The Deans & Their Dogs

2008-12-06T15:54:00.005-05:00

Obama comes to Denver

Big D comes to Denver, but they lost :(

On to the Dakota Territory

Korczak Ziolkowski, whom was asked by the Lakota to carve Crazy Horse.

These were the molds used to accurately carve the mountain aces

Some of the guys who carved it

Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, Lincoln

Mountain goat

Welcome to the Dakota Territory

Amber & Molly on some mountain somewhere in Colorado

Buck storming the 14er,

Buck eating a donated steak

2008-06-07T21:36:00.015-04:00

It's been 10 months since we've made a blog entry. Lazy? Not really, we're just busy living life and running around. We took a trip to the beach 2 weeks ago, and caught a little on film. Following an email request for some new info, we updated this blog. And we're going to keep it going regularly. Hey, we have the DNC coming to Denver in 2 months, and if there are any riots, I'll promise some great pics!!

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

"Hey Molly, Let's ride some sand waves."

2007-11-18T23:12:00.000-05:00

"THIS IS AMERICA!!!! I LOVE IT!"

Buck Dog is happy to finally see America. We were too. We decided that living in the west was a good start. Hola, Gateway to West.

Kansas sunsets

And a Colorado welcome sign

Buck hunts squirels

Runs at dog parks

And got a new baby sister named Molly. She's a Border Collie/Blue Heeler mix from Tx.

And yes, we visited South Park.

2007-06-05T05:47:00.000-04:00

The bad, bad couple refuses to keep up with their blog. But, we've kept a few photos. Welcome to Rajasthan, the western most state in India. Known for it's deserts, this area was home to the Mughal kings for a long time. While here, we visited the Jaipur Palace. But pictured below was our hotel. Yes, we tried out the pool.

We were suprised by a special cake for our 1st anniversery.

"It was in 1727, Swai Jai Singh with his architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya founded the Jaipur city. The city was built adhering to the principles of Shilpa Shastra and thus become the first planned city of India. The city follows grid system with wide straight roads, streets and lanes. One can find uniform rows of shops on either side of main roads. As a security measure from external aggression, the city was en-circled with a strong wall with seven gates."
(http://www.jaipurhub.com/history.html)

"Jaipur is still one of the beautiful cities in India with most of its forts and palaces perfectly in shape. Forts and palaces in and around Jaipur are what attract tourists to the Pink City. Jaipur has a number of fine hotels that provide best hospitality service to guests touring Jaipur. Jaipur Hub offers complete information on Jaipur and online booking for hotels in Jaipur. Discover the architectural wonders of Jaipur with Jaipur Hub." ( http://www.jaipurhub.com/history.html)

2007-04-18T04:35:00.000-04:00

So it has been a while. A long time actually since anything of "substance" was displayed for you to see. For this, we sincerely apologize. As you may know, we got a puppy. This has required a significant portion of our time, and has allowed us to ponder the similarites between having a pet, and having a child. I apologize to my parents for everything. Everything. This has also allowed me to view, possibly, the type of relationship God has with humanity. While I may know what is good for the dog, he doesn't. When I try to stop him from running into the street, he gets agitated, because he obviously knows what's best for his little life while I, the 'wiser' creature appear as a tyrant. Well, I know that God isn't a tyrant, but with this experience I have a little more appreciation for His sadness when we dangerously cross the road to eat a pile of cow poop. And there is a lot of poop available for us to eat out there.

But the season has brought in a new wave of heat, and I can't sleep, so we're going to offer a new series of photos. The first few pics are several months old while the latter are quite recent.

Andhra Pradesh

Ah, here we are, the lovely newly wedded couple near a waterfall. 1 year next month. We followed a trail to its end and this is what we found.

Assam

Many vehicles are adorned with symbols, idols, stickers, or fabrics to distinguish themselves within this greatly diverse land. But I found this one particularly interesting. Recent travel has taken us into the northeast. This is the stretch of land beyond West Bengal, where the people are distinclty Asian in apperance. We were very close to Bangladesh and not far from Bhutan. This is a largely Muslim and Christian area, which has escaped the turmoil and violence that so many pundits and armchair histories relish in when discussing the 2 faiths. Rather, the driver of this car seems to display his understanding of there relationship; he was a Muslim. Many are the zealot and militant who walk in pompus misinterpretation for political gain while choosing to clash with toungues and engage in violence. They simply fail to see that we are brothers and sisters beneath the Great God of Abraham, and this pains me. While I am a Christian, I have richly gained from the Islamic faith. India has offered this fortunate opportunity which has greatly impacted my relationship and understanding of my Creator and Saviour.

This little man says so much to me. His face toward the blackboard, intensly practicing his script. We are coming here to build a large boarding school. There were about 200 kids at this smaller school. The need for education is vast, but particulary for the rural areas. In this region, bible truths have spread rapidly over the past decade and there are many Christians now gathering on Sabbath. Many members were Sunday observers who've choose to believe and practice the 10 Commandments and the to follow biblical example of Jesus, his disciples and the apostles. The 'central' church in this area has experienced enough growth to form 2 seperate congregations which have each established a church of their own. I was told that there are over 50 "nearby" villages holding regular bible studies on Sabbath. The best and most amazing part is that this growth is from within. There are no foreign missionaries going into these villages but the work of dedicated pioneers who roam from village to village. The Holy Spirit is active in raising up an end time people who will witness to the world what it means to believe in the bible.

Jharkhand

This series is particularly interesting. So there is an old Indian man who goes to the same church that we attend in Delhi. He's 74, but from the eastern tribal lands of Jharkhand. He invited us to attend "something special" but didn't really tell us what it was. After a short stay in Kolkata, we took a train and then truck many hours towards this place. What we found was about 2,500 people gathering for an "Annual Meeting." The peoples who gathered here all walked, some as long as a day, and they were composed from 4 different languages/dialects. They arrived and stayed for 6 days. This place is also an example of rapid church growth without foreign influence. Their membership has increased by 5,000 in 4 years.

On Sabbath morning, we joined many along the shores of a large pond to see some baptisms. I couldn't help but think the scene looked strangely Galileean. There was beautiful music playing from drums, chimes and a guitar. The people joined their family and friends on the shores as 92 people were baptised. It was an amazing thing to see. I haven't cried in years, but this scene pulled tears of joy out of me. It was probably the greatest event I've ever witnessed.

The chef said they were serving about 350 Lbs of rice per meal!

If you don't have a church, find some bricks and bamboo. Now the building is too small, and the people flow out into the "front yard."

Along the way, on the way home.

2007-04-08T12:34:00.000-04:00

I knew I see Mt. Everest, but I didn't know it would be by chance out of an airplane window. You'll see some good pics from NE India very soon. We've been out of blog world for a time, and we certainly apologize. We've got a new addition to our family! His name is Buck. If you remember, Buck was the name of the dog in Jack London's "Call of the WIld" So after playing with these wild beasts on the Indian streets, we couldn't resist taking one in.

Buck likes to eat his veggies. But his favorite foods are chicken (about 5 pounds a week) and the meaty leg bones of goats (3 a week).

2007-02-16T05:06:00.000-05:00

Ibrahimputnam, it translates to "Where Abraham Dwells". There are about 1,000 children attending here. Some are day school only, but many live here. We had the fortune of spending time here to help build some staff housing and an orphanage.

What would an Indian school be without cricket?

Women do heavy and intesive labor in India. This lady had 2 daughters. One was a student and the other worked with her, hauling dirt and concrete 10-12 hours a day. I wish she and the others knew that people all around the world could see them.

At the end, there was an orphanage and new staff housing, and ongoing construction for build another dorm. In due time, we'll return.

2007-02-12T05:21:00.000-05:00

Should have known this day was coming...

And our sweet hotel

with camels,

a cobra

jumbos

and proof for Carol that we're wearing our Texas shirts!!!!!

2007-01-08T07:26:00.001-05:00

Mama Bodark found some straw for a bed. She had a litter of pups about 2 months ago. When we first met her, she was young, happy and always seemed to be smiling. With time, she's had to survive on the streets, and has lost most of her pups. She doesn't carry the same youthful smile she once had, but she always wags her tail and runs up to us when we're around.

She had her pups behind an enclosed, 5 foot high concrete wall. The area is safe, and the pups can't get out until they are big enough to jump over the wall. But, there isn't a lot of food in there. Mama caught them a bird the other day, and she brings in whatever she can. Several days ago I looked over the wall to see one pup attempting to eat a pup that had just died. We buried the dead one, and got them some dog food as a replacement.

The little ones haven't seen people before, and aren't quite ready to come up to us. They are very curious, and like the new food. They like to bark at us, run away, run back, bark, and run away again.

From left: Melvin, Moses and Molly Bodark

Mama dog always knows when we go in there, and she comes in to see. She whimpers in a certain way that brings the pups closer. Thus far, we feed them once a day. We're going to be out of town for 3 weeks, and the dogs will be without their soup kitchen. But after we come back, we should be around for a while, so if they live, you'll see more pictures of Molly, Moses and Melvin.

2006-12-28T10:45:00.000-05:00

"Smile buddy, I'm going to put this on the net." Don't worry, it's not your fault the car broke down. These things happen." We were somewhere in the Ghat Mountains, and had to hitch a ride to the next big village. So we flagged down a "taxi". We climbed into a rickshaw which moves between villages, picking up locals.

Amber watches the scene. The weather was gorgeous, mild and the driver was friendly. We meandered the thin asphalt road, and wondered what we'd find. We had no fears, but laughter at the situation. However strange, the driver managed to fix the car, and then beat us to the town. It was bizzare, but we're begining to find these things normal for India. His efforts didn't help much. About 30 minutes after he found us, the car died again. He called his boss and they sent another taxi.
This man hopped in along the way, and wanted his picture taken. "Smile buddy, you'll be on the net also!"

It's my secret dream to take groups of ungrateful people and make them live in a place like this for a month. (see below) I'd make them fast for the first 3 days, and then feed them a basic, nutritional diet from then on. We would conduct physical, agricultural labor during the day, pray before we ate dinner, and read excerpts from 'Johnny Got His Gun' at night. Daily, everyone would have to speak of something they are grateful for. There would be no soda, junk food, television, or celebrity magazines on this holiday. Rather, long periods of silence and meditation on what it means to live in the west, with careful consideration given to what is and is not important to the spiritual and physical survival of a human being. We would relearn about our relationship to nature, and to the responsibility we have towards it. At the end of the month, I would release them to their families in hopes that they would attain a new sense of what it means to live with abundance.

"Goat meat anyone?"

This little lady lives in Ranthombore. It's an animal reserve, and home to 40 tigers. There were many deer, birds, monkeys, a croc, boars and tour guides who knew very little about the 1000 year old ruins that lay all around.

Monkeys are sooooo cool!

Though seperated by language, culture, borders, continents and oceans, people of faith can often come together and worship their God. "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." Hebrews 11:13

After a long day, we had finished our labor and were headed back to camp. We laughed a little and were happy that the Sabbath was near. I turned to see how much sun was left and this was the scene. It was beautiful, glorious, and it made my heart jump a little.

See ya next time!!

2006-12-20T19:24:00.000-05:00

"The sun is burning hot again on the hunter and the fisherman, and he's trying to remember when, but it makes him dizzy...
Seems like I've been here before. Seems so familiar. Seems like I'm slipping into a dream within a dream..." - tool

They say that pictures say a 1000 words. Right now, I'm lost for descriptions beyond what you can see. I'm looking into new formats for the blog, and figuring out how to make the pics larger. We're backed up on photos, and we'll start rolling them out regularly. After a voyage to Tx and Pa, we're looking towards returning to Hindustan. We're a little sad to be leaving, but looking forward to new situations and towards meeting new people. God is Great and has left many of us blessed with our lot in life. With these blessings, we have a greater responsibility towards those in need, to those who hurt, and for those with no hope. I'm talking to myself as much as all of you, and am asking for prayers for those under persecution. Thank you all for checking in, and we'll try to have a killer blog this year! We wish you all Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Nick&Amber

2006-10-17T10:09:00.000-04:00

"Here they are!" "Excuse me, there is grave concern in the west that you two are missing." Any excuse for your silence?"
"We're sorry, thanks to busy tour schedules, we've been busy. That's it. Sorry!"

"Uhhh, there's no internet in the rural hinterlands, but we're ok."

"No comment."

2006-10-10T06:30:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Madavamedu, a small fishing village along the south east coast of Tamil Nadu. Our purpose here was for the dedication of 230 newly constructed homes in 3 villages. The construction was in response to the Tsunami of 2004. 13 people lost their lives that day. The pictures are mostly self explanitory, but please ask if there are any questions.

This is a Tamil culture show. The dancers were there to greet visitors to the dedication. It was complete with drums, horns and of course, dancers.

A shot of the old and the new. Guess which is which?

The decorating begins.

This is the family I stayed with for a night. They welcomed me into their home, and the men took me fishing in the Bay of Bengal. It was a priceless moment in my life. But this little guy below is also special. His name is Fwee. Yes, Fwee. He belongs to a guy who decided he doesn't have time for him. I think he'll be ok, so long as he still feeds him. Street life isn't so bad for the dogs, as long as they eat.

2006-10-07T14:22:00.000-04:00

This is a 2 Rupee coin. It is important in this particular blog because we need to know who is checking in on us. So please, put in your 2 rupees worth. We're really curious!!!!

When the water buffalo cross the road, we stop and watch. Where do they get them, I don't know. Some are fast and some are slow. Everybody has a water buffalo!

Here is an idol, Ganesh. There was a 9 day festival to respect its contribution to Hindustan. Notice the offerings of food, drink, tobacco and sweets.

These are random shot from Andhra Pradesh. Not so exciting, but available for show.

Below is an ice cream stand with the monkey god, "Atama" or something like this. Didn't eat any though.

Below: These are cows grazing at a local landfill. There were loads of cattle and tons of trash. I've named the place, the "Golden Corral." Our home is near the buildings on the horizon, and yes, I walked here. So this one is short, but we've got lots waiting to be posted. These random shots are from our first 3 months. Coming up, tsunami affected areas, salt mines, rural villages, train stations and possibly tigers.

The End.

2006-10-06T07:34:00.000-04:00

This is Brindle getting a bath. It didn't really matter because he went back downstairs and rolled in the dirt. He was easy to bathe, and seemed to enjoy the massage. He's our buddy, and sometimes follows us all the way to the vegetable market. Once he leaves his "hood" he stays close to us. Because if there's one thing about these street dogs, it's their territorial instincts. At night, he likes to chase cars and mopeds. He is silly.

This is Brindle's Brother, Gimpy. 2 weeks ago, we saw him laying far from our house, and he didn't come when all the other dogs did. Curious, we went to visit him and discovered a large knot on the side of his face. We carried him upstairs and cleaned up his wound and gave him some food. A week later, I had to go out of town, but Amber called a vet to look at his swelling face. At that time, the knot was huge, and looked very painful. At first the doc wouldn't touch him, and didn't want to look at him, but Amber insisted and the vet agreed. He used a syringe and pulled lots of yucky, infectious from his wound and gave her a prescription for an antibiotic. Total, the bill was about $5.00 us. Now, he's back to normal and happy gimping along the road. He is also silly.

Weddings in India are not to be taken lightly. They last for many hours and several days. We were fortunate to be invited to one of these amazing shows, and now you can see a little to. These lamps are carried by men, and there is a band playing. The groom sits on a mare, at the back, and the procession slowly moves towards the wedding area. This was day 3, and it began at 9pm.

Something like Mardis Gras, Indian weddings are huge celebritory events. Complete with music, dancers and costumes, the air is very festive. As well, many weddings are held on the same day, as Hindu culture has particular days for them.
The groom is on his way to meet the bride. In this case, they already knew eachother. But many times the wedding is arranged by their parents. Although times are changing, many people are still married this way. It is normal, and most people we've talked to are totally fine with it. This young man is the nephew. We thought he looked like my nephew, JC. This little guy was about as happy with his costume as JC was at our wedding.

But JC didn't have to ride on a horse, with LOUD music playing and crazy people running around.

Mother and family of the Groom. Yea Yea, it's blurry. So I haven't mastered nighttime photography.

This is Amber in a Punjabi dress. It was custom made, but a little too big for her taste. At this time though, she was lost in the noise and beauty of the wedding.

Father and family dancing in the procession.

This is the Groom and his brother, who invited us to the wedding. We stayed until 12am, and didn't see the bride. She arrived later. The wedding ended around 5am, as the gods were waking.

2006-10-02T03:23:00.000-04:00

Suresh can make it however you'd like. Chai, coffee, a fresh lime soda- sweet or salty, cold or hot, and always with a smile. He's from Nepal, and lives upstairs. The first time he met his wife was at their wedding, and she lives in Nepal. He sees her from time to time. He's definately a highlite of staying in India.

The monsoon rains have passed for this year, but on one occasion, we watched these 2 bucket fill to this level in 30 minutes. Amber and I enjoy a visit to the shopping center from time to time. Last week, some Indian actress came to do a promotion, and the security guards blocked off the food court. Most of our party accepted this defeat and began walking to another resturant. However, Justin and I held out, demanding our rights as consumers and hungry souls. We barked for about 3 minutes, demanding to see the manager. Mr. Security Guard relented, and we had our dinner :)

Varinder Pal Singh is holding an unnamed flower, the kind that love monsoon rains.

Welcome to the flooded western bank of the Ganges, in Varanasi. This place is considered to be among the holiest in Hinduism. Unfortunately, the amount of waste and debris deposited in this river leave it completely septic; there is no oxygen in this river as it flows away from here.

The "Ghats" are a long series of steps leading into the river. Aside from offering daily prayers here, it is customary to bath, drink, and render the ashes of the deceased persons into the flow.
An early morning "puja" along the Ghats
The "Aarti" is a nightly ritual which people come out to offer floating candles to the river, and to motion flames in such a way as to ward off evil spirits. We paid a few dollars to watch the Aarti from a boat. A young boy is selling floating candles for a few ruppees.Bathing at dawn.
The beautiful Ganges River at dawn.

More to come..............................

2006-10-02T01:52:00.000-04:00

You Know You're In India When . . . .

1. Beef isn't on the menu at McDonald's
2. Straight men hold hands while they walk together
3. A head shake no means yes.
4. A cow sleeping on the street is normal.
5. A good dessert is called a barfy.
6. Cricket is no longer an insect.
7. You haven't seen a trash can in days.
8. Security guards carry flint lock rifles.
9. 15 people cut in line and it's normal
10. You hear a Beethoven song when a car is in reverse.

More pictures for your enjoyment . . . .

On a recent trip to the south, we discovered an awesome resturant in a town called Cuddapah. In this photo, Justin and our translator Surya are posing with the bus boy.

A giant haystack. These can be seen dotting the countryside. The hay is cut by hand and carried on the head or back of the village women. It is a pretty amazing sight because these women are quite tiny.

A villager cultivating a rice patty!

The plowing is done, so now they get a bath.

As our visit to their village drew to a close, all of the kids crowded around our car to say goodbye.

After many hours of traveling from village to village, it was time for a cool drink break! There's always time for a Fanta!

A Hindu Temple.

The villagers show off their handy work with homemade brooms.
Cheer up mate, it's not so bad!
This kid is dressed like Anama, the Hindu Monkey god. The kid was dressed like this for the Ganesh festival, a festival honoring the Hindu god Ganesh.

2006-09-13T02:17:00.000-04:00

A Trip to "Tibet" . . . .

About a month ago, Justin, Eric, Nick, and I took a long weekend and headed to the mountains! It was Nick and my first real adventure out of the neighborhood. The place we picked to visit was Dharmasala/McLoedganj, which, for those of you who don't know, is the place where the Tibetan government has been in exile since the 1960s. The Chinese kicked them out of their country, now called Lhasa. So if you are paying attention, you will know that with the government goes His Holiness The Dalai Lama!

A shrine in a resturant. We found this to be a common occurance.

We set out from Delhi on a Thursday evening. The bus was the mode of transportation that we had picked to take us there. Actually, it was the only direct route to take. However, we soon discovered that the bus we had purchased tickets for was not air conditioned and didn't have very much room. Oh, and we were traveling 14 hours overnight! When we first stepped foot on the bus in Delhi, we thought we were going to suffocate, it was so hot! But we were relieved to find that once the bus started moving, the air started to move. However, it didn't matter how cool it got in the bus, the seats were still painfully close together. Poor Nick, with his long legs, was miserable most of the night. Sleep was possible, but not the kind that you get comfortably tucked into your bed at night.

After a long and torturous ride, we arrived in McLoedganj. The bus dropped us off in a small congested town square, and we were immediate targets. Every taxi service and hotel solicited us for business. As overwhelming and annoying as it was, we were able to find a man who offered us a room at his guesthouse. Nick was able to haggle with him and get a better rate. As it turned out, we built a rapport with this guesthouse and we were able to get an even better rate a couple of nights later.

The town of McLoedganj was a bustling community, with a very diverse mixture of people. While walking down any street, you could pass Tibetans, Buddhist monks, Indians, and Westerners from any number of countries. Needless to say, it is a huge tourist destination. People flock there in droves in hopes of catching a glimpse of His Holiness! In addition, they come there hoping to find that inner peace they think Buddhism will impart to them. The irony that I discovered was that Buddhism is to some degree about leaving material things behind and yet, the entire town depended on the capital generated by the tourists. And also, the westerners who were coming here to escape the materialistic west, spent their time going from stall to stall buying little trinkets and clothes.

The day before we left, we found out that the Dalai Lama was going to be having a public teaching that anyone could attend. So, as soon as we got to town, we went in search of the office where we had to register for the teachings. The teachings were held on Monday, so bright and early Monday morning, we headed to the main monostary to find a spot on the concrete floor. Nick and I were only able to last through half the day. The teaching was interesting, but we didn't really understand what was being said. Yes, we were able to listen to an English translation, but the ideas that he was teaching on didn't make sense. However, it was awesome that we got to see him and listen to him in person. A chance of a lifetime.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay in the mountains. The weather was cooler. The scenery was incredible. The food was great too. We did some hiking and some shopping. We met nice people. And we would definitely go back. And we took a sleeper bus back. The price was a little more, but it was worth it because we were able to lay down the whole trip back!

Here are just some of the pictures that we took. There are so many more and I am willing to share them. If there is interest, let me know.

An attempt to portray the beauty of the area.

A typical McLoedganj street

Studying the rules for registering for the Dalai Lama teaching . . .

A view of the valley from McLoedganj

Amber & Nick with the valley . . .

Auto rickshaws . . . .

A statue of the Hindu god Ganesha . . .

Amber & Nick with a beautiful waterfall in the background . . . .

A closer view of the beautiful waterfall, with the whole crew!

Nick's attempt at creative photography! Pretty good, I think!

Tibetan monks living life . . ..

Tibetan prayer wheels. The Buddhists believe that everytime they spin one of these wheels, it is the same as saying the prayer one time. They must be spun in a clockwise motion.

A Tibetan woman reading . . .

A monkey . . . .

A worker at a building site. And yes, that is a woman, and yes, she is carrying bricks on her head!

Tibetan prayer flags . . . .

Amber trying to get some sleep after a long day of hiking!

Amber & Nick sharing another great photo opt.

Justin racing the clouds for a photograph

A little meditation by Eric. Definitely one of the coolest pics we took that weekend.

Nick using his creative photographic powers again!

Resting after a long climb! My favorite pic from the trip.

2006-09-06T07:50:00.000-04:00

A Day in Delhi . . . .

When the weekend comes around here, we find ourselves to be at a loss for things to do. Of course, we spend the Sabbath resting, but on Sunday, we find ourselves itching to explore. But there is only so far a person can go on foot.

Several Sundays back, a group of us (Nick, Amber, Justin, and Eric) decided that we would venture into Delhi for the day. Nick and I had never been there, so naturally we were excited to do some siteseeing. Justin called to hire a taxi for the day, and they said that we would be picked up at 11:30 am. Well, we all gathered and waited for the taxi. After thirty minutes, the taxi still hadn't arrived. Justin called to inquire after the driver. He told the man on the phone that he had ordered a taxi and it had not arrived yet. The man replied, "What is the problem?" Justin said emphatically, "The taxi has not arrived yet." The man again asked, "What is the problem?" Finally, Justin was able to get across that we were still waiting for the taxi. The man said that one was on the way. Well, after an hour and a half, the taxi finally arrived. We piled in and tried to explain to our Hindi speaking friend where we wanted to go. As we turned toward Delhi, we thought we had been successful, until the driver turned around and headed back towards home. "What was happening?" we asked. The driver just kept saying, "one minute, sir." He then turned onto a dirt road that took us to a place none of us had been to before. He stopped in front of a shop, and went inside. Soon another guy came out and got in the car. We had switched drivers to one that could speak English. And when I say could speak English, I mean a few words of English!

And so we were off, careening haphazardly through the crowded streets. Nick somehow was able to explain to this guy where we wanted to go. We went first to the Lotus Temple. It is a place for people of all religions to gather for prayer and meditation. It was built in the shape of a lotus flower. The architecture was amazing.

The Lotus Temple . . . .

From here, our zealous driver took us to the Red Fort and then the Friday Mosque, which is rumored to be the largest mosque in India. It was an interesting experience to go in a mosque, and to watch Muslims pray. It was very methodical.

The Friday Mosque . . . .

The Red Fort can be seen throught the arch behind the trees!

Finally, we went to Raj Ghat. This is the place where Ghandi was cremated and a memorial has been erected in his honor. Basically, it is a large park. But we went only to honor Ghandi. When we arrived at Raj Ghat, we found our first snake charmer. Of course we had to give him some rupees so that he would work his magic. However, after watching for a while, we decided that it is all a scam. The snake was clearly abused and was not into being charmed!

The Raj Ghat. . . The black slab in the center is where Ghandi was cremated. And there is an eternal flame burning.

After paying our respects to the great Ghandi, we decided we should head home. It had been a long, hot day, and since we couldn't really communicate with our driver, it was easier to just go home.

All in all, it was an enjoyable day. We learned that Delhi isn't that exciting. It is a very dirty city and very over crowded. There are still a few things that we would like to see while we are here, but we figure we have plenty of time.

At the Raj Ghat. . . .

The whole crew. Eric is in the yellow, he works for ADRA, and is from Argentina, and Justin is in the green. He works with us and is from Tennessee. And yes, we are barefoot. Any place deemed a holy place requires you to leave your shoes at a shoe check.

Another ruin that we saw beside the road on the way home.

2006-08-31T11:03:00.000-04:00

Day to Day . . . .

Now that everyone has seen our marble house, we have a chance to share with you some the activities that fill our days here in India. Most of the week days are spent working with Maranatha. Nick works with another couple from the U.S. in the Media and Development Department. He gets to play with video cameras and learn how to edit and log film. I, on the other hand, work in the Volunteer Services Department. We organize the different projects and the volunteer groups that will be coming to participate on these projects.

But that’s work! In the evenings, we hang out in our marble house, cook, read, and sleep. Nothing exciting really! There are some evenings that we really get crazy and walk to the “Mega Mall” that is across the street from our little community. Usually we go there to eat. We really haven’t gone there to shop, except at the little grocery store that is in the basement. Sometimes we get tired of cooking at home, or we just don’t have anything in the house. So, we head for the food court at the Mega Mall. There we can find several different fast food Indian restaurants, some ice cream places, a couple Chinese places, and would you believe, Subway and McDonalds! And believe it or not, we actually eat at McDonalds occasionally. No beef is sold at McDonalds here in India! That’s right, no beef! Instead, they have a veggie burger, a chicken burger, and of course, the McFish sandwich.

Besides a decent food court, they have a movie theatre there as well. There are not very many English speaking movies, but when there is, we are quick to see it. There are even some Hindi movies that look really good, but unfortunately, there are not English sub-titles until it comes out on DVD.

When we aren’t posing as mall rats, there are about 5 to 10 malls within a 5 mile radius of our house, we enjoy a few other activities. Sometimes we hang out with other people from work, mostly people from the US or South America. And that is only because we all live in the same little community. None of the Indian employees live in our neighborhood. We enjoy hanging out together, laughing together, etc.

But the highlight of our week definitely falls on Tuesdays and Fridays. These are the days of the local vegetable market. Just to put it into prospective, it is basically the local farmers’ market. The only difference is that the men who are selling the produce probably did not grow it, but are more like middle men. We can find many vegetables that we are familiar with. Things like tomatoes, potatoes, onions, green beans, eggplant, beets, spinach, okra, mangoes, apples, limes, lemons, pears, bananas, cabbage, garlic, and ginger. Most of the vendors have the same items, so we get to go from stall to stall and find the best price per kilogram, half kilogram (ada), and quarter kilogram (pou). That is the Hindi word in parentheses. In addition to produce, you can buy eggs, spices in bulk, and many other items like clothes and other trinkets. When we go, we usually buy four or five different things, and only spend about $5.00. In the States, we would have spent close to four times that amount at the grocery store or farmers’ market.

The Spice Man....

One of many vegetable vendors....

Cabbages and cucumbers....

Garlic by the clove or by the bunch....

Even the cows enjoy the Vegetable Market....

And this is why.... This is some of the best food they get!

This is just a sampling of stuff that we can get here in India at the grocery store and the vegetable market. All of this probably cost us about $10 or $20!!!

There is one other activity that we have taken a liking to. Well, when I say we, I really mean Nick. He has taken it upon himself to feed and water a few stray dogs in the neighborhood. Please keep in mind, that there are countless stray dogs in India. They are everywhere. Of course, you have to watch for dogs with rabies, but so far, the ones we have semi adopted as our own seem healthy enough. We call them all “Bodark”, but that is a long story. As we observe the dogs in the neighborhood, we have learned that like gangs in cities, there are lines and territories that are not be crossed by strange dogs. The dogs that hang out in front of our house followed us to the office one morning, and the dogs that live by the office chased them away. Nick only feeds and waters a few dogs, but I swear they told all their friends about Nick’s Doggie Soup Kitchen! There is one young female who looks to be in heat these days, and we would love to steal one of her puppies and make it our own. Both of us want a dog so bad, but the problem is that pets are almost out of the question because we will be traveling so much.

Let me introduce you to our friends!

Brindle Bodark....

Gimpy Bodark....He has a bad back leg, so he hops on three legs!

Momma Bodark....This is the one that we are hoping has puppies!

2006-08-30T09:22:00.000-04:00

Home Sweet Home . . . .

Finally, the pictures of our house, that you've all been waiting for. When we arrived the first night, we were amazed with what awaited us! I’m not sure what we were expecting, but again we were pleasantly surprised! It is about twice the size of where I was living in Silver Spring. There are two bedrooms, each with their own bathroom. All of the floors are marble, that’s right, I said marble!

The Living Room....We had just done laundry at the neighbor's house and hung it to dry.

The kitchen....

The stove. Unfortunately, no oven! The orange tube going into the wall connects to a propane gas canister that is sitting on the back patio!

Our bedroom....

There is one interesting thing to me. In the bathrooms, there is no clear division between the shower area and the rest of the bathroom, so when someone takes a shower, the water goes anywhere and everywhere. We have a western style toilet and toilet paper, for those of you who were concerned or curious! But we do have an added feature. Next to the toilet there is a knob that when turned, a stream of water will squirt your bottom! Not quite as forceful as the French version, but it has the same effect. It does not seem to be very effective when you tinkle since you stay wet, but it could have some impact on the other end since it washes you to some degree. However, we stick with toilet paper, even though it is a bit pricier than we are used to!

We have an enormous patio out the back door. It is basically the size of the room on the floor below. It would be the perfect spot for bbq's, but cows are holy in India. Besides that, it is too hot in the daytime and there is no roof or shade. And at night, the mosquitoes would eat you alive. So for now, we dream of filling it with plants and trees for shade.

Nick has hung Tibetan Prayer Flags on the balcony for decoration....

Since the water is unsafe to drink right from the tap, we had a high tech water filter installed shortly after we arrived. And just this past week, we got a washing machine. I was so happy.

Right now, our house is pretty simple, not a lot of decoration, but we are hoping to change that over time.

Our land lord and his family....

The Front Balcony....

The view from our front balcony....

A sunset out the front balcony....

2006-08-22T07:33:00.000-04:00

Some fun signs we found along the way . . .

Before we say cherrio to the UK, we wanted to share a few funny signs, etc. that we found on our journey. Hope you enjoy!

A Pub in Edinborough!

Warning for all the stupid Americans who visit!!

WalMart has made it to Great Britain

Another pub in Edinborough

A sign on a resturant in Edinborough

If you look close, this car has a Dixie Flag (Stars and Bars) Bumper Sticker

We found these packs of cigarettes hilarious, but it is a law in the UK. These warnings are on every pack of cigarettes!

2006-08-17T06:31:00.000-04:00

Driving Indian Style . . . .

We learned that the horn is basically your blinker here in India. It lets the vehicle in front of you know that you are passing on the right or the left, or that you are coming up behind them, and you need them to move. All of the big trucks here have the words “Horn Please” painted on their back doors! Another rule of thumb is whoever has their nose in front gets the right of way. Lines on the road are to be used for guidance down the road, so people will drive straddling them, rather than between them like we are used to. Blinkers have more than one meaning, they can be used to indicate that you want to turn right or left or that you are changing lanes, but they can also be used to tell the car behind you that they can go around you on the right or the left! So when you put your blinker on, you have to double check that someone isn’t going to try to go around you just when you are moving over. In the US and most other places, you only have worry about vehicles on the road. Here, you have to be aware of vehicles of all sizes from bikes, to motorcycles, to cars, to SUV’s, to buses, to big trucks. But also, there are people walking, bicycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, and of course cows and dogs! To hit a cow is a jailable offence! That’s right, if you hit a cow on the road and kill it, you could go to jail for two years! So there you have it, a short introduction to driving in India. After we had been in Gurgaon for a couple of days, we decided to brave the bicycle rickshaws. These are basically rudimentary taxis that will take you from place to place for a fee. We got to where we were going without any harm, and we were headed back, and I noticed that we were headed the wrong direction. Both Nick and I were on the same rickshaw and the guy was smaller than me that was pedaling. When we told him that we needed to go the other direction, he proceeded to turn to go across four lanes of speeding traffic in order to get to the other side of the road. Nick got off and helped him push the bike across traffic. Then he started going the right way and all was fine until he got to a round about and rather than go around and continue on the right side of the road, he cut across oncoming traffic again, and continued up the road against traffic!!! Thank goodness there is a God in heaven looking down on us! Needless to say, we haven’t ridden a rickshaw since.

2006-08-17T06:24:00.000-04:00

India . . . At Last . . .

Early the next morning, we boarded the plane for the next phase of our adventure. Before we got on the plane though, we sat in an area waiting for our plane to arrive from NY and then once we were told which gate to go to, we went there right away. We didn't want to miss the plane. But the plane was still unloading, so we sat and waited. Finally, they began boarding, and like all flights, they started with First Class and people that needed extra help getting aboard. They also asked that people not crowd the door way and only come to board when their section was called. Well, wouldn't you know, as soon as they started boarding, everyone in the room stood up and crowded the doors! So, Nick and I were the first ones at the gate, and the last ones on the plane, because there was absolutely no reason to rush! It was a very funny thing to watch.
It was another great flight with good food. We flew over Europe and would have seen the Alps, but we were told to shut our window blinds. Later we flew over Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan! So, technically, Nick can say he's seen to Iran and Pakistan! Although, I don't know if 35,000 feet counts! We would have seen the Himalayas too but it was dark by the time we got there.

A mountain somewhere in Turkey

A snack they gave us on the flight. Yes, it says "Mo'pleez!

After leaving about an hour late and circling Delhi for an hour or so waiting for our turn to land, we finally arrived in India around 1 am! We were supposed to arrive around 10:30 pm! Customs was no problem, but retrieving our bags was an adventure in itself!!! Our flight was full so that meant 200+ people were all trying to get their bags as fast as possible. Another thing to note at this point is that Indian people have a different idea of personal space than we do. Since we were some of the first people to check in, our bags were some of the last to come out of the plane. I waited patiently behind Nick with two luggage carts, while he staked a claim on the baggage carousel. Well, his claimed area kept shrinking and I kept getting pushed further and further away from him. Finally, our bags appeared and Nick rescued them from the perilous ride on the carousel. We loaded our luggage carts and headed off to find people that didn’t know what we looked like and vice versa! Luckily, the Maranatha India sign was very big and easy to find. We were with people who would take care of us.

As we walked through the airport door, we were hit with our first taste of India, a brick wall of heat and humidity!!! We walked straight into a jungle, but there was no lush rainforest! But there used to be. And, the begging started. A man rushed up to help us with our luggage carts, and even though we told him we didn’t need help, he persisted and since he touched our bags at some point, he expected us to pay him. So Nick gave him 20 pence, British money! Even though he couldn’t use it here, he seemed satisfied and left!

Our bags were loaded into the car and with Tanvere at the wheel, we began our journey from the airport to Gurgaon, the city where we would live and work for the next year. It did not take long to realize that driving in the UK was a breeze compared to India and after driving here you could probably drive in the States with your eyes closed! But Tanvere, being a seasoned professional, easily weaved his way through traffic, hitting his horn only when needed. As we from the airport to Gurgaon, we intently stared out our windows at the world on the other side of the glass. It was dark, but we could still see that there were people everywhere! But I guess a country with a billion people has to put them somewhere. We could see the poor sleeping wherever they could find a suitable patch of ground, there were pilgrims on a journey from the Ganges, a holy river, carrying water back to their homes, and there were cows and dogs!!

2006-08-17T06:15:00.000-04:00

The Land of Bagpipes, Kilts, and Ol' Nessie . . . .

Our first night in Scotland was spent in Stirling. The national memorial to William Wallace is here and we had heard rumor of a statue of Wallace that looked strangely like Mel Gibson (Braveheart). So before we left for the Highlands the next morning we set to prove the rumor. And the rumor was correct! Just outside the visitor's center at the Memorial was a statue of William Wallace that looked exactly like Mel Gibson! And as we would come to discover throughout our travels in Scotland, it is like William Wallace does not have his own identity! Everywhere we saw a depiction of Wallace, it looked like Mel Gibson! It became a crusade of sorts to see if we could find something that didn't look like Mel Gibson. I don't think we were successful.

The Scottish Highlands are amazing! Big mountains, dotted with sheep and little cottages! Oh, and Highland Cows! Cows that have long hair! It was the most bizarre sight!

We drove first to Inverness, which is situated at the northern end of Loch Ness!

Nick found it amusing that so many people were in line at KFC!

After some site seeing, we decided to drive along the coast further north.

This drive brought us to Dornoch where we camped for the night. This was probably my favorite campsite! Our tent was set up right across a road from a sheep pasture with two or three mommas and three or four babies! It was the coolest thing! Oh, and there were Border Collies, my favorite! We are pretty sure they are the official dog of Scotland! Nick shared this observation with a lady and her Border Collie and the dog proceeded to bark and growl at him!! That evening in Dornoch, there was a demonstration of a bagpipe and drum corp and Highland Dancers! I couldn't have asked for better entertainment!

The Post Office on Dean's Lane

The gate to Dean's Court

My new buddy! I wanted to keep this dog. It actually climbed through the gate behind us.

Our campsite outside Dornoch! This was the best one!!!

What's a trip to Scotland without bagpipes?

The next day we were off to hunt for Ol' Nessie! We drove along the shores of Loch Ness searching diligently, but alas, no sight of Ol' Nessie!

Loch Ness. The huge lake where the alleged Loch Ness Monster has been sighted! We were not successful!

Nick preparing to do battle with The Monster!

But the drive was beautiful and relaxing. Later in the day we arrived in Fort William and found ourselves to be in the outdoor capital of Scotland! Ben Nevis and other lofty mountains surrounded the town and Nick decided that this was the place to put the rock climbing skills he had learned in the preceding months to work. So, with equipment strapped to his back, we set off in search of the perfect spot! After much searching, he was ready to give up, but I wasn't. I didn't want to hear him complain that he didn't get to go climbing, so I kept looking. We finally found a spot and anchored in, but after some climbing it turned out to not be the best spot after all and besides, the sun was about to disappear behind the mountain! We didn't want to get stuck on the mountain in the dark, so we headed down!

Nick returning from doing some recon for rock climbing!

Are you sure this spot is good?

Nick, it's just a figure 8 knot! "Climb on"

We camped in Fort William that night and the next morning, we continued south and east toward Edinborough!

Pics from in and around Fort William

It was another beautiful drive snaking through the mountains with a misty fog clinging to their tops. The city of Edinborough was pretty cool as well. The castle set high above the city on the castle rock was an imposing presence! But so majestic! Our only regret is that we didn't have more time to spend there.

Edinborough Castle

A bustling street in Edinborough

More glorious bagpipe music!

After some lunch and a quick stroll, we were back in the car and headed south. Our next stop, Hadrian's Wall. This is the wall the marked the northern boundary of the Roman Empire. So, that should tell you how old the wall is! It was a difficult thing to find because it just meanders across sheep and cow pastures in the English countryside. There is no huge Visitor’s Center to show you where it is, but after some aimless wandering down back country roads, we found it. It was a pretty impressive sight. The wall runs 73 miles from east to west across England.

Hadrian's Wall

Our journey then continued south toward London. We arrived in London early in the afternoon the day before we were to fly on to India. My dream was to stay in a hotel for the night, relax, and get a good night's sleep. But that was not to be. We searched for several hours, trying to find a hotel that was affordable and available. That combination could not be found. When we found available rooms, they were like $300+ and the affordable hotels were all booked. So, after spending entirely too much time on this futile search, we ended up staying at the airport for like 15 hours. We were even going to try to take a train into London and do some site seeing to waste time, but by the time we returned the car and got to the airport, we wouldn't have had enough time in London. So we stayed at the airport, read, and watched people. It wasn't long until things quieted down and we got our sleeping bags out and curled up on the floor. Surprisingly enough, we slept pretty well, considering night time is when all the construction projects are worked on at Heathrow Airport!

2006-08-16T07:27:00.000-04:00

Uncharted Territory . . .Northern Ireland

The next morning, we continued on to Belfast. As we came into Northern Ireland, we started seeing a lot of British Flags and some Irish ones here and there. See Northern Ireland is part of the UK, but some think that it should be reunified with Ireland! We weren't sure what we might find in Belfast. But much to our surprise, it was a pretty tame city. It reminded me a lot of New York City, minus the skyscrapers!

Photos of Belfast

We had some lunch and checked out this pub called Kelly's Cellar! It is the oldest operating pub in Northern Ireland! Some of the guys who planned the Rebellion in the 1700's met there to make plans! Really cool.

Photos of Kelly's Cellar

We got on the ferry here for Scotland and by 10:00 pm that night we were in Scotland. On the ferry, I met a lovely couple from Northern Ireland who were very willing to talk to me about the struggles in the north and many other subjects! They made a good point. Protestant, Catholic, who cares, we are all Christians!

Chillin' on the ferry to Scotland

Nick offers his thoughts:
The postcard Irish landscape, with her rolling green hills, remnant stones of medieval ruins, and endless pubs tickled my senses with a nostalgic reminder that we are leaving western civilization. And packed with enough material goods to open a small store in the 3rd world, my wife and I have set out to take the good news to India.
We boarded a massive ferry in Belfast, after completing a driving tour around the Republic and after a day’s journey through the North. The sun has begun to set, far away from Europe, and the approaching dusk brings in a chilly breeze. By taking refuge into the ship, I’m warmed but still able to watch the sunset. To the west, far beyond Ireland, lies my home.
The ferry is quite void of passengers but each seems lost in a stare of simple meditation. The Titanic was built in the same harbor from which we just left. A t-shirt from earlier summed things up, “She was fine when she left here.”
My mind hastened through the same things, ‘bills, clean water, and Mr. Franklin my alley cat.’ No. I try to shake off those thoughts and remember they are taken care of. God is in control. I recall when God was not in control and remember to let God have control. Christ told us to let the morrow take care of itself. He has supplied the birds and has given me the earth and sky as a signature of His control. Then why have we packed so many things? Ah yes, I remember, I was recently married.

2006-08-16T01:52:00.000-04:00

Ah, the Charms of Ireland . . .

We arrived in Ireland the next morning around 6. We slept the entire trip across the Irish Sea. But it was much needed sleep. Gas was still pretty steep in Ireland, even though the exchange rate was a bit better than the UK! Nick wanted to go to a little town called Kilkenny, so we set a course for there. Along the way we were entranced by the lovely Irish countryside and the very narrow roads! Oh yeah, we had to drive on the other side of the road and the driver sat on the other side of the car! The driving was an experience all its own! I think we had more arguments about driving than anything else. Whoever was driving would get to close to the passenger's side of the road, and then the passenger would freak out about hitting something with the mirror, etc! All in all, we learned to stay quiet and pray!

A little town we happened upon and Nick tried new things with his camera.

When we got to Kilkenny we found a campsite and put up our tent and went to sleep! We slept all day, went into town for some dinner and a leisurely stroll, and then went back to sleep!

From left to right: A banner hanging in Kilkenny, our campsite in Kilkenny, and a newspaper that we found in a pub.

From left to right: A church in Kilkenny, A little bit of TX in Ireland (Paris, Texas Pub), and Kilkenny Castle.

The next day we headed west to the far west coast of Ireland and the Cliffs of Mohr! Wow, what an amazing site! Like the Grand Canyon, words and pictures just don't do justice! From there, we headed north toward Galway and then northeast toward Belfast.

Cliffs of Mohr

The road from the cliffs to Galway was seriously only wide enough for one car, but there was a line down the middle and I got the distinguished privilege of driving on this road! It was pretty stressful!

Trying to look excited about driving

While I drove, Nick took pictures of almost every pile of ruins he saw, and for anyone that's been to Ireland, you know that there are a lot of ruins scattered around the country! But it kept his focus off my driving!

Pics of Random Ruins & Things Around Ireland

When we had driven as far north as we could that night, we camped by a lake with sheep and cows baaing and mooing in the surrounding fields! It was pretty cool!

Our campsite & Amber taking care of things in the bushes!

2006-08-07T03:11:00.000-04:00

And we're off. . .

With the car loaded, we headed off on our adventure. Our first stop was Stonehenge! It was a pretty amazing site. These huge stones just sitting on top of a hill in the middle of no where!

From there we headed west into Wales. We were headed to Pembroke to catch a ferry to Ireland. We were so exhausted from the flight and all the late nights before leaving that we had to stop at a rest stop and lay out on the grass for a nap! We arrived in Pembroke and booked passage to Ireland. The ferry left around 2:00 am, so we took a nap of sorts in the car. Nick actually took out his sleeping bag and slept on the sidewalk beside the car! It was a funny sight!

2006-08-07T02:58:00.000-04:00

Watch out UK, Here come The Deans
The flight to London was pretty full. We were definitely only two of a few non-Indians flying that night. We were on Air India, which I was a bit skeptical about at first, but in the end was pleasantly surprised! The food was some of the best airline food I've ever had! It was Indian cusine, of course, and it tasted so good. While I slept, Nick spent most of the night reading and getting to know the gentleman sitting next to him. He was from New York and was headed to Bombay! Within days there was a massive bombing in Bombay!
Upon arriving in London, we had to first clear customs, retrieve our luggage, and then find our way to the rental car place. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we were blessed with an 8 day lay over in the UK! I guess you could say it was our honeymoon! We learned that we had to take a bus called "The Hotel Hoppa" to a hotel nearby to get our car. When we arrived at the hotel, we deposited our seven, very heavy, bags on the ground and while I kept guard over the precious possessions, Nick went to get the car. The car was quite possibly the smallest car we could have rented. We could only fit one bag in the trunk and the rest of the bags took up the entire back seat!

But a small car means better gas mileage and that was important since gas was, on average, about 1 Pound per liter. So that means it was about $2.00 per liter and there are 4 liters in a gallon, so that means, we were paying about $8.00 a gallon for gas while we were in the UK!!! I know gas is expensive in the US and getting worse everyday, but I have to say that I don't really think that we as Americans should complain because we still have it better than most countries in the world!

2006-08-07T02:55:00.000-04:00

In late June we made the pilgrimage to Texas to say our farewells to the wonderful people in Nick's family. It was a great trip. We just spent time visiting with family, relaxing, and drowning ourselves in Cherry Limeades!!! Oh, how I miss those! But I must tell the Texas folks, there is something here called a sweet lime soda. It is an ok subsitute, but it just isn't the same as pulling into Mr. Burger and ordering a Cherry Lime, easy on the ice!!!
Upon arriving back in PA, our lives took on a new level of stress. We had about 4 days until we left the country and we had to pack all of our favorite belongings and organize the mess that was being left at my parent's house. After many late nights and only minimal tears and tiffs, the task was finished! By early afternoon on July 10th, we were packed in the car and headed to NYC and JFK Airport for a 6 hour plane ride to London! Looking ar our luggage cart as we pushed it from the car to the airport, we thought, man, we have to much stuff! There is no way we need all of this stuff! But I think we have come to terms with the amount we brought. So far there isn't anything with us that we haven't used!
After prayer with my mom and dad, and tearful embraces, we walked through security and into the next chapter of our lives.

2006-08-07T02:44:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our blog. The place where Nick and Amber can come and tell it like it is! Besides, stuff like this saves us from those much detested mass e-mails to everyone about our latest adventure. Just check back to The Deans Adventures from time to time to hear and see more. Please tell us what you think, we are open to feedback! We hope that you will learn something about the world according to us from reading our random ramblings!

Enjoy!

2006-08-07T02:37:00.000-04:00

The Adventure Begins
Most of you know that Nick and I volunteered to come to India with Maranatha India. It is a humanitarian organization that builds orphanages, schools, etc. where they are needed. We are trying to impact people in such a way that they can live better lives!
We were given the opportunity to come here through our good friend Brittnie Clark. Her dad is the country director for Maranatha India, and she put us in touch with him. After speaking with him on the phone and a lot of prayer, we found ourselves slated to come to India for at least a year, starting in July! So sometime in March or April, our lives took on a double work load. Not only were we trying to plan our wedding that took place at the end of May, we were trying to organize our transition to another country. There were visas to apply for, shots to be administered, pets to find homes for, and the list goes on and on! But by the grace of God we were successful in finishing everything before we were scheduled to leave. And our wedding went off without a hitch! It was a beautiful affair! And hopefully, I will have pictures posted online soon for all to view!