Meet Linda!

Here's what Linda said. Literally, the best answer to the interesting story question! I laughed so hard. Thank you for sharing, Linda!

Have you ever been to India before? YES! This will be my fourth time! What's your connection to India? Shiny, my beautiful daughter-in-law, her family, and those that do not know Christ there. Any interesting stories or memories? Yes. I accidentally wore the beautiful underskirt and top from Mama Pushpa's house to Shiny's mom's house so they could help me put the sari on, not realizing that the skirt and top are considered underwear! Oh my!

How did you decide to go on this trip? A love to lead teams to India, so that other Christians can experience what God is doing around the world.

What do you feel your role is on the team? To help others see how God looks at the world: it's not all about America, but it is about all the amazing people and cultures God has created for His glory!

What are you most excited about doing in India or as part of the team? I love to see the teaching and serving that is already going on there and the hard work these people are doing.

What do you think will be your greatest challenge? The greatest challenge will be to prepare the two lessons and to make those lessons relevant to those hearing it.

If you've been to India before, what do you think is the biggest difference between India and America? Indians care more about the "inside": relationships, how you treat others, taking time to really talk. Americans care more about "outside" things: neat and tidy yards, washed cars, material things.

And last of all... What is your favorite Indian dish? Which one do I pick? There are so many! How about chicken tiki masala? Tiki means boneless – I'm not a big fan of bones in my meal!

Meet Jim!

Here is the result of my "interview" with Jim. I love the memory he shared with us.

Have you ever been to India before? Yes, on several occasions. What's your connection to India? My son married a beautiful Indian lady with an incredible Christian family. Any interesting stories or memories? India is interesting and the stories are abundant, however one of my fondest memories is when I had the opportunity to worship with believers in a nearby village. Totally spontaneous and very impacting!

How did you decide to go on this trip? I'm always challenged by the work done for the Kingdom in India. So, when the opportunity presented itself to be apart of a short term mission there, I had no hesitations. I'm going!

What do you feel your role is on the team? Supporting and encouraging.

What are you most excited about doing in India or as part of the team? I'm most excited for the team to find out what ministry is all about.

What do you think will be your greatest challenge? Preparation for the many lessons.

If you've been to India before, what do you think is the biggest difference between India and America? Materialism and the caste system.

And last of all... What is your favorite Indian dish? The one in front of me when I'm eating. It wasn't always like that.

Meet Tommy!

About a week ago, I sent out a questionnaire to everyone on the team. I hoped that it would be a fun way for us all to get to know the team members a little better together. :) Tommy was the first to respond to my email interview. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have. Here are his answers:

Have you ever been to India before? Yes, 8 times. What's your connection to India? My wife comes from India, so I have a lot of family there. Any interesting stories or memories? India is the place my wife fell in love with me. She resisted until I told her that I wanted to be with her for life. She panicked for two days, then her heart melted away for me. :) That's my side of the story, anyway!

How did you decide to go on this trip? I love being apart of teams from Northside that serve in India. It's a great joy for me.

What do you feel your role is on the team? I am on of the leaders of the team. That carries a lot of responsibility in making sure everything goes smoothly and that the communication between our team is clear and on target.

What are you most excited about doing in India or as part of the team? I look forward to serving with my family and friends. So excited!!

What do you think will be your greatest challenge? Preparing my three messages.

If you've been to India before, what do you think is the biggest difference between India and America? Relationships. Indians always have time for relationships. Americans are very efficient and place a high priority on getting things done in a timely manner, not always giving time for relationships. When these two work together it really is a beautiful thing!

And last of all... What is your favorite Indian dish? Absolutely butter chicken and naan!!! Saloni is quite good but that's more of a snack.

Henna or Mehndi

One tradition that I've learned about during this time has been henna or mehndi, in Hindi. This is something that Shiny has shared with me before I knew I would be going to India because it is just plain fun. Henna is an all natural dye made from a plant into a paste. It can stain the skin for up to a week. It's really something that can be done for fun anytime, but it is always done for Indian weddings. The henna is drawn in beautiful designs from the toes to the knees, and from the fingers to the elbows. Because you have to sit still for it to dry, the bride is honored by all the bridal party serving her throughout the preparations of the day. The more intricate the designs, the more beautiful the henna is considered to be. Wedding henna would look like this:

But, everyday designs would be much simpler and smaller.

Now, in the West, henna has also been associated with tattoos. I'm not sure why, except that it seems to be a common name for them. Henna really isn't a tattoo, as it isn't permanent and it isn't placed under the skin with a needle. In Indian culture, Henna would be similar to painting toe nails here. Girls get together for sleep overs and draw henna on each other for fun. You can also get henna done at shops, just like going to the salon for a manicure. It has no pagan association or significance. In Indian culture it's done just for fun and because it's pretty. Obviously, it's also something girls look forward to on their wedding, just like getting a wedding dress.

Shiny and I have asked friends and family to host henna parties for us, as a means to raise money. It's a fun way to experience the culture and get some friends together. We can also do just one-on-one, private henna. If you're interested in having a beautiful design done or hosting a party for us, please email either one of us: alexandracarmany@gmail.com or shinycorrao@gmail.com. We would love to do it. :)

Getting Ready (Part Two)

Besides a great deal of prayer and reading Bible commentaries to help me with my topics that I will present at the conference, I (and the rest of the team) have had to do some paper work. This is the stuff that falls under the category of "less fun than taking the team photo." Last week we applied for our Visas online. I always wonder, when encountering such activities, does technology really make our lives easier? It's kind of like fail-safe machines: the more complex the fail-safe, the greater the opportunity for failure. Anyway, of course my application is the one that has problems going through. For whatever reason, the online visa application site does not like my computer. The other option could be "operator error," but we all know that is just impossible! In any case, in order to get a visa, one has to fill out the application and mail it to an office in San Francisco, along with one's passport, two passport photos, and a money order of the application fee. Well, I have never taken out a money order before. In fact, I avoid going to the physical location of my bank as much as possible. However, they were really nice there, charged me an extra fee, but I took two of their free lollipops in recompense. Also, who made the rules for passport photos? Literally, the worst photos I have ever taken in my life.

After all of the set backs (I filled out this form online 6 or 7 times before it finally worked on my dad's computer), it all worked out and Val sent in the applications for us. Thank you, Val! :) Although, I shouldn't complain. I'm sure everyone's application had complications. Someone (I don't remember who) was joking that it was funny that we spend so much time being careful to get everything right and bringing the proper documents, when everything is much more relaxed in India. I hope everything will work out... We shall see! :)

Tickets have already been bought. I have my itinerary sitting in my email inbox and it's pretty exciting to just to look at it!

Don't forget to come to our table after each service. I will be there tonight-- come say hi!

Getting Ready! (Part One)

Hi, Everyone!

Welcome to the India 2012 Blog. I will try to keep you updated on all the excitement as we prepare and while the team is abroad through this blog. I should probably start with introductions. So, meet the team!

All the way on the left is Tommy, holding his son, Elijah. You probably already know Tommy as the Missions Pastor at Northside. Standing in front of him in cobalt blue is his wife, Shiny. Next to Shiny is Linda, in the aquamarine, and behind Linda is her husband, Jim. Front and center in bright red and the beautiful smile is Liz. Next to her is Alexandra – that's me, your humble blogger! Behind Liz and me, is Valentine. Finally, next to Val is Jennifer.

Believe it or not, this picture was one of the things that falls under the category of "preparation," but taking pictures is definitely more fun than some of the other things. As you can see, all of us ladies got to dress up in beautiful salwars, the traditional Indian clothing we're wearing. You have probably seen other Indian women wearing them here in Fresno. The guys are wearing Indian clothes, too, but it's hard to tell, except on Tommy. It was a lot of fun to wear these vibrant and intricately patterned clothes because they are so flattering and different from my normal jeans-and-shirt attire.

In addition to taking the team photo, we have been doing all sorts of fun activities to let everyone know what our plans are and how to support us, either spiritually or financially. So, what are the plans for this trip? Good question! We will travel to Madhya Pradesh, India (it is in Central India) in October in order to host a Bible Conference for Indian pastors. Our hope is to encourage those most faithful warriors who serve on the front lines of our spiritual battle, winning souls for Christ. It is often difficult to have a specific purpose for short term mission trips, but this one has a clear and definite task.

So, how can you support us? Please pray! Please pray often! Please pray that the Lord would prepare the hearts and minds of those whom we will meet, that all event planning would go smoothly, and for each of our hearts and minds as we write our messages. Yes, that's right I said messages. If you haven't noticed from the picture above, I'm actually pretty young. If you were wondering what qualifies me to give a message, all I can say is the Lord Jesus Christ! I have never given a sermon or taught the Bible before. Ever. Yikes! And, to teach on the Bible to those who are likely far more spiritually mature than I am is certainly humbling if not downright terrifying!! (Did I say I could use some prayer??)

You can also support us financially. There is a table in front of Northside where you can donate money for the cost of the conference. It is a three day conference and it will cost each attendant $50, which is not a small amount for those living in India. Our hope is to be able to pay for all of them. However, we also realize that $50 is not a small amount for us either. We hope that you will consider sponsoring a pastor or wife perhaps with your small group or friends-- $5 or $10 a person can be pretty manageable. If not, please come to our table and take a prayer card. We would love to see you. :)