We Have Arrived!

Hi there! This is John Hughes writing! I am one of the four senior guys on this trip, and I will be giving you the update for the past 24 hours! Like Sarah was saying, the 6 hour train ride allowed us to see A LOT of India. It was eye opening to say the least. Although we saw dirty cities and impoverished communities, I found everything to be absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed photographing God's amazing creation from the train even though it was consumed by poverty and famine. After we arrived in Ajmir, a team of porters assisted us in carrying our bags from the train over to a pink Volvo charter bus waiting for us a block away. From the train station, we drove to a hotel a few miles away and ate at a restaurant for lunch. Once our bellies were filled with barbecue and curry chicken, we began our 1 hour drive to Veer's compound. I'm not sure about everyone else, but on this bus ride, I was asleep the whole time! Since it was about 2 A.M., in reference to my "body clock", I was hitting a brick wall of jet lag! I was sooo tired I couldn't help but sleep the whole way to the compound. It wasn't long before everyone was awake and the bus was pulling up to the compound in Beawar! As we passed through the front gates, and watched the security guard give his salute, we knew WE HAD ARRIVED! Coming off the bus we were greeted by Veer's children and given leis strung with fresh flowers. 
After we unloaded and freshened up, we boarded Veer's school bus and drove into town.

In town we stopped at the tailor's store where the all guys had the opportunity to get custom made suits! Some guys got ties, shirts, and full suits, but as for me, I only got a coat. Overall, it was essentially mass chaos. Everyone was running back and forth, looking at fabrics, and bargaining with the suit makers. Anyways, we picked out our fabrics, got measured up, payed for our new clothes, and drove back to the compound to head to bed.

This morning, we all woke up in time to greet the students at 8:00. This was a great experience to see their morning routine and their classroom activities.  After observing for a few hours, taking pictures here, and capturing video there, we joined the kids for recess! This was wild. As you can see from the picture below, many of us discovered a common language found in sports. We raced, chased, and also ran away as we were being chased by the kids. It was a great time to interact with the students and have a lot of fun! Anyways, the last 24 hours have been one wild ride and I can't wait for the next two weeks! God has already showed up, and I know he will continue to do so! Over and out!

-John Hughes