Friday, October 30, 2009

Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to You!



Yesterday, we celebrated Elizabeth's seventh birthday. She has certainly been a blessing. I can believe it was only three kids ago...I mean seven years ago that I was was watching her play in her exersaucer in our living room!

Valerie served the older three children breakfast in bed. Then, we enjoyed a wonderful morning opening up presents during a Skype with Valerie's parents. We got a chance to Skype later with my mom and even enjoyed opening the card from my mom that arrived on Elizabeth's birthday! Our friends came over for an afternoon in the pool, followed by Domino's Pizza! We had funfetti cake that Valerie made with Betty Crocker's help. (We brought four boxes from the States, so we treasured that cake!) We even had sprinkles!

Later in the evening, Valerie's new friend, from Turkey, came down and brought Elizabeth a birthday present (a little bear that sings the first line of the happy birthday song, in English, three times) and a Turkish cake! It was awesome!

The topper was the sleep-over that kept Abby and the girls' friend up until midnight. Elizabeth asked to sleep on the couch about 10:30.This has been a good week for the family! We've had the opportunity to get into a rhythm. Homeschooling is coming along. The girls finished the days of creation to begin with. We're well into math. And, the girls are enjoying being required to read for 15 minutes, daily. (They're so much better than I was. I always dreaded reading.)

Language school has been good, though taxing. Our teachers keep us working diligently. Valerie's teacher moves at a slightly quicker pace. They finished the fourth cycle today, while our teacher just had us finish cycle three today. (very possibly due to the mental capacity of the students) I've begun to try to learn the alphabet as I would really like to be literate, rather than simply fluent. Here's what the alphabet looks like though. (Keep reading below.)

ಅಆಇಈಉಊಋಎಏಐಒಓಔಅಂಅಃ
ಕಕಾಕಿಕೀಕುಕೂಕೃಕೆಕೇಕೈಕೊಕೋಕೌಕಂಕಃ
ಖಖಾಖಿಖೀಖುಖೂಖೃಖೆಖೇಖೈಖೊಖೋಖೌಖಂಖಃ
ಗಗಾಗಿಗೀಗುಗೂಗೃಗೆಗೇಗೈಗೊಗೋಗೌಗಂಗಃ
ಘಘಾಘಿಘೀಘುಘೂಘೃಘೆಘೇಘೈಘೊಘೋಘೌಘಂಘಃ
ಙಙಾಙಿಙೀಙುಙೂಙೃಙೆಙೇಙೈಙೊಙೋಙೌಙಂಙಃ
ಚಚಾಚಿಚೀಚುಚೂಚೃಚೆಚೇಚೈಚೊಚೋಚೌಚಂಚಃ
ಛಛಾಛಿಛೀಛುಛೂಛೃಛೆಛೇಛೈಛೊಛೋಛೌಛಂಛಃ
ಜಜಾಜಿಜೀಜುಜೂಜೃಜೆಜೇಜೈಜೊಜೋಜೌಜಂಜಃ
ಝಝಾಝಿಝೀಝುಝೂಝೃಝೆಝೇಝೈಝೊಝೋಝೌಝಂಝಃ
ಞಞಾಞಿಞೀಞುಞೂಞೃಞೆಞೇಞೈಞೊಞೋಞೌಞಂಞಃ
ತತಾತಿತೀತುತೂತೃತೆತೇತೈತೊತೋತೌತಂತಃ
ಥಥಾಥಿಥೀಥುಥೂಥೃಥೆಥೇಥೈಥೊಥೋಥೌಥಂಥಃ
ದದಾದಿದೀದುದೂದೃದೆದೇದೈದೊದೋದೌದಂದಃ
ಧಧಾಧಿಧೀಧುಧೂಧೃಧೆಧೇಧೈಧೊಧೋಧೌಧಂಧಃ
ನನಾನಿನೀನುನೂನೃನೆನೇನೈನೊನೋನೌನಂನಃ
ಟಟಾಟಿಟೀಟುಟೂಟೃಟೆಟೇಟೈಟೊಟೋಟೌಟಂಟಃ
ಠಠಾಠಿಠೀಠುಠೂಠೃಠೆಠೇಠೈಠೊಠೋಠೌಠಂಠಃ
ಡಡಾಡಿಡೀಡುಡೂಡೃಡೆಡೇಡೈಡೊಡೋಡೌಡಂಡಃ
ಢಢಾಢಿಢೀಢುಢೂಢೃಢೆಢೇಢೈಢೊಢೋಢೌಢಂಢಃ
ಣಣಾಣಿಣೀಣುಣೂಣೃಣೆಣೇಣೈಣೊಣೋಣೌಣಂಣಃ
ಪಪಾಪಿಪೀಪುಪೂಪೃಪೆಪೇಪೈಪೊಪೋಪೌಪಂಪಃ
ಫಫಾಫಿಫೀಫುಫೂಫೃಫೆಫೇಫೈಫೊಫೋಫೌಫಂಫಃ
ಬಬಾಬಿಬೀಬುಬೂಬೃಬೆಬೇಬೈಬೊಬೋಬೌಬಂಬಃ
ಭಭಾಭಿಭೀಭುಭೂಭೃಭೆಭೇಭೈಭೊಭೋಭೌಭಂಭಃ
ಮಮಾಮಿಮೀಮುಮೂಮೃಮೆಮೇಮೈಮೊಮೋಮೌಮಂಮಃ
ಯಯಾಯಿಯೀಯುಯೂಯೃಯೆಯೇಯೈಯೊಯೋಯೌಯಂಯಃ
ರರಾರಿರೀರುರೂರೃರೆರೇರೈರೊರೋರೌರಂರಃ
ಲಲಾಲಿಲೀಲುಲೂಲೃಲೆಲೇಲೈಲೊಲೋಲೌಲಂಲಃ
ವವಾವಿವೀವುವೂವೃವೆವೇವೈವೊವೋವೌವಂವಃ
ಶಶಾಶಿಶೀಶುಶೂಶೃಶೆಶೇಶೈಶೊಶೋಶೌಶಂಶಃ
ಷಷಾಷಿಷೀಷುಷೂಷೃಷೆಷೇಷೈಷೊಷೋಷೌಷಂಷಃ
ಸಸಾಸಿಸೀಸುಸೂಸೃಸೆಸೇಸೈಸೊಸೋಸೌಸಂಸಃ
ಹಹಾಹಿಹೀಹುಹೂಹೃಹೆಹೇಹೈಹೊಹೋಹೌಹಂಹಃ
ಳಳಾಳಿಳೀಳುಳೂಳೃಳೆಳೇಳೈಳೊಳೋಳೌಳಂ

Don't worry. I'm just trying five letters per day and even that is pushing it.

Please pr*y that we will continue to feel well. The L*rd has certainly blessed us with good health. We are certainly not going to take that for granted. Please also pr*y that we will take advantage of new relationships, like the one mentioned above to share the Good News.
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Reality Check


Today, VJ and I were struck by how callous we can become. This morning, I read on bbc.com that US soldiers were killed in Afghanistan. I absorbed that piece of news with other factual data from the site without much thought beyond the notion that there still is a battle that we're fighting. Tonight, we received news that a man who lived behind us, in Lathrop, was killed in Afghanistan. Please don't forget those serving our country. It's real. You won't read about him in a textbook but he has a wife and a son and his wife is expecting their second child in December. He died for us. Please pr*y for his family.

Please also pr*y for those of us in a different battle. Please pr*y that we don't forget this is truly a battle, with life and death at stake.
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Monday, October 26, 2009

It's all Greek to me.


Yesterday, we began our language lessons. Our friends who live close to us also take language with us. The guys travel by auto rickshaw for the morning session. We enjoy getting to travel this way though the girls are not quite so comfortable yet. They travel by taxi...a slightly higher cost, but well worth it for everyone's peace of mind.

For two hours, we sat there in our teacher's house (picture attached) trying to understand the few words our teachers would give us in English and laughing a lot when they would speak in Kannada. We're supposed to have numbers 1-100 learned by tomorrow! We're also supposed to have the days of the week, yesterday, the day before yesterday and the day before the day before yesterday. (Yes, they actually have a word for that!) The same amount of words for tomorrow.

Both VJ and I took turns out shopping today, trying out the few things we could remember from yesterday. Thankfully, Tuesdays and Thursdays won't be quite as exhausting as M, W, F. Yesterday, neither one of us had the mental facilities to do much of anything by the end of the day! (And I'm not pregnant, so Valerie's the real champ!

After my language class (and before the shared exhaustion) I was trying out my new language route (a requirement for language learning). I went to several shops trying out my new phrases and counting. I was greeted by much laughter and correction. It's a very humbling process!

I did meet a gentleman outside of one of the stores. I was trying to ask him if any of the other store owners spoke Kannada. He said that he spoke Kannada. He actually invited me to his house where he gave me a plate of different kinds of bread and cake and tried to teach me for about twenty minutes. His name is Shivu and he was a wonderfully nice man! (so nice that I was very skeptical when I first met him)

Each day, we're greeted with new opportunities to tell other people that we are followers of Je$u$. (And we don't even have to encode it!) The L*rd is blessing us with more and more people each day. The girls are meeting new friends. Tonight, we couldn't get the neighbor girls to stop ringing our doorbell for more than 30 secs as we tried to get ourselves ready to go outside....really a wonderful blessing, though bothersome at the time.
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Home sweet home




We're getting more and more settled everyday. The L*rd has blessed us with some wonderful resources close by. (i.e. good food store, friends, and, yes, ice cream-though we've yet to try it) We now have a working cooking range, washer and refrigerator. Yesterday, I was lighting our oven. It wouldn't light for a while (as our lighter was a pretty cheap model) so there had been an accumulation of gas. Well, it finally lit along with the hair on the top of my hand.

The children enjoyed watching people "burst crackers" during Diwali. The children enjoyed watching the fireworks, but it also served as a good lesson how things can be so beautiful, yet so misleading.

We took our first "auto" ride. Jonathan loved this! He gets so excited every time he sees one! Our driver scared us quite a bit as he was purposely driving towards people who weren't moving quickly enough to get out of his way!

Next week, we'll begin our formal language study. This could be quite a stretch for us. I'll be busy all morning while Valerie tries to school the children. Then, she'll be at school while I try to teach the children math (numbers for the boys). We should meet up again, as a family, about 5pm.

Today, the boys and I had our first lesson in cricket. A couple of neighborhood boys voluntarily taught us to play in our courtyard. It was a great experience! We also took the opportunity to go swimming, yesterday. We enjoyed the opportunity to experience a few things that we may not get to when language begins next week.

We're beginning to form relationships with people around us. Two days ago, the girls met a little girl and asked if they could tell her about Je$u$. I told them to enjoy getting to know her first. They returned five minutes later telling me they knew her better and could they tell her now..."Yes, of course." I'm amazed at how the L*rd is already using our children for m!n!stry purposes. He is good all the time!

Please pr*y that:
V will continue to feel well and that we'll be able to find a doctor soon
The children will continue to adjust well and meet new friends
We'll be able to learn the language with the speed and efficiency needed (Formal learning is done by full-immersion.)
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

To Veg or To Non-Veg


This morning, I was was eating when I noticed on our cereal box a small, green box that indicates veg, here. All food is either veg or non-veg, veg simply indicating vegetarian. I knew that symbol was on restaurant menus, but I was unaware it would be on cereal boxes. It's good to know our Chocos contain no meat!

In about two hours, we'll move across town to our new flat. We'll be without internet for a time. Please pr*y that we get everything settled in quickly. I believe we'll begin language study next week.

We've had four nights of good sleep in a row! G*d has certainly answered our requests. Thank you for lifting us up!
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Friday, October 9, 2009

Now Curious George?



This morning we had a phone call letting us know the monkeys were in town. No Davy Jones...just the furry ones. The monkeys (and there were several) were playing in the trees right outside our front door.
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