Taken in old Manali: Villagers gathering for a Hindu religious ceremony

Hello again Friends and Family!
We arrived safely in Manali on Thursday, January 22. Amazingly, it's been a very easy transition. The peace we both felt entering our apartment and walking through Manali felt sweet and right. We are affirmed and encouraged that the Lord continues to direct our path, and trust that we are meant to be here, serving and deepening our community relationships with our Indian friends.

Until school starts back and the hospital picks up in March, we've been able to invest our energy into other things. Grant has taken on the responsibility of leading our Friday night English Bible study time in Dr. Anna's absence, and Charlene has started a women's study that meets Saturday evenings. All five women that were put on my heart attended the first session, including a teenage girl that we've gotten to know through leading the youth group. Please pray for these women who are all at different stages in their walks with God. Pray that this study and our time together would serve to grow us all closer to the Lord and to each other.

We are also plunging head-first into Hindi lessons, loving each new class and the communication opportunities it opens to us. We're taking lessons from our friend Meenu, who has also joined my women's study. She's doing a great job so far, and we hope to become as fluent as we can while we are here.

Our time at home was restful and so very good. Grant's parents housed us for most of our time there, providing a beautiful place for us to stay. Our friends allowed us to jump right back into life in our old neighborhood, and we got to worship with our home church. We also traveled to Florida to see Charlene's family, and visited friends in neighboring states on the way. All in all it was a very refreshing time. We have been tremendously blessed with a such a strong home community. Without the prayers and support of that community, we would not not even be here.

We love you all so very much, and can hardly express how grateful we are for you. Please keep in touch.

Joyfully,
Grant and Charlene

Here are some pictures from our time at home: Dear friends, my neice Juliana in her Indian suit, our Brent Sears, and a hike with Grant's mom