Dinner Guests

Last night we finally had our first Indian dinner guests.  We invited our auto driver Benjamin and his family over, and we were so glad that they accepted the invitation.  I decided to make Lasagna because I could prep it all before hand and then pop it in the oven an hour before they were to arrive (since they would be coming right after Silas' bed time and I knew I would be busy then).  Making the Lasagna was certainly an adventure.  I decided to use paneer (the local version of ricotta) that processed in the food processor with a little dahii (like yogurt)- so that I wouldn't have to spend a fortune on imported cheeses.  I also made my own tomato sauce, which is getting easier every time I make it.  With all of my new ingredients though, I was afraid that the Lasagna wouldn't taste good and that we wouldn't have enough food for everyone. 
     When the company arrived it was quite awkward seeing that we had only met the husband and seeing that I don't speak very much Hindi and don't know the appropriate way to host people for dinner in this country.  JP and Benjamin talked for a while and then I served dinner.  I was pleased to find that the lasagna actually tasted pretty good, but disappointed to see that my guests were not all that interested in it.  I don't think the 8 year old boy even tried it, I think it just sat on his plate (though he did eat some green beans) and the parents certainly were not interested in seconds.  Oh well, at least I could offer them ice cream, though for some reason the little girl didn't even like my ice cream. 
    I know it isn't the taste of the food that matters, it is the thought and heart of hospitality, but I should have had an Indian dish there as well. 

The 1st Big Crawl

At first we had to entice Silas to move forward- otherwise he would just back himself into a wall on under the bed, table...Now he has figured out how to go forward and there is no stopping him.  Of course now that he can crawl he wants to walk- but I think that will take a little more time to figure out.

What has Silas been up to?

 In the days before Silas had figured out how to crawl, his favorite position was standing on his head with his bum sticking straight up in the air.  I don't know why he liked doing this so much, but is sure was cute.  The picture below is in our living room.  We put a blanket on the floor with a sheet on top of it to try to give him a softer place to play than just the marble floor. 

The other day we got not 1, not 2, but 3 boxes from America!!  Silas was excited to find out what was inside (or maybe he was just excited to have something new to pull up on).  Thank you Grammy and Gramps!

 My parents have pictures of all of us playing in the cabinets (well at least of me and Kristen) so I had to get a picture of Silas playing with the plastic dishes.  He got himself stuck though and could't figure out how to back himself out).

And here is what was inside the boxes!!  Foam tiles for Silas to play on!!  I don't know how many times Silas has fallen and hit his head on the marble floors, resulting in a sad cry (mostly wanting attention, he wasn't that hurt), a red spot, and occasionally a bruise.  With Silas pulling up now, I really wanted something softer for him to fall on and the blanket on the floor just wasn't cutting it.  Silas loves his tiles and has been putting them to good use!

Blessed are the Meek

I love living overseas!! There are many things that I like about being in the non-Western world (and of course many things that I miss) but the thing that means the most to me is how it challenges me and presses me to be more like Christ.  Really, it is the frustrations, the little trials, the negative things about living in a developing nation that has a completely different culture from my own that I cherish the most. 
    I was struggling with our language school and the way they do things, and struggling with some other things as well and I was getting stressed out because I wanted to be in control. (My way is the best way to do things, it is the most logical, the most just, and the most practical, so it should be done that way).  I soon realized that this did not come from the Christ in me and that I was protecting my rights and asserting my own ideas instead of trusting God. 
    Having been prompted by my reading of 2 John to dwell more in Jesus' teachings, I started reading Matthew 5.  Yes, I know these, "Blessed are the..."  v5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth".  Wait a second, what does it really mean to be meek?  I have heard that over and over again in this context, but who really uses that word in modern English?  So I checked the ESV commentary and God really spoke straight to my heart- the meek are "the gentle, those who do not assert themselves over others in order to further their own agendas in their own strenght, but who will nonetheless inherit the earth because they trust in God to direct the outcome of events".  OUCH! I am not so meek.  Sure I may appear meek on the surface, but inside (and to my meek husband) I am asserting my own agenda and telling people what for right and left. 
    Then I turned to Matthew 11:29 where Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."  We are to learn from the meekness of Jesus.  I find that much of my weariness and stress comes from trying to make things logical, just, and my way in my own strenght, when Jesus teaches us to be gentle.  Jesus did not assert his own agenda, he set the example of meekness and the example of trusting the Father to work all things for good and for God's purpose.  So many of the things that I take on as my burden were never intended to be my burden.  Jesus is saying that I should not carry more than I was intended to carry, trust God.  Philippians 4:5-6 "The Lord [the God of the universe who created all things, sustains, all things, knows all things, has all power and is righteous, just, and good] is at hand [he is very near to us]; do not be anxious about anything".
   This is such amazing truth.  I am still having a difficult time applying it, but the incomrehensible peace is there when I do. 

Crawling

Silas is all over the place now!  How quickly he went from staying in one place and being able to know where he was at all times to moving all around the house and getting into everything.  More to come, but I better go pay attention to him.

Pretty View

Normally it is too hazy to get a good view of the mountains from our house, but after a good rain the view is is beautiful.  If you look closely you can see the city up on the hill.  This is a resort town that people flock to for a break from the heat.  We went up on Thursday and enjoyed the scenery, cooler weather, and some pizza from a little cafe.

Movie Star

Silas loves his rubber ducky!!

Whenever we go out, Silas gets a lot of attention from the ladies.  The other night we were in a little coffe shop and three different young ladies asked if they could hold him.  In America I probably wouldn't let a stranger take Silas, but here it really doesn't phase me that much as long as Silas doesn't have a problem with it.  He is such an extrovert that he loves being passed around from person to person.

No Car

Texans don't really know how to survive without a car.  Everything is very spread out and there is minimal public transportation, so getting around without a car is very difficult.  I became fully aware of this with my international student friends who had no car and had to depend upon the Fort Worth bus system to get around.  Not so convenient. 
   While it would certainly be more convenient for us if we had a car here, we are making due with our feet, auto rickshaws, and an occasional taxi (buses and little blue public taxis are also available but we have not used them yet).  Typically if we want to go somewhere, we walk about 10 minutes to the mail street and then hire and auto to take us somewhere.  We have recently made friends with a driver named Benjamin who will pick us up at our house to save us those extra 10 minutes. 

   Yesterday I decided to walk from our house to Pizza Hut to collect delivery menus from all of the restaurants in between.  It took me about 45 minutes.  When I got to the Pizza Hut mall I stopped and at a new ice cream parlour and got a mango smoothie (I needed change for an auto ;)).  After a month of being here with all of the walking and sweating I can finally fit in my pre-pregnancy pants!  Too bad I got rid of most of them :).