It took 15 years. Yes. 15 years. I finally made it to India. I remember when my friend Marganne asked me to pray for her on her first trip..and I am pretty sure it was 15 years ago. Maybe even longer! When she came back she and I dreamed about being able to go together but it never happened. In that time many of my friends visited that huge, amazing, vibrant country. On March 2(what would have been my parents 60th wedding anniversary) I finally got the chance to see and experience some of what they talked about. Priscilla, Pattie and I left Abu Dhabi on Friday to visit missionaries that our church has in Tamil Nadu. We landed in Trivandrum and the next day we headed to the village of Erakuchelum. People, gods, goddesses, trash, colors, trees, horns, people, animals, temples, cars, tuk tuks, ....people... You get the picture. All of this lined our journey to the home of our friends and the school they started 10 years ago. The trip was quick. Only stayed there from Friday to Wednesday morning. We played with children. Visited classrooms and a couple of homes. Shared the good news of Jesus Christ with the Hindu teachers. Tried to stay cool. Watched the chickens and the turkeys in the compound yard. Laughed. Prayed. Encouraged. Learned. Came home. It was a fun trip. Being with Pattie and Priscilla(our Director of Children's Ministry) made everything just that much better. I liked India. I'm not sure I want to live there ever, but I loved the smiles on those kids faces. It was special. Mike needs to go next. I believe his friends have been bugging him, too. :)
