There's no place like home

I feel a little bad that I didn't blog a little sooner when I got home, but it's actually been a bit busy in the last few days here!!

Traveling (all 35 hours of it) went really well! My flight from Hubli to Bangalore was a little late, which was nice because I was gonna be staying the night in Bangalore alone anyways! I got some food and talked to a lady for over three hours in that cafe...I'm so thankful for strangers to talk with everywhere I go! That made the night go by soo fast and so much easier! So even though it was 3:15am when I finally could go through a gate to go to the ticket counter, I wasn't tired because of that sweet woman and how bright it was in the airport! The Lord kept me from feeling tired! The carry-on security took quite long, but thankfully I had the extra time! The flight (10.5 hours long) took off at 6:30am and I was able to stay awake until after they served breakfast...then a benedryl and 4 hours of sleep followed :). Once I got past security in London, I got a sandwich, bowl of fruit and my first Starbucks (or really American coffee) in two months....Thank.You.Jesus. The flight from there to JFK New York was only 7.5 hours and I caught a couple naps and a couple movies in that one too! I sat beside a sweet Indian couple on the flight and got to chat with them and share some Indian desserts with them :)! The trick started when I arrived to JFK an hour late and only had an hour and a half to get my bags, get through customs, go through security and get to my terminal. What ensued was a lot of stress, a really sweaty Bethany and lots of awkward backpack running haha. Fortunately, they gave me an "Express Connection" pass to get through customs faster! A sat by a Bangladeshi guy on the plane who is going to be a freshman at Ohio State this week and got to talk to him about that and being new here in Columbus!

Then finally, I arrived in Columbus and was soo excited to see my family!! As I came out in the open, I saw my parents and brother, Josh AND lots of friends (Becca, Shelby, Kory, Koddi, Brenda, Debbie and Mark)...oh my word I was overjoyed and felt soo loved by them!! I'm so thankful also that I didn't have any issues with my luggage and got it easily in Columbus too!

Being home is a really bittersweet feeling. On one hand, there really is no place like home...I missed my home, family and friends a lot while I was in India. On the other hand, I long to be with those kids at the children's home, teach them every day and hold their sweet little hands.When I finally went to bed Thursday night, it dawned on me that I wouldn't be waking up to walk to the children's home in the morning and I wouldn't be greeted by each of them Friday morning...pretty sad :(

Although we haven't gone out much since I've been home (completely fine with me for a few days!), we have been really busy here at home and have gotten to spend a lot of time together :)! Yesterday in church I gave a presentation/shared about my time in India and what I learned and experienced while there. It went super well and I was able to really share my heart about my experience and my church is so supportive and attentive!

As I transition back to life here, I'm faced with the reality of being over 4,000 miles away from my new family in India, settling back into home, and searching for a job (which is the worst...if you know of any anti-trafficking or social justice organizations that are hiring or looking for people, let me know!). It seems overwhelming on one hand and yet so slow and chill on the other-- how is that even possible??? However, I'm so thankful for the Lord's grace in this transition and how he's helping me ease back into this culture and has blessed me with some wonderful rest here at home.

Please pray (you thought these were over b/c I'm back home now, didn't you :)?)
-Arun's father, Gabriel, is not doing physically well...he's pretty old and has had health issues for several years, but it's pretty bad right now. Arun took the 32 hr train up to stay with them a few days and will be returning to Dharwad shortly.
-For me, as I continue to adjust and process allllllll that I experienced and that the Lord taught me in India.
-For my next steps in my journey with the Lord

So much love,
Bethany

 (evening at the park and hanging out with these beautiful girls)

 (in the market and saw this snake charmer celebrating the Hindu snake festival)

 (well, this video may or may not work haha)

 (all the girls praying over me during my last evening prayer service in India, the night before I left)

 (one of the first things I did after I got through security in London...frappe, fruit cup and yummy sandwich)

 (now THIS is the way to travel through the airport!!!)

 (thank the Lord for this "get through everything faster so you don't miss your flight" ticket)

 (complete Indian outfit, custom-made for me as a gift from Shobha)

(Sharing about India at my church yesterday!)

Say goodnight, not goodbye.

Well I can’t believe I’m coming to the end of my 9 ½ week journey to and from India...i mean, it literally is unreal. I feel like I’m saying the same thing I did the day I left FOR India. Now that I’m leaving FROM India, I cannot believe how much the Lord has taken me through in what is really 9 short weeks.

Leading up to my trip, I prayed that the Lord would challenge me, strip me of myself, and change me to be more like him in ways that I couldn’t even imagine. Well again, be careful what you pray for haha!! I can honestly say that I was challenged in ways I’ve never experienced and couldn’t possibly have anticipated. I felt loneliness and a heartache for home like never before. I relied on the Lord to sustain me (physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally) with every desperate and weary ounce of my being. I pleaded with the Lord and in the next breath resigned my will to his. I cried out to the Lord for the known and yet the Lord gave me joy and what can only be described as divine peace, in the unknown and unfamiliar. Despite cultural, social and language barriers, his love shone through the sweet and accepting smiles of each and every child I met. Their tiny hands pulling mine, shy smiles that turned away when I caught them, and sweet voices calling “Bethany Akka” all welcomed me into their big, warm family. I now have 2 sisters and 3 brothers+ about 65 sisters and 8 brothers :). That sounds cliche but I literally feel like we are all siblings, especially the girls. I yearn to just snuggle up on a couch and watch a movie with them, do homework, play games and laugh together— just like I would with my family and friends at home. In the Kannada language, “Akka” is an honoring and respecting term for “big sister”. But to me, it’s more than just a nickname...it is truly a representation of our relationship to one another. As Akka, I love them, care for them, play with them, eat with them, live among them and pour my heart and life into them. Gosh, what an incredible privilege. I can’t believe the Lord let me know all of these amazing children and adults here. It blows my mind...that I came to India and eventually melted into life here...and that now I’m just leaving. My heart aches as I leave these girls and as they continually say, “Sister, no, don’t leave. You stay here” and it’s all I can do to not cry right then. And the distance makes it even harder. Flying to India is no small feat and as much as I’d love to “be there whenever you need me”, it just isn’t physically plausible. However, I am so comforted as the Lord reminds me that the body of Christ is his body, therefore not restrained by distance and the physical realm. We are connected in spirit and through our prayers. What a beautiful promise and gift, to be able to daily pray and lift my brothers and sisters in India to the Lord, completely surrendering them to the only one who can and truly cares for them with the heart of the Good Papa.

As you’ve been reading this, you’re probably thinking, “Sheesh, she’s all over the place.” Well, that’s just about right :). My mind feels like a jumbled mess as the Lord leads me through this transition and continues to take me through processing this experience.

I am leaving the Children’s Home around 6:30pm tonight (Aug 14), will fly out of Hubli at 8:55pm and arrive in Bangalore at 9:55pm. I will be spending the night in the airport and flying out of Bangalore at 6:30am on Aug 15 (but will be in my gate at probably like 4am). I then fly to London, New York JFK, and finally arrive in Columbus, OH at 9:20pm on (get this) Aug 15. How about that for disorienting?! Over 30 hours of traveling and still arriving on the “same day.” The lesson I’m learning: time traveling messes with your head soo much.

Please pray:
-for safety as we drive to the airport; as I spend the night in the airport alone; as I fly to bangalore, london, new york and columbus; safety in the airports.
-me as I continue processing this and how it has shaped me
-my next steps in the States (the job the Lord has for me, specifically)
-transitioning back to life at home and in American culture


So so sooo much love,
Bethany

Coming to a close

Arun and Shobha returned back from Thailand safely and were able to meet with people they needed to, so thank you for all who prayed for them!! Melissa is doing well in Thailand with her ministry, but still adjusting to some different aspects of being there, so keep her in your prayers!

The weather has been consistently warmer now, finally staying in the 75-85 degree range...hey India, welcome to hot weather :)! I’ve definitely been enjoying it...except for one part: less rain means less water available in the tanks...which means less water to shower with and use at the house...which means that I didn’t shower for several days haha. This warm weather has also given me the gift of crazy allergies (or a cold...i’m not sure which). That kinda just makes me mad, especially with one week left. If you’ve ever suffered from allergies, you know that they can leave you in a fog and feeling like your head is going to explode. In addition, a lot of kids here are also sick :/

As we were playing outside the other day, I saw several snails (not abnormal here). Well, I happen to think that snails are pretty cute, and the fact that they don’t bite, sting or move quickly makes me like them even more! The funny thing is, most of the kids here are really afraid of them. But do you want to know what they have NO problem picking up and holding in their hands???? Massive centipedes. What.the.heck?!?! Naturally, I FREAKED out and ran away like a little girl. In terms of teaching, I’ve taken Melissa’s classes too, so I now get to teach 5-10th grade, which I LOVE!!!! Plus, it’s nice to have a change too! I’ve also been working with a couple girls my age on bingo cards that have numbers and several different categories of words on them. The challenge has been: trying to explain making bingo cards to people who have never played bingo haha...and let me just tell you, they’re actually harder and much more time consuming to make than you’d think! You have to have about double the amount of words in the word bank than on the paper and you have to make sure there is decent variation between the cards. Needless to say, it’s taken a bit of time, but I love being able to leave them with this learning tool that can be super fun and competitive for the kids too!

And holy cow, I cannot believe that a week from today I’ll be back at home in the States. That seriously just blows my mind! I’ve been gone for 8 ½ weeks now. In some ways it seems like I’ve been a part of this ministry and known some of these wonderful people forever!! In other ways, it seems like I just got here last week. Either way, I can’t hide from the fact that my time here is coming to a close...which leads to lots more processing, savoring precious moments and relying on the Lord :). It’s tough trying to imagine what home will be like, and honestly, I can’t dwell on it too long in one sitting. On one hand, I can’t wait to see my family and friends. On the other hand, it’s sooooo hard to even think about leaving and not seeing these kids anymore. In some ways I wish that things could be different for them and they could be the ones who change some injustices here in India...and honestly, I think many of them can and will be a part of those changes. Because let me tell you again: there are some POWER HOUSE leaders among these children. Girls with hearts of gold. Boys with protective hearts of a father. Girls with boldness that rivals that of men. It’s incredible. So I guess that in more ways than not, I leave here with sooo much hope and anticipation to see what this group of circuit rider leaders will accomplish through the Lord. And the fact that my mom is coming to visit with the Mission Board in January is also a comfort to me...even though I’m not coming, it feels like a huge part of me is :).

Please pray:

-Well, I’d like to have no mo allergies! I would like to be 100% in every way this last week, with nothing holding me back!
-For the Lord to make me super focused and present HERE
-For continued CRAZY JOY, hope, patience and love to pour out
-For the Lord to continue giving me words of encouragement and identity for the people here
-For the Lord to already be preparing me for what I will experience when I get home
-For the right people to process things with when I get home
-For a good job when I get home

Much love,
Bethany

 (sometimes the rain makes the ceiling and walls leak....and you have to use lots of buckets)

 (anddddddd i facetimed my sister at 3:30am her time hahahahhaha)

 (peeling garlic till my fingers burn)

 (painting nails party)

 (the girls praying listening to the "Shekinah" song...asking the Holy Spirit to fall and fill us.....BEAUTIFUL)

 (hanging out with my girls :) )

 (REPPING OSU!!!!!)

 (yes, this is the centipede....gross)

There’s good news and bad news…

Well I’ll give you the bad news first (it’s only fair to you)…..i think I’m addicted to chocolate (/sweets in general). The bad thing is, with mom being a professional baker and always having the BEST (don’t even try to argue) cookies and sweets, chocolate or desserts (almost daily) was quite normal...and this isn’t the first time I’ve been suspicious of this behavior of mine haha. But here’s the thing: when you come to India and they don’t eat chocolate very much and their “really sweet” things aren’t even a ¼ of how sweet ours, you quickly realize your intense need and cravings. Now I told you I also have good news: I brought 2 bags of chocolate chips/chunks with me. Initially, these were for baking...of the 2 full bags, only ¼ has and will be used for that. The ¾ of the chunks left over from some brownies were my daily chocolate fix for several weeks, and I just decided to go ahead and carry a small ziploc bag of chocolate chips with me at all times from the second bag. But hey, the first step is admittance right? About the changed behavior….

Another piece of good news for you: Monday it was sunny and warm!! Some of you are no doubt thinking, “Bethany, you’re in INDIA! It’s always hot and sunny!” Well, I’m here to tell you that is in fact, not true! This is rainy season….at the beginning of my time here it wasn’t too rainy, but now it’s nearly all day, everyday. So the sunshine, warm weather and (mom, don’t read this) a no-regret sunburn on my neck made me soo excited! The girls thought my red neck was so interesting and were super concerned haha!! I also showed a couple of the college girls here some pictures of some of you all that are tanner than me, so they actually SEE that most people in the States aren’t as pasty as me :). And when they saw some African Americans they said, as if on cue, “Africa!” bahahaha…so I explained again that we have people from just about every country in the States and that most black people aren’t JUST coming from Africa, but have been here for a long time haha. I also had a dream the other night that I was at a farmer’s market in Columbus with mom and Josh and commented on how it was warmer there than in India (which in fact is true). I’m not sure I can remember a time when my dreams consistently reflected things I was actually thinking about more! A couple nights ago I had a dream that I was staying with David, Shauna and Mikayla Goode (again true to my recently frequent thoughts about how I miss those wonderful people!) and another night I had a dream that I ran into Hannah Williams and Allie Steward at the store with my sister Jen! I’ve never had so many people that I recognize in my dreams so often! And it was like my reactions to them were true to what they would be right now...dreams are so interesting!

Bad news: they don’t have sweet tea in India. Of course I miss Judy Bell’s sweet tea, but I was mostly sad that they have not and probably never will have sweet tea, and that the sound of it disgusted them haha! I went pretty in depth about how we make it, that it’s not nasty like when their milk/tea combo gets cold, etc.! She asked if we have “sugar disease” in my family because I told her we drink a lot of sweet tea bahahaha. I told her no we don’t :).

I have been incredibly humbled by the Lord’s patience and grace with me...that even when I’m whiney and selfish, he gently corrects and unconditionally forgives me. And I was also super convicted of my lack of patience and grace at times. Please pray that I would have a fresh dose of Jesus in me every day...without him, I’m a crappy person to be around! Now THAT’S humbling! I love how David Hamilton words our desire for the Lord and his Word: “The thirst of a deer and the perseverance of a bulldog”... just soak on that one for a while— it’s a good one :)

Also, health update: I can officially say that my digestion is normal!! I am finally able to consume these yummy veggies again and have felt good!

Please prayyyyy:
-Continue to pray for my health...i still have a little under 2 weeks here and really don’t want to be sick again!! ***I have a strange pain in my neck (feels like swollen lymph nodes maybe) that’s giving me an annoying soreness*** That sounds SUPER petty, but I mentioned it only because I know you all will pray for it with me! No pity party needed, just prayer :)!
-For continued joy, hope and patience alllll the way to the end! Sometimes having the end in sight makes it easier to be joyful and sometimes it makes it harder! So pray for consistent joy in the little things, especially during the morning and afternoon, when there’s more down time.
-The Masseys made it to Thailand safely, praise the Lord! Continue to pray for Melissa to adjust quickly and for Arun and Shobha as they have several important meetings with supporting organizations. Keep praying for things here to go smoothly as well.

Much love,
bethany

Compliments become...different :)

Today I was asked if I ate with my hands and fingers at home (that’s the Indian way). I replied, “no...why?” And the girl responded, “Oh, Mahadevi was asking because you eat with your hands well.” SCORE. The girls also pull my sleeve up (it’s legitimately fall weather here now so I often have a jacket or something long-sleeved on) and see my practically translucent skin and marvel, making their sign for “very beautiful”...i just laugh and say thank you haha. They think that all Americans are as pasty as me, so I tell them that I’m actually just suuuper pale compared to most! There are lots of interesting misconceptions that I’ve encountered that have sometimes been pretty entertaining: Everyone in the States is white; everyone in the States is a Christian; black people only live in Africa; there are no poor people in the States; silver jewelry means you’re wealthy (it’s expensive here, so my $15 sterling silver ring makes me look like a millionaire).

Onto more relevant information :)! My health is doing pretty well now!! I just finished my last antibiotic yesterday and still have 2 days of an odd probiotic effervescent mixture left. However, I’m planning on still being cautious with food the rest of my time here (limited veggies, the “less spicy” option when available, etc.). THANK YOU SO MUCH for praying….seriously!! I know that a lot of you have been sick in foreign countries (and I have been one other time as well!) so your support was very encouraging also!

I’ve been asking the Lord to give me a renewed vision for what he has for me here, feeling a little dissatisfied, that I feel like he has more for me. I realized that I had been taking the English teaching a little too seriously, wanting sooo much to impart as many important (and CORRECT) English lessons as possible, and that I needed to reengage my crazy camp side back in :). So I have been making some new games for the kids that I teach, including English word bingo, letter flashcard games, etc. And now Shobha wants a few of us older girls to make lots of different bingo boards for numbers, letters and words because she liked that idea (and I got it from another girl that was visiting to help kids with math!).

The Lord has given me a whole new perspective on the word “hope”...what it means to really hope in and for something (and how that should lead to joy). He gave me Romans 5:3-5 (might as well just name the whole book as my India book haha) and then one of my besties, Shelby, also mentioned it to me the other day...don’t you LOVE when the Lord does that :)?!?!?! If you’re unfamiliar with it, here it is: “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” THAT’S GOOD NEWS PEOPLE!!!!! So the Lord has been teaching me about placing my hope in him and the reason that it doesn’t disappoint is because even when circumstances are tough, “[his] grace is sufficient for me”!  Because his salvation is enough (something I have to remind my humanness of often) I can and should always be living a life of HOPE in Christ and that hope gives rise to joy in the Lord alone!! The other day my devo said this: “When thankful words stick in your throat, you need to check up on your foundation of trust.”….whew, that’s convicting to me!! If I am unable to thank the Lord in every situation, do I actually trust him? That’s good stuff.

Arun, Shobha and their daughter Melissa are all leaving for Thailand on Sunday morning (Melissa is staying for 2 months; Arun and Shobha will be gone 1 week) so please pray for their safety! Also pray for me during that time, that I would be confident in the Lord and not in just other people. Also it’s just kinda anxiety-producing for my main hosts to be leaving for a week!

Please Pray:
-I officially have only 19 days left until I begin my journey home, so please continue to pray for fresh eyes for what the Lord has for me each day, hope, revelation/insight on what to speak on (I speak for about 10 minutes during prayer time most evenings) and JOYYYY!!!!
-I’m giving the sermon for church for the kids on Sunday and planning to speak on the Lord’s faithfulness, giving some personal testimony of mine as well. Please pray that the Lord would direct my thoughts, study and words. And that I would be speaking on exactly what he desires!
-continued good health
-for me to be a huge blessing to the missionaries and ministry here
-that I would be focused on BEING HERE, not seeing family and friends in a few weeks

Well I may have said this before, but I love you all.
Bethany

(well this was an interesting article to find in the paper hahaha)

(I showed Spoorti the classic Judy Bell only top teeth smile and she thinks it's hilarious...and i definitely do too haha!! This is her attempt :)! )

What about second breakfast???

Who doesn’t love 2 breakfasts?! I’ve found myself having my first breakfast at my apartment and then second breakfast with the Masseys in the morning, followed by lunch at 1, snack at 4 or 5, then dinner at 8. I often think of the scene from The Fellowship of the Ring when Pippin says “What about second breakfast??” and Mary replies, “I don’t think there’s going to be a second breakfast Pippin.” I can now understand his “problem” haha. And I take great delight in having something in common with him...I know, I’m a super dork :)

The antibiotics seem to be slowly helping. Today is my last day on them and then I go back to the Doctor to check in tomorrow (more symptom checking :/ ). Without giving too much information haha, I don’t feel as sick in the morning and night as before and I don’t get as bad of stomach cramps (still some), but the medicine has, well, put a bit of a holt on things haha. Needless to say, I’m ready for my digestive system to just be regular. Good grief, I should do a dang Metamucil commercial.

Friday I was able to take a rest day and I didn’t teach at all, which was soo good. Thursday night, after beginning the medicine, I was FINALLY able to sleep all the way through the night without waking up in terrible pain or having to go to the restroom (thank you Jesus!!) So, because I was suddenly able to sleep, I took a 2.5 hour nap later in the morning and Shobha told me to just take it easy at my apartment...they even brought my lunch to me (how sweet!!) But if you know me at all, you know that I like to be doing things...I like to have tasks and have a plan, even if it’s as simple as fold these papers in half or lets watch this tv show. But being stuck in my apartment alone with no way to check my email (which was necessary due to me dropping the bomb of potentially having amoebasis and e-coli) and not much to do, I got bored fairly quickly and headed over to the Children’s Home haha. The first thing I heard was “Didn’t Mama tell you to take rest until 7pm?” (that would have been about 4 more hours!!) Although I LOVE dahl and rice, the smell of chipatis (their tortillas) is pure torture, so I’m pretty excited for whenever I get to eat normal food!! 

Saturday and Sunday (and finishing today) I was making paper bookmarks with the girls and boys. We used glue and tiny beads and wrote bible verses or truths on them. They look amazing but HOLY CHAOS. It's soo difficult to lead a group of children when I'm constantly relying on others to translate such simple phrases. Why don't I learn them? There are TOO MANY "simple phrases" to learn haha!! And they're actually very difficult. Plus, Shobha told me to only speak English with them. But they don't really understand why I'm not learning Kannada (said like Canada, but with soft A's). One little boy, Prem, has stolen my heart completely. Affection is so different here because most of the children have lice, so I can't just pick them up and cuddle them all the time :((((((. But he was basically my shadow last night...precious :)




Also, it’s legitimately cold here. Like this is fall weather (temperature- wise), but spring weather (rain- wise)...how ironic that my favorite season is summer, yet I’m missing India’s summer AND the United State’s summer hahaha… #firstworldproblems #lifecouldbeworse #iminfreakingindia!

Please pray:

-For my continued recovery (2349850928304%) and that these medicines would be anointed by the Lord to completely rid my body of whatever is troubling me!
-For me to be 100% present while I’m here
-For ideas that I can do in the down time with the kids using fairly limited resources
-For the words to speak at the evening prayer times (right now I’m talking about the characteristics of God...we’ve talked about loving, gracious/forgiving and patient. Planning to also talk on holy/just/slow to anger, faithful, and creative!
-For the Holy Spirit to touch and affect every person I’m around!

Love Love Love.
Bethany

 (This tan spider straight up ATE this other spider right in front of my face. Holy. Crap. hahaha. The Circle of life my friends.)

 (making bookmarks. From left: Jyote, Amruta, Priya, Pooja, can't remember her name haha, and Ambika)

(this is Prem. sweetest heart in this one)

definitely different.

Thank you all for praying for me, for my health specifically! I went to the doctor (lets call it an adventure) today with one of the women from the children's home. They said it was close, so we'd walk. A few miles later we arrived :)...these are the moments when I realize how American I am. The doctor is an MD and in pretty high demand evidently, because the waiting room was full with about 20+ people and people waiting outside. We waited for over an hour and then went in finally. He asked my symptoms, checked some vitals (who needs to know blood pressure? not this doctor!), and felt my stomach (which was painful!). He asked some other questions and then determined that I have a mix infection and I'm thinking That can't be good. He said I have Amoebas and E-coli, although I don't think it's the same insane strain of e-coli people get sick with in the States, but I think we also are starting the meds early enough. So I got 2 antibiotics, probiotics and another gastrointestinal liquid medicine. Which, by the way, is "peppermint" flavored. But guess what color it is? Orange. It's ok, I don't understand either. And it's soo thick. I'm such a baby when it comes to liquid meds...pills all the way for me. I'll take these for 5 days and then return to check up with him. Definitely thankful for a good doctor to go to here and one that Shobha trusts.

Thanks soooo much for praying and please pray now that these medicines would COMPLETELY kill whatever nasties I have and that I would begin to feel 100% again and be able to eat normally (he put me on a strict rice and dahl diet for a week...dahl is lentils and sauce).

Love love love you all!
Bethany

distance really does make the heart grow fonder.

Happy super belated 4th of July everyone!!! I have now spent my country’s Independence Day in three different countries (Belize, India, and home)! Sorry I haven’t blogged in a while— the wifi has been out here at the house and I’ve had this dang blog ready for two weeks now! Because it’s been soo long since I posted, I’m gonna try to make lots of short updates!

First of all, thank you for praying for mine and Melissa’s train ride home— all went well and we were both able to sleep on the train! Before we got on the train we went to a restaurant in that city and I got ice cream. So I’m eating and quite enjoying my vanilla with chocolate swirls ice cream when I feel a crunch. I look down and it looks like it is perhaps freezer burnt and then I thought Maybe it’s granola. Well, although the freezer burn part may have been correct, what I pulled out of my mouth wasn’t a frozen piece of ice cream, but a 1-inch insect leg (later to find out it was from a cockroach...you know how I feel about those wretched things)— ahhhh!! Needless to say, this was my one exception to waste food in India! On the train, we made friends with a girl around my age, Harshita! I sat on Harshita’s bed for about 6 hours total, chatting about anything and everything from her religion (Hinduism) to my relationship with the Lord to her arranged marriage coming up in Nov (which she legit wants me to fly back to India for :)) She asked me if, as protestants, we are under the pope and why we aren’t. I explained (with eagerness!!) that since Jesus paid the price for our sins, we have direct access to be forgiven by him and don’t need to go through a priest (although we have a lot of respect for the pope) and that Jesus WANTS to speak with every single person. It was awesome :)! We exchanged contact information and I am REALLY looking forward to continuing my relationship with Harshita, confident that the Lord put her in my path to plant truth in her life and expose her to Jesus! We arrived back in Dharwad at about 5:30am, totally exhausted. It is soo nice to be back at the children’s home...man I missed these sweet girls and hearing “Seester” (sister) or “Acka” (big sister) a million times a day!! To my surprise, I remembered the majority of their names (thank you Jesus haha).

There have been several visitors to the Children’s Home recently. A group of four Australians came and stayed in the guest house with me— a couple (Ravi and Merlyn), their 21 year old daughter (Roshni), and her British-Australian friend (Olivia) who is also 21! My time with them was unbelievably refreshing and SUCH a blessing and answer to prayer!! After talking with them for just a short amount of time, I found out that not only were these INCREDIBLE Jesus- lovers, but were also huge fans of Bethel Church, Hillsong, Bill Johnson, etc. Not only that, but these people were carrying the Holy Spirit like crazy and I was jazzed to be able to hang out and do ministry with them for a short time. From 7:30-8pm is usually prayer and singing time before dinner at 8, but we started prayer/worship time at 6:45 Wednesday night, due to the guests wanting to share! After Ravi and Merlyn shared a bit with the children, Roshni and Olivia went to the front and told the kids that they were going to play (from Roshni’s iPhone) and sing the song “Oceans” by Hillsong (as soon as I heard this I got suuuper excited because it’s one of my favorite songs!!). Roshni mouthed if I knew the song and when I said yes, she motioned for me to come up as well. So the three of us played the song and sang along with it, while we had all the children and staff just close their eyes and encounter the Lord while listening (we explained the song first). I then wrote the words to the bridge on the chalk board and Shobha translated and then had them repeat in English. And for about 5 minutes we sang the bridge on repeat, acapella. The bridge goes: “Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me walk upon the waters wherever you have called me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, that my faith would be made stronger in the presence of my Savior”. It was soo beautiful :)...the younger girls just sang “la la la la”...precious! After, we said if anyone wanted prayer to stand up and we would pray for them. Well, about 25 people (mostly children) stood up, so Roshni, Olivia, Merlyn, Ravi and I began moving from child to child praying over them. Oh.my.word. THE HOLY SPIRIT SHOWED UP. The Lord began giving us words of knowledge for these children and we were able to proclaim promises and truths over them of how the Lord has created them and is shaping them. IT WAS AMAZING and sooooo fun :)))! I was soo pumped after...the Spirit’s presence was so thick and sweet in that place. Let me tell you what...this group of children is being raised up as Circuit Riders, leaders in the charge of the Holy Spirit movement. It was awesome to be a part of and I felt so unbelievably blessed and honored to be a vessel of the Lord’s sweet truth. The four of them left the next day (Thursday), which was a bummer, but we all felt so blessed and joyful, even as they left, and exchanged contact information, especially with plans to eventually go stay with them in Australia :)!

Then Friday we had a man from the States (OHIO specifically!!) came to visit at the house for several hours! That was fun to talk about his journey here and hear him process about this being his first time ever out of the States! I also had such a good time of teaching 6th grade Friday evening and got to work one on one with a sweet girl named Keerti...I was BLOWN AWAY by the progress she made in an hour. These kids are so hungry to learn— I LOVE IT!!!! Saturday I slept in a bit and got some much needed rest (complete with a dream that I was back at IWU and everything seemed normal until I found out it was 1955 instead of 2013 haha). Also, the YWAM group that’s here (from Korea) did a service tonight and prayed over everyone. Language just doesn’t matter in those situations...the impact is deeper and so much sweeter than the barrier!! There were also 2 guys here (father and son) from South Carolina staying in the guesthouse as well. The Father, Dan, teaches at the missions school, EI, in SC and he and his son spoke at the youth camp! It was soo nice to chat with them and spend time just hanging out a lot!

July 9-11 was Youth Camp in Belguam (about two hours away from Dharwad). The days leading up to up leaving were full of preparation, which for me and several older girls helping, meant making over 70 starts to friendship bracelets (for those of you who make those bracelets and are confused what “starts” would mean: we chose sets of three colors, looped them and tied them so we could just hand them to the kids instead of taking forever to decide on colors!) They brought a huge jug of purified water for us and with no choice, made me sleep on a bed with a mosquito net while the older girls from the children’s home in the room with me slept on floor mats with no nets. There’s something to be said for honoring your guests, but the culture here makes me superior to them without any choice from me. It’s actually really difficult because there are lots of things that you cannot challenge because it’s offensive to them. So it’s taking more discernment to know when I can push against them and try to be seen as the SAME as them. When I first arrived at the camp, I was coming out the bathroom and was pretty much blocked from going any further by a group of 7 Indian girls and women, just STARING at me. Shobha said, you can stare at her all you want, touch her, etc. I said “I feel the same as you!” Some of these people have literally never seen a white person face to face...I think it’s as shocking for them as their reaction is for me. It doesn’t matter if I do something right or wrong, there are constantly stares...makes me careful of what I do for sure haha! I also shared my testimony on one of the days (translated by Shobha)! I shared about how in the States a big struggle is fighting against the “American Dream” and material possessions. And I talked about how part of my testimony was gaining victory over my thoughts and how, when we walk with the Lord, we can claim HIS victory over our sins and can be set free from the prison of our sin (Philippians 4:8 and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 were two that I used). They were all really attentive and I prayed over them at the end, declaring victory and freedom from sin and strongholds and binding satan’s schemes in the name of Jesus!! After the Gospel message one of the days, about 23 people came up to accept Christ and be prayed over (they are all from Hindu background)...it was AMAZING and emotional! One girl got overwhelmed with the Holy Spirit, blacked out and fell down! It was fantastic :)...she said she was so filled with the Lord’s peace.

I spoke at the Sunday morning service about the power of the tongue to either speak life or death, and how it’s ALWAYS doing one or the other, whether we mean it or not. I had 6th grade and up, which was easier to speak to, and it went super well! We had a prayer time at the end to invite the Lord to point out times when we’ve spoken death/curse over someone and I challenged them to go to that person and ask for forgiveness. I also got to talk to 20 of my family members the other day on the phone while they are at Kelley's Island....bittersweet to not be there, but SUCH a blessing to hear everyone's voices!!!

On a different note, my stomach is still on and off with issues. For the last 2 weeks it was still reallllllly upset, even after I finished taking a 5-day course of Cipro while in North India. Shobha told me to stop eating the veggies (even though they’re cooked) and that has seemed to help. So I don’t think I have a chronic bug...I think the veggies, like some in the States, just upset my stomach, which super sucks because they’re tasty! Please continue praying for my health. Pray for complete healing and against pains! Pray for the Lord to give me joy in the midst of difficulties and pray that these issues would end and not be a distraction for me anymore!!


Please pray:

-pray that this food would nourish my body, settle and digest well. Breaking that junk in the name of Jesus!!
-For me to rely on the Lord for HIS plan for my journey, not my own plans and expectations.
-For joy to continue spilling out of me and that it would be such a blessing to everyone I’m around!
-The language barrier...still tough, especially now that the girls are more comfortable with me and talk more. Pray for the Spirit’s empowering to transcend that gap!
-Teaching: that the Lord would equip and empower me to teach these girls beyond what I could do alone (I’ll be teaching 5-7 grades for the rest of my time here...one hour in the morning and one in the evening).
-for the Lord to use me in every single way he desires while I’m here!! I want to be 100% available for what HE WANTS!!!!!!!!

Thank you all so much for your constant support...I love and miss every one of you! (and sorry this one is a novel haha)

Love from India,
Bethany

 (Melissa, Harshita and I on the train)

 (beautiful terrain of India from the train)

 (typical Indian village...that's a Hindu temple, which they have in every one)

 (Arun and I with three of the Australians: Merlyn, Olivia, and Roshni!)

 (Roopa--from the Children's home, Olivia, Melissa, me, Roshni and Leha-- Melissa's cousin)

 (Playing with a sweet little girl, Spoorti)

 (play time with Spoorti and Ahsha...they're the youngest, 4 yrs old)

 (Korean YWAM team praying over the kids!)

 (worship and dancing--on left-- time at the youth camp)

 (giving my testimony at the youth camp)

(about 23 young people accepting Christ for the first time....all from Hindu backgrounds.....praise the Lord!!!!)

   

Off we go again!

Welp, my time here in North India is coming to a close, and Melissa and I will be leaving to head back to Dharwad (south) tomorrow evening. Although I didn’t get to see the Taj Mahal (it’s quite a ways away from here still) or ride an elephant (still hope in Dharwad!!), I got to see a lot of the Indian culture in a couple different cities, markets, etc!! Today in the house I got to dance with two of the "house help" children, about 5 and 7 years old (girl and boy), so undignified and free. It was SOOO much fun! They aren't as privileged as the others and aren't allowed to do a lot of things, so it was soo much fun to be able to show them music videos like Chris Tomlin's "God Great Dance Floor" and dance, clap and sing with them and showing them they were worthy! While that may seem like such a simple thing, it brought soo much joy to my heart!! I have also been so blessed by the sweet hearts of Gabriel and Susanna and how they have cared for me here at their home. Gabriel even took me to the English school that he manages today! That was super cool!! It’s large— 1,800 students, ages 3-10th grade! As I left in the car with their driver, Gabriel stayed at the school, making for a long 6 minute car ride because the driver doesn’t speak English, nor do I speak Hindi haha.

This week and a half has certainly been quite a roller coaster of emotions. Being sick away from home, let alone in another country (and away from momma) is a miserable experience that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I want to thank each of you for praying for me though...I literally cannot express in words how much it means to me. You can try to imagine, but you won’t be able to know the depth of love and appreciation I feel for you all :). The Lord has faithfully held my hand through some really difficult times this week, in which all I could do was cry to Jesus and continue to remind myself that He is constantly with me, never leaving or forsaking me. I was so reminded that even though I can often be unfaithful to the Lord, doubting his presence or love, He is a faithful groom, never leaving me and you, His beloved, His bride. What an AMAZING image and promise. He is it in for the long haul...whew, THAT’S a commitment, but out of absolute unconditional love. My devotional this morning took me to Psalm 63, one of my favorite chapters in the Bible and one that is very dear to my heart (Beulah Beach Camp 2012). If you aren’t familiar with it, check it out, meditate on it, let it sink into your heart and mind….

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips with glorify you [this is CHOOSING JOY]. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth. They will be given over to the sword and become food for the jackals. But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God’s name will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.”

Prayer please!
Please continue praying for my health. If you have ever had any stomach sickness, you know that it takes several awkward days of your stomach adjusting back to normal hunger and eating...I’m moving out of that finally but I am SOO ready to be done with it! Pray for complete healing in the name of Jesus and that I would have protection from sickness and disease the rest of the trip! Pray for safety again as Melissa and I will be on the train from Sunday 9:30pm- Tuesday morning...32 hours (those dates are my time...Ohio is 9.5 hours behind). Pray that I would be able to sleep, be safe, and not get sick. Continue praying for joy as well. For my eyes to be on the King, not on my circumstances, for HE is eternal and worthy to be praised, even in hardship! Pray that Jesus would use tough circumstances to refine my heart and that he would continue to rid me of myself. And pray that in each place I’m in, the Holy Spirit would speak through and pour out of me onto others, in words and love!!

I love you all so much!!!!

Bethany



(These are photos from the school I got to see today :))

 

(the garden)

 

(what many of the classrooms looked like...very crowded)

 

(This was dedicated to the late Norma Freer...what an incredible woman) 

 (the little girl, It (pronounced like you're saying each letter), that I danced with)

choosing joy

hello friends! I wanted to post a little earlier today, but wasn't able to. These last 24 hours have been pretty dang crappy. I've been pretty sick :(...fever, stomach, chills, aches, migraine. The works. Although I'm feeling significantly better now, please pray that this would COMPLETELY end. I hate being sick in another country! Pray that the Lord would touch and set my body back into the regular and that I would get sweet rest as I go to sleep in a couple hours. Pray for peace as well, as being sick in another country w/o family is a little stressful haha. I was reminded today that even through this kind of junk, staying focused on the Lord is the key...that he won't give me more than I can handle or what would completely overwhelm me. So keeping my eyes on Him. Learning that joy in these times is HARD, but not impossible :)....Thanks for praying!

love,
bethany

same or different?

 A few things i've taken note of while being here...things that are surprisingly similar and shockingly different! All VERY interesting and intriguing! 

 1. Driving-- Different for sure. if you're walking, expect a fast car to fly past you, about 1.5 ft away! It's actually quite impressive, the "crazy" way they drive w/o ever wrecking! It's like a maze challenge!!
2. Children-- Same. they still love to play, are curious as anything, and can have a crazy attitude :)
3. Dogs-- Different. let's just say, PEETA would not be pleased haha
4. Showers-- Different. Cup and bucket usually. But surprisingly, easier than i would've thought!
5. Pop-- Same. Fanta's still rockin it in India, like everywhere else.
6. Tattoos-- Different. Many Hindu women have small black tattoos on their hands, but mostly people get henna....like I did-- woooo :)))
7. Modesty-- Different. Stomach showing is ok, especially with the traditional saree garb. Legs above the knee and chest, no no no!
8. Heat-- same and yet different. It's super hot and humid here. It's super hot and humid in Ohio. Yet, so different still! I don't know even how to explain it!
9. Meals-- way different!! Breakfast: 9am with tea. Lunch: 1pm with tea. Snack/tea time: 5pm. Dinner: 8pm. So interesting!
10. Soap operas-- same. they suck everywhere...no matter if it's English, Spanish or Indian...all bad haha

Got henna yesterday, which was SOO exciting! And today we went shopping....wooooo :))) Thanks for your prayers..the Lord has lifted my spirits soo much!

much love,
bethany

 

getting my henna done by these sweet ladies!

 

the after :)))))

 

before it peeled (left) and after!!

 

 church this morning!

 

my first full indian outfit :)))

 

those are water buffalo...hey Veggie Tales song haha

 

old Hindu temple (built before the British arrived a looong time ago)....built with pieces of stone by hand-- amazing. sad that it's such a dark spiritual place, but amazing architecture.

travel adventure, take 2.

What a journey— 30 hours on a train! Eek! One thing that has become so apparent to me is the way in which I create my expectations. When I heard the great description of the train, my mind immediately went to a normal overnight train cab in the states. I’ve realized that if my expectations don’t change, I am going to be continually shocked or worse, let down, by the reality!

Melissa and I boarded the train at 4:30pm Wednesday and packed a cooler of food for dinners, lunches and breakfast. We listened to some music and watched Twilight (it was the only movie on my computer that wasn’t nerdy nature...she wasn’t into that haha) on my computer. I had beef for the first time in weeks for dinner last night...holy crap. I didn’t realize how much I missed it! Indians are typically vegetarian, getting a ridiculous amount of protein from beans and lentils with nearly every meal. I was also afraid that I wouldn’t be able to sleep on the train, due to being a little paranoid and it being such a new experience, but thankfully the Lord gave me rest! The back of the seats fold down and the sheets they give you tuck into the top of the “bed” for you to sleep on. I slept for about five hours, until about 3:45am, when a train stop of people boarded the train with absolutely no social awareness of the time of day haha. Up until that point, melissa and I were the only ones in that cab area. Then we had two older men in the beds above us. That was a long 30 hours, but the countryside we got to see was beautiful!! Definitely not possible from a plane! I started reading “Redeeming Love” Thursday and read over half :)...dang that book is SO good!! Love getting lost in a novel. The bathrooms were an interesting situation. There were Indian style and Western style (Western including a raised toilet and tp; Indian a hole and left hand) restrooms. We finally arrived at the train stop we were getting off at midnight Thursday night/Friday morning and immediately saw the “busy” India that one might imagine fom movies...hundreds of people everywhere. People sleeping on the ground, walking around, staring at a pasty white girl; the smell of trash pungent. Melissa’s grandfather and cousin met us there and we started the 2.5 hour car ride back to her grandparent’s house. I slept most of the way. We arrived at 2:45am and, after a few minutes of talk, made my way to the guest house and slept soundly (I have become SO thankful for good sleep).

Today we just kinda chilled here at the house and bummed. It’s a challenge for me to not have things to do or plans made each day...totally contrary to the Western way— and my often “task 1st, then hangout” way. However, Jesus gave me such a blessing (out of nowhere...I love when He does that!!) Susanna and Melissa’s aunt gave me my first Indian outfit today— it’s sooo beautiful!! Then I had a wonderful and long conversation with Gabriel...mostly about all the missionaries in India over the past 100 years. It was such a blessing to listen to him tell stories and I love lending an ear also. I think it’s SOO important for grandparents to feel and know that their wisdom is wanted, respected and loved!! I also realized that Gabriel, without even knowing it, was filling a longing for my own grandpa and I found myself starring up at him as he told stories, starry-eyed and drawn into the adventures… what a blessing to me! Also, Melissa’s little cousin, Abigail, is the sweetest little thing. It’s funny how instinctive children are...so including and loving.

I’m learning to press into the Lord and look for how he’s working in every situation, in a whole new way. When I feel purposeless or confused— Lord, what are you teaching me? When I feel lonely or exhausted— Lord, what are you trying to show me? Each time it is this: take hold of me Bethany. I don’t know any other way to describe my hold on the Lord except “sustaining”. In all times— joy, frustration, exhaustion, excitement— holding on to Him for dear life (I am loving my time here and at the same time being challenged a lot!). My devo this morning reminded me of the importance of being thankful...even when things are difficult. And that I cannot be complaining and thanking the Lord at the same time. Touche :)

Please join me in prayer:
-The Lord has something else up His sleeve other than (or in addition to) what I anticipated...pray that I would learn with joy, reliance and perseverance
-safety as Melissa and I are in north India
-That the Lord would work through me to touch people for Him everywhere I go!
-That I would be able to be an encouragement to Gabriel and Susanna (Arun’s parents, Melissa’s gparents) while I’m here.
-out of control JOY :)

Much love,
bethany

 

On the train ride up north!

 

We saw a dang mouse in the curtains and it ran down...so we thought it might have gotten into our then-opened food bag (dumb mistake we know haha)...so i was fully prepared with the camera in case it jumped at her. But it didn't :)

 

You can kinda see the set up of the train here...like bunk beds.

 

called the "Thumbs Up Mountain" there in the distance. Beautiful landscape!

 

You were allowed to just stand at the open doors and watch!

 

On the journey!! 

 

Lots of villages along the way