Beaches and Monkeys.

Ok so, not both at the same time.  But that is a pretty good summary of the last few days.  The girl­s were in hysterics as monkeys desiring the ripened bananas in their bags and hands mounted them.  It was really pandemonium.  No bites or causalities, surprisingly.

The variety of beaches we have been to ranges from clear shallow waters as far as the eye can see, to private reclusive beaches hidden among cliffs, to short beaches with amazing coral life living just feet from the coast perfect for snorkeling.  We have basked in the sun and enjoyed ever moment of it.

Bali. In Four Words.

We have now been in Bali a couple of days, and last night a few of us were attempting to describe this country in four words. Some of the words used were: colorful, peaceful, restful, bright, rejuvenating, contemplative...well, I can't remember them all...and I only came up with three...so here they are:

Lush. The country is filled with an amazing array of tropical plants, trees, and flowers. The terraced rice fields, and randomly placed streams and waterfalls are unexpected. Even on the beaches you find yourself enveloped by palms and cliffs. Insects, animals and vines become part of the tapestry you encounter daily.

Serene. The before mentioned conditions allow a slowed pace, and a heightened alert to the things around. There is no hustle and bustle around us. It is relaxed and beautiful. Sitting quietly with your thoughts is easy here. The people we have encountered are gracious and accommodating. All and all the ability to relax and renew is almost too easy.

Paradox. Our first day here in Bali, I sat down at this quaint table on the second floor of our bungalow, to do my daily reading in my Bible and journal some thoughts on the book of Deuteronomy. On the ledge beside was a reclining Buddha. I couldn't help but think about idol worship, and the commands and laws of God with regard to idol worship while sitting beside one. This land is beautiful and charming. But it is also filled with stone and metal carved idols, to which the people daily sacrifice food an incense. So although the place is restful, I can't help but long for them to know the gospel message of hope. So my heart is in a bit of a tension.

An International Reunion.

On our last night in Bangkok, we found ourselves getting answers to all of the unanswered queries we had discussed throughout our journeys. Why you ask? Because we were connected with Stephanie who is currently in language school through Remember Nhu. She is currently preparing to assist and start up homes for girls in Thailand who are at risk of being sold into the human traffic-ing ring. She has been in Bangkok for 9 months to date and had many of the answers to the questions we had about the city, its bounty, and it religious and social differences.
After about an hour of us asking question after unending question, we were also reunited with some old friends. Although hard to believe, it is true, in Bangkok we also connected with three very dear friends currently serving at Happy Home for the Handicapped in Shimoga India. It was an incredible blessing to see them, and hear all of the current blessings the home is undergoing. What a blessing it was to embrace my brother Roshan after over a year. We were able to treat all of our new missionaries to a strangely Portuguese dinner, and to wrap up the night, prayed over the ministries they are all working so laboriously and joyously for. It was a beautiful way to wrap up our somewhat hectic time in Bangkok.

One Night in Bangkok...okay, maybe four.

Food must be this city's mascot.  It is everywhere, and amazing.  Not to mention the brilliant colors of the roof tops and spires adorning the skyline.  Oh, and did I mention our tour group grew a bit?  We know have 6 pal-ing around this enormous city from wonderful Portland (which I am beginning to miss--I know you can hardly believe it).  Other than gorging our faces with exotic and delicious cuisine, we have thus far visited the Grand Palace, numerous temples, water canals, traditional Thai houses, and the interiors of many tuk-tuks and taxi cabs.  The evenings have provided observation of tens of city blocks covered in flowers at whole sale, and countless food stalls lining the streets in Chinatown.  This city is tremendously diverse and we are constantly in awe of its shear size and variety.  Did I mention I was in a cab tonight of a six fingered man?

We have had a few discussions about the spiritual hold of Buddhism on the city and its people.  Idolatry is in your face on every dashboard,  and entryway with the aroma of incense burning in an offering to a man long since dead.  Hope seems amiss, and fear abounds.  So although this city is fascinating and colorful, the beauty of it all is a bit overshadowed by a lost people devoted to a god that cannot help them.

Scoot Scoot. Ko Samui.

Just another Thai Beach?  I think not.  First thing this morning we awoke to the sounds of the ocean crashing just 30 meters from our window.  We proceeded to secure and rent four scooters for the day (for about $4) and were off zipping around this beautiful island.  Driving on the wrong side of the road was no sweat, and the roads here gently guided us to each beach without much of a fight.  Today was the quintessential vacation day, I do believe we found our way into a postcard.  At one point today, within about 25 mninutes, the following took place:  Liam got a pedicure on the beach, Tim and Eric got a pineapple masterfully carved, Tim, Eric and I got a papaya salad prepared for us but a beach vendor, and I got a foot and leg massage while laying on a sheet in the sand with my eyes closed and the sound of the ocean crashing right beside.  I really don't think words are going to do the trick here.  Looking up at the palm trees, looking down at the white sand, and looking across the blue waters at the horizon is simply a breathtaking, undescribable thing.  So there you have it.  We have one more day on the island to go snorkling and boat riding, and then off to Bangkok.

Phi Phi Fo Fum, Now I Smell a...

This last couple of days has been quite a different experience to our city escapades in Singapore and KL.  We have been beach bumming, swimming, getting burned, and snorkeling throughout these Thai beaches. This afternoon was spent desperately trying to get the cheapest boat ride from Phi Phi Don to Phi Phi Lay in hopes of a snorkeling adventure.  We were of course victorious, and were able to swim around in Little Nemo's world in awe and amazement.  We saw things I have only seen in fish tanks to date.  The water has felt like a warm bathtub every time we dip our toes into the Indian Ocean.  All and all, the trek has been incredible.  Our accommodations here in Phi Phi are a bit, how should I say, ghetto...but we have learned the tricks for the next island, so no more getting taken and staying in digs that are not on par with our affinities.  Here are some photos:

Kuala Lumpur. In and Out.

We are sitting here at the KL airport poised for departure to Phuket.  Our time here was brief, but we were able to go up the 4th largest tower in SE Asia, explore the Batu Caves, sweat profusely in the hotel's sauna and steam room, and enjoy a posh night's sleep in a swanky hotel.  We remembered the sabbath and kept it holy.  What a beautiful Sunday it was.

Would an Orchid by Any Other Name Smell as Sweet?

Our last day in Singapore was spent in awe at the Orchid Garden.  I don't think my words can do it justice, so take a look at these photos, and judge for yourself.

When the Lights Go Down in the City.

So, we had two very different experiences in the evenings of Singapore. The first was amazing. To see the city all lit up in its splendor was truly something to behold. The second was a little of a disappointment...we fell asleep. Last night we laid down for a quick nap, which turned into a 13 hour sleep fest. This morning we are feeling awake and spry however, so one more day to soak in this amazing city before heading north to KL.

Before falling into a deep and premature slumber, we spent some time at a local tea shop here in Singapore, learning from this master.  We are now experts and plan on opening our own team shop in Portland upon our return.  We are still working on a name for it, but so far the Tea in Tony is my favorite.

Singapore. 101.

Day 1 in Singapore is just about complete. Today started at what we thought was 6:30 in the morning...which was actually 5:30. We milled about hoping to find coffee and breakfast, but to no avail. After 2 hours of adventure, we found our way to a very famous market, where we started the day with spicy noodles and fried bread. Quite an expected, yet delicious start to our day.

We spent several hours wandering the streets of Orchard Road, and eventually found our way to the Botanical Gardens. There we frolicked through the rainforest in utter amazement at the beauty and size of this Jurassic Park-like landscape. We all took turns posing for the model scout in font of the cascading vines of this jungle tree, shown in the pictures included herein. You can be the judge on who made it into the add. We are going to be rich.

Tomorrow we are off to the man made island of fun, like Pinocchio on his quest to become a real boy. We will finish our journey with a night safari, ok, zoo. More to come...

Little India.

It is all of 6:15 in the morning here in Singapore. Not a mouse is stirring. No not one. We want to get the adventure going, but I am doubtful of anything being open...but it sure beats sitting in on a plane.

Almost there...ok...not really

Here we are...ready to board...18+ hours to go...Singapore is calling our name.

The Eve.

So, although tonight is my birthday, it is more importantly the eve before our departure. Come to this location for shenanigans, reporting-s, reflections, and maybe even an occasional haiku.

Our adventure includes, but is not limited to:

Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Phi Phi Island, Ko Samui, Bangkok, and Bali.

All Good Things.

All good things come to an end. As we are wrapping up the final days in our adventures here in India, we are all taking some time to take stock of the experiences we have had here. The canvas for this time of reflection just happens to be one of the 7 built wonders of the world…the Taj Mahal.

We spent 27+ hours on a train to get us to Agra…I (Tony) must admit, the time flew by much quicker than I had expected. It was a beautiful time of rest, reading, and introspection. We all found our nose buried in books and journals, and before we knew it we were here in Agra with anticipation of children at Christmas, knowing the Taj Mahal was on the day’s agenda. We slept for 3 hours or so, and then began our early morning to the Taj. This required us all to “push through” with little sleep and achy limbs and stomachs.

The Taj Mahal is actually quite a beautiful thing to behold. As most of you know, it was built as a tomb to enshrine a love lost to death. It glistens with a brilliant white from all over the city. From every brief glimpse of the towering minerettes, or the beautiful domes, the Taj Mahal has an ability to excite even the most apathetic sight see-er. Although the structure and grounds are incredibly impressive and beautiful (and we were all quite elated to be there), I think many of us at one point were also saddened by it. Man spends so much time and energy glorifying the wrong things.



Two quick things about our team at the Taj: we all sweat more than any of us has ever sweat before, assuring us that heaven will be a temperate place, more like San Deigo than Agra; and we all did exactly what we set out to do at the Taj, get the perfect Facebook picture.

With that said, as is the case during our debrief, I have been reflecting on our trip and wanted to put a few things in writing for you all. I hope it encourages and challenges you as it has me.

Reflections from Happy Home for the Handicapped: This is a place that can only be described as Ben said upon our first arrival “A piece of heaven on earth.” Not because it is a beautiful building with brilliant white, but because the people there make it so. The families and staff that live and work there evince a true servant’s heart every day, and show Christ to the children on a daily basis. The children themselves are welling up with a pure joy and peace that could only be a part of their existence were it for Christ in their life. Their stories are too sad to generate the love they do without Chirst in their lives. It is a truly beautiful and special thing happening there, and it is still very much with our team and me as we continue toward home.


Reflections from Ongole: The villages of Ongole have left me with a heavy heart. We saw the darkness idol worship and false gods can have on communities and families, and two things Jesus said keep echoing through my mind. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) We had one specific interaction with a man who had lost his faith, and claimed that there was no God because of his circumstances. He didn’t see the Lord saving him from his troubles, so he presumed God not to be. I love that verse in Matthew because it put into proper order the priorities we should have. The kingdom is our heartbeat…and if it is, everything else will work itself out. “Some things can only be done with prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9:29) We need to be prepared for troubles in our life that we might not also turn. Keeping our mind and attention on the Lord is of paramount importance.


I know I am getting a bit long here, but I also wanted to take a minute to mention what a beautiful team we have and spend a minute encouraging them and you about the ways I have seen Jesus in new ways through them all. Here is just short list of the qualities I have seen through my team that show how Jesus is alive in their lives, and molding them into creatures more like Him: selfless servant-hood, childlike joy, unabandoned love for one another, extreme patience, authenticity, tender compassion, gentle love, and sacrifice for each other. I am proud to have been a part of such a beautiful group.

Tony

Extra Extra Read All About It...

Hey all, it’s Danielle! No worries we are safe! PTL (Praise the Lord) as Jordan would say. We had no access to the internet in Ongole. We arrived in Ongole early in the morning around 2 AM. We finally got settled in, and got some rest for a long day ahead of us. We stayed in Ongole for 3 days and somehow managed to get our photo in the daily newspaper. Let me tell you, us white people have Hollywood status. There was a small article about us, explaining that we were here to see the Prime Minister. Apparently she was in town the same time we were.

Aside from having our day of fame, the Lord had many blessings ahead of us and was at work. Every morning after breakfast we headed over to an orphanage with about 200 children to sing songs with and love on. In the Afternoon we headed over to the Jr. College to share our testimonies and words of encouragement. Both the orphanage and Jr. College are part of Beulah Ministries. While we were there we performed 2 skits from the Bible, which the kids loved. We had such a great time performing out silly skits; we felt like kids again. It was definitely a blessing for us to spend time with those amazing children.

The first day we were there, the Lord specifically had a blessing for me. We were having lunch at the hotel restaurant and a man comes over to me saying, “Hello, Miss Danielle.” I look over in confusion and soon realize I know him! It was one of my student’s parents from last year. His son Abhinav was with him. They were just passing through to get some lunch and go further with their travels to see their family. What are the odds? I got to chat with them for a little while and went to go finish my lunch. As I was finishing I couldn’t help but think that this was one of Gods divine appointments. So I prayed and prayed asking the Lord to give me words to speak hoping to at least plant some sort of seed. I finally got the courage to go back over and chat some more We talked about the Hindu religion which they practice once in awhile and how different the cultures are compared to America. I was able to share why we were here in India and what we were doing. Our conversation was coming to an end and I got that panic feeling inside thinking, “what else can I say?” The first thing that came out was, “Can I pray for you?” He was a little caught off guard but seemed open to it as well. So I got to pray for them and wished them the best! So I pray that the Lord used that time for seed planting! The Lord had more to come.

After visiting the Jr. College Wednesday and Thursday we visited some villages. We had the privilege of sharing the gospel and praying for people that were ill. In the first village we prayed with a man who was barely able to walk. He kept asking us to pray that he could walk to the village church and join in the service. With great faith we surrounded the man and laid hands on him, speaking Jesus’ name. By the grace of God he arose to his feet and with Ben on one side and the pastor of the village on the other, he led a processional to the church. It was amazing! To see the hand of God so strongly on this man’s body brought tears to our eyes. The next night we visited another village, where we met a woman who was quite hardened to the gospel. But that didn’t stop it from spilling out of our mouths. After sharing scripture and telling her of the life Jesus had to offer her, we asked if she wanted to ask Jesus into her heart and she said YES! What a blessing it was to witness salvation for this woman.

All in all, Ongole was fun, it was intense, and we got to end the trip by going to the Bay of Bengal. A day at the beach was just what the team needed to end a great few days In Ongole. We hope all is well back home! See you soon!

Danielle

Saying our Goodbyes...

As the team pulled up into Happy Home this morning, I don't know if anyone expected such a sad goodbye. We spent some time with the kids, giving hugs and kisses, and telling them how much we love them, feeling so much love in return. When it was time to go, most of us were in tears as we thought about having to leave this place that we've grown to love so much, these kids we've come to adore. Seeing many of the children crying made it so hard to leave. I will never forget those sad faces waving goodbye to us as our bus left the property. Happy Home will forever be ingrained in our hearts. We will never forget those sweet faces, loving hugs, crazy hand games, gentle touches, quirky personalities and adorable smiles. Our team has been so blessed by our time at Happy Home!







With heavy hearts, we headed toward the train station to start our journey to Ongole. Our first train ride was about 1.5 hours and was a nice break for us to all sit together and just relax. As we waited to board the second train that would take us to Bangalore, the team started talking about last year's trip and the running and throwing of bags that was involved. This made us all a bit anxious, but thankfully we all made it on the train safely and no one was left behind:) I don't know how he did it, but after about a half hour into the ride Roshan had managed to get seats for the whole team in the air-conditioned car of the train. It was a great way to spend the 3 hours!

We arrived in Bangalore and headed to our hotel. Since we've been at the hotel, we've been enjoying the clean rooms and comfy beds. Our afternoon was nice as we all got a chance to relax and get some rest before our long train ride tomorrow! We headed up to the hotel restaurant on the roof of the building for dinner and were greeted by a nice cool breeze, the honking of the cars below, and fireworks!! Dinner on the roof was a fun way to spend the last time our whole team would be together. Bob had to leave for the airport right after dinner to go back home to be with his family. It's been such a blast to have Bob on this team and we've loved getting to know him! We love you Bob and we miss you already!


--Courtney Sell

A sad farewell to our friends at Happy Home

Greetings family and friends from India! Today didn't start off as our usual day here at Happy Home, which usually consists of waking the kids up, helping them brush their teeth, serving them breakfast, and then getting them ready for school. Nope, today Roshan took us on a hike to what they like to call here in India as the "world famous" Jog Falls. And a hike it was! As a few of us hiked down nearly to the bottom Ben mentioned that he now knows what it means on the application when it says arduous hikes! After our hike it was back to Happy Home to spend the last few hours we had left with the kids. It's sad to think that tomorrow we'll be leaving to head to Ongole and we'll have to say goodbye to these precious little faces. But like someone once told me, its never goodbye, it's always see you later!

I think I can speak for the team when I say that the impact that these children have made on my life while I've been here is like nothing I've ever experienced before. They have taught me so much in just this short amount of time that it brings tears to my eyes to even think about saying goodbye to these beautiful kids.

But as we approach our departure tomorrow our team would like to ask all of you to continue to keep us in your prayers, especially our health. A handful of us have been feeling a little under the weather and traveling isn't necessarily the funnest thing when you're sick. So prayer for our health and quick recoveries, and also prayer for our travels that we would make it to our next destination safely. Thank you all for your constant prayers and comments. We read them everyday and look forward to reading more! Love you all and we'll be in touch soon!

Much love
Stephanie

CHAOS!!

So, here I am, sitting in Roshan’s room, trying to write this blog. And, all I can think of is that nothing I write will even come close to how awesome today was. The kids only had a half day at school. After doing some chores, we sat all of the kids down in the prayer hall. I don’t think they knew what was coming. What came next, can pretty much be summed up in one word…. Chaos. We passed out toys to each of the kids, that wasn’t the problem. We also blew up about twenty beach balls. And from there it starts! The simplest thing brought so much joy, and a few tears, to all of the kids at Happy Home. I don’t think we expected the balls to be such a hit, but a hit they were. The kids were so happy, and had so much fun. It was crazy.. beach balls were flying everywhere. We had to move the party outside. And from there things just got crazier! There were kids running all over the property, and beach balls everywhere! One of the kids was playing with a Frisbee, but using it as a steering wheel, and was making driving sounds and honking at everyone.. and of course as always, our little friend was hollering “Roshan! Roshan!” But the day didn’t end there. Reema, beautiful Reema, took us shopping to buy saris. That was in adventure in itself! From the second we stepped out of the cars and until we stepped back in… it was a little awkward. The streets were crowded and it was hot… and the group of us stuck out like a sore thumb. We found the shop we were looking for and went in. All of us girls stayed and tried on about a million saris, and the guys went and bought bananas. About an hour later… we were ready to bargain. Good thing we had Stella there to help! So, we made our way back down stairs to pay. That took some time. As we stood in the door way, we got plenty of looks, but even more stares. And, yes, even a few, “what country?! What country?!” Roshan said, Africa... We trekked our way back home, and back to the quiet and comfort of Happy Home. I think it’s safe speak for the whole team when I say, to be perfectly honest, there is nowhere else I’d rather be.

Missing you all!
-Christine