October 30

It is with sadness that I typed in the date... Cant belive we are heading home today.  Well actually we are leaving for Dehli today.  We still get to go to Aggra and see the Taj mahal and then we get to spend the day in Dehli and have dinner with all the kids who have graduated from the home and are now living in Dehli.  So we still have lots of adventures to come even though this chapter has ended.  Martine, we are slowly on our way home to you.  Lane we will bring you some chocolate, Autumn here we come. (we will bring you all chocolate, they say the airport in london has good chocolate)
- Ps. I forgot to tell you, we sang the "hockie pockie" at church at the top of our lungs, so funny, so fun.

October 29

Today was our last day at the home.  We knew it would be emotional but it was such a sweet sadness.  During the day we finished up the last of our work.  We got most of the projects done.  The only thing left was hanging the eves troughs (spelling?) and they got made but not all hung.  We finished up the painting and then spent the day cleaning up the mess we had made.  We scraped paint of the floor and carried wood, and swept up.  There was a tree that had to be cut back in order to paint all the way around and it was really ugly right at the front of the school, so one girl got the idea to make a birdhouse for it.  So we pulled together some scraps and were going to make a birdhouse when we were done.  There is an older boys ( he is 24) that is from the home, his name is Deepak.  Scott and him have been talking lots and have created a bond.  Well he saw that we were going to make a bird house and so the next morning when we got there he just finishing the roof for us.  He had made a plan in his head how to do it and then we all worked to make this bird house.  It was so sweet that someone who looks so tough on the outside saw what we were doing, our plan was inferior for sure, and helped us out.  It shows his sweet spirit.
- At night we had closing program. (A side note, this part of the trip i dreaded, I thought how awkward but everyone who has come here says it is a highlight and now I know why)  The kids did traditional Indian dances for us. One dance from Napal, one from Punjab, one from Himachial Pradesh (the province we are in).  It was so much fun my face hurt from smiling.  The kids all sit on a carpet in rows and they let us sit cris cross with them, all snuggled up. We all sit so close my feet go to sleep. There is always at least three girls touching you.  After the dances we had bible reading and farewell speeches and things and then as a secret three of the boys on our team had put together a dance to do for the program.  Us girls got wind of it and put together our own dance for the kids.  But the dance the boys did, I have no words.  So funny.  Kyle has bought himself a track suit from the Gorka military base and so he keeps talking about how we is a Gorka.  So he wore his track suit and they danced to a hindi song and tried to do the dance moves that the boys at the home do.(they also did the lawn mower, sprinkler, and the shopping cart.)  It was really awesome how they had picked up on the boys moves and tried to do them.  I actually meant a lot to the boys at the home that they would make fun of them.  The kids have a great sense of humor so it was really cool to bug them back.  At one point i was actually jumping up and down i was laughing so hard.  And no Indian party is complete without fire works. So scary but fun to scream and run for cover.  I stood next to the pregnant lady, I thought that would be the safest.  And after that pounding out the punjabi and hindi dance music (and more justin beiber) and we had a dance party till all the little girls were asleep on their Didis and it was time to go.  Then the goodbyes and then onto the bus at 11pm.  It was a pretty quiet ride home, but it is better to feel sad because it means you have had a good time and have learned to love the kids.  And we really have learned to love the kids, the home, the staff, everything about Shanti Nikatin.
- John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. 

Sleepless in Subathu

Oh no... there is a wedding just below us.  Nothing like Hindi music pounding one floor below us.  5:15am will come too early tomorrow.  Now the speeches have begun.  If we cant sleep maybe we can sneak in and watch it go down.  Nothing like a big fat Indian wedding.  Goodnight (I hope)

Pictures

 This is the chaple at the home that we have church at.

 Dont worry, this is just the primer.  It is not a barbie school.

At church.  Well actually, before church.  The kids sit very well and listen.

October 28

Today was Church.  So fun to go to church. Everyone dresses in their Sunday best, including high heels and fancy hair bows.  The big girls are all so cute in their ridiculous high heels.  Powder pink strappy heels.  I was told today that "here in India, we like it fancy" No kidding.  I love it fancy too, they look so beautiful. The kids just belt out the singing.  It is almost overwhelming.  At church at home the music plays and the voices follow along.  Not here, just like so many thing that are opposite from home.  Here the voices set the tempo and the drums try to keep up and at one point the guitars just gave up because we could not hear them anyhow.  It is as if the voices are pushing the song along.  You cant even describe  what it is like to hear them sing "more love more power" in Hindi.  Unlike anything I will ever experience ever again.  After church we took a bus down to the river for an afternoon of picnic and swimming. The hotel sent lunch for all of us.  Free of charge, which is amazing because we were a  small village.  We told the hotel manager tonight that the kids really enjoyed it and he got a little chocked up.  It is amazing the relationship that is being built here.  As we were at the river on the hill side there was a temple of Shiva.  So as we sat and had our picnic we were reminded of Psalm 23 - You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. -  It could not be more literal.  Praise be to God.

Dear Lane, Martine and Autumn

Dear Kids
I am missing you a lot.  We are kept busy but every now and then it creeps up on me that no one has called me Mom for a while.  It has really struck me how happy and secure you are.  As I talk to you on Skype I can see how much you are loved.  How blessed you are to have so many people to love you.  Thank you for sharing your parents.  Thank you for letting us go and serve other kids and being brave while we are gone.  Lane, Thank you for being the leader that you are.  I know I can trust you with your sisters and that you will be so brave and I am so proud of you. Martine, I love how tender hearted you are and how you treat everyone with respect.  I love that I can count on you to be brave even when you dont want to be.  Autumn, I enjoy your spark and how much you add to each day.  How you are always so full of joy.  We are so blessed to be a family.  So blessed to be together and I really value your self control, confidance, and the way you stick together.  Daddy and I are so blessed to have you.  We do not deserve you but are glad God has blessed us with you. 
-Who are we that the Lord has blessed us.
We love you, see you soon

October 24

Today was a pretty dull day.  More paint and as the day wore on I was feeling more and more board until... The birthday party.  We had the party for all the kids who have a birthday in October. (including one of our team)  They did a program with dances and mock game shows ( where they mocked Kyle) and then they had cake cutting and gift for each birthday kid.  It was so much fun, actually everything they do here is so much fun.  The kids just embrace you and then they are so quick to laugh their guts out.  They hug you and hold your hand and really make you feel like you are one of them (except that you dont speak Hindi).  We were leaving one day and the girls all yelled at me " Didi you didnt come and play, we have a new game for you"  So now every day it is a priority to go down and see the big girls ( the little ones dont speak english hardly at all) and we play running games or ball throwing games.  There is a big hill down to their dorm and they roll a rubber tire down the hill and race it.  So funny to watch, even Scott did it and he beat the tire twice (huge accomplishment) I is a really nice way to end a hard day.

 Attie, this is Scotts handywork.

- The power here is a little scetchy.  The lights go out all the time, only for a minute or two but when you are in the shower of washroom in the dinning room, it gets a little scary.  Also I plugged in my flat iron and there was way too much power and it totally melted.  I had used it before but that night there had been a thunder storm and so it totally fried.  Good thing the sprinklers didnt go off. wouldnt I be popular.