June 14

We have been in India for two days. After landing in Hyderabad, at a completely new, incredible airport, we were greeted by Kusuma and an entourage of helpers and draped with beautiful flower garland. We drove 1 1/2 hours to Kusuma's house. This gave everyone their first view of India. We were greeted with the sounds of horns honking, traffic merging, and people everywhere. The beauty of flowers and women in colorful saris lined the highways. Once we arrived at Kusuma's and got settled, we sat down for a wonderful meal. The afternoon was spent at a Temple and a park. It was a challenge to stay awake, but we were trying to get acclimated to this time zone. By 8:15pm everyone was asleep and slept nearly straight through to 7am. We found time for everyone to make phone calls. There is a little STD (Standard Trunk Dialing) booth just across the street from Kusuma's, which is very convenient. We fit into two vehicles and were off to exchange money. Eyes were wide open at the converging traffic and sites we see. It is an experience that is fascinating. Some of the youth feel like they're in a video game. Crossing the street in this traffic on foot was a learning experience. Our hosts and David H. are great guides. After exchanging money, we ate at a very nice restaurant and enjoyed a variety of Indian food. Everyone in our group is positive, open and enjoying what they are served. We went to a clothing store where the guys in our group chose Indian "dress" clothes. They will look so sharp when they get to wear these. Shopping is different. There are many people who help you and try to convince you to buy things. We went to a crafts store as well where the girls bought shirts and sari material along with tapestries. The boys found carved wooden boxes and other things. When we returned home, phone calls, journaling, painting, resting, and showers were some of the activities before supper. After supper we finished showering and packing. Our bags were loaded on the vehicles. We will be up at 4:30am today and depart by 6am for Bapatla. We are traveling by road, so it should be an interesting 7 hr. drive. David, Katharine Herman and I tried to watch Pam Joliceur's funeral on the web, but were not able to make the connection. We are all doing well and continue to try to "live in the moment." God's peace, Kathy H.