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
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!)
your hair is so long! miss you tons! come visit school!
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