It's been another wonderful day here in India... full of contrasts: the warmth of our friends who have made us feel so very welcome and comfortable here and the mystery of so many cultural differences that we yet do not comprehend; strikingly beautiful people and brightly colored saris against the backdrop of worn buildings, dusty streets and littered byways; and of course the slow heat of the wonderful curries paired with the cool curd and irresistible naan (flat bread) that we enjoy at nearly every meal. It was the last day with our now good friends and it will be difficult to say good-bye in the morning as we fly off to Delhi!

One of our highlights that we've all agreed upon has been the two home visits that we've all had with various families - one time in Guntur and the other time in Bimahvaram. We divided up into smaller pairs or groups and were hosted by wonderfully warm folks who prepared feasts for us of their best fare. I was complimented in my eating Indian style... and none of our readers should be surprised if we dip our fingers into the mashed potatoes when we return home in time for Thanksgiving, as we're becoming quite accustomed to eating with our hands! These visits gave us good time to get to know people more personally and see them in a relaxed setting in their own homes and it was so very enjoyable.

We've seen so many of the ministries of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church - we've met the Bible Women, visited a Blind School, a school for orphans and a leper colony, a home for destitute women, as well as many local congregations - to mention only some of our stops! Today we attended the Synod Youth Convention here in Visakapatanam where Pastor Andrew did a really fine job of preaching and where we also recorded a greeting with the youth to be sent over the web to our youth when they gather in convention this week! You'll soon find us on Youtube... and hear a familiar song sung in Telegu. We also completed our prayer canvas with the youth - a shared project that they joyfully entered into! It was cut in half as planned, and now they have a banner to be shared within their synod and we will have one to bring home... tangible reminders of our colorful and prayerful time together and our ongoing relationship in Christ.

As the sun began to set and we headed back to our hotel, we stopped at the shore of the Bay of Bengal which runs right alongside the city. Many of us dipped our toes in the water as the big orange ball of sun sank down in the sky and as the first signs of the Festival of Lights shone in the sky - beautiful white cloth balloons that were carried up into the air by the light of a small flame. They floated up high til they looked like large fireflies and when they burned out they gently floated back down over the water. By the time we got back to the hotel the calm was broken by fireworks going off like a war zone - light and sparks and bangs and booms all around! The hotel put on a special show in the parking lot just for the guests - which we got a bang out of. (Ha!) "Happy Dewali" is seen everywhere - today is the biggest Hindu festival of the year and it is marked by streamers of lights hanging from buildings all around and fireworks, fireworks! Our Christian friends say that they buy the fireworks since this is the only time of year they are sold, and save them for Christmas when they are used in their celebrations at that time.

Peace to you all... Linnea  Papke-Larson