Home - sort of...

Hello again, all! Well, we are finally back in our home in PA, but somehow I think part of my heart and most of my brain is still in Chennai, India. Jet lag is supposed to be easier coming east, but my body just can't seem to make up it's mind what time it is. Please pray that Bryan and I can adjust quickly - time waits for no one, and our life here needs to be picked back up without much delay.

I will have to really sit down and prayerfully consider how to write of most of our experiences.. but I will try to give you a very quick accounting of what we did while there... (in order, starting with the first day in India, Sat the 28th). SAT - Shopping at a beautiful jewelry store, lunch at a restaurant, early night, we were all sleep walking! SUN - church at Bishop Samson's church, lunch at Samson's home (quite an honor...), an outdoor evangelistic meeting in a slum area, where I was blessed to share my testimony. MON - Pastor's conference (over 3000 pastors and spouses), again I spoke. TUES - drove to Bangalore, along the way stopped at an orphanage (broke our hearts, we dedicated 5 wheelchairs for handicapped children there), arrived in Bangalore late. WED - another Pastor's conference, about 300 this time, again I shared my testimony, stopped at Domino's Pizza for lunch! Drove back to Chennai, arrived late, but was met in the lobby by the hotel staff with fresh grape juice! THURS - met with a precious little 3 year old girl and her mother, who wants to give her daughter up for adoption to our pastor's daughter. Heart-wrenching stuff.... this mother loves her little girl and just sees no hope of a future for her in India. Drove to a church in Hindu village, dedicated land as they are starting to build a church building there to replace the thatched-roof lean-to that they are meeting in currently. The villagers (brand new Christians who have next to nothing...) served us lunch that would have fed their families for a week. I felt so honored and ashamed all at the same time. Fell in love with a little girl, whose mother asked me to bring her home with me. Drove to another meeting, dedicated a new church. Had an anniversary party for Bishop Samson and his wife - 25 years of marriage! FRI - went to a zoo, rode an elephant!! Had a wonderful time with our new family in India - we all laughed so hard our stomachs were sore. Had another evangelistic meeting outside in a Hindu area, I spoke here also. We were served an amazing meal on the roof of a pastor's home - again, to be so honored made me feel so uncomfortable. We were there to serve them.... not the other way around. SAT - went to Tsunami Beach, saw St. Thomas Cathedral and the tomb of St. Thomas (powerful... it was untouched by the tsunami, although it is on the beach.) Spent the rest of the day shopping, had a wonderful time! Back at the hotel, we rested, ate room service (the best french fries!), packed and left the hotel at 11:30 pm to get to the airport. Spent a few hours in the Chennai airport, boarded the plane and then sat on the runway for 1.5 hours while they worked on the engine! Got into London late, missed our connecting flight back to DC, and eventually made it back to DC 5 hours later than planned!

I will never be the same again. I was constantly aware of how content these beautiful people are with so little, and how they are so willing to give, even out of their lack. We are such a blessed nation, we have more than we even understand, and yet we want more and we grumble at giving out of our excess. I pray that God never lets me forget what I saw.....

I'll post pictures as I get them organized.... that may take a while!

Blessings,
Bryan and Terri