Thursday Update

Thursday

I love Thursday’s in India!  Thursday's nights each week are when the Thursday market happens in the village where we walk each day!  People start setting up around 4:30pm, and the market goes until 10:30-11:00pm.  Fruits, vegetables, meat, sunglasses, clothing, you name it.  Many of the vendors set up right on the sidewalk, placing the equivalent of blue tarps from Walmart on the ground, and then covering it with their wares.  We noticed this time, from the last two visits, that now some of the vendors have rented tables to put their things up higher.  The other new addition is that most of the lighting now comes from LED lights which are powered by small car battery-sized batteries.  It all used to be by gas lanterns.  And the market goes for blocks and blocks and blocks.  It is crazy fun!  Since open-air markets are my favorite thing to do when visiting other countries, I was geeked for this!  And as we walked closer and closer to the market, more and more vendors were pushing their carts full of their goods.  It was obvious by the flow of foot traffic where the market was.  And as time went on, more and more and more people came!  The streets got busier and busier as time when on.  The village was a bustle, and so fun to be a part of it!  

We bought our usual things, fruits, some vegetables, and chicken.  Having friends at Covenant from south India, we also went to the spicewala to get them some spices.  We hope it will make it through customs when we return to the States and hope it’ll be a nice surprise for them.  They haven’t been back to India since they moved to Covenant a few weeks before us and we thought it’d be nice to get them something… not knowing if what we got is useful, enjoyable, etc to them.  Only time will tell, I guess, right?!

Sidewalk tattoo, anyone?  Yikes!

Soup from a bicycle, anyone?

We also got another very sweet experience yesterday.  Aslam is from a village that takes 3 days to get to by train.  Aslam’s wife and children still live in the village.  Aslam left the village many years ago and became a driver in Calcutta in order to support his family back in the village.  After an employer he worked for there moved to Delhi, he moved here to continue driving for this person.  He is able to go back to his village when Karl is out of town (back in the States, etc) or for other things.  But going home is a big deal.  Even bigger is when his wife is able to come to Delhi to visit.  And she brought their youngest son (he’s 10 or 11) to come and meet us!  So they arrived yesterday by train and are here!  It was an absolute joy to meet them and we are excited to be able to spend time with them over the next week or so.  We are very honored that they would make such a huge sacrifice to come and see us and meet us.  This is a huge deal!  

Last night, after getting home from the market, the chorus team was here at Karl’s place practicing for corporate worship.  Since there is no church building and no office/meeting space, the pastor’s house is where everything happens (church board meetings, chorus practice, etc).  So we got home from the market, Karl made supper, and the chorus team practiced in the living room while we ate.  Esther was transfixed on the team and watched intently the entire time.  She was less-than-pleased that she had to go to bed.  She agreed with me that it would be a good idea if I left the kids’ bedroom door propped open so she could listen and fall asleep to the music.  I haven’t seen her taken in by music like that before.  It was pretty neat to see.  

Lastly, another example of life’s difficulties in India for you.  The washer and dryer have not been working.  Nor have three outlets in the main living area.  So, Aslam called the electrician to have him come and fix them.  The man has come three times and none are yet working.  So, that means that Kathee has been doing laundry for the six of us, by hand, each day, and then hanging our clothes up to dry.  Bear in mind that multiple of our children go through more than one outfit a day.  LOTS OF WORK!  So why do you just call someone else?  Contact the Better Business Bureau or something.  As we were walking through the market a few days ago, Aslam asked me if I knew why we “chose” this certain grocery store to go to instead of the many other ones.  I had no idea.  Apparently there is a specific place to pay for things, electrician, groceries, etc, and that if you don’t go to those places, the landlord may evict you in short order.  So, whether the prices are good or not, you go to these different places in order to stay living where you want.  Thus, you have an incompetent electrician come back three times because if you call someone else you could end up without an apartment.  Seems like a solid racket to me, doesn’t it?  And so, you see the frustration?  When I was growing up, my dad always said, “

It’s the little things that kill a guy.”  That euphemism is all-too real here in India.  We call India “the Land of the Almost.”  That is because everything is close, but just a little off.  It’s almost.  And it’s the “almost” that makes life hard and frustrating here.  And yet, because God is our Savior, we are able to give grace, be understanding, and love beyond what we are capable in and of ourselves.  

That’s it for Thursday’s update.  Thanks for reading!