Happy New Year

that's right...it may be tax day in the US, but here in West Bengal...it's New Year's Day! To celebrate, people go shopping (the stores all have treats for people), they wear new clothes, and fly kites. stores and houses are also decorated with flowers - and you visit family members to wish them well in the new year. giving new gifts is symbolic of wishing them wellness and long life. yesterday everyone cleaned their houses super well - you get rid of all the old, and dirtiness to be ready for the new year.

Church was great today. I'm attending "The Bible Society" Church. I love it. its so small, and there are so many kids...and i love to worship there, and was challenged by the sermon today (about the walk to Emmaus, in Luke 24). Pastor pointed out that these guys had just walked 7 miles, got there, had dinner, realized they'd been with Jesus...and then immediately turned around and walked back to Jerusalem to tell the others...and he pointed out, that when God reveals Himself in us or to us...our response should be action - regardless of what that may cost us. I've read that account countless times - but had never put together that these guys just turned around, tired after walking all day...and went back where they'd just come from...all cause Jesus showed up - and they had to respond by telling the others...

i'm going to start helping out some with the kids. the man who runs the children's program is a Bible college student, and he's going for summer vacation...so, i'm gonna step in. i won't be fully in charge, and i'm not even sure what my helping will look like...but we'll see, next week!

in other news, i've seen a lot of random things the past few days...

• the back of a taxi said, "Love for seal, for you free" somehow i think he meant sale...but i guess you never know, maybe he really likes seals, and wants to give them away.
• a pile of about 6 goat skins on a bike
• a "yak yak yak yak" shirt from nepal...you probably didn't know but Nepal is the embroidery capital of the world. There were so many embroidery shops with all sorts of random designs...i saw a "Hard Rock Cafe, Khatmandu" embroidered shirt...but i never did find the Hard Rock Cafe. anyway, while we were there, we were very amused by the embroidered yaks with "yak" written below them. I saw a lot of the shirts in store, but never thought i'd see someone wearing it...and then, i did.
• about 20 chickens (still alive) tied together, hanging upside down from the handlebars of a bike (this is a common site!)
• nike/rebok hybrid shoes. i know...you didn't know they existed...but the other day i saw shoes that said "Rebok" and had the Nike swoosh underneath. do you think they're genuine?

that's it for the random sightings for now...