Day 4 – January 28th – Lifesong India – Narsapur, India…

 Our days in India start bright and early at 5:30 am. 

The first teaching sessions start at 6:00 am -7:00 am with singing and joyful sounds. Brenna started her second session with the kids who were very receptive and engaged as they became more comfortable with us.  Siromani was Brenna’s vibrant translator.  I think she was giving the kids mini sermons as she was translating.   The kids are up early and go to bed late studying.  We are tired keeping up with their schedules but are enjoying the enthusiasm of the kids here.  This year we only going to one of the other  homes on Friday as it is hard to transport all of us around. 

We have been blessed to see the new bibles and clothes from our Christmas giving of friends back home in the United States.  The kids are very thankful for the gifts and treasures from our friends back home that pray and support them. 

After our morning breakfast, the kids head out to school and we have been heading to the pastor’s conference.

The drive to the pastor’s conference is quite the adventure.  We leave the town of Narsapur and head through several villages to get to the East Godavari region.   Our car has to navigate small roads through coconut groves and rice fields as well as fitting on small foot-bridges that take us across the canals of the Godavari river.  The Godavari river which is often called the bread-basket from West to East across India is amazing to see.  We are viewing the river before it feeds out to the Bay of Bengal.  The East Godavari people are some of the most colorful, joyful, prayerful and loving people I have ever met.  They love the Lord and they love their fellow man.  The villages are filled with beautiful coconut groves and rice fields as that is their main source of income.  It’s amazing to see piles and piles of coconut shells that are used for cooking as well as ropes that they make from them.  We also noticed some nice concrete homes that look like they were in pristine condition.  It was sad to hear why many of these homes are here.  Many of the women in the villages have been contracted to be servants in homes in Dubai and various countries in the Arabic region.  The women send money back home to build these homes as a sign of their status now in life.  The life for these women in these homes abroad is not one of joy and happiness and many cases they are mistreated.  Their families are separated with husbands left to fend for themselves and children to be left behind.  Many of these kids are now in some of our Lifesong homes.

Once we arrived at the pastor’s conference, it was amazing to see the many village pastors, their wives, and villagers coming to hear God’s word.   Pastor Chris Hopf has been sharing each day morning and night with the assistance of Bob and Siromani Stoll and two of the main pastors who speak English.  They have been very receptive to Chris and love him dearly as this is his third trip to India to be in fellowship with them.  This particular day we experienced the joyful music of some of the pastor’s singing with Siromani in Telegu.   Although I am not able to speak the language well, I am able to understand every word they are saying. 

After the service, we were able to spend some time getting to know some of the people and their needs.  Many of the women and children came up to us asking for specific prayer.  It was amazing to fellowship with them and most importantly lay hands and pray for them.  The people here are not afraid to ask for prayer for the smallest and biggest thing going on in their lives.  Back home in the States when are shy to ask for prayer.  When was the last time we asked a fellow brother or sister in Christ to lay hands on us and pray for our ailments or needs?  Brenna and I were humbled by this time and their sincerity and love for the Lord. 

We returned home that day going along the same exciting road and this time got to see many monkeys on the foot bridge, which Neha absolutely loved.  The ride was long but amazing to experience how the majority of India lives each day. 

We returned home for some rest, late lunch and time with the girls at home from college.   We started our third lesson with the girls and they became more and more comfortable with the teaching and us.  The jet-lag finally hit Neha and she went to bed without dinner and was out till the next morning.  Very unusual for me to retire early in the evenings and I have enjoyed spending that one-on-one time with Neha each evening and morning.  

Bathing here is been exciting for Neha.  The water is cold or lukewarm from the tap and the bathroom is all one room, sink, toilet and shower area.  She has learned to take a quick body bath kicking and screaming.  I am so glad that her first trip to India has been going to the orphanage and village areas instead of the big cities where things are comfortable.

Love, Eliabeth and neha

Day 3 – January 27th – Leaving for Narsapur…Finally making it to Lifesong India

We were up at 3:15 am to catch our 6:00 am flight from Bangalore to Narsapur.  The driver took us from the Hotel to the Bangalore airport.   The airport turned out to be an adventure of sorts.

We get to the airport and notice all the armed guards on top of the airport looking down with their guns in hand.  We get to the entrance of the airport and we are not allowed in for improper paperwork.  Our 

itineraries were not enough to get us in the door with our passports.  My mom then had to pay a few rupees( Indian money) to get new ones printed and we proceeded into the airport.  Once we get to the counter, the flight attendant let us know that are bags were over-weight with books, home goods, and goodies for the kids.  Now they were never over-weight on the way here.   So we scramble again and move things around and again have to pay a little excess to get going on the flight.   Mom was a trooper and calmly handled the situation as things kept coming up.  You might think that this was enough adventure for us, but there was more.  At this point the flight is boarding and we are clearing security at yet another checkpoint after 4 checks at this point.  This time it was me, Neha, I had forgotten to take scissors out of my pencil pouch and we made it all the way here across two major international airports undetected. Not in India. They pull me aside and my bag and ask me to take scissors out of my bag.  Of course , my mom interjects with, “We have no scissors in our bags.”  I then quietly piped up with, “Yes, I might have some in my bag.”  Sure enough we found the scissors and then they proceeded to check and stamp all of our bags, so we thought.  We then go to another checkpoint, where we are stopped for not having all the stamps we need from the previous checkpoints and have to run back as they are calling for a final boarding call.   

After a short flight to Vijawada, we finally make it to the airport to meet Chris Hopf and James Bob at the airport.  We were thankful to see some familiar faces and excited about the next part of our trip.  Chris told us to brace ourselves for the exciting driving through rural India as it takes 2 hours to get to Narsapur.

We loved our ride to Narsapur seeing all the rice patties, agricultural lands, coconut trees, and finally cows on the street.  I was amazed to see how people transported rice on their back, or using a cycle rickshaw, or any mode of transportation they could think of.   They were always stable and somehow managed to weave in and out of traffic.  I was even more amazed how the people looked just like my mom’s family and me.  I could already sense that this was going to be an amazing day when we arrived to meet the girls. 

We arrived at Joythi Nivas home were the girls greeted us with an amazing welcome with garlands and song.  It warmed my heart to see how excited they were to see us.  They did not realize that the blessing was ours to be with them.  It was no time at all and we were all friends.  Mom remembered many of the girls and she was starting to speak Telugu.  This was amazing to watch her know a different language other than English and the girls loved making fun of her accent.  We spent most of the day getting acquainted with the girls and spending time with them.  I have made some life-long friends today.

Mrs. Brenna, started the teaching sessions that evening with the girls as they sang songs and heard her message.  God has truly blessed our first day here.  The girls are so open and honest about their lives.  I have learned so much about how they have lost many of their parents, their difficult circumstances and more.

Let me just say the food has been amazing here.  I must truly be from this region, because I love Andhra food.  I need to let my dad and siblings back home know that mom and I are not starving but rather gaining weight here. 

Love, Neha

Day 2 – January 26th – Bangalore, India… Free day before we get to the Lifesong Orphanage

 The next day we woke up early and went to a church around the corner recommended by a dear friend in Chicago (Liz).   The All People’s church had a contemporary worship service where their pastor spoke about God’s plan for India with respect to it being India’s Republic Day.   The service lasted about 2 hours and we enjoyed every minute of it.  Neha could have taken of about an hour, but patiently listened and sang familiar worship songs.  After church we took a car ride to the Bangalore Palace and toured the grounds from the outside.  

We then proceeded to our Cousin’s home in Cox Town, Bangalore and older and pristine area of the city that was very well kept.   My mom was so surprised at how they cleaned up the new tech city of Bangalore.  There were now cows to be found and the footpaths had been cleaned up.  She was hesitant to ask the driver  what had happened, but finally asked how the city was cleaned up and what happened to all the people living on the streets.   Our driver, Malcolm, was gracious to fill us in.  He told us that the cows and people have been displaced to the outskirts of the city where shelters were provided for them. 

We stayed at our family home and spent time playing with the kids for about 2 hours and then left with one of our cousin’s wife, who took us to see a Temple from the outside and then to the famous Commercial street shopping.  Shops were filled with handicrafts, clothing, jewelry, etc.  We enjoyed walking through the store.  We were all starting to get a bit tired being up from 3:00 am that morning and retired early to bed. 

Bangalore was a very modern city that reminded me of the United States.  My mom was constantly marveling at the progress that had been made from with Metra transport, Highways, and the volume of cars in the city.   She was proud that her country had made so much progress in such a short time.

I was waiting for our next trip to Vijawada and then to Narsapur to the Lifsong Kids, my main purpose for being here. 

Love, Neha  and Elizabeth

Day 1 – Arrival in India, Bangalore 3:00 am… Bright and Early

We had a long flight from Houston to Dubai and then our second flight was from Dubai to India.   We slept the whole way to help with the Jet Lag when we arrived.

When we finally arrived in Bangalore, we had to go through security to get our luggage, go through security again, and finally leave the airport.   Although you probably thing this process was quick, it really was not.  It took us about thirty minutes to finally find our bags at the baggage claim, and there was a long line to clear security again.  The airports are incredibly secure here in India. 

We got picked up by some man who was taking us to the hotel, which was 45 minute drive from the Bangalore airport.   Of course, Neha enjoyed her ride in the very back seat, next to the luggage and got a bit carsick.

We arrived at the hotel and it was extremely unique and ornate.   The lobby had lit-up marble blocks arranged in abstract form, everything was in nice hues of soft warm colors, and there were giant crystals dangling from the extremely high ceilings. 

We knew that this was only the beginning of a very interesting story and trip and there was much more adventure and excitement to come this next week. 

Love, Neha and Elizabeth 

ONE YEAR LATER... JANUARY 2014...Trip to Lifesong India with Neha Shaw

Hello Friends and Family,

It has been a year since we have updated our blog.  So much has happened in that time.  God has been so faithful in our lives.

We are now a family of 5 that is learning to work together in a unique way.  Tamir has been an such a blessing and a wonderful addition to our family.  We can not imagine our lives without her.  She is truly our spiritual accountability in the home.   It has been a long year of adjustments, laughter, crying and hard days and nights.  We have made it through the first year drawing closer to one another and more thankful each day for God's new mercies every morning.

This year we have watched dear friends loose loved ones, celebrate successes and milestones in our home and learn more than we wanted to know about ourselves.  God has challenged us to take our family on a journey in 2014 to pursue him more each day.   This year will truly be filled with greater discipline in spending more time in the word and together as a family seeking His desires for our hearts.  
Our prayer walk is more energized as we have had the privilege to walk along side friends dealing with loss, illness and uncertainty each day.   I am reminded daily about an old worship song my family used to sing at prayer meetings growing up.  "The Steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies shall never come to end.  They are new every morning, new every morning.  Great is thy Faithfulness, Oh' Lord, Great is thy Faithfulness."

Kelvin is doing well and keeping very busy with his work, taking course work at Rice University and being an amazing dad and husband to our family each day.  He is truly the balance and leadership that keeps are home floating and not sinking each day.

Elizabeth just turned 40, yes 40.   I enjoyed a beautiful time with friends and family in NYC reflecting on good times with old friends and family.  So thankful for that time and my unique and amazing friendships.   I am enjoying this phase of life watching my children grow into amazing sojourners of life.  They are not afraid to try new things and say the funniest things each day that keep me laughing all the time.

Neha is still the crazy, loving, godly girl that she has been over the years.  She is about to be 11 this year and keeps me on my toes as she signs up for everything.  She is enjoying acting/singing in center stage and all the many other things she signs up for at school.   She loves to be a little too social and enjoys her friendships.  She has been an amazing big sister this year and has taken on more responsibility with her new puppy.  Neha is finally getting that verse in the Bible... "Be Still and know that I am God."

Jacob has grown a tremendous amount this year in maturity.  He is our anchor in so many ways.  He loves deeply and continues to grow in his walk with the Lord in a way that I am so impressed daily.  He loves his friends at school and is really enjoying tennis and lacrosse this year.    

Tamir has jumped in with both feet and adjusted to the US better than we all imagined.  She loves school, friendships, and trying just about every sport there is.   She has been a joy to watch each day.   She has had an amazing school year and continues to amaze us each day.   Her prayers and her love for the Lord have been a testimony to our family each day.

We will be keeping this blog updated in the next few weeks as Neha and I take our first trip together to India.  Neha will be coming with me on a mission trip to the Lifesong India Orphanages in Narsapur, Andhra Pradesh.  I am so excited to see how God is going to use this trip in her life.   She has seen pictures of India, but has no idea what she is about to discover.

She will also have the opportunity to update the blog while we are there, so you will be hearing from her as well.  We would love your prayers at this time as we embark on this journey with great anticipation.  Please also keep Brenna Stull in your prayers as she will be leading the women through many discussions on their faith and understanding of God's plan for their lives.

Love and Prayers, Elizabeth Shaw

Day 3 with Tamir in Ethiopia...

Today was a day of laughing at each other all day.

She is so cooperative with us its amazing.  We wash her all the time, giver her vitamins, cream on her face. She never complains.  She loves all the smelly soaps and creams we have.. She is a girly girl.  

She is a pro at taking a bath and learns everything so fast.  It's amazing to watch.  She loves to be clean and can take baths and brush her teeth all day.  She puts things away and is very organized about her stuff.. even more than me.  I am sure you guys who know me well are laughing aloud right now.  

She likes to go to bed at 7:00 pm and wake up at 9:00 am. She sleeps like a log and we are basically laying next to her watching her sleep.  When we pray she laughs.. She kisses us all the time.. I love it.  We sing songs, read and say good night in her language and she covers her head with her sheet and she is off to bed.   This is the easiest kid yet... I hope it lasts.. I hope Neha and Jacob don't influence her the wrong way.

All day today she has been talking to us and we have no idea what she says most of the time.  We nod our head and remain attentive.  We had a funny incident today when she was asking me to go to the toilet a different way at the restaurant and I had no idea until she showed me with motions.  Quite a laugh this was with all her hand motions; it is going to be fun.  I hope she doesn't get too frustrated with all our hand motions and signals as well.  Of course I am over feeding her and the good Doctor is telling me to slow down.  She laughs at us fussing over her.  She thinks we are either crazy or funny.  

We took her to a gallery across the street and she told us stories and stories about some of the paintings.  We are hoping to go to the gallery near the embassy tomorrow morning and see if she likes any of the paintings there and bring some home.  We went to the market near our house today and her eyes were so amazed at everything in her own country.  She tried on everything and kept saying "WOW".  She was amazed at the traditional dress, beads, crosses, etc.. So of course I bought everything she liked.  I couldn't resist to bring some things home that reminded her of her country.  

We skyped today with Neha, Jacob and the family and she loved that.  She tells everyone, the driver, the guard, etc.. that she is going to America.  She is so excited.  I wish I could get inside her head to see what she is thinking.  

She definitely fits in our family with all her funny faces and silliness.  We are so amazed by her willingness to be with us.  I love watching her interact with Kelvin.  They have hit it off so well.  We will be walking along and she will attack him to tickle him.  It is so amazing to see her happy. 

We are thanking God each moment as He has gone before us and done the work needed to make this transition go so well for our family.  God is Good, All The Time!!!

Love, Elizabeth 
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Return to Ethiopia to Bring Tamir Home....

Hello Friends and Family, 

We have returned to Ethiopia this week to bring Tamir home.   We have had a great first day with Tamir in our custody at the Guest House.  She is an amazing little girl that is filled with Joy.  She is doing so well with us and we are enjoying her company.  She is full of life, by far the most energetic of our kids.  She loves to be outside, jump, skip run, jump rope (like a pro).  She has been very affectionate with us.  We learned how to say I love you in her language and she responds with I love you in English.  She is very spontaneous about her love and it overwhelms our hearts.  We will be sitting next to her eating or playing and she will turn to both of us with warm embraces and many kisses.

She has already started to bond very well with both of us.  She has really warmed up to Kelvin on this trip.  She is crazy like our family already with her funny faces and how she already is making fun of us.  We praise God for such a wonderful transition thus far with Tamir and many more great days to come.   

She keeps asking about Neha and Jacob.  She keeps wanting to see pictures of them.  She was bummed when we showed up without them.  Every time we say America she starts singing and dancing and shouting America.  We are a little nervous about that as we don't know what she is thinking America is all about.  Not sure what expectations are in her precious mind.  

Thank you for your prayers and support so far; We should be home soon and will keep you posted.  

Love, Elizabeth 

Sent from my iPad