Riot Day

Today was a blessing in disguise. People in India today had a nation-wide protest because gas here is $6 a gallon. That is some really expensive gas! Anyways, the protest resulted in riots. Mr. Jurgensen told us that they were burning cars and stoning drivers. That is really really sad. We weren't allowed to go to the orphanages, which was really disappointing, but I've realized that God was opening the door of fellowship and allowing us to minister to each other instead. The day started nice chat in our room between Ellen, Berea, and me, but quickly gained in number. At first, it was just Ben and Noah who came up, and we ended up playing Truth or Dare and then HotSeat. To those of you who don't know what HotSeat is, I shall explain.

Rules of HotSeat:

• each person is on the HotSeat for 1 min
• you can ask anything you want
• they must answer honestly
• they can veto if its too personal

Rebekah and Madeline ended up joining us in the middle of HotSeat. After HotSeat, we ended up asking eachother really deep, meaningful questions, and it was wonderful! We just had the best conversation! We asked questions like: "If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why?" or "What's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen a person do" or "What's the most beautiful thing about people". The best part about it was that the answers were really deep, and everyone was so open and vulnerable. I got to see the hearts of each of the young adults on the trip, and that was completely wonderful! 

Photo Credit: Ben Hodson

After having a deep conversation for a while, we got pretty slap happy, and decided to let the pranks begin. After failing to saran wrap Ruth Fasel's toilet (she caught us red handed), we decided to saran wrap her door, while she was inside taking a nap. She didn't mind at first, but eventually she needed to get out, and we convinced her to run straight at all the saran wrap and duct tape. It was very funny. 

Experiencing Bangalore

Well, today was definitely an interesting day. On the way to the hotel, the stuff I saw was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.It looked a lot like Mexico, Dominican, and other places I have been to before. The hotel is actually really nice. I was surprised. I mean, it's no Marriott, but for where we are, it is nice. We went to Commercial Street later in the day, which was fun. Commercial Street is a street that contains all kinds of stores. Some are little tiny shops, while others are big time names, like Nike! We even went to McDonalds!

 After we left Commercial Street, we went to one of the orphanages, Galilee Grace or The Grace Home. I felt pretty broken at some points. At first, it was great! We played games with the children and they were all so adorable. I even taught them a game we play here a lot, called Ships & Sailors, and they loved it! It was after that where I started to see the pain in India.

Photo Credit: Ben Hodson

Photo Credit: Ben Hodson

We went upstairs to see where they children sleep. The conditions actually were pretty good. They had nice bunk beds to sleep in. Although they were crammed into small rooms, at least they had somewhere to sleep. They also had little cubbies to store their things in. It is sad that everything they own can fit into one of those tiny little boxes, when I own a room full of things that I can call mine.

Once we had taken a look around, I went over to the "window" (just a hole with slats in it) and what I saw gave me so many questions to ask God. There were just piles of trash, right there, next door to the orphanage. Children were roaming around in the piles, picking up trash, obviously hunting. Berea told me that the children that do that are the ones that live on the streets, and they search through the trash for anything they can eat or sell. Seeing that, well, it definitely rocked my faith a bit.

Tonight, Berea asked me a question that was extremely hard to answer, yet I knew that it was something I needed to think about. She asked me:

If you could ask God one question, what would it be, and why? 

Finally, I came up with my answer. How could He, the maker of the universe, the All-power, All-mighty, Omniscient God let this happen? What makes one child more cared for than another? Why do I live in complete comfort, with everything I have ever wanted or ever needed, when there are children who are starving. Why are there children in India who are cared for, and loved, and then there are others who live on the streets, wondering if they are going to eat tonight. It just doesn't seem fair, and I don't understand it. 

Arrival

We arrived in India safe and sound. As the airplane was getting ready to land, I was freaking out. I had so much energy-even though it seemed impossible as I had slept only 4 hours in the past two days-and I could barely stay in my seat. Regardless of the fact that I had ended up sitting in the dead center of the plane, I still wanted to see Bangalore from the air. So there I was, straining to get a glimpse of India. Of course, I didn't take into account that it was 4:30 AM and it was pitch black outside. Berea kindly pointed this out to me, but I didn't care in the slightest. I still had to see it.

First Adventure: Customs

I have gone through customs in the past, but I've never had to go alone. I got everything filled out on my form and felt pretty prepared when I got in line. The person in front of me had difficulty and I ended up having to switch lines, making me the last of the team to go through. When the woman behind the counter spoke for the first time, I knew I was going to have trouble. Even though she was speaking English, it sounded Indian to me. The accent in her voice disguised every word I knew and twisted it into something unrecognizable. Eventually I discerned that she was asking about the address I had written down. This is how the conversation ended up going:

Her: What is this? *Points at address*

Me: Uh...Where I'm staying?

Her: No. What is it?

Me: Uhm...a hotel?

Her: No. What is it? What it called?

Me: Oh. Uhmm...

Now at this point, I have not idea what hotel we are staying at. I was at a complete mind blank. I had no idea what to say. I knew that our original plan had been to stay at The Royale Habitat, but, as you will see,  plans often change on missions trips, and I had no idea what the name of the new hotel was. So I just stood there, staring at her, trying to send telepathic messages to someone to help me. She must have seen the panic in my face, because the next thing I knew she had pulled out Joelle's customs form and asked if it was the same. So, after a minor panic on my part, I got through customs, and was ready to see Bangalore!

Second Adventure: Bathroom

A few things about my first Indian bathroom:

• I had to pay to use the toilet
• There was no toilet paper
• It smelled 

Welcome to India!

Airplane Time

I actually this on airplane number one (Chicago to London):

Well, we are on flight one of two, and we've still got a ways to go. I can't believe I am on my way to India. Four months ago, this seemed like a far off dream, and I am so glad God blessed me with the opportunity. So far we have spent about three hours on a bus (IN to Chicago), 7 hours in an airport, and now we've been on the plane for 3 hours. 

**SIDENOTE: While waiting, we played Euchre, and Joelle and I totally kicked butt against Noah and Ben, even though they said they were impossible to beat.**

I can't wait to see how God works in my life on this trip. I know he will do amazing things, but I'm extremely nervous. I hope all goes well. I also hope I get the opportunity to get to know Berea a LOT more. She is such an inspiring person, and I really hope that God uses this trip to help us grow closer. I think she will be a lot of help and guidance to me in India.  

Leaving!

I can't believe we leave today. It seems so unreal. I don't think the fact that I am going half way around the world has hit me quite yet. I hope that I realize it soon. I am extremely excited for what India will be like and how it will change me. I'll keep you updated on our adventure!