Happy FRIENDSHIP Day!

Here in India, Friendship Day is a big deal and celebrated as such. We think America needs to learn from their ways. :)

Yesterday was our last full day in B-town and the guys decided to make it extra special for us. After a little debriefing, all of the ladies were led by some of the men to one of our favorite restaurants where we were greeted by the rest of the men and asked to sit in the seats with roses. So sweet! And they ordered a favorite menu item that we usually do not get because it takes an hour to make, but I think the cook was sick or something so they would not make it... but still so considerate and thoughtful of them to order something we liked!

Then, the fellas arranged to have us picked up by our favorite mode of transportation, THE Tata magic, and whisked us away to a disclosed location so we could go paddle-boating (which kinda turned into bumper paddle-boating). Afterwards, we headed up to a cafe with a great view of the lake and ordered coffee, desserts, etc. and had some great conversation and laughs (see picture below).

We then headed to this "mountain," took the gondola up, and enjoyed the beautiful view of the city. The rain had been really threatening the guys' plans throughout the day, and it started drizzling, but it didn't stop us from having a picnic at the top. The men surprised us with PEANUT BUTTER and jelly sandwiches, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, American-esque chips, and of course, some tasty Appy Fizz soda and chocolate for dessert--definitely one of my favorite meals in a very long time. Who knew there was peanut butter in India?!?!

I totally thought our sweet day was over, but when we got back to the hotel, the men had something else planned. Before this, though, we were surprised by some of our friends who came to tell us good-bye and give out presents. It was bittersweet for sure, but we have hope and confidence we will see them each in heaven one day.

Finally, we headed to the guys' room where they had set up a projector (what the devil!), and we enjoyed the last of our dessert while watching a Bollywood movie. So fun! Although Didi (Amy) fell asleep. :)

What a great way to end our time here. Thanks guys for an awesome and encouraging day!

(Pssst-These loaded backwards, so look at them in order from bottom to top!)

Me and my B-town roomies on top of the city
Josh not only has fast-growing facial hair
Lauren enjoying the paddle boat ride
At lunch with some fine men and pretty roses

Breaking News from India....an ALL GIRLS orphanage equals an ALL BOYS hostel.

Each day has been full of surprises for us India. Tuesday, the ladies when out fully expecting to be visiting an all girls orphanage, but to our surprise, this all girls orphanage turned out to be an all boys hostel and school. This has probably been one of my favorite days we've had in our time here in India. I mean really, who can honestly say that sharing the Go$pel with 50 boys and teaching them the Clemson cadence count doesn't count as an awesome day? We were also able to act out the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3: 8-30). It was quite the presentation. Pam is a jam up King Nebuchadnezzar. Before we left the hostel, they treated us to chai and gave us roses. We even had the opportunity to teach some action songs to some ladies that worked at the school.

Please be pr@ying that the Lord would make His name known among this school and that His story would pierce the hearts of the women and children we were able to meet there.

Amy meeting some of the boys at the hostel.

Acting out the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Some of the boys at the school.
Teaching the cadence count. There maybe some future Clemson Tigers in the crowd.

Getting Married Indian Style

It’s crazy how easily we Americans can get invited to such great events just because we are Americans. :) Lauren, Heath, Tyler, and I made friends with an Indian family (or as Lauren likes to put it…we “flirted” with the daughter) and got invited to their uncle’s cousins wedding. We all went shopping in the Old Market to purchase saris and kurtas. We all looked spiffy and had a fun time dressing up. Although, come to find out…apparently only married women wear saris so they all thought that we were married. And our guys were definitely a lot more dressed up than all the men there except for the groom. In fact, the groom pointed at Josh and said that he was wearing what a typical Indian groom would wear. But we were still as popular as ever, and I thought that everyone looked great. :) The one downer was that Muslims don’t have dancing at their weddings… I think we were all looking forward to some Indian dancing.

We have had a good week going out and talking with people. It is so awesome to see God’s sovereignty in each and every situation. I know that God is not only working in the lives of the Indians we meet but that He is also working in all of our lives and stretching and sanctifying each one of us. I was recently convicted of placing too much value in things and pleasures of this earth. The Lord brought me to Philippians 3:20 which says, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body”. Here in India, I find myself longing for things that I miss in America but I must remember that my home is not here but in heaven. Amy reminded us that the only two things that are eternal are God’s Word and people’s souls. Please pr@y for us as we are coming close to the end of the trip. Pr@y that at the end of this trip, we will all be able to -say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

--Abbie

Jenna and Lauren went all out with the bling-bling nose rings :)

All of the guys looking sharp in their kurtas

Lauren with the bride and our friend that invited us to the wedding

Teaching the Indian girls to be gangsta'

"Rain Is A Good Thing"

Yes. We are so thankful for the rain in B-Town! It has brought cooler weather, free rides, entertainment (Indians swimming in the flooded roads), great conversations, less concern about personal hygiene, and free water (haha, just kidding). No worries, mom. I'm really not drinking the rain water.
It has been a joy being in India with all of your sons/daughters/friends/etc. We all love each other so much, and we haven't gotten tired of each other yet. In fact, it's 10:39pm here on Wednesday night, we've just returned to our hotel after a long, rainy, exciting, and fruitful day out on the town, and we are all sitting in the hotel restaurant together enjoying Mirinda floats...mmmmm! Thank you for all your pr@yers. God has indeed been so good to us! Enjoy the pictures from our past few days!

Our Team at the Taj Mahal in Agra

We celebrated Pam's 21st Bday Sunday!

B-Town

Some friends we met by the lake

A sweet woman I met by the lake

In the meat market (you couldn't pay me to eat this beef though)

International Spies (Abbie and Lauren)

Enjoying the rain

Lauren steering our row boatMe and Lauren with our NEW friend Pooja!!!!Dinner tonight at Hakeem's (I told everyone to pose with an expression that best describes the past 4 1/2 weeks for them...and then I realized Tyler wasn't in the picture, but in the bathroom. Everyone agreed that suited the picture perfectly...if ya know what I mean.)

PS - While writing this post, a fly flew into my glass of water (there are more flies here than Indians). I dared someone to drink (and swallow) the fly, which was still alive, and the reward was getting recognized on this blog. So the winner is...(drum roll please)...WALKER SUITS!

Mmhmmm

So may I just take a minute to brag on my team? What an awesome group of men and women we have here. God has totally encouraged me through each person here, especially the past few days. Ames, Yenna, Mary Liz, Lauren, Abs, Pam, Molls, Joshy, Burk, Stewart, Waka, Ty and Heath. I thank the Lord for His evidences of grace in each of these precious people. I love them so much!
K, that’s all. :D

Two New Cities

Well we all would like to apologize for taking days to update our blog. We left went Agra last Tuesday by train and internet in Indore was highly expensive. Only a couple times in the few days we were in Agra did we get internet and that was from an internet cafe. While in Agra our team visited the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, as well as some shops. I cannot tell ya'll what was bought because it may be for you. In fact I know some of them are for you. We also went to a movie theatre and for aproxately $5 we got recliner seats, popcorn and a drink and a showing of the new movie "Knight and Day"; and it was in English.
Saturday we arived in our new home for the next two weeks. Yesterday we went to a large Muslim Mosque and talked with several people. After that we went to a worship service here and were able to meet some local guys who are going to be helping us by translating. The service was very nice. They had a testimony time I shared about how the Lord has been encouraging me to be strong and courageous like he commanded Joshua when he was called to lead God's people. Today we went out around the city in groups with translators. Several of the groups were able to see some pretty cool things. My group saw several market areas and we went to the lake front. I think every group made their way to the lake front at some point. It was very beautiful. The water looked cleaner than any water I have seen in India yet and the area is very green. This city is much greener than the others we've been to and there is some really beautiful landscape here. Nothing like what we have in the US really but it is still beautiful. I really enjoy that part personally.
Yesterday I read Joshua chapter 3 and read about when the Israelites crossed over into Jordan. In verse 15 we read that the priest bearing the ark of the Lord stepped into the Jordan River and at that time in was flood season so the river was rushing and coming out over the edges. As I read that the Lord showed me how it must have taken those priest much faith to step into rushing waters with such a load. The priests had to step out in their faith and trust the Lord would provide a way for them at that time. It reminded me that here in India and even back home when an obstacle arises in my path or when there is a burden that seem unbearable or task impossible I need to just trust the Lord and also step out in faith. This is not as easy at it seems because my faith is so minuscule at times, however, every time I lack the faith I need the Lord does something or provides me some way to be reminded of His power might and the way He always provides. As you all are involved in your areas in the US with work, school, family, etc. Remember to be strong and courageous in the Lord and step out faith and know that he will provide like he always does. We all send our love to all of you. Keep pr@ying for our time and you are all in our pr@yers as well.
Walker Suits

Partying in the IN-DI-A

Namaste from India!

Happy (late) fourth of July! Our team had so much fun celebrating the 4th with a few of the families that are living here. We even ate hotdogs!! Let me tell you, it was quite an adventure to get the hotdogs here. We actually packed them in one of our duffel bags. When we missed our flight to Delhi, the hotdogs still went to Chicago. Then, they came back from Chicago and flew with us to Frankfurt, Germany and then on to Delhi. After all of that, we accidentally left the hotdogs in the fridge in our hotel in Delhi! Thankfully, a friend was in the area of our hotel and picked the hotdogs up. The hotdogs made it all the way from South Carolina to India to our stomachs (and they even stayed remotely cold)! Peg, if you’re reading this, I didn’t get sick! ;-) We also shot HUGE fireworks off the top of the roof. I'm talking about the definitely illegal in America huge kind of fireworks. It was a great time celebrating the birth of our country half way around the world!

On Monday, there was a nation-wide protest in India. We’re not really sure what it was against. But we were told it was a strike against everything (crazy, right?). We had to stay inside for most of the day because nothing was open and no auto rickshaws were running. So we decided to have our men and women’s time. The men went to a friends apartment and played “Just Dance” on the Wii. The girls went to another friends house and had a spa day. We painted our nails and had massages from the neighborhood masseuse…it was amazing! Later that day we went for a walk around the neighborhood and we ran into a heard of camels! It seems like every routine activity is much more exciting in India.

Tuesday and Wednesday we broke up into groups and spent time in the city talking to people and hanging out with friends. My group had the opportunity to go to the zoo and to have lunch at an Indian families’ house. They served us a traditional Indian meal and laughed at us when we tried to eat it like Indians with only our right hand. Needless to say, we made a mess and probably looked ridiculous but we had a lot of fun!

Wednesday night we had the pleasure of being joined by several of our friends from back home! It’s been great to have new additions to our team and to be able to spend time with them. Yesterday and today we had the opportunity to do several exciting things. The girls went to two youth hostels and some of the men had a chance to play baseball. Some of the other members of our team have gotten to speak at a school and to visit several local Hindu, Jain, Sikh temples. We have been able to make many connections here and have so many exciting stories to share with you.

Tomorrow we will be traveling to a remote village a few hours from here. We’re not sure what to expect and we would appreciate your pr@yers. Until next time….we’ll be enjoying our party in the IN-DI-A!

A Hindu temple

By a river with women who were mourning for a man who just died in their village

Eating lunch at a friend's house

Look! Camels!

All of the girls (sadly, except Emily)

Part of our team some Indian friends

All of the people gathered in a home to meet us!

Welcoming our friends to...? :)

Everyone's been asking...so here's a picture of Josh's infamous mustache

Party Mat

Hello there everyone! I have been instructed to update you on the goings on of SLink India and feel privileged to do so!

Today (Saturday) was a pretty intense day. This morning we got up and headed by van to a city about an hour and half away. This city is one of the major Hindu holy cities and there are a few well-known temples there. To us as believers, this city is one of the darkest places in the state, a place where thousands come to worship false idols and believe it will bring them peace. We did a lot of praying and singing to prepare our hearts on the way there.

Once we arrived, we began filing through the temple along with many Indians, who were carrying flowers and liquids to offer to the gods. For myself, the most difficult sight to see was the room where worship of the god 'Shiva' occurs. We moved down a narrow stairwell to where a symbolic statue was sitting in a small room. Indians began to push and shove and yell, trying to get to the center so they could offer their gifts and pray their pr@yers. We all came out feeling repulsed and even angry, that Satan could have such a stronghold and cause such deception to so many people.

God refreshed us the rest of the day. We had a lovely Indian lunch on the side of the road (full of spice), saw some exotic animals (monkeys and elephants and camels), and took some naps back at the hotel. This evening us girls were able to find ingredients to make GRILLED CHEESE and SWEET TEA. Woooohoooo!

When it was time to head back to the hotel we tried to call on some autos but instead a taxi driver came by. We decided this would work just fine and were pleased to find this car was called the "Tata Magic." Only great things can happen with a name like that. And it was great. We are working on loading a video from the camera of Ms. Molly Kneece in honor of the Tata Magic. Please enjoy.

A few on the team have struggled with sickness and unsettled stomachs. Keep them and the rest our stomachs in your pr@yers. THANK YOU.

Sorry this wasn't so lighthearted as some. God has been doing awesome things and we have been enjoying ourselves and time together. I will be sure to make you chuckle some in the future. ;)

Until next time...

Indi-fun

First things first, Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad, congratulations on a wonderful marriage thus far and more of the same to come!

Since the last blog update a lot has happened! Just about every day we’ve been here, we’ve had a time (usually about an hour or so) where it’s open for everyone to share anything and everything they want, concerning the day’s events. And each day, it seems that there’ve have been more stories than the last.

Yesterday morning, we walked some parts of city we visited the day before. We had some more groups ride elephants (it’s becoming the thing to do around here) and visit some temples and even temple leaders to talk about their religious practices and ours. The culture is very hospitable and spiritual, so many of us have had similar experiences where we’ve been invited into homes and temples to meet people and talk about God.

Then, yesterday evening, we went to a city park and played ultimate Frisbee with our group and with other kids who were there. It was great! We met a ton of people both playing and watching, and exchanged contact info with several of them so we could meet up again later. And, the weather was more pleasant than I’ve experienced in the states in the summer months, so that was great too.

Today was more of a rest day for us. Apart from one mall outing for dinner, we hung out at the hotel and had some much needed downtime both alone and with our group. One last thing I’ll mention is the strange fact that we’re treated almost like celebrities because of our skin color. People randomly give me their contact information and want mine as well. I met a man in the mall today who made me promise to call him later this week so we could hang out. It’s pretty odd to all of us, because we know we’re nothing near famous, but at the same time, relationships have been easy coming and fast firing, which I think has encouraged a lot of people on our team. That’s all for now, thanks for your pr@yers and support!