Well we got into Vijayawada Airport on Sunday about 11:00AM local time.  As soon as we got off the airplane, we were greeted by our host Kumari and her two kids, Rachel and James. They put giant flower garlands around our necks right there in the airport. When we arrived at their home there was a giant sign, probably 5 feet wide, that was put up in front of the house saying “WELCOME MR. AUSTIN AND MR. DAVID MANN!” We were so happy to see it and figured it was the only one. Nope. Every place we have gone since they have had the signs up and put the flowers around our necks. I love it.

One thing we immediately realized that struck us odd is that the time zone is not just 10 hours ahead of CST but actually 10.5 hours ahead. We really can’t make sense of it but I’m guessing it has something to with the latitude line that falls across India.

The first thing that struck us about this wonderful country was the kindness of the people.They are extremely courteous, polite and helpful. They will do absolutely everything and anything they can do to accomodate you. They have huge smiles and have a contagious joy.

The food here is amazing. I usually like pretty spicy stuff so I’ve really enjoyed it. Their spices are used perfectly with just enough to add some punch but not too be over-bearing and have you crying.  I especially like custard apples, which is a fruit only available in India two weeks of the year. It’s a white, creamy fruit about the size of an apple with a thick skin that is textured a bit like a pineapple but softer. That was a bit hard to explain, bottom line: they are quite tasty!

The orphanages here are really wonderful and many of them take a different approach than what I have seen in the past. Many of them call themselves hostels and what the hostels do is basically invite kids that are living in very impoverished homes to come stay with them for 9-10 months of the year. While they are there, they are given a place to sleep, three square meals a day and they are educated in all subjects.

It gives the kids a great opportunity to make friends and learn useful skills that can take them somewhere in life. They are also taught about Christ and taught how to pray and have a relationship with God. Then the two months of the year when they are at home they share these things with their parents and it has proven to be really encouraging to them.

 

 

We have gone to a number of different hostels, some as far as 80 miles away. Tomorrow we will go about 100 miles. Now this doesn’t sound so far but it takes a very long time. There are so many people on the roads, and so much going on, that we are stopping so much its unbelievable. My dad and I decided to figure out our average speed on our trip today so I got out my GPS and we calculated our average was about 21MPH!!! Going 100 miles at 21MPH stopping and starting can be quite a different experience! And every time we stop, I’m thinking “there’s no way that goat can get out of the road before we hit it.” But alas, we have yet to hit anything.

The images I have included in this post are just a quick handful from a million that I have shot but they are all I can afford to upload considering the internet speed. India is really quite an exciting place for a photographer, beautiful image to capture everywhere you look.

Alright well the internet isn’t so snappy here and this one update has taken almost 2 hours! I had probably get going. But thank you for all your comments on previous posts, I love to hear from you and know who is keeping up with us. We appreciate your prayers – God is doing a great work here in India and we can’t wait to bring it back with images and share.