|

Update!!!!!! First Impressions!!!!!!!

Update!!!!!! First Impressions!!!!!

Hi family, friends & strangers!

If you hadn’t heard I left on January 25th to AIM (Adventures in Missions) in Gainesville, Georgia for a 3 day mini training camp. I decided against my backpack and settled on a suitcase because, well, I’m still working on minimalism.

On Monday we packed all of our things and went to the Atlanta International Airport. I went on my longest flight in the history of my entire life. 13 hours. It actually flew by!!!! I watched my favorite musical Hairspray and many others. We had a layover in Qatar (HOW COOL IK) and then took a 4 hour flight to Hyderabad. But the time we landed in Hyderabad it was 2:00 in the morning India time.

We got to our home CSOW (Covenant School of Worship) at about 4:00am and I was in bed by 6:00am. Then arose at 8:30am. Jetleg is weird.

It has been almost two weeks since I have been in India. It is so unreal. I don’t feel like I’m on the complete opposite side of the world from everything I have ever known.

Top 5 Fav Things About India So Far:

1) The hospitality. Everywhere you go people want to make you feel welcome. 
2) The children. THEY ARE SO CUTE Y’ALL. Here’s some example’s.

From paysonrigsbee.theworldrace.org

I got to hold a baby at Golconda Fort!!!! How precious!!!From paysonrigsbee.theworldrace.org

Some sweet little girls at Sunday school!!!!!

From paysonrigsbee.theworldrace.org

I helped lift this little dude on the tire after Sunday school was over!!From paysonrigsbee.theworldrace.org

Some adorable little boys I stumbled upon inside the Apollo Hospital complex. They are in the middle of screaming “zing zing” AMAZING!!! Made my whole day!!!!

3) The weather. India during the winter is awesome!!!! I thrive in 70-80 degree weather and sometimes I even get a little cold! It is so nice here during the day. 

4) The Fashion. We have to keep our ankles and shoulders covered at all times. Leggings and kurta’s are pretty much a 4/7 day occurrence and they’re adorable! Embracing the style of India is super fun and people in India are honestly a lot more fashionable than people in the U.S. People dress in such vibrant colors with such cool designs, all while remaining conservative! 
5)Nature. We are in Hyderabad which is a major city but so far I have seen water buffalo, cows, lots of yellow flowers, an abundance of trees and lots of mosquitos. I love the familiarity of a city but it is definitely different compared to Charlotte!

Bonus Fav thing: Selfies!!!!! Everywhere we go Indians want lots of selfies with us!!!! I feel like a celebrity!!!!

Life has been hard but life has been good. I would appreciate a lot of prayers for my team as we dive into ministry. Also, prayers for my health because being a T1D doesn’t get any easier in India. Feel free to message me with any questions! I will try to post once a week!

Here is a vlog (basically random videos) of my first week here:

https://youtu.be/xIhxkf1TeKk

 

With Love, Payson<3

 

More Articles in This Topic