A Full Week...

This past week my brother, as well as some men from our home church, came to be with us and do ministry and trainings. It was a wonderful week spending time with my brother as his eyes were opened to things he had never seen before. I took him to the Red Light District where we held a medical clinic and he prayed over 75 people. I took him to a discipleship meeting with Manju (our first woman to come to Christ out of prostitution). I took him to a rehabilitation center for men, where he and our national partner led 6 men to Christ. Also, he was taken out into the village where he and our national partner led 4 young men to Christ, baptized them an hour later and had Lord's Supper -- the beginning of a new church! God really worked through him...It was wonderful!!! Below are some of his experiences...as well as mine over the past week. Mine include - wearing a sari for the first time, getting henna on my hands for the first time, and having Manju, Reka (Manju's sister), Pinky and Rosilee hold a baby shower for me at Manju's home! I was so flattered that they thought to do this for me!

The meal that Reka made for me...it includes 7 different sweets, 7 different types of rice, and 7 items to eat with the rice. This is a Bengali cultural thing to do for weddings and special occasions...my special occasion is that I'm about to POP! Phoebe will be here in a month!

This is the pink sari that they bought me and put me in...it was so beautiful! However, I really think that pregnant ladies should NOT where a sari...I really looked like a beached whale!

The group of ladies who all came to the sari party. Everyone looked so beautiful in their saris. Manju and Diya weren't in this picture...they didn't wear saris...but, it was sooo great just that Manju wanted this hosted at her home and that Diya wanted to come. I looove these women!

Pinky and Rosilee came to our house at 8 p.m. to do henna on my hands and arms. I loved that they did this for me...however, I'm not the craziest about henna. It is like a tattoo that stays for a month!

This will be on me for a month...it's pretty right now..but, it will eventually turn a yucky orange.

We took my brother on a road trip up into the mountains. He loved it. It was nice and cool...and he had his first momo's!

My favorite picture of Ryan...praying over the people who came from the slums and Red Light district for the medical camp.

I thought this kid was a little crazy trying to get across the sewage in front of the medical camp...this water is full of horrible things!

I have gone inside the walls of the Red Light district a lot over the past 7 months...and it was only until now that I have been invited into one of their rooms! This is a huge deal...especially since the people who invited me and Rosilee to come inside were Madams (older women who make their money off the prostitutes...like pimps). This woman in the blue sari has lived in the Red Light for over 40 years...she was so proud to show us her "rooms". It was exciting on one hand to be invited in by her...but, of course, sick on the other. My prayer--may this woman be open to hear the Gospel the next time we come, may she lay her life down to the King of Kings! May she lead the ladies in her brothel to Him who can save them! Oh Lord let it be!

The other Madam who invited us into her room was sick and she asked us to pray for her...aaah! This was awesome!!! Pray for more opportunities like this!

A woman in the brothel who was holding her 6 month old baby. On the babies head are black dots that they put on...they believe this will keep evil spirits away from the baby.

Manju's mother who came to Christ the same day as Manju. As Ryan told the Samaritan woman story to Manju, her mother sat in her room and listened. Neither one of them can read so they listen to the scripture on a tape player....she loves to hear stories in the scripture.

Pinky, Manju, Reka and I during the discipleship meeting. Reka still has not given her life to Christ...but, she can tell me every story that we have told and the significance of it. She said that she believes in Jesus but she won't confess him....this is soooo frustrating.

Kumar and Sashi...our wonderful friends and partners, stayed at our home and loved on our children. We had a great time with them...Hannah loooves them so much.

One of our friends who came to visit from Mussoori, where we had Hannah and where we are now going to have Phoebe....he brought Hannah some fingernail polish and he decided to paint her nails for the first time. She loved it.