Michelle Wegner

A Great Girl Dad

Rob is an amazing Father to the girls.  His love for them is strong, and they are turning out to be strong-minded, confident young ladies. We had so much fun taking these photos.  Brittani Cole is a fantastic photographer! 

 

Proud

I am not joking you when I say that when we walked through the customs door this week at O’Hare airport, I looked at one of the TV screens in a bar on the way to the restroom and there was Lee Greenwood singing “Proud To Be An American.”  It’s funny how at that moment before I even heard the song I literally felt like falling to my knees and kissing the dirty, sticky ground.  Glad I chose not to, but still…I got a little teary.

Every time I leave the country and come back, I am struck with a huge sense of patriotism.  We live in the best country in the world.  I can come and go as I please.  I can drive.  I can send my kids to any school I want to send them to.  I can go to the grocery store and pick out healthy food for my family.  I can drink water out of my kitchen faucet.  I have ice in my refrigerator, and I can call an exterminator if mice are in my garage.  I can vote.

I think traveling through India with my family has only increased my sense of love for my country.  Living in India for a week or two on my own or with my husband is hard, but living in India with my 3 kids was one of the hardest things I have ever done.  Would I do it again?  In a second (as long as I remembered to bring twice as many snacks for them as I did). 

Do I love India?  More than ever.  Travelling through India with my children awakened a whole new side of the Tamil people that I never could have seen unless I had my children with me.  They are a loving, passionate, nurturing people.  From the oldest Grandma to the youngest child, their love for my children astounded me.  Even our driver who had his Hindu idols on the dashboard and didn’t crack a smile the entire week he drove us around was gravely concerned when Isabelle was so sick.  The only words he spoke to me that whole week were , “Is she ok?” 

The whole trip in my mind was like an epic tale.  So many twists, turns, and plots.  We were the characters being moved around by the hand of God, upheld by the people of God.

I’m proud to be an American, but prouder still that I am an American who loves and is truly loved by the Tamil people.

Indian Spa

Despite the browin-ish colored water in the Jacuzzi, the Indian spa was a great way to spend part of our Father’s Day.  It was a magical and beautiful place, and it truly restored our spirits for awhile.

 

While We Were Gone…

Our friend Elle who is a video editing genius made this video for us. She sent it to us while we were in India, and it came right at the perfect moment. Spirits were a little down, the girls were really missing home, and this made us all laugh so hard we cried.

 

They Answered

Here are the girls answers to the questions you asked them about our trip to India.  Enjoy!

 

1) Was Three weeks long enough?

M:Yes

W:Yes

I: I wanted to go home

2) Cheek Pinching... How do you deal?

M:I just smiled

W:I smiled, in my brain I was saying, “OUCH!  Stop it!”

I: Pretty much it hurted.

Posted by: Ryan

- What was your favorite part of the trip?

M: The beach at the Bay of Bengal. I got to go horseback riding, shoot a gun, and get crashed by the waves.

W: Seeing the people in the villages.  It was overwhelming, but fun.

I: Go up on the mountain, playing with the kids

- What was the hardest part of the trip?

M: Being away from my friends and my dogs

W: The villages because it was very overwhelming.  Also I missed everybody and everything in America.

I: Oh!  Trying to keep away from the people trying to pinch my cheeks.

- What is one thing you think you'll miss about India?

M:Rajendran, Prema, Clarinda and Bruce.

W:The hospitality of all the people there.  I

do not miss the smells.

I: The motel with the pool, the girls my age

- Sum up your trip to India in one word.

M:One word…are you serious?

W:Different

I:I like the airport

Posted by: Angie Aquila

 

What are you looking forward to when you get back home?

M:My friends.

W: The normal weather and my friends.

I: McDonalds

What is the first thing you can not wait to eat?

M: McDonalds chicken snack wrap

W: A McDonalds cheeseburger and fries.

I: McDonalds chicken nuggets with ketchup, fries, and an orange drink.

Posted by: Jenny Johnson

 

What surprised you the most about India?

M: That there were horses to ride on the beach

W: The heat

I: The mountain

What did you do on the long airplane rides?

M: Watched movies

W: Read books, watched movies, slept and ate.

I: I looked out the window, I sleeped, I played, I snuggled my Daddy and Mama, chewed gum, a guy that sat next to me was very nice, he gave me gum.

Posted by: Jeanna Miller

 

What is your favorite thing you found to bring home to remember your trip by?

M: Elephants

W: Jewelry

I: My India Barbie and my new outfit.

 Do any of the kids know how to speak English? ( I am curious about this one because my Compassion boy I sponsor is now 14 and he's starting to write his letters to me in English now!)

M:No

W: Lots of Kids speak English

I: A lot of them do

 What food did you try that you were surprised you liked?

M:Chicken 65

W: Nothing

I: Carrots and the fried bananas.

Posted by: Rachel H.

 

When asked "Why did you go", what will you say?

M:To help the people

W: Because I wanted to help the people in India and understand their culture.  Although it is very interesting, it is very wrong and sad.

I: To help the kids

Are you glad you went? Why, or why not?

M: Yes.  I was very happy to see Sangeetha.

W: I am definitely glad I went.  It took this whole trip to make me realize how privileged I am.

I:Yes, because I liked going to Salem because it is the same name as my preschool.  It is a city on a mountain.

What one thing have you learned that you wish everyone your age could know?

M:There are people much less fortunate then us.

W: That it is a great experience.

I: That they could go with me and go up on the mountain.

Posted by: Phil W

Small Luxuries

We are all breathing a little easier as we are finally home.  My window is open and a gentle breeze is blowing on me as I am sipping my coffee and watching the Today Show.  It amazing to me how simple things like having my window open, drinking coffee and watching TV are considered serious luxuries in most of the world.  We couldn’t open our windows at the motels we were at because of the giant beehive of 5000 bees at one of the motels, but mostly because of mosquitoes that carry malaria pretty much everywhere else we went.  Not to mention the 105-110 degree weather mixed with humidity and never ending noise from auto rickshaws, motorcycles, and trucks beeping and honking all night long. 

With every trip I have ever taken like this, I am always amazed that my house looks visibly different to me when I get home.  I think the reason is because I notice everything, down to the last detail.  I notice how the carpet feels on my toes, how the water from the faucet tastes, how soft and cozy my pillows and blankets are…the list goes on and on.  I am currently in the “I love my house” part of trip recovery. 

One of the first things Whitney said when we got home in the middle of the night the other night was, “I never realized how much I had.  I never realized how big our house was, or how my own room is bigger than the homes of the people in the villages.”  I don’t get why we have so much and they so little.  I don’t get why my life is so easy and theirs is so hard. 

We are so fortunate and so blessed.  Blessed to have clean air to breathe and fresh water to drink.  I’m savoring these things today.  Remembering and processing so much.   

On Earth As It Is In Heaven

It has been interesting to me to field different responses from people who have heard about our family trip to India.  What has surprised me the most has been two opposite and very strong reactions.  The first group of people disagrees or doesn’t want to be bothered, I’m not really sure of their reason, but I have lost between 20-30 Twitter/Facebook friends since I began posting about our trip to India.  It is so  curious to me why someone wouldn’t want to be my friend because I’m talking about India, taking my family to India, etc.  Very interesting indeed.

The other group that has surprised my socks off is the group of you who have been praying for us.  We started a Facebook group to send updates about our trip live as we were able.  I thought maybe my Mom and Dad would sign up, and if we were lucky, maybe some other close friends and family.  I was completely blown away as I watched the numbers jump by 30 or 40 a day.  I think right now the number is in the middle 400’s or so.

My wonderful, amazing, spectacular friend Caryn faithfully updated the group page and sent out prayer requests to the GCC Prayer team when I could not.  Can I just say she is amazing?  What a great friend.

If you are one of those who signed up to pray, or just prayed for us without being official, leave me a comment so others can see and be encouraged. 

I could never thank you enough.  One of the roughest times on our trip was when Isabelle got a sudden and terrible ear infection after our flight from Chennai to Trichy.  She howled in pain for hours, woke up in excruciating pain and a terrible fever.  Our friend/translator Annan Raj picked me and the girls up to go meet Rob, but we never got there because she was screaming and crying so pathetically that we decided to find a doctor right away.  Doctor’s offices are much different than in the United States.  Isabelle was not only in pain, but was terrified.  In moments like these, I am able to keep calm only by knowing that God is with me.  I literally felt His presence and peace carrying me as I was carrying Isabelle.

The night we got off of the plane in Trichy after she had been in such terrible pain, Belle said to me, “Mom, there was an angel in my room at home.”  I wasn’t sure what to think, so I just asked her a few questions.  She said she was dreaming and and angel came and sang for her.  She said the angel sang in a beautiful voice and then talked to her for a while.  I asked her what the angel said to her and she said, “You know Mom, On Earth As It Is In Heaven….”

My jaw dropped.  God spoke to Belle (and the rest of us) about “Brining Up There Down Here.”  Those words and your prayers gave me courage for the journey.  Thank you for your extraordinary commitment to pray for our family while we were “Bringing Up There Down Here” in India this month.

You Asked, They'll Answer Part 2

We are on the last day of our trip.  Today we  will eat pizza at Spencer Plazza, do a little shopping, and get a teeny bit of sleep before we fly out in the middle of the night tonight. 

 Before our trip lots of you asked the girls questions about what they expected to see and do in India.  I thought it would be fun to play follow up and see what questions you have for them now that they have lived in India for 3 whole weeks.  Ask away!

Indian Breakfast Buffet

  

Indian Breakfast Buffet’s are slightly different than The Hampton Inn’s. 

I Never Do This, But….

I completely copied Rob’s blog post word for word, picture for picture.  He said everything I wanted to say, and he took the time to do it when I was cleaning up Belle’s puke, etc.  Figured he wouldn’t mind. 

 

FLC: MUKAM YELLEM PAUL!

Family Life Conference Day Two

Mukum Yellem Paul!  

In Tamil that means, "Your face is full of teeth!"  In other words, "That's the biggest smile I've ever seen!"  It's the Tamil way of saying, "You look so happy that your going to burst!"

Pretty much, that sums up the last two days. 

A major component of the FLC was not only teaching about healthy family life, but providing space to experience it.

Virtually everyone of these pastors admitted they have never taken a day off with their family.  If they did, they wouldn't know what to do. 

Virtually everyone of these pastors admitted they have never spent an evening alone with their wife.  If they did, they wouldn't know what a "date" looked like.

We showed them what romance looks like!

Raj and I to model for the pastors what an engaged, loving husband and father does with his wife and kids during a Sabbath day.

Each day, we provided a few hours in the afternoon, where we modeled a day off for the families, enjoying nature, playing together, talking, laughing, and just plain relaxing.

One afternoon, we took them to the local lake and nature preserve.  We ended up having the World Championship Paddle Boat Context: US vs India! 

I provided navigation and the girls were the horsepower.  The girls have a competitive streak ( I wonder where they got that from?)  We took gold, although I think Bruce and his buddies went easy on us.

The kids loved the playground.

Michelle and the girls provided leadership for crafts and games with the kids and did an OUTSTANDING job.  The activities they provided drew the creativity out of the kid, broke down barriers, and created real community.

I was so proud of them I just about pulled a muscle.

We started all the sessions with the entire family involved.

We sang Camp Adventure Style. In other words, worship is as an aerobic exercise. We played games and danced like fools. 

The "touch the tongue to your nose" game was a big hit. Our girls showed off their mad skills.  Many of the people were convinced this was a uniquely American skill, until Abuwanin stepped out of the crowd.

If you're wondering if "having fun" can have an impact for Christ, listen to this observation one of the pastors made at the end of day two,

In India, as husband and wives, we won't reveal our love to their children. We won't hug, touch, or speak words of love in front of the children.  These things are consider private.  However, we will have arguments in front of them. We must go against our culture in this. Why would we show our anger, but not our love?  If we don't come together to express our love as husband and wife before our children, how will they know the security that only comes in know that Mom and Dad are One in Love?  We must change our culture for Christ.

When he said that, my face was full of teeth. MUKUM YELLEM PAUL!

Family Life Conference

We are up in the city of Yeucard on top of a mountain with about 20 pastors and their families.  There is a real spirit of joy among everyone.  It is so good to be together.  Many of these pastors are bi-vocational.  They work their normal jobs and run a church, and have families to take care of as well.  The pastors and their families were all in need of a break away from everything and a chance to focus on Jesus and each other. 

    

        

Their children came dressed in their best clothes, the women in their best sari’s for this very special event.  I am always amazed at the beauty of their clothing; They make me feel dull and boring. 

We sang, danced and played together for a few days, and it was awesome.  God’s spirit broke through in a powerful way in these families through our time together and the teaching.  Rob went into great detail on his blog about all that happened among us.  Take the time to read about it, you’ll be amazed.  If you don’t want to take the time, no problem.  The basic synopsis is this:

The pastors are amazing pastors.  They love Jesus, love their churches,  love their children, love their wives, and mostly in that order.  This week was the first time the wives were able to voice their hurt in a heart-felt way, and in a safe environment.  The pastors were shocked, angered, and outraged at first.  Then they slowly began to realize it was true.  They wept.  Then they laughed for joy at themselves for being so blind to this issue.  Then they wept some more.  The wives were challenged by their husbands as well.  The men did not feel respected by them.  They spoke of the women having a casual relationship with Jesus, not a passionate one.  The women repented.  It was amazing.

The rest of our time together has been super-charged with love and life.  I never feel the presence of Jesus so strong as when I am with a group of men and women committed to each other and passionate about Jesus such as these amazing men, women and children from Tamil Nadu.  God moved in their hearts and lives in such a powerful way this week, that I am certain Tamil Nadu will never be the same. 

Shower Friends

At our hotel in Yeucard, we were surprised to find that our shower was outside.  The walls were high, so no one could peek in, but we had a few visitors along the way.   Our visitors included centipedes, slugs as big as Robs hand with gigantic antennas, a few frogs, and gigantic cockroaches.  It made showering an adventure!

Hill Stations

Missionaries came to India long ago and built Hill Stations for themselves on top of mountains.  Those missionaries left, so the Indians took them over and began running them as hotels and motels for local people and tourists.  Rajendran and Rob decided that for our Family Life Conference with the Super-Pastors and their families, the Hill Station was the place to go. 

We drove up a mountain last night completing a total of 20 “hair-pin” turns.  It was slightly terrifying as humongous tourist busses were tumbling down the mountain toward us at very fast speeds and not many places to pull off and get out of their way.  Aside from that, with every hair pin turn up the mountainside, it dropped another 5 degrees or so.  By the time we got up to the top, the humidity level had dropped significantly and the temperature was actually cool.  The air felt clean and there were birds in the trees singing sweetly.  Quite a change from anything I have ever seen or heard in India. 

When I woke up this morning my first thought was, “Wow, no rickshaw horns, only birdies”.  My second thought was on a deeper level.  I was relieved to look out of my window and see only trees and not impoverished masses of people coming and going.  It is very emotionally draining for someone like me to be in India.  I feel hurt and sadness deeply when I am in a village Kalavai or Salem.  Simply looking out to the street from a hotel window stirs compassion in me when I see people walking around and trying to live in the midst of such poverty.    It’s good to get away from it all and breathe for a minute or two.

 

 

You may be wondering why Isabelle has her eyes covered, and why she hasn’t been in many photos.  The truth is that she is completely overwhelmed by every one pinching her cheeks, squeezing her, hugging her, trying to hug her, and take her picture.  She’s been a good sport about it, but is definitely DONE getting her picture taken.

Salelm…A Light Has Dawned

  

This is my fourth visit to India.  I think this is the first time I’ve visited that I have realized how little I understand about the culture.  The more I know the less I understand.  The more I see the less I “get” it.  One thing I do know is that people are people.  The men, women, and children of Salem, India are loved by God. We visited this small village inside of Salem today.  These people are so very poor.  Many of the children did not have clothes on.  They either had a shirt or pants, but most did not have both.  The very little children had no clothes at all.

Rajendran thought it would be a very good experience for the girls to go and get the water like the women and girls of the village do for their families every day.  The girls were very excited about it, but then the leader of the village came over and told us that the well was broken and there was no water.  No water.  And here I was walking around like a big baffoon carrying my purified water bottle. 

There was garbage everywhere, mixed with raw sewage and animal waste.  Babies with bellies sticking out not from being fed, but from malnourishment were walking around in all of it.  I know that much of the world lives this way, but it never ceases to break my heart.

This older woman spends every day of her life stringing together silver chains that make necklaces and bracelets.  She makes $.80 a day for her tedious work.  Raj told us that many of these people go blind early in life due to the strain that is put on their eyes from this work.  We asked him what will happen to this woman when she can no longer work.  He said that she will have to beg.  There will be no more work for her.  For all her work, this is where she lives.

Why these people have to live in this condition is beyond me.  Why someone hasn’t explained basic sanitaion to them, or why they haven’t made simple efforts to eliminate disease and sickness from their community boggles my mind.  I am so thankful to God for Pastor Job and his wife Sarah who live in this “village within a city”.  They love Jesus and they are a shining light in the darkness.  I am thankful that GCC teams will be in this village in August to help the school children learn English, and share the love of Jesus with them.

There were temples on every corner of this village.  One is being constructed right now.  My prayer as I was walking around this village was what I have claimed as my life verse:

The people living in darkness have seen a great light.  On those living in the shadow of death a light has dawned… isaiah 9:2

The light of Jesus has dawned on this village.  It’s a new day, and hope is coming…

Maddie’s Eye View

 

 

Maddie, our 10 year old, has quite an eye for photography.  Let her know which pic is your favorite!

Russian Circus in India!

                                               

When we looked outside of our 4th floor window in Erode, we saw two things.  One, a hive of about 5000 bees that scared Maddie and Whitney half to death when they opened their curtains. 

 

The other thing we noticed was a circus tent!  The girls begged to go look at what was in the circus.  It was kind of hard not to notice since the music from the circus was almost deafening in our room at times.  We had about an hour to spare this afternoon, so we went to check it out. 

Imagine living inside of an oven with the heat on, boiling you to death.  That’s how hot it was under the circus tent with almost no circulation at all.  But, it was a circus, and it was fun.

Here are some photos:

 

 

         

Death and Life...Our Visit With Sangeetha

We have been long anticipating the day when our whole family could visit with Sangeetha and her family.  We have been sponsoring her since she was about 8 years old, and she is now 12.  Maddie, Rob and I had the opportunity to visit her back in 2006.  The visit with her family was one that marked me forever.  The photo on the right is of Sangeetha’s mom and baby brother from our first visit.

I don’t even know where to begin telling the story of this day.  There are so many emotions mixed up in my  head, I think it will be a long while before I get it all sorted out.

We started our visit to Sangeetha’s school where she attends the Compassion project.  She has grown about a foot since we last saw her, and I noticed she has also grown in confidence.  She wasn’t sure whether to hug us or shake our hands, but there was joy in the room, that’s for sure. 

Sangeetha went to get her little sister Chandra from the government school across the street while we waited for her.  The girls were so happy to meet them both.  We pray for Sangeetha and her family as well as the rest of our friends in India almost every night when we are tucking the girls into bed.  Meeting her for the first time for Whitney was a very special occasion.  For Maddie and Sangeetha it was a meeting of old friends.

Sangeetha wanted to take us on a tour around her school, and we were quickly mobbed by her friends, about 100 of them crowded around the girls.  It was almost scary because a lot of the younger children were being squished, pushed, and knocked over.  They giggled and laughed and practiced all their English sentences they have been working on at school.  Truly beautiful children.

After we spoke with the administrator for awhile, we loaded up in our van and headed to Sangeetha’s house.  We had gifts for her, her Mom, sister, and little brother.  I was looking for the little brother and didn’t see him, so I asked where he was.  Her Mom pulled a photo of him off the shelf and said that he died exactly one year ago yesterday.  I was so deeply heartbroken.  I was completely unprepared for the shock of that news.  We write letters back and forth to Sangeetha but she did not tell us of this news.  I am still reeling from the shock.  When we visited last, we noticed how sick Sangeetha’s brother was.  Her sister Chandra was very sick too, but has recovered well. 

Gene Ort decided on the spot to sponsor Chandra, since she does not yet have a sponsor.  There are 18 more children on the waiting list at this particular school.  There are 8,000 children in Tamil Nadu that are living in poverty that could die of curable diseases like Sangeetha’s baby brother if they are not sponsored. 

Sangeetha’s mother had a sadness in her eyes when she spoke of her son that spoke the language we both knew called Motherhood.  I said to her “Your boy is with Jesus now.” and she replied with deep understanding, “Yes, he is now God’s child.”

Have you done anything to help the poor and the needy lately?  Your small sacrifices will make an enormous impact in lives such as these.

The King Of Glory

Life in India is hard.  It’s always hot.  The roads are not accessible to most people, so they are stuck where they live for most of their lives.  The beauty they create in the world around them astounds me.  The poorest of the poor are even dressed in brilliant colors like these women working in a field.  As we were driving through the countryside on the way from Trichy to Erode, the words from Psalm 24 kept running through my head, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.  For He founded it upon the seas, He established it upon the waters.”

As we passed mountains and hills, we noticed that at the top of each was a temple to some deity.  The temples fill the roads here.  One after another after another.  They just don’t end.  So many people everywhere in India.  So many temples to gods they hope and pray will help them end the hardness of their lives.  The other part of Psalm 24 reads, Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty.  Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.  Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty-He is the King of Glory.

It is so comforting to know that India belongs to God.  He is the one who made it.  He is the one who is redeeming it.  When I see the ugly statues and masks, and ways people decorate themselves to devote themselves to a certain god, I am reminded that God is opening the ancient doors in India.  The King of Glory is coming in. 

A Visit to the Orphanage

   

  We made a visit to a girls orphanage yesterday.  There are only 5 girls living there to assure the best care for them possible.  The baby you see Maddie holding on your left is named Rachel after Gene’s daughter Rachel that died on Christmas Eve.  When Gene picked her up, she looked right into his eyes and smiled the biggest smile at him.  She talked to him like they were old friends, and she’s only two months old.

The baby you see Whitney holding on your right is named Rhema.  She was born 20 days before this photo drastically underweight and with a cleft palette.  Her parents took one look at her and said “No way.”  A common practice in the villages for such a baby is to just let it die. Thank God for his divine intervention in Rhema’s life. Rhema snuggled right up to Whitney.  She was scared to hold such a teeny-fragile baby, and so was I! 

Visiting these children was my favorite part of my day yesterday.   It amazed me to see what the light and love of Jesus has done for these children.  Love has brought them life.  Amazing.

A Picture Worth 1000 Words

Miss Isabelle has been fighting a very bad ear infection.  India is not a fun place to be so sick.  Please continue to pray for our girl.