My New Indian Family

It's been a busy crazy time here since I last posted, which I guess might explain the long absence.  We have some great friends over here, and last Saturday night we had them over for dinner and just a fine time hanging out and laughing and dancing: Indian style.  According to Prem, in order for someone new to join into the group they have to dance.  I don't know whether he was pulling my leg or not, but either way, my two left feet just had to join in.  For those wondering, there are no pictures of me, but there might be some video hiding on my camera somewhere. . . . Below are some pictures of our good time:

This is the whole group, all of Prem's family, along with Courtney, Lindsey, Eric, Travis, and myself.  Needless to say it was a little crowded in the small living room.  But that didn't stop the fun!

After this great time it seemed that nothing could stop the fun, and I guess I was partially right.  My friends had to travel back to Delhi, and since we couldn't get train tickets, we just got a taxi.  We were supposed to leave Sunday night at midnight and they would have us there by 8 AM on Monday.  Well, we didn't count on a taxi experience that was something like a cross between NASCAR and Times Square at New Years.  Lets just leave it at what was supposed to be a 7-8 hour ride only took us 5. And I didn't sleep a wink.  Fortunately, we did arrive safely.  Oh, and for those who think that summer has not arrived yet, you should visit Delhi.  That might be one of the hottest, driest, dustiest places that I have ever visited.  I think the high got up to 107 or 108 yesterday, and a sign said it was still 99 at 9:30 PM last night.

But to make up for it, we leave in the morning for a nice little getaway.  Eric, Travis, our friend Prem, and I will be leaving tomorrow to go up to Gangotri to trek to the Gamukh glacier, which might be better known as the source of the Ganges River.  And the weather will be completely opposite of Delhi.  As far as we know, the highs are forecasted for the upper 30's with a slight chance of snow.  We will be up into the real Himalaya Mountains by that time, and should hike starting around 10,000 feet right up to around 14,000 feet at Tapovon, which will be one of our overnight stops.  We are all looking forward to this trip before the rest of the team arrives.

Because of this, it will be a few days before I will be able to post back on here, but when I am back I should have some spectacular pictures to share.

Till next time,
Josh

Welcome to India

After a whirlwind half-way around the world trip I have arrived. Sort of.   I got into Delhi and got picked up at the airport, which all felt pretty normal.  However, as soon I left the airport doors, things got crazy.  What was supposed to be a line of taxis actually looked like Times Square at rush hour.  The first night, I thought I beat the jet lag, and we headed out to explore Delhi the next day.  We found Ruby Tuesday's for lunch, which advertised American Cuisine, but in my opinion, if they don't sell beef, it's not American cuisine.

Taking the train that night to our home city was also quite an adventure.  I realized just how lonely it can be to be in a place with thousands of people yet you don't know a word of the language.  The jet lag finally caught up with me on the train ride and I only managed 3 hours of sleep.  About an hour before we reached our destination, the conductor comes in and starts talking at me in Hindi.  I had no clue what he was saying, but after Eric rescued me, it turned out he was trying to put me off at the wrong station.  What an adventure.


Since arriving at our destination, I have pretty much been immersed in Indian food and coffee shops, except for last night, when we fried chicken wings and french fries, and watched American idol.  Yes, you can watch it here, just  2 1/2 days later than you can see it live in the States.


So far I am having a blast exploring the city on the back of Eric's motorbike.  I have also met some really cool people.  Coming in I had no expectations so its been fun.  Just to give you an idea of the way things work here, I went to take a shower the other night and there was no water pressure.  However, we discovered that by turning on both the sink and the shower at the same time, we could get water out of the sink, but not the shower.  Just makes me shake my head.

We will be traveling a lot over the next week and half, so I don't know when the next update will come, but I will put one up as soon as I can.

Here Goes Nothin'

Plane ticket.  Check.  Passport.  Check.  Travel Insurance, lots of shots, and a crazy sense of calling and adventure. Check, check, and check.

Well, my bags are finally packed (yes, it's almost 3 AM, and I'm just finishing up my packing) and I'm ready to leave.  In the morning I will fly out of Monroe, LA to spend 7 weeks in north India serving on a mission trip.  This should be a fun and exciting time, and I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for me.

Travelling literally halfway around the globe takes about 24 hours, so by Tuesday evening (Tuesday morning for you folks in the States)  I will arrive in New Delhi, India and my friend Eric will meet me there.  From there we will travel back to where he lives for a few days while I try to adjust to the jet lag.  Then we will be off and running non-stop for a couple weeks until the rest of the team arrives around the 5th of May.

That's all I have for now, but I will leave you with some lyrics from a Jeremy Camp song that I heard last night that really hit home for me:

And I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
Because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me

Help me to rid my endless fears
You've been so faithful for all my years
With one breath you make me new
Your grace covers all I do

Thanks for your prayers, and I'll update again as soon as I can!

Josh