Teddy Bears and Money

Jenny and I had an interesting discussion a couple of days ago that really made me think. For some reason, we started talking about having stuffed animals when we were younger. Jenny shared some about her home life that was interesting, but I won't go into to much detail. What caught my attention was when she started talking about a doll that she wanted in a store. She said that when she was a child, she would pass the store and daydream about having the doll. Unfortunately, it was too much money, and a doll is a frivolous thing to buy.

She explained that when she was young, she used to love WaiWai (the instant noodles that are delicious that made me sick earlier). But WaiWai was 10 rupees, which back then was probably around .30 or .40 cents. Her parents couldn't afford it, let alone buy her a doll. When she shared that, I instinctively tried to relate to her story by saying that my parents didn't have much money when I was a baby. I shared about how they were young and both had school to pay for, but I didn't go on. The more I talked, the more I understood that our situations were completely different. I only have my story and knowledge to use to try to understand Jenny's story, but it isn't enough. My world in America is a million times different from Jenny's here. Her family's poverty when she was a child can't begin to come close to mine.

Yet we are alike in so many ways. After she told me that story and I shared about my family, she told me that when she was old enough to have some money of her own, she bought several stuffed animals. I shared my young love of stuffed animals. We reminisced about piling them all on our beds, millions of miles away from each other. We lived in different worlds and had completely different levels of understanding about not having much money. But we were both teddy bear lovers as children. We both wanted things that we were not able to have. We were both loved by our parents who did their best to provide for us. I could go on. 


The world is a complicated place. I feel like I shouldn't compare myself to Jenny, but I have to. It's all I have. But by comparing my situation, the reality of hers becomes even more apparent, and perhaps it works the same for Jenny. And after that, here we both are, together, as sisters in Christ, teaching languages to missionary students at AICS. Our unlike pasts become our alike present. But even in our unlike pasts, we were still sisters in Christ, though we didn't know it. I'm so grateful for our church family all over the world.


I'm preaching this morning, so I need to get ready. I don't have any pictures from the past few days, because I haven't done anything out of the ordinary, but more adventures are coming next week. I'll fill you in soon. :)

Living by Faith

Girls from the orphanage sifting through the
rice to find rocks or dirt.

On Saturday I went with three final year students to the Thutak Nunpuitu Team (Practical Example of the Truth Team). TNT was founded in 1988, and moved to Aizawl in 1991. It serves as a home for orphans, drug abusers, alcoholics, sex workers, and the mentally ill. People come from all over North East India, as well as from neighboring countries, and TNT welcomes them with open arms. Currently, 1,041 people live at TNT, only 68 of which are workers.

Kids from the orphanage. Just me
being there seemed to make everyone's day.

I was impressed by the facilities, and was touched after seeing the children and adults who were living there. Most striking about this ministry, however, is that the workers live completely on faith. The organization receives no consistent financial backing from the government, but relies solely on donations. Because of this, there have been times when they literally did not have rice to feed everyone. They would boil water and pray for God to provide for their needs. When they arrived at the facility in 1991, the hill did not have a water supply. They prayed and miraculously water appeared in the grounds. We become so comfortable in our lives that we don’t leave room for God to work. These people have been in utter need, and God has provided for them. Wow.

So sweet.

This is in the section for the mentally ill. This lady was
so happy to see me. She grabbed my hand and showed
me around the whole place.

After going to TNT, we drove to a scenic spot on the
top of a nearby hill. Behind me is part of Aizawl.

Naga food, Naga style. :)

In the evening, I went to one of the student’s family’s house, where we had a bite to eat. But the real meal was served at the principal’s house. One of the professors, Senti, is from Nagaland. He prepared a special Naga meal for Jenny and I (since neither of us had ever had Naga food before), which we ate on bamboo leaves! So much fun!

They aren't sleeping this time! haha. ;)

On Sunday evening I preached again. This service went much better than last week. My supervisor, Pu Zolawma translated. (“Pu” is the title given to a respected male elder, “Pi” is given to a woman). The people were very attentive and kind, and I enjoyed meeting them all after the service. The week before, I preached at Luangmual. This Sunday I preached at Ramhlun South. Next week I’ll be preaching at a small church on Sunday morning. So many sermons, so little time! (Except I’ve been using the same sermon every time haha).

I’ve been busy editing student’s sermons for chapel, grading papers, and having class. When I’m not working on those things, I’m reading Lord of the Rings or watching TV (usually The Mentalist). I think these last few weeks will be especially busy. I’m definitely over the culture shock hump, and now I’m trying to make the most of the time I have left. I want to do so much, but my stamina only lets me do a little bit every day. Why does traveling have to be so exhausting?

PS Pray for Jenny’s aunt and uncle who lost their 3 month old baby this morning. The baby had health problems since birth, and last night things took a turn for the worst. Jenny is in Aizawl tonight grieving with her family over the loss of her cousin. Keep them all in your prayers. Thanks.

Church, School, and Crazy Cults

Jenny and I eating baby mangoes at the
principal's house in the city

On Friday I went to the seminar on the problem of rape in Mizoram. Unfortunately, the entire seminar was in Mizo, but I brought along the kindle, so I just read The Lord of the Rings for three hours straight. haha. I didn't stay for the whole thing. Jenny and I ducked out during tea and went shopping for the rest of the afternoon. I wasn't planning on going back out on Saturday, since I had spent all day Friday in the city, but Mom, Jenny, and Rengpuii wanted me to join them on a little outing. Apparently the principal has a house near the city. The house they're living in now belongs to AICS, which makes sense. In about a year from now, she will be retiring and moving to the other house, so she wanted to plant a couple of trees now. The Baptist Church of Mizoram has a forced retirement age of 62, which is why she'll be leaving AICS. Anyways, we went to her other house in order to plant a couple of trees. It was a fun outing, and I was able to see a new part of the Aizawl area.

Preaching on Sunday at a local church

I preached at a local church on Sunday morning. A few days earlier I had given the pastor a copy of my manuscript so that he would be able to look it over in order to translate it. I didn't know what to expect when I got there, and I arrived when the singing had already begun. Being late wasn't my fault, I promise. When I got up on the stage, the pastor told me to present my entire sermon, and then he would give the translation. I saw that he had my entire sermon typed up in Mizo. This wasn't what I expected, but it worked well. After the sermon, I asked two AICS students who had attended if his translation was good. They said that it was almost word for word, which is encouraging. After church, I had tea with the pastor at his house. He said that I will be a great preacher someday and that my sermon was very applicable for the Mizo context. :) Then we had tea again at a church elder's house. After another service in the afternoon and Singspiration at night, I was exhausted!

The daughter of the church elder where we had
tea on Sunday. Isn't she too cute?!

Nothing new has happened in terms of my classes this week. Yesterday I had the opportunity to do a devotion at a local elementary/junior high school. I spoke very briefly on fear and Paul and Silas. It was a simple message, but I could tell that they were all paying attention and enjoying it. This morning (Thursday) I preached at chapel. The theme I was given was "Stir us up, oh Lord!" from a gender perspective. I felt really good about it, and it's always encouraging when students and professors come up after to thank you. As you can see, I've been busy every day, and I have many more busy days to come. 

I meet with my supervisor every week, and this week I asked him about a building called "Solomon's Temple." It's a large white church-like building on the top of a hill nearby. On Sunday we drove past it, and someone mentioned a few things about it and I was curious to learn more. Apparently, it's a cult led by a charismatic man. Initially, he simply wanted to break away from the Presbyterian and Baptist churches, which were, according to him, becoming to worldly. Eventually, though, his "holiness" driven move grew into some crazy beliefs and ideas. Now he has a large following and a lot of wealthy members. Other cults have sprung up in Mizoram, including one which has given Mizoram a name in the Guinness Book of World Records. The largest family in the world (200+ people) is in Mizoram! My supervisor told me that they live close to Aizawl, and someone else told me that the father figure has about 34 wives (some of which he supposedly inherited from his father...ew). Thought y'all would be interested in that.

I've been getting homesick lately, but I'm over halfway there. And I wouldn't trade this for anything, even if it's hard... or maybe especially because it's hard. <3

I couldn't help but take a picture of this beautiful flower.
It may be humid here, but look at what grows!

I bought this cute rubber shoes for less than $4 (I got two other
pairs as well). Oh wait... what's that by my foot?

Here, Lara, this is for you. Looooooove youuuuuu. <3

A sap wearing a puan with an umby eating momo? You don’t see that every day.

Hello all. This entry was intended for last Thursday. I tried to post it, but the internet in the computer lab has been down for about a week. I'm using another source of the internet right now. I'll try to give another update soon, but who knows if I'll have the internet!

As of last Thursday:

Translation of title: A white person wearing a traditional Mizo skirt with an umbrella eating chicken dumplings?

Rengpuii and I on our way into the city.

Yesterday, I went into the city with Rengpuii (Mom and Dad’s maid/cook). I was craving some sweets, and I don’t have class on Wednesdays, so I thought it would be fun to get out. Plus, it was a holiday! Our first stop was a government office, where Rengpuii was going to get the principal’s family approved for food rations. I tried to understand how the rations work, but either I wasn’t paying close enough attention or the English explanation was a little off. Pretty much, the Indian government intended the rations to be for the extreme poor, but at least in Mizoram a ton of people use them. I think that it pretty much means that your family is allowed to buy a certain amount of food from the government stores, which is significantly cheaper than in private stores. Unfortunately, after waiting for almost an hour, Rengpui found out that she needed her I.D. in order to complete the process, which she had left at AICS.

From there we went to eat (it was after noon, so we were both very hungry). I had momo at the Millennium Center. That’s the mall-type place I went to a couple of weeks ago. Then we went to an ATM so that I could get money out. After a few other errands, we headed back. On the way there, we rode with Faka, who is one of AICS’ drivers. But he had gone back before we were done, so Rengpui and I took the city bus. Note to self: the city bus becomes very busy on weekday afternoons when school lets out.

Craziest bus ride ever. haha. It was like taking
the Paris metro during rush hour, but on a bumpy,
mountainous bus ride in India...

My sister told me that she’s planning on going to Disneyland in a few weeks. Well, Lara, I had an Indiana Jones ride like you wouldn’t believe. Haha. Imagine the Indiana Jones ride, but in the Indian rainforest… cliffs without railings, surrounded by jungle, rain pouring down, twists and turns, crazy bumps… Now picture all of that while standing in the back of an EXTREMELY crowded bus. You’re trying to hold on to the railings for dear life, because one turn and a misplaced hand could end up with you flying out of the back door of the bus, the back door that isn’t really a door, but more of an entryway because it’s wide open. It was so much fun!!! :D

In the bus, taking a fast photo during one of the
very short stops.

The day before the fourth, I started to set out my red, white, and blue outfit, but I realized that I didn’t really have anything red to wear. So I made it my goal on Tuesday to get a red puan to wear for the fourth. I asked some people who were going into the city to buy me one, but they ended up calling Jenny and Mom and asking them to pick one up for me while they were out. Mom bought one for me and wouldn’t let me pay her back. (They’re about $4, but still…). So I had an awesome outfit. Haha. And at the end of chapel, the principal had me come up and say a few words about the holiday and America. A handful of people wished me a happy Independence Day, and I plan on returning the favor on August 15 (Indian Independence Day).

I'm so ridiculously patriotic here haha.

I am preaching this Sunday morning and next Sunday night, and I’ll be doing another chapel on Thursday morning of next week. Not to mention a seminar I’m going to tomorrow on the issue of rape in Mizoram and another trip I’m taking next Saturday to I can’t remember where. In other words, I’ll be busy for the next week and a half! But I’ll be preaching the same sermon I preached before, only this time it will be translated into Mizo. I’m excited to see what working with a translator is like, since I’ve never really done that before. I think we had one once when I was in France, but it definitely wasn’t me being translated. This should be quite the adventure!

I’m getting to know the students better and better. Today I took tea in the cafeteria with the students for the first time. I have no idea why I never did it sooner. I have decided to do it every day from now on. The girls I sat with are some of my BD students. They’re very sweet. One of them is from Nagaland (a state north of here), so she doesn’t speak Mizo. All of the students are supposed to speak English all the time, but they always speak Mizo when they’re away from the principal (who fines them for not speaking English). But since this girl can’t speak Mizo, everyone is forced to speak English with her. In other words, they’re good people for me to hang out with because they speak English all the time and not Mizo. J I’m looking forward to getting to know them better over the next few weeks.

I miss you all, but more adventures await me here!

ka ngai che ("I miss you" in Mizo)

Who joined the AICS choir? This girl!

I haven't written in a week, but that's mostly because I haven't had any crazy exciting adventures to tell. It's also because I've been busy and simply not motivated to blog lol. My classes are getting better and better every week. The students are becoming more comfortable, and I am getting the hang of teaching English. We spend half of the class going over grammar (mostly verbs and the occasional problem I hear outside of class). For the second half of class we have a theological discussion. During the discussion, I correct any grammar problems I hear, but it's mostly to get them talking. They'll learn simply from listening to each other and from trying to formulate their thoughts in English. It's going well. So far I have discussed polity with my BD and MDiv students and what people of other religions think of Christians with my missionary students.

On Wednesday night I woke up in the middle of the night sick. I felt a little better in the morning, but it took all of Thursday to recover. Apparently, the top ramen-like packaged noodles I ate made me sick. I bought them at a little store students can walk to from the campus. They have a spicy seasoning that tastes delicious, but they said that on a relatively empty stomach it can make you sick. I had had it twice before, but it made me sick this time. I won't be eating that again haha.

After the afternoon and evening services,
we all shared tea together. mmm.

From Friday through Sunday there was a retreat. Every year AICS holds this retreat. They had a speaker come in from a theological college near Kolkata. It was a service-packed few days. Starting Friday night, we had a total of nine services, each lasting at least an hour and a half, some were over two hours. Let's just say I'm taking today to rest... One of my favorite parts about the weekend was hearing one of the speaker's stories. His story was about a guest speaker at his church a while ago. Everyone expected a sermon, but she simply stood up and said, "Christ loves you." She said one or two other sentences and then sat down. Feeling slightly shocked because of the short message, the congregation asked for the opportunity to ask her a few questions. One person stood up and expressed his anger that she was running a ministry that fed poor Muslims. He asked her why she was encouraging them. She answered that it was because she saw Christ in their faces. Who was this speaker? Mother Teresa. She was his guest speaker. NBD (that means no big deal, grandma and grandpa). ;) haha.

Singspiration singing. Can you find me? haha.

Because of the busy weekend, everyone has today (Monday) off. I had the opportunity to go into the city, but I declined. I just need some time to rest and be alone. I think that a little culture shock hit me within this past week, so some time to myself is much needed. I'm not in Kansas anymore. I've actually never been to Kansas... But seriously, I won't deny that I miss the comforts of home. And I'm sad that I will miss 4th of July festivities, but you better believe I'll be sporting my red, white, and blue all the way in India. ;) I've been on this trip for seven weeks and in Mizoram for four weeks. I have just over six weeks left. It's flying by. Don't get me wrong, I'm really grateful for this opportunity, and I'm learning so much about Mizoram and about myself... but I'll be glad to see my friends and family. I love and miss you all! <3