Sam and Jill left Bangalore late Sunday night, but Dad and Arlys were able to stay an extra week. This enabled us to do a few more fun leisurely activities with them. We took them to one of the fancy shopping malls that Bangalore has to offer. Bangalore is known for its good shopping and restaurants. It was a great way to get out of the heat and enjoy some air conditioning.
Molly and Nana riding the train at the mall
One afternoon we found a pool close by to cool off in. Molly loved swimming with Papa and Nana!
More selfies in the rickshaw
One afternoon we headed to WCOI (World Cassette Outreach of India) headquarters to learn more about their ministry and spend time with our friend James and his family. Our church in Sioux Falls is planning a mission trip to India to work with the ministry in July. WCOI translates the Bible and offers it to many villages and people groups around India in a digital audio form. This is an extremely powerful ministry that is being used to spread the gospel message to many unreached parts of the country. After hearing some amazing testimonies from James and his dad, I realized that I have totally underestimated the powerful transformation that is possible when someone simply has access to the Word of God. Sometimes I get wrapped up in how we can reach people for Christ by giving things like food, clothes, or medical care. But this ministry doesn't offer any of those things. It offers the Bible in an accessible format, and so many people have come to know the Lord through His Word. We hope to be able to join our church when they come in July to help distribute these digital players. Thank you WCOI for all that you are doing to further the Kingdom of God here on earth!
On Thursday night we took Dad and Arlys out for their 10 year wedding anniversary. We took them to an Arabian restaurant that is popular here in Bangalore. I believe they found it to be a unique and enjoyable dining experience. We teased them about how it would be hard to top celebrating their 10 year anniversary in India.
Getting ready for the 10 year anniversary dinner
Celebrating Dad and Arlys' 10 years of marriage!
On their last day in Bangalore we decided to head about an hour outside of the city to Nandi Hills. This is a beautiful hilly area that offers many scenic overlooks and some nice hikes. Once again I always welcome any time we can spend outside of the city.
Nandi Hills
There were many of these canopies on the side of the road that offered some scenic overlooks.
This man was dangling off the edge just to measure the canopy.
There were monkeys everywhere! This monkey was eating garbage on top of the rickshaw.
The entrance to the park.
Dad rocking John to sleep one last time before they got on their plane to America.
It was so hard to say goodbye! I didn't know if I would be depressed or feeling rejuvenated to survive the next 6 months with no visitors. The verdict is still out on that one :) All in all we had an amazing time with our family and we were so happy that they made the extremely long trip out here to come see us. I hope that these past few blogs have motivated a few more of you to think about coming to see us while we are here in India. We would love to have more visitors and would show you a really great time!!
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