home again home again

My first stop after being picked up from the airport...ahhhh, waffle beats naan any day of the week!

flight tracker

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL83

you hem me in...drive to the airport

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. ~Psalm 139

Lord willing, next stop Newark.

last day in delhi

Greg update. He's feeling better but is very weak due to drinking fluids and not eating much. Continue to pray for him as we make the trek home.

A couple pictures of our last day in Delhi. We had some time to explore the older part of the city...did some sight seeing and shopping before our flight back to the states.

My favorite tea, Chai Marsala. They serve it with cream and, of course,
if you know anything about me, I add sugar.

Jama masjid mosque-climbed to top of the left tower-150 steps one way!

Mosque interior. 

A street in Old Delhi. And I wondered why we've been having
trouble with our internet connections.

Nuts anyone? I know I am.

stark reality

While we were waiting for our train to go to Agra, we had at least 6 young children begging for food. These two were sniffing glue in front of us as they ate a few snacks we provided. Glue, which they call ‘Dendrite’, is a cheap drug among these children. Homeless as they are, they rummage through the garbage, pick up rags, run menial errands and at the end of the day, whatever little money they collect goes into buying Dendrite. Sniffing glue is a form of addiction and the effect is as good as that of drugs. The glue contains toluene, a sweet-smelling and intoxicating hydrocarbon. The solvent dissolves the membrane of the brain cells and causes hallucinations. It releases the person from pangs of hunger and they do not feel cold under its influence. John said that there is an estimated 40 million orphans on the streets of India. When I think about the 60 children that Asia's Hope is providing for, I become overwhelmed with the greatness of the need. God protect and provide for the least of these! Our work here is vital, even if its only to help a few!

Here's a travel tip if you ever ride a train in India. Splurge on the extra couple bucks to buy a first class ticket. First class means you actually have a seat to sit in. Second and third class, it's every man, woman and child for themselves. They sell tickets until they run out of tickets, not until they run out of room. People were hanging out of windows and actually hanging on the outside of the train. Mind you, this was a 3 hour ride from Delhi to Agra. Crazy!

This was the Agra train station at night before we boarded to return to Delhi.

the Taj Mahal

We left early this morning and took a 3 hour train ride to Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located. Stayed about 3 hours to see the sights and then another 3 hours to return to Delhi.

In 1631, Shah Jahan, emperor during that time, was grief-stricken when his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died during the birth of their 14th child, Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632. The mausoleum was completed in 1648 and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later. Emperor Shah Jahan himself described the Taj in these words:

Should guilty seek asylum here,
Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.
Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,
All his past sins are to be washed away.
The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;
And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.
In this world this edifice has been made;
To display thereby the creator's glory.

I guess now he knows all of that was a bunch of malarky.

Some exterior detail to show the intricate carving and inlaid stone work.

Interior shots

This is pierced, carved marble

Tuesday we will spend the day in Delhi and then take a late flight to return home. ETA in Columbus early Thurs morning. It's been a good exploratory trip, but I'm more than ready to be home! Steak and Shake here I come!

on the way to Delhi

Our drive to the Siliguri airport. Destination Delhi. And, India's version of Krispy Kreme's called Galub Jamun. Sounds like a cross between a Tolkien character and a Jamaican rock band.