A day in the life...

The first days in M-town have been full. Every day is an adventure. We laugh, we cry, we sing, we shout. God is faithful, and we are his, so we trust.

What does a day in M-town look like? Well, every single day is a brand new adventure. There is never any telling what the next hour will bring. Monday was one of those days!

Monday morning, the alarm sounded and the day began. Cathy & I had agreed to help prepare for a training that was to begin at 10am. The center for the training had been rented, but the floors needed sweeping and to be mopped. The beds had to be made, and the bathrooms had to be cleaned. Now, I know it won't surprise you that we did these things, but imagine it in a salwar kameez, complete with dupatta (large scarf)!

A couple of hours was enough time to finish that task. I don't think I have been quite that hot, nor have I sweated that much since an Alabama July mid-afternoon softball game. It was just hot and humid! But, the opportunity to serve made the task sweeter.

We have a friend who also lives in the city, Ashley. Ashley has only been in country a few weeks and wanted to go to an open market, one that only takes place on Mondays. So, we told her to come on over and we would head out. In the meantime, the househelper was here, so I was trying to continually dialogue with her in Hindi. Before Ashley arrived, a sweet national girl stopped by for a visit. It was a wonderful opportunity to speak with her, share a snack, and be encouraged by her testimony.

Ashley arrived during Monica's visit. Shortly after Monica took her leave, Ashley, Cathy & I walked down the road and caught a local bus. This happened to be my first Indian bus experience. I typically use alternate forms of transportation. The bus was quicker than a bicycle rickshaw, but it was quite crowded, to say the least. We arrived at the market and shopped for a while, mingling with so many women and picking up a few new items, as well.

After finishing up at the market, we headed back to the bus route to catch a bus back to the home of the family with whom we are staying until we have apartments of our own. During the bus ride back, a friend called and told us to hop off of the bus and go to the apartments that we are wanting to rent. We reached the apartments and the property dealer was not in sight. I called and I had misunderstood. He was expecting us at his office. We waited and he came to the apartments. He reported that we would not be able to rent the apartments that we wanted, the owners were not comfortable renting to us. So, on to the next plan. There were two other apartments that we looked at and agreed for the negotiating with the owners to begin.

We left the apartments and grabbed a rickshaw back to the house. We arrived and showered. The water ran out between my shower and Cathy's, but returned after some time. Some friends who happened to be in the area stopped by. I greeted them, served them some cold water, and got them settled. A few minutes later, a national stopped by with her 1 year old little girl. We sat and chatted a little while. Supper had to be started and since the house was full, we would be serving a houseful!

When bedtime finally came, exhausted only grazed the surface of my condition. I praise him because his mercies are new every morning and his faithfulness is great!

There is no typical day. The only constant right now, is the necessity of flexibility with the ever-changing plan. These are good days, they are hard days. We are hearing language and seeing culture take place all around us. It is such fun to continue to interact with people more deeply every single day.

~Heather

*Ask the father to allow Cathy & I to be enabled to rent apartments and get settled soon.
*Ask that my language abilities would increase quickly.
*Ask that the father would provide language helpers that would become long-term partners.
* Ask that the father would call the people of the state of UP (where M-town is located) unto himself.
*Ask that the father would continue to strengthen Cathy & I's relationship, that he would use us to encourage and support one another, and to share his love with those around us.
*Thank the father for his continued protection and provision.
*Thank him for new friends.