Planning and Plotting

Well, after a LONG delay in posting, I am finally back again with a bit of wonderful news...we are finally planning a trip to Mumbai, India!!! After much time in prayer, and God's provisions, we have begun the long and tedious task of making arrangements for our long-awaited trip. So far, we have gotten a "game plan" in place for the sights we want to see, and what areas of Mumbai we actually plan to visit. Our hotel is about 99% chosen. Our visa applications (and pictures) are ready to be mailed. We have a pretty good idea of the flights (and cities) we will layover in. I was blessed by my awesome husband with a cam-corder, to video journal the event. We even know approximately when we will be going (much to the chagrin of a dear Indian friend and her warnings of intense summer heat). But, the time is finally nearing!!! After 2 years, it's finally happening! I (almost) never thought I would see the day. All we need now is the most important piece to this whole puzzle...money. But I trust fully that God will provide. Things are already in the works, and so, I cannot wait to update further on our status! Stay tuned.....! :)

Biryani and Saris

Well, here I am again, after a long sabatical. I am the kind of person who needs some inspiration for things, and was lacking a little for any new blogs. But, here I am, and with two wonderful inspirations...biryani and saris!
So, I've now attained a long list of indian cooking accomplishments. I can make naan, jallebis, gulab jamuns, tandoori chicken, aloo gobi, chana masala and so many others that I cannot remember. So, the king of Indian dishes (at least to some food affecionados) is biryani, and I found the greatest, easiest recipe online buy a wonderful sikh man. It may not necessarily be "authentic", but it's truly wonderful and now one of my family's favorite Indian dishes.
And now, the saris. In the two years that we have had a "heart for India", I've never owned or even tried on a sari. But, in one night, I gained 4 saris and learned how to drape them. Basically, I met the nicest Indian lady online, whom I contacted about buying saris. She invited me over, and showed me her array of beautiful saris. She even took the time to help me drape a sari, which was very kind to say the least. As the girl in the Indian Doritos commercial says, it "makes my heart feel good!" LOL!!! If you haven't seen that commercial, you've gotta google it!
All we need to do now, is GO already!!! :)

Hindi or Hindu?

Recently, I was chatting with a cousin online, who had read my blog and was asking if I was Hindu. It dawned on me that I should probably clarify something, for those out there who are unaware of the difference between Hindu and Hindi.

Hindi is the main language of India. It derives from the original sanskrit and is usually written in the devanagari script, not with roman letters that most of us are familiar with. It can be transliterated into roman script though. Although it is the "national" language, many regions have their own language and dialect that is preferred. Punjabi, Tamil, etc. Most middle-class Indian schools will teach English, Hindi, and the regional tongue. We figure knowing Hindi and English should suffice for being a missionary.

Hindu is the main religion of India. Many gods and idols are worshipped in this religion. Kind of reminds me of a religious buffet. People seem to pick and choose which god they will devote their prayers to, especially depending on the circumstance of their life. Need good luck and prosperity? Ganesh is for you. Want a god that likes to indulge and be light-hearted, try Krishna. If one doesn't meet your needs, there's a myriad of others to choose from. Not so in Christianity. There is one God, known by many names: Yaweh, I AM, Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Raffa, Jehova Shalom, God Almighty. He is part of the Trinity: The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Almost as fingers are part of a hand, so are the Three connected together, but different as well. And the message, or gospel, is so simple...allow Him to be your Lord, Savior, Redeemer, and you will have everlasting life with Him in Heaven. Nothing complicated. And even in His perfect state (of which most Hindu gods struggle), He allows sinners to come unto Him, and He forgives them and changes them. He doesn't expect perfectionism from us, only obedience and surrender. I would much rather serve a God that cannot be "appeased" by mere human convincings. I am grateful for my God, my Savior, Who loves me, despite me. No other god can compare to that.

Sickness and Soup

Sometimes in life, you just don't have much new to say. Thus my delay in adding new posts. But, I think it's a good time to post now (while the kids are upstairs preoccupied). I had a wonderful success with making my own Indian recipe last night! My poor husband caught a cold from my daughter, and was miserable yesterday. So, last night I decided to make chicken soup. Actually, I was nearly begged to make it. But I did not feel like making my typical plain 'ol boring chicken soup. I was really inspired to add a touch of Indian flare to it. You see, I tasted a really wonderful version at our favorite Indian/Nepalese restaurant, and was hoping to find a close comparison recipe. But, to no avail. Neither my precious collection of Indian books, nor the Internet provided a satisfactory end result. I was about to just give up, but the poor hubby looked a bit defeated when I said I couldn't find a suitable recipe. So, with determination, lots of Indian cooking experience, and a "batting average of 500" (as my DH says), I armed myself with a bunch of veggies, some chicken and a variety of my Indian spices, and went to work. In about 45 minutes I had prepared one of the best Indian meals I have ever created! So, along with the Indian books I've read, the Bollywoods I've watched, the Hindi words I've learned, the accent I've aquired, the clothing and accessories I have purchased and worn, and now the knack for cooking Indian foods, I feel like I am truly becoming Indian. Now, if only I could just get to India!

Chaos and Calm

Life has been VERY busy lately! The kids and I finished homeschooling the last week of May. Then our church was moving into a new building, and so we were busy with packing and cleaning. Then a dear family member, from Pueblo, passed away. With visits in Pueblo and a memorial service in New Mexico, you can imagine all that went into that week. The following week was our annual bible conference in Tucson, AZ. This was a wonderful time of refreshment, but very busy none-the-less. After that, we were busy with getting our new church building renovation started. It's still not done, but we are in "holiday weekend mode". Also, I've been to a used book sale and have been scanning the internet for some good homeschooling ideas. Then there's "I'm bored" stoppers...activities for the kids and I to do during the summer. Oh, and did I mention that I decided to take on the hair-brained idea of painting a couple rooms in my house?! I'll be a pro at painting once it's time to help with the walls in our new church building. Whew!
Despite it all though, I'm at peace. I may not look like it all of the time on the outside, but on the inside, I know the great things that my Savior is doing in my heart. The peace He has given me through life's busy times, whether happy or sad. The love He has given me for my family, and even the stranger that walks in from the street at church. The patience that He is still teaching me with the curve balls of life, and the bickering of my kids. The challenges that He has placed in front of me, and will help me to succeed in. Our conference theme was "Preparing for His Calling, Preparing for His Coming." Either way, He is preparing me. Whether we get to answer His call to India (and any other city/country) or anticipate His coming (the time is near!), I know all that I go through in life, whether chaos or calm, He is with me, and is preparing me for whatever is down the road of life.

Comparing Apples to Apples

There is a saying we all know that goes, "comparing apples to oranges". This basically means to compare two different things with each other. So, it can be assumed that comparing Indian and Mexican food, which is as diverse and different as their cultures, cannot be compared to each other, right? Well, in regards to cooking, yes, I suppose that can still be quite true, although at times, quite the opposite. My personal favorite herb in the world is cilantro, also known as coriander. When I make salsa, I throw in large handfuls of the stuff! As well, when cooking Indian food, I am also very generous with adding it to the final product, or as a perfect ingredient. Other staples of both cuisines are garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Since moving to Colorado 20 years ago, I have become pretty experienced with cooking an array of basic Mexican foods. Then while I was experimenting with Indian recipes, I was quite astonished to realize that these common ingredients are shared with many Mexican dishes. Of course there are a myriad of differences that I could also bring to light, but for now, I just feel like comparing apples to apples.

Reading and Realization

One of my favorite things to do these days is reading Indian fiction. One book was a historical-fiction work that focused on the lives of Shah Jehan's (famous for the Taj Mahal) parents, an Emporer and Empress of Mughal India. A second book focused on the cultural understandings of how residents of an apartment building in Mumbai deal with the circumstances of a poor man who has lived on their building steps. Another book retold the life of an Indian woman and the various struggles she must face through marriage, family differences, motherhood, war and widowhood. Each of these poignant works have done two things: opened my eyes up to the social and religious struggles in India, and also brought me to the realization that I truly have learned so much about India. Now I know that the cultural differences in India are as numerous as the population count, I'm again very excited about how very much I have learned. When I read these accounts, I can easily understand what they are talking about when they mention sati or pooja, when a particular food is mentioned, when a particular character faces persecution for something, that any typical American would never understand. Just like a person cannot fully understand marriage or parenthood until they are actually in the midst of it, I know I will not fully comprehend all that India has in store. But, I am again, one step closer to empathy. You cannot minister to people if you do not understand them, their culture or their situation. One can easily judge others if one has not walked in the shoes of others. And so, through the wonder of books, I can at least imagine walking in their shoes.