missing home

Its in the moments where I'm alone in the quiet that the gnawing, pulling ache sets in. That desire to be far away. In all the chaos that was India, there was some strange quiet and peace to my life there... a peace and rest that I can't remember experiencing in my childhood, and most certainly haven't obtained in medical school. When the world is swirling around me and people are everywhere and I'm constantly having to be "on", I'm fully engaged in my life here.

But it's nights like tonight, where it's just me, that I crave that home. That little room that I shared with two dear friends on that campus that always felt safe, in that city that was busy in a way in which no one was really in a hurry to get anywhere.

just a reminder....

On my left hand I wear a ring. I've worn it since my senior year in high school. Maybe you've seen it and not thought anything of it. But to me, it's my reminder that I'm called to live for something bigger than myself. Four years ago it meant something entirely different than it means to me now. At the time, it was my commitment to serve God overseas. And it's incredible to know that I've kept this commitment. At the time, my little 17 year old self thought it would mean living overseas for the rest of my life, but it looks different now. Don't get me wrong, if God calls me, I'll go, but I've learned a lot about myself and about what God has in store for me in the last few years. I've learned that my strengths are strongest here in America. And that there's so much work for me to do here and in this place. In my culture and in my society. In my country and my government.

Even though my dream has shifted, I still wear the ring. It reminds me of my responsibility and my passion. It reminds me of where I've been and where I'm going. I got this ring during a missions trip my senior year to Quito, Ecuador. It was a cheap little ring-- it symbolized a shift to a focus outside of myself. I wish I could say that I'm less selfish than I was when I was 17. But that wouldn't be honest. But I do see the world so differently than I did then. I've learned to see people and situations and circumstances for more than face value. I've learned to ask the question of "why" someone is doing that particular thing. I've learned to care about the big picture more than my tiny microcosm.

That time I spent in Ecuador catalyzed a pivotal shift in my perspective. It seems surreal that I'll be returning. That I'll get to walk through the transition that this will have on many students' lives as it did with my own. And it definitely already has stimulated my own thoughts regarding how far I've come since I was a student on the 'same' trip. I fell in love with the world on that trip. I fell in love with watching God work. I fell in love with community and fellowship. I'm praying that the students going this year will be able to have even a fraction of the amazing-ness. Even a fraction would be life-changing.

These should be my words

Whenever family and friends found out that I'm traveling by myself, I would be met with sympathy and concern. They never quite understood the feeling that I get when I'm waiting to board a plane or a train with an impending adventure. It could be boarding a plane to CA, a train to Nebraska, flying to India or Europe, or just driving to Chicago. It's this special feeling that wells inside of me that I'm quite content to ponder and meditate on in my own heart. It made me glad when I read an essay in this amazing little book called Cold Tangerines. I'm not by myself in treasuring the joy of traveling alone.

"...It began a love affair with traveling, and even more than that, traveling alone. I felt so small and so anonymous, surrounded by the sounds and smells and sights of a place I'd only read about, and I could go as quickly or as slowly as I wanted to... When you're with someone else, you share each discovery, but when you are alone, you have to carry each experience with you like a secret, something you have to write on your heart, because there's no other way to preserve it."
-Shawna Niequist

6 months ago

Journal entry from 6 months ago, sitting in Hyderabad airport waiting to fly home.

"There's some finality about an airport. Something ominous and cold that I feel as I pull my carryon behind me, my purse hanging under my arm with a cup of coffee in my hand. As cold as I feel, there's an excitement of pending adventure. 34 travel adventures later, I feel more confident and more like I belong at the airport. I've stopped having nightmares about missing flihts. But this time, the feeling of excitement is almost nothing. I feel alone. Isolated. Small. I'm fully aware that I look more comfortable flying now than I ever have. But I feel like a little child. A scared little kid who's lost and misplace and alone. From today on, no one will ever fully understand me. From today on, there won't be the unspoken communication of frustration. From now on, I'll have to explain myself an dbe completely torn between lives. When I was here, I knew I was going back to the place my heart ached for. This time, I know better. I'm ready to leave, but I know that this trip signifies everything changing.

The moon looks like the s mile of the Cheshire cat. Or a hammock. I can't seem to make up my mind about which. I said goodby to my city tonight. I smelled th elast of the stale urine, and Ramesh told me to make th most of the sewage stench, seeing as I wouldn't have it at home. I had the last traffic experience. I was in the busyness of the city one last time. And the power went off 3 times in my last hour on campus as if to say goodbye. I had my last cup of dessert tea, walked my last lap, and waved to the last excited Indian child on the street. This phase of my life is done."

back in the swing of life!

So I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth, I promise. I just haven’t known what to write. Basically, life in the US is a little less novel than life overseas. But a lot has been happening and I’m seeing things so differently than I was a few months ago.

First of all, I started med school 2 weeks ago. We’ve been practicing patient interviews this week, and I had to pretend to be the patient—bring a problem that another student can interview and counsel me on. My problem was reverse culture shock. I basically pretended it was 2 months ago when I hated my life a little ☺ . I’m through it now, but I remember what it was like so I put myself in that frame of mind for fifteen minutes at a time. The funny thing that happened though, was that I started feeling those emotions for real again. That strange sensation of longing and aching and of discomfort with where I am.

I love being back in the US. I really really am thankful to be back and to be placed where I am. I am so comforted that God has relieved my fears and worries with so many blessings. For example, I was worried about finding a community when I got back to be a part of. I’ve honestly had to ‘say no’ to things because God has sent me bountiful friendships and groups and opportunities. It’s pretty cool, and now I feel a bit sheepish that I doubted God when I first came back.

Med school is great (so far). Given I haven’t entered the crazy workload yet, but I love the atmosphere of school. I love the fact that there are 200 students with endless possibilities of friendships and relationships. While it’s overwhelming, its so exciting to me! We’ll see how I feel once the workload hits in another week! I’m sure I won’t be as excited ☺

And today is a rainy, dreary day. The type of day I longed for in the summer and winter of India. To be sitting in a coffee shop as rain persistently beats the ground just outside the window gives me a feeling of safety and comfort.

life in America: one month

I just finished writing what should have been the easiest paper of my life.  10 pages on  my experience in India.  Easy, right?  I must say that it was one of the most draining things that I have ever written.  Every page I wrote made me more and more homesick for India.  I think its actually pretty funny when people think it's an easy transition to come back into my home culture.  

I was sitting in church my first Sunday back in the United States.  "Blessed be your name in the land that is plentiful, where your streams of abundance flow, blessed be your name.  Blessed be your name when I'm found in the desert place, thought I walk through the wilderness, blessed be your name."  We sang the same worship song the Sunday before I left for India.  I remember uncontrollable tears falling as I envisioned the material interpretation of that song.  I was going from a land of plenty to a land of want.  I was going from a place where I was established and have a support system to a place where I knew nobody and had no idea who would encourage and challenge me.  

Sitting in an American church once again and listening to the same song tears started coming to my eyes for a very different reason.  I was once again making a transition, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what transition I was actually making.  I am clearly going from a land of material want to a land of material plenty.  But I am also transitioning from a land of spiritual passion and vibrancy to a land of spiritual apathy.  How do I reconcile this in my mind?  

Elise and I had the conversation about 'being content' a lot while she was in India.  I was inspired by Hebrews 4:12-13.  "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength."  

In my observations, Christians living in dire poverty actually have less trouble with being content than those of us living in plenty.  Every time I've examined that verse, I've seemed to focus on the 'being content while living in want' portion.  But how often do we living contentedly while we have plenty.  Do we horde our wealth for ourselves, or do we feel guilty about our wealth?  What do we do with our blessings?  I have actually begun to think that feeling guilty for God's gifts is nearly as ungrateful as the greedy consumption of God's gifts.  Just something I've been thinking about and wrestling with for the last...year.  We are a blessed country.  What are we supposed to do with this?  

on starting over

"You get a strange feeling when you're about to leave a place, I told him, like you'll not only miss the people you love but you'll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you'll never be this way ever again."
— Azar Nafisi

Girl, 6, thrown on fire for being 'lowest class'

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/04/30/india.caste/index.html

(CNN) -- A man, incensed that a 6-year-old girl chose to walk through a path reserved for upper caste villagers, pushed her into burning embers, police in north India said Wednesday. She was seriously burned.

Dalits, or "untouchables," are victims of discrimination in India despite laws aimed at eliminating prejudice.

The girl is a Dalit, or an "untouchable," according to India's traditional caste system.

India's constitution outlaws caste-based discrimination, and barriers have broken down in large cities. Prejudice, however, persists in some rural areas of the country.

The girl was walking with her mother down a path in the city of Mathura when she was accosted by a man in his late teens, said police superintendent R.K. Chaturvedi.

"He scolded them both and pushed her," Chaturvedi said. The girl fell about 3 to 4 feet into pile of burning embers by the side of the road.

The girl remained in critical condition Wednesday.

The man confessed to the crime and was charged with attempted murder, Chaturvedi said.

The assault took place in India's Uttar Pradesh state, about 150 km (93 miles) south of Delhi. The state is governed by Mayawati, a woman who goes by one name and is India's most powerful Dalit politician.

Her Bahujan Samaj Party seeks to get more political representation for Dalits, who are considered so low in the social order that they don't even rank among the four classes that make up the caste system.

Hindus believe there are five main groups of people, four of which sprang from the body of the first man.

The Brahmin class comes from the mouth. They are the priests and holy men, the most elevated of the castes.

Next is the Ksatriyas, the kings, warriors and soldiers created from the arms.

The Vaisyas come from the thighs. They are the merchants and traders of society.

And the Sudras, or laborers, come from the feet.

The last group is the Dalits, or the "untouchables." They're considered too impure to have come from the primordial being. Untouchables are often forced to work in menial jobs. They drink from separate wells. They use different entry ways, coming and going from buildings.

They number about 250 million in India, about 25 percent of the population, according to the Colorado, U.S.-based Dalit Freedom Network.

"Dalits are seen to pollute higher caste people if they come in touch with them, hence the 'untouchables,'" the group says on its Web site. "If a higher caste Hindu is touched by, or even had a Dalit's shadow fall across them, they consider themselves to be polluted and have to go through a rigorous series of rituals to be cleansed."

Recent weeks has seen a rise in violence against Dalits in Uttar Pradesh, CNN's sister network, CNN-IBN, reported Wednesday."

Where the Sidewalk Ends

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

Shel Silverstein

Planes and Trains. and cars I guess

I've been in the US for a week now! crazy, huh? And I had the greatest mini-adventure yesterday. I took a train in the United States. For transportation. The price of the ticket was half of flying, and seriously, who takes the train for transportation these days??? The Denver train station was quaint and old fashioned with conductors in little conductor uniforms, and high-backed wooden benches. I didn't know places like that still existed in the US and I will totally have pictures up when I get the adapter for my camera back. I think that was the closest I got to culture shock yet. My train adventures in India consisted of massive amounts of people in the train station, pushing to board the train. Vendors walking incessantly down the aisle muttering 'panniwater, panniwater' and 'chaicoffee, chaicoffee.' I didn't know what to do with the quiet, nearly abandoned train station and a double decker, half-empty train that pulled in front of me. Anyways, I hightly recommend the train system. Just so you can tell people you took a train :) Plus, it was significantly more hassle-free than flying.

I lost a piece of my luggage, by the way. Sucks, doesn't it? I had packed it specifically with everything I would need for these 10 days of travelling--western clothes, toiletries, socks. At first this made it even more annoying. But now I'm just thankful that I have all of my 'priceless' Indian items. That would be horrible to have lost indefinitely. But I'm reaching my limit with airports. I think I have no desire to fly again too soon. haha too bad I fly again on Sunday to come back to Ohio!

So, you may be asking yourself, "What has Susan been up to this last week, if she STILL isn't in Ohio?" I mean, besides the coolness of taking a train. I got in Thursday night and spent a total of 2 days in the DFN office debriefing and another four with my friend in Boulder. I've been amazed at how quickly friendships form and solidify in India. I had made arrangements to spend time with my friends Ashley and Megan and Amy. But I ended up hanging out with several other people that interned with me for six weeks last summer, or who came out on short term trips. It was amazing to 'debrief' with people who knew India and who knew me in the context of India. I feel refreshed and rejuvenated and feel much more capable of handling re-entry. This isn't to say that I won't be a mess occasionally... but I may be able to at least answer questions that are asked of me :)

Well, last night I took a train from Denver to Nebraska and am now hanging out in a coffee shop (a consistent theme of my US travels) while Megan and Amy are busy with their real people jobs! It's really yucky out--raining, dreary and cold. But I distinctly remember wishing that I could be curled up with my book and journal with a hot cup of coffee and a cold, miserable day outside. So I guess this is actually perfect for me!

I'm supposed to be working on some more debriefing stuff so I should probably go.

I have a ton of pictures from my last month in India, so if you're interested, here are the links

Medical camp in UP


Kerala

More Kerala

the end is near

I just completed 3 weeks of traveling. And am coming near to the end of my time in India. I feel ready to go home. I feel ready to start the next part of my life. That I'm here, right now, leaving aa place that's been my home for a year feels like a dream. One that's whirling around me, and I can't grasp the reality of it. And I almost don't want to grasp the reality, because I know when I get on the plane it'll be the jerking feeling that I get when the alarm wakes me each morning. But at the same time, being in India has worked on me in ways that I didn't expect. Its instilled in me a passion for work that needs done in my own country--for the needs both physically and spiritually that run rampant in our society. In a society where I know the language and the culture and I can relate to people in a way that I haven't been able to cross-culturally. Its given me a vision for America, and I'm really excited to start acting on that vision.

I'm just going to write about my first trip for now. We met a medical team from the US in north India. We spent five days running medical camps for villages that feed into the DEC schools. Most of the time I was helping with the physiotherapy section, teaching exercises, and taking histories for the patients before they went in to see the physical therapist. It was draining after awhile, but I loved getting to touch and connect with the patients that came in. A lot of the ones that came to us were older patients--mostly with arthritis. but you could see in their eyes the loneliness. It was wonderful to get to connect with them and relate to them. I loved it :) The American team was hardworking, and it was almost as if they were my preparation to re-entering American culture! I spent some time with the doctors also and got to see some pretty crazy stuff. One of the doctors was in her second year of residency and had never seen some of the illnesses that were coming though. It was hard, 'cause many of the patients needed long term care, and we were only equipped and able to meet short term needs.


I think I'll write about Kerala tomorrow--it's been a long few weeks and I'm ready to go get some sleep!

I like being a girl

I sit in distracted thought at the moment. Trying to find direction to my random processing. A part of my brain is working today that I don’t think has been active in a little while.

I have this friend. Our time usually is spent hiking through the woods along the river talking about God and life. She’s my ‘philosophical’ friend. I’m always inspired and challenged when I hear from her (or when I’m in the states, after our hikes). I’m reminded how big the world is. How much vision matters. How amazing it can be to dwell on God. I start thinking more abstractly after we talk (or I read her blog ☺ ). And she reminds me to live my life big. And to dream big and to invest myself in big visions.

Lately I’ve been thinking about value. Sunday was “Women’s Day” here at church. It was a very cultural experience in a way I didn’t quite expect. It was approached through womanhood as a married woman. I never realized how different even the definition of a woman could change in culture. At home, we are taught about womanhood and femininity as a single. We’re taught to invest our gifts as a woman and use the attributes God gave us no matter where we are in life. We may even be chastised for wasting our gifts by our community (in a good way) if we are wasting our gifts as ‘life-giver’ and ‘helper-completer’ (to use the terms of the five aspects study). While the west usually takes feminism way to far, I’m thankful that my culture assigns me value as an individual, with or without a wedding ring. I really like being a girl. I like the gifts that I have, the qualities God's given me, and the glory of his purpose. I've never considered that I have less worth as an individual. Never even crossed my mind. It upsets me that other women face this battle. Its something I've seen a lot here, but it really struck me on Sunday.

In other news, Annika and I booked our ‘holiday’ trip to Kerala. SO excited for this. It’ll be a short trip, but it’s gonna be beautiful. 5 days to dwell on God’s marvelous creation.

March

I know its been awhile since I’ve written, so I would like to fill you in on what life has been like this past month! After finishing auditing the masters classes in January, we (meaning me and my friend Annika) started working on some community health teaching for girls in their 20’s that are here for their Bachelors program. It was fun and they became really enthusiastic as we handed out chocolate for answering questions on our nutrition talk (I hope you see the irony). I then spent the next few weeks working on topical summaries of health issues that can be translated into different languages and used for community health education throughout the country. Currently, me and Annika are conducting basic health physicals and getting health histories for the Bachelors students on campus. There are 200+ students so we’re keeping pretty busy in the evenings ☺

Mid-march I leave to join a medical trip coming out from the US for about two weeks, and then Annika and I are planning to do some sightseeing in Kerala (southernmost India) which I’ve heard is one of the most beautiful places in all of India. We’re both really excited about these plans and are greatly anticipating the time of travel. But this means that my time in India is drawing to a close. Its strange to think that I have only a few weeks left living here, and I’m having trouble picturing life without some of the friends that I’ve made here! But at the same time, I’m very excited about the next stage in my life. A lot of mixed emotions.


Last week four more international girls came in for their 6 week internship. They’re sweet girls and are definitely still adjusting to India. Please keep then in your prayers as they process both their work and their free-time and also cope with culture stress and homesickness. You can pray for me as I wrap up my work in Hyderabad this next few weeks and seek closure in my time here. I also have a lot of preparations for coming home that I need to finish before I begin traveling. You can also be praying for safety as we travel from mid-march through mid-April.

This weekend we went to a place that I hadn’t been to yet. It’s called Little Rajasthan. Rajasthan is a state in North India with distinct culture—food, dress, dance etc. This is a place I haven’t been, but I’ve heard a lot about it. Anyways, Little Rajasthan is a cultural center nearby where I live where they present and expose people to Rajasthani culture. We made the trek there—and by trek I mean that we didn’t know where we were going and ended up walking WAY farther than we would’ve had to if we had gotten off at the correct bus stop. But it was worth it— We got to experience a lot that night. The food was unique to what we usually have, the dress of those there was different, the dancing was different. The reason I’m writing this, is that I know how easy it is to lump “India” together. But every state in India has a unique culture. It has its own special characteristics, languages, food, clothing, value systems, and composition. I’ve been here a year (nearly ☺) and I’ve hardly begun to grasp the diversity of this country.

I’m also sending a picture of my favorite place in Hyderabad. Golconda Fort. Its 1000+ years old and is spectacular. Plus it has a magnificent view of the city and the surrounding countryside!

long overdue post!

I would like to share with you some cool things that I’ve found in my reading and studying. I should say outright that I realized that these last few months in India could quite possibly be my last chunk of time where I can read and study whatever I want in depth and I’m resolved that I won’t waste it. I’m determined that I will use the next (approximately) 3 months to develop my mind, my character and my relationship with God. This has resulted in a list of 20+ books recommended from the MA classes that I’ve been auditing in addition to books that I just want to read ☺ currently I’m reading a good one on different types of counseling. I would like to share with you a few things that I’ve found interesting.

The first one is on our guiding values that give meaning to our lives:
1) Do my values and priorities and the life-style they produce, allow me to maintain robust physical-emotional health?
2) Do my values and life-style allow me time to develop my midyears potential intellectually and spiritually?
3) Do my values and life-style allow me time to enjoy the good things of life and to do the creative, worthwhile and fulfilling things I could do?
4) Do my present values and life-style leave me enough time with the person or persons I care most about?
5) Does my life-style reflect the most significant and life-giving values—truth, goodness, beauty, wholeness, aliveness, justice, order, simplicity, playfulness, autonomy?
6) Do my values and life-style allow me time for a significant cause, a challenge beyond my inner circle, that will help others and improve our community?




There was also this great passage that I am going to include on developmental crises. These are the normal changes that come into our lives—the ones the come from moving away from home, starting college, getting married, retiring. There is like a 100 item list that is NOT all inclusive of things that cause us developmental stress—the things that just happen in life and we need to work through. I love this quote:

“When one puts on the glasses of hope and growth, each life stage from birth to death, offers a fresh set of emerging strengths and possibilities that did not exist in previous stages. This awareness is the source of an unfolding hope. Each stage also has within it a new set of problems, limitations, frustrations, and losses… The strategy is to help people deal with the problems and losses by developing the new strengths and possibilities of their particular life stage.”



Now those of you who made it through that long portion: Over the next few months, I’ll be working again on the Village Healthworkers Program. We have a nutrition public health presentation next week, then a lot of preparation and writing for a new aspect of the project—pretty exciting stuff!

We (and by we I mean my friend Annika and I) have been auditing MA classes here the last three weeks. It has been phenomenal! We’ve gotten to make friends with Indians and internationals from all over the world and learn from great professors. Although I took four classes, there were 3 that made a great impact on me: systematic theology, philosophical foundations of m*inis*try and leadership, and counseling systems. It will take me a long time to process and thoroughly grasp what I’ve been learning! Truly it was an opportunity I never expected to have, and I feel quite privileged that I got to learn just for fun—no tests, no required assignments.

Thanksgiving: Indian style

While you all were having a turkey dinner, I was... well, to be honest I was probably asleep. But Thursday afternoon we went over to one of the American couples' homes and had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal (The only difference was that we had chicken instead of turkey)--Mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, bread and even gravy (I'm pretty proud of the fact that I learned how to make gravy from scratch!). It was quite a feast!

Thanksgiving is a big holiday in my family. We all gather at my aunt and uncles house and the cousins stay in the house and have a lot of fun! We get up at about 6AM to run 5 miles usually in the snow and sleet, and then come back to get ready for the day and to prepare the meal (mostly the aunts). Then, we eat and there are all kinds of "kids table" traditions that I could describe and you probably wouldn't think were funny but we love! After clearing the tables, we rush to the couches for naptime! Over the course of 3 days we have so many traditions and memories.

I thought it would actually be harder to miss Thanksgiving. Don't get me wrong, there were parts of the day when I was pretty homesick, but there isn't the snow or the intense cold here. I'm still freezing. you know, in the 55F weather. haha I've gotten so soft in the last six months. It'll be an adventure when i encounter snow again! But with no snow and no winter coats and no sweaters and boots, it doesn't feel like the end of November. This is the second Thanksgiving I've spent abroad and they're full of memories!

Like me, Annika and Elise all squeezing into the back of the car voluntarily on the ride back to the campus.

And the overall craziness that we bring to the table :) But the family were wonderful hosts to us and really made it feel like Thanksgiving. It was a good Thanksgiving.

http://uakron.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2087638&l=8f88e&id=39105465

and

http://uakron.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2086858&l=07bf0&id=39105465

How has my life been transformed by Christ?

How about yours?

The purpose of my life has been fulfilled.

At my going away party in June one of my friends seriously asked me what I was looking forward to most going to India, what my first most goal would be during my year-long adventure. My retort? “I want to ride an elephant.” I guess I can come home now!! Last Thursday I climbed atop an elephant which meandered around the Mysore Palace during a famous festival called Desara. It was fun. Last week we had a few days of touristy stuff! We visited the palace, which was magnificent. We went to see gardens distributed among an array of fountains. We hung out at a hospital, which definitely gave me an adrenaline rush. During the last few weeks we’ve utilized a plethora of transportation methods: crowded buses, trains, elephants, horse drawn rickshaws, an auto crammed with 12 people, boats, and we’ve crossed a rushing river. We’ve driven through countryside speckled with rocky hills, rice patties, coconut trees and cows. We’ve eaten off of banana leaves. We’ve seen temples, cathedrals, and mosques.

I’ll never be able to adequately describe the things we’ve seen, the people we’ve met, the smells that have reached our noses, the taste of freshly made dosa, the sounds of horns outside our window or waking up to a cow mooing on the street outside. Every once in awhile it hits me that I’m in India. I was sitting on the balcony yesterday journaling. I was on campus waiting to leave for Tamil Nadu. Sometimes I forget that I’m in the middle of a huge adventure. When you’re living in an adventure, that adventure becomes daily life in a way that I never expected to have happen.

I would also like to describe to you a few more things going on in India that have been important to me these past few weeks. October is a big month, with a lot of short term international teams coming in. Most of the teams we meet and hang out with and help the Indians with ‘cause they insist that we can explain certain aspects of India to them better than the Indians can. Me and Elise don’t believe them, but we help where we can. Anyways, one team in particular has blown us away. They are a team of mechanics. They aren’t actually mechanics by profession, but volunteer at their church every week fixing the cars of single parents. They are working on cars for two weeks here for the organization. I was outside before breakfast the other morning just meandering around campus. I was shocked to see them already at their work. They work all day and put their full energy into their tasks, but still have managed to have a lot of fun and build relationships with most people on campus. Elise and I have both been encouraged and challenged by their work ethic and servants’ hearts! I would also like to tell you about my favorite little boys! They are brothers and are simply adorable! Usually 11 year old boys are awkward and don’t know how to carry themselves, but this boy is poised and well spoken. He takes care of his little brother and they are very sweet to each other. And Jeffrey, the older brother explained cricket to me. I’ve had a bunch of people try to explain it to me before, but I never understood it until this kid explained it! I know kinda understand the game and its interesting!

I hope this post finds you well and you enjoyed hearing a bit about the things I’ve been up to lately!

more on my travels!

I’ve been in Bangalore and Tamil Nadu for the last two weeks nearly. It’s been an adventure to say the least! I’m getting stretched and pushed in so many different directions. I’d like to give you one example: We were on our way to a house meeting last Friday. As we were climbing into the vehicle, the brother taking us commented: “Ok, so one of you will be teaching and the other will be singing a song.” We looked at him slightly confused. ”Just kidding!” he laughed. ‘One of you will be teaching, the other will be sharing a testimony.” Still assuming he was joking with us we start laughing. Well, he was serious. So I taught with 20 minutes notice. Its actually kinda cool. It’s always a challenge to keep us on our toes. You have to always be learning and spending time in God’s word because so many times you’ll be called to share what you’re learning—so it’s usually a good idea to be learning stuff from his word. And if you zone out during a prayer meeting, guaranteed you’ll be asked to pray outloud for the requests you just zoned out for. I Peter 3:15 has been made real to us in these last few weeks.



I had the privilege of doing some health and hygiene public health presentations since I’ve been here. I really love public health. Some of it has been common sense stuff, and other stuff has been stuff I’ve researched. I actually got to give a presentation to a group of 75 pastors. It was really strange talking to grown men about how germs are spread and boiling water and nutrition and AIDS. I definitely got nervous beforehand, but once I was up there, I really enjoyed it! There are things here that I would NEVER have had the nerve to try at home, but by being given a gentle push into these situations, I’m learning more about myself and my strengths and having confidence enough to at least try. Well, Elise and I did a swing dance in front of 100+ people. Yeah, I’ve been swing dancing like 2 or 3 times and am not good. Plus the fact that we are in India, so girls don’t dance with guys. This means that Elise had to lead. She is better at swing dancing than me, but—well we’re both girls and neither of us know how to lead. Anyways, it was the only “American” dance that we know. So we put together a swing dance. It was helpful that there were no Americans there, so no one knew what it was supposed to look like. We’ve had so many opportunities in the last two weeks. I mean, I’m just so thankful that we’re getting such a diverse experience in India. I am grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been blessed with here. We’re seen as ‘children’ so they don’t expect us to be great at everything, but still give us the opportunities to try things we’ve never done before. Its led to a lot of growth!

I would like to also share with you some of the amazing things we’ve seen in our travels. Last week we traveled to Tamil Nadu for a few days. We had the opportunity of hanging out with some amazing brothers and sisters who had spent a month in intensive outreach. We had the opportunity to hear reports of what God is doing in this country and spend time building relationships and hanging out with these girls! One of the places we got to see was in the mountains. Well, it was in a valley between mountains where rivers meet in waterfalls. We had a picnic day here. It was beyond gorgeous! I keep thinking that there is nothing that will be more beautiful in the world. Then we would turn the corner and God would reveal another facet of his majestic creation. Its days like these when I wonder at how blessed I am to be in this place.

I would like to share one more thought with you before I finish this update. I was getting ready to speak on Sunday and was growing nervous. Here we were, two twenty year old American girls getting ready to speak His word in front of a group of people who live out God’s commands daily and are passionately in love with him. Not to mention about 6-7 pastors were in the crowd. Anyways, I was sitting there feeling very small and wondering what on earth I had to say, when I turned to Jeremiah 1.

Jeremiah 1:6-7 says: “Ah, Sovereign Lord, I said, I do not know how to speak; I am only a child. But the Lord Said to me, ‘Do not say “I am only a child.” You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.’ “

Thank you for your prayers—Elise and I are experiencing so many new things and traveling. Please pray for this organization as it is a busy month everywhere and there is a lot that needs done.


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Your sister in Him,
Susan

I’m ‘out of station’ for this month as they call it here. I’m in S. India. Its funny, I lived in Andhra Pradesh for three months and thought I was in S. India. Turns out that the people in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu welcome us to South India like we weren’t in South India before. I’m pretty sure after composedly being shown to our room on a campus that is basically just a tropical paradise, into a room that is so clean and new and just lovely—pretty much me and Elise jumped up and down for a long time. Wait, that was just me.

We spent the morning (well, its 3pm but we just finished lunch, so there are long mornings here) working out our program for this month. We’re going to get to spend time in such a variety of different places and doing a bunch of different things. Basically, we got to devotions this morning and ended up being the speakers. And I didn’t hate it! Maybe I’ll be used to the whole public speaking thing by the time I’m done with my time in India. I’m going to get to do a pretty good variety of public health teaching on health and hygiene and nutrition. We sat down with leadership and they brought a lot to the table, and we shared with them what we would like to be involved in. It was actually a very encouraging experience.

I like the very relational nature of this culture. There is a chance it may drive me crazy by the end of this month, but going into it with flexibility is helpful when doing anything in this culture. In the past several weeks, I actually had some responsibility and stuff to ‘get done.’ At first I was so frustrated and tired ‘cause it would take hours to get two jsimple tasks done. By the end though, I knew to give myself a couple hours, so I was totally content to sit and talk with people while I was waiting.

One of these days my task oriented nature will be overcome  It is much diminished from three months back without a doubt!

Bangalore is quite different than Hyderabad. I’ve seen such a small portion—really just drove through the city, so I’m sure four weeks from now I’ll know even more ways that it is different from home. I saw much more modern, western, cleaner architecture. I could imagine much more that I was in an American city as we drove by a sign for Texas Instruments.

The most important thing you NEED to know about is that India won the Cricket World Cup. If you were unsure, all you’d have to do is to be in India last night and the fireworks and boys running around screaming would remove any doubt! As we drove through the city the most amusing thing I saw while I was there was a techy store with TV’s and stuff like that. It was a nice store, totally empty except the clerk, the storefront evident because of the glass windows. Outside this store probably 30-40 men were huddled, all gazing intently at the screens inside. It was hysterical. India is a happy country today!

North

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This link will take you to more pictures!

I’m sitting in a hotel in Dehli. It is a bit surreal to be typing on my dear old mac again. I hardly recognize my lovely computer as the keys click familiarly beneath my fingers. For those of you who didn’t know, my computer crashed the end of last month and I just got it back ☺

BUT… the greatest thing is that I’m with my dad this week! He came out with a chapel team and I surprise him today. He thought I was meeting them up in Bihar tomorrow, and had his back to me when I walked into the hotel lobby this morning. I don’t think he quite knew how to respond!

Dehli is much different than Hyderabad. For the first, it is cleaner and more orderly. Cars actually drive in the lanes some to most of the time! It was shocking. The roads are well kept up and clean. And I even saw people using blinkers today. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I love my city, but it is so cool to see different parts of India—the same India, but recognize the great diversity. I am aware I am just seeing the surfacy differences since I’m in Dehli under 24 hours. But just to recognize it at that level speaks something of the differences. I feel as if I were in a big city back in the US. Some areas of the city are once that I’m used to from Hyderabad, but other cities send me into a confustion of what country I am in. First impression: I like Dehli! I was expecting a city more congested and more dusty and overpopulated. But I was definitely pleasantly surprised with the aspect of India that I see here!


Six days later:

I had just a lovely time this last week. I met up with a team from the Chapel to help with some women's empowerment conferences. I am quite in love with the north! The chapel women were so enthusiastic and energetic. It was an encouragement to see them just jump right into the conference and invest full force into their teaching and into loving the women. And the Indian women in charge of WE were just lovely. I enjoyed building friendships with them and am excited to see them more in the coming months. I did also get to see my father, which was just an added bonus :) I'm thankful that he got to see India and be a part of the work being done here! It was funny watching the team go through culture stress/shock. Its a lot more obvious when it isn't you going through it!



The language barrier is always hard, but there was enough interaction, visual aids, examples that kept the women attentive despite linguistic difficulties. I must say that I was encouraged to see how easily the women on the Chapel team interacted with the Indian women. The comment in the feedback session that made the greatest impression on me was that she felt love in that place more than she had felt it in her whole life. I sometimes think I’m so used to the love of Christ that I often forget the power of his love and the power that a community in Christ really does have. It was such a good reawakening for me to the blessings of having a community. I just pray that God will remind these women that they aren’t alone. That they will be encouraged to remember that they arfe a part of a larger community in Christ. I Peter 2:9-10 has been made so real to me this weekend.



I was really nervous to give my talk. I was slightly paranoid that I would be oversimplifying things and they would feel insulted. Once I was talking though, I really enjoyed it. Even though I have a B.S. I still need reminded of these things. I still need to be reminded that being good stewards of God’s blessings includes my health. Nonetheless, I was still blown away when the women talked about how much they learned from the health topics. I thought everything was so basic, but realizing how much they learned in those two sessions made me realize how much awareness still needs to be there. It has challenged me and definitely is making me think about different ways I can spend the next 7 months.