That special person...

No matter how old or independent you get, you never seem to be too grown up for your Mom. So leading up to my Mom's arrival in India, you can't imagine the excitement that I felt with the knowledge that we would soon be reunited. I planned out all the adventures that we would go on, anticipating the day that I would finally see her.

We had so much to do, and with less than two weeks to do it all in, our time was full of adventures.

After two exhausting days of air travel for her and an overnight bus ride for me, we were reunited in Hyderabad and had a quick turnaround as we set out to fly to Delhi for a few days packed with tourism.

Upon our arrival, we visited one of the six ancient cities of Delhi called Qutub Minar,

did some shopping at a local craft market, and even ate some delicious American food at TGI Friday's and Hard Rock Cafe...YUM.

We went on a safari at Jim Corbett National Park where we saw peacocks, monkeys, beautifully colored birds, and then some tiger...markings on a tree...and some elephant...footprints...slightly disappointing...

 

Although we couldn't see all the "cool" animals of the safari, the time (14 hours total) spent in the car traveling to and from the park was well worth it as we drove through the Indian towns and villages and had the opportunity to catch up on the last six months of life.

We even took a day trip to visit Agra, home of the Taj Mahal...

After five days packed full of sightseeing and catching up on life, we headed back to Hyderabad and then onto Ongole for the part of her trip that I was most excited about: letting her meet my girls and see what exactly I'd been up to the past three months. I had missed my girls and I was ready for my Mom to see just how wonderful and special they are...

I think she had a wonderful time, and the girls absolutely loved her. She brought them great toys and clothes, and I was able to do crafts like modeling clay and decorating the house that had never wanted to attempt on my own...

We spent the afternoon at the park one day where the girls were delighted to play with the bubbles and sidewalk chalk that she brought them...

They got adorable new dresses made by some sweet friends that they all loved...

And I was especially blessed as she had timed her visit for my birthday so we had a small party with my girls and ate some delicious cake!

I couldn't be more thankful for the time my Mom spent here. Her kind spirit and good insight was refreshing and something that I desperately needed as my time here begins to draw to a close. The importance of having people like that in my life has especially made itself evident during the last 6.5 months. As I've gone throughout my time, the importance of community and people to encourage me along the way have become a necessity and evidence of God's grace each day.

So I pray that you would recognize the importance of community today. May you find and hold onto that person in your life that encourages you. May you be the person that someone else looks to as having a kind heart and good insight, someone that is refreshing to the spirit. And no matter what place you're in, may you never forget that your Heavenly Father longs to fill your heart with His grace for each new day...