This is the view from my hotel window. While it may not be pretty to look at, at least it's quiet. We can't even hear the nearby traffic from our room and that is a huge blessing. Last night I slept eight hours thanks to my little Ambien CR and when I woke up I found my personality again. Sleep is an amazing thing.

Funny story about the scaffolding. When we arrived early yesterday morning there was no one out there. We had a couple of hours to sleep, which I didn't do, but we had completely closed the curtains for the attempt. When I realized it wasn't happening for me, I got up and took a shower and came back into the room to get dressed. Then Jeff went to shower and I decided we needed some light so I flung open the curtains. Unfortunately, I hadn't quite finished dressing and at this point there were three or four Indian guys balancing precariously from those bamboo poles. Fortunately they were turned the other direction or I might have shocked them into a serious tumble!

Our primary objective yesterday was to remain awake to try and get over jet lag. So after a brief team meeting and lunch, we headed out to do a little shopping. Traffic had picked up quite a bit from our early morning run, so Jeff got a more accurate view of what it's like. In India, the horn is used constantly, simply to alert everyone of your presence. Since everyone is honking, it seems somewhat counterproductive, but I guess if I learned how to drive here it would make sense to me. The oddest scene is seeing entire families of four or five all crammed onto one motorcycle. It's something that would seem so ridiculous anywhere else, but here just seems perfectly normal.
One of the stores we went to for the pearls. Sharon's son Michael recommended it because he is apparently a frequent customer there. Hyderabad is famous for its pearls because beginning in the 1700s when the Nizam dynasty ruled over India, they were famous for their opulence and wealth. Pearls began to be cultured here and exported all over India, and now the world. It was fascinating to watch these artisans string the pearls and other jewels into beautiful pieces. Several of the team members got some great deals here.

Afterwards we headed to a restaurant for some delectable Indian cuisine. Solomon's wife Reba ordered for us and everything she chose was delicious. Man, I love this food!
When we got back to the hotel we had a quick meeting with Pastor G. Samuel and a few board members. Johnson Jacob (JJ) is the President this year. And I'm blanking now on the other name, but I want to say Jonathan. Anyway, he is the secretary. It was so fun to see them all again.
From now on I'll just refer to this Solomon as Chucko, to avoid confusion with Sarah's brother Solomon. One of the best people I've ever met on this earth is now friends with my favorite person on this earth, and that brings me great joy!
Megha, Chucko and Singing David. He showed up at the hotel last night as well. I can't wait to hear him sing again, hopefully tonight.
We also got to do a little clothes shopping yesterday, so Jena, Kellyn and I had some Indian fashion to wear to church this morning. These clothes just make me feel pretty. I love all of the sparkles and bangles and scarves. So girly! Looking out over the congregation and seeing all of the beautiful colors on the women is a banquet for the eyes. Colors just seem brighter here.Jeff and Royce got in on it too. I'm thinking Jeff can totally pull this off once we get back home...
We got to church this morning around 11, well into the service. After a bit, Pastor G brought the team up to the platform and introduced us. We were given roses and a big welcome. As always, he was full of jokes, calling Nelson and Jeremy the team's most eligible bachelors. He said if they came back again unmarried then he was going to find them some Indian women. :)

I'm not sure why, but he calls me the live wire of the group. Which is better, I guess, than being referred to as "the one who cries all the time," as I was yesterday. All I can say is I saw a lot of stuff last year that tore open my heart. I'm typically not a cryer. But I wouldn't want to be able to come into this country and view physical, emotional and spiritual poverty at this level without getting torn up over it. I think it should move me, but beyond simply an emotional outburst. It's a call to action, which is why I'm so glad to be back and have a chance to help people. I can't wait to get started!
After church we had a chance to look over the area where we will be doing the clinic tomorrow. It is outdoors, but under a roof so we will be in the shade. There was a nice breeze blowing through there today, so pray that keeps up.

After lunch at a Chinese restaurant, we came back to the hotel for our training session. Gene divided us all up into teams and gave us instructions on what we'll be doing. Tomorrow, I'll be working at the distribution table, finding the right glasses for each patient and adjusting them to fit their face. I'll be working with Sharon and Kellyn, who are both experienced with this so hopefully I won't have a chance to mess things up too badly. Kellyn talked me through the adjustment process today. My biggest fear is breaking the glasses, but she said it only takes one pair breaking for you to learn what is too far or too hard to push. I just hate to take even one pair of glasses away from someone that could use it.

It's 5:00 now, time to get dressed again for church. Tonight is the English service, so we'll be participating in the whole thing. I'm so ready to worship. God is so, so good. There is much to praise Him for today!