Holy Cow

So in India the main religion is Hindu and they love their bovine, so everywhere you go you see them hanging out enjoying the best parking spaces. Love your cattle well go to India and treat em like kings.

We Were Stars

So after getting settled in at the school we went into one of the local towns to do a little shopping for some local cloths. As soon as we got out of the vehicles we were surrounded by the locals who would gather around us in droves and just stare at us. It is obvious that they don't see many white people. From store to store we would draw big crowds of Indians staring and following us, and occasionally on of them would try and communicate with one of us, but mainly just stare. It made you feel a little like a star with all these people following you except instead of them wanting to take your picture they wanted you to take theirs.

So how was the food you ask? Awesome, the food was delicious, they had a cook just for us who cooked some delicious Indian food. Some of my favorites were the samosas which were great, the naan or flat bread, and daal or lentil curry. If you like Indian food you would have loved the food on this trip.

The Great Welcome

So when we finally arrive at the Cuddapah Seventh-Day Adventist school we are greeted by 100 little kids placing leis on us and throwing flower petals at us while saying "welcome to India". It was a great greeting. The School will officially open in June, the 100 kids there now are orphans, have only one parent, or are extremely poor and thus are at the school already. The plan was to enroll 1000 students but when they opened up for applications 2000 kids enrolled, but they could only accept 1600 and that will stretch their facilities. Keep in mind that most of these 1600 students will be in the dorm. It costs $25 dollars a month to attend this school, now take in mind that the average income for a normal family is less than a dollar a day making this education almost impossible for these children. So how do they do it? Through sponsorship, you can sponsor a child in India for $25 a month and that includes dorm fees, food and a private education all in English. If you are interested (and trust me I met the kids that will benefit and it is worth the money) just visit Adventist Child India to find out more.

Travel to Cuddapah

So after about 30 hours of travel we finally arrive in Chennai India where upon we load on to a bus at around midnight and start a 9 hour bus ride to Cuddapah where the school is located. Along the way we had to of course have a couple of potty breaks the first of which took place in the wee dark hours of the morning. We stopped and as I awoke I saw a building and was thinking it was time for a potty break. I got out along with a number of others and the girls were instructed to go around one side of the structure while the boys were to go on the other side. As I'm standing there taking care of business I realize we are at a persons house and then we hear a dog barking in the house, one of the boys then thinks the sees movement in the house. At this point I realize there are a bunch of Americans standing on the lawn of an Indians house relieving themselves, boy this felt awkward. I finish up and quickly start moving to the bus at which time the gentleman of the house comes out and his little dog in toe. Then the girls come around the other side of house as the man stares and motions to either them or the dog (who was yapping) to cease or leave. It must have been weird for this poor man to have over a dozen Americans use his yard as their latrine. Well from there we went on and the next potty stop was the more conventional yet filthy gas station. The second pic is the sign for the bathroom, notice the female is in a sari, I thought that was cool. Next time our arrival in Cuddapah and the school.

Stop in Singapore

So here are a couple of pics of us at the Singapore airport which is amazing. As you can see the have foot massagers (free of cost), gardens, free Internet stations with computers and many other cools things like a free movie theater. It is the best airport I have ever been in and I think is the top rated airport in the world and if you see it you know why. We had about a nine hour layover and were able to take a short tour of the city. The Singapore airport was a nice respite from the long travels. When our group went to check in for our next flight however we were informed that 19 of us including myself were not on the list and had to be on stand by. After some waiting and prayer we all were able to get on the plane last minute, but the stress was worth it seeing that as a result 17 of us including myself again got to ride our last leg to India in business class. Can I tell you how nice that was.

Kaiya's B-Day

So yesterday Kaiya had her 2nd birthday, she is growing fast and time is just flying by. She has been and joy and a blessing in our lives and we're trying to enjoy every moment. If you want to see some pics of her big day just click her picture link on the side bar.

Back from India

So this past Wednesday I got back from a mission trip I took with the school. It was quite the experience, both enjoyable and eye opening with some hard work sprinkled in. We went to a school in southern India, that is being built by Maranatha, and will be opening in June. I have never seen so much poverty and so much trash as I did in India. If anyone thinks they lack anything or are not blessed I suggest you visit India especially rural India and you will realize the blessings you have and maybe how we should use those blessings for human kind. I plan on uploading a pic a day for a while and sharing a little more so stay tuned for the story.