weak, fragile, and strong

Along the street, three guys parade around banging a rhythmic drum beat, wanting some tips for their entertainment. The sound of kids playfully screaming and chasing each other with water guns in the park has brought me out onto the balcony. The sidewalks--and the kids-- are tinted with random splatters of red and purple dye. To my right on the adjacent balcony, a mother, father and son carefully position themselves to throw water balloons at their neighbors below. Suddenly our doorbell rings, and I quietly tip toe to the peep hole while Rebecca mouths, "Don't open it!" Since it's Asha and her little sister, the girls who press clothes in the neighborhood and whom I play frisbee with from time to time, I decide to greet them. "Happy Holi!" they shout. I see that Asha is hiding something behind her back. "No!" I jump behind the door, and they giggle. "Please, just a little!" they plead. So nervously I comply, and Asha smears a thumbprint's worth of yellow powder on my forehead. Happy Holi.

Holi, or "Festival of Colors," is a spring festival observed by Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs. It marks the change from winter to spring and is a celebration of fertility. In the weeks leading up to this day, I saw special stands in the markets selling noise makers and color throwers reminiscent of the 4th of July. Some of the more harmless traditions of this holiday include bonfires, and throwing water and colored powder at each other.

Rebecca and I opted to not leave the house. Even just a week ago, Rebecca and our friend Liz were attacked by water balloons while riding in an auto-rickshaw and came home soaked down to the underwear.

Sounds fun, right? Why wouldn't we get out there and go nuts? Well, first of all, the color doesn't wash out of clothes so easily :0) Secondly, some other aspects of the holiday were on our minds. We thought of the red light district, where probably double the customers poured in seeking entertainment.

It's been three days since Holi, and we still haven't left the house, because we both came down with some kind of virus. Aches and pains, upset stomach, yadda yadda. Things are looking up now, and we've made both work and leisure plans for tomorrow.

As per agreement when entering the Home of Hope, two of the girls--Tina and Arpita--were allowed to go home for Holi. We also took Moni to visit her mom, who gave her some sweets and a cute-to-die-for mini salwar set. We praise God that Tina is back with us, but we're still waiting for Arpita.

These days, our bodies feel weak; moreover, our hearts tremble at the fragility of the circumstances. Yet, we muster our faith to remember how strong our God is.

"I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them,and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul. " -Jeremiah 32