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