This is a clip from our Church's Worship Team's first CD. This song makes me feel like getting up and dancing and I love the Indian feel to it. Ahhh, Ahh, ahh, Ahh, Ahh, Ahh, Ahh, Ahhh...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hX7BDabNG0

Pehla Kadam

It was a very exciting Sunday. Our church's worship team finally released their long awaited first Hindi music CD. "The First Step," "Pehla Kadam."

All songs are original* and written and sung by our own team of guys -John, Jangpu, Shailesh and Dilip. We're so proud of them and the CD is truly: really good!
John, Shailesh and Dilip

O. with the team

Ladies selling the CDs, my hair is not dealing well with the humidity...

100/- ($2) per CD. Want one? Let me know!

* One song is anonymous...

My Garden June 22nd

Beans, Tomatoes and Banana

G.'s First Day Of School Ever - Finally!

G.'s Nasty Scar

I can't really get close up shots with O.'s camera but these are the best there are.

G.'s foot is nasty looking - I'm not real happy with the treatment she received, but since I wasn't there, I can't really complain - too much.

She'll go to her first day of school tomorrow.

First Day In Uniform Shots

C. - so not interested in having her picture taken.
Progressing...

An O-Kay shot.

This is me not knowing the camera was set to video - funny.

Samaritan Purse

Samaritan Purse is a Christian organization that works all over the world. One of the things they do is collect shoe boxes of Christmas gifts for distribution to poor children as a way of showing Christ's love to them. We ordered 150 boxes from the organization to distribute and gave them out to 150 very happy children on Sunday after church.

It's not Christmas time but it's the beginning of school and the pencils and erasers and other school supplies that the children received in their boxes were timely and helpful.

Thanks to anyone and everyone who contributed to the Samaritan Purse Christmas project!

Once Again, The Happiest Day Of The Year

It's the first day of school here in India and I'm one happy mom! I have no pictures of first day girls to post since O. said to send them in regular clothes instead of their uniforms because it is just TOO HOT.

We are waiting on the rain and it is just not coming but it unkindly sent in the humidity instead.

G. didn't make it to her first day of school ever because she has to go to the doctor today to get out her stitches (hopefully.) I'll send her tomorrow if all goes well. The kids all just cry the first two weeks anyway...

The (Love)Birds

Here are our birds in their cage.
Five of the six - We didn't really have a choice of colors - but they're still pretty. I'm still hoping for babies... (Whenever I say that someone always replies, "Eggs.")

June 10th Garden Photos

I'm very excited about my garden. In this photo you can see my banana tree in the left corner. In the center are beans (Then need something to climb - hopefully can take care of that today. Then between the two are cashew plants! (lighter green than the beans)
Bananas! On my property! (I'm from New Jersey) This grows about a foot a day (well, the leaves pop out)

My tomato plants that I separated and transferred to distant locations last night - they seem to be adjusting well so far.

I've been trying to get to the nursery to buy some flowering plants for my garden but it's, well, it's not happening for various reasons. Maybe tomorrow...

The G. Saga Continues

Here is G. this morning, three full days after the "accident." Still hangs out in the family room watching TV.
Yesterday the doctor opened the bandage and checked the wound. A little drop of pus popped out. It's infected because of the haldi (turmeric powder) that someone put in the wound before G.got shown to the doctor that day. Another visit to the doctor tomorrow... More screaming to look forward to...

*Indians put turmeric on all wounds - it's supposed to have antiseptic properties... One Indian thing that really does work - put Colgate toothpaste on burns!

And When G. Got Stitches In Her Foot

O. and I conducted a leadership training seminar this morning for our staff. We also got our first big rain of the monsoon season. During the 2nd break O. said, "Asha (the babysitter) just called, G. got hurt."

Well, I rushed home and found out G. had hurt her foot while playing in the rain and slipped and cut the top of her foot on some tiles. One of our staff members had come to the house at the same time for some other work and rushed her right to the hospital.

I had no idea where they went and I had left my cellphone purse, etc. at the mtg. At last we found them after rushing all over the city in the mud on a motorcycle. G. was already bandaged up and getting her medicine from the shop by the time we got there. She got a little weepy when she saw me but not much. Then she said, "You weren't here." :(

She's been a trooper, hasn't complained, just sits like a little angel with her ankles crossed and watches TV.

God was good to me, he knows I cannot handle the sight of my children's blood, it makes me go a little insane. I haven't even seen the injury - It's all bandaged up til we go back to the Doctor on Wednesday.

Back On

Internet was down for a few days, but it's working now.