Adventures in India

Isn't modern technology great? Here I am on the other side of the world and I can keep people updated on what is going on while we are here in India.

I think I finished yesterday's post by promising to talk about our trip to Hong Kong Market. It was quite an adventure. Let's just say that when my dad told his driver that we wanted to go there he chuckled and had a look on his face that said "silly Americans". Thus began our adventure. I do want to point out that I think Indian drivers are the craziest drivers in the world but they are also probably the best. I now know why my dad has hired a driver. If my dad won't even drive here there's no way I ever would. It's scary at first but I'm starting to get used to it. Enoss, my dad's driver, is a very good driver and more patient than most. Anyway, back to the market adventure. After we found a place to park we joined the throng of people in the chaos of the market. One shop after another lined every street you looked down. We went down there to do some salwar shopping. Luckily, we had Sonja, a woman from the LTC, with us to guide us where to go. We went to one shop where I saw some that I liked but I still wanted to look around some more. At the next shop I found some fabric that I liked but it was not sewn yet. The man quoted me a price of Rs 630 (which works out to be less than $15) and I agreed. Next, I picked out the style I liked and my measurements were taken. In the meantime, my mom picked out the same fabric but in a different color and decided to get the same style as me so that we would match. We were told that they would be ready today. Now, we were done with the Hong Kong Market.

Our next stop was the Sunflower Market. This is actually not really a market but more like a shopping mall. I guess this is where the wealthier class of Indians shop. It was nice to get out of the noise and pollution but it was not much of an adventure. After we finished up there we took Sonja back to the LTC and then went and had dinner at the Khana Kazana. By the time we returned home we were all very tired.

Today was the first day of our door-to-door evangelism. This is the real reason we came to India. It wasn't for the shopping, although that is fun. We separated into 4 teams and went through a tea garden village. My team consisted of myself, my brother Josh, Chandan, my translator, and our guide. We visited 2 houses and saw 10 people accept Christ as their Savior. After lunch my sister Kelly came with me instead of my brother. We were blessed to be able to lead 6 more people to Christ. I was so excited to be out in the field again. It had been too long. Of course I was nervous to start but I don't think that ever really goes away. Even my dad says that he still gets nervous and he's been on over 20 trips. The entire team led 27 people to the Lord. I am so thankful that God has given Stephen and I the opportunity to be here to share Christ with these people. We have 2 more days of evangelism if everything goes according to plan. I know I'll be nervous again in the morning but I am also excited.

This evening we went back down to Hong Kong Market to pick up our salwars. We had to wait about a half an hour because they weren't quite ready yet but we just drank chai and had fun with the shopowners. Afterwards, we went to a local hotel and had some dinner. Now, I'm getting tired and will be heading to bed soon. I'll post more as time allows and maybe I'll be able to get Stephen to post some pictures on here for me. Please remember to keep us in your prayers.