Here's our team at the airport.

Top: Lindsay, Jeanna, Shelley
Bottom: Me, Julie, Kim and Jennifer

We almost didn't make our plane. There was some confusion with our tickets and Jack & Sammy Magruder had to drive as fast as they could to bring us tickets to O'Hare. I had total confidence because, after all, it was Samurai Jack who was bringing them to us - plus, every mission trip I've been on we have problems at the airport and God always makes a way for everything to work out. It's like He's saying - "Relax - trust me - I'm in control and you'll be okay".

Our flights were great, but very, very long. It takes about 24 hours total travel time to get to India - it's THAT far away. First we were on a plane from Chicago to Paris for 8 1/2 hours, then we got off got into security lines for a couple hours and then back on a plane for another 10 hours - UGH! But our flights were perfect - no problems at all.

OK- everybody knows that I went to India kicking and screaming - I was scared to death to go. Well, even after we got there I was still scared. We arrived in the middle of the night and they took us to the conference center and we went directly to bed. When I woke up I was right by a window and it was beautiful out - palm trees were waving in front of it and birds were chirping. Then I remembered "Holy Crap - I'm in India" and I seriously couldn't get myself to move out of bed for like a half an hour. This is me after I finally got out of bed and dressed wondering what the heck I am doing in India.

Of course, after about an hour, I started adapting and enjoying the people I was meeting, and by the end of the day I was happy to be in India. When we were getting ready to come home, I was the only one that said I could stay for another week. What a change!

Here's Shelley drinking tea. Their tea was WONDERFUL and we got to drink it several times a day. Ever since I came back I have this huge chai craving, but Starbucks just doesn't do it!

Here is most of our team waiting at the train station to meet back up with Kim and Jennifer who were sent out to a different village. The train ride was a trip - about 3 hours and it never stopped honking.

On our first morning we woke up and found out that we were at a conference center with a bunch of people from the bible league. We came in the middle of the night so we had no idea we were right on the Bay of Bengal. Wow - what a great way to start our trip! At this beach I picked up a bunch of little terra cotta tiles that were all over. When I asked what they were, Prema said they were parts of people's roofs from the Tsunami.

On the way to being dispatched to our villages, Prema stopped along the side of the road and bought us coconut milk. The lady chopped it up right there and put a straw in it. It was . . . interesting tasting to say the least. Not like coconut milk I've ever had!

Here's Prema showing us how to eat with our hands. This was our first real meal in India and it was breakfast. It was actually pretty good!

Lindsay, Clarinda and Prema. Prema is Raj's wife (Rob Wegner talks about him all the time) and Clarinda is Raj and Prema's daughter. They were a delight to get to know.

When we got to the village of Parvuti to meet Mono and Kamala, there were a ton of kids there waiting for us. They told us they had been waiting for us all day - they were so excited. They hung around us whenever they weren't in school, they would even take turns fanning us with big fans to keep us cool and to keep the mosquitos off us. They were adorable!

This is Mono, the 24 year old church planter that we stayed with. She has 5 churches in 5 villages and is an amazing woman. I'll be sharing her incredible story with you in a few days. She thought it was so funny when I would hold my camera out and take pictures of us together.

In the outer village of Keelmambattu this teenage girl named Mary Rozariyo latched onto me and didn't let me go the entire time. She spoke very good English and she told me she wants to go to college and be a computer scientist. She lives in an open mud hut and has nothing - I truly hope and pray that her dream comes true and she can rise out of the poverty she is living in. She was special!

Here is a little boy in the outer village who was attending service. The children were beautiful!

These are 3 of the women that I would travel half way across the world to spend time with again. Aroma, Mono, and Kamala. I can't wait to see them again someday!

This was our "home away from home". It was a rental home that wasn't being occupied and it was right across the street from Mono's house. It was very nice because it had a HUGE ceiling fan right above us and it gave us some privacy, which was nice after being the "freak show" all day long. Me, Julie, our translator Aroma, Mono, Kamala, and Mono's mother all slept in here.

This is Kamala - one our women church planter's that we went to meet and help. She was so kind to us and NEVER left our side the entire 3 days we were there. Here she is squeezing us fresh orange juice - it was YUMMY! She is an amazing woman and I'll tell you more about her later.

Here was one of the scary parts for me - the toilet - the hole in the ground. But after you got used to is, it wasn't so bad. Julie and I were very fortunate because where we were staying we kind of had it all to ourselves and didn't have to share with anyone.

This is the woman who cooked most of our meals for us while we were out in the 1st village. I'm not sure of her name, but she was wonderful to us and had a beautiful spirit.

Yes, we did take showers while we were there - just not showers like we're used to!

This is Julie and I in our beautiful new sari's. It was a BIG deal to them that we bought and wore "their" clothes. It was very comfy, was made of gorgeous fabric, was custom made for me and only cost $12.

Do I feel Guilty?

I've been home for a few days now and have slowly been processing everything I experienced and observed in India, and it's slowly coming together. There was so much thrown at us at one time, it is hard to wrap my brain around it, so I will take the next week or so to process outloud here on my blog.

I thought I had seen poverty - I've been on many mission trips to help people in poverty, but what I saw in India was an entirely different level of poverty. Most of the people we were around had what we would consider nothing, but when we would come to their house (or hut) to visit, they would offer us all they had. There was joy and a simplicity that made me almost envious, and has inspired me, once again, to simplify my life and get rid of clutter and unnecessary things.

So I was showing pictures to some of my family and they were shocked at the way people live - mud huts, cement block shacks with thatched roofs, kitchens on the floor, and raw sewage creeks running past their homes - and an interesting question was posed to me . . .

. . . "Do you feel guilty?". - What she meant was, after seeing and experiencing the extreme poverty in India, did I feel guilty for all of the things and all of the resources I have here in America? At first I couldn't really answer, it took me a couple of hours to mull it over - and my answer surprised me.

No - I don't feel GUILTY.

What I do feel is a RESPONSIBILITY.

A responsibility to use the resources God has given me to care for people, point them to Jesus and make the world a better to place. When I talk about resources, I don't mean just money, but gifts that God has given each of us that we can offer others. Every single one of us has them and we're all different.

Some of my gifts are that I love to travel, experience different cultures, and I'm very strong and adaptable in just about any situation. Those are gifts that God can use if I'm willing to get out of my comfort zone and let him use them. And those are gifts that I plan on using and developing throughout my life. I would love to live somewhere outside of America some day and do missions full time, but my husband doesn't share that same passion - so I will go on short term missions every time I have a chance because I know that is what God has wired me for. Maybe some day I can talk him into doing at least 6 months somewhere!

So when you see pictures on my blog, hear stories of other hurting people, or see starving kids on TV that need your help, don't feel guilty! Just look inside yourself and ask what you might be able to do to help, because we all have gifts that God has given us to make the world a better place. It might be that your gift is not in helping people half way across the world, but helping your neighbors, or one of your kid's friends who has a rough home life, or a family member who is down and out.

The whole world is a mission field - and this includes our own back yard. Don't think you have to travel half way across the world to make a difference - you can make a difference no matter where you're at! So I challenge you to open your eyes, look around, and see where you can make a difference - I guarantee there are people all around you waiting for you to wake up and notice them!

We're Home!

After traveling for almost 24 hours straight, our team arrived safely home.

Cody and Trent picked me up at the church and greeted me with a dozen beautiful roses - they are the best and I was so excited to see them! I think that Cody grew another couple of inches while I was gone. I came home and took a long hot shower, at some curly noodle soup and am anxiously awaiting going to sleep in my own bed next to my sweetie - I can't wait!

There are so many things swirling in my head right now that I don't even know where to begin, so I'll end this post with a prayer . . .

Thank you Jesus for getting our team home safely and efficiently;
Thank you Jesus for keeping our families safe while we were gone;
Thank you Jesus for allowing me to meet my new sisters and brothers clear on the other side of the world - I can't wait to spend eternity with them in heaven;
Thank you Jesus for opening my eyes;
Thank you Jesus for the 6 amazing women who put their own needs and wants aside and traveled so far to make a difference for you;
Thank you Jesus for the incredible work that the Bible League is doing to spread your love;
Thank you Jesus for showing me that when I put my faith in you, and only you, that I have the power to do anything that you have called me to do.

Amen

I got to play in the Bay of Bengal today!

What a day! After lunch today our host, Esther, and her family took Jennifer, Jeanna and I to the beach. Now any of you who know me know that is a BIG DEAL! I am so excited that I got to bring back sand from my collection of beaches I've visited - and to bring sand back from where the actual Tsunami was is incredible. We didn't go in very far, but the waves were pretty big and knocked us over - we were wearing our Indian Chudies so I was really covered up. It was strange seeing people in the water in their beautiful clothes. Unfortunately, I forgot I was wearing a black bra and my top was yellow, so you can imagine what happened when my light yellow top got wet - YIKES! Probably my most embarrassing moment in India so far.

Another great thing was that I was mistaken for an 18 year old - yes, you read it right, it's not a typo. That was pretty funny too. I think I might stay in India - it might have had something to do with the bra thing . . . .

Anyway, last night our Pastor/Hostess Esther took us around to her church believers - probably about 20 families and we visited in their homes (huts) and gave them a book that they had earned. We prayed for many, many people and they all were so happy to see us. One of the families we prayed with did not have any electricity and it was pitch dark. Our translator, Sheela, would not let us go in the house like usual, so they served us tea outside. Sheela kept wanting to leave and we couldn't figure out why. Come to find out this family has had a frequent visitor of a HUMONGOUS snake - so she did not want us anywhere around there. They also say that there is a ghost haunting them. They were previously Hindu, and when they converted to Christianity a couple of months ago, the snake and the ghost came. Their family and neighbors say it is the Hindu Gods coming to punish them. WOW - not even sure what to say about that except that I was glad the snake didn't come while we were there.

So many stories to tell - but that's it for now. I just wanted everyone to know that we are fine, there have been no meltdowns, sickness, injuries (and if you saw how the traffic worked here, you would definitely believe that that is a miracle). Tonight we are in the hotel in a real bed (YES!) and tomorrow we visit a Hindu Temple, do some shopping and then fly out at like 4:00 a.m.

You won't believe this, but other than missing my family, I could stay here another week or two, (maybe even longer) - I have fallen in love with India and the people and hope that God gives the opportunity to do ministry here for Him again!

On mission for Him and lovin' India!

Lanette

A note to Trent and Cody!

Hi guys - I hope that everything at home is going well.

How is football going Cody? I think today you are getting your pictures taken - make sure and smile! I hope that you and Dad are having fun and I'm sure you're cooking for him a lot. He'll be spoiled when I get home and he'll have to go back to eating health food! ha ha. I'll see you in a few short days. Give CJ and kiss on the nose for me and give Teddy a hug! I love you so much!!

Trent - can you believe I haven't been homsick yet? I just try not to think about it and I know that God is protecting me from it. although I do miss you a lot, I'm doing ok with us apart. All of the people here want to know about my husband so I have shown your picture a lot and talk about you all the time. I love you very much and am so thankful that I have a husband that will love and support me on this quest to make an impact for Jesus. I can't wait to see you in a few days, but my mission is not done here yet - I still have work to do. I hope you have a great time at Silver Lake. Hugs and kisses!

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I can't believe I'm in India . . . and loving it!

OH MY GOSH! What a whirlwind of a trip we have had. It has been the hardest thing I've ever done, but at the same time the most incredible thing I've ever done!

I don't have time to tell you every story and every detail right now - in fact, I can't even wrap my head around what all is going on. But I will say that my eyes have been opened to things I've never even considered or experienced before. Here's some random thoughts:

• I can't believe how rude we as Americans are when foreigners come to our country. We look at them weird, we say bad things about them because they are dressed differently or have different colored skin. We came to India and I have NEVER, EVER been treated with such kindness and respect. People who have absolutely NOTHING give us everything they have because it is their custom to give hospitality.
• I have NEVER, EVER been stared at so much! Yesterday on the train we were moving and coming in to a stop and a man glanced at us and looked like he'd seen a ghost. The next thing I know he is running beside the train as fast as he could just to stay by us and stare at us. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen!
• When we went to the villages, most of the people have never seen a white person so we were quite the attraction. What I didn't realize was that the animals would be freaked out by us as well. There was one dog in particular that I thought was literally going to fall over with a heart attack. He went through the village howling and shrieking - announcing our arrival to every one. When we would look over he would fall down and cower. Hilarious!!
• I had no idea how hard it was going to be after only 3 days to say goodbye to the 3 women we had been living with - Mono, Kamala, and Amora are 3 of the most amazing women I have ever met and I will spend my life to strive to be more like them. I cried a bucket of tears yesterday when we said goodbye and I hope that I will be able to see them again. Just to see them again would be worth traveling to India another time.

I was so worried about getting sick here, but I have felt so good (even with sleeping on the cement floor next to the street). I really believe that all the natural food and spices are working to make me feel great. The only problem I had was the first night in the village my feet and ankles swelled up so bad that I looked like I had flippers. It was really scary - I thought they were going to explode. My friend Julie Smies who was my partner had a heart attack and was very scared for me - she thought I need to get medical help. I just thought it was kind of hilarious looking and was really mad I forgot to get a picture for my blog. Amora rubbed ointment on them and propped my feet up and they were much better in the morning. At breakfast they gave us bananas and I made a comment to Julie that I am used to eating bananas twice a day - that's when the light bulb went on - we think that my body was lacking in potassium, so I have been eating bananas like crazy and my feet are fine.

The fruit here is wonderful and I am loving it. All of the food is natural and fresh and it's really, really good. No wonder I feel so healthy - I told you guys eating natural and organic keeps you healthy!

OK - there's a line waiting for internet so I need to wrap it up. Thank you SO MUCH for your comments - I was so excited and blessed when I read them and it gives me the courage to keep going. I can't wait to see you all and tell you all kinds of stories when I get back!

On Mission for Him,
Lanette

We're here, we're safe and we're doing well! I have about 30 seconds to post - our team blog is down but keep checking. Right now we're in a meeting with Ron Vandergriend with a bunmch of church planters from all over India and we're getting ready to sing for them - yes family - you heard that right - SING (yikes!).

Today we head out to the villages in pairs - I am getting sent out to the farthest village and I'm excited and nervous at the same time!

I love you Trent, Cody, Mom and Dad - don't worry - we are safer than ever. Now I have to go sing!

Click HERE to follow my team on our mission trip to India!

On Sunday, August 13^th , I will be leaving to go on a 10 day mission trip to Chennai, India with 6 other amazing women from Granger Community Church. We will be working with women who are risking everything to start Christian churches in their villages in the Tsunami zone. These women are rebels! They are kicking down the barriers that their culture has set in place to tell people about Christ and give them hope for a better life. They are revolutionaries who are changing people and changing the world. I can’t wait to meet them!

I’ll be traveling 8,580 miles away from my family and friends, and that scares the heck out of me!

I’ll be eating food that I have no idea what it is, sleeping on the floor with strangers, learning to use the bathroom over a hole in the ground, and learning how to take a shower standing in a bucket. Good times . . . Good times! I don’t know exactly what my mission is, but I know for certain that I am supposed to be on this trip, so I am living out my faith and trusting that God is in control, He has a purpose and a plan for me, and He will take care of everything!

Please send up a prayer for my team, for the women we’ll be working with, and for my safety, health, strength, courage and freedom from home sickness!

I can’t wait to tell you all the stories when I get back!

Here's my team!

Here's my India team - we leave on Sunday, August 13th, at 8:45 a.m (Happy Birthday to me!).

Click HERE! to follow along on our trip and to leave us a comment to encourage us. Be sure to pray for us!

Top Row (left to right): Jennifer, Kimberly
Bottom Ros (left to right): Lanette, Jeanna, Julie, Lindsay, Shelley (our awesome team leader!)

As a follower of Jesus, I will never truly affect the world with His love until I get over my own desires and needs, my desperation and petty bickering - anything I cling to in order to feel better - to feel freer.

I must swallow my pride. Forget what I believe I deserve, and get over myself.

Resist the world's freedoms, embrace God's parameters, allow myself to be accountable and restricted, choose to go without every little thing I want, strengthen my character, determine where I am incorrect, humble myself, stop manipulating God's way to look like my preferences and choose HIS PLAN - HIS WAY - for every detail.

If I can just deal with life and allow God to use those dealings to transform me into the right person - the explosive person, the person with gun powder in my veins - then the noise I make will be worth hearing.

The fire that is seen in my life will scorch the room. The substance of my life will pierce the hearts of those around me. And where I stand, will always leave a mark!

Mark Steele - "Flashbang - How I Got Over Myself"

Yes - our trip to India is still on!

We are looking at the discovery of the terror plots as a blessing in that we'll actually be safer flying to India now than we would have been any time before because security is so tight now.

What a miracle that this plot was uncovered before anything disastrous happened. Imagine the devastation that could have happened. Thank you Jesus for protecting us and bringing the evil out into the light to be discovered! You are amazing!!

I have a new kid living in my house . . .

It's funny how things change . . . Cody is 13 now and has always been into skating, dirt bike riding, playing his guitar, etc. Now he's on the Grissom 7th grade football team, he hasn't touched his skateboard all summer, and I catch him doing double takes when a cute girl walks by.

Last Saturday was equipment pick up day for football. When the coach put Cody's helmet on, it pushed all of his hair down to his nose and he couldn't see a thing. On the way home, Cody says "Mom, I think I need a haircut . . . right now". So we pulled into one of the barber shops in Osceola, he pointed to a picture of almost a buzz cut, and off it went.

I couldn't believe the difference! When we got home he put all of his uniform and pads on, and with his new haircut, he looks like a freshman in high school! He outweighs me by 20 lbs. now - he's a HUGE kid. Where the heck did my little 5 1/2 lb. peanut go?!
Wow - what a difference!!

Getting Hammered

In exactly 145 hours I'll be leaving on my mission trip to India (that's 6 days from now). It's taken a couple of months, but God has finally hammered me into shape (and when I say hammered, I mean hammered) and gotten me strong enough to take this trip. I saw my friends Shelley, Jesse, Tracy and Blair last night and I could actually honestly say that "I'M FINALLY GETTING EXCITED!"

There have been times over the last couple of months that when I would think about getting on a plane and flying 8500 miles away from my family, I actually couldn't breathe - I definitely had some deep seeded fears. Thank God my best friend is a therapist and could help me through that one! Before I leave on Sunday a.m., I will be writing all of my fears on rocks and then I'm going to give every single one to God and then throw them into the river to get rid of them. I'm not traveling with ANY FEAR whatsoever!

I was thinking this week about the 6 months I spent learning Spanish so that I would be more effective when I went on my mission trip to Mexico with my Lifeline students. It's kind of funny that God completely shook me up, changed my plans and now I'm going to India instead of Mexico. I still want to use my new Spanish skills anyway - maybe they'll be impressed that I know so many languages (ha ha).

The week that my team was in Mexico actually doing all of the things that I spent months planning and putting into place was really tough - I was pretty frustrated at God that I wasn't there - but through that "hammering" God has done amazing things and now I know that everything this summer has happened the way it was supposed to. Who knows if I'll ever find out why - but I know that God has a plan and a purpose and I'm done kicking and screaming and fighting to do what I want to do. He is in control.

Just to prove that I have total faith in God and trust him completely - click HERE for a video of the traffic in India - You won't believe it! This is what we'll be in for 8 days - I have to make sure and add that to one of my rocks!

I have writers block . . . or something like it . . . I'm at that place again where I have so much to say and so much is going on that I don't even know how or where to begin.

Yeah - I could put some more pictures up (you know I love pictures), but that just doesn't explain what God is doing inside of me right now.

So, for now, I'll leave you with a page from "The Perils of Ayden" out of Erwin McManus' book "Seizing Your Divine Moment" that is really speaking to my heart today . . .

"I'm afraid", he confessed as Maven stood with him in the place where his quest would begin.
"Of what?" Maven asked in his calming voice.
"For this journey. Have I learned all I need to know?" Ayden queried.
"Ayden," he replied, "you know all you need to learn."
"What should I take with me?" Ayden continued.
"Leave all you have and take all you are."
Ayden persisted "And the path, is it safe to travel?"
Maven looked at him sternly for the first time he could remember and scolded him, "It is not safe to remain! It is not the place but the Presence that upholds you!
This is your only certainty.
Go! Walk where no man has walked, yet you find footprints."