A Time to Remember...

We knew last year would be our last Thanksgiving for a while, so we really enjoy looking at these pictures.

Another week in His arms...

We've enjoyed another week in which the Father had to carry us through. We've noticed ourselves a little less patient with each other. It rained much of the first part of the week. That always puts a cramp on our style, but we persevered through it. (PTL!)

Last Saturday was Kids' Day, in this country. So we enjoyed a fun time out. We went to a toy store and let each of the kids pick out a very small toy. We followed that up with lunch at McDonald's (fun for everyone!).

Sunday morning, we went to a huge botanical gardens with some friends. The kids enjoyed spending time with friends. Afterwards, we had lunch and ch*rch, at home.

This week, V started something new with the girls-moving them up a grade with school as the younger grades were not challenging enough (mainly due to the curr., not just because our kids are incredibly intelligent). It has worked very well thus far and we hope it continues to go well.

V is doing well, for the most part. For a little more than a week, she's had a pinch in her back. Sometimes rubbing it helps, sometimes not. The beds here are not the most comfortable, so she's really been a trooper. Her language is definitely coming around. Practicing is the toughest part. It's not easy for a white woman to just walk the streets and practice language. She's still trudging through though. (I told you; she's a trooper! Can you imagine doing all that she's doing while being pregnant?!) V finished off the week by making homemade corn dogs!

The girls are doing well. Friday, the had a sleepover with some other mk's. The had a great time and are now sporting some new, homemade 'dangly' earrings!

The boys are doing well. J is beginning 'school', learning his letters and numbers. He's doing very well and loves feeling like a big boy. And. had a crash course in int'l potty training. I let him run around the house with no pants on for a while. He went from having gone on the potty a total of two times during his life to being dry most of the time, most days. (PTL for tile floors!)

We also received a package from Gma and Gpa Collier (Thank you so much!!!)...Dum Dum suckers (for the whole family) and a bracelet making kit (for E's birthday)...so exciting!

I've enjoyed some cool language time, enjoying a complimentary ride on the bus, chai tea and a paper for about 15 cents, total and my first ride on a motorcycle.

We've learned the phrase for "Je$us loves you" and use it as much as we can. The L*rd is really doing an awesome thing in our lives and we hope He uses us to bring more people to Him!

All I want for Christmas...

Today, Abby lost her first tooth...her left front, on the bottom. We went out for a little ice cream to celebrate tonight. She was so excited that all of her hard work wiggling her tooth with her tongue (We won't let her stick her fingers in her mouth, here; you never know what you've just touched and haven't thought about!) and eating apples paid off!

For the last few days, Valerie and I have had meetings with the couple that will serve as our supervisors during the first year. We've enjoyed getting to know them better. The down side is that we don't get to spend as much time with the kiddos. Please pr*y that we'll always remember the balance that needs to be had for our whole family. I really do believe that, in the short-term, the children often get the "short end of the stick".

Last weekend, we attended a house ch*rch about 40 minutes from our house. It was a great time, but very far away. So I explored the internet and found a more formalized ch*rch that looked much closer...wrong. It was a very nice experience. We enjoyed the Western (not country-western) style of music and the English pre@ching, but the children were still exhausted by the end of the day. Please pr*y that we'll find something closer to our side of town.

We've begun to settle into a good routine, with homeschooling. The boys are learning to play on their own for a little longer, but then still enjoy sitting at the table some with the girls while learning. It doesn't seem as much of a stretch as it had previously. The L*rd has really blessed our family with a wonderful mom/wife. She has worked very hard to make it all come together.

Language is still going slow, but steady. We're definitely making progress, but it's difficult to see. It's a little like watching a child grow. Every once in a while, we'll look back and realize the changes that have taken place. It's nice to have those times of reassurance.

Friends are growing slowly too. Jonathan was so excited Monday when he got to see his favorite (really, our whole family's favorite) driver, whom I'll nickname Charles. Jonathan hasn't seen Charles for about three weeks, but still ran right up to him and stayed in his arms for about five minutes. Today, we received our first newspaper. One of our requirements is to subscribe to a local or national newspaper so that we know about the events that surround us. Hopefully, this will lead to an opportunity to engage in more conversations with the nationals. I've included the picture of one of our security guards who only speaks Hindi. So you can imagine how difficult it was to ask him to help me get the subscription (about $3/month) set up!

A big thanks to those of you who have written words of encouragement. And, to those asking what needs/wants there are. I hope to compile a list by the end of the month so that you could send it in time for the Ch!stmas holiday.

We miss you ALL!

Thursday, Valerie and I visited the hospital where we will have the baby. The facilities were wonderful (meaning very western). The doctor was very nice and was able to answer all of our questions. It was very sad to read the sign above. It reminds us of how people have used the ultrasounds to decide whether or not they would have an abortion (a major point of discussion right now, in the US Congress). People want boys for many different reasons, but most having to do with rel!gious beliefs. We are planning to have a 4D ultrasound, next month. (of course, not to determine the sex, just because we're curious to see what he/she looks like)

After the doctor's visit, Valerie wanted to go somewhere to get a burger. (This is one of the very few times she has mentioned anything about cravings. I think I have them more than her!) The auto driver spoke very little English, so as I attempted to communicate that we wanted to go to Museum Road, he took me to a museum...on some road. As we drove around, Valerie noticed a wonderfully familiar sign of a Hard Rock Cafe (unfortunately converted from a former B!ble tract society)! We'd heard some shaky reviews of this place so we were excited, but mainly for the ambiance. But...IT WAS AWESOME! The food above tasted even better than the pictures allow. And we got to see the Mick Jagger outfit (along with many other items of paraphernalia)...a fun atmosphere!

We had another okay week of language. In some respects, it's getting much easier, in other respects, it's getting much more difficult. "Nanage SIM card beeku"..."I want a SIM card" was used yesterday and understood excitingly well. The kids are adjusting better and better all the time. The girls have made several friends. We remember this well as our doorbell rings frequently in the evening. The boys are enjoying the attempts at cricket.

Remember that I've forgotten

It's easy to forget all of the things that have transpired since we've arrived. It's easy to forget that we spent our first few nights awake, trying to reset our internal clocks. It's easy to forget that we spent that time awake crying, missing family, friends and the familiar. It's easy to forget that I was so grateful to have people driving me around the city, helping me to find things for our new apartment. It's easy to forget that we got off the plane with eight carry-on pieces of luggage and seventeen checked bags (no of which we had to pay for-Praise the L*rd!). It's easy to forget that, though we have moved so many thousands of miles from home (and even more kilometers) having gone through all of these emotions, it's much more difficult for the people back home (Yes, we still consider the States home. We're Americans and we refuse to forget that. (Why not, the locals don't forget it!)) It's easy to forget that last year we were inundated with candy having gone to a Fall celebration at ch*rch and this year the kids were thrilled to get together and get a few pieces of candy because they could gather with other Americans for a short time. It's easy to forget all of the pr*yer and financial support offered back home. (Thank you!) And, it's easy to forget how far the L*rd has brought us. (Just look at past posts to verify that claim.)

And, sometimes it just hits you just how far you've come. Just now, I was listening to Jonathan and Andrew talk (They're supposed to have fallen asleep by now.). Andrew complains that Jonathan just said hockey. Jonathan pleads his case, stating that he said meter haaki. ("turn on the meter"-what you tell the auto rickshaw driver to do so he doesn't swindle extra rupees out of you) They are little sponges, are they not?

Tomorrow, we'll enjoy a birthday celebration with friends. The girls will have a sleepover at their house. Thursday, we will go to the hospital where we plan to deliver the baby (The hospital's name is "The Cradle"...looks very nice!).

This weekend, we did have a Fall celebration with other company folk (See pictures, above.). We enjoyed pumpkin cake, chips with Rotel (sp?), homemade pig-in-a-blankets, chocolate chip cookies and other delights! During the celebration, our family won the prize for the best-carved pumpkin (the prize being a Symphony chocolate bar) and Abby won a jar of chocolate chips for having the closest guess. There were 589 chips and she guessed 580! Amazing!

Sunday, we traveled about 45min. to a house ch*rch and enjoyed a time of w*rship, gathering with other bel!evers and digging in the W*rd. It was wonderful! (See picture, above.) We followed that up with a lunch at Chili's! It wasn't exactly like the American version, but the food was good and the bill was about the same.

Also, today I had my first haircut...and a shave, by a national (much to Valerie's chagrin). The total of the two adding up to about....$1.30! No nicks and a little Old Spice for nostalgia's sake!

The most important thing...we're getting more and more out of our shells to tell people that we are followers of Je$u$. (ironic that we can say more in person than we can post) We're excited about relationships that are starting to form. G*d is good!