Lots of fun and some struggles all in one week!

       Ok before this blog officially gets going I feel I must apologize for its lateness.   Here in India the Internet runs a little different.  It kinda works like it would on your cell phone.  You pay so much a month for so much internet.  Well I went in the other day and said I needed to pay for my internet that month (that is another thing you have to pay for it before you use it).  I was told that all I needed to to was pay Rs. 50 and that would cover me.  I thought it was too good to be true, because I normally pay Rs. 671.  But I paid the man and went on my merry way.  Well then I go to use my internet and it is working for like 20 mins then all of a sudden it stops downloading or uploading....because I was out of internet credit...and not only out of internet credit it had also eaten into my talk time credit.  So now I had no phone, and no internet :(  So that is why this blog is so late again so sorry.
Now onto the official blog!
This last week was a very long week.  It all started normal and seemed like it would be smooth sailing.  Then it was time for Drama Rehearsal.  My students had yet to make it through our show once to even know how long the show runs, because we have a time limit since it is a competion.  Our time limit is 45 mins...did I mention my show is The Diary of Anne Frank ya thats right a show that normally runs around 2 hrs down to 45 mins.  Do you feel the tension yet?  Well we finally make it through the final scene and it is time for a full run thru.  We have 1 hr and 20 mins, should be plenty of time right...wrong!  At a hour in we had not even made it through half the show.  Now I am starting to get stressed, and starting to get very concerned.  So I tell my kids I will make more cuts and they have to know their lines, because the show is one October 6th and the 11th.
Then it happened...one thing that I hoped would happen...it was the IG weekend away.  So that means that all the IGs  got to go out of town where ever we wanted to get some relaxation before we had the craziness of drama week.  So all the IGs pack up and head to a town called Mysore.  To start the adventure off right we are taking a bus to Mysore.  It is a 5 hr bus of crazy.  The roads are so curvy.  For those of you who have been to Falls Creek imagine the High Road and multiply that by 100, and you will get a rough idea of what I mean.  The drivers take some of the curves at 40-50 mph when it should be more like 10-15 mph.  At some points I would not have been surprised to hear that the bus came off one side of its wheels for a second or two.  Ok enough about the bus there, Once we finally get to Mysore we have to find the place we will be sleeping.  Our two older IGs have voted to go the expensive route and stay at a nice hotel.  Us young IGs have left our fate of rooms in the hand of one of the youngest IGs.  He said he knew a guest house for people that work for the Father, and that we could stay there cheap.  As we found out later, he did know the place but had not been there in like 5 yrs, and did not really know where it was....So now we are standing 8 white people in the middle of a town we know nothing about trying to find a guest house that we have no idea where it is.  Finally we call the guest house and they give us very vauge general directions, and finally we find it.  Once we get there we find that the room we will be in is just that one room for 8 people.  6 girls and 2 boys, but the good thing is for all the night we will be there it will only cost us Rs. 2000 for the 2 nights. (that is what the older couple was paying per night for their stay)
So once we unpacked we decided to explore the city.  One of our first discovers in this new place is the rickshaw drivers are very aggressive and all want to give you a "tour of the whole city for very low price" .  If you did not buy their tour after they dropped you off they would drive on the street next to you try to sell you again.  We also found that if you just talk to some rickshaw drivers that they are so desprate for a fare that they will walk all over the city with you showing you around for no charge hoping that the next day you will call them for a tour.
Well I do not want to drag on and on about Mysore soo basically to wrap the week up....I got sick on our second day, and did everything but did not enjoy all of it.  I got to see a palace covered in 96,000 light. I rode a camel and an elephant, and was proposed to by a crazy drunk Indian man.  So that is the weekend(if you want more details later just let me know).
Now on to the main struggle of the week.  When I am overseas I normally have a little home sickness, but this last week I had the worst case ever.  It was on the day we got home from Mysore.  We arrived back in Ooty around 9 pm, andhad not eaten all day.  So we IGs began to talk food and where to eat.  Most places in Ooty start to close around that time so we have to move quick.  We finally find this little Indian resturant that was still open.  So we go in sit down and they hand us the menus.  I look down and have no idea what anything was on the menu.  The minute I saw that I almost broke down in tears.  So I excused myself and come back to the school.  All I felt like I wanted to do was cry all night.  So I did what I do sometimes when I am upset, I turned on my iPod and played it as loud as I could.  I had been listening earlier and it was shuffling through songs about the Father.  At that point I know that the Father had to be controlling my iPod because all the songs that played were about his strength and love for us, and how even in struggles he will pull us up.  Then I decided to go to the word.  I read in Ps. and it was all about the Father providing for us, and strengthening us.  So after about 45 mins, I felt so much better and at peace.  I love how when we feel our weakest the almighty can just pull us up with the littlest things like an iPod shuffle list.
Well like always my blog is another novel.  Sorry, but I hope it give you insight into my life.  I would love to hear about you and what the Father is doing for you.

The palace in Mysore

Sore Muscles and a Quiet Corner

Well this weekend was very eventful.  My dorm and the dorm of the same aged boys went out camping at a place called Quiet Corner.  I would not really call it camping because we pretty much stayed at a retreat center in the jungle.  One of the really cool things about this place is it is run by people who know the father, and the money they raise there helps to get the word out to others.  But there will be more about Quiet Corner later.

The adventure started on Friday at 3 pm.  All the kids were checked out of school early, and all of them came running to the dorms ready to leave.  So we hopped onto the bus, and set off for Quiet Corner.

We rode on the bus for 20 mins and all was wonderful.  I sat at the very front of the bus.  I mean the very front.  If we would have had an accident I would have no hope, but to just through the windshield.

My view from my Seat

After 20 mins we told the kids that we would be walking for some of the way because the bus had to go around the long way.  So we got out cheerfully ready to walk.  It was great for the first 5 mins....then I heard our fearless leader say we would be walking 2 hrs with 32 kids...insert frown here...Then we saw exactly what we would be walking...36 hairpin bends which at some points they had signs saying that cars could only be in first gear to take them...oh did I forget to mention that we would be walking on the main road between the hills and the plains.  So the walk started slowly walking down the mountain and it got slower and slower.  In the first 10 mins. one of my little girls fell and got hurt.  She got up and kept walking.  Soon she started hurting really bad, so we called one of the other sponsors who was driving a jeep like car.  So he picked her and a few other injured girls up.  That was wonderful for the first 5 mins, until my girls figured out if they were "hurt" then they would get to ride in the car and not have to walk.  So we began to have so many "injuries".

Before I knew it we had been walking for over a hour, and it was tea time...this school has tea no matter where we are...(football game or side of a mountain)...so the kids got a box apple juice and a bag of chips.  As we were sitting there trying to catch our breath I hear a group of kids screaming because a wild animal has came out of the bush.  I run over preparing myself to see a group of crazy monkeys, a rabid dog, or a tiger(that was a big stretch).  When I get over there I find my kids staring in terror at 2 little goats.  These goats did not even come up to my knees, but my kids were screaming like the goats had already eaten one of them.  So me and the other sponsors got the job of screaming at the goats and chasing them off.

The Wild Beast!

Once we finally got moving again I had lost even more of my girls to "injuries" so they had been put in the car to ride in comfort.  We kept moving and just encouraging the boys to keep strong when they questioned why they could not ride in the car.

 The next thing I know we have lost all the girls but 2 and then we had 18 boys, 3 male sponsor, and 1 female sponsor aka yours truly.  At this point it is starting to get dark and we sponsors are starting to really get nervous about the real wild animals coming out of the jungle to get us.  So we had the kids go single file and we marched them as fast as we could possible go to make sure we were not eaten.  By this point in the journey my arms and my shoulders have been used as a crutch to help people get down the mountain.  This is were the sore muscles start coming into play...so finally we make it down the mountain to meet up with the bus again at 5:45.  (After much discussion among the sponsors we decided that our hike was about 14 km, which in miles is 8.7miles.)  We all know what great physical shape I am in, so at this point I was hurting so bad.

Once we finally get on the bus it is so nice just to sit, but when it is time to get off I start to realize how sore I really am, and I am ready to go to bed...this did not happen.  We still had not had dinner and we also had to play games.  So finally at 10pm we tell the kids to go to bed.  I got to lay my girls down for bed, but they had other plans.  They did not finally start being quiet until 11pm.  I finally got to go to sleep and it was so nice.

The next day we all got up at 7am and after a bucket bath I went to have breakfast and to get ready to go swimming.

The food I do have to say at this place was wonderful.  Everything we ate was Indian food and we had no silverware so we ate with our hands. Quiet Corner was nice compared to what I had in my head of what it might be.(insert thoughts of mud huts)  The whole retreat center was not that big but the people who kept it worked very hard to keep it beautiful, and clean which in India that is hard.

Pictures of Quiet Corner.

Our Rooms

Jungle Behind the Rooms

This trees roots grow from the branches to the ground

Closer view of the tree

A trash can...yes you put the trash in the fishes mouth

Bamboo Path

In the middle of the Bamboo

 Back to the story.  So we went swimming in the river, which was fun and great until one of the little girls figured out that there was glass in the river the hard way.  So after she got cut, my fun in the river was done....I just stood on a rock close to side so that I jump out easily if I need to.  We also got to go shopping as well.

Then today was had a little service about the father.  The whole theme of this time was Kindness...these little ones have a hard time loving each other.  So we talked about the Fathers forgiveness and his kindness to us.  It was wonderful because some the kids seemed to really understand what was being talked about.  The other great thing is some of the kids believe in other types of powers, so they got to hear about our Father.  Then later I did get a little rest, in a wonderful hammock.  So I just put my iPod in and took pictures from there.  It was such a nice break from things.

 Pictures from the Hammock

Now that I am back home and typing this I am so tired, but I am not ready to go to bed yet.  I have a day off tomorrow so hopefully I will get to sleep in.  I hope that this blog finds all of you well and that you are seeing the Father work in wonderful ways.  I can not wait to come home and tell all my stories in person.  I miss you all and I love you!!!

Happy Birthday to my ever so lovely sister!!!!!

This blog is more of a way for me to say Happy Birthday to Deb.  I have always loved having her as a sister.  I know that we have had our fights but what sisters have not had their fights.  I have loved that Everytime that I call even from another country we can spend hours on the phone.  I hope that today is a great day for you Deb!!!! I also hope that your birthday package arrives and you enjoy the things I sent.
-Love
   Melissa