2nd half

The 2nd half of our week was just as full as our 1st half.
Wednesday morning we stopped by Jojo and Richa's shop and then headed up the mountain with Prem to Mussoorie for most of the day. We went up to the top where you can see the snow capped peaks of the Himalaya's, ate lunch at a little local restaurant for almost 3 hours, and walked and shopped on the main street through town. Later that night we went to Prem and Santoshi's for dinner. So.Much.Fun. Tons of food, laughter, fellowship and dancing. My favorite part by far though, was when we first got there.

Prem took us down the hill and across the river to where they are in the process of building a new house. The land is purchased and the foundation is laid. He is building it little by little as he saves the money over time. He showed us the layout of the house, explained somewhat of what the finished product will look like, and then asked if we would pray over the foundation of his house. That was a cool moment to share together. Everyone prayed, including Prem. I've never heard him pray before-he's told me that he's never prayed in front of other people. It was neat. I know that our Jesus is pursuing his heart in a big way and the He has big things in store for that family.



Thursday we went to Haridwar and Rishikesh. Haridwar is about an 11/2 hours from Rajpur, and Rishikesh is about 45 min from Haridwar. They are both sort of "religious central" for many different religions. We explored quite a few different temples and praying points and also went to the point of the Ganges river where Hindus come to "cleanse" themselves of their sin by washing 3 times in the river water. We learned a lot about Hinduism. It was neat to have Prem with us because that is how he was raised and also what he believes. He explained a lot to us. I also loved that we spent the day learning more from him about what he and his family believes. I think all too often we have the mindset of teaching and telling, rather then stopping to learn from others about their beliefs and what is important to them. I realized how little I actually know about one of the main religions of where I have lived for the past 10 months. It's a crazy complicated religion, but I'm thankful to at least have a better understanding of why Hindu's believe what they believe.
That night we went back and had dinner with Dave, Mel, and the boys, along with Isaac and Ravi. Ravi cooked Thai food for everyone and we spent the night hanging out together. So fun.





Friday was filled with one more trip out to the orphanage for goodbye's, lunch at Motti Mahal, Chai with Prem's fam, getting Henna done on our hands, dinner made by Bimla with friends, lots of goodbyes, and the night train to Delhi.





We got to Delhi really early Saturday morning and were picked up by our driver, Anil, who then took us to Agra for the day to see the Taj Mahal and such. I think its safe to say that we all learned a lot. Definitely got a good history lessen in there with our guided tours. Other then being so HOT outside it was great. We toured the Taj Mahal, learned about how the marble inlay was made, ate a yummy lunch, and then toured the Agra Fort.

Sunday was a pretty chill day. Slept in, found some lunch, searched Delhi for authentic Indian Hair Extensions (Shay and Shalese were pretty determined to find themselves some hair for prom this year) and hung out at the mall. The crew then headed to the airport around 10:00pm. I said goodbye at the hotel and then stayed one more night before taking the train back home the next morning. Goodbyes are always hard, but I was definitely a lot easier knowing that I am going to see everyone again so soon. It was tough Saying goodbye to Maiya though. After not seeing her for 10 months, her 3 year old heart just doesn't understand that it will only be less then two weeks til I can hold her sweet self again.

I'm so thankful for this past week and half with my PH group. It was so great. Lots of things learned, hearts affected, and memories made. My Jesus is good.