Great Expectations

Sometimes I have a problem with being content. I memorized the scripture that says, "I have learned to be content in any and every circumstance." On good days I can quote it. On those days that I am not doing so good I would be a hypocrite.

Today is 109 degrees. Tomorrow is suppose to be 112. I HATE heat. It zaps all my desires to do anything productive. Like the dishes. Or like a few errands that need to be done. I would rather just lay on my bed under the fan and type on my blog.

The truth is that I don't want to be in India anymore. There, I said it. But for some reason this is exactly where God wants me to be. So I can (sometimes) rest in that assurance and know that I will be fine. He must have a purpose for my life here. So I have great expectations.

"I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need." My contentment doesn't come from things or places or people. I am content because my God will supply all my needs, according to His riches.

So when the electricity goes out and it is 100 degrees inside and I feel like I'm dying, I don't need to throw a hissy-fit, I can rest in the knowledge that God will provide all my needs. And I can have great expectations of how that will be.

My Presswali

A Presswali is a lady who irons clothes for you. We have a lady who comes to our house most days to see if we have clothes to iron. Maybe once a month Steve will have a shirt to be pressed. Usually we have nothing. But she still comes. She comes in and sits on the floor. She looks around and notices all that we have. And since the shoes are nearest the door, she notices them the most. So she asks for shoes. She asks for shoes for her son. She asks for shoes for her granddaughter. And she asks for shoes for herself. I was wearing my new flip flops the other day when she came and she noticed right away. She wanted to know where the old ones were and if I wanted to give them to her. I know I only really need one pair, but I'm not ready to part with my older ones. Sometimes one will get wet and I will wear the others for a while. Or someone else might want to wear some flip flops in our house. So I hold on to them.

Today I had a pair of shoes for the Presswali. They are an old pair of tennis shoes that where left at the gym almost a year ago. They are a little mildewy but besides that they should be great for her son. She was happy to have those. And for my payment for my kindness she gave me an arm massage. She pulled each of my fingers until they popped and then rubbed my arms. It is a bit awkward to be massaged by the presswali, but it is the only way for her to show me her thankfulness I think, so I endure. And as we sat there while she rubbed my arms, she asked if any of my friends had shoes for her granddaughter or if I had gotten shoes for her yet. Oh, and she said her granddaughter really liked the lipstick I had given her several years ago and she wants more.

Flip Flop Frenzy

Well my friend Linda is hosting a Flip Flop Frenzy, which sounds fun. Her bloggy friends were matched up and then sent a new pair of flip flops to each other. I didn't play along since I live in the land of far, far away. But I thought I could at least post a picture of my newest flip flops so I could pretend I was playing along. Mine are the cheapest ones I could find that were still cute, from Thailand.

DARBUNGA!

I like the sound of Darbunga. It reminds me of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Darbunga is a city in the state of Bihar, India's poorest and least literate state. My friend and I went there by train to do some training for the first ladies only gym in Darbunga, Fitness Circle. A very exciting trip indeed.

But getting to Darbunga is an experience in itself. It takes 24 hours by train. A lot happens on a train in 24 hours, but not much sleeping. We had a boy next to us who liked to talk at the top of his lungs. And every time the guys came through the car selling something, he wanted it. "Mujhe chai chahiye. Mujhe dudh chahiye." On and on it went. The bathroom on a train is the pits! Literally. It is just a hole in the floor of the bathroom. It will get quite stinky as time passes. It is hard to squat when the train is bouncing down the tracks.

Darbunga was a good experience. Our friends who are opening the gym had it all set up and ready for our training session. There were 6 ladies ready to be trained. It was also good to see my equipment again after two years. So many memories of the first Fitness Circle. And so many hopes for the second Fitness Circle.

One thing we learned on this trip is how easy we have it living in Delhi. Paved roads, electricity most of the time, fast food restaurants, nice homes... It sure makes me appreciate what I have and respect those who live with less.

The train ride back took 23 hours. We had some confusion since our tickets were for the wrong day. But eventually we got seats and played a few games of Scrabble to pass the time. Another night of very little sleep and finally home.

Nuns

I am off to the nunnery today (is that a word?). There is a convent here that you can rent a room in. So I am going for a personal retreat and prayer time. It costs about $7 and you get all three meals and the room for the night. I have been wanting to do this for some time now, but it seems like I never make the time to do it. Well this week is the week. The only bummer is that there is no a/c and it is going to be 107 degrees today. So I am taking my small fan to point straight at my face while I sleep.

He is Risen!

Yesterday my friend and I had an Easter Tea for the ladies that come to aerobics. My friend hid some presents in little containers around the room. She couldn't find any plastic eggs. So then the ladies looked for them. In 12 of the containers were the story of the resurrection. We sat and each one read their verse. After the story we sang a song in Hindi.

A group of us walked home together and I was able to talk with a new lady who moved here from America, but is Indian. She wears the black burqua covering of muslims. She said that she can't get use to people staring at her. I am surprised that she feels the stares. I mean, I get stared at all the time but I didn't think she would. She thought maybe it was because of the burqua. Then I came up with a good explanation. I said it is probably that they are trying to see if they know her, or maybe if she is their mom. She got a good laugh out of that.

Get a room!

Sometimes crazy things seem to happen. Last week a lady who use to go to the gym called me. She asked if we were opening again. Then she got to what she was really calling about. She wondered if I had a room to rent. I said no, but would ask around. She said it would just be for one day and they would pay whatever we asked. Hmmm. She said it was for a friend. "Boy or girl?" I asked. She said, "Actually, I just need a room for a couple hours." Hmmm. I said, "oh, just for rest?" She said, "Actually, just for fun." HMMMM! So I told her I would check around and let her know. I hung up and my mind started working (I am getting slow I guess). What could she want a room for? And why for just a few hours? What kind of fun? The only thing I could come up with is that she needs the room for sex. I didn't want anything to do with that.

She had told me that she had gotten married three months ago and was just in the neighborhood to visit her parents.

So today she calls back to see if I have found a room for her. I told her no and was hoping that would be the end of that conversation. Then she said she didn't want to lie to me, but I was her only hope (reminds me of Star Wars). Anyway, she said her husband is impotent and her father is dying. She wants more than anything to give her father a grandchild. She said it would double his life. So she has a friend who has agreed to help them have a child (nice friend). I asked if her husband knew about it and she said yes. So I said I would ask one more person and let her know. She said, "Oh please Leslie, you are the only one I trust enough to ask. And don't tell any of the gym ladies."

She is going to be calling me any minute to find out what I have for her. I don't have a room. But I hope I can advise her not to do this. There are other ways to have a baby. If it really is a desire for a child and not just a chance to have sex with a friend, there are lots of babies to be adopted. I see her solution only being a destroyer of her marriage and relationship with her husband, let alone the child. I will advise her to talk to a doctor. Pray about it. And to let her know I am praying for her.

more money

Today the saga of the equipment travel continues. It seems the train wouldn't allow our gym equipment to go on the train (even though we paid lots). So I got a call today from our friend who is doing the grunt work. He was suppose to be on the train about 20 hours ago so it was surprising. I was hoping he was calling to tell me all was going well. But instead he said, "The equipment didn't go on the train." He explained in Hindi why, but all I understood was that it will take twice as much money for it to go now. Something about the equipment being too fragile for them to stack stuff on it so we will have to pay for half a train car.

This shouldn't surprise me because it all seemed too simple. I asked over and over again if there was anything else I needed to do before hand, but the answer was, "No, it will be no problem, blah blah blah."

So now I guess it is on another train going to another city. From that city the equipment will go in a truck to the city it needs to go to. Right now I wouldn't be surprised if it disappears off the face of the earth.

Make me mad

Tomorrow we are suppose to be sending our gym equipment up north to it's new home. Today the train guys came to see it to get an estimate on the weight. They saw our faces, which are white, and now want twice as much money. This makes me so mad! I am mad at our Indian friend who is doing all the grunt work because he should have known that if they saw us they would want more. Yet he brought them to our house. I am especially mad at the injustice of it all. I know I get ripped off all the time.

So now we have told these guys that we won't use them. But what happens is that they will go back to the train station and tell all the other guys that do similar work to not give us the right price. UGH!

Chips and Salsa

Today is the first Salsa dance class for the aerobic ladies. I am excited to see who will come and how it will go. I have to come up with the music. So far I have Marc Anthony and Ricky Martin. Oh.... I'm not leading it. That would be funny. A friend from Guatemala is going to teach us all that she knows. Hips don't lie!

I also had my second day of aerobics at Barbarian Power Gym. I had two ladies. I wasn't expecting a lot since today is a big Hindu puja day. So I was happy to have more than one.

Aerobics continues to go well in our house. Yesterday we had 8 ladies.

And on the 7th of April all our gym equipment will be moving to North India to open the 2nd Fitness Circle in the franchise. I and a friend will go up there in a couple weeks to train the trainers. Lots of exciting things going on.

Listening to God

Yesterday a group of friends and I were praying together and having a time of "listening prayer" where we ask God to speak to us if He has something to tell us. Then we listen quietly and after a few minutes we share with each other what God has said. So far I haven't really heard from God. I have had my own thoughts at times, but not a true voice from God.

Remember when these 3D posters first came out and some people could see things in the posters? I was so frustrated when I couldn't see anything. I didn't even know what I was suppose to see. And people couldn't really explain what it was they saw. They could tell you that it was the Statue of Liberty or a spaceship or something, but I couldn't figure it out. And they would tell you to blur your eyes and gaze through it. But until you actually see it you don't know what to expect.

I think it is the same thing with listening to God. Others can try to explain what they experienced and you can try to have that same experience, but it isn't really clear what it is suppose to look like. So you strain your ears, trying to block everything else out, so that you can hear. It takes time. You may not hear anything for a long time. And then one day it all becomes clear. Everything comes into focus and you can hear.

I'm not there yet. I am still straining to hear and not really sure what it will be like. But I want to hear from God. I am waiting.