beach treasures

my family and i walked from Elliot's beach to Marina beach. 

along the way we found treasures of sorts and met friendly people.

buried scarves, fish carcasses, and colorful seashells were just of few of our finds.

my favorite part of the walk was when the wind was blowing strong

 and created a thin layer of sand dust over the beach. 

it was so beautiful to watch the flow of the grains over the sand.

sarees

     saree shopping is actually fun.
     you go into the shop and have a seat on the mattress and let the man show you all the sarees.
     he takes out all the sarees until you find the perfect one. he will even try it on for you and then let    
     you have a turn.

     i found my perfect one that has lots of color. now i just need to figure out how to put it on. i get
     tangled in it every time i try to wrap myself in it! ha! imagine that.
     time for practice and youtube tutorials!

resting place

                                            the beach these days have become our resting place.
                         there is a cool breeze that comes off the water and you can get snacks for cheap.

living through India

it has been a few months since i last posted anything. i'd like to say that i will keep the blog updated daily from here on out but i wear many hats and my time is usually taken up quickly. my goal is to at least post a photo a day even if i have no time for words. my family and i are living in India this summer and i hope to share as many stories and experiences as i can with you.

at this moment i am sitting in a hotel suite in Chennai India with the loud honking of horns from the heavy traffic seeping into our room as i am trying to focus and concentrate. sometimes i feel like the noise is inescapable, i go to sleep and hear it, i wake up and hear it, in church i can hear it. sequestering myself to this room has been a favorite routine of mine this past weekend because, to be honest, i am tired of all the noise, crowded places, the smog, and all the pungent smells that can really make you nauseous. at least in my room i can feel a bit of peace. 

India takes some getting used to and can be a challenge at times. it really tests your patience in many ways. i think my biggest peeve is the traffic, but like i said, i can somewhat escape it for a bit in my room. i think the rest of my family can agree. we can feel homesick at times but getting through the challenges together as a family and talking things through can be like a healing process. a time to bring perspective and purpose. 

little beauties

    the girls at the Home of Love are just beautiful.

    they love to sing and dance, play games, and have fun.

    they are funny and goofy and they have lots of energy.

    their memory is remarkable.

    they remembered every step of one of the dances we showed them last year.

    they actually had to reteach me the dance!

    they can sometimes be shy in front of the camera but there are a few who not shy at all.

    it is great to see their cute personalities come out each day.

    they truly have shown me and my team a gracious amount of love and hospitality.

    they have won over our hearts!

agra fort

the Agra Fort is one of my favorite places to see in India. it is so beautiful with it's marble balconies, 

intricate arcades and many columns. the outside is covered in a bright red sandstone that seems to shine in the sun. it sits right next to the Taj Mahal which can be viewed from one of the balconies.

both times we had such a quick tour, i would like to take take my time walking through this monument

and capture more of it's beauty. 

my phenomenal team

i have so many pictures to share i don't even know where to begin!

i thought i might start with introducing you to my team.

i love each one dearly and they have been so amazing and loving to me and my family.

they have done such a great job putting this trip together with me

and as you can see they have lots of love for the girls at the Home of Love!

this is Kaitlyn,

she pretty much led us in dancing and made up a few of the dances for VBS.

she has lots of energy like the girls and i am so glad we had her to keep up with the them.

she has so much passion and a huge heart!

left: Katie, is just simply lovely.

i am grateful of her friendship and she has a great personality!

you can't help but love her!

right: Ashish was another photographer and videographer.

he is one of the funny people on our team and always has a positive attitude.

never a dull moment when he is around.

this is Hannah,

another funny one on the team.

 she always has something witty to say and is very creative.

she is an amazing friend and can be the life of the team!

this is Nicco,

he is a quiet one but was never too shy to interact with the girls.

the girls called him goliath! it was precious to see such a big guy 

show such gentleness with the girls. super sweet!

left : Amy

right: Maggie

these girls were sweet through and through.

they gave all their time and energy to these girls.

even when feeling a bit sick they tried powering through.

they didn't want to miss a moment with the girls!

this is Aerial,

she was our VBS coordinator.

she made really close friendships with the many people she met.

she has a curious nature about her and seeks out the needs of others.

this is Kyle,

he was our VBS spokesperson.

he is always singing joyfully and is generally a happy person.
he is willing to step up and take on any challenge.

he has become big brother to Angel and Julian.

left: Stephanie

she is a ball of sunshine. she constantly has a smile on her face and 

 always has grateful heart. a beautiful person inside and out!

right: Linly

this was Linly's first time flying and she did great!

i am so proud of her taking huge steps to experience such a trip.

she has a great laugh and love for people.

she is amazing at putting smiled on those girls faces.

Blake is a generous person, he is willing to share whatever he has with everyone.

the girls adored him and tried to hide him so he wouldn't get on the buses with us.

Jeff

he was our emotional support, cheering us on as we go and keeping us in great spirits.

he is a silly guy and was one of my lookouts.

he made sure everyone was present and together.

he is also one that has adopted Julian and Angel as siblings.

my son and daughter.

they are shy people by nature but the girls would cling to them and 

showed them their love. they are easy going and can adjust to any situation.

i am so glad they were able to bond with this wonderful group

who are good examples to them.

this is my wonderful husband.
he was Dad to the girls.
he always had the same group of girls hanging on him.
they all teased him and joked around with him.
these girls made him weep his eyes out,
when it was time to go.
they were such a blessing to us all.

friends, thank you for making this an incredible life changing experience

for me and my family.

thank you for looking out for each other and showing the gospel to each other.

you are all beautiful people and i can't wait to be reunited for tea time!