First Week in India!

Wow, it’s hard to believe I left for India a week ago! Here finally are some pictures.

Abu Dhabi International Airport. The central structural support looks like something out of a sci-fi movie:

This is the apartment where George lives, on the third floor:

This is my bedroom. There’s a map of India on the left wall. My small desk is on the right, but you can’t quite see it. The left door across leads to the bathroom, the right door my balcony.

My bathroom. (Yes, I have my own personal shower and toilet. I wasn’t expecting that!) Though I had a bit of a surprise Wednesday morning when the water suddenly shut off when I was covered in soap. Apparently that happens in India! The city water shuts off at certain times, but then the tank water came on half an hour later. It wasn’t cold, so at least I didn’t have to stand there freezing! It was actually kind of funny.

This is the view from my balcony. You can see we’re a little ways outside the city; it takes about half an hour drive.

I wish I could show a video of one of the flag dances at the church service on Sunday, but it's not posting properly. Like I said before, the service had very American feel to it, though they said the Tamil service is different, more in tune with local culture.

It was mother’s day, so we had a special prayer and blessing time for all the mothers. There was also a team visiting from Canada to start a partnership; that’s why you see some blonds. One lady was all alone up there, so I went up to pray for her. I’m the girl in the white shirt; George took the picture. Her name was Margaret, but she was from India. The boy with the white shirt and the boy with the superhero shirt facing front wards are Deeraj and Eso, two children from the children's home.

I like to go for walks in the morning before it gets hot, around 6:30am. Here are some pictures I took.

A very nice house and car. See, not all Indians are poor!

This name plate struck me as funny. Providence #21.

Lots of Christians in India have last names like that. Actually, the way the last name works, is that the children and wife take the father’s first name as their last name. So Manju is Manju George and Jedi is Jedadiah George. So this house the father’s first name is Providence. Very interesting.

This is a house under construction. A little girl, her dog, and someone else lives under that blue tarp too, but I haven’t met them personally. I’m not sure they speak English.

This is the guard house at the entrance/exit of the gated community where George and Manju live. I’m not allowed to go outside those gates by myself because it’s not safe. But I made friends with the people volunteering and working at the orphanage across the street, and they go out on Fridays, so I can go with them, since Friday is also my day off.

This is a small jungle/woods area nearby, but I’m not allowed to go in there. Next week we’ll go for an outing with the children into a real jungle, so I’m very excited about that!

Here are some beautiful flowers that grow in the neighborhood:

Buganbelia:

Crown Flower:

And I don’t know the names of these:

I know you really want to see pictures of the children, but I don’t feel comfortable taking them yet. George says I should get to know them well, and then take pictures in the context of our relationship. A lot of Indians see foreigners snapping photos of orphan kids and immediately think the orphanage is getting millions of US dollars in donations. We want to avoid this image as much as possible (mostly because it isn’t true) and prevent the children from getting this stereotype, so I’m being very careful. But don’t worry; when we go on vacation next week, that will be the perfect time for me to take pictures and you will get to see their lovely faces!

A little about the kids. My first and second days were a little exhausting. I was all by myself with them! Several misbehaved by hurting each other and not listening, but I got to see how well George patiently and Biblically corrected them that evening. He had them recite Bible verses about wisdom and obedience, then asked them how they had disobeyed, and how they should change. He told me he is not concerned about changing their behavior; he wants to change their heart. Once their heart is changed, then their behavior will follow. Doing the opposite, changing the behavior without changing the heart, results in hypocrites. 1.) Fear the Lord. 2.) Obey. Most people get that backwards.

The following day the children behaved much better, and I knew how to handle them, in groups, with other groups doing something else, instead of trying to teach them all together. Especially with recorders, they all want to play and have my attention at once. “Watch this, Akka, watch me!” They are wonderful, very bright, energetic children, but I’ll be very glad with the house parents come to help me! The children are already eager for “mommy and daddy” to return.

Here’s what my schedule looks like for the summer until the kids go to school in the first week of June. The bold stuff is stuff I’m in charge of or have to do each day. The other things are optional

My day off: Friday. Charles and Suddha’s day off: Thursday.

7:00-7:25: Jogging

7:30-7:45: kid’s devotion

7:45: Breakfast

8:15: bath and ready for the day (kids too)

9:00-9:30: Read.

9:30-10:00: Adult devotion.

10:00-11:00, writing practice. Topics: 1.) Letter to God, 2.) letter to a friend who doesn’t know Jesus, 3.) diary entry about the trip, (plus draw a picture) poetry, (4.) rhyming every line, 5.) rhyming every other line 6.) not rhyming like Psalms, something about God) short story (7.) nonfiction, what God has done in your life/8.) tell a Bible story in your own words), 9.) how to do something, fiction: 10.) make up a story that teaches something about God.

11:00-11:15: Break and snacks

11:15-12:45: Music time with recorders.

12:45: Lunch

1:15-3:45 Kids rest time.

3:15-3:45: I have personal devotion time with one child.

3:45: Break and snacks

4:00-5:00: Cycling and Games

5:00-6:00: Piano lesson. Monday: Pudit, Sudeep. Tuesday: Deeraj and Eso. Wednesday: Chichang and Matang, Thursday: Hemu and Angeli.

6:00-7:00: Activity or group game: Blind man’s bluff, Bible quiz, spoons, peek, hide n seek scavenger hunt, musical chairs, Red Rover, London Bridge, a dance, freeze tag, story time.

7:00-7:30: Devotion

7:30: Dinner

8:30 bedtime.

I’m also learning a lot about Indian culture and issues. Right not the government is very strict Hindu. Christian evangelism is forbidden, and those who do it, sometimes entire churches are shut down and the leaders thrown in prison. George has to be very careful with what he can and cannot do, and he’s had his share of trials. Though this doesn’t have to do with the Christian issue exactly, just yesterday, the bank wouldn’t give him the funds I sent. Manju needed it to pay the children’s school fees! George had to get on the phone with the bank president for over an hour, but thankfully, the issue was finally resolved.

The Christian persecution started back in the 90s after a terrible massacre of Christians. It’s hard to believe what some of the children have been through. Some come from refugee camps, others from physical and sexual abuse. But you would never know from spending time with them. They are so joyous and trusting, even the two new ones who came extremely malnourished. They are still struggling with English, but full of smiles and laughter.

Prayer requests for this week:

1.) My health has much improved, but George has been sick with fever. Please pray for him and his family to stay healthy, especially with the upcoming outing with the children!

2.) We’ll be going to a national forest in another state. Please pray for safety, especially from snakes and insects and accidents.

2nd Day in India

This morning I got up at 6:30 for prayer and devotions. I sat out on the balcony and enjoyed the cool India morning. My passage was Isaiah 40: 1-5. "Comfort, comfort my people...that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for." "The glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it." God told me he is doing a new thing in India, that he will comfort them, reveal his glory, and we shall see it. It was a very good Word.

We left for church at 9:00. The boys came with us in the car; we had nine people sitting in that five person car! Six boys sat in the back: Deeraj, Ashish, Chi-chan Bemu, Matang, Robert, and Esu. The smaller three boys sat on the older three boy's laps. Jedi, George and Manju's son, sat on my lap. George, the driver, of course, didn't have anyone on his lap, thankfully! George said this is very common in India, though he hopes at some time to be able to get a bigger car. Manju, the girls, and a few of the boys went by auto rickshaw, or just "auto," in the local dialect. The boys called me "Aka," which means "older sister."

The Assembly's of God service was in English, and the Pastor was quite a speaker! It felt very much like an American service, except during the worship songs, some girls from the congregation danced with big flags up on the stage. They tell me this is something they adopted from Israeli Christian worship. It is very beautiful and when I get my laptop working, I will post a video.

There was a team visiting from Calgary, Canada. They just set up a partnership with First Assemblies of God in Bangalore, George's church. Their pastor spoke about the very thing I had been studying that morning, Isaiah 40! He said the first 39 chapters are about God's wrath. But then God makes a dramatic shift in chapter 40 from judge to comforter, father, savior, and the remaining 26 chapters are all about His love and provision. It was a very encouraging message, especially for the Indian church which is suffering so much.

In addition, they also had a time of prayer for the mothers, since it was mother's day. All the mother's went up front and their children gave them flowers. One woman did not have any children with her, so I went up and gave her a rose. What lovely, beautiful people Indian Christians are! Their worship is so heartfelt and passionate. It is no wonder; many have sacrificed much for their beliefs.

After church, I had lunch with the children. They were very happy to meet me. The two girls are Hemalatha and  Sardanjali, very pretty girls. The two new boys are Sudeep and Punith. They are seven and nine years old, but so malnourished they are smaller than Jedi, who is almost four. Manju says they are to the point that they can eat flat bread, rice, and some curry, but some foods they are still having trouble with because they are not used to anything rich or heavy. But they are always smiling. Matang and Chi-chan are from Nagaland, and look more Chinese than Indian. Matang is very talkative. He asked me a million questions over lunch, but I could only understand about half of what he said because of his thick accent and quick speech! I also met George's stepmother who is a lovely lady. It is obvious they take very good care of the children. When I asked Matang if he and Chi-chan were brothers, he answered that all the children were his brothers and sisters. The home is very small, but it is full of love.

Well, I had best go to bed. Big day tomorrow!

Specific prayer requests:

Getting a bigger campus and car. There is a big need there, but they are trusting the Lord and He has always provided for them.

Until next time, keep loving and praying,

L.J. Popp

India, safe and sound!

Hi, everyone! Yesterday I flew from Tulsa to Chicago, Chicago to Abu Dhabi, and Abu Dhabi to Bangalore without any trouble. Well, actually, I lost the piece of paper with George's address and phone number on it, so when I got to customs, I was in a bit of a jam when they asked for the exact location I would be staying. We got it sorted out, though, and George was right there to meet me when I came out of the airport doors at 6:30am, two hours later than expected because of a flight delay.

I'm staying with George and Manju in their apartment, just across the street from the children's home. I was wrong about the 13 children; there are only 10, but twelve including Jedi and Susanna, the house parent's daughter. I have my own room, with a very nice balcony and view, a shower with warm water, and a fan. The only modern convenience "lacking" is an air-conditioner, but after two years without one in Japan, I don't mind it. It's not as hot as I expected.

I've spent the day talking with them and settling in. They're such wonderful Christian people. I feel so honored to be here working with them and I know I will learn a lot!

Specific prayer requests:

1.) George wants to take the children on an outing before school stars up again in June, but because it's high season for travel, the tickets are more expensive than anticipated. Please pray he will find something economical but still fun and enriching for the children.

2.) My health has much improved, but my flu-like symptoms are still hanging on slightly. I'm very tired and congested still.

Until next time, keep loving and praying,

L.J. Popp 

To Bangalore (and Beyond!)

Tomorrow’s the big day! In the afternoon I'm leaving to spend time at a children's in Bangalore, India for four months!

How did this all come to pass? Well, after two years in Japan and getting to be a part of the awesome things God is doing there (especially after the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster), God called me back to the United States to be with my family for awhile and receive missionary training. Through that training (a masters course called Perspectives in World Missions offered at the University of Tulsa), I feel God calling me to work with orphans in countries that have little access to the Gospel. I researched various opportunities, and through a connection I had with Global Network in Tulsa, learned about SS home. (By providence, I was telling my friends about this opportunity, and my friend Abby got very excited and explained that she had helped at the home in 2009, and she absolutely loved it. She couldn't recommend it enough. I had no idea that she had worked there, so that totally confirmed to me that God really wanted me to do this!)

The directors, George Ebenezer and his wife Manju, are strong Christians who began this home out of a desire to provide quality orphan care that is sorely lacking in India. Rather than shoving dozens of kids together in low-funded, state-run orphanages, Santhosa Samsara follows the foster care system, with house parents in a loving, Christian environment. The ten children at Santhosa Samsara are mostly full orphans (both parents deceased). Some of their parents were Christians killed by Hindu or Muslim extremists in areas where persecution (sometimes even government sanctioned) occurs on a daily basis. During the summer, the regular Christian house parents take a break to return to their families and raise funding.

From May 10th until September 3rd, I will be filling in for them and teaching the children English and some basic kindergarten skills before they begin school in the fall. I will also be helping out with their ministry called Beyond Barriers.

God has totally provided all the funds I need to go! Now all I need is lots and lots of prayer support, and so do these precious children. They have already suffered so much in their short lives. Please pray that God will give them, George, Manju, and myself strength as we take this journey together.

I take this very seriously. I learned in one of my classes that the role of “sender” is just as important as “goer.” There’s a reason why India has only 2% Christ followers after 2,000 years of missionary activity there, and it isn’t because God loves them any less than He us. There are a lot of spiritual barriers there, just like in Japan. (Interestingly enough, multiple professors in the class noted that for the amount of time, money, and personnel that have been poured into missions in the last three centuries, Japan and India have been the least receptive. I consider that a challenge!) I promise to keep you all posted via this blog and facebook. Thank you for all your support, and God bless!

Specific Prayer Requests for now:

1.)That I will arrive safely in Bangalore.

2.) That I will stay healthy while adjusting to a new environment (and food)!

3.) That God will give me opportunities to witness for Christ in both word and deed.

Thanks again, and God bless!

Kids putting on a VBS presentation:

Link to a video about George’s ministry Beyond Barriers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jakng8YLqFk

Visitor from Japan!

Having taught English in Japan for two years, I was delighted that a former student came to visit me in Oklahoma. It struck me how brave she was, this seventeen-year-old high school senior who had never left her birth country, to come alone to a foreign place where she barely spoke the language and knew only one person. But Yuri has always been a go-getter. As the English Club President at her school and with the dream of working for an international airline, it was an incredible experience for Yuri, and for me. Having been hosted by numerous Japanese, I enjoyed being on the “the other side,” guiding a Japanese person through my culture and community.

Wednesday, December 14th I picked Yuri up at the airport. With little English, I’d been so afraid she wouldn’t make her connecting flight in the United States. But a Japanese man helped her out in Chicago, so she made it right on time. She said the hardest transfer was in Tokyo. (I can totally relate!) Unfortunately, her cell phone didn’t work as the Japanese Softbank people promised, so we went home to Skype her parents to let them know she was OK. (The Japanese usually assume their phones will work in the U.S. Well, Oklahoma ain’t California or New York!)

Next we went to the zoo. Most things were closed, but she was more interested in the wandering geese and squirrels anyway. She couldn’t imagine rodents running wild through the city. I felt the same about Japan’s native monkeys!

About 6:00 I took her to Tulsa Community College’s Japanese club, where we had a welcome party for her. She actually burst into tears when she found it was for her! She enjoyed a game of Sorry, then we went to a Christmas concert at my church. It was a pretty packed first day, and Yuri collapsed into bed as soon as we got home.

Thursday morning we took a tour of Owasso High School with the vice principal. She kept exclaiming over how huge everything was, especially the new band and choir rooms, not to mention the livestock barn and sports facilities. In between classes, she gawked at the tall boys.

“Only sixteen?” she asked. “Sugoi. Yabai!”

“Why does she keep saying those words?” the vice principal asked.

“Because they mean, “amazing,” and “incredible!” I translated.

We had our picture taken in front of the mascot, Rambo:



Next we toured Oral Roberts University. The guide and I tried to explain how it was founded and it’s purpose, but it was hard for her to understand. She did marvel at the giant praying hands and eternal flame atop the golden prayer tower, but she spent most of the time pointing out squirrels and strange plants, and complaining about the cold. I’d told her to pack warm clothes, but she had nothing but shorts and skirts, not to mention high heels! What the Japanese do for fashion…

Speaking of that, I thought Yuri would love Woodland Hills Mall and Utica Square that evening, all lit up for Christmas, but that didn’t seem to interest her much, since there are all kinds of malls in Japan. But man, the next day, she went totally nuts over Wal-Mart! During the two weeks of her stay, we went there at least five times, once three times in one day! She spent hours going up and down the aisles, gawking at the size and variety of the merchandise, not to mention the price tags, especially in the after Christmas sales. She loaded up on gifts and cosmetics. By the time she left, she almost needed another suitcase.

That first time, though, we were just there for an hour or so to get gifts for the Burmese refugees. Then it was off to the Phillips mansion for an interesting historical tour, then Woolorock nature preserve and museum. Here’s a stately deer at sunset:



This is my favorite statue in the museum, entitled, “pioneer woman.” I like it because it tells a story, but I can see why it didn’t win the pioneer woman contest. It pitted the pioneer woman against the Native Americans, which isn’t really a good thing:



About 6:00, Woolorock’s festival of lights began. So beautiful. We took a hayride around the perimeter to see over 100,000 twinkling, sparkling lights wrapped around every structure, tree and rock. My favorite was the Native American on a horse all lit up, but it was so dark we couldn’t get any good pictures or videos.

Saturday morning we wrapped the gifts for our refugee families and made cheesecake for the evening’s choir party. Then we went to Safari’s animal park in Broken Arrow. Yuri loved it! First, we got to feed the big cats chicken:




Here's a big tiger in a tub:



And the adult kangaroos:



Then we got to hold a lot of cute animals. Skunk:



“That’s what you smelled on the road last night,” I told Yuri. She made a face and shoved the animal into my arms. No skunks in Japan!

Baby alligator:



Fennec fox:



And a baby kangaroo!



Yuri in her wildest dreams never imagined getting to do that! “I see Australia in America!” she told me.

Here’s a close up of the kangaroo:



The lady who keeps the kangaroo “mob” used to have her own land and zoo, but some factory poisoned her well water, so she got cancer and most of her animals died. The manager of Safari’s invited her to come out and live with them, so now she keeps the kangaroos and other animals at Safari’s. The kangaroos eat old bread, fruits and vegetables donated by the local grocery store.

In the afternoon, we saw the huge Tulsa Driller statue:



Then we went to my friend Ching’s house to deliver gifts to the Burmese refugees. Here’s a little girl we bought for opening her gifts:



After that we went to the John Knox church choir party, ate a lot of good food, and sang songs. Yuri had a great time and recorded it all on her camera.

Sunday morning, in lue of church, we visited my friends the Powel’s who had been missionaries in Japan for four years. They had a wonderful turkey lunch for us, then Bethany showed us her spinning, their family band performed some Christian songs, we held 3-day-old puppies, visited a local chicken and sheep farm, and saw a quilting demonstration. In the evening, we visited Boston Ave. Methodist (a giant Cathedral in downtown Tulsa) for the annual Messiah performance. That wasn’t so fun. Apart from the tenor (who I knew in college), the singers were just…not good. Their vibrato was all over the place; you couldn’t even tell what pitch they were singing. The choir was okay, but you couldn’t hear the organ at all. Yuri almost fell asleep. Oh, well, I guess it’s just one of those things, like Noh Theater, that you have to do once to get your cultural points. (Though honestly I’ve seen much better performances of the Messiah that were actually enjoyable.)

Monday morning, Yuri had a chance to speak with one of my Japanese students, Saki-chan (AKA Hadassah Hendrickson). Yuri spoke English, and Hadassah spoke Japanese, for a full hour! It was great practice for both of them. I had an interview with the Broken Arrow Ledger newspaper for their religion position (which I ended up not getting, but they almost picked me and really liked me so that’s good). Then we had lunch at the giant QuickTrip near Broken Arrow. I wanted to show her what an “American combini” (American convenience store) is like. So many drinks, so many choices. Then I showed her she could mix them. That almost blew her mind! Bass pro shop was another big surprise to her.

“All this, just for fishing and hunting?” she asked. The huge racks of rifles freaked her out (guns are illegal in Japan). I took her on a short tour of the University of Tulsa where I went to school, especially the new music building, then we went home.

Tuesday, Dec 20th in the morning I took Yuri around town: library, post office, bank. Then we went to Dry Gulch, Oklahoma (near Adair), an Old West theme village all decorated for Christmas and run by Church on the Move in Tulsa. Boy, did we get lost on the way there! The roads and signs are so confusing, especially in the dark, so it took us about three!

Yuri woke up every twenty minutes or so and asked, “Still Oklahoma?”

“Still Oklahoma,” I’d say. “It’s a big state; we’re not leaving it.” Then she’d sigh and fall asleep again.

Once we got to Dry Gulch, though, it was worth it. We rode the steam engine Christmas train, which took us through a series of giant murals and live scenes that told the whole story of the Bible, highlighting Christmas. Yuri didn’t understand much of it, but she still liked it and the wagon wide. I enjoyed the giant turkey legs most of all!

Wednesday, we visited the famous huge churches downtown: Trinity Episcopal, First Methodist, First Baptist, and First Christian. Yuri marveled at the massive stained glass windows, booming organs, and huge facilities. But more than anything, coming from a largely non-religious society, it surprised her how much people’s faith meant to them, and how that faith resulted in so much love. “You treat people in church like family,” she observed.

Then we went to a concert called Celebrate with Family at Church on The Move. As we stood in line waiting, I asked Yuri what she thought of all the churches we had seen so far. She thought about it for a moment, then said,

“I like church, and I like Christian people, but I don’t like religion.”

“Ah, but Christianity is more than religion,” I told her. “It’s faith.”

“What is faith?” she asked, giving me a puzzled look.

I thought really hard about how to explain it in simple English she could understand, with a few Japanese words thrown in. “Religion is part of culture, bunka, ne? Sometimes people do religion because they think they have to go to church, have to pray— kiyokai ni ikenakya, inorenakya , ne? But faith is ‘I want to go, I want to pray.’ Kiyokai ni ikitai, inoritai. Kamisama wa watashitachi o aimasu to watashitachi wa kamisama o aimasu kara. Because God loves us and we love God.”

Yuri nodded her understanding, but said nothing. The ushers started to file us into the auditorium. We had front row seats, and it was the best Christmas concert either Yuri or I had ever seen! And it was free! Here’s a link:

http://celebratewithfamily.tv/

My favorite was the “Little Drummer Boy,” number. That’s usually one of my least favorite Christmas songs because it’s so sappy. But this rendition was really cool!

Thursday, Dec 22nd, we went to Tahlequah to see the Cherokee Native American Heritage Center. First, we met with Dr. Salmon, a professor at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, a very intelligent man of Japanese decent who lived in Japan for ten years and married a Japanese woman. He came along because he’d never seen the Cherokee village before, and he wanted to meet Yuri and translate for her. That was really kind of him, because I sure didn’t do a very good job explaining the stories or tribal government! (Japanese word for “matrilineal,” anyone?)

We went through the museum and the two villages, one traditional and the other after “civilization” by the colonists. Rather than marveling at the rich culture, beautiful pottery, or fascinating folk tales, she spent more time chasing ducks and geese than looking inside the houses. At the end, she had to thoroughly examine our Cherokee male guide’s long braided hair. She wanted to touch it, smell it, and do the same with his homespun clothes. Here we are together:




It’s so funny how it was the little things that interested her so much. I guess it was the same for me in Japan, sometimes.

After the tours, we had lunch at a local restaurant to try Tahlequah’s famous “Indian taco”:



Then we went to Dr. Salmon’s house. Yuri was very happy to finally get to speak nothing but Japanese again. We watched a video called God’s Fingerprints in Japan linking ancient Japanese culture to Christianity, then we talked about it. She thought it was interesting. That’s about all she said.

Friday, December 23rd, we went horseback riding at my sister-in-law’s ranch:



Yuri loved it and all the other farm animals! In the evening, we visited Maskogee’s
Garden of Lights. It was too dark to get many good pictures or videos, but here is the tunnel of light near the beginning:



Christmas Castle with Mom. Lots of lights, giant inflatable ornaments, petting zoo, and characters in costume. Here’s mom with the Grinch:



Yuri bought a souvenir there for her boyfriend, custom made matching rings.

Saturday, December 24th, we had a big turkey dinner and opened presents with the family (it was the only time we could all get together). Here’s our tree:



Dad bought the Star of David on top, to symbolize that Jesus is King of the Jews. At 6:00 we went to church for Christmas Eve service. Yuri seemed to find it rather confusing and boring, but she agreed to go again the next morning. Originally I was going to take her to the Japanese church in Oklahoma City, but Yuri didn’t want to drive that far. So we went to John Knox again to be part of the family. That was nice.

In the afternoon, we watched the Jesus film in Japanese, so she could finally understand the whole story of Christ. She sat through the whole thing, then I nervously asked, “So what did you think?”

“Interesting,” she said. “I hungry. Let’s eat pizza.” So much for that conversation.

Monday, December 26th, I asked Yuri where she wanted to go.

“Los Angeles,” she proclaimed.

“Um…chotto toi desu ne…” I muttered. (That’s a little far.)

Yuri thought about it, then said, “Okay. You drive, I sleep. Wake me when arrive.”

I once again explained just how big the States where, and that Oklahoma was right in between California and New York. It would take at least three days driving to get to either one.

Yuri thought some more. “Dallas?”

“Four hours, one way, no stop,” I replied.

Yuri finally decided to spend most of the day packing and playing with our dogs instead. In the evening, we went to the Chinese Super Buffet (where Yuri really chowed down!) and the famous Rema Bible College lights. Some pictures:

Noah's Ark:



American flag:



Train:



Gazebo:



Tuesday, Yuri got some last minute shopping in. That was the day we went to Wal-Mart three times! She also got her nails done cheap at a Vietnamese nail salon. That was hilarious! The whole time the lady was trying to talk to her with a thick accent and Yuri couldn’t understand a word. So much for English being the new Lingua Franka of the world!

I almost forgot to mention how much Yuri loved American food. Spaghetti, pizza, hamburgers, meatloaf, barbeque ribs, Brahms ice cream, she devoured it all. Her favorite was probably Mexican. Mom nearly died laughing when she told Yuri we would be having “tacos,” and Yuri exclaimed, “Good, I love octopus!”

By the time I took Yuri to the airport early Wednesday morning, she and I both had a new appreciation for Oklahoma. While it may not be what most internationals think of when they plan a trip to the United States, I’d say we had a lot of fun. She cried as we said goodbye, and promised to come visit me again sometime. Soon she’ll be going to school in Osaka to study English and how to be part of “grand staff” for a hotel or airline. We both hope she gets a chance to study abroad. We still Skype.

More recently, here are some pictures of me with my niece and nephew Hayden and Selene:







This is their great nanny, Jeff:



Prayer Requests: Please pray that Yuri will meet more Christians and come to know Christ well. She’s a sweet girl and I hope our friendship can continue.

Until next time, keep praying and loving,
L.J. Popp

Kansas Zoo and Tall Grass Prarie

Let’s finally catch up with November! Life’s been so crazy! I’m going to India and I have a book coming out…but more on that later!

Oklahoma abounds in gorgeous scenery. During Thanksgiving Break, Mom and I visited the tall grass prairie and buffalo preserve near Pawhuska, about one hour and fifteen minutes northwest of Owasso. The huge herd of buffalo was corralled for the winter, but we still saw some of the males fighting, preparing for mating season. (No fighting in the picture, though.)



Around them the sea of golden grass came as high as my stomach, rippling in the wind like waves on the ocean, stretching farther than we could see:



The same day, we drove a bit further to Caney, Kansas, to the Safari Zoological Park, about an hour and a half due north of Owasso. We took their “creation tour,” which explained the science of Biblical creationism. Even though I’ve studied the subject extensively, I still found the information interesting and thought provoking. Here’s us with one of the owners, Tom:



This privately owned zoo was famous about two years ago for its “tiger pups,” three white tiger cubs that were abandoned by their mother and nursed by the family dog! Owners Tom and Allie Harvey appeared on many news and talk shows, including Oprah and Animal Planet.

Here’s the dog:



And here are some pictures of the grown tigers:





They’re not so little anymore! Can you believe one of them actually sprayed Mom and me? Gross!

Some other pictures. Feeding a ring-tailed lemur:



Barbary lion making a funny face:



One of the volunteers petting an old mountain lion:



Kissing a bear (bear gets a cookie after):



Same bear at feeding time:



Little alligator. The volunteer giving us the tour said that he was an adult, but alligators only grow to the size of their cage. At another zoo, I saw one kept in a fish tank and it was only as long as my arm. Others have told me they're only that little because the zoos starve them and they NEED a bigger cage. I don't know. Whatever the reason, he was pretty small:



Tom said they always have babies on display. Here’s a tiger cub and black panther cub.




Of course we wanted to touch them, but because a girl was mauled and killed by a tiger somewhere in Kansas, state laws have changed. Now we have to be at least five feet away from the cage at all times.

By far my favorite thing was the hyenas. Tom got right inside the cage with them:



Then he fed them chicken. Those hyenas must have thought their food was pretty hilarious! They sounded like humans laughing, but that’s just the noise they make when they get excited.



That was worth the price of admission right there! They also have the strongest jaw power of any mammal, 1,000 pounds per square inch. That’s a lot of bite! Some trainers say they'd rather be in a lion or tiger cage any day than in with those!

Despite all the wonderful things they have there, few people came to the zoo during this past record hot summer, so Tom and Allie are afraid they might have to close for good. That would be a shame, because they offer many things you can’t see at regular city owned zoos, such as trainers in the cages interacting with the animals. They also do school tours, events and camps. They’re trusting God for another miracle, like the tiger pups. Otherwise they won’t be able to reopen in the spring. To contact them, you can call (620) 515-2885 or visit their website at http://www.safaripark.org.

That same month, my little niece Selene, Tony and Emily's daughter, was born! Here I am holding her at the hospital:



And here's me holding her big brother Hayden and Mom holding Selene:



Well that's all for November! Now I got to catch up on the rest of the year...

Prayer Requests: Please pray that business will pick up for Safari Zoological Park so Tom and Allie can continue their education and conservation efforts. Also pray for my little niece and nephew, that they will grow up healthy with strong faith!

Until next time, keep praying and loving,
L.J.Popp