Goodbye Goa

Cows on backpackers' favorite Arambol Beach 

It is unreal to think that I've spent six weeks in India already. It feels like time has solehow slipped away from me, and yet, when I think back to when I first arrived here it feels like it was ages ago. The road in India has been bumpy at times (both figurative and literal), but I can honestly look back at these past six weeks and say that I'm happy with the work that I've done here. I've made wonderful relationships with so many people: with the students at the preschool, with the families and children in our neighborhood, with the people working in our favorite shops in Vasco, and with the Goa base staff.

This past week our team threw parties for the neighborhood and the preschools that we worked at for a final farewell. The family I was closest with in our neighborhood invited five other girls and me into their home for dinner. (It was possibly the best Indian meal I've had yet). We've spent the past week closing ties with the people that we've come to love and said our final goodbyes. It has been a very busy and sad week because, well, my time in Goa has finally come to an end.

Neighborhood kids at our farewell party

Nevertheless, no matter how sad it is to say goodbye to arguably the most beautiful place in India, all of us on the team know that it's time to move on. The remaining weeks in India will be spent traveling to, and within, the north of India. We will be spending time in Delhi, Varansi (one of the two holy cities for Hindus), possibly the Himalayas, Agra (where the Taj Mahal is), and Mumbai. Our time will not be as scheduled as it was in Goa, and I believe it will be more crazy, more intense, more of a battle, and more spontaneous. As of now, the only thing I know for sure is that the team and I will be staying where backpacking hippies stay in Delhi, giving us prime opportunities to meet new people and have discussions about anything and everything with them.

Our team has been praying and we feel like these next few weeks are going to be more challenging than the last six weeks in new ways. In a way, we'll be experiencing a completely different outreach. And I'm so excited for it! It's going to be an adventure of a lifetime and I can't wait to get started. The first four people on our team leave by train for Delhi on Monday, while the other eight (including myself) leave on two separate trains the following day.

Please keep us in your prayers as we embark on a new season of outreach. Pray for safety, good health, team unity, boldness, and open doors and opportunities to share our faith and the Good News with others. Thank you for your continual support.

Blessings!

Asma and Salma, my favorite neighborhood girls

Neighborhood children

Katrine, Nathan, Lilian, Clo, and I with our preschool kids

Beautiful children