Marathi Me

Family members, close relations and good friends get gifts from the bride and groom at weddings. Our friend/brother, Dinesh, gave us all clothes before the wedding and that's what we wore to the wedding. See next post for gift giving picture.

Dinesh asked me beforehand if I would wear the traditional Maharashtrian dress at his wedding and I said sure. This consists of a 9 meter saree instead of a 5 meter saree and the saree is passed through the legs and tucked up in the back. I've never worn it like this but he had his auntie put it on me and so here I am. I was highly amusing to everyone who saw me (possibly because only old ladies wear their sarees this way anymore, possibly because I am American, or quite possibly because you could see my underwear through the thin material of the saree), but Dinesh was happy and it was his day.
O. also agreed to wear the traditional "dhoti" and he looks great in it.

Karnataka Wedding

I spent three of the last four days in the car. We left Friday morning for Karnataka and reached on Saturday afternoon. Attended a wedding on Sunday morning, visited our Maharashtra and Karnataka Pastors and then left for home. I have a few amusing stories about it all, but I'll write them later. For now, the pictures.

At least we went with our good friends Anoop and Bindu and their boys. Many (and I mean many) long hours were passed playing cards in the car. Here we are in the bright sun getting our "wedding gifts."

The only somewhat decent picture I have of the new couple (Dinesh and Jyoti)
The wedding guests - sitting in the mud.
The bride.
The rings.

Dinner

Last week we had fish for dinner. This is what I saw when I went to clean the fish.
Here's lookin at you.

Wedding In Far Far Away

We are leaving tomorrow for the wedding of one of our former Bible Students, now pastor/ good friend, Dinesh. It's in a village on the border of the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. It will take twenty hours to drive there. We leave Friday and hope to be back Monday - whirlwind trip.

Archaeological Discovery

Look what was dug up just a few miles from our house. I don't know what it is, but it's pretty cool. The government hasn't come in and taken over yet so we can go right on over to it.

Apparently, they were digging and found some steps leading down and they dug them out to see what they would find.

Cool gate.

Ordinated

Ordination Picture. Nine pastors were ordained while we were in Rajasthan last month. Here we are in our ordination outfits.

*While talking to my mother on the phone about the pastor ordination, I said, "The pastors are going to be - what do you called that?. Ordinated?"

"Ordained." She replied.

Ah, you don't use it, you lose it. English, that is.

Marble Marble Everywhere

Indian floors are made of marble or stone. While in Rajasthan we went searching for flooring for our house that's being built (and kitchen counters). Every color I liked was sandstone and not suitable for floors. We did find a few colors we liked and O. will be going back in a couple weeks to put in the final order.

Just so much marble to choose from...

Peas In A Pod

Cute picture of what our kids do during the long meetings in the village.

Too Hot To Blog

I am the excuse queen when it comes to not blogging. Actually, I have a standard that I like to upkeep of quality and regularity in my posting. When I fall short, well, you get an excuse post like this onew.

But it really is too hot to blog or do anything on the computer. I am overdue for an annual newsletter and since I only have time to work on the computer in the afternoons and evenings - it's just not getting done. Way way too hot.

I'm also feeling disturbed today. I got an email telling me about friends of ours who also work like us in India but are currently in the US, saying that they were in a terrible car accident. The wife just had a baby by C-section 3 weeks ago. By God's grace they all survived with broken bones and bruises. But it's had me feeling weird all day. Then the people who live behind us were piping the water out of our water tank for a roof they were putting on and they didn't even ask.

I just had to go out back, pull the pipe out in front of them and tell them that this is not common neighborhood water and you should ask people first before stealing from them. Hrmf.

If It's Any Consolation...

...I haven't been sleeping much lately either. Plenty 'O time to sleep (and blog) when we're dead! Alright, most probably I won't be blogging when I'm dead (or sleeping for that matter) but think of all the wonderful new blog topics we would have...

Busy. Yes, that's me. School starts next Monday and we've been working hard on getting teachers trained as well as everything else the beginning of school entails. Not to mention I now manage a store. Or that I took Saturday afternoon off to go see "Indiana Jones and the really fake looking Crystal Skull"*. Or having church friends over for dinner because their job is transferring them to another state, or having our Mission Director's mother in the hospital and her going for open heart surgery tomorrow, weddings, four (don't ask) children, a clogged drain pipe and a really dirty house.

Good night for heaven's sake.

* In Hindi - Like I have time to travel two hours away to see it in English
I just noticed I wrote "Indian" Jones - Twice!