A funny thing happened on the way to the post office (or post as it is called here)

One of my recent projects/challenges/cultural experiences has been to mail a small box of souvenir type things back to our family in the States.

Step 1: Go shopping for souvenirs. This was the fun part!
Step 2: Find a box and pack it with items. No problem; we had an over-sized shoe box from Noah's cleats. Packing things in a box so that they fit just right is secretly one of my favorite things.  I am pretty sure I got this gene from my Dad.
Step 3: Find neighborhood post office.
Step 4: Take box to post office and mail it. This is where it gets really fun and a lot more complicated than it sounds. We went to the post office around 3:45 after we got the kids home from school and settled doing homework. We walked in and there were four windows. Only one window had a person behind it so we went to that window and told the gentleman that we wanted to mail this box to the US. He pointed to the window next to us and said we needed to be at that window. We stepped aside to that window and proceeded to wait for someone to come and help us. No one came and finally a man sitting behind a desk in the back of the office told us to ask the man at the window next to us what we needed. At least I think that is what he said by his hand gestures and because I understood the word for "ask". We stepped back over to the window next to us and again told the man that we wanted to mail the box to the US. He said that we needed to be at the window where we were standing but that window closes at 3:30. Really?????!!! But we also found out that the box needed to be wrapped in "markin" and stitched.
Step 5: Go to market to find "markin". We started at Gupta's because we know the owner (we have been to his store to practice language and tell him stories). He gave us beige material that looked kind of like cheesecloth.
Step 6: Find a tailor to stitch the material around the box. The first tailor we went to did not speak a lick of English and he finally understood what we needed. He kept turning the box different ways trying to figure out how to wrap the material around and quickly we realized this probably was not the best way to go about getting this done. We then went to a different tailor and waited a few minutes for him to finish the project he was working on. Then it was our turn and the tailor said that we could not use the material because it had writing on it (stamp marks on the material). We went to a different material store and bought some more material, took it back to the tailor to stitch it. He proceeded to measure the box and he made a really cool perfectly fitted sleeve of material to cover the box.
Step 7: Mail the box. Okay, now we were ready to head back to the post office the next day. We were on our way to the post office and we saw a guy selling sweet potatoes. The way the people eat them here is roasted over a fire and then eaten with lemon and spices on top. I have been wanting to see if I could buy the raw sweet potatoes and cook them myself at home.  We stopped the guy and tried to ask him if all the sweet potatoes had been roasted already.  We have not covered that in language class yet so we were not getting very far. Three ladies walked by and we asked them if they knew any English.  They did know some and they were very helpful in helping us to communicate to the sweet potato walla. Then one of the ladies looked at me and said that she wanted to invite us to her house (right then). It was one of those moments that had to be divinely orchestrated so we accepted their invitation and walked with them to their flat. Along the way, we found out that their family was from Afghanistan and consisted of mom and 6 children (most are older teenagers and young adults). Their dad was killed by another family member and they cannot be in their country because of family problems. We had a very nice visit in their 5th floor very small flat. They were extremely hospitable and very kind. We hope to further our friendship with their family.
Back to the story....we went to the post office and walked up to the correct window.  He told us where to write the sending and return address, and the custom forms that needed to be filled out. We paid the fees and were on our way to pick up the kids at school.

Overall, it was a relatively painless experience and very successful.  I never did find out why the package had to be stitched in material.  Oh, the many mysteries of living in another country!

Happy Halloween......from Whippleville

We missed out on the aisles and aisles of candy, the costumes, the decorations, and all that goes along with the upcoming candy fest. But we did celebrate in our own way this year!

We decided not to carve the pumpkin so that I could cook it and make pumpkin bars, cookies, bread, etc. We have our priorities straight!

But we did decorate it.  We did not set it outside because I didn't think our neighbors would understand and it would just leave them wondering why those weird Americans have a decorated pumpkin outside their door :)

Even though we did not go trick-or-treating, we managed to have fun.  When the kids came home from school, I had the door locked and when they tried to come in, I opened the door and said, "Oh look at the trick-or-treaters we have!  What are you dressed as?" They played along and I gave them some special candy from a bowl - snickers bars and sour punch candy straws.

For dinner, I wanted to have a little taste of America as well. We had corn dogs (I had to look up a recipe and they turned really pretty good) and mac-n-cheese. For dessert, I made soft-baked pumpkin cookies.

The kids had a friend from school over and she ate with us.  She is from Australia and knew about Halloween, although they do not celebrate it.  It was fun to include her in our talk about all things American related to Oct. 31st.

I realized that I did not get any "good" candy for myself, which, as most of you know, is one of the big perks of being a mom of kids who go trick-or-treating. No worries; my wonderful husband had to go to the pharmacy to get meds (around the corner) and he brought me back  a surprise......my very own snickers bar (and it is bigger than the one I got for the kids).

All in all, I cannot complain. I am very thankful that we get to experience a new culture, with all of its customs, and keep our own special traditions of our home culture.

My New Shoes

I bought a pair of shoes the other day from a store in a market near our flat. It was a small store (about 12 X 15 ft) with LOTS of mirrors and glittery shoes. My daughter was mesmerized by all the sparkle. I already had an idea of what I was looking for and I started my search. There was no shortage of employees to help me in my search. I might mention, at this point, that we live in a city of about 20 million people. I found shoes that I liked and immediately a gentleman was close by to get me the right size. I watched as he walked to the middle of the store, looked up into a hole in the ceiling that was about 2 X 2 ft and said something. A few minutes later, a shoe box fell from the hole.  Seriously, there was a shoe fairy up there getting the requested sizes and throwing them down! I tried on the shoes and told the man that I wanted to buy them. He pointed me to a counter at the front of the store (actually just a few feet away). He walked with me and handed the shoe box to another man. I stood at the counter while another man punched in the price, printed a receipt, and handed it to me. I took out my money to pay and the man pointed to another man at the end of the counter. I stepped over a couple of feet  and handed my receipt to man and paid him. He stamped my receipt "paid" and gave it back to me. I took it and realized that I did not have the shoe box. I looked behind me and saw yet another man with my shoes in a plastic bag. I handed him my receipt and he stamped "delivered", gave it back to me with my shoes.

I do not say all of this to be critical at all. I find it amazing that so many employees can work in one store. Each person had their designated role and it worked. I guess in a city of so many people, lots of jobs are needed. Everyday is an adventure!

This picture is for illustration purposes only :)

My New Normal

I look around me and I realize this is my new normal and I am not sure what to think about it most days. Here are some examples of my new normal.....
*I am cooking a lot more for many reasons. One, I like to cook on most days. Two, most things have to be made from scratch (muffins, rolls, tortillas, brownies, cookies, sauces, etc.). Three, making a good tasting meal brings me much satisfaction (and my family) in the midst of feeling infantile in language learning most of the time.
*If no water comes out of the faucet, I have to turn on a switch in my kitchen which brings water from the pipes in the ground to the tanks on the roof. But I HAVE to set a timer to remind myself to turn off the switch in 15 minutes so that the tank does not overflow. Can you tell we have forgotten a time or two? Oooops.
*We have a small washing machine that sits on the back balcony because that is where the water supply is and we do not have a dryer, so we hang our clothes out to dry.  No more doing laundry whenever. I can only do one load a day so that I have enough room to dry clothes and do it early in the day so that they have enough time to dry the clothes. That reminds me, I need to go hang the clothes out!
*Mother Dairy is a major part of our life here, maybe a little more that it should be, but don't judge us :) There is a stand about 2 blocks from our house. They sell milk in a bag (not good according to Dakota) and ice cream (very good). I wasn't really that much of an ice cream fan in the States, but here the vanilla choco bliss definitely makes me feel better on some days. It is vanilla ice cream in a sugar cone.  There is chocolate on top and on the inside of the cone. Good stuff!  They also have mango raspberry popsicles for the lighter days.
*Along those same lines, I am amazed at how much of our comfort centers around food, or at least it did.  When we first arrived in country and I did not really know what to make, I really dreaded the "what's for dinner" question. Finding cereal that was likeable to all was a challenge. Seth and I settled on one that is like granola, kind-of, and the kids settled on honey cornflakes.  The crazy thing is that you can get just about any cereal you want... for a price (fruity pebbles is about $10 a box).  Then we also had to find suitable snacks (for lunches, etc.).  They all seemed to have a South Asian flare to them. Things are much better now as I right this and we know where to get what, but it was a process. Let me just say that certain snacks that we have gotten in packages from some family and friends are huge blessings.
*I have also seen some of my rough edges. When resources are in short supply, we tend to be greedy, which has been interesting to observe in our family.
*The portions are also a lot smaller, and food does not keep as long, which means that we go to buy food often, most every day. This could seem inefficient if coming from an American mindset, but we are having to change the way we look at things. For instance, going to the market more often allows for relationship building.
*Getting excited about finding mini chocolate chips! It's the little things on some days!!! Get it? :)
*Things are measured according to the metric system. Do you know how many green beans are in a kilo??? A LOT. Butter is sold in grams and it doesn't have the nice measuring marks on the wrapper.  For someone who likes to cook with exact measurements, this could be challenging. The internet is a great resource, again and again.
*Cable TV costs about $7 a month and the data plan on our phone is $2 a month. And we have a bunch of English channels.
*I say things like "Did you remember to turn your geyser (gee-ser) on?" to my children.  Each bathroom has a small water heater called a geyser. It is turned on with a switch and takes about 15 minutes to heat up the water for a shower.
*We can take the kids to school in a bike rickshaw.
*We often have to bargain to get a good price for an auto or rickshaw.
*We have to think about it before we plug things in because stuff from the States is 110 and it is 220 here. Certain things need to have a converter. Thankfully, there has not been a lot of trial and error in this category.
*Getting my haircut used to be something I looked forward to and enjoyed very much.  Here, it is just stressful. Will I be understood? What will it look like? I am confident that with time, I will get to where I look forward to it and enjoy it once again.
*The boys can get a haircut down the street for a $1 so I don't cut their hair myself anymore.
*I spend about 25-30 hours a week studying language and culture, which is painful at this point but it will get better.

Most of all, my new normal is finding out what life looks now. I am a learner. My roles have changed. I can't depend on what I knew and have to find a new way to do things and function. My new normal includes strength and peace from my Father. It has to. I have seen the Scriptures come alive for me in new ways, for which I am very grateful.

invitations...

the last few weeks i have received and given a variety of invitations.  some i gladly took and was thrilled to be a part of.  others i  tried to find ways to decline and still others i felt i needed to accept for the pure thrill of the new experience.  today i created an invitation in a new language, with the help of a friend. i gave it out, not knowing for sure what it said, but trusting that i was inviting friends to a yeshu satsang, a truth gathering for the Sustainer. while i have had the privilege of inviting several into a new relationship with the Sustainer, i have found it most difficult to understand what it is i am asking or expecting or even explaining, as this is not my culture.
one recent invitation led Denise and i to dinner with a gathering leader that gave insight into the mindset differences to those who live here in south asia.  to become a Follower here legally means that you are cut off from family, you can not receive inheritance and many other complications to the simple faith that is asked of us.  government and tradition have clouded that simple invitation to give up everything that we and our household may come.  so, i have invited a follower and guru (teacher) to my house to help me explain to my friends here what it looks like to be in the world and but love only One.  soon we will get together over vegan food, words and music that are foreign to me and sit on the floor.  the hope is that we will all hear and act on a divine Invitation.

taj mahal

how whippleville does the taj mahal....(not necessarily recommended for general public)

• 4am wakeup
• breakfast
  
• taxi before dawn to new delhi station
  
• a line outside the train station wrapping around sleeping people
  


• going in the train station exit to board with the others who didn't want to wait in line, with approval
• boarding via platform 9 3/4 (for you potter fans - which Noah was compared to all day long)
• breakfast #2 potato logs of some sort, carrots and green beans, toast and butter
  
• shared truth with a Sikh man (seth)
• sat next to an Indian who recruits for a firm in Dallas, who was very
  much in control of her own destiny (Denise)
• arrive in Agra before most things open, so we go with our friends who have yet to eat breakfast to an old hangout for breakfast #3.
  
• transfer from car to camel for final leg of journey to the Taj Mahal as they do not allow motor vehicles to get anywhere close to it.
  
• now...pictures are better than words

driving....

i feel like a teenager again. i have to say, that is the first time i have said that-i think , ever but i have a good reason. i got to drive yesterday for the first time since we landed in our new country. if you know me, you know how i love cars. our company has a great idea for helping us engage with people, learn language and build relationship....ride the local transportation. the purpose is served, and our skills are getting better all the time, though i have to say at this point that i still don't feel like i have enough language to get much past greeting and labeling a few things. but, i have made several friends over these friends. so, we have some friends who have been picking up the kids and taking them to school in the mornings, very cool. shout out to Ray and Luis! so, they were shifting flats (moving to a new place) and weren't able to pick up their daughter. they asked if i could use their car to pick up all the kids.

now we come full circle.. i feel like a teenager again. so after getting the truck in reverse, and carefully backing out of the spot, with much help from D so i didn't knock over the motorcycle parked in the same spot, quite literally, we were off. D asks, "what side of the road are you supposed to be on?" i was thankful that we were in the neighborhood still and that the car coming was going as slow as i was. i corrected that mistake and then once at the end of the block realized that i really didn't know how to get to the kid's school from our friend's house. we drove a couple of blocks, with guys trying to squeeze past us and telling me to move further into my lane, and finally i realized where we were. i mentioned how glad i was that we hadn't hit anyone to which i heard, "what a great standard you have set." i am glad to report that we made it to the school and back and am quite confident that no one was the wiser. it is quite common for people to drive offensively and sometimes are quite oblivious to others on the road. on the back of many trucks are the words "horn please". they are asking you to let them know that you are there. i have heard it said, that if you don't honk and you hit someone else, it can be blamed on you for not giving them warning of your presence.

so, one spiritual thought i have in this. does Jesus have to honk to get my attention or am i watching out to see if He is moving around me. am i waiting for him to scare me before i pay attention to Him? i think i want to be more aware of Him than that.

i also think that when i start driving here in the next year or so, i will be glad to honk to let others know that i am here.

seth

reasons to laugh

Walking outside our door provides an overload to all our senses. There is always something to look at and something new that we have never noticed before. As I sit here in my living room, I hear the swishing of the paddle fan, a bike bell ringing as it goes by, dogs barking, a varied concoction of car horns, music, mopeds, motorcycles, cars and small trucks.

We have seen some great signs around.....on the front of a store it said, "Gift Store, Items from Customs Confiscated Goods". And on the carton of eggs we bought, it said, "Near Organic Eggs". So what exactly does that mean and do I really want to know. When we went to the office to sign up for internet and phone service, it was called the "Relationship Center" and we are hoping to have a good relationship with them - so far so good :) If you pay attention, there is no shortage of entertainment around here and we really like it.

There are also some great specialty items that can be purchased on the corner, while waiting at a stoplight. Some of our favorites are a wind up little toy chick, flowers, a wrist sweatband in the colors of our country, dust rags, steering wheel covers, and magazines. Then if you move to the side of the road, the possibilities are endless as to the treasures that can be found.

But by far, the most impacting thing is to look at the faces of the people and children as we go by. Many children flock to our auto as we sit at a light....mostly to see our white faces I am sure. Some have huge smiles as we talk to them in what little of their language we know. It is wonderful to think that our Father loves them so much. His love is universal, it is for all people.

Ready for the next laugh....

Our new place. We landed on a Saturday and within a few days started looking for a place of our own. Unlike many, where we lived wasn't as important as most of our job, counseling, will be done out of town, or in different parts of the city. Our work isn't dependent on being strategically located in a certain area, so we wanted to be as close to the kid's school as possible. Delhi is broken into small colonies, or sections of town, like Kendall or South Miami for those in Miami, or Pantego or Lake Arlington for those in Texas. So we started asking about living in the different parts of town, having no clue just how nice they were. We hadn't even visited them. We acquired a map and quickly found other areas. Bhogal looked good. It was close to the school, but apparently, it is mostly a market. Next was Jangpura Extension. We looked at 6-7 places before we found our apartment, known as a flat here. We saw tiny ones, some with a bedroom accessible through the balcony, with outside toilets, outside kitchens and very very dirty places. The place we found, like most of the ones we looked at has granite counter tops and marble floors. Apparently these stones are pretty cheap here. They use them like Americans use tile. Carpet is very rare here as it is extremely dusty. Each bedroom typically has a bathroom attached. Kitchens are usually manned by a house helper so they are rarely a part of the rest of the home. Storage is a rare find. Our place has an open kitchen, a great view off the balcony overlooking the railroad, with trains coming and going all through the day. We have storage closet, more on that in a minute and a place outside for our washer and even enough room for a dryer. Most people here don't have a dryer.

Our landlords live upstairs, which is great, as no one has lived here before us and there have been several little kinks to work out. One of which is water. There is a large tank on top of the roof that is supposed to be filled twice a day. Our switch for filling the tank doesn't work, so our landlords have been most generous as to not only fill our tanks each day using their switch, but have also gone to the city on our behalf. They have been doing many things on our behalf. Let me introduce them to you. Doc, is the owner, a general physician, devout Hindu, husband and father is three well educated grown children. His oldest is a lady who holds two masters degrees and teaches at the international school. Next is Vik, who has been our ally and is becoming a friend. He is a banker and married to a lawyer. They have a little girl who adores Karley and they live upstairs. He speaks excellent English. Vik doesn't seem to practice his religion, so he has been on my heart in a real way. His wife is another kind of Hindu and disagrees with many of the things the Doc believes. The younger brother just returned from working on a cruise line and speaks like he is from America. He is very open to spiritual things.

Doc is very devout and the other morning when we were headed out to house church we ran into him on the stairs. He was dressed in all white and was carrying a candle. He was chanting and had a far off and very strange look in his eye. He looked very different than normal. He is in his late 60's and he and his wife visit the temple every day in the morning and at night. In addition, that storage room I mentioned earlier, is a puja in their home, a shrine. They have it set up so that they can worship their gods at home also.

India is a very dark place with idols all over. Every shop, store front, or press walla, a person who irons on the side of the road, has a shrine with little idols set up.

Each day at least one beggar, usually many more will ask for food or money. Some kids have been so bold as to grab my arm and hold on, which breaks my heart as their small hands are so fragile. The Almighty God desires that each of them come to a saving knowledge of His incredible power and unfailing mercy for them. Tomorrow we will go to language school again for the second day. Our words are incredibly infantile for now, but our hope is that soon we can speak to those who beg and those who are devout and seemingly satisfied about the One who will never stop loving them.

a lot changes when you get off the plane

Life here is just not the same. We have a saying in our family that has been repeated by all many times in the last 8 days. "This is an adventure". Each time we step outside our door, I whisper words to the Father and expect to be surprised and amazed with each new experience.

There is so much in my head all the time and I am not sure how to get it out in comprehensible order. The mood changes are often, sometimes extreme, and continually exhausting. There is good and bad with each day and new experience.

We are kind of learning our way around our section of the city. Yesterday we set out to find the school where the kids will be attending so that we could see what it looked like and get a feel for that neighborhood. We did not have an address, but we did know the general location. We got in an auto rickshaw and off we went in the rain. As you ride around, the sights and sounds are captivating and sometimes entertaining. The boys were able to touch the cars on either side at the stop light.

We found the YMCA building where the school is located. Each accomplishment feels huge. Then we wanted to see how far it was to the neighborhood in which we have been looking for a place to live. We found it without too much trouble and let the kids play in the park (I use that term loosely) nearby. I noticed a girl (around 14-15) kept poking her head out to watch us and our children. I smiled, went closer to her and began a conversation. Most people, do speak British English, especially if they have been to school. Not too long into the conversation, she asked us to have tea with her. I met her mother, who offered to bring tea (chai) and biscuits (cookies) out for us. She was so kind. The daughter said that she had never met an American before and we had a great time with her.

We ended the day with ordering in Pizza Hut (crazy!) and a family game of Rummikub.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Seth and Dakota rode on the back of a motorcycle with a realtor looking at housing. Dakota loved his first motorcycle ride and that is all that I am going to say about that :) - they did come back in all one piece.

Another day and another adventure.

First Impressions

We have been in country for about 36 hours and here are some of our observations:

-It doesn't smell as bad as we thought it would

-Driving on the opposite side of the road is very hard to get used to and we aren't even driving yet

-Crossing the road when traffic is going different directions that what you are used to is like being in the game "Frogger"

-There is lots of honking and Karley jumps every time

-We have ridden in a car, the metro, and a rickshaw (three wheeled bike with a big seat on back), an auto (a rickshaw with a moped engine)

-Dakota was excited to go downstairs and buy vegetable from the man selling them on a cart in the middle of the street and he doesn't even like most of them (veggies that is)

-In the stores we been in, there are at least 5 men willing to help you

-The above translates into one man following you around the small grocery store asking how he can help

-There are less cows in this city than originally advertised

-Dominoes delivers and it was really good

-We have heard that you can get just about anything delivered to your house

-A city of 20 million people divided into many neighborhoods makes for a complicated auto rickshaw ride home (especially when you don't know the language)

-Poverty is a very difficult thing to deal with on a daily basis

-Hearing our son say that he is ready to learn the language

-Seeing another son give the guard at our building a high five every time we come and go

-God is with us

-He hears us when we pray

-We are expecting Him to do great things in and through our family

-He is at work all over the world

The Best Birthday Ever

Another birthday was successful. I still can't believe that Noah has had 14 of them. He said that this was his best one yet. I am not exactly sure why that is, but I was glad. I didn't know how this one would go since we are a little out of our normal element and with the broken arm and all.

He woke up early and had that look on his face that said, "what is the possibility of me being able to open my present before I go to school?". He did and was thrilled with the choices for the year. Whew - another success.

When he walked out of our door and into the great room of the quad we are living in, he saw balloons, streamers and a birthday banner. Some of our new friends decorated the night before. So sweet!

We went out for dinner; made a stop to spend some birthday $ and then he came home to his second cake for the day. Some other new friends surprised him with a lego cake - it was great!

I realized as we were all sitting around last night that this was very familiar. When we were at this same training center getting ready to move to Africa 9 years ago, Noah turned 5. I have a picture of him on the couch surrounded by all of his new friends. We did a

repeat of the same picture - well, same place, just all new friends. And he looks 9 years older.

A lot has happened in those 9 years. He is the same as he was and so much more. I really like who he is turning out to be.

henna and other art work

This should last about three weeks. Noah's about four.

Noah isn't nearly as excited about his art work as Denise and Karley.

A hard pill to swallow

I am continually amazed at the things I am watching God do all around me. He is moving and speaking and working all over the world, including this little corner in Virginia.

It is hard for me to watch my children struggle and this week was filled with both struggles and celebration. We had another shot day on Friday and we all had to get the TB test done. Our middle one was quite worked up about it and was not looking forward to it. He got through it, showed off his "cars" band-aid, and was recovering from the event when he was posed with a question. We needed to get a typhoid vaccine and it can be taken by injection (which last 2 yrs) or by 4 doses of a pill (which last 5 yrs). Well, Dakota has not been able to master the swallowing of the pill task in his very full 12 years. But he was faced with a great dilemma, get another extremely dreaded shot or learn to swallow a pill. To my surprise, he choose the pills (I guess he hadn't recovered as much as I thought).

There are certain guidelines for the timing of the pills and it had to be taken in the morning, one hour before eating. We woke up yesterday and coached him as much as possible. We gave the pep talk. I had been praying for him, believing that he would be successful. I even found some applicable verses and he was ready to try. And he tried, and he tried some more. It was an anxious time for us all. He struggled for 45 minutes and felt the pressure of needing to swallow the pill while he body was not cooperating the way he wanted. He cried out saying that this was the hardest thing he has ever tried to do. I couldn't argue with that and I felt for him. Again, it is hard to see my children struggle.

I have to say that I was confused as to why my prayers were not being answered. I went for a run to sort it out. I went back to the things that I know; not my feelings about the situation. I know that God is good and that He has a plan. I know that he is not a divine vending machine - putting in just the right combination to get what I want. I did not understand, but that was okay. My son was worried about disappointing his momma and I had to assure him that was not at all how I felt.

After lunch, he came up with a plan. He was going to practice by swallowing nerds. He worked on it all through watching a movie and got nine swallowed successfully. He had a renewed confidence. And this morning he woke up and swallowed the pill on the second try! He did it! I was so proud and bursting with joy.

In the midst of the struggle just 24 hours before, I was discouraged and dismayed. I did not see a solution and was just sad when I looked at the circumstances. I did not want my son to get his view of God based on what happened. But then the morning came and it was a new day. Our Father is sovereign and His ways are not my ways. I will trust Him and praise Him and wait for the morning when I have a hard pill to swallow.

Thanks for sharing in the journey with us,
Denise

supporters and partners

Today we are talking about supporters and partners. If you are reading this blog you probably already support us. We need you and are so very grateful for your prayers. A few of you want to do more with us, partnering. You may even want to come over and work with us. We are looking forward to making those opportunities known in the coming months.

The presenter today shared a story of a man who was often awoken at night finding the need to intercede for an overseas worker he knows. When asked, this partner said he felt he needed to be before God on behalf of his friend. Until peace came, he would stay up and pray.

In my own life, I must confess that I have rarely had this kind of experience. I have often been more consumed in my own business than the business of God. His desire is that everyone has a chance to hear. How can they hear unless someone is sent? Some of you have sent us and are giving in order to send others.

Today, I want to say thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for taking a moment to pray for the workers in South Asia. And, I pray that all of us will be consumed with the things of God, to the extent that He interrupts our lives day or night for His purposes.

A Day in The Life of Us

This is our 3rd week in Virginia and here is a glimpse of our life right now:

*The kids went to their own classes and learned about how other cultures see the world, how to share the story of their own personal journey, etc.

*Seth and I spent the morning learning about the basics of Hinduism, which is the main religion practiced in the country where we are moving. I was struck with sadness as I learned about the lack of hope and peace, all the while being so thankful that we have the opportunity to share what our Father has done for us and them.

*Lunch was a "special meal" which meant that we were not given a choice of food and we ate a meal from North Africa. It consisted of meatballs and veggies, eaten with flatbread; only using your right hand to eat.

*If you know our son Dakota, then you might be aware of the challenges he has with some foods. He had a great success today and tried the food at the special meal! I know that God helped him and it was so thrilling to see his face of victory after lunch.

*We spent the rest of our afternoon session continuing to learn about Hinduism and how we can be most effective in that culture. There are some great leaders who have gone before us and are willing to pour into us, sharing their experiences; the good and the bad.

*I spent some of the afternoon watching the kids play on the playground. It made this momma's heart happy to see Karley playing and singing with her new friend and the boys playing a never-ending game of tag with whoever comes out to play.

*We ate dinner with 100 of our new friends - great food and encouraging conversations about challenges and lots of questions of what lies ahead for all of us who will be dispersing to several countries all over the world in a short time.

*After dinner, the women had a tea/dessert with some ladies from our organization. I had the privilege to be sitting at a table with a precious woman of God who committed to pray for four of us over the next year. I treasured this sweet time and am thankful.

*The kids had fun tonight at "open gym" which means that they can be dropped off at the gym (on our campus) and will be supervised by another adult. I went for a revitalizing run while Seth nursed yet another headache :(

*When I went to pick up the kids, I found them behind the gym with a bunch of the college aged girls/guys (they were supervised) pushing a car up a slight hill. The guys had come up with a fun activity - timing each other to see how long it took to push the car a certain distance. It definitely was entertaining!

*As we were getting the kids ready for bed, Karley read a book to Noah which was the sweetest thing I have seen in a long time.

*I think my favorite time came at the end of the day, when we were all crowded in our bed praying together. The kids have been learning about a certain method for prayer in their classes. It uses the acronym A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication). We all took turns praying for each part of the acronym.

*I am so thankful for facebook and email to help us stay connected. I love reading about all that is happening with so many who are precious to us.

*Now I must get on to some reading in prep for tomorrow.

Denise

a few bad dreams

There will be many firsts on this journey for our family. A couple of fun ones so far have been hearing our kids share a testimony, eating every meal with 100 other people, sharing a common living area with three other families and having a playground right outside our home where the kids can always see who is out there. Another first has been consistent bad dreams for one of our kids. It has been very profitable working through why they may be happening. They are very real, and bring some intense emotions. At the same time, they are quickly forgotten, until something in the dream seems to come to life.

I am not sure where you are on in your journey, but right now, my learning curve is pretty steep. I am consistently being reminded that not even a dream comes to our door without having gone through the hands of God. We are learning to live in constant fellowship with the body of Christ and while it is exhilarating, it is also exhausting and it is incredible.

It is less then 2 months until we will land in our new country. The language is completely foreign, the people are complicating, according to our reading, and most of all, they are lost. Their religion will not allow them to know the True God.

Thank you for reading this and lifting us up to the only one who can heal, take away bad dreams and give us the boldness to give our lives away, daily.

So thankful

We continue to be amazed at the way our Mosaic family sent us out. We have not experienced that much encouragement, at that level, ever in our lives. I am having a hard time expressing myself and finding the words to convey what is going on inside of me. I just wanted to soak up our last week in Arlington and find a way to bottle it. I want to sip on it for a long, long time. I think the depth of relationships we experienced while we lived there was directly related to the pain we felt in saying goodbye.

We continue to be refreshed. We are currently in TN staying with some very special friends we met in Africa, of all places. They held our hand through some very difficult days and they continue to encourage us and love on our kids just like they were their own.

We are continually reminded of the love of our Savior and are so thankful. He paid the price and allows us to be in amazing relationship with Him, while loving others and bringing them along on the Way.

So thankful,

Denise for Whippleville

driving...

We left Arlington yesterday heading to the first part of many months of training. We get to see several friends along the way and parts of the States we haven't seen before.

We are so thankful for the safe trip, to Lamar Baptist Church for a great house to stay in and for Mosaic for sending us out with blessings and the encouragement we will need to get through the hard times that are sure to come.

We almost made it out of Texas last night. Nashville here we come.

Whipples in South Asia

Who would have thought we would end up in South Asia? We knew we wanted to care for people in other parts of the world and now, we headed to South Asia. We will be serving as counselors in that part of the world, but first....we have to get there.

We leave in a few days headed for a couple of months of training. We hope to land in country during the summer; get settled in a home and get the kids in school. We will be doing language study for the first several months. We will also be on a team sharing hope and striving to bring peace to broken lives.

We appreciate you reading about, praying for us and even communicating with us from time to time.