Ties to Home...- Kati

These past few days Hillary and I have really been "soul searching." We are like Christopher Columbus discovering the new world, except we are discovering new parts to life that we had been missing some how.
A few days ago Hillary, Sue, Mel ( American Friends ) and our driver went to the Bangalore zoo/safari. As we walked through the park I noticed something...
Maybe because I am away from home or maybe India is showing me something that I took for granted.
As I walked around and rode around on the bus I saw many different kinds of animals.
All the way from birds, reptiles, lions, tigers and bears "O MY." (Sorry I could not resist) All of these animals were so amazing. Each had a specific structure, character, and ability.
The bears much smaller than you would expect, very furry.
The lions were so confident and strong.
The tigers were graceful and very playful like a bigger version of a house cat.

But what really stuck out to me was how all of these animals were in groups. They all were a family. They ate, drank, and played together. They had a support a system
...A FAMILY.We had a driver that was taking us everywhere around Bangalore. Each ride with Ahamad was interesting either because we were trying to communicate( because he cannot speak English very well) or we were asking him about his Muslim religion and family.
He is only 26 and is married to a 20 year old and has one daughter.
His whole life is centered around his family. Him and his 4 brothers all take care of their single mother.
People are often surprised to learn that HIllary and I left our families to go so far away.
In India your family is involved in every decision that has to do with your life; from where you go to school, to what you will become, to who will MARRY!
India is very family oriented you could say.

The love and respect they show for their families makes me realize how I take my family sometimes for granted.
In my leisure time I have been reading "SEX GOD" by Rob Bell. It is an amazing book.
In the last chapter I read it talks about LOVE.

To be specific Agape Love.

There is a part in this chapter that I love so much it reads:

 " Agape is a particular kind of love. Love often is seen as a need, something we get from others. Agape is the opposite. AGAPE GIVES."
This struck me very hard. In a family it is not about what you can get out of it. It is about how you contribute to your family...

How you can give.

I can give my mom more hugs that she loves, and tell her how much I love her food.
I can give my Dad less of a financial headache or mow the lawn for him.
I can give my sister my favorite dress or take her out to Tea.
Give my Grandparents and Nana more quality time.
The list could go on.
Family is what has made me who I am today. My family has given me so much. I feel so naive for just discovering and truly realizing what a family agape-love is really about...

GIVING.

...and now here I am in India hundreds of miles away.

Maybe it takes us being out of our element, away from the norm. to really realize what is important. 
But until I see my family again, my new family, my Indian family, will get to experience some agape love.
The kind of Love God has given me Daily.

Kati & Family - Ash :(

Hillary & Family

Town Adventure

Bloopers!

Indian Sports

Praneeth is the one on the far right.


If you were to ask me as a child what my favorite thing to do I would reply very quickly SPORTS!
Today Hillary and I got to experience the Indian way of playing sports. There are two main sports played here on campus.
VOLLEYBALL and CRICKET.
No other sports.
The first sport we had the privilege of joining in was volleyball. I was especially excited to play because it reminded me of the good old days playing volleyball at camp. I soon came to realize that it is a bit different.
Im not sure if they were confident in Hillary's and I's ability at first. Whenever we would hit the ball someone was right there either in front of us or behind us to make sure we did not mess up.
Our friend Raju would eagerly tell us to hit it over on hit number two. OR he would yell KATI or HILLARY! I think he was afraid that Hillary and I would mess up because Raju is very competative.
They never rotate positions and they have the same person serve the entire game.
All of the adults including the principal and head master come out and play. It is like they are all young boys wanting to join in the fun. They laugh and scream so much. Half the time Hillary and I are standing there not understanding anything they are saying either because they are talking to fast or they are speaking in Telegu.
Even though we did not understand what they are laughing about Hillary and I always seem to find the humor or catch bits of what is happing and were able to laugh along. Don't get me wrong though, there were plenty of times when they are laughing and Hillary and I just shrug our shoulders at each other simply because we just don't understand. Hillary and I decided that they are probably laughing at us.
The 10 standard boys (10th grade) are very kind to Hillary and I. They are always willing to offer a smile and are very patient with us as we slaughter their names. I know that we are saying them wrong half the time and we ask them " are we saying it right?" and they simply reply "yes, madam". By the laughs and giggles that they give as the reply we know that we are saying it wrong. I have noticed as we play more that we are understanding better and really enjoy playing with them. Even though there is a language barrier at times we are still able to enjoy each others company. It is comforting to know that wherever you go in this world, you are always able to find young boys with one thing in common... Sports.

Kati and I unexpectedly experienced our first days as teachers. One thing someone should know about Indians, is that there is no planning. For me, this is just great, because I hate to make plans! Our day went like this: we went to the Head Masters office to find out what we would be doing when the rest of the school showed up back on campus, unexpectedly he told us we could start teaching the 10 standard right that very minute, so Kati and I jumped right in, willingly of course :). We taught computers, which was very easy, since they are 16 year olds. That wasn't even close to the best part of the day though, Kati and I were invited to watch and play cricket with the boys. This was a new but exciting experience and they got a kick out of it! As Kati was up to bat, I stood there with a few of the boys. I was making conversation about sports, and asked them if they knew what a cheerleader was. They replied with a "no" and seemed somewhat confused. Being the cheerleader that I am, I could not let them get by without knowing about the wonderful character of a cheerleader, So...I gave an example! I began to yell for Kati. "Give me a K! Give me an A! Give me a T! Give me an I!" They thought this was just great and so did we. Then our new friend Partheen comes up to me as Kati and I are standing there, and he says,"Madam, will you do my name please?" We stood there just laughing as he stood there completely serious! So I started.."Give me a P! Then Kati and Partheen would yell "P", and so on...It was hilarious! It made our year for sure! It was so awkward just the three of us at that moment, but the look on that boys face was priceless. I will never forget the day we taught them how to cheer.

ATTENTION: We have two addresses!

We have two addresses, one for letters and one for packages:

OUR ADDRESS:

For Letters:

Seventh- Day Adventist High School,
Duggannagaripalli ,
Thallapalli Post
Vempalli,
Kadapa District,
Andhra Pradesh, India 516350

For Boxes:

Hillary and Kati
SDA High School
Duggannagaripalli
Thallapalli (PO)
(Via) Vempalli
Kadapa ,India 516350

New friends

We have come to make lots of friends this first week, more than we expected actually. I think there are probably about 1,000 so far. It is interesting though, they are very comfortable around us and not to mention open as well! I mean, they eat with us right on our plate, they sleep with us, shower with us, lay on us, and even do crafts with us! They are not what most people would call friends, but bugs. Yes, that is right, we are completely surrounded by the oh so friendly insects in our new home. It is very interesting how Kati and I have handled this matter though. Back at home a trail of ants or few fruit flies are what we like to call, "the worst thing in the world!", but here we just look down, laugh, and keep on going. It is more of a laughing matter with Kati and I. As we were making crafts last night, the usual happened...Bugs came on to the table, and started to crawl into envelops to be sent back to America. I named our friendly beetle Carlos, and Carlos was not sneaky at all. It was quite obvious he was just making friends to get a way to America! Can you believe that?! I could not at first, but oh well that's life right? :)

Harmonica Time

Its all in our Power. - Kati

The trip was long. The weather is extremely hot and humid. I feel like I just hopped out of the shower. People stare at me constantly. Two boys or I guess men our age asked to take a picture with us at the train station. People here do not even realize that what they are doing could be considered rude. The train ride was long, 5 hrs. Hillary and I shared one bench. My butt hung off the side when we would lay down. It was hard and uncomfortable. We smell horrible. Our house does not yet have ac. Our beds we decided to move to the floor rather than the little bunk beds. Bugs are everywhere. Hillary had a beetle crawling down her neck last night when we went to bed.

But despite all of this stuff that sounds awful, I actually loved every minute of it. The people who stare or ask for pictures just gives Hillary and I an opportunity to meet new people who are really nice. The train ride was enjoyable, watching the scenery go by and the family who sat across from us was so nice. They placed their one-year-old daughter on Hillary’s lap and we played with her most of the way. When we arrived at our train stop we were in a hurry to get off before the train started to leave. The people on the train stepped right in without even being asked to assist Hillary and I and our entire luggage off the train. Our house is perfect, and our bed is comfortable. The people are amazing! When we arrived our new friends took us to dinner. They taught us a few sayings in Telugu and taught us the head motion that they use for everything. You move your head side to side, meaning neither no or yes, but fine. Hillary and I have so many people but only can remember a few names.

The kids at the school and children’s home are all on break, so it is empty. Not much work at all for us to do. But the simplicity of us just reading and visiting is perfect. Both of us have laughed a lot at the inconveniences or language barrier. We are completely happy, content, and satisfied. No one could pay us enough money to wipe away our smiles. I think the key to us feeling this way is because we both know this is where God wants us to be. The other part to us being so happy is the fact that we are choosing to enjoy and embrace every moment.

Right now there is no other place I would rather be than sitting on the floor, drenching in sweat, in India.

We made it! Miss everyone!

When we arrived in India, we were hoping to see a sign with our names on it. We were unsure of who was going to pick us up. But as we went outside we saw a man holding a sign waving it at us. As we got closer we read the sign and it said " Ms. Hillary Madden, WINKLEE." Hillary and I just started to laugh. Hillary looked at me and said WINKLEE? ha ha.

???

I am about to embark on one of the many adventures of my life. Many questions and thoughts have come to my mind as I think about leaving.
What am I going to experience?
What type of people will I meet?
Will I make a difference?
Although these questions are all important one question has stuck out in my mind the most during this whole process.
WHY DO I WANT TO GO?

There are many answers to this question.

Adventure.
To know what else is out in the world. A story comes to mind when I think of adventure. You might know this story, Ariel the little mermaid. She was comfortable living under the sea. Ariel knew every reef, every crab, everything there was to offer under the sea. But she saw that there was more than just the sea. She saw that there was land and wanted the adventure of exploring this new territory. This is how I feel. I want to get out in the world and have adventures.

Experiences.
Life is full of all kind of experiences. Each experience helps you to grow and learn in ways that no classroom or book could teach you. Throughout my life (which is not that long) I have had the opportunity to experience many different things. Each time I experience something new it leaves me wanting to experience more and more. I want to experience all that life has to offer.

Passion.
Ever since I was little, I have had a deep desire to help others, to do something bigger than just me. To forget myself and think of others. I want to satisfy this burning passion deep down inside.

Adventure, Experiences, and Passion, all good reasons to go on a mission trip, but I believe the best answer is because God calls. God calls each of us to go and serve. I don’t know what I am going to do. I don’t know whom I will meet. I don’t know what I will learn, but I do know God has a plan and a purpose for Hillary and I. God has a plan for each of us and I believe India is part of God’s plan for me. That is why I am going to India. The one question I have an answer to.

-Kati

Why I Want to be a Missionary- Hillary

It was about eight months ago when my life started to really change. The truth is, the thought of being a missionary was not in my plan at all. You could say I was rather resistant to being a student missionary. My mind was set fall quarter, I was going to live my life for me. Little did I know God's plans for me were much different.

After a rough few months I realized God wouldn't leave me alone! He was very persistent with me and eventually changed my mind, heart, and plans. As I look back in the change I experienced in my life in that time, there is no way I could deny the existence of God! One of the reasons I decided I want to be an SM was because I wanted the qualities I saw in the people who lived their lives serving God everyday. Some of the qualities that really stood out to me were the following:

1. Content

2. Joyful

3. Selfless

4. Simple

That to me is a great list of qualities, and I wanted them!! So...I started to ask myself why I felt like I should be a missionary this coming school year.... it was because I wanted to change and be part of a change. I wanted those qualities and the relationship with God I had been so hungry for! When I started to finally make my hope to be a missionary into a reality I realized I didn't need to wait for some amazing experience in India to find God in a whole new way, the time was then and the time is now! So if anyone is waiting for something new to happen with your relationship with God, Don't wait!! Spice it up with God and fall in love with Him! I did, and now here I am on fire for God putting my life in His hands as he sends me off to India! In the Bible it says, "A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9) My heart has been changed and now I have my plans, the rest is up to the Lord! :)