We are all home from India!
The four of us left our hotel about 12:30am Tuesday morning. We had no real problems at the airport... just the many different lines (or queueueus... or however they spell "cue", which means "line that moves ever so slowly" in British)... our flight to Dubai left about 1/2 hour late... but three of us (sorry, Glen) got a free upgrade to Business class! As soon as the wheels left the ground, we had our chairs stretched out full length and I know I only woke up to eat breakfast and when the wheels touched down in Dubai.
In Dubai, we had enough time to wander and get a few Dubai-ese trinkets before taking off to SFO, again about 1/2 hour late--no upgrade for this flight, although I did offer to switch with a guy who wanted to turn down his upgrade so he could sit with his family in economy. The flight was long and uneventful.
Here is how to spend 16 hours: watched "The Wrestler", ate breakfast, slept for 4 hours, watched "The Devil Wears Prada," "He's Just Not That Into You," & "Gran Torino", ate lunch, read and stared blankly ahead for 3 more hours... the guy sitting next to me must have a bladder as big as an elephant because he only got up once in 16 hours... not me that's for sure!
Upon arrival at SFO, we passed through Immigration and then waited forever for our bags (forever is relative when needing to make a connection to continue the journey). I gave my one tag to Dan. We had checked two boxes filled with Hindi language Bibles and they were taking forever to arrive. I left the other three waiting for the Bibles and headed through Customs and off to the Delta counter to check in for my next two flights... at this point, I will assume they got the Bibles, got Glen's pick-up started, and made in home to Paso with no further problems...
My flight to Salt Lake was quick and easy. I then had about 2 hours to enjoy a couple Whoppers from Burger King and a cup of Starbucks coffee (it ain't Indian, but...). The flight to Hailey was also uneventful. It sure was good to see Zane and Mallory and Wendy!!
Back in the day, radio stations used to play "Two-fer-Tuesdays"... I think we had a "Two-fer-Tuesday" yesterday because, if my math is near correct, the day about 36 hours in it... talk about a long day... but definitely worth it!
Now it is time to catch up on some game playing with Zane... more posts reflecting on the trip will be forthcoming of the next few days...
Saturday night Sherry Bell sent me an email updating me on Gary's status. I shared her message at our church yesterday, but realized that many of you would like to know how he is doing as well. Sherry wrote:
"On Tuesday we went from the airport to kaiser. Of course with the traffic we were not able to get there for his 4:30 appt.so we went straight to the ER which was probably just as well. He was admitted to the hospital that evening and spent until Fri. afternoon there. The MRI done there showed no structural damage to the knee. It is mainly a soft tissue injury with an extreme amount of blood in the knee and upper leg. The doctor stopped the blood thinner for now. So he is home recuperating. The knee and leg are still very painful and walking is very difficult. He has a walker to help him get around when necessary. So he will be kind of out of commisison for awhile. He is very glad to be home."
Imagine that, an MRI machine that works when you need it! Praise God that no surgery is required, but I do suspect Gary's visit to the ER and three nights in the hospital might cost a little more than they did in India. It sounds like he has a long road of physical therapy ahead of him, and we remember him in our prayers.
Sherry's message continued:
"Gary is so glad to have had this opportunity. He came back with some great pictures and we look forward to seeing Josh's pictures. Gary speaks so fondly of the people he met there, Pastor David and the staff at the CMC, people at the seminary, people at the site of one of the wells built by LHM, so many fantastic experiences. One thing he is not missing however is Indian food! He is still reluctant to use tap water!"
I encourage you to drop the Bell's a card or note to let them know we are all thinking of them.
Further Update on Pastor Gary Bell, Wednesday 8/26
I received an email from Sherry today with the following additional information:
This is going to be a long road for our friend Gary, and for Sherry. Please remember to drop them a card or email to let them know they are being thought of.
In a couple hours, the four of us will go back to the Christian Media Centre for one last get-together/ dedication/ farewell. Then we will finish packing, settle our hotel bills, and get ready to head to the airport at about 1am.
As you know from the first group's trip home last week, the airport in Chennai can be interesting (we do all have itineraries with our name on them, so we should be able to enter the airport, at least!). At least their delay was only 2 hours and the flight did take off... yesterday's flight (Sunday) was delayed 7 hours (with no communication from the airline or airport) before being cancelled.
According to today's paper, there are tighter restrictions causing more planes to be held for "minor technical issues." I think "minor technical issues" are like "minor surgery"... it is minor when it is your plane with the issue... but major when it is my plane with the issue...
PRAY that our plane has none of these "minor technical issues"!
PRAY that we have a completely uneventful trip home!
Another beaut from the Sunday Times of India--
"For those planing a terror attack or a riot, here's a hot tip: Don't. You could be hit by worse than water cannon--a chilli bomb, which would have the potency of the world' hottest pepper. Naga jolokia or bhut jolokia, meaning "ghostly chilli," gets its name from its deadly bite. It is reportedly 1,000 times hotter than the ordinary kitchen chilli.
"In 2007, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized the Naga jolokia as the hottest in the world. It has more than 800,00 Scoville heat units, which indicate the amount of capsaicin it contains. Capsaicin, an active compound in chilli peppers, is an irritant that produces a burning sensation on tissue that comes in contact with it.
"From the kitchen and the record books to fighting riots? The Defence Research and Development Organisation in New Delhi is testing a grenade that will have the pungency of the bhut jolokia. 'It occurred to us that the chilli could be used in hand grenades,' says RB Srivastava, directore of Life Sciences at DRDO...
"The new 'hot' bomb is being tested and the DRDO is reluctant to give details.
"Ordinary tear gas, which is used to disperse rioters, affects the eyes and can be tolerated by holding a wet cloth to the face. But 'the chilli bomb would choke the respiratory system too,' says Srivastava. 'The person can even go into a semi-conscious state.'
"With low-intensity conflict on the rise, this could be a non-lethal way to tackle insurgents and movs. 'One hand chilli grenade would be enough to make an impact in a room. The after-effects would be felt for about 20 minutes,' he said."
So much in this article begs for comment, but I want my passport stamped on the way out of the country and then again back into the US, so...
That is what the headline says. Right now anyone caught "causing death by rash and negligent driving" can receive a max penalty of 2 years. The Law Commission has framed this "set of drastic recommendations" partially in response to the report last week that 13 people a minute die in car wrecks in India (see Josh's "Duh Headline" blog).
Says the Law Commission--"Keeping in view the present day practical reality, the punishment should be increased to 10 years' imprisonment." And, the offence should be made non-bailable which means the police would have no power to release the accused on bond.
Say the Times of India in an editorial response--"The Law Commission seems to have fallen into the common error of believing that extreme measures are a sign of acting tough on an issue... If the idea is to minimize reckles driving, much more can be achieved by simply enforcing existing laws more rigorously. That include acting against semingly minor traffic offences like jumping lights or crossing the yellow line."
- Sounds like positions to be taken in response to most laws proposed by the US House & Senate...
- Reminds me that God got the laws right with only 10 and ever since man has been expanding and confusing them...
In about 24 hours, the four members of Group B will begin their journey back home. Monday about noon our time here on the West Coast (1:00 in the morning in Chennai) Dan, Drew, Glen and Steve will be collected from the hotel and taken Chennai International Airport.
As the members of Group A found out last week, much can happen that adds stress and excitement to an already long journey. Please keep the guys in your prayers as they wrap up their final day at the Christian Media Centre, and pack and prepare for their flights home.
The actual flight time from Chennai to San Francisco is about 22 hours. Glen, Dan, & Drew will be met at SFO by a member of Trinity Burlingame with Glen's truck, and the three of them will then drive themselves the 3-1/2 hours back to Paso Robles. Sounds like lots of LOUD prayers will be needed to keep them awake and alert during the drive. Steve proceeds through passport and customs, then boards 2 additional flights to Salt Lake City and on home to Wendy and the kids at Sun Valley airport late Tuesday night.
You will be able to follow their journey through a link on the home page of our team website, www.cnhindiamission.org. Click on the Emirates Flight Tracker icon to be taken to the tracker for their flights home (almost) to SFO. As Josh and I said last week, we get to SFO and we could at least walk home if we had to!
