Katie Sue & Rajpur India

Post by Kelly: At the beginning of this year I got to travel to India with Katie Sue after spending a really fun month in Shanghai with her. I was so glad that she was able to see where I have been living and I, in turn, got to see where she’s been living.

We arrived in Delhi late in the afternoon, the city was hot and a little stuffy (a shock going from the snow in China to there!), at 11pm we got on a train and headed off to Dehradun. We got there early the next morning, and Mel Murray was there waiting to pick us up. After a short drive, we made it to their home in Rajpur. As the sun rose that morning and I could see the landscape, I was swept away with it’s beauty. The mountains were beautiful and near their house at a park you can see a river that runs out of the mountains. India is a very colorful place, that’s for sure, especially this area where Indian and Tibetan cultures are combined. The colorful Indian saris that all the women wear, and the prayer flags that hang from nearly every house assured you to see colors on every street.

Katie Sue watches the Murray’s sweet little boys, the morning that they saw her back, they got so excited! We spent the rest of that day playing with them, going to the park, getting ice cream, and walking their dog.

A lady named Bimla who is like their ayi went to the Murray’s house for supper with her family and though there was a language barrier (no one could speak Hindi, and they didn’t speak any English) we still had a fun time watching Tom and Jerry with the kids and eating Dave’s amazing fried chicken. That night Katie Sue showed me her favorite place to sit, outside on the steps of the church. Because they’re so far away from any city the stars are so bright. I forgot how much I missed seeing the stars here in China. It’s a perfect place to sit and reflect, or just to chat with Jesus.

Unlike Delhi, up in the mountains in Rajpur it was very cold, which is just lovely when you are staying in a house with no heat! The cold air felt so good though, it felt fresh and clean (:

On day 2 after watching the boys for a while in the morning we rode into town on the back of a scooter, and we just spent some fun time hanging out there. We went to the local market and bought matching scarves (to go along with our sweatshirts form London, our bracelets from Kenya, our t-shirts from Thailand, and our hats from China!) Katie Sue also took me to her favorite little coffee shop that had good coffee and chocolate cake! We finished our time off at a Indian restaurant (my first encounter with Indian food! I like it!) and then took a tuk tuk back home (a tuk tuk is like a motorized rickshaw essentially).

Day three we hung out with the boys so that Mel could get some concentrated work done. We did school, made crafts, made brownies, and did dishes! Basically just a day spent enjoying being in the company of heart friends again.

Day 4 was Saturday, we slept in a little, then got up just in time to go to pizza hut for lunch! We met with one of Katie Sue’s many friends for some chai, and the two of us went and sat up by the church that’s near their house and played spades until supper. Saturday nights are date night, so Mel and Dave left for the evening. We made, okay well tried to make, mac n’ cheese for the boys and warmed up leftover Thai curry for us. Then Katie Sue, Micah, Levi and I all sat down with popcorn to watch “Tangled” (a new movie for the boys, so that’s always exciting!)

Day 5 Katie Sue took me out to Joy Bells, the orphanage that she helps teach at. First of all the ride out there was beautiful, through thick forest and fields of crops and flowers. The orphanage is really nice, they have a large vegetable and flower garden, and a playing field, and a larger building where they have school, meals, and sleep. The kids there spoke great English and they were so happy to see Katie Sue back! They really love her, and it’s clear that she really loves them! We spent the afternoon playing tag, talking, and running around with 30 adorable Indian orphans. It was so sweet to sit with them and sing. The lady who runs the orphanage is a believer and is raising the kids the same. When we were picked up, after saying our goodbyes, we went to a friend’s house for chai. Chai is a big thing in India, it’s like tea in China or coffee in America… but I think that chai is better than either. Sunday nights with the Murrays are family night, so we went out to a very special dinner for chicken nuggets at McDonalds and finished off the night by going bowling and to a little arcade in town.

Monday morning Mel was back at work and Katie Sue and I stayed home to help the boys with school. When they finished, we walked into town and got groceries and some little snacks for the boys. After Mel got back, she took all of us with her while she did some business at the Leper colony. The colony’s lands looked so nice. It’s pretty much a whole little town, the homes are pretty, and they all weave cloth and dye thread. It was so colorful there! The people, ranging from young to old, all watched us walking around and sat there with the biggest smiles, so precious! Everyone there was really sweet.

The next day Katie Sue took me up into the mountains to Mussouri. We walked a path where we could see the snow caps in the Himalayas! And then we ended in a little town. We walked around all day, shopping, eating, talking, just spending more time together. Very fun (: I have many new fond memories!

Day eight was my last full day. Mel was busy again so we watched the boys, then got a quick run into town to get some last minute presents and such to take home for the family. That night we went over to Prem, Katie Sue’s taxi driver friend’s home for supper. What good Indian food and fun company! But by the time we left we were completely drained and ready to crash. That night some bug that I must have picked up really kicked in… let’s just say that it was a very long night!

Day nine we pretty much just hung out in Katie Sue’s room packing and spending every ounce of time that we could together! She and Prem took me to the airport in Dehradun and we had to say our tearful goodbye ): goodbyes are never fun. I flew back to Delhi, got there around 5pm and had to wait around until 3am for my flight back to Shanghai.

It was really good for me to get a chance to step back from life, from school, and church, and everything else that comes along with living in one of the most populated cities in the world… ya know. Jesus and I had some long heart-to-heart chats and he’s helped me come back to China, into school, with a new attitude… more positive and cheerful (:

Not to wish away any time here because I know that my Father’s doing BIG things, but there are only 15 more weekends left until I go to the States… just sayin ;)