A Visit to the Taj

As promised, you're going to get to see some pictures of the Team's visit to the Taj Mahal.  The day before the team headed for home, they took a bus from Delhi to Agra and visited the Taj. This ornate building, it really is incredible to see.

The craftsmanship is exquisite. If you'd like to see a short video on the Taj Mahal, click here. Look at some of these neat views our team captured.

And now, I ask you .... who carried it best?

The team enjoyed their visit to the Taj and even got to visit a marble shop afterwards. The artisans there are descendants from the original artisans that did the marble inlay work on the Taj and they use the same techniques. 

Here are a few other pictures you don't see every day ... 

I hope you enjoyed your quick view into the Taj Mahal!

Thank you for continuing to follow this group. They have made it safely home and are ready to share their stories! Make sure to ask when you see them. One of my favorite questions is, "How did you see God working in India?"

Food Blog

So, the team is on their second flight and very close to home. They will be landing shortly. 

While we pray for their safe return and await more pictures and stories, how about a few pictures of some of the food they got to eat! I know it doesn't look like what you're used to, but it's so good!!

This is my favorite meal at Pastor Daniel and Elizabeth's house. Although, this is stacked a little more like and American would eat it. :) Aloo prantha is on the bottom and it's a typical Indian bread fill with a mixture of potato and onion and then pan fried. On top is a simple egg omelet. You can see toast and yogurt, too.

Here's a little better view and eaten a little more traditionally. They often serve fresh fruit, washed to make sure the Americans stay healthy.

Gulab Jamun is a sweet dessert, soaked in sweet syrup.

Here's the team praying before a meal.

This a typical non-breakfast meal served to the Americans. The rice is so delicious! It's basmati rice with a little onion and cumin cooked in. Dal (yellow) is a sauce that's very common and most Americans find it very tasty. They often serve chicken with some spice on it, but they always keep it tame for those with less of a spicy palate. And there is always roti, a bread similar to the texture of a tortilla, generally used to scoop other food. If you didn't know, most Indian people eat with their hands.

Another breakfast with chickpeas and poori (similar to the roti, but fried)

Indian hospitality ... always served chai or juice and a variety of tasty snacks and sweets.

When traveling, the team stopped at "Haveli." They are like very fancy rest stops with traditional India foods served. Here are some of the meals they had.

This is more of a Southern India dish, plain dosa. I don't know what the curries are.

I think this is a sampler meal, served with yummy naan (another delicious Indian bread).

They don't shop at Meijer or Costco ... most of the food is fresh from stands, including the eggs, milk, chickens (live), and fruit.

And the team did partake in a couple of fine-dining American restaurants ...

I hope you enjoyed this short glimpse into some of the Indian food (and not-so-Indian) food that the team got to experience.

Story Time

The team is currently on their first flight back to our side of the world. Yesterday, they visited the Taj Mahal, but you'll have to wait to see those pictures because they didn't have wifi to share them with me. It was very foggy in the morning, so they were afraid they wouldn't get to see it ... but it cleared up! So, maybe we'll get you some pictures after they get home.

In the meantime, I thought we could share a couple stories about some of the translators/volunteers at the eyeglass clinic.

This is Madhu. She worked translating, but also learned the skills to help fix and fit the glasses at the last station. 

For the last few months, Madhu has wanted a guitar and her family couldn't afford to buy one for her. You might not know this, but part of the cost of going on a MOST Ministries trip is used for giving a small monetary appreciation gift to the translators. They put in several days of long hours and hard work and the clinic absolutely could not be done without them. On the last day of clinic, when she received her envelope with the gift, she was so happy because she can finally buy herself a guitar. She's looking forward to learning how to play it. In the last few days, they've already found her a guitar teacher in Dasuya and she plans to play in church to help lead worship.

This is Sunny. Sunny was a translator for Brad, but told them he would only be able to work the first day. 

The partnership with Brad was unique because both were first-timers for the clinic. I was told that on the very first day, they were such a great team that he ended up working all four days. He said he learned a lot through the clinic and his great bond with Brad gave him confidence to speak in English.

The last story is actually very sad, but really shows the Christian love of the church family at Everlasting Life Ministry. It starts with a man named Rajan. Rajan served at every eyeglass clinic we have done at Everlasting Life Ministry. He and his family have been so instrumental in, not only the eyeglass clinic, but in caring for the American teams and also in the congregational life of the church.

Sadly, Rajan lost his life in a tragic work accident a week before our team arrived for the eyeglass clinic. Rajan leaves behind is wife, Reeta, and four children. You might expect that his family would take this clinic off and take time to grieve. But they showed up every single day. Reeta helped with the food for the team. His oldest daughter, Priyanka, who has been translating for the last several trips, continued to work every day, translating and working with Melinda at the station where people get their prescription fine-tuned. Having worked with her on my last trip, I know she is an incredible help and amazing at explaining things to the people coming in. The second daughter, Rikita, also helped during the clinic, translating at the last station and helping make sure people received glasses that fit them and were clean, with a case to go with them. She was a great help for Brian. Grace and Joel are just so sweet and always endearing to the Americans.

Rikita, Grace, Melinda, Joel, Priyanka

Rikita, Joel, Reeta, Kathy, Priyanka

We know this family is in great pain, but they continued to serve at the eyeglass clinic, knowing that what they are doing could make an everlasting difference for someone. Please pray for Reeta, Priyanka, Rikita, Grace, and Joel as they mourn. Pray that God would provide the financial means they need for their daily life.

We thank God for all of the volunteers and translators that made the eyeglass clinic possible. We pray that He keeps them strong in their faith and service to Him.