Baby's first

Ocean fun with Daddy.....how did I get so lucky?! God, you are GREAT! Your mercies are new every morning and your faithfulness never fails. Marina Beach, Chennai with Isaiah, our firstborn, 2010. Loving our blind adventure we have jumped head first into, so much in store, open arms to love the ones You send, Father, open heart to lean all You have to show us. May we honor You in whole hearted obedience, may our little one know what it is to have parents who walk with You.

You know you're in India when...

You know you’re in India WHEN…. ~You buy something only to discover after you’ve brought it home the electrical cord doesn’t match the outlet in your house!
Who knew-there were like 6 different styles!! You can only hope you lucked out after your purchase!~You have to hire 3 people to drill holes for hooks in your house with cement walls.
~You have to remove your shoes before walking into a filthy store.
~The pharmacy on the corner you run into for toilet paper says "You bought the last roll last week, Ma'am"! (They just keep a roll or two on stock and all know who buys it. Nice.
~You have to wait 3 hrs for the audience to arrive when you are invited as guest speaker.  (Plan for the day—not for the event, then you won’t be irritated with the surprise.)~ You turn on the sink in the bathroom in the morning and nothing happens.
~ Your hubby corrects you for slipping and crossing your legs in a formal meeting. (0ffensive here)
~ Putting on your sons shoes at the front door---neighbors are calling out size advice. ;0)
~ You're at a party and the beverage being passed person to person is one vase with water and one cup...hhhm suddenly not feeling so thirsty.
~You've been standing in line for ten minutes and the line only grows as people jump in front of you like it's standard procedure. You have to get aggressive if you want to make it to the counter.
~ You go out to eat and only half the items on the menu are available (don't get your hopes up when you see "cheese" at a vegetarian hotel! lol)
-Your door bell chime box is a shrine for Mother Mary and baby Jesus. Not kidding.
~ At an elevator if you don't stand waiting with your nose at the doors--You'll never get in!! They shove in like sardines before the people the ones inside have a chance to exit! The work-out of the stairs is usually worth it to avoid the stampede.
~ "No" always mean "YES" when referring to food. Just when you were sooo proud of yourself you finally cleared your plate and they come to dump more---don't assume your "no" will be heard....better to run!

Simplicity

(Photo of our neighbor's opposite our house...I dearly miss yards....front or back---I miss those green spaces!)
I've had the baby on my back pack carrier at home all day as fire crackers go off none stop....some festival going on outside--not sure what this one is for ;0) It seems tonight after the billionth cracker as I work around here as all is normal and play some Phil Wicham songs baby is learning he is safe and becoming familiar with the constant bangs. But even I have not been able to get used to it. If you look out our back--or front--or side you will see an inch of wrappers covering the road from the fire crackers-the smoke is so thick you can't even see the crowds formed just at the base of our stairs setting off the light show. It's sheer madness and my heart smiles over God's goodness that we are here.
I can truly say in a day there is not one thing, exept of course God's faithfulness and our pursuit of Him and one another that is the same as daily living in the West. It is a good thing. I am convinced. The slow pace, the simplicity, the focus on God and the spiritual all around--you can even feel it in the market. I believe it's a good thing. We are the farthest from that place where all try to look their best and are consumed with money-making and being important. It is a place where believers come and pray for the day below in our church, where neighbors walk in just to say hi, sqeeze my babies cheeks, offer advise for his cold and go their way. ;0) This is the place where laundry is done by hand in a bucket, where water runs out most days and we save it in another bucket, where we walk or borrow a bike or grab a rick-shaw, where we sit on the floor to eat using our hands, where the power cuts most afternoons and some nights-where friends drop by instead of calling. We have to get to know each other when we slow down.
Where I have utterly neglected this blog!! I blame it on the simplicity of life. I am determined to get back to it!
I am thankful.
I find everyday God challenges me. Challenges my faith, my routines, the myriads of ways I discover I am trying to be god and keep things under control when He is allowing things to fall apart around me. I see His beauty here and I am learning He is liberating me. I praise Him for it. It's a great thing to be set free. Of all the things that hold me back from truly seeing Him, of all the obstacles I find I myself have put there in my attempt to like Him. Teach me to embrace simplicity, Lord. It seems the opposite from all I have learned about being productive, juggling and being ambitious in the West. Were it not for some of that ambition, I doubt I would have ever come to India--or be married to this family for that matter-so I have to thank the Lord for it and now learn this new freedom of being. Sitting at feet, being still, watching at His posts--looking for where He is on the move. I believe simplicity would describe You if You were living here, Lord. Let the goals and agendas and self-promoting ideas and ambitions fall away. Let me be still and know that You are.
I sit here with the believers and we have tea. They share their struggles with me and suddenly I realize as I hug them, I am His arms. Godly families are one in a million here. May the fragrance of ours draw them near a loving Savior. May the Godliness they see in our day to day convince them the Gospel is the Truth. And He is the only One to redeem and truly set them free.
I am embracing simplicity and it is good. I feel liberated. My mind is clear. I pray this remains---whether east or west or north or south. You are God, I have no reason to strive.