Indian Wedding

Hi everyone;
I usually do not send out group e-mails unless they are forwards that are funny , helpful or encouraging but since you are going to get the same info ,group letter is what you are going to get.Our driver(wonderful man ,who gets us where we need to be safely)`s cousin is getting married this Sunday,I think it is an arranged marriage but the bride and groom seemed very happy, so our driver was having a party for them on Wed evening,which I gather is part of almost a week long celebration of this marriage, Rich,Ben ,Joel and I were inivited to this dinner at Lokesh`s house,where we met everyone under the sun,friends relatives and people who were walking down the street.Our picture was taken countless times and there was a constant worry that we were not eating enough,we ate well.We were the only white family there and as usual was a growing experience for us,I learned not to wear heels with an Indian suit,heels look great but the steps are uneven and I wiped out gracefully but caused some concern with Lokesh`s family. The ladies sarees were beautiful and the earings, bangles,necklaces ,all gold are out of this world..I danced, ate meet a cast of thousands who are lovely people and so honoured to have us come to the event,it made me think about how we could be more genorus,and more open to others. This morning Lokesh came to get Rich for work,with his scooter laden with fruit and other sweets. Have a great day.
Love and Hugs Dianne

Shrove Tuesday

FISSH
Originally uploaded by waterlooHildreds.

Last night was Shrove Tuesday. Dianne made us camping pancakes (just add water) and bacon. When I was eating I thought that I should have snapped a picture for a blog, but I never.
The substitute fish is from the ad that we had at the American school for the Fellowship of International Students Sharing Hope group that Dianne, Ben, Joel and I are participating in. We went to a new meeting time, right after the Delhi International Christian Fellowship service, and we have had an increase in attendance. We have been doing a 5 week series on disaster and this week we had Barry Mackey, regional program manager for Habitat for Humanity International and a leader at our church talking with us about thousands of homes that habitat for humanity will be building as a result of the tsunami. Barry has been in India off and mostly on since 1965 and is a very deep guy. He knows Walter and Barbara McLean from our church, and his wife Ann has family in the Waterloo area. Dianne and I spoke to Tim for a while on the phone last night, and he is thinking of being a relief worker right now. Barry is a guy that I would like Tim to meet.
Since Lent is a time for deepening, I will share my hope that the experience of India would some how make me a deeper guy. Victor Frankl says, "A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how." I guess that my deepening has already been measurable on that yardstick. I certainly have experienced affectionate waiting by all of us. Dianne, Ben and Joel and I have really being relying on each other and come to know one another in a way that I don’t think that we would have in a year at home. People on both sides of the globe can testify to my “unfinished work” getting the expert level customer support delivered from India. On that front Srinevas, Amit and Manas installed a 4.1.5 system with no help from Waterloo and very little help from me. This is the system that they will primarily be supporting. They have been learning it with a self-guided study program. We are looking forward to participating in an Indian wedding tonight.

Rickshaw Adventures

Rickshaw Adventures
Originally uploaded by waterlooHildreds.

Monday, Dianne and I usually go out for lunch and get some groceries. This Monday Lokesh managed to lock the keys in the car. We wandered the Sahara mall where the Food Bazar grocery store is for about an hour. I picked up a couple of men's movies with dialog in them. I got Cool Hand Luke, Good Will Hunting and the Matrix. After we had also had a cup of coffee, we called Lokesh and discovered that 3 mechanics had been unable to break into the car. It was a beautiful day so he suggested that we take a rickshaw home. They use rickshaws for everything here. When we got some writing desks for Dianne and the boys to do their homework on, they came by rickshaw. They have cargo and passenger rickshaws. The rickshaw was a little scary when we were driving along beside the main road. As soon as we turned onto a residential street it was quite pleasant. The driver was smaller than each of us and had to stand on the pedals the whole way. We learned that the protocol is to establish a price before you head off the hard way. Lokesh was amazed enough at how much we overpayed that he was still talking about it when he drove me to work Tuesday morning. It was funny to Dianne and I.