaries and we spent a couple of hours walking around, doing some shopping. I loved spending that one-on-one time with her. We came back to the house for a late lunch, then I spent the afternoon organizing and journaling. We had a team meeting after supper to talk about the rest of this week. I don't know specifically what I will be doing, but there are many opportunities. We'll see.

13 days until I am stateside again. I could honestly be home now. It has nothing to do with being homesick or feeling useless - I feel like my time here is complete. Whatever God wanted me to learn here, I feel like I've learned. But at the same time, I have two weeks left and I know that while I feel like I am done, God isn't done using me and this team. He's got a few more surprises in store for me before He lets me go home.

And now this entry has broken the record for length that was set last week. And yet what I have written does the past week absolutely no justice. Bah.

Prayer Requests:
-The continued health and safety of my team here in India, and the SOSers who are still in field.
-Safe travels for the SOSers who are on their way home now.
-My focus would remain on India, and that I would keep my eyes open to whatever God still wants me to see.
-Patience, endurance, grace, love. I will need continual renewal this next week.

Current total number of pictures: 442
Current total number of videos: 25