India is coming to an end

Wednesday Jan. 25th
I can't believe it's already drawing to a close, the time has really passed by quickly! We left Goa by train yesterday to come to Pune, which is a few hours from Bombay (now called Mumbai). We had a chance to talk to the YWAM base here about the Jewish World Office, the School of Jewish Studies, the need to reach out to all the Israelis coming to India, and our plans to bring the school here (probably 2007), and then we led their prayer time, focusing on the above.

We spent the rest of the day listening to a great speaker named Anna George who talked about tactics of warfare, vision, and purpose. We got to tour the base (a new facility, recently paid off by a huge offering in Brazil that we were part of back in September), had a nice lunch, then got stuck in traffice (bad enough to rival Los Angeles) while attempting to see the city. There is supposed to be a really nice Synagogue here, one of the oldest in India, that we didn't get to see due to the traffic jam. (Tmw is "Republic Day" where they celebrate their independence from Brittain and they were already closing off some of the streets-I guess for parades.)

It's midnight now and we catch our last train in 4 hours to return to Delhi. I think it's about a 27 hour ride from here. Then we'll meet up with the DTS team and spend the last couple of days there with them.

As for how things have been going (meetings, visiting properties, etc.) it's been great, and I'll share more details another time, when it's not midnight. (We left Goa yesterday afternoon for the 14 hour train ride to get here at 4:00 a.m., so I'm a bit sleep deprived-and yes, this next train departs at 4:00 a.m. as well-same train, we just took a "lay-over" here in Pune.)

Please keep Michael and me in prayer for this long journey, and for our flights onward. He'll be flying to Korea as I make my way back to the U.S. (via Zurich, Switzerland-and no, I don't get to go skiing or anything like that, I only have 5 hours [starting at 6 a.m.] so I will probably not get beyond the airport-and I don't even have any more good books with me!).

Well that's it for now-I leave early Monday morning (really late Sunday night-1:45 a.m.-don't I pick great travel times???) and I'll be in Chicago around 8:00 p.m. (I change plans again in D.C.). Michael leaves Monday night, and I'm not sure when he arrives in Korea.

My cell will be back on as soon as I land in the U.S. on Monday, so give me a call!

Thanks again for all your prayers!
Love,
Monica
p.s. Please pray that I have no more encounters with rats, mice, or cockroaches, I feel like I'm being attacked!!!

Trains in India

Overall, the train travel was a good experience. On the first train (Delhi to Varanasi, about a 14 hour trip), I sat with a very nice Indian (Hindu) family. They spoke English, and the father and I had a very good conversation. He talked about the importance of sacrifice, and how we feel more satisfied when we sacrifice for others. Now I should know this from the Bible, right? But I live in America, and we often (or at least I often) want what we want, and rather than sacrificing what we want to please or satisfy others, we sacrifice others to please and satisfy ourselves. It really made me think. Then the following day I went from Varanasi to Mumbai. This trip was supposed to be 26 hours but was closer to 29. This time I sat with an English guy (maybe around 28) and 3 Korean girls. The girls were sweet and shared their food with us, but didn't talk with us much. They may not have felt so comfortable with English. The British guy was really interesting. He studies Buddhist philosophy and practices different meditations and things, but he doesn't necessarily consider himself a Buddhist. He had just returned from 3 months in Nepal and was on his way to the town of Itagapuri (near Mumbai) for a retreat. There he was planning to sit and meditate in silence on this 10 day retreat. And since he's done it before, he can only eat before noon, not afterwards (newcomers can eat in the evenings as well). He was really excited about it. He shared a book with me that he has read several times about "surrender" and "living in the now". The emphasis is on staying in the current moment, rather that projecting our fears and worries into the future, or dwelling on the past (which can at times be depressing and filled with regret). And he asked me "Didn't Jesus talk about surrendering?" We had great conversations during the trip, and he shared examples with me of staying in the moment and handling situatations with peace (and grace) Ex: A kid sitting next to him on a bus threw up on him. I would have found that pretty disgusting and I would not have been happy. But he looked down at his pants and told himself that nothing had really happened, it was just some food that had been in someone's stomach and it could be washed out later. Then he was able to focus on the boy and have sympathy for him and help him out.
I realized that though I didn't come to India for the purpose of learning anything, I will be learning things, even in places where I don't expect it, like from Hindus and Buddhists. And Truth is Truth. Often as Christians we believe we have a corner on the market of Truth. And yes, Yeshua/Jesus did say that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. But sometimes I think we forget that God created All of us in His image, and I'm convinced that this means any of us can at least have glimpses of Truth, if not more.

The rest of the train ride-noise and lots of people selling stuff and beggars and on the second train cockroaches (lots of them, especially in the afternoon as it got hotter and hotter). But the cockroaches are now gone and I'm left with what I learned/was reminded of from the Hindu family and the Buddhist guy. India is going to be very interesting!

Safely in India

Thanks for all your prayers, and please, keep praying! I arrived
in India around 2:00 a.m. and that went well. The driver from my hotel was
waiting for me, so that was great. The room was shabbier than I expected,
but the bed was comfortable and there was a bathroom, so that was good.
However this afternoon just going to the train station to get a ticket was
somewhat overwhelming. It's very crowded and people approach you all the
time and there are all kinds of vehicles (not just cars, all kinds) and then
the occasional cow walking down the street (actually I think theyre pretty
cute). I couldnt get a ticket for the train I wanted, so Ill be spending
an extra night in Delhi. That cuts short my time in Varanasi, but thats
okay. So anyway, please continue to pray for my safety, I'll be on the
train alone for over 50 hours (that's two separate trips, one short, one
long) plus a 12 hour lay over in Mumbai (Bombay). Pray also that I don't
get discouraged or too overwhelmed. Thats it for now-