Almost 2

Silas will be two in less than a month now!  So excited to watch him continue to grow.  We went to the park for a picnic/photo shoot and found out when we got there at 4:15 that it didn't open until 5.  So here are a few shots from the parking lot of Silas eating Kurkure (like cheetos but with spicy flavoring instead of cheese).  

I love his facial expressions when he is eating spicy food.

Nine Nights

For the past few days we have been surrounded by noise- not a joyful noise unto the Lord, but a cacophony of worship to idols.  Music blaring from loudspeakers all around us featuring many different kinds of instruments and styles of music.  The most annoying is probably the drum cadence that keeps going for about ten minutes three times a day.  It has annoyed me, but it hasn't really moved me until tonight.

This evening we went out on a walk with Silas and saw that our complex garden area was filled with people standing in from of the temple, around a fire, listening to music and a pundit speaking.  We moved to the end of the garden where the children were playing on the playground and allowed Silas to play for a little while I just watched.  Immediately I started singing any song I could think of about God being the only god.  And immediately I began to cry.  I just had to call out the different names and attributes of Almighty God.  I kept crying, moved by the darkness of the moment, praying that Silas would not feel the darkness.  Then Silas came over to me and I heard him singing "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty..."  in the midst of the other music being played.  Then we left because we couldn't stand to be there anymore.  But I went back to take some pictures.

The service is now over and everyone is waiting their turn to go up to the idol and worship.  While waiting some sort of food is brought around.  

The altar in the middle- I don't really know what they put there, but people were going up afterward and lighting incense/putting ashes on their foreheads.

In line to go up to the idol Durga (mother god)

Sunny Day for Strawberry Blondes

Sunny day on the playground

Little neighbor baby with her grandfather.  He is a good grandfather- I see her with the baby or a 5 year old little girl playing outside all the time.

Shepherding Their Hearts

Raaja, Amir, and Santoshi- 12, 10, and 6- The youngest of seven children, living with their parents who are laborers working to build out neighborhood. 
They live in one of the unfinished houses, with no windows, no indoor plumbing, hijacked electricity, no furniture, not fans... Unable to afford education, they spend most of the day playing or doing odd jobs around the neighborhood like mowing (not easy), hauling rocks, pulling weeds...
They are children- so excited by little things, thrilled to have toys to play with- and yet they know hardship.  Often they come to my house hungry, wearing holey clothing that is held up by ropes.  They have no boundaries- coming into our house without knocking, playing with whatever they find...and yet they also know "their place".  Shocked at first when I offered them food or water to drink from our cups, amazed that we would give them a ball to play with outside. 
I feel for these children, I want to help them, I want to teach them to read and let them know that they are more than what their society tells them they are.  And yet there are days when I just want them to go away.  When I want them to stop yelling in my house, messing up my child's toys, pinching Silas's cheeks, hitting eachother and giving Silas a bad example.  And I wonder if having these kids in my house so much is protecting Silas and giving him what he needs. 
Then I realize how much they have to learn that we can teach them.  Though their parents love them, they show them no discipline but a fist, and the only time they can give them is the time spent working to provide for their needs.  But I can teach them discipline, I can give them time.
  I was talking to a friend the other day about how to discipline Silas and I realized that I can apply the same thing to them.  I can shepherd their hearts, point them to the gospel in the way I speak to them, in the way I correct them.  Teach them to honor God and eachother.  Teach them that their actions have eternal consequences, that their actions are sinful...  Oh but I need help.  How do I say all of that in Hindi?  How do I balance showing them love and teaching them with caring for my own family, helping my husband, teaching Silas? 

Thankful for the Process

I apologize that it has almost been two month since I have posted.  So much has happened, and yet really, so little has happened.  The first trimester of pregnancy sent me on a physical and emotional battle in which I entered culture shock and partial lock down where I didn't leave my house much, partly because I didn't feel well, and partly because I didn't want to. 

But now I am on the other side, feeling a lot better, and finally getting back into life.  I am learning that I have to be patient.  Establishing life in a new location is a long process.  We have to work out all of the kinks in our house, learn how to pay bills, where to buy food, how to get our clothes dry during rainy season... We have to make new friends- learn their culture, times and methods of getting together... Find places to play, to work off stress, to relax...  Just figure out a routine of life in which we can thrive as a family.  I wanted it to happen right away, to immediately just get in the swing of things, but it didn't.  It is a slow process and instead of stressing because we are not there yet, I need to start enjoying the process and take it one day and step at a time.  Eventually we will get there.  Eventually this will be home and maybe our neighbors will see us as insiders.  But for now I am thankful that one neighbor came over to borrow a ladder, another brought us some sweets, and another took JP to pay our electric bill.  I am also thankful that although they barely know us, they trust us enough to send their kids over to play (uninvited) and graciously welcome Silas into their homes when he enters uninvited. 

Funny conversation on the playground

Background: On Monday I went to my scheduled pre-natal appointment and was told that all doctor's offices were closed because they had some convention. As I was reading the newspaper later, I discovered that the doctors were actually all on a one day strike because of some ruling that had been made about some doctors who had removed some woman's uterus without cause.

So- I was talking to a lady on the playground and to make conversation I brought up this event. Now most of the conversation was in Hindi except for "uterus" and few other words.

Lady: So do you have a uterus?

Me: Yes...

Her: How old are you?

Me: 30

Her: Aren't you too young to have a uterus?

Me: No, that little girl on the playground has a uterus.

Her: No, a uterus is something you get when you are older.

Me: Do you know what a uterus is.

Her: Yes

And that was the end of the that part of the conversation. I really wonder what she means when she says uterus. Anyway, I got a laugh.

Recent trip

Check out the women in the back cooking lunch for 40 over an open fire in 115 degree weather.  Now these are women!

This boy in the purple shirt thought it was really fun to brush Silas' hair.  Silas didn't mind.  Of course Silas also kept lifting up the boys shirt to find his belly button- a new fascination that Silas has that is a little socially unacceptable.

Lunch- rice, lentils, okra, green beans

A rare family photo.