The Most Spectacular Use of Florescent Bulbs

A photo of - quite possibly - the most unique and amazing flower we've ever seen.

Contractors and home improvement enthusiasts - behold the scaffolding of your dreams.

This is a "lookout tower" built for the horse races, to be held in Ooty in the coming weeks.

It has been said, profoundly of course, “If you’ve got it, flaunt it!” Well people, I am about to flaunt the most spectacular use of florescent bulbs, metal, and electricity. Here goes nothing. Be prepared to be green with envy...

The flies at the bottom of the zapper represent one morning's work for our new favorite appliance.

Yes, my friends. We bit the bullet and bought an official bug zapper. I had enough of feeling like I was on the brink of insanity. Enough I tell you. Some might say it is a poor waste of money, I say it helped four children have a mother that wasn’t curled up in the fetal position. Everyone that has come into our house has been shown the bug zapper like it’s a new baby. I make them turn it off and on and then I shoo a fly into it, so they can watch it fry. Okay, I hope this is my last entry about flies, one can only hope.

As we prepare to go back to the States for a visit, Jayson and I are having many conversations about logistics. I thought moving to India had many details to keep track of... Oh no my friends, a trip back to the States has me wishing for my own magic wand to say “Presto, chango, organize this trip to full satisfaction for everyone, ka-blam!” If you all want to mock me right now, go right ahead, I deserve it.

Moving along. So in our conversations, we had one this week that needs to repeated. Let me give you some context. Jayson’s sister, Melissa, and her boyfriend, Mike, are going to join us for the 4th of July at my family’s cabin up in Canada and we were discussing some different options for how to get them up there.

Jayson, “They can ride with us from Minneapolis to Bemidji.”

Tarrah, “We will have a minivan, there is only one seat left for the two of them.”

Jayson, “We can just squeeze them in.”

Tarrah, “We can’t squeeze them in. We will need to have either car seats or boosters for all the kids, there won’t be room.”

Jayson, “Well, there are two bench seat, there is totally room for them.”

Tarrah, “It’s a seven hour drive Jayson.”

Jayson, “We’ll rotate. We’ll make it work”

Tarrah, “Jayson, we won’t be in India this summer, I think it’s against to law to have more people in the car then there are seat belts.”

Jayson, “Oh. Right.”

The law is on your side Mike and Mel, whew! I only wonder how many times we will try to just “make it work” this summer, as we do every day in India.

Let’s talk about our internet. A very interesting topic, give it a chance. Last week, I told you that our modem, or our “internet box”, as I lovingly called it, got fried from a storm. So, Jayson finally tracked another one down last Saturday. (Which, side note, took him four trips to the same store to get.) An hour after he got home with the new modem, a massive truck went by the front of the house and clipped our telephone wire - which is strung between two trees. Alas, no internet yet. No phono line. No interneto. No connectiono with the outsido worldo. I am lame-o.

I am going to turn the page of ridiculous to the page of meaningful. This is Sayid and his wife. They lost their mud walled house in the cyclone-like storm last fall. Jayson and I had the privilege of helping them rebuild their house. This week, we went to the ribbon cutting ceremony to help welcome them into their new home. We were able to pray with them and tell them that we were so grateful that God provided this home for them.

Sayid and his wife in their new home