I realize now, reading back on the last post, that I had said quite specifically that I planned on continuing to update the blog... funny how life throws you curves sometimes :)
These past months since I've gotten back have been crazy, a roller-coaster ride of epic proportions... who would've thought that I'd be a youth pastor at 20, and licensed for ministry at 21? In this whirlwind I've grown a lot, although I've found that I'm struggling to find myself and who I am, how do I fit here in Phoenix?
I've thought a lot about this especially in the past few days and weeks as I'm preparing a sermon for the 26th... I'm not the same person who came back from Europe on a spiritual high, and definitely not the same person who left the states on May 10th. But it's not that I've lost that spiritual high, rather, I think it set me up for all these experiences I've had, and the many yet to come.
How?
The sermon I've been preparing is on Matthew 2:13-23, talking about Joseph and Mary's flight to Egypt, entitled "We walk by FAITH" The thing that has always amazed me about the Christmas story is the faithfulness of Joseph, even when all logic is against him, I mean, how did Mary really get pregnant? Why should I leave everything I know and go off to a foreign land with my young bride and newborn son? But he trusts, Joseph has an amazing faith that he holds on to, the Angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream and says get up and go, and he goes.
What I'm getting to is that the road we travel on is never guaranteed, I've hit many bumps since my pilgrimage out west, it hasn't been perfect and I've fallen many times... sometimes it has gotten so bad that I even look back and wonder if it was the right decision. But every time I doubt, even for a second, I look around me and realize how amazing this really is... how everything has just fallen into place, and all of the people that believe in me and support me, regardless of how many times I stumble.
Best of all, I have been blessed in that over the past year and a half or so, as I've struggled with this call to ministry and what it means, I've experienced many "Angels." For me they didn't come in a dream as they did for Joseph, rather it's been in personal experiences, interactions with others both at Hesston College with my peers and professors and in my short ministry with the Jr. High at Hesston Mennonite. There were also many different experiences in my travels abroad, which you can probably read about in the earlier posts of this blog... but the one that has always stuck out the most is my experience in Saverne at the end of my journey.
I have been walking by faith for months now, and it seems that every time I feel like I've got it figured out and am ready to take over, I fall again, and again... It's made me wonder if we're ever fully equipped to not walk by faith, and as I type this out, reading it makes it sound all the more ridiculous; I mean really, who am I to stop trusting in the Lord and take the reigns myself?
Who am I?
Broken? Yes. Fallen? Yes. But walking by faith isn't about looking at our shortcomings and realizing that we just aren't good enough, it's about recognizing how good God is, how blessed we are by those around us, and realizing that life is so much better when we embrace this and TRUST.
So, Who am I?
A child of God. A servant of the Kingdom. And one who has been blessed by many.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Back in the US of A...
Yep, I'm back... it's hard to believe after two months of adventure that I'm sitting in my grandparent's basement, tired as heck (I haven't slept much at all in something like over 50 hours...haha), and looking at a week of re familiarizing myself with this culture before entering the "real world."
I've been asking myself all day whether or not I am ready to be back... it's a tough question, because I have grown so much spiritually and through experiences I've had in the past two months that it seems as if now I must go out and apply them; but at the same time, I could live forever just visiting other cultures, being put in unfamiliar, uncomfortable situations, and having adventures! I don't think I have to want to be back, because it's been like two months on holiday, but I think it's good for me to be back, applying what I've learned and experienced to whatever lies ahead, hopefully making me into a more well-rounded, informed world citizen.
My time in Saverne was absolutely fantastic! My hosts continued to show me the most kind hospitality, the Ostertags have been such a blessings to me, I can't thank them, or any of my hosts for that matter, enough for all their help and well wishes.
Sunday was pretty amazing, even though it was my last day in Saverne, that didn't keep me from making the most of it! I was able to participate in the church service through music, playing drums with the worship band and singing "He is Exalted" in English along with Janine... this was a very moving experience for me, finding ways to enter into worship in such an unfamiliar environment... I caught onto the message with a combination of Michele translating a few of the references and the pastor's fantastic use of visuals on the powerpoint.
In the afternoon the youth group went out for a picnic & hiking, then made our way to Emy's for some pool and sun time! The whole afternoon was a lot of fun, even if I couldn't understand the majority of what was said.... :)
That evening then, we were all invited back to the Ostertags whnere we snacked around, talked, and laughed until it hurt! Dinner was a traditional Alsace meal, a pizza crust with sour cream, onions, ham cubes, and occasionally the strongest cheese from the region... it was fantastic! The entertainment for the night was also good, beginning first with Sarah playing some American cover music including "Halleluiah," one of my favorite songs! As the night went on, a few of us took a stab at "Don't Stop Belevin'" and then we sang some praise music in English, what a fun evening!
Before the night was over, Phillip gave me one of the most moving blessings of my life, one that I will forever remember, living me with both Romans 10 and the 1st Psalm as encouragement on my journey through ministry. I have once again made very good friends here, my family in Christ is growing larger and larger every day, love it!
Well, as my last night in Saverne I had to stay up all night again of course! It was fun, we climbed the Chateau and watched the stars, laughing again until it hurt... then packed up this morning and caught the early train to Paris! It was delayed an hour, so I could've taken the later train, but whatever, I made my flight in time and soon enough was back in Chicago!
I'm planning on more reflections so keep checking in on the site! But I'm dead tired for now, so take care!
Blessings,
John
I've been asking myself all day whether or not I am ready to be back... it's a tough question, because I have grown so much spiritually and through experiences I've had in the past two months that it seems as if now I must go out and apply them; but at the same time, I could live forever just visiting other cultures, being put in unfamiliar, uncomfortable situations, and having adventures! I don't think I have to want to be back, because it's been like two months on holiday, but I think it's good for me to be back, applying what I've learned and experienced to whatever lies ahead, hopefully making me into a more well-rounded, informed world citizen.
My time in Saverne was absolutely fantastic! My hosts continued to show me the most kind hospitality, the Ostertags have been such a blessings to me, I can't thank them, or any of my hosts for that matter, enough for all their help and well wishes.
Sunday was pretty amazing, even though it was my last day in Saverne, that didn't keep me from making the most of it! I was able to participate in the church service through music, playing drums with the worship band and singing "He is Exalted" in English along with Janine... this was a very moving experience for me, finding ways to enter into worship in such an unfamiliar environment... I caught onto the message with a combination of Michele translating a few of the references and the pastor's fantastic use of visuals on the powerpoint.
In the afternoon the youth group went out for a picnic & hiking, then made our way to Emy's for some pool and sun time! The whole afternoon was a lot of fun, even if I couldn't understand the majority of what was said.... :)
That evening then, we were all invited back to the Ostertags whnere we snacked around, talked, and laughed until it hurt! Dinner was a traditional Alsace meal, a pizza crust with sour cream, onions, ham cubes, and occasionally the strongest cheese from the region... it was fantastic! The entertainment for the night was also good, beginning first with Sarah playing some American cover music including "Halleluiah," one of my favorite songs! As the night went on, a few of us took a stab at "Don't Stop Belevin'" and then we sang some praise music in English, what a fun evening!
Before the night was over, Phillip gave me one of the most moving blessings of my life, one that I will forever remember, living me with both Romans 10 and the 1st Psalm as encouragement on my journey through ministry. I have once again made very good friends here, my family in Christ is growing larger and larger every day, love it!
Well, as my last night in Saverne I had to stay up all night again of course! It was fun, we climbed the Chateau and watched the stars, laughing again until it hurt... then packed up this morning and caught the early train to Paris! It was delayed an hour, so I could've taken the later train, but whatever, I made my flight in time and soon enough was back in Chicago!
I'm planning on more reflections so keep checking in on the site! But I'm dead tired for now, so take care!
Blessings,
John
Friday, June 25, 2010
More adventures in travel...
Well, I can't say enough about the fantastic time I had once again in Haarlem, my friends there will be very dearly missed... thanks again especially to Michiel and Rob & Rit for Hosting me this time around, I am blessed with wonderful friends...
Anyhow, after a rather long last night in Haarlem :) I packed up my things and headed to the train station... the first two trains went off without a hitch... aside from a grumpy conductor on the high-speed train between Rotterdam and Paris who charged me 36 euros on top of my eurail pass... idiot. Then I got to Paris to find that the French Rail workers of the SNCF were on strike!!! This meant that trains were still running, but much less often, my train at 2:12 had fallen victim, so I had to make a quick decision: do I take the safe route and wait 2 hours for the later train or have an adventure and blindly hop the next train going in the general direction?
Well if you know me it goes without saying the decision I made :P This high-speed TGV train to Strasbourg was packed! People standing in the isles, in the bar, it was nuts... so, not only did I not have a reservation, but I was on an overcrowded train... usually a recipe for getting my butt kicked off right? Well, my legs and back were tired from carrying the big bag, so I decided what the heck, I'm already illegal, why not see if there is an empty seat in first class? So I went up and sure enough, there was one more, so I rode the quick 2 hr ride in 1st class comfort, free drinks and all! Didn't even get caught... what an adventure...
In Strasbourg it was the same story, so I had to figure out first which trains were actually running, then which was the soonest to take me to Saverne... Finally found a regional train that left in 45 min, so I got on and arrived in Saverne only an hour or so after I had planned... a pretty darned successful adventure if you ask me!
At the station though, nobody was there to meet me because I was late, and I realized that I left Jeremie's cell nu,ber in Haarlem! So I waited around for a bit, then realizing that wasnt doing me any good, so I started problem-solving again... I picked up all my stuff and started walking until I found a business with an open door, a barber shop it turned out. The owner spoke a little english, but betzeen my crappy french and his little english I ,anaged to get a phone book and borrow the phone! Thankfully Jeremie's family are the only Ostertags in Saverne :)
So Jeremie, his sister Sarah, and their friend Barbra picked me up from the station and took me to their house where I met their parents too! They graciously let me take a shower... or maybe they were hoping I would haha... and then we ate dinner. Soon after dinner, Jeremie got an invite to go hang out with some friends, so we drove over to their house and had a fun night! (Evidentially I look like Dawson from Dawson's Creek...lol) Stayed there until late in the night talking, hanging out, and listening to music! Then Jeremie and I went back to the house and slept!
Got to sleep in this morning, and then after breakfast Jeremie and I went over to his Grandma's to pick some fresh cherries! Had lunch outside on the patio, enjoying the beautiful weather, and am now listening to Sarah play guitar as I type... in a bit Jeremie's band is comin over to practice, this is a very musical family, I love it!
Well, I think I am going to head outside and journal for awhile... having a great weekend already!
Blessings to all,
John
Anyhow, after a rather long last night in Haarlem :) I packed up my things and headed to the train station... the first two trains went off without a hitch... aside from a grumpy conductor on the high-speed train between Rotterdam and Paris who charged me 36 euros on top of my eurail pass... idiot. Then I got to Paris to find that the French Rail workers of the SNCF were on strike!!! This meant that trains were still running, but much less often, my train at 2:12 had fallen victim, so I had to make a quick decision: do I take the safe route and wait 2 hours for the later train or have an adventure and blindly hop the next train going in the general direction?
Well if you know me it goes without saying the decision I made :P This high-speed TGV train to Strasbourg was packed! People standing in the isles, in the bar, it was nuts... so, not only did I not have a reservation, but I was on an overcrowded train... usually a recipe for getting my butt kicked off right? Well, my legs and back were tired from carrying the big bag, so I decided what the heck, I'm already illegal, why not see if there is an empty seat in first class? So I went up and sure enough, there was one more, so I rode the quick 2 hr ride in 1st class comfort, free drinks and all! Didn't even get caught... what an adventure...
In Strasbourg it was the same story, so I had to figure out first which trains were actually running, then which was the soonest to take me to Saverne... Finally found a regional train that left in 45 min, so I got on and arrived in Saverne only an hour or so after I had planned... a pretty darned successful adventure if you ask me!
At the station though, nobody was there to meet me because I was late, and I realized that I left Jeremie's cell nu,ber in Haarlem! So I waited around for a bit, then realizing that wasnt doing me any good, so I started problem-solving again... I picked up all my stuff and started walking until I found a business with an open door, a barber shop it turned out. The owner spoke a little english, but betzeen my crappy french and his little english I ,anaged to get a phone book and borrow the phone! Thankfully Jeremie's family are the only Ostertags in Saverne :)
So Jeremie, his sister Sarah, and their friend Barbra picked me up from the station and took me to their house where I met their parents too! They graciously let me take a shower... or maybe they were hoping I would haha... and then we ate dinner. Soon after dinner, Jeremie got an invite to go hang out with some friends, so we drove over to their house and had a fun night! (Evidentially I look like Dawson from Dawson's Creek...lol) Stayed there until late in the night talking, hanging out, and listening to music! Then Jeremie and I went back to the house and slept!
Got to sleep in this morning, and then after breakfast Jeremie and I went over to his Grandma's to pick some fresh cherries! Had lunch outside on the patio, enjoying the beautiful weather, and am now listening to Sarah play guitar as I type... in a bit Jeremie's band is comin over to practice, this is a very musical family, I love it!
Well, I think I am going to head outside and journal for awhile... having a great weekend already!
Blessings to all,
John
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Having a great time in Haarlem!
Well, I made it to Haarlem and am glad to be here!
Was welcomed by Michiel and Noah last night and stayed with them, he's a great guy and a fantastic father as well! We had a lot of fun getting caught up and sharing stories...
Today I stopped by Rop and Rit's, my hosts while the choir was here on tour, and suprised them! I ended up staying most of the day and because Michiel is gone tonight they insisted that I stay here for the night too... fantastic people, I am so blessed to be here!
Tonight around 7 I went over to meet Ken and his friend Ryan at the Van Galan household to go to an organ concert at the city church. Was there a little early so it was fun sitting and talking with all of them, meeting up with more old friends, and Michiel showed up too! Klass, Sjoard, and Imke were very welcoming, already hosting two guests and still welcoming me in their home for the evening...
The concert was great, the organ itself was a magnificent instrument, ask Ken more about it, my description will do it no justice. It was good to hang out with Ken again too, forgot how much I missed him!
After the concert we picked up Klass and went for ice cream! Had a great time then back at the house watching the final minutes of the match and just having a good time! Now back at Rop and Rit's, getting ready for bed!
The bottom line is, I am so glad to be back in Haarlem... have definitely made some lasting relationships here, and already not looking forward to leaving. I have made so many new friends on the whole trip, it makes me feel so blessed to have my world be so much bigger...
Anyways, no more time on the computer, gotta talk to Rop more before bed! :)
Blessings,
John
Was welcomed by Michiel and Noah last night and stayed with them, he's a great guy and a fantastic father as well! We had a lot of fun getting caught up and sharing stories...
Today I stopped by Rop and Rit's, my hosts while the choir was here on tour, and suprised them! I ended up staying most of the day and because Michiel is gone tonight they insisted that I stay here for the night too... fantastic people, I am so blessed to be here!
Tonight around 7 I went over to meet Ken and his friend Ryan at the Van Galan household to go to an organ concert at the city church. Was there a little early so it was fun sitting and talking with all of them, meeting up with more old friends, and Michiel showed up too! Klass, Sjoard, and Imke were very welcoming, already hosting two guests and still welcoming me in their home for the evening...
The concert was great, the organ itself was a magnificent instrument, ask Ken more about it, my description will do it no justice. It was good to hang out with Ken again too, forgot how much I missed him!
After the concert we picked up Klass and went for ice cream! Had a great time then back at the house watching the final minutes of the match and just having a good time! Now back at Rop and Rit's, getting ready for bed!
The bottom line is, I am so glad to be back in Haarlem... have definitely made some lasting relationships here, and already not looking forward to leaving. I have made so many new friends on the whole trip, it makes me feel so blessed to have my world be so much bigger...
Anyways, no more time on the computer, gotta talk to Rop more before bed! :)
Blessings,
John
Saturday, June 19, 2010
...
so, still read my last post, it's got more info, but just had to say that soon after I posted the last one and journaled for a bit, I went upstairs to take a nap... didn't realize how tired I really was and ended up waking up around 6... 13 hours! I have honestly never done that before! I felt really bad, wanted to hang out with the family last night, but I guess I'll have to make up for it today!
Heike just woke up and let me know that we are going to church, kinda forgot it was sunday... :) So I am going to go up and get changed!
Blessings,
John
Heike just woke up and let me know that we are going to church, kinda forgot it was sunday... :) So I am going to go up and get changed!
Blessings,
John
Finally Relaxing...
So, I told you how the trip started in Vijayawada right? Well it never really got better from there! (Sorry if this doesnt make sense or read very nicely... I haven't really slept much in the last 48 hours...)
First of all, we walked out of the nap and shower lounge in Hyderabad and noticed right away that our flight was delayed 3 hours... no good for our 2 hour layover in Dubai... Well, the 3 hour layover turned into 6 hours, and before it was over turned into 7 hours... our 4:20am flight not taking off until 11:30!
The first flight, once we were on it, was pretty uneventful... but once we landed we switched once again back into go mode and sought out the best possible solution to our prediciment... just our luck, we were able to get through the line at the counter in time to get 2 of the last 3 seats on the last flight to Paris for the day, which left about 45 min later... so we booked it through the little security checkpoint and walked briskly (its just impolite to run, pushing people over as you go... thats onlý reserved for those really close calls...haha) to our gate. Got there just in time!
The 7 hour flight (wow, 7 seems to be popping up a lot on this trip... 7 hr taxi ride, 7 hr delay, 7 hr flight... seems as if although it seemed like a journey from hell it was pretty blessed... 777... and both flights were on Boeing 777´s! wow, eerie...) was an interesting one. I thought I was going to luck out and have the people on either side of me not show up, but they did, and it turned out to be a mother and two kids, the third seat was in the row in front of us, so not only did I give up my middle seat to them, but I moved rows too! Then, I was supposed to have the window seat, but the guy supposed to be sitting in the middle looked up and said, my knee is hurting me, I cant sit in the middle... grr, but I bit my lip and sat down between two grown men... the only positive out of this situation was that the flight attendant watched it all go down and gave me pretty good treatment after that!
I did have an interesting conversation with the Iraqi-French gentleman sitting next to me... he was born in Iraq and served in the military during the battle against Kuwait before heading to France to study... now he is a professor there and was returning from Iraq where he was visiting his family. Had an interesting conversation about the conflict in Iraq, as well as how important communication is between people of different cultures, countries, and religions. It was a very good discussion!
Got to the airport in Paris around 8:40... 7hrs (imagine that) later than planned, so Matt and I both missed our connections. My rail pass wasn't refundable or transferable, so I had to pay for another reservation, and I just hung out in the station all night until catching the metro into the city at 5:30 in the morning... I'm pretty sure they chose the music in the waiting room (and the volume it was played at) to discourage people from spending large amounts of time there; it was American music, and from what I heard, right out of the charts of VH1's most awesomely bad songs ever... made me miss home, a lot, or not....
So anyways, after a long, boring, uncomfortable, and unrestful time at the station, I hopped on the RER (45 min) at 5:30am to Gare du Nord (Paris north Station) and then walked in the rain, which was actually a refreshing time for me, to Gare de L' Est (Paris East Station) where I would catch my 7:04 ICE (German operated, they tag team the route with the French TGV line) train to Mannheim.
Once again I really enjoyed my rail experience, especially with French and German trains, seem to be at a higher standard. Got into Mannheim around 10:15, and then caught a regional train at 10:44 to Alsheim, which was really just a platform with an automated kiosk. Arrived there at 11:36 and walked into town to use the payphone, which didnt give me change by the way...grr... And Heike came to pick me up in time for lunch!
Already my time here with the Detweillers has been fantastic! A very relaxing atmosphere, they live on a combination farm, ranch, and winery, all of the brothers specialize in one of those so it works out I guess! Lunch was great, roast pork, potatoes, and spargel (white asparagus)! Then I've toured the grounds, the buildings, and been able to relax and check email! Looking forward to a relaxing evening here, it'll be a good place to process thoughts of India.
Well, I think Lucas wants the computer, so I'm off for now! Thanks for the prayers, looking forward to seeing friends in Haarlem soon!
Blessings,
John
First of all, we walked out of the nap and shower lounge in Hyderabad and noticed right away that our flight was delayed 3 hours... no good for our 2 hour layover in Dubai... Well, the 3 hour layover turned into 6 hours, and before it was over turned into 7 hours... our 4:20am flight not taking off until 11:30!
The first flight, once we were on it, was pretty uneventful... but once we landed we switched once again back into go mode and sought out the best possible solution to our prediciment... just our luck, we were able to get through the line at the counter in time to get 2 of the last 3 seats on the last flight to Paris for the day, which left about 45 min later... so we booked it through the little security checkpoint and walked briskly (its just impolite to run, pushing people over as you go... thats onlý reserved for those really close calls...haha) to our gate. Got there just in time!
The 7 hour flight (wow, 7 seems to be popping up a lot on this trip... 7 hr taxi ride, 7 hr delay, 7 hr flight... seems as if although it seemed like a journey from hell it was pretty blessed... 777... and both flights were on Boeing 777´s! wow, eerie...) was an interesting one. I thought I was going to luck out and have the people on either side of me not show up, but they did, and it turned out to be a mother and two kids, the third seat was in the row in front of us, so not only did I give up my middle seat to them, but I moved rows too! Then, I was supposed to have the window seat, but the guy supposed to be sitting in the middle looked up and said, my knee is hurting me, I cant sit in the middle... grr, but I bit my lip and sat down between two grown men... the only positive out of this situation was that the flight attendant watched it all go down and gave me pretty good treatment after that!
I did have an interesting conversation with the Iraqi-French gentleman sitting next to me... he was born in Iraq and served in the military during the battle against Kuwait before heading to France to study... now he is a professor there and was returning from Iraq where he was visiting his family. Had an interesting conversation about the conflict in Iraq, as well as how important communication is between people of different cultures, countries, and religions. It was a very good discussion!
Got to the airport in Paris around 8:40... 7hrs (imagine that) later than planned, so Matt and I both missed our connections. My rail pass wasn't refundable or transferable, so I had to pay for another reservation, and I just hung out in the station all night until catching the metro into the city at 5:30 in the morning... I'm pretty sure they chose the music in the waiting room (and the volume it was played at) to discourage people from spending large amounts of time there; it was American music, and from what I heard, right out of the charts of VH1's most awesomely bad songs ever... made me miss home, a lot, or not....
So anyways, after a long, boring, uncomfortable, and unrestful time at the station, I hopped on the RER (45 min) at 5:30am to Gare du Nord (Paris north Station) and then walked in the rain, which was actually a refreshing time for me, to Gare de L' Est (Paris East Station) where I would catch my 7:04 ICE (German operated, they tag team the route with the French TGV line) train to Mannheim.
Once again I really enjoyed my rail experience, especially with French and German trains, seem to be at a higher standard. Got into Mannheim around 10:15, and then caught a regional train at 10:44 to Alsheim, which was really just a platform with an automated kiosk. Arrived there at 11:36 and walked into town to use the payphone, which didnt give me change by the way...grr... And Heike came to pick me up in time for lunch!
Already my time here with the Detweillers has been fantastic! A very relaxing atmosphere, they live on a combination farm, ranch, and winery, all of the brothers specialize in one of those so it works out I guess! Lunch was great, roast pork, potatoes, and spargel (white asparagus)! Then I've toured the grounds, the buildings, and been able to relax and check email! Looking forward to a relaxing evening here, it'll be a good place to process thoughts of India.
Well, I think Lucas wants the computer, so I'm off for now! Thanks for the prayers, looking forward to seeing friends in Haarlem soon!
Blessings,
John
Thursday, June 17, 2010
A hassle of a travel day... already...
So, fun story to start things off... I'll work backwards today:
After leaving Chiluvuru around 1pm to get to the airport in Vijayawada on time for departure to Hyderabad... We arrived at the Vijayada airport right around 2, to find that it consisted of a couple of concrete buildings and a lone security guard standing outside with an AK-47. Walked in to find the place dark and dreary without much of anything really, including airlines... Kingfisher was the only one flying out of there, and they looked suprised to see me, bad sign.
Go up to the counter and they all look at me like I must be lost, asking me what they can help me with... another bad sign. When I told them I was there to check in for my flight, they all looked at each other as if to say, "who's gonna tell him?" Finally one guy said that the flight was cancelled 3 days ago due to operational issues, haven't flown that route since then and didn't anticipate to until next week... again, bad sign. So, I decided rather than blow up because they didn't let me know, I would just calmly ask, "Ok, now we've identified the problem, let's find a solution." They took it rather well! :)
Matt and I ended up getting a full refund on our tickets and the airline called a driver to pick us up at the airport and take us directly to the Hyderabad airport... more expensive than the bus, but simpler, and half the price of a plane ticket! But soon Matt and I were really wishing that the flight hadn't been cancelled, because it was 7 hours in the back seat of a TATA Indica, look it up, pretty small car...
The road we were on reminded us a lot of US 50 between Newton and Emporia, at least, it was a two lane highway... really though, it was completely different: no center line most of the time, no paved shoulders, construction the entire way (yes, no exageration...), fewer traffic restrictions, less respect for any traffic restrictions, and bumper to bumper traffic most of the way. I also have never been three wide on US 50, let alone four wide :) Also, everything from semis, busses, farm trucks, tracters, and ox carts, to cars, minivans, SUV's, and motorcycles... mix in a few free range waterbuffalo and that describes our company!
Needless to say, we were both glad when we finally pulled into the airport a little after 10... then it took us a bit to find the nap and shower center I was looking for, but sure glad we did! I totally recommend it, good prices and good food!
Back to Chiluvuru, it was very sad leaving this morning... had another great day yesterday visiting old friends, the ladies that used to be on staff, Yakabu, my dad's very good friend, and more time with Srinu and Moni. This morning I talked more with Koti and some of the other staff at the clinic, it was good! I leave the village with much left unsaid, much left undone, and a longing to go back...
It was also interesting to reflect back on my trip and realize that my time in Chiluvuru was the longest I'll be in one place for the entire trip! 4 nights... seemed way too short. At the same time though, while I feel like I could've, and maybe should've in some cases, spent more time in places, I don't know what I would've sacrificed to do so... I feel blessed and was glad I got the chance to go everywhere I've been, and will continue tomorrow!
Well, it's about ten after midnight here, and my flight leaves in 4 hours so it's probably time to begin thinking about a shower, food, and heading upstairs to check-in... Lord-willing the rest of my travels go as planned :) Will fly to Dubai and then onto Paris where I'll have to do some metro hopping to get to the right train station, then catch the high speed TGV line to Mannheim, Germany! Looking forward to meeting the Detweillers and spending the weekend with them.
Thanks for the support and prayers! I'm sure it definitely helped in getting us here to the airport in one piece :)
Blessings,
John
After leaving Chiluvuru around 1pm to get to the airport in Vijayawada on time for departure to Hyderabad... We arrived at the Vijayada airport right around 2, to find that it consisted of a couple of concrete buildings and a lone security guard standing outside with an AK-47. Walked in to find the place dark and dreary without much of anything really, including airlines... Kingfisher was the only one flying out of there, and they looked suprised to see me, bad sign.
Go up to the counter and they all look at me like I must be lost, asking me what they can help me with... another bad sign. When I told them I was there to check in for my flight, they all looked at each other as if to say, "who's gonna tell him?" Finally one guy said that the flight was cancelled 3 days ago due to operational issues, haven't flown that route since then and didn't anticipate to until next week... again, bad sign. So, I decided rather than blow up because they didn't let me know, I would just calmly ask, "Ok, now we've identified the problem, let's find a solution." They took it rather well! :)
Matt and I ended up getting a full refund on our tickets and the airline called a driver to pick us up at the airport and take us directly to the Hyderabad airport... more expensive than the bus, but simpler, and half the price of a plane ticket! But soon Matt and I were really wishing that the flight hadn't been cancelled, because it was 7 hours in the back seat of a TATA Indica, look it up, pretty small car...
The road we were on reminded us a lot of US 50 between Newton and Emporia, at least, it was a two lane highway... really though, it was completely different: no center line most of the time, no paved shoulders, construction the entire way (yes, no exageration...), fewer traffic restrictions, less respect for any traffic restrictions, and bumper to bumper traffic most of the way. I also have never been three wide on US 50, let alone four wide :) Also, everything from semis, busses, farm trucks, tracters, and ox carts, to cars, minivans, SUV's, and motorcycles... mix in a few free range waterbuffalo and that describes our company!
Needless to say, we were both glad when we finally pulled into the airport a little after 10... then it took us a bit to find the nap and shower center I was looking for, but sure glad we did! I totally recommend it, good prices and good food!
Back to Chiluvuru, it was very sad leaving this morning... had another great day yesterday visiting old friends, the ladies that used to be on staff, Yakabu, my dad's very good friend, and more time with Srinu and Moni. This morning I talked more with Koti and some of the other staff at the clinic, it was good! I leave the village with much left unsaid, much left undone, and a longing to go back...
It was also interesting to reflect back on my trip and realize that my time in Chiluvuru was the longest I'll be in one place for the entire trip! 4 nights... seemed way too short. At the same time though, while I feel like I could've, and maybe should've in some cases, spent more time in places, I don't know what I would've sacrificed to do so... I feel blessed and was glad I got the chance to go everywhere I've been, and will continue tomorrow!
Well, it's about ten after midnight here, and my flight leaves in 4 hours so it's probably time to begin thinking about a shower, food, and heading upstairs to check-in... Lord-willing the rest of my travels go as planned :) Will fly to Dubai and then onto Paris where I'll have to do some metro hopping to get to the right train station, then catch the high speed TGV line to Mannheim, Germany! Looking forward to meeting the Detweillers and spending the weekend with them.
Thanks for the support and prayers! I'm sure it definitely helped in getting us here to the airport in one piece :)
Blessings,
John
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