31st Bday the Indian way

I should really thank my mother because I had the most wonderful birthday and had it not been for her, none of this would have been possible. Truly. I felt so blessed to have had this experience.  I sheepishly admit, I'm into birthdays in a BIG way, if you're the same, then India is the place to be.  They LOVE celebrating birthdays - cake, singing, balloons, special dinner, frosting in the face fun!  First, my sister surprised me with a festive b-day banner and pancake breakfast.  Then we headed to RK beach for some sun and toes in the sand.  We ended up finding a small aquarium which was very amusing to walk through.  After which, we headed over to "The Chocolate Room" for some iced coffees and their famous house brownie sundae.  That night, we had our scheduled ladies meeting but they surprised me with a cake.  It was so sweet of them.  Indian tradition is after you've cut your cake, all of your close friends & family feed you a slice.  They made the pieces BIG and I was getting stuffed like a pinata before Cinco de Mayo.  When I returned home for what I thought was a quiet evening, I was greeted by friends with yet another cake.  By this time, I'd eaten sugar, cream and fat ALL day.  Hey, you only turn 31 once. 

Grace did such a good job and we recycled that T.P.

Neeraja made my fav Indian dessert - Gulab Jamun

Mickey Mouse pancakes with caramel walnut sauce

My sister knows me well

Visag Aquarium

I thought my nephews would get a kick out of this

At the Chocolate Room

Mint mocha something or other

Cake # 1

All dressed up for the party

Take it easy sis

oh boy

EVERYone had a turn

and they didn't take it easy on me...

YUM!

Cake # 2

See what I mean about "frosting-in-the-face-fun"?

Everyone made me feel really special

Especially this gal

Feeding the hungry & being filled

Rice, potatoes, curry and bananas were on the menu this afternoon.  Once again, Grace and I were blessed to join in on the feeding the poor outreach.  The air was filled with the smell of spices, so strong they burnt your eyes and after a few hours of packing steamy, sticky, starchy rice into bags my hands were covered in a tacky paste-like goo.  Then there was the PILE of rice to sort through.  Have you ever picked tiny stones out of mountains of rice on a black floor?  Challenging. What's the point of all this back story?  As the hours ticked by, I felt my flesh getting ticked off.  Confession: I struggled to stay joyful as I batted away tears, no, not from sadness, but from mounds of onions being sliced right next to me.  I was sitting on the marble floor, my back was hurting, my neck was stiff .  Then all of a sudden something else started cooking but it wasn't in a pot.  My heart began to grow very loud, "How on earth can you complain"?  I'll tell you, NO one can work as hard as an Indian woman.  They are strong, determined and don't complain. It was humbling. 

I soon found my joy and whistled while I worked, much to my sister's dismay.  I knew all of my "discomfort"  was NOTHING compared to the blessing I was about to witness.  As we finished and packed up the autos, my energy was pulsating.  I didn't know what to expect or what I'd see.

Grace holding the goods as we make our way into the streets



As we stepped out of the auto, I heard one of the team members ask who wanted to preach.  Without hesitating, I opened my mouth and sure enough, He filled it.  I put a demand on His authority and His power poured out over that dry, desperate ground.  The crowds gathered 50 or more and before I knew it, we were surrounded.  I don't recall half of what I said, or even for how long I spoke all I know is that I took dominion over that place.  Not a sound was heard, no distractions, just wide eyes and as I spoke about a love so powerful even death can not stop it I saw hands begin to open. I asked "Who wants to receive this love?"  The response was overwhelming.  I didn't have to mention Heaven and Hell.  These people LIVE in daily hell.  As I spoke, it hit me so hard that the mass majority have NEVER been told they are loved, or experienced anything close.  I must have said "love" 20 times, I just couldn't express it enough.  When you see these people, you know their lives have been nothing short of one horrific event after another and I imagine many of them hope to die, maybe even pray for it to end their suffering.  Little do they know that leaving this earthly misery will only begin a type of hell they could never have imagined.

Sorry.

 I know this is abrasive.
Harsh.
Hurtful.

As I've stated in my previous entries, the power of God is THE ONLY power to pierce their darkness and offer a hope and a light.

I thanked Him for this opportunity.  To feel discomfort, humility, fear, pain, sorrow even embarrassment for my own comforts and luxuries my life affords.  When you get mad at sin, you feel the weight of grace as never before and security in a Father's loving promises. 

"He who shuts his ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in his own time of need." -Prov 21:13

"Lord, when did I see you hungry or thirsty........?"

"......whatever you do to the least of these......"

"....you did for ME."

"Love your neighbor as yourself" -Matt 22:39

Fish Market

Visag's fish market is quickly becoming one of my most favorite places, quite possibly in the world.  The harbor is buzzing with people inquiring about the catch of the day.  The fish is fresh, the air is not.  You'll see a wide array of characters all as equally unique as the aquatic life they are peddling.  As a photographer, it can be overwhelming.  Every turn and place you look is one photo-op after another. You can't lift your lens to your eye quickly enough.  It's a visual feast and a sensory delight. It's many things and almost hard to explain.  It's an experience not to be missed if you visit this fascinating coast.

All the boats docked in the harbor

Some type of shark

Check out the size of these sword fish.  This guy was more than happy to pose for pictures with his prize catch

I photographed this SAME woman during my last visit to the fish market.  She came up to me saying she remembered me from 2 years ago and could she see the photograph I took.  This made my day!  Literally thousands of people and we meet each other again!

HUGE tuna steaks that sell for a lot of money

This grandma was too cool.  She insisted on a photograph and I happily obliged. Its very common for Indians not to smile but I can see one peeking out

This beautiful girl was from the old woman's family and she was something else.  She spoke decent English and tried to act like a sullen teenager.  I soon had her laughing and eating Jelly Bellys

Anytime is a good time for chai - favorite shot of the day

They desperately tried to sell me these crabs, they look too beautiful to eat.

The majority of the smell comes from literally thousands of fish drying in the hot sun.  They import their products both domestically and internationally.


You feel like you've stepped back in time or onto the pages of National Geographic.  I always feel blessed to visit and walk among the hard working locals of Visag's fish market.

Now stop...henna time

The ladies and I treated ourselves to some henna for Christmas.  There was a booth at the mall (how American).  The price was right and the designs were hard to choose!  Afterwards, we all had the challenge of doing our hair, taking off jewelry or brushing our teeth with wet henna hands.  It took forever to dry, but it was worth the wait!

These guys are super quick

Finished product. Look at all the detail!  Bridal henna will go all the way up to the elbow, front and back on both hands and takes hours!

Grace had her palm done

Courtney's hand.  Once it dries, it looks like mud or clay and you just rub it off and leave it until the next day.

Henna stains can last a few days to a month depending on the quality of the paste, individual skin type and how long the paste is allowed to stay on the skin.  Everyone has their own "tricks" to make it darker, ie, lemon juice and sugar, coconut oil or even Vick's vapor rub.
I love my design and will definitely be practicing my skills to get this good! 

Say "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh......"

Last time I was in India, I needed an emergency root canal and crown.  Well, it wasn't done very well and before you go..DUH, you had it done in India, I must come to their defense.  They have excellent dental care and very educated doctors etc.  But, just like anywhere in the world, sometimes, you get a bum deal.  Needless to say, my old crown had broken off and was just a hot mess. 

So, our good friends suggested Dr. Satish's skills.  I was VERY hesitant at first (to say the least) due to my previous experience: NO gloves, NO shoes, NO pain treatment, NO privacy and NO good. 

To my delight, I walked into a well lit, air conditioned, modern dentist's office and was greeted by a smiling, kind man.  Dr. Satish.  We told him he reminded us of Jack Black.  He was happy to help and I was happy to pay $70 for the entire procedure - only in India!

Dr. Satish & Dr. Lakshmi about to remove my old crown

No, that's not a piece of corn

Close up!  Old cap is off

They had to bring in heavy equipment to loosen this old thing.  No pain though!

I don't have a pic of the new crown, but trust me, it's beautiful.  I'll show you all when I return home - if you like.  I was VERY happy with my experience and felt secure in Dr. Satish's hands the whole time!  I made a new friend and left with a new tooth.  I also introduced Dr. Satish to Reese's peanut butter cups.  He told me he'll eat them in secret, after all, who gives their dentist sweets??!

Aruku Mountains

Finally after MANY roadblocks, I'm able to post again!  First, the website wouldn't load, then the keyboard wouldn't work and finally there's always the daily power cuts that make everything just that much harder.  But, here is our trip to Aruku.  What an amazing couple of days.  Back to road blocks.  A 3 hour journey took us 8 due to the locals protesting some mining plant that wants to come in.  We would literally drive 20 minutes and then have to wait 30 until they felt kind enough to let us through.  At one point, we thought we'd have to turn all the way around and try again the next day.  I was like...."NO WAY".  I told the girls, start praying, we are NOT going all the way home.  By His grace, we did make it all the way up the mountain to our destination. 

This place is breathtaking both visually and literally.  It's about 25 degrees colder up here and the altitude makes the air thin and fresh.  The sites were gorgeous and made the LONG drive up less tedious. At some points, you couldn't believe it was real.

Grace looking out at the amazing view

The locals blocking the roads

The beautiful mountain house

Very happy to have finally arrived


We were blessed to get to spend time with the children who live here on the property.  They  taught us some dances and we taught them some English songs

The girls teaching us a dance

These guys were the best!  They got a kick out of our face painting skills

Playing musical chairs

They LOVE bubbles!

Aruku is famous for its coffee

This is David Delaughter.  He drove us up and saved us from the bumpy local bus ride!  He's good friends with the owner of the coffee house

Three girls VERY grateful for a good cup of coffee

The children's Christmas production

This is the heater they gave us for the chilly nights.....live coals!!

The drive down the mountain was the highlight of the trip.  We left early in the morning to see the sun coming up over the mountains.  You didn't need to say anything, just sit in amazement