Thursday, March 1

murg aloo who?



My time in India really has been a dream-come-true. I don’t know if I’ve ever been able to say that with such confidence. But I am confidant and convinced that our Father is answering my heat’s desires through this trip. He wasn’t joking when He asked me to match my heart with His, and He would fill me up to overflowing. I’m seeing Him everywhere, even though this country is a very dark place. Actually, India is full of irony. Here are some things I’m noticing:

o The darkest villages have the brightest colored clothing, and the most beautiful eyes.
o I see the most hope in the most untapped creativity.
o They have so little, but they give so much away.
o My travel wallet (on loan from Nana), which is supposed to go under my clothes, discretely, is neon pink.

o As the crow flies, we’re only a couple paces from the equator, but I’m wearing more yards of fabric on my body that I ever have before.
o There is an electrical outlet in my shower.

I’m typing this as I drink a Coca Cola and eat a grilled cheese sandwich. For breakfast I had toast. It would be safe to say that I’m not agreeing too well with Indian food. I’ve only had a few incidences of what we like to call “Delhi Belly,” but nothing traumatic. I’ve tried to be adventuresome when it comes to food, upon my best friend’s recommendation. But I come from the school of thought that holds to ‘if you can’t pronounce it, maybe you shouldn’t order a whole plate of it.’ “Murg Aloo” is fun enough to say, but do I want Murg Aloo working itself through my digestive track? Probably not. I can, however, give you a great critique on many of the Indian versions of American food.

Visiting the villages to explore their handiwork has been my favorite part of this trip. I really feel “in my element.” I feel useful, both to Bajalia, and to the work of the Kingdom, when I’m visiting with the women of the villages, talking with the elders, and hearing their heart’s desires. There is plenty of fertile ground here for the HS to work!

These are some pictures from the village where we hope to begin a new project with the women:













Today we arrived in Mumbai. We’ll be doing some more consulting with artisans here, picking up merchandise, and hopefully purchasing more to bring back to the states. I hope to also catch another bollywood flick while in the city. We saw one a few nights ago, but I need more dancing! There was only one song-and-dance outbreak in the movie we saw, to my dismay. Oh, and, my cell phone magically re-appeared today, just moments after I mentioned to the hotel management that I might have “misplaced” it. Thanks for lifting that up for me, to those of you that knew about it.

Keep our travels in your thoughts. And praise Him for His grace, and His Son, our motivation for all we do, and our only hope for true Restoration.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jennifer,
Good to see you have kept your wonderful sense of humor. Your Dad is getting more mischevious by the day--he's obviously getting better.
Darwin

Unknown said...

Your observations inspire me, make a little jealous, and totally crack me up. You're hilarious. Glad to see that the Spirit is keeping your spirit up. Blessings to you and all your endeavors.
Theresa
(the photos rock!)

Anonymous said...

Jennifer, I miss you and all. I love your blog and you are such a bright joy. I am here in Romania where I have already met with 4 women helping design their new homes or remodels. I think I may have a new ministry. I am praying about renting an apt. here to let the church us for guest and then it will be here for me and Rich when we come. Maybe I'm just dreaming, but pray with me. I'm so happy to have been with you for 10 days. I hope there will be more time I can spend with you. Love you, Rita

Schellhase said...

The black and white photo looks like an cool, indie rock album cover.