What is this?

It appeared overnight. It was so gross to behold. Do you have any idea what it is? TERMITES! What are they eating? CEMENT!

Settling In

We have been back in India now three days and I am thankful that I can honestly say that it is good to be back. Thanks to many prayers, our transition so far has been very smooth. We have been pleasantly surprised to find ourselves not as stressed as we thought we would be, especially with a little one. The fact that we have gone through the initial transition almost three years ago has made this new transition so much easier too. We knew coming back that it would be hot and humid. From the news on the internet, we realized that power (as unreliable as it is) may be even more unreliable. It has been hot, but it has been raining everyday! We know where things are, how to get around, what the prices are, how to negotiate, and how to communicate--all these things have made our transition back with a baby fairly smooth. We feel tremendously blessed to have such a jolly baby (as an Indian stranger described Eli) because he makes it easy for us. He loves strangers, smiles and laughs, and seems to find everything around him interesting and intriguing. We are all still struggling to sleep through the night, as Elijah is still adjusting to the time change. Besides that, we are all doing well.

India definitely feels more like home to me than ever before. Some of my Indian friends have asked me if it was difficult to return. I shared with them that "being in America has helped me to realize that my life over there, as I had known has come to a close and that God has begun something new here in India. So, I was eager to come back and see what the next chapters in my life will look like." I feel excited for the next season of life here in India.

I was sharing with P yesterday that I have been feeling as though God is calling me into a season of focused prayer about this next season of life in India. I am here because God has called me to the Himalayan region. Now, I feel like the Lord may want to speak to me more about what His vision is for my (and our) ministry. It is in some ways "easy" and tempting to go out and "do" ministry as there are lots of opportunities, but I feel in my spirit the Lord calling me to "pray, to seek, and to wait." As I shared this with P, he said, "it sounds like instead of trying to do too much, let it come to you," and he used this Andrew Bynum analogy (for you sports fans, you might know what he's talking about). I resonate with it. I feel like as I wait and pray that it will come to me and when it (or they) come, I will know. I feel excited, although wondering how I will do that with a baby. But, once we are completely moved in to our new flat, I think I might just have our house help babysit so that I can spend some more focused time praying. For now, jet-lag has helped in this arena.

Here are a few photos to enjoy:

Getting ready to go back....

I realize that I have not been very good about blogging here lately. It has been difficult to keep two blogs going, but my hope is to use this blog to keep friends and family updated on our work and life in India. I probably will have more interesting things to write about when I get there. I started another blog called The Elijah Chronicles for those who might be interested in keeping up with Elijah and our life as parents. If you want to receive an invitation to read the blog, you can send me an email or leave a comment.

I can't believe that we are leaving back for India next week. The most common question people have been asking is, "Are you ready to go back?" I think the answer to that question is, "yes." We have had a wonderful time here in the States reconnecting with friends and family, and having the space to transition into parenthood. However, we have been also feeling like we are ready to go back, figure out life there as a family of three, and be involved in the work that we have been sharing about to various small groups and churches for the last three months. After a while, being temporary residents or visitors start to wear on you and I have been feeling it more in the last month or so. I feel ready to go back and continue the process of establishing my life there.

The second most common question people have asked us is, "What do you think you will miss, besides family and friends?" I will miss some of the conveniences that America has to offer--such as reliable and constant electricity/power, dry heat (California), and other things like being able to drive a car, or leaving some crumbs around and not get attacked by bugs, wearing western clothes, parks, smooth roads, sidewalks, and sushi.

What am I looking forward to being back in India? I am looking forward to eating better--less meat, introducing Elijah to our Indian and other ex-pat friends, being able to drop by people's places without making appointments, slower pace of life, and continuing with learning Nepali. I am looking forward to settling down and continuing in the process of making India become our home.

Because the last couple of months have felt so busy, I feel like our departure time has sneaked up on us. But, it is a nice and a pleasant surprise to find myself feeling ready and looking forward to going back. Having some time in the States have helped me to realize more that a chapter of my life in the States as I had previously known has come to a close and God has begun a new chapter. I am looking forward to seeing what God writes as we go back.