Saturday, January 29, 2011

Taking our light on the road...



We are overwhelmed with joy when we think of all the support that has been showered upon us...it is that blanket of love that will fly us to India and back, as well as wrap around us while we are there.  Thank you for your kindness, encouraging words and prayers.
Shine Brite, Shine Far...

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

This is a test...

Can you hear me now??  Did you receive an email alert regarding this post??  This is soooo draining trying to figure this out...and you wonder why I don't "facebook"!!!


Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Filled with love, but deflated of air

Previously on Landows Blog post #1, we mentioned the hats and sweaters that were knit by the Prayer Shawl women at church...I am here to tell you more.  First you might be asking yourself, "why knit hats"??  Well, because at night time it can get all the way down to mid 60's...brrrrrr!  I know that for us, that sounds like a heat wave compared to what we've been experiencing here, but when the temperature can get up to 120 degrees during the day, 60 can seem like freezing, right? Right!  Last Sunday they gave a special blessing on the hats as well as the women who made them, check out this picture...
As you can see, these hat's are filled with love...
but now we must deflate them of air...
After deflating the air, we had to TRY and fit the hats along with everything else into Edna, Lloyd, Truman, and Delila (those would be our extra suitcases).
Poor Truman :-(  
Once we got him closed, he had to pass the "weigh in"...

Looks like Truman should go on "Lou's Loose your fat plan"  :-)
After much packing and repacking, we did manage to fit it all in, so rest assure the children will all receive a hat!

This concludes my first imput on the Landows India Blog, I hope you stay tuned to future episodes and by the way...watch for my green sneaker.

Loobie...signing off

Monday, January 24, 2011

Meet the travelers...

                                   We thought it would be a good idea
                                    for you to meet our fellow travelers
                                           before we leave for India
(by the way, that would be in 6 days :-)
Starting in the back row from left to right we have...
my mom (known to us as Momma Clipdis, but also known as
Jammin' Jenny, Mable Jean, and Tina)
next is my dad (you call him Big Bob, we call him Big Daddy)
then we have Lora and John (we call them the "HeadBucks")
followed by Terri and Bill (referred to by us as T-auntie and B-uncle)
last, but definitely not least we have Julie and Steve
 (better known as Twisted Auntie and Creamy Fester)
In the front row we have the Landowgals...
Emma-fufemma, Jojalea, Loobie, and Friendy
(Sophia really answers to anything,
especially when you are calling her for dinner...refer to blog #2)

If you think this was confusing with all the weird names,
you should hear what we call our suitcases! 
Well, that's all for now.
~Emma-fufemma

Friday, January 21, 2011

From one extreme to the next...

I'm our families "weather girl", I regularly check the temperatures so I can report "whether" we need to wear our "workin' 4 change" sweatshirts or our yellow t-shirts.  This morning when I was looking at the forecast, the current temperature was -9 degrees.  Do you know what that means???  In a little more than a weeks time, we will be in India where the temperature will be 100 degrees hotter than here.  
My closing quote comes from one of our favorite movies, Princess and the Frog..."I'll be sweatin' like a sinner in church"!
Stay warm!
Jo

Monday, January 17, 2011

To eat or not to eat...it is our choice.

I'm sure for most of us choosing what to eat each day goes under the same category as choosing what to wear, it's just part of our daily routine.  In India, for many the choice is not theirs to make, it's more the question of "will I eat today".   A lot of kids live on the streets and have to beg for food.  Last week my mom, sisters and I decided to fast for two days so in a very small way we would get a better idea of how these people (as it is not just the children) might feel.  Well, Sophia lasted about 3 hours before she started to complain about missing her “feeding time”.  For those of you that know Sophia, know that she has a beautiful outlook on life...it was amazing to see how the lack of food changed her disposition in such a short time!  We all helped her get through it,  and in the end it helped us realize that hunger can make even the sweetest person cranky, irritable, crabby, feisty, and short tempered (that went for all of us).     Moving on, the last time the Tybrings and Bucks went to India, they took granola bars to give to the begging kids on the streets, it is our plan to do the same.  (providing Sophia doesn't eat them first :-)
Time for ice cream now!  
~Emma 

Thursday, January 13, 2011

17 more days, but who's counting?!?!?

When you're planning a trip, what do you do first?  Well, of course you make a check off list ~ here's our "top 10" things... 1) Typhoid shots - check, 2) Malaria prevention prescription filled - check, 3) anti diarrhea medication - check, 4) toilet paper - check, 5) hand sanitizer - check, 6) extra underwear (refer to #3) - check, 7) Passports and Visas obtained and approved - check, 8)  reading material, card games, and MP3 players for the 24 plus travel time (are we there yet??) - check, 9) 40 skirts (so we blend in better with the culture, Big Bob is excluded from this) - check, and 10), our new lap top so you can follow along on our adventure and feel like you are traveling with us, (without having to deal with #1-9).

Now that we have our list checked off, what's next...  We each get to bring one checked bag (not to exceed 50lbs) and one carry on.  That shouldn't be a problem, right?  After all, we're going to a place where the temperature is currently in the 90's (it's their cool time of year), so no bulky coats, sweatshirts, or jeans need to be taken with us.  Alright then, we have plenty of space to pack things like a full set of encyclopedias and other books that Novahu picked out while he was visiting here last spring for the library we are putting together in the Marshall Public School.  Then there's the 191 beautiful hand knit hats for the school children and 25 sweaters for the orphans that were made by the loving women at our church.  How about those 25 towel sets (1 for each orphan) given by the caring orphan sponsors.  And we can't forget the unbelievable amount of granola bars given by many kind folks, to be handed out to the hungry beggars on the streets.  Oh and did I mention the games, videos, and other gifts purchased for those we are visiting?  Most recently added to our "treasure chests" would be the 200 candy necklaces for all the school children generously donated by Scoops deVille in Hartford (I wish I could take some of their Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with us)!  Did I say we needed to bring extra underwear...maybe we'll just wear it in layers on the way over so we don't have to pack it!  In all seriousness though, it has been out of sheer love and kindness that all these things have been given for us to take and it is our honor to carry them to the other side of the world.  We've been given extra luggage to help transport our goods, as well as cash donations to help cover the expenses of additional luggage, so truly...there really is no problem!  Not to mention, we have 3 other couples traveling with us, so they will share the load.

With our list checked twice and our suitcases starting to be packed, we're moving right along, although some of us faster than others...  The final report on Olivia's broken foot is that it is healing, just not as quickly as we hoped.  She will need to wear the boot and use the crutches while traveling, although she has been given a smaller foot brace to try out for more flexibility once we're there. Obviously the last thing we want to do is end up in the hospital while in India, so you can bet that we will be proceeding with caution.  We really are simply grateful that it wasn't an injury that would prevent us from traveling, so anything else we can handle.

I do believe that I've touched on everything regarding our trip preparations except our mental state.  Contrary to those of you who saw me crying in church last week, I would like to report that all really is well...sometimes it just takes a song to get emotions flowing.  We have not only been financially and physically preparing for this trip over the past year, but mentally and spiritually too.  We know that this journey may come with some trials, as Jesus never said following Him would be easy, but we rest assure in knowing that He will give us what we need to endure and thrive in the mission before us.  We are moving forward with open minds, thankful hearts, and the peace that comes from knowing that we are not alone.

For all your support and love, for your prayers and encouragement, and for the opportunity that lies before us, the Landowski Family is eternally grateful!

Signing off with love...
~Jenny