English Phrases & Hindi Translation:

We're learning a little Hindi, and thought you might get a kick out of learning a little with us.

Hello - Namaste/Namaskar
What is your name? - Apka Namm Kya hai?
My name is___- Mera naam___
How are you? - Kaise hain?
I am fine - Main theek hoon
Goodbye - Main chalta hoon (chalti for female)

A time to go

Will and I are plugging along in our training class, and are currently in or 4th week of preparation. The class is interesting, and growing. We are currently learning about the history of cross cultural service, and how it can be applicable today. Will and I are slowly making new friends, and meeting others who feel called to serve around the world.

This week, we also found out that our first day of orientation training, in Pune India, will be February 1st. I'm a planner, so it's exciting for me to know exactly when we're going.

Now that we know when our first date is in India, Will and I will be looking to buy plane tickets. Financially this is a challenge for us, and we are still in need of donations to meet our goal to do service in India. We are currently at $700, and are trying to get to $7,000 (plane tickets, shots, visa's, living expenses for 5 months, etc.). We are anxious to get some more support to meet our goal, especially before we buy our plane tickets, which is our biggest expense. Please help if you are able, by sending a check (big or small;-), or pushing the DONATION button in the left corner of the screen, to use your credit or debit card.

As for some news from India, please be praying for our Hindi & Christian bothers and sisters, as there have been riots between the two communities.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/09/16/india.riots/

Know that we will not be going to this area, but are concerned about the tension between the two groups.

Please pray for peace, grace and understanding between these 2 communities.

Much love to you all,

Lauren

Training

So, Will and I started a training course this past Sunday, here in the states, to prep us for our trip abroad. The course is 15 weeks long, is going to give us a little history of service overseas, and how to approach new cultures and communities with grace and dignity. I was a little frustrated about being required to take this course. Actually, I was really frustrated. Growing up in Philly, and living in such a diverse community, I was prideful enough to think I didn't need to know any more than what I already live. However, last night a group of friends of mine gathered and we talked about wisdom. A friend brought a quote from a great book that said:

"Wisdom is first of all pure, then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow peace, raise a harvest of righteousness."

This idea was very humbling, as I realized that I did not have ANY of these feelings about my training course, and acquiring new wisdom in this area. Something to be praying about for sure....

This week, Will and I also learned that we'll be doing some orientation in Pune (W. India) before we had up and over to Dehradun. I've added a link on the left so you all can check things out.

Lastly, we're still at $0 as far as fundraising goes, with $7000 to go. Continue to pray that financial support will come in, and of course contribute if you are able. We can only do it with help from our friends and family.

Much peace and love to you all,
Lauren

My very first blog.

I have to admit, I wasn't into the whole blogging thing at first, as it feels a bit weird to share things about my life to the public. However, it seemed the most convenient way to keep our friends and family up to date on our preparations and travels to India in the Spring of 2009. I'll probably be the one making the most updates, but you'll hear from Will once in a while too. So, here we go.....

For the beginning of our trip, February to May, I am scheduled to do work at Latikaroy, teaching art to children with special needs, and Will will be working with the folks at the People's Science Institute, an Indian non-profit research and development organization. We are VERY excited about our match with these two groups, as they seem to fit us so perfectly. We have left the last 2 months of our journey flexible, either to stay in India a bit longer, or head over to Thailand to work with our friend Teresa.

This month Will and I are doing our doctor's visits, applying for our visa's, starting a 15 week training course, and are beginning to gather books, magazines and other literature to learn more about the community and culture of the people we are going to serve.

We have also begun to enlist friends and family for prayer and financial support. In lieu of using resources to mail paper support letters, we're posting our needs here. We would love any help you can offer us.

Prayer Requests:
-spiritual growth and preparation
-getting shots (Lauren faints at the sight of needles)
-getting through the 15 week training course, it's intense!
-raising the money we need

Financial Support:
We're looking to raise about $7,000 for our trip. This includes plane tickets (our biggest expense), visa's, and living expenses for our time in India. If you are able to help us out in this area, you can use your credit or debit card online through our "Donate" button, or if you'd feel more comfortable sending a check, just bounce us an email (lstichter@gmail.com) and we'll be glad to figure that out with you.

Much love to you all,
Lauren & Will Stichter