CASTE AWAY

Hinduism reigns here in India. But it is not just a religion. It is interwoven into every aspect of society. The way people talk, think, and function is all vastly influenced by Hinduism. One of the unique qualities of the Hindu religion is the caste system. There are five main castes in India, each made up of several other small "sub-castes.". In Hinduism, you are born into a certain caste based on your previous life. If you lead a good life, then you move to a higher caste. If you are bad, then a lower you go to a lower one. Of course there are only a select few that are ever make up the highest caste. Naturally, these select few are the ones who are revered, honored, and served by all the lower caste. This may seem like a ridiculous concept, but this is so engrained into the minds of the people that they are completely devoted to this system. They really believe that this life is a reflection of your past life, and therefore should be treated accordingly.

Because of this view, several people suffer. One of the truly disheartening truths is that people have no sympathy for individuals born with mental/physical handicaps. It is believed they are being punished for their previous life. This leads the parents of these children to neglect the needs of this child and as much as possible, try to keep them out of the public eye.

One of most powerful things we have witnessed here in India, is the program called Oasis of Love, ran by the people we are staying with. On the outside, it looks just like a place for handicapped children to spend their day. But it is much more than that. Oasis of Love is taking the rejects of society, those who have been neglected, hated, and looked down upon, and showing them that they deserve better. They are giving these kids purpose, meaning ,and love. The kids are getting an education, learning skills, and being shown that they do matter.

Once a month, Oasis of Love takes the kids out on a picnic, just to get away and have fun. We got to go with them last week...and we had a blast. The kids got draw-string packs that were made of material that they could color on. They played games, got prizes, and filled their packs up with all their new stuff. It was awesome. It's easy to just get caught up in the fun. It's also humbling to realize, that for most of these kids, before Oasis of Love, they never had the chance to just color, laugh, and just be a kid.

There is a Love that has come to restore all peoples, from every tribe, every nation, every caste.

A Few Breifs

Just a quick overview of what we have been doing the last couple days. We took a trip to Khajaraho. Khajaraho is home to several temples built over 1000 years ago. We also spent some time at the markets, where shopkeepers are extremely pushy, which takes americans out of their comfort zone! But we still had a lot of fun looking around and talking to different shopkeepers. Both of us bought Indian style shirts. Then next day we woke up at 5 AM to go to Panna Tiger Park. We saw some crocodiles, but no tigers (only a couple footprints on the road). It was incredible to just drive around the jungle. Our friend Bunty spotted more animals than our guide!


On the way to Khajaraho we stopped in a village where Hope 4 Kids had a well dug. The village had no water source until the well was built. The village was extremely happy to welcome us with an Indian band and dancing! We dedicated the well, then continued journey to Khajaraho.




Finally we came back to Damoh and have settled in. At this point, the large group with Hope 4 Kids has gone home, we are done touring India, and we have begun some regular tasks. We now have only three short weeks left here in India. Therefore, to be most productive with our time, we have decided to jump on board with Hope 4 Kids. This was their initial trip to India, so our task is to wrap up some loose ends and make a smooth transition from American to Indian leadership. We will be helping kids write letters, taking photo’s and gathering more information about different schools.

Our schedule changes everyday, but most everyday we have a devotional with the entire Mid-India Christian Mission. Then a short “thought for the day” with mama puspha (David’s mom) and a group of pastors. These pastors claim to be so encouraged that we would leave our country to come be with them. They are so excited to have us here, but we have to admit that we are the ones gaining a benefit. Everyone here holds a doctorate of some kind and has incredible leadership skills. We truly are engaging with the Martin Luther King’s Jrs, Apostle Pauls and Mother Theresas of India!

After these meetings, we go to our “office” at the mission’s production studio from 10 to 4. The rest of the day is up to us to decide.

Last night during that time we grilled some BBQ chicken (because beef is illegal in India) and some veggies for the Lalls. I think everyone enjoyed it except for mama Puspha, who didn’t each much!

Tonight we spent time with an Indian family we have come to know pretty well. Their son Mayank speaks English very well, and is enamored with us Whities. He was excited that we came over to watch Home Alone 2 with him and his mother, Sonu. After the movie they showed us their family’s picture albums, which we have found to be an Indian Tradition. These times with Indian families have been highlights for both of us.
When we left, we did our usual activities: Tag, Red Rover, and Dodgeball. Ashley got outrun by a 4 year old, but Justin was told he had a “strong body!”
This is Ashley and Justin, reporting from India. Good Night.

HOLY COW!!!

Holy Cow!...literally. Cows are considered holy by Hindus. They roam freely and are given the right of way, no matter where they are. It is not uncommon to have the cows meandering all around town, even in the middle of the street! And you do not want to hit one--even on accident. I asked one of the locals what would happen if someone were to run over a cow, even if the cow were to run in front of a car and get hit, and they said that the person would more than likely be mobbed and lynched. I couldn't believe it, and it explains why I haven't been able to find a good steak here.


We've had some unique opportunities in the last couple of days to interact with some other animals, not just cows. Randomly, we were passing through town and we spotted an elephant. Some of the people we are working with brought it over to the place we are staying and let us ride it around for a little bit.


Earlier this morning we were greeted by some snake charmers. I only held on for a little bit, but it was enough to get a picture.

Jabalpur,

नमस्ते, ग्रीटिंग्स फ्रॉम जबलपुर।

(Nameste, greetings from Jabalpur!)

We flew into Jabalpur, India yesterday and were greeted warmly (as you can see from the picture)!

The last couple of days we have been getting to know Japalpur, India. Life in Jabalpur is a little slower than Dehli. It feels like the "midwest" of India. Yesterday we went to explore a river that runs through town. It is interesting because it is surrounded by cliffs of marble. Because it's a large tourist attraction there are guided boat rides along the river.

Today we spent time at a girls-home that David Lall started here in Jabalpur. The girls are all under 18 and still in school. Our group split up to style hair and paint nails (except Justin, who refused to take part in such "girly" activities). Most of the girls spoke a little English and were able to joke around and chat. They sang and danced for us, then made us a curry lunch.

To the Taj!

We spent Friday and Saturday traveling to Agra to do some more sight seeing. Agra is home to the Taj Mahal! It was truly incredible. We also visited the Agra Fort which was home to the emperor who was responsible for the construction of the Taj Mahal. One of the unique experiences we had was visiting a store that constructs ornate marble designs using the same techniques used to build the Taj. It is an intricate process that takes days just to design a square foot of marble. The Taj Mahal itself used 20,000 artisans from Persia to construct the Taj...a process that took over 20 years! Because it was an Indian Holiday, the Taj was packed, just to get inside the monument was an hour wait! Luckily, David had hired a tour guide with connections. The guide snuck the group inside through the back exit, stating "okay, now we are going to play a little trick!" We made it inside the beautiful Taj and were able to spend a little more time appreciating it than everyone else!







As we traveled back to Delhi, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a quick pit stop at McDonalds. Since there is no beef, the most popular dish there is the McVeggie.

ARRIVED!

Last night (Feb. 24th) we made it safe and sound and we only lost one of our bags. Our host, David Lall, had to wait for us as we tried to communicate and describe our lost luggage. When we finally finished all the paperwork, David was there to welcome us--he even had flowers for Ashley. We arrived several hours before some of the other people who we are going to be traveling in India with, so we were brought to the hotel to enjoy a late dinner and go to bed.

Today we traversed around Delhi. We saw Parliament House, some monuments, temples, and even Ghandi Gardens (the place where Ghandi was assassinated). There were some nice photo ops and great food. We'll be putting up some pictures and more details later.

Pre-adventures in India

Getting ready to depart for a foreign country is never easy. Especially when you are applying for your visas 6 weeks before you depart and you realize that since becoming married, your wife's passport has not been changed to her now changed name. It was only after the fact that we now realize changing your name on all legal documents is the single most important task after getting married. If you don't change your name, it means you can not apply for a visa until the passport has been changed-which is a two week process. It actually takes longer if in the middle of the processing the government decides it doesn't want to accept your only copy of your marriage license as proof of marriage. This would mean that you must reorder another marriage certificate from the state you were married in (which in our case is a different from the state we reside) and wait for them to ship it to you--only to ship in out again the very next hour at exhorbitant shipping rates.

Once we recieved our renewed passport we only had 10 business days before we departed to get our visas--the same amount of days required to process our application. Luckily, we recieved our passports yesterday. This saved much stress, but still goes to show that changing your name on all your documents after you get married is the single most important thing to do.