home sweet home?

Hey guys... sorry I haven't written. Shelly and I made it back to Mississippi about a week and a half ago... most of you probably know that and I'm sure not many people even check my blog anymore, but I just figured it wouldn't hurt to put that out there!

I'm not gonna lie.... leaving India was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. When I got on the airplane in Kolkata, I remember looking out the window the whole time we were taking off and just seeing all the palm trees and thinking, "Wow.... I'm going to miss this place so, so much." And I do. There were so many days when I would get so frustrated and just wish I could go home... I hated the heat some days, I hated the inconvenience of everything on others, some days I hated being so far away from home. But somewhere in the middle of those 4 months Kolkata became like home to me. I knew all the streets around where we lived. I knew pretty much every beggar on Park Street by name. I had great friends and I started running into people I knew all over this huge, huge city. Kolkata became my home. And even more than missing Kolkata, I miss DumDum so much it hurts. I was working yesterday and a lady came in with a really cute baby and my heart just ached to hold her because I miss the babies at DumDum so much. I asked the mom how old she was, and she told me she was four and a half months and I had to fight really hard to not shout "Four and a half months!?! But she's HUGE!" It broke my heart to see this baby who was so loved and so big... I couldn't help but think of Akosh and Sagur and Babooshana... all of the babies at DumDum who are three times the age of this baby and still so, so much smaller.

I've only been home about 10 days, but the newness and excitement of it is gone. I've eaten the foods I've dreamed about for months, I've seen my beautiful friends and family, and I've driven my car and sang really, really loudly... and now I can't help but dream about going back to the dirty, dirty streets of Kolkata and hugging my friends so tightly. I pray everyday that God sends someone else to DumDum to do more than feed my friends. They have people all the time who come and bring the kids food, and yes that's so important... but they need love more than anything. They're probably the most lovable people in the world, if only others would take time to see that in them.

I knew coming home would be hard... but I didn't expect this. I guess it doesn't help that I have to make some major decisions about my life and what I'm going to do these next few months. It seems like everyone I meet wants to know what I'm doing next and I wish more than anyone else that I knew, but I just don't. Right now I'm just trying to process a little bit of the past four months... and I think it's gonna take a while. My eyes start to water at least ten times a day when I think about India or talk about India or see pictures of India. I never knew you could love a place so much after such a short time. My heart just literally aches to go back and walk those loud streets and go each morning to DumDum and spend time with my beautiful friends. But, as everyone loves to tell me, I can't be a career volunteer. "It's time to for you to get a j-o-b, Haley... you know, one that actually pays you to work?" I know I'm 23, and I know I'm supposed to be starting some great career and getting my first real paycheck and actually living off of my own insurance... but I've never really done things the way that I'm supposed to and I don't really intend to start now.

I'm not gonna lie... I'm a little afraid that I can't change the world and I'm terrified of living an ordinary life. But that's not what lifes supposed to be about and I know it... I was created to serve God and trust that HIS love, not mine, will change the world. I'm excited about this next part of my journey in life and where it may lead... who knows where I'll be in the next few months? Jackson, India, Africa... only God knows and I'm excited to be a part of what God is doing around the world. Thanks for sticking with me in India... I hope you'll be around for this next part of life.

ps... talking about Kolkata is one of my favorite things in the world, and I'm pretty sure I've already bored my family and close friends with my many, many stories of life in India. Soooo if you want to chat, let me know. I'm still enjoying the beauty of conversations spoken in English.

One more week to go...

I'm coming home in about 9 days! I've never understood why the end of something always goes by so fast, but it always seems to happen that way. This past week has been a blur. From spending days at DumDum to spending time every night with our friends here... it seems like we are so busy all of the time trying to fit in a little more life in the little time we have left here in Kolkata.

Our time at DumDum keeps getting better and better. I absolutely love those families there, and I know they love us. We met a boy who used to work with our friends there, but he's been gone since we got here on a tour of India. I met him the other day, and he told me they were all so excited to tell him everything about us. He told me that they said that while he was gone that met two angels. I almost started crying when he said that. I don't know if it's because we are leaving soon or what, but our time there seems to keep getting better and better. Everyday when we leave, all the kids walk us to the escalator for the Metro and just wave and wave and blow kisses to us as we ride up on it.... I think I may have to be carried up the escalator on my last day because I'll be crying so much. They ask us every day now when we will come back.. and to bring our moms and dads and sisters... I told them yesterday when they asked when I would come back that I would go home, work work work, save rupees, and then come to India maybe next year. I wish you could have seen their faces... they completely fell when I said it would be at least a year. It made me want to cry.. I felt terrible.

We know a lady at DumDum named Sanjasmita and she just had a baby when we were in Nepal. She isn't really that nice, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that when we met her she was 8 months pregnant and now she just had a baby and has to sleep every day on the hard concrete. She has two other kids, Sonjana and Sanjay and they are sooo bad but only because they don't get any attention. Her husband, Bapi, is a drug addict and drinks all the time. She's probably one of the most unhappy women I've ever met in my life. Well, we got a package from America full of children's clothes and teddy bears and other things, so Shelly and I took a few things and went and got them gift wrapped for her and her baby. It was a beautiful package and we got a friend to write a card for in Bengali about how much we loved her and her family and would pray for her new baby Mongol. When we got to DumDum we couldn't find her, but everyone was freaking out about the gift (I don't think they had ever seen something so nice) so they all ran around the station trying to find her. She came walking up a few minutes later, just smiling. We gave her the package and she gave us little Mongol to hold, but she didn't even know how to open a gift. Everyone helped her, and she just loved the things inside. Her husband came up, and she showed him everything and read him the card and all. He's really never even spoken to us, but he insisted that we sit with them and then he gave someone all of his rupees to go and buy us some chai. I'm sure Sanjasmita has never received a gift before, and I know it made her feel so special to sit in the middle of a crowd (Indian people are SO nosy.. there were at least a hundred people gathered around her ) and open something from us. Please pray for little Mongol... he's only 3 weeks old and his life is already so, so hard. I wish we could do something like that for every single person at DumDum. They are all so special, and I really would give them the world if I could.

Shelly and I are still trying to plan something for our friends this last week. They are cooking us lunch on Monday and are so excited about it. Please pray we don't get sick... we don't want to spend our last week here stuck in our apartment. And please just pray that this last week they will know more than ever how much we love them. We pray all of the time that God would give us His eyes to see them and that His love would just radiate in all that we do there. We can't tell them about Jesus because we can't really speak to them, but I know that God's love is more powerful than just about anything in this world. Please also pray for Shelly and me as we get ready to come home. As much as I've hated India at times, it feels like home to me now. I'm going to be leaving a huge, huge part of my heart here, and I dread coming home just as much as I look forward to it. Thanks for remembering us here in India, and thanks for remembering our beautiful friends and family here!

Almost over...

I can't believe that in about two weeks I'll be heading home. It's so strange.... one minute I cannot wait to get on that airplane, and then the very next second something happens and thinking of going home makes me want to cry. I have absolutely loved these past few months in India. It's been so much fun... I've never felt more free or alive in my whole life. There have been so many frustrating moments, and so many times when I just wanted to pack my bags and take the next flight home... but I think that's just India. It's not the easiest place to live, but it's a place that I've come to love over these past few months.

I'm excited about these next couple of weeks. Shells and I have already made a list of all the things that we have to do and it's pretty long. We always talk about how much we will miss this or that, and how much we will not miss a lot of things (numbers 1-10 are all the smell of something). I've started dreaming about cheeseburgers and washing machines and actually feeling clean for the first time in months. Coming home is going to be great, but I'm going to miss India so, so much. Mostly I will miss the friends I've made here and the randomness of this crazy country. There isn't a day that passes where we don't say "This would only happen in India...." So that's where we are now... getting ready to spend a great last two weeks and getting ready to say a lot of hard goodbyes. Please pray for us as our time winds down... I know it's going to be so hard to leave!

On a side note, there's been an outbreak of scabies at DumDum. Every day we go it seems about two or three more kids have it. I know what you are probably thinking... don't touch those kids!! But with only two weeks left, there's no way we can go there and not hold these beautiful children that have become like our family. If you think about it, please pray that we wouldn't get scabies because well, who really wants scabies?? I can't talk about it much or I start itching... so that's all about that. I hope all is well back home... see you soon!

Beautiful Nepal!

We are back in Kolkata after a grand adventure in Nepal!! I don't have time to write much, but here are a few pictures from our two weeks that we spent in the most beautiful country! After about 48 hours on a bus and train, we made it back into kolkata this morning and were soo glad to get off of the train!

Nepal is really probably the most beautiful place in the world! My two favorite things we did were elephant riding and bungy jumping. We had the cutest/biggest elephant I've ever seen... his name was Mootie and he took us all over the jungle in Chitwan N.P. Mootie was really the biggest elephant I've ever seen... and after our jungle safari, Tharu Kahn(his driver) took off Mootie's basket and let us ride all over the village on him bareback. Then we went to the river for the "elephant bath" that really just ended up being us swimming with this huge, sweet elephant for about 30 minutes. I'm not sure I could ever explain how much fun this was... I'm trying to figure out how I can get my own elephant now!! Our last day in Nepal we rode a bus to the border of Tibet and went bungy jumping!! They have one of the highest freefall bungy jumps in the world... it was sooo scary but so much fun!! We don't have any good pictures of us jumping, but we have the DVD to prove that we actually did it! The mountains were incredible and there was a big river beneath the bridge.. it's definitely something I will never forget!!

We have a little less than a month left of our time in India... I can't believe it! I am excited because the end is usually the best, but it also always seems to be the fastest! I'm already starting to dream of sweet tea and mexican food... I guess that will make coming home a little easier!!

I'm on top of the world!

Rickshaw Accidents: 7
Motorcycle Accidents: 1

I'm in Nepal and it's beautiful! Shelly and I got here on Friday morning after riding a train for 12 hours, crossing the India-Nepal border on foot, spending a day in a Nepali ghost town with pretty much nothing because of political strikes, and then riding a bus for about 16 terrible hours through some amazing mountains (driving in Nepal is pretty much like driving in India and it's about ten times worse when you are flying around sharp curves)! To say we were glad to finally make it to Kathmandu would be an understatement! The Nepali people are so unique and probably the most beautiful people I've ever seen.

We are staying with our friend Bhuwan's family and friends and they have been so wonderful and are taking us all over the city. We rode around on motorcycles our first day here and went to see some beautiful temples and palaces and yesterday we climbed to this huge Buddhist temple that looks over all of Kathmandu. The view was incredible! This morning we woke up at 3:30 and rode motorcycles up this beautiful mountain to watch the sunrise. It was really foggy and I'm not sure I've ever been so cold, but it was definitely worth it. They say on a clear day you can see Mt. Everest, but we couldn't see much. It looks like I may leave Nepal without actually seeing the top of the world! The drive back down the mountains was incredible- we went through all these small villages and it was exactly what you think Nepal would look like!

The next few days are going to pretty much be one big adventure and I'm SO excited! Tomorrow we are going bungee jumping in the Himalayas on the border of Tibet(if you happen to think about us tomorrow a little prayer would be nice)! Later in the week we are traveling to Pokhara, a beautiful city in the mountains, and going white water rafting. We are also going on an elephant jungle ride in CHitwan N.P. and are hoping to visit a couple of villages also- those are my favorite!

So we have a pretty big week planned! I miss our friendsin Kolkata, but it's been pretty nice to get away from the craziness of India. The political situation isn't exactly stable in Nepal right now because of some big elections coming up, so if you think about it, please pray that we would stay safe during these next few days and that the big elections coming up here would be peaceful. I hope all is well back home... see you back in India!

"Before the mountains were made, before you had given birth to the earth and the world, before time was, and for ever, you are God."
- Psalm 90:2

Happy Holi!

Yesterday was the Holi Festival in India, also called the Color Festival. It's probably one of my new favorite holidays... it was SO much fun! I'm still not exactly sure what the festival is for or what it's celebrating- something about crops but that's all I could figure out. Shelly and I left our apartment yesterday morning and I was literally purple five minutes later. Everywhere we walked people would yell Happy Holi! and run up and smear color on our faces. We went to one street and everyone was outside dancing and there was a little band of drums and a rickshaw leading people around... color was flying everywhere and everyone was just laughing and dancing and having the best time! By the time we made it back to our apartment we were COVERED in paint- I was pretty much black! It took so long to get it all off... I'm still a little pink and blue in some places!!

Shelly and I are going to Nepal this week and we're sooo excited! We still aren't sure when we are leaving (we aren't so great at planning in advance), but I'm pretty sure it will be one day this week. We have a lot of Nepalese friends from school and we are really hoping to get to meet their families- I'm really excited about that! I've heard nothing but really great things about Nepal so I'm excited to go and see it!

Tomorrow is Easter, so Shelly and I are going to church and then to lunch somewhere in Kolkata. I'm sure it will be a great day, but I know we will miss home a lot tomorrow. I would love to fly home for the day and spend Easter with my family! We went to my friend Shaid's farmhouse last night and Shelly and I tried to talk them into having an Easter egg hunt with us... they didn't think it was a good idea. I hope you all have a great Easter back in America... eat lots and lots of good food for us!

My Indian Family

Namaskar!

I can't believe we have less than two months left in India. I'm not gonna lie... some days I get excited about coming home and seeing my family and friends and Shells and I talk all the time about what kind of foods we are going to eat our first few days back (it's pretty much always the same.. a steak!) but then to think of leaving my friends here makes me so sad. Yes... I know I can come back and visit, but it's not like I can email them or call them when I get home. My closest friends here live on street corners and in rickshaw parking lots and beneath train tracks. I guess for now I can't think of leaving... I'll just be here.

It's been the best week. We've been spending every morning or afternoon at DumDum this week, and it's been so much fun. I absolutely love those families. Shelly and I have gotten really close to a lot of the moms there, and it's so nice to just go and sit with them. Most of them are younger than us, and it took them a long time to warm up to us. We didn't think a lot of them liked us at first, but I think they just didn't want to bother getting to know us because no one stays for long. Well, we're pretty much best friends with all of them now. They're so protective of us when we're there and always make sure we don't sit in the sun (they love our white skin and we love their dark skin... we always argue about who's is the best) and they tell everyone we're their sisters. The picture of the lady and her baby is my friend Mogoli and Babushna. He's probably the cutest baby in the world and she's such a good mom. I think they give little Babushna all of their food because he's so chunky! She always gives me Babushna when I come and tells him I'm his American mama. I really, really love this family. Shelly and I really want to do something special for our friends there before we leave. I love the part in the Bible where it talks about throwing a banquet and inviting the poor because they can't give you anything in return. We want to do something special for our friends at DumDum but really have no idea what to do. We have probably about 30 or so friends there, but when you start giving out things the kids start coming from EVERYWHERE. We brought chocolate a couple of days ago and I saw kids I haven't seen in the two months I've been here. I don't know where they come from... but they come. If you think about it, please pray that we would think of something special to do for our friends at DumDum. No one ever does anything for the moms and dads and grandparents... people bring food and all for the kids, but no one gives them anything. We just want them to know that we think they're special!

Shelly and I went to Sealdah on Friday to see our friends that we haven't seen in a long time and had so much fun. They decided we needed makeovers, and before we could say anything they had pulled out all of their makeup and jewelry. To say that I looked like a clown when they finished would be an understatement. It took all I had not to burst out laughing when I looked in a mirror and then at Shelly. To make it all complete, they pasted two dots on both of our heads. I thought I was never going to stop laughing when I left! It really was so nice to hang out with them where they live, though. They love to share their things, even though it isn't much at all. I think we could probably all learn a lot from them.


That's about all from Kolkata, so dta-dta (good-bye in Bengali) for now!

We're moving!

Today Shelly and I are moving into a new apartment and we're sooo excited! We've been living in a guest house for the past couple of weeks, and it's pretty terrible! It's pretty much a box and we had one too many encounter with huge roaches.... seriously, they were HUGE! We've spent most of the week looking at apartments, and NONE of them worked. They were either too far, in a bad part of town, already taken.... there was always something wrong with them! We found this apartment yesterday and it's perfect! It's right in the middle of the city and we have a room on the 8th floor with a great view! We're really excited about our new little home! We even have a shower with HOT water... as in hot water that comes out of the wall, not even from a bucket! It may not seem like much to you, but trust me... in India, this is a big deal.

I thought I'd put up a few more pictures of our life and friends here in India. The first one is our little friend Samim at Coffee Day here in Kolkata. The one of the four girls is a little family that lives at Dum Dum. That's there home behind them... a little tent under a bridge. Sonaya, the smallest one, is probably one of the cutest little girls I've ever met. I absolutely love going to Dum Dum and just holding her. She's so, so sweet... she has the biggest brown eyes you've ever seen and she loves to just sit in my lap. Her older sister, Shema, the one on her right, is absolutely beautiful and has the sweetest spirit. I love to sit with the two of them and play games with them... I'm not sure what I'm going to do in May when I have to leave them and come back home. The other picture is of our new friends Acia and Chupa. Chupa is Acia's granddaughter... they told us that Chupa's mom died but we're not really sure about that... she called someone from our phone yesterday and kept telling us it was her mom. They make up stories about their lives to make you feel really sorry for them but then I think they forget sometimes when you become good friends with them! They make me laugh! I met Chupa one night on Park St. and she had a terrible burn on her arm. Shelly and I have been taking her to the hospital every other day to get it cleaned and dressed. I'm starting to think it's almost pointless... she always takes off the bandages and when we meet her it's realy dirty. It's really bad, though, and we're afraid she's going to get an infection so hopefully she will understand that she needs to keep it cleaned. She's a really sweet girl and her grandmother is hilarious... I'm realyl glad we met them! The other picture is the first night we found roaches in our room.... so, so nasty! And maybe you can't tell how big he was big, but trust me... he was huge.

Well, I need to go finish packing and start moving. I'll leave you with something to think about from a new book I'm reading...

"In 1996 the World Health Organization reported that an annual increase in preventive care of 75 cents per person in the Third World could save 5 million lives every year. That would take less than $3 billion. Surely the people of the wealthier nations can find $3 billion to save 5 million people. The National Center for Health Statistics reported that people in the United States spend between $30 and $50 billion each year on diets and related expenditures to reduce their calorie intake."
-Ronald J. Sider, from Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger

A crazy day in Kolkata

Shelly and I had the best day yesterday. We went to Dum Dum, one of the stations where we work, and just hung out with the women and children there all afternoon. They painted our nails, braided our hair, and even cooked us lunch! It was pretty much a perfect afternoon! I absolutely love the families at Dum Dum... there are beautiful moms and babies and little children that just hang out all day while their husbands and fathers work in the city, mostly as rickshaw drivers. I think I could spend every day there just sitting and talking with them.

Last night, Shelly and I were walking home with our friend Samim... he's a little eleven year old boy that lives a few streets over from us at New Market and he's the cutest thing. We'd gone to have coffee with him and had the best time.... he's so tiny but he thinks he's our bodyguard.... he'll try and stop traffic when we're crossing the streets and tell creepy people to leave us alone... it's so funny. Well, we were walking down our street and it was pretty late... close to eleven or so.. and we passed a group of men and Samim told us they were bad men. Well, right after we passed them this man pretty much just started running towards us and yelling like he was really angry. At first we just thought he was drunk, but we realized pretty soon that something was really wrong with him. He was so, so mad at Shelly and me and yelling in another language, and then he just started singing "Because He Lives" in perfect English. After a couple of lines he starts yelling, again in perfect English, about how we are evil and need to go away and that we don't belong there. Shelly, Samim, and I ran behind a group of Muslim men on the sidewalk and they were trying to keep him away from us, and he just kept yelling and yelling, telling them that they didn't understand what was going on, and how we were evil and needed to leave. He was SO angry... he was literally trying to jump across a rickshaw and past the men to get to Shelly and me. We ran up the stairs to our hotel and could hear him downstairs for about ten minutes, just yelling and trying to come up the stairs. It was so crazy... Shelly and I are both pretty sure that this man was demon possessed. I know this is a touchy subject for probably most people who actually read this blog... we met a man in Jackson before who we know was demon possessed and when we tried to talk to people in the church about it, it was pretty clear that it was not something that they believed or wanted to discuss. Maybe it seems far fetched to a lot of you, but all I can say is you had to be there. This man was completely evil and you could literally feel it. He was a poor man... probably a rickshaw driver, and there's no way that he knows perfect English, if any English at all.

I guess the only reason that I'm writing about this is to ask, again, for a lot of prayer. Shelly and I are both pretty sure we will meet this man again, and we just stayed up for a long time last night praying for wisdom and asking God to show us what to do if we meet him again. Yes, it was scary... but we know that we serve a God who is much, much more powerful than Satan and we know that He will protect us. I have never claimed to be wise, and I've always admitted to being terrible at theology or anything that resembles it. I've read a lot in the Bible about demon possession, but honestly I have no idea what to do when we meet a man who has clearly been taken hold of by Satan. It was obvious last night that he couldn't touch us... this was a big man and in one leap he could have jumped on either of us.. but he didn't because I know he couldn't. Please just pray that we would be wise when we encounter things like this. I've never been more sure of evil than I was last night, but I've never been more sure that there is a God who is fighting for good... and I know our God will win in the end because he already has. If any of you happen to know much about this sort of thing... please feel free to share your wisdom with us. My email is HaleyLBoone@gmail.com- it would be so, so appreciated. I'll leave you with a verse that was really encouraging to us last night...

" Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
-Romans 8:35-39

More reality in Kolkata

It's been a rough past couple of days. And I'm not sure I can even explain why... but I guess I can try. It's kind of weird... most of the time I absolutely love living in India. I love the people, I love the culture, I love the work we do. I love pretty much everything about it. But the past couple of days I've just been so frustrated for some reason. I had a really long talk yesterday with my friend Mickey who's from Ireland, but he's been living in Kolkata for pretty much the past ten or so years. He was telling me a lot about just different stuff taht goes on here and the way that the people who live here can be so deceiving. He said that Sealdah, where I go pretty much everyday, is probably the biggest center for child trafficking in the world. And he told me that all of the women are pretty much raped daily by men from both the lower and upper castes. We talked about the women that walk around Sudder St... women I've gotten to know really well and really, really like. He said they're some of the most deceiving people you'll meet here. They live in villages and pay for babies to bring into the city for the day and just beg. This was right after I bought my friend Corina, a 14 year old girl who's always on Sudder St., rice and dol and oil for "her mom to cook with". I just left feeling so fooled and pretty upset. And then we talked about Indian men... pretty much most of the ones who hang around where we live are pimps and I found out some interesting things about some guys that we thought were our friends. It was just a frustrating conversation that left me feeling used and angry and like I've been lied to over and over again these past few weeks. And what I hate the most is that it's left me feeling so skeptical of everyone I meet. I feel like I can't trust anyone here and I absolutely hate it. At home I get made fun of by a lot of my friends because they say I'm so naive and I will trust anyone... and that's probably true but something that I've never wanted to change about myself. I'm so scared of coming home from India as a cynical person and one who doesn't trust people. That's not me at all and that's certainly not why I came to India. I came to learn about compassion and servanthood. I came to love the people that God places in my life and to learn about the reality of poverty in our world today. I guess I say most of this just to ask you to pray for us. It seems to be getting harder by the day... please don't think when I say that I mean it's getting worse because it's not. I love India more everyday that I'm here.. it's just getting a little bit tougher. But I guess when things get tough you start to grow a little bit more. At least that's what I'm hoping.

There's a song by Nichole Nordeman that I absolutely love and it seems like I've been listening to it pretty much every night these past few days. It's pretty much exactly how I feel right about now. It says....

"All praise and all the honor be,
to the God of ancient mystery,
Who's every sign and wonder turn the pages of our history,
But tonight my heart is heavy and I cannot help but whisper this prayer...
Are you there?

And I know you could leave writing on the wall that's just for me,
Or send wisdom while I'm sleeping like in Solomon's great dreams,
But I don't need the strength of Samson or a chariot in the end
Just want to know you still know how many hairs are on my head..
Oh Great God, be small enough to hear me now. ."

Thanks for reading this blog and thanks for your prayers. I know I say it all the time... but they are so appreciated and so needed.

Back to Kolkata

Rickshaw Accidents: 4

We're back in Kolkata! We got in this morning after taking a night train from Varanasi. Our trip was SO much fun... but we are both really glad to be back in Kolkata! We spent the morning walking around trying to find a new guest house to live... everyone wants to "help" you and it can be SO annoying! After about an hour or so of searching we finally just said we don't care where we live... we're taking the next place! Our new little home isn't so bad though... we even have a TV!

Our trip was so much fun...Delhi was beautiful and not at all like I expected! We saw lots of temples, lots of historical things, and I even got my nose pierced(sorry again Mom...)! It was actually a lot cheaper than Kolkata so we did a little shopping and lots of sight seeing. It's not nearly as dirty as Kolkata and our guest house had RUNNING hot water!! It was a-mazing to take a hot shower! My standards sure have changed since I got to India.. our room was small and the bed had this thin little mattress... but after the table that I called a bed for a month it was like I was sleeping on clouds! I was in Heaven! We spent a day in Agra and had the best time... the Taj Mahal was beautiful and we met the friendliest people there. I even got to RIDE a camel! We found a local festival and Shells and I were like celebrities... we even made the Agra newspaper! Our train back to Delhi was late and so we sat at the station and played with the little children who live there for over an hour.. it was SO much fun and the children were adorable! It was pretty obvious there was no NGO in Agra... I don't think many people play with these children from the way they acted! We also went to Varanasi for a couple of days and loved it.. it's such a beautiful city built on the Ganges River. The city is known for is burning ghats... they are pretty much crematories all along the river... I think there are about 350 on the 7km stretch along to river. It was really strange... you can actually go up on a balcony and watch them light bodies on fire. It kind of freaked me out... we didn't stay there long. The city itself though is beautiful... I spent an entire morning just sitting on the steps to the river, reading and writing and playing with the kids. Varanasi is what you think of when you think of India.... men bathing in the water, temples everywhere, and cows ALL over the place! A monkey even came into my room one morning! We met some really adorable kids while we were there, too... if there's one thing I've found that is the same in every city it's that the street children are always so, so cute. And they're almost always so, so bad... which is probably why I love them even more!

I'm excited to go back to work at Sealdah in the morning.... I've missed my little friends there more than I can say! I'll write again soon... adios from Kolkata!

Our little tour of India

Greetings from Delhi!

Shells and I decided on about Wednesday morning that we wanted to go to Dhaka for the weekend because we are in between living places, but we couldn't get our visas in time. We went to the travel agent Wednesday night and said, "We need to go to Delhi... how soon can we leave?" Twelve hours later we were boarding our train (our 24 hour train) and here we are! The Indian Railway is something I think everyone should experience! We ended up with seats on different areas of our cart, and we said there is no way we are sleeping alone on this dark train tonight. So we slept together, with our bags, on this cold train and it was about miserable! But there was the CUTEST little old lady across from us who spoke no English but just stared at us the entire train ride and laughed whenever we did pretty much anything. We've decided she should be our Indian grandmother. Delhi is beautiful and SO different from Kolkata! We were so hoping the bird flu wasn't here and I'm pretty sure I dreamed about chicken last night... but we were disappointed to discover that it seems to have taken over all of India. So Shells and I have pretty much become vegetarians (except for mutton... which I'm still not exactly sure what animal that comes from), but not by choice. We ordered a cheeseburger tonight because the man told us it was beef, as in from a cow... but it definitely wasn't. I still have no idea what kind of meat I ate tonight, nor do I want to know. The city is huge and really modern. We got off the train this morning and had absolutely NO clue where to go... we know nothing about Delhi and our Lonely Planet just happened to be missing every page but one about it. Luckily, our really good friend from Kolkata happened to come up here the day before so we called him... and now we have a great and free tour guide! Sunday we are headed to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and then Tuesday night we are taking a night train to Varanassi, which is known as one of the holiest cities in India. We'll be there a couple of days and then will get back to Kolkata early Friday morning. We are moving into the city that day so we are really excited about that! Ok I need to go so see you back in Kolkata!

A few more pictures!

Here's a few more pictures of our life here! I forgot to post these in the entry I just wrote, but I figured it'd be nice to see some of things I talk about!

A little update!

I feel like I haven't written in forever!! We've been really busy with work and some other things we have going on here, but everything is going so well! Kolkata is actually starting to feel like home! It's so funny... sometimes I just feel like I'm right where I'm supposed to be and I don't notice strange little Indian things.. and then other times I'm like, oh wow... this is definitely a STRANGE place!! So much has happened this past week, so I figured I would try to share a little bit with you....

**Sealdah and Dum Dum are by far my favorite things about living in Kolkata. We've gotten so close to the families at Dun Dum and the children at Sealdah. This past Sunday was a little rough at Sealdah... when we were waiting to buy the bread, we met a group of street kids and a couple of moms, who were definitely no older than 16 or so. One of the moms was holding the skinniest child I've ever seen. He was a little over a year old, and his arms and legs were like little toothpicks. His cheeks were sunken in and his eyes were just miserable. I picked him up and I'm pretty sure he didn't weigh more than about 7 pounds. A one year that weighs seven pounds... how does that happen? We couldn't give them food there, so we asked them to wait at the platform for us but when we got there they were gone. We really want to set up a time to meet this lady everyday to give the little boy some good milk so that he can grow. I'm afraid if we don't he really will die soon. We also have a good friend there that we call Bread. She's a beautiful girl that's probably around 13 or 14 and she's so, so sweet. We thought for a while that maybe she was a prostitute becuase of the way she wears makeup and jewelry, but we just really hoped we were wrong. She ran up to us when we were leaving and she was so dressed up and in huge high heels. She is definitely a prostitute and she's no older than 14. That's not at all uncommon for India.
** Friday evening I was walking to our Platform at Sealdah and Shelly stopped me and told me she'd seen Rupa, but her head was shaved. I had walked past her, smiled at her, and didn't even notice it was her. I felt terrible. I went back and I just hugged her and said, "Rupa! you look beautiful!" She was with her dad, who was again obviously extrememly stoned. Rupa was really shy and would hardly even look at me. Her dad never let her come down and get food. I saw her the next morning waking up, and she just smiled at me and ran into the crowd. On Sunday, I happened to look up and see her little yellow dress... she was holding onto her dad's shirt and walking away with her head covered. I know she saw us and didn't want us to see her... she just kept her eyes on the ground and walked right past us. I can't imagine what kind of life she lives... but it seems more awful each time I see her and most of the time I can't even talk to her. Please keep her in your prayers!
** Shelly and I finally ate at Pizza Hut and it was a-mazing! My deep dish pepperoni pizza was probably the best pizza I've had in my entire life. Seriously. And to make the night even better... the workers at Pizza Hut here perform choreographed dances. Yes... choreographed dances. Really, really strange!
** Our friend Bina got married Monday night so I went to my first Bengali wedding! Our friend Bobby let us borrow sarees, so we got all dressed up and went to see our beautiful friend! It was a lttle strange... she's only met him once and they found him in the newspaper. She seems to actually like him alot, though! The food was delicious and it was so interesting to watch a Bengali wedding... really different from an American one!
**Shelly and I have somehow managed to become good friends with the son of one of the wealthiest men in Kolkata. Yesterday was her birthday, and so we went with all of our friends to Shaid's farmhouse in a small village outside the city. We had lunch and a cake for Shelly for her birthday... it was SO fun! We drove in the fields all afternoon and played cricket and took a long boat ride... it was so nice to be outside of the city for a few hours! It was a little strange to see how the upper class live in India... it was really strange actually. Shaid has tons of servants, tons of houses... basically everything in abundance. We were sitting on the rooftop of his apartment complex, looking out over the city, and I was just a little overwhelmed... it's so strange and seems so unfair that while so many people are literally dying on the streets of this city there are families who have so much money that they can have servants and cars and multiple houses. It was definitely interesting to see what life on the other side of India is like... but at the end of the day I knew that the India I've grown to love is the one that lives outside, on these dirty, dirty streets.

One of my favorite songs by Caedmon's Call says,
"You know I've heard good people say,
There's nothing I can do,
It's half a world away,
Maybe you've got money... maybe you've got time,
Maybe you've got the living well, that ain't ever runnin dry...."

Sometimes it seems like everyone I know at home thinks that there's nothing they can do because it is on the other side of the world... so they just don't. They stay in America and live in a bubble... a false sense of reality where all in the world is ok becuase everything is ok at home. Nothing about that picture is reality. The world is full of beggars.... people who are dying becuase they have nothing to eat, no one to clean their wounds, and no one to simply love them. I don't know about you... but I can't have things like that on my conscious. Yes... I came to Kolkata in faith... but most of the time I feel like there's nothing I can do to make this place any better. But still I am confident... with a lot of love, a lot of work, and a lot of tears... Kolkata can be changed. I know there will come a day, if people stop sitting around doing nothing, when people don't have to sleep on the hard concrete and eat from the garbage cans. Please pray for the beautiful, heart breaking people of this city. I just know that all of you would fall in love with their beautiful smiles and hearts.

Reality

I've been in Kolkata for three weeks, but it seems like I've been here so much longer! I am getting used to life in this crazy city... the crows no longer wake me up at night, the horns no longer surprise me, and I don't even scream (as much) any more when I'm crossing the streets! Along with getting used to all of the funny things about this place, I've found that I'm getting used to the poverty as well. And part of me hates it... I think it's awful to pass a beggar on the streets and not hurt, and sometimes I feel so guilty for passing up a child who lives outside on these dirty streets and not offering them money or food... but sometimes the poverty can become part of the scenery here. I know that must sound absolutely terrible to most of you... but when I go to the train stations early in the morning and give these little kids breakfast and play silly games with them... it's almost like I have to forget their situation..I have to forget that a lot of these girls will be sold into prostitution as soon as they are old enough.... I have to forget that some of these kids have never seen their mom or dad and never will... I have to forget that all of these kids won't go to school because they are homeless and the government refuses to acknowledge their presence. If I don't make myself forget these things... I don't think I could make it. I know they suffer enough as it is, so they don't need me to go out their and be sad. They've experienced more sadness in their short lives then I will probably experience in my entire life.

I've had some interesting conversations lately with other volunteers who have been here longer and know a little more about the reality of what these children who live on platforms face each day. Like I said... sometimes you have to forget what kind of lives they actually live and you really do forget sometimes. They are so happy most of the time, and just so excited to be loved that you forget how sad they must really be. My friend Adrienne has been working at Sealdah train station for the past 5 1/2 months, so he knows a lot about what really goes on there. He told me a story about a family who had two children... a two year old with Down's syndrome (which is really rare for India, as most babies born like this are killed immediately) and then a ten month old little boy. The parents were both drug addicts and apparently were out of drugs or money or both. Well, another family on the platform had a ten month old little girl, and they wanted a boy the same age so that he could protect the girl when they get older. The father of the two children decided to sell his ten month old son for 2,600 rupees (about 50 or 60 USD) so that he could have drug money. The mom didn't want to do it, becuase obviously this was her child, so they got her stoned and made her sign the papers when she couldn't think clearly at all. Adrienne said when he came to the platform the next day, the mom who bought the child was all happy and showing him her "new baby" while the mom, who was no longer high and beginning to realize what happened the night before, was screaming hysterically and begging for help. They've now kicked the family off of the platform becuase the woman was so upset about it and kept trying to get her baby back. Apparently, selling children isn't at all uncommon here in India. I just sat there in shock after hearing this story... you forget when you're just handing out food and playing with these sweet children the harshness of their lives. They live in a society that absolutely hates them, one where people refuse to even touch them because they are afraid that the gods will see and curse them in this life or their next ones.

So that's a little bit about life here in Kolkata... we have good days and bad days. Sometimes I am so happy here and love the craziness of this culture, and other days I just want to curl up in a ball and cry and cry. I think it will probably be like that the entire time I'm here. I never want to get used the poverty though... when it becomes normal, when I don't feel it deep inside me anymore... my work here will be useless. Please pray that despite ur differences, we will in someway be able to relate to the people of Kolkata and show them that we do love them, that we aren't afraid to touch them or feed them or hug them. Please pray that our love would be sincere, that when we love these children we can take some of their pain away. It's so hard to not be able to speak with them... but again, I know words aren't always necessary. Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers all the way over here in India!

a few pictures....

I thought I'd try and put up a few pictures of our life in India! I will try to do more later... these computers are SO slow and it takes forever! All of the children in the pictures are street kids... they either live at the train station or somewhere in Kolkata. They sleep outside every night and pretty much just spend the day begging. It's really, really sad. But somehow they really are so happy... the one little girl with the short hair in the dress lives in a little tent on Sudder St., which is a really popular street for backpackers and foreigners. She just plays outside every day and she'll run up to you and smile really big and hold out her hand. She's so, so, so cute. She knows Shelly and I now, so when we walk by she'll just run up to us and smile and play with us for a minute. They quit begging after they get to know you a little bit. I think she's the cutest thing ever and everytime I see her I just want to take her back with me and give her a bath!

I wrote a few times back about a little girl named Rupa that we met at Sealdah train station. I didn't see her all last weekend when we went in the mornings to take breakfast to the children, but yesterday we were walking to our platform and she was there with her parents! She acted really, really shy at first and wouldn't walk down the platform with us. Her parents were acting really strange, and I guess maybe they were upset because she wasn't out "working" (better known as begging). About five minutes after we walked away I looked up and she was just running towards us with the biggest smile. I sat with her for probably an hour or so, just playing hand games and singing. I had on two bangles, and so I took one off and put it on her wrist and she smiled and kind of played with it for a minute or so, and then she took it off and gave it back to me. I said "No, Rupa... for you! You and me are bon-dune(friends)!" So after doing this a few times she finally understood that it was a gift and she just smiled so big and grabbed my hand and kissed it. It was so sweet... I'm not sure anyone has ever given her a gift before! When we were leaving, we walked back with her to her parents and they were both just sitting there smoking crack. Her dad had a blanket over his head so I could just see him lighting the foil, but her mom was pretty obviously already stoned. Every part of me just wanted to take Rupa home with us, but I obviously couldn't do that. It just killed me leaving her there, though. The entire train platform was filled with children, and there were people everywhere smoking crack. It was probably the darkest place I've ever been. I can't explain it... but it was so sad. I really love those children, and I really love little Rupa. I just can't help but wonder what will happen to her... she's so sweet now, but all she knows is drugs and begging and living on the streets. If I didn't think I would encounter just a few problems at Customs in May... I would definitely try to bring little Rupa back home with me. Please pray for her and her parents and that we would get to spend more time with her. I can't help but think that if she is just shown a little love and learns that she really is special, even if it's just to us, that it could change her life. We can't speak to her because we obviously we don't speak but Bengali, but I guess words aren't always necessary to show someone that you care about them. Thanks for your prayers, and thanks for praying for Rupa!

Compassion

I'm reading this book right now called Compassion, written by Henri Nouwen, Donald P. McNeill, and Douglas A. Morrison. It's a really good book, and it always makes me think. I almost always have to re-read paragraphs to understand the authors' words and meaning. I was reading today during our daily power outage (one of many that we experience on a daily basis) and I came across this part about obedience and servanthood. It says:

"Often we experience a strong desire to offer our services to our fellow human beings in need. At times we even dream about giving our lives to the poor and living in solidarity with those who suffer. Sometimes these dreams lead to generous actions, to good and worthwhile projects, and to weeks, months, and even years of dedicated work. But the initiative still remains ours. We decide when we go and when we return; we decide what to do and how to do it; we control the level and intensity of our servanthood. Although much good work gets done in these situations, there is always the creeping danger that even our servanthood is a subtle form of manipulation. Are we really servants when we can become masters again once we think we have done our part and made our contribution? Are we really servants when we can say when, where, and how long we will give of our time and energy? Is service in a far country really an expression of servanthood when we keep enough money in the bank to fly home at any moment?"

After I read this, I just sat, reading it over and over again trying to figure out how this plays out in my life. I've always hated when people tell me they are proud of me for going to India or choosing to teach at Pecan Park or going to the park to feed our friends. Those things have always felt right to me. It's what I love. I've said from the beginning that I came to Kolkata to live and serve among the poorest of the poor. And I do. I live and "serve" each day among truly the poorest people I have ever seen in my life. But in May I'm going home. I'm going back to my big, fluffy bed and my pantry full of food and the clean Mississippi air. But these friends I've made these past few days... this is their home. They live every day hoping that someone just notices them enough to smile, much less gives them food or clothes. They live meal to meal and sleep on the hard, dirty ground every night. I definitely can't say that I've learned what it means to serve or to be compassionate... but I think I'm getting a much clearer view of what it isn't. Sure... I go every morning to feed these beautiful children at train stations and I clean their wounds and in the afternoons I go and I sit with these sweet, dying women and try to hold them and love them enough to make up somewhat for the hard, hard lives they have lived... but is it enough? I'm not sure servant will be a title I will ever deserve. I can only hope that God will continue to teach me what it means to serve and to show compassion, and that I can come home changed. I sure am glad that we serve a patient God.

In other news... not only are Shells and I sick, but we discovered this morning that we have lice. Yes, lice. It kind of feels like that first time I got sick my freshman year of college and while home was only an hour and a half away, it might has well have been a million miles away. All I wanted was my bed and my mom. Well, now I really am a million miles away and nowhere near my mom. But I am sure things will get better.. the children constantly make me smile and forget any of the troubles that I have. Thanks again for your prayers and sweet emails... I look forward to them everyday! Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we seek to learn a little bit more about what it means to serve Christ and His people. And pleaes pray for the people of Kolkata... they need it more than I can say.

A week in India

Rickshaw Accidents: 1

I have no idea how I can possibly share what I am experiencing here in Kolkata. I always get a little overwhelmed when I try to write to someone about this whole experience, because there's just so much to say but I'm not really sure even how to put it into words. Our first week has been so great. I have been blown away by the beauty of the people of India. A friend asked me before I left what I was nervous about, and the only thing I could think of to say was, "I'm scared of crying myself to sleep every night." Kolkata doesn't really have the reputation of being a happy place, and I never expected to find such joy among so much poverty. But I have. When the people here smile, they smile with their entire faces and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I've never felt so welcome in any place I've ever been. It would take me forever to explain this past week, so I think I will just include my favorite parts of the past few days, so here goes....

*On Wednesday, after teaching school in our neigborhood, Shelly and I decided to explore Kolkata on our own. We successfully took the local train into Central Kolkata and explored the city on rickshaws, motor carts, and taxi's. We played with beautiful children, saw Mother Teresa's home, and walked around this huge, filthy city all day. My eyes were wide the entire time as I tried to take in India.
**I have no idea how to explain the local train except to say that it is MADNESS. Picture about a 150 women crammed into a car the size of a bedroom, half of them hanging out the door and little men squeezing through chanting, all trying to sell something. I laughed the entire ride to KOlkata our first time. In Kolkata, someone bought us two bouqets of roses, and so on the train ride back home we handed them out to the women around us on the train. They loved it, and we were immediately friends with them all. A lady even bought us bangles! It was a great ride.
**the train ride home yesterday from Kolkata, I somehow ended up sitting in the middle of a huge group of older Indian women. These people have no shame and will stare a hole in you. These women were so great, and even though we couldn't speak the same language, we just laughed together and had a great time the entire ride. I somehow managed to find out how many children they all had, if they were boys or girls, and lots of other interesting things about them. I could tell they were discussing something about me, and I kept hearing "England" something. I finally realized they were trying to find out where I was from, and I said "oh, no.. AMerica!" and they all screamed AMERICA!! and started patting me on the face and grabbing my hands. It was so funny. They just chatted away the rest of the ride and played with my hair until I had to get off. WHen I turned around at the door, they were all just smiling and waving and yelling, "bye! bye!"
**We went yesterday to one of Mother's Teresa's home in Kolkata called Prem Dam. It's a house for older people with disorders, almost like a hospice. They've made this beautiful garden inside the walls, with bird cages and beautiful flowers all around. The men just sit outside all day, but they are so content! We were walking through because we were at a meeting, and I saw a man sitting alone with two tumors, each the size of a big melon, on his neck. I went and sat next time to him and he just smiled and smiled. I introduced myself in Bengali to him, and he just reached out grabbed my hand. He couldn't speak, but Shelly came and sat and we just talked and talked to him and sang him silly songs. He could clap along with us and he would get so tickled when we would forget the words of the song we were singing or do a silly dance or something. And then he would just sit there and clap his hands with ours and smile. We sat with him for probably thirty minutes, singing the Hokey Pokey while he would dance along, or some other stupid American song that he would find hilarious. Shelly and I prayed for him while we were sitting there, and he just rubbed our hands then entire time and smiled. When we finished, his eyes were watery and he was just looking at us and smiling. I hope I meet this man again and can spend more time just sitting with him.
**I went to Sealdah Station this afternoon to hand out food to the children, and while we were waiting about three of the street kids came up and started to play with us. They were beautiful!! Shelly and one of our teammates, Jessica, and I played with these precious little kids for over an hour. We just laughed with them and made silly faces and held hands in the middle of the station for so long, and I could hardly stand to tell them bye. THey live in the station, and they were so dirty. But their smiles were perfect, and I cannot wait to go back and play with them again. It was so obvious that they wanted to be loved. One of the little girls, Rupaya, sat next to me and sang me all kinds of songs about Jesus that someone had taught her before. It made me sad to know that she had no idea waht she was singing about, but I know that her songs and especially her voice are beautiful to God.

I could write all day about this week, but it's gettig late and I need to get home. Tomorrow SHelly and I wil start volunteering with one of Mother Teresa's homes in Kolkata. It's called Kalighat, and it's a house for the destitute and dying. If you know anything about Mother Teresa's work in Kolkata, you probably know about this house. They bring in people off the streets who are about to die and clean them and bath them and just love them so they don't have to die alone. We will go in the afternoons here and just sit with the people and give them massages and brush their hair and just try to make them feel loved and comfortable. I'm really excited, but I would be lying if I didn't say I'm a little nervous. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we try to show the love of God to the people of this huge city. It seems an impossible task everytime I think of it... but luckily we serve a God who always does the impossible. Goodbye for now from dirty, but beautiful, India!

my new home

I'm in India!

After a perfect weekend in London (where I'm convinced I belong on a permanent basis) Shells and I made it to Kolkata, thankfully with all of our bags this time! I'm sure someone was praying for us yesterday morning in London... we got to the airport (a miracle in itself after getting lost for two hours) and after we checked in the man told us our tickets only allowed us ONE suitcase. He said we had to combine all of our things into two bags, a pretty impossible feat considering they were both already over the weight limit. So after we both almost burst into tears he just said, well ok just put them all here. You gotta do something on the way home though... they will only let you have one. I have NO idea why he let us do this... the ticket lady next to us was arguing with a guy over a few extra pounds that he had!

I'm not sure I could ever describe to you what this place is like... it's crazy!! It's pretty much everything I imagined it would be times ten! We got here yesterday morning around 9:30 and a taxi took us to our apartment where I am sure we almost died about a hundred times due to many, many stray (and anorexic) cows and people who CANNOT drive!! Seriously... the roads here are madness and people use their horns like its nothing. I think I laughed the entire ride to our flat, just to keep myself from screaming. Our litle home is so cute and my bed consists of a wooden table with a couple of thick blankets and a mosquito net! The roads are so, so dirty and we passed so many little huts that were people's homes on the way to our neighborhood. I can't even explain them... the only thing it reminds me of is a commercial from Compassion or World Vision. It's bad. There are animals and flies everywhere! I hope its something I will eventually get used to!

Despite the wooden table that is my bed, I slept for 14 straight hours last night thanks to Tylenol pm. Our street it SO loud... there is something that I swear is right outside my window that sqwawks constantly, horns and bells ringing non-stop, and a man who chants so loudly always walking outside our door. It's so crazy!! We start work tomorrow, but I'm still not sure exactly what we will do! Please pray for us as we try and adjust to this strange city and way of life and as we begin work tomorrow. We're so, so excited to finally be here! Thanks in advance for your prayers and thoughts!

I'm in London!

And my luggage is still in Atlanta.

And so it begins...

I'm leaving for India in the morning! Please, please keep us in your prayers as we travel to London tomorrow and then on to Kolkata on Sunday. We will have a few days in London to hopefully catch up with some of our friends who live in the city that we've met the past couple of spring breaks and I'm so, so excited to spend the weekend in my very favorite city. When we get to Kolkata, we will be working with an organization called CRAWL (Children's Resolution and Women Learning). We will be working each day with street children… children who have no parents, no bed, and often no food. They live on the streets of this huge, filthy city, and they are shunned by the society in which they are a part of. We will be working with people from around the world to feed these children, educate them, and treat their wounds (hopefully physically and spiritually). I'm not gonna lie... I'm pretty nervous and I've definitely asked myself a few times what in the world I was thinking when I decided to do this. Despite the many mission trips I've been on and my church's idea of "roughing it" a few times in high school... I'm pretty sure I've never experienced anything like Kolkata. But I guess I'm about as ready as I'll ever be. I've had one too many shots, one too many discussions about malaria, and way too many trips to wal-mart. Two suitcases later with a few too many pounds (pray for kind Delta ticket men) and I guess I'm about ready to go. I'm getting my hair cut off in the morning and then headed to the airport. I hope I'll be able to keep you updated through this blog... I promise I will do my best to write on a somewhat regular basis! Thanks in advance for your prayers... see you in London!