india is coming to a close..

i cant believe our time is already coming to a close, we have about a week left before we fly out to thailand. tomarrow we will be taking a ten hour train ride to a place called bodh guya(still in india). we are not exactly sure what we will be doing, but then after about a week we will come back to kolkatta for two days and then head out to thailand. it has been an amazing process here in indian, i think back on the past three weeks and cannot actually believe i was here living in a country so different from our own and learned not only how to survive it, but how to love it. we would wake up to breakfast already prepared for us, in consisted of toast, porridge, a banana, and tea, we liked this because it was the only consistent thing in our life(other than the Lord). then we would head off to our different ministries, we worked in a couple different mother theresa homes, kings kids, life connections, and us dancer were able to teach some dance classes at night. my favorite by far was teaching the dance classes, it was a little challenging because all four of us were sick, but it was worth it. the little girls we taught were so precious and the older ones we were able to build a relationship with. who knew i would ever have friend in India!?! i also really enjoyed kinds kids, they took about 30 homeless kids off the street and fed them, bathed them, and taught them about Jesus, it was so much fun to hang out with them and give them the love they don't receive from their parents, it is not uncommon in india for a child to be on their own at a young age. the transportation here is insanity! we had to figure out how to get around, the most common are taxi's and rickshaws, but we also figured out how to take buses and the subways system. there arent really any laws here for the streets so you really have to watch out because its easy to get hit, and sometimes its even scarier to be in a vehicle because the driver has no fear. the food here is great, we had to lay off for awhile because we were all getting sick, you have to be careful of where and what you eat, for exaample, they dont refrigerate dairy here..so dont eat or drink anything having to do with dairy! we learned a lot the hard way, but we learned fast. we were responsible for our own lunch and dinner, we would get an allowance and figure out life on our own, i think its a great method because we learned to get around all of kolkatta by ourselves. we have made a lot of friends here, its amazing how fast a group of white people draw a crowd and they are perfectly happy to sit and stare for long periods of time, we took advantage of that and built friendships. the Lord is teaching me a lot about how its not always about doing, but just loving those who you come into contact with. this culture does not teach love, they are hindi and hinduism is big on only taking care of your own and not helping others, they beleive it interferes with kharma and reincarnation, it draws a huge crowd when we stop to talk to beggars or street children, its kinda fun. it has been a challenging month or so, but it is worth it and i have forever been changed by what i have seen here, it has caused me to appreciate what i have at home. i love and miss you all! thank you for your prayers and support!