Rain, Street Scenes, Visits, and Cooking Lessons

It rained!

We got up this morning to a wet Delhi—the first time in our 4 ½ months here. We have felt a sprinkle or two a couple of times, and walking in a fog of 100% humidity isn’t a totally dry experience, but today was the first time the ground was wet—everywhere. So it must have rained. I know, in a few months during the rainy season I will laugh at myself for being excited when it finally rained. And I’ll be wishing it would stop raining. But for today, I’m excited.

Yesterday we visited a couple of families in Dwarka and took a few street scenes to share with you in the process. We were standing at a corner waiting for a member to come guide us to their home and I looked to my left and saw a typical side street.

Then I looked to my right and saw a man on the roof pulling up a bucket.

After our visit, we walked to a Metro Station and on the way came across this decorated truck cab.

On our way home we saw this truck full of cauliflower—there were 3 or 4 of these all traveling down the road together. They do eat a lot of cauliflower here.

Today, while waiting for a pair of missionaries outside a Metro Station, I did the same thing—took a couple of street scenes.

There was a group of ladies that came up, laid down a ground cloth, and proceeded to sit on it and have a visit. 

You can see the colorful dress of the women and western dress of most men.

Also, as we went to our next visit, traveling in the Metro on an elevated section, I glanced out the window and saw this beautiful building. (Sorry for the window glare.)

Last Monday, on P-day, Elder and I went to Hauz Khas, built around 1300.

It includes a water reservoir, plus many buildings used for higher education and burials.

It also has a beautiful park along one side, maintained by many colorfully dressed women,

and visited by (or home to) quite a few monkeys, including this shy one.

 I have a love of foot bridges so was delighted to find a couple of them in the complex.

  One of the families we visited lately gave me a cooking lesson! Fun!

Another one is a beautician and promised to give me a haircut and facial during our next visit. Here is a picture of the whole family. They live in a village a short distance outside of Dwarka.

We are also spending quite a bit of time supporting the self-reliant program in the district and even got to do some training for the branch presidencies last Saturday. It was one of those times that the Brother conducting the meeting addressed the audience as, “Brothers and Sister.” We even got dinner afterwards at our favorite Indian Restaurant just down the street. So we are both as busy as we want to be and enjoying our work here in India.