A couple nights ago we had a 3 hour team debrief in the lower room of our hotel (aka Lower Caf). I think we were all a little stunned that the trip is more than halfway over. But I want to give YOU a debrief of our insights and comments on our time so far.THE GOOD. I love everything about Indian culture. I love those never-ending contrasts that surprise me everyday because they make me stop and think. Living isn't easy here, and you can't make it through a day without examining your heart. I have loved building relationships with the organization's dedicated staff, who love others extravagantly and work 7-9 hour days alongside of us. The church here is equally amazing and has welcomed us with open arms. Besides people, India also possesses an exotic array of food, last week we tried both Mexican and Italian (with an Indian twist of course). For our day off yesterday, P&H took us to the COUNTRY's best mall in South Delhi! For the first time, I felt like I was in America in an air-conditioned So-Cal mall! I never imagined I'd find that here! Guilty pleasure of the week: Coffee Bean!
THE BAD. It's been hard to be mindful of the extreme cultural differences here in guy/girl interaction. We had a meeting about it Saturday...because as our time here passes, it's hard to not get relaxed around our students, etc. We've had a couple issues with some zealous male students, one of them sees Faith "in his future" and keeps asking Andrew how to pursue girls and find love. We might have to ask him to leave English class this week. It's hard for me to understand, but sometimes all it takes is one conversation or one look/smile for an Indian man to start thinking. We were reminded of the importance of not having one-on-one conversations with any guys and not giving out any personal information. This becomes difficult when there are only 6-8 girls in all of our English classes combined! This last week, our friend Esther had her purse stolen by a motorcyclist and Julie was followed home by a man. Thankfully, our Father was watching over them, both situations could have been much worse!
THE UGLY. I have the blessing of being on an incredible team, there has been neither fighting nor drama during our time here despite spending every waking moment together. The flipside of spending every moment together is the ease of which I sin with my tongue. We all confessed the complaining words that slip out way too often. Whether it's a flippant remark about the weather or a subtle comment about getting "ripped off", I have been so convicted about how often I choose to remark about the negative instead of the positive. And the positives have been showered upon us. Our team has resolved to help one another by turning any complaints into positive comments. Being here has revealed to me that complaining is a habit in my life, even in the States. India has consistently shown me the depths of my sin, but by His grace I am not consumed!
THE BEST FOR LAST. Last night, there was an Indian wedding! The groom was staying at our hotel. Kids and adults were running all over our hotel in these beautiful outfits and there was cameramen and a crowd waiting outside. We heard the band start playing on the street and rushed out to join the crowd! The groom mounted a white horse that was DECKED out in jewels, and the band was going crazy! I guess he rides the horse to "go find" his bride, so cute! When the procession started down the street, our team was invited to go. We ran upstairs to throw on our finest attire, but then the wedding party got on a bus so we decided to not get on the bus (safety first!)
So many more memories come to mind, but I'll save them for another day...thank you for the continual prayers and gracious words. You are such an encouragement!
