another church. Monday, February 21, 2011   Pastor J. took the guys to check out another church in our movement, in a neighboring village, and in the process they got to see another slice of village life.    

  fortress on the beach. Monday, February 21, 2011   While we waited for lunch to cook, Pastor J. took us a couple of kilometers away to see the ruins of a Muslim fortress.  It was majestic.    

  hanging in there and a fun dinner. Sunday, February 20, 2011   I am slowly beginning to emerge from the fog. I spent almost the entire week holed up in our second-floor flat, battling sickness – first with every home remedy I could find on the Internet, then, finally succumbing to the usual antibiotics. And now it is Sunday morning, and I feel the tiniest shred of energy seeping back into my bones. Judah and Amelie have been sick this weekend too. Judah had an upset stomach on Friday and threw up in the afternoon.  We had a invitation to our neighbors’ for dinner Friday night, and we briefly…

  st. thomas shrine. Thursday, February 17, 2011   Outside of C. is a hilltop shrine to the apostle Thomas, at the spot where he was believed to have been martyred.  There is a gorgeous view of the city from the top.  We had a fun time exploring in the cool evening breeze, but Judah took a big spill on the way back down the gravelly path, scraping his forehead, both knees, and his arm.  Poor guy.  Now, a week later, he still has his battle scars.    

  the y. Thursday, February 17, 2011   Our next stop was C., the third biggest city in our country (very similar in size to the city we live in). We stayed at the YMCA.  It’s not as sketchy as you’d think — they function as regular hotels here.  Although, to be perfectly honest, the hotels were a low point of the trip for me.  But at least this one had a great courtyard for the kids to run around and let off some steam.    

  the train. Thursday, February 17, 2011     Oh the train.  Eight long hours in the AC Chair car cost 18 bucks for a family of four (and we only chose that because First Class AC and Second Class AC were booked).  K. traveled with us and warned us not to eat the food they served.  The whole experience wasn’t as bad as I expected, but we were all very tired, very hungry and very, very dirty afterwards.  

first stop. Wednesday, February 16, 2011 Our first stop was the city of V., a quick hour and a half plane flight north-east of where we live. My brief impression of this little farming city, with its surrounding patchwork-green rice fields, was of a slower-paced life: clean-swept streets and sidewalks, people dressed traditionally – women in saris, men in dhotis, tea stalls, and old-fashioned rickshaws (the kind powered by men, not motors).  It was quaint, like an R.K. Narayan novel. Our purpose for visiting this city was to meet the group of pastors working with K. in this area (and who happen to include K.’s father and brother).  They had…

  bath time on the road. Tuesday, February 15, 2011      

  low. Tuesday, February 15, 2011   It is Tuesday morning, sunny and breezy in our city. I have this building head-cold, and I’m praying it doesn’t turn into yet another sinus infection.  I am using my neti-pot twice a day, faithfully using my Flonase, taking my vitamins, still feeling rotten. I am tired.  I desperately need space.  But I don’t even know where to go that is quiet and restful. What I really want, is to go back home.  I feel a welling-up sense of panic at the thought of living here long-term.  It has been nice while it’s lasted, but now I’m ready for normalcy, for my old…

  safe and sound. Saturday, February 12, 2011   We have been away for five days, traveling in our country, seeing some more of the work we are here to do.  We rode on planes, on a train, in cars and taxis, on a ferry, went to three cities, saw a famous monument, visited a fishing village, swam in an ocean, slept a little, and took tons of pictures. I will begin posting these for you very soon. But for now, I am very tired.  All my life I have longed to be the cool traveler-chick who wants to back-pack across continents and stay in hostels and take like two…