Diwali and Halloween

Greetings once again from the India Davison’s! With the busy festival season winding down, I hope to have more time to keep you all updated on our comings and goings. Most schools are closed for a few weeks to celebrate Diwali, much like Christmas in the U.S. Like last year, I agreed to help my friends at Servant’s Heart International children’s ministry with vacation bible school. I was, however, unaware that the format this year was an overnight camping trip. Last year was two hours each day, Monday through Friday. Needless to say, I went camping, in India! After getting past my anxiety over killer mosquitoes, I had a fantastic time. The kids enjoyed bible verses, crafts, dancing, singing, skits, and swimming at a local waterfall. Chris and I decided early on that camping with the kids here is a bit too risky, so Anna and Max got to spend a weekend home alone with Dad. They made chocolate cupcakes and a mess and had a wonderful time. October 28th was Diwali and everyone had the day off, including our driver. We were sure that we would be stuck at home all day, but our friends Andy and Emma and their kids came to the rescue and we all went to brunch at a local hotel. Later that evening, Subbu, a man that works for Chris came to our flat to help us celebrate Diwali in the traditional way. He brought with him Pascal, a John Deere employee from France. Subbu and Anna lit twenty-five Diwali pots and placed them around our balcony. We then ate sweets and watched the fireworks, which are huge here and last well into the night. Friday was Halloween and we were invited to our friends the Paulson’s for pizza and treats. Anna dressed up as a ballerina and Max was a skeleton. On Saturday we had a party at our house with almost thirty guests. The kids all dressed up as did a few adults. Anna dressed up as a ballerina, a butterfly, a duck, and a skeleton. She just couldn’t decide on just one costume. Max started out as a pumpkin, but decided on the skeleton again after about three minutes. Unfortunately, our camera was set to the wrong focus and none of our pictures came out. Regardless, a good time was had by all! Next up for our family is a trip to Goa, then Thanksgiving, and then we’ll be home for Christmas. The countdown has begun! Please take care and drop us a line whenever possible.