Jaya

We're leaving for Thailand, so I may not be able to blog as often. Since you may come to the page periodically and see the same post for awhile, I thought I'd try to do a reminder post. I'm going to post about my good friend Jaya*, and my hope is that every time you come to this page and see the same post, you will be reminded to lift up Jaya.

I met Jaya earlier this year walking in the park. She was walking with her mom, who happens to live next door to her. We struck up a conversation, and I asked her last name in case she was a J. Her last name was not a common J last name, so I figured she must not be one. Then, about month later, she told me that is a J! Isn't that just like the boss to introduce me to one of the few J's living in our neighborhood?

Jaya married the boy next door (literally) and has a son. Her husband, by hobby, is a musician, and his parents are artists. Like most typical families here, they live with her husband's parents. If she lived in America, she would be the team mom in little league. Every so often, she hosts some sort of game (usually cricket) for her son and any of his friends, at a local sports complex, and provides lunch and prizes for all the kids. Every time I go walking with her, a dozen kids will come up to her at different times calling her Auntie and asking her questions. She thinks she doesn't have many friends, but she is well known in the neighborhood.

We joke a lot when we are together, and she laughs often and loudly. We talk about Bollywood probably too much. She loves SRK even more than I do. She says she used to talk about him so much that her husband refuses to watch any of his movies now! Jaya loves to serve us food, snacks, ice cream, or lemonade any time we come over, and will even bring food to us when she makes more than her family can eat. They also have the fattest yellow lab I think I've ever seen, and she tells me he has a crush on me, because every time I go over there, he freaks out. They can't even bribe him away from me with food, and have taken to locking him up in a room when I am over because otherwise he jumps on me, and like I said, he is too fat for that. Jaya tells me all about their culture and says that I am even more South Asian than some of the real South Asians. She tells me I am too formal with her though, and I've had to convince her that should treat me the way she would treat a South Asian - not call before coming over, etc. It's so hard for me to not call before showing up at someone's house that I still call her, and I guess she's decided to follow my lead.

Jaya is very excited for the arrival of the baby. She told me she's coming over every day after the baby is born. She's also really excited to meet my mom and mother-in-law. I think they will love her!

She has a certain room in her house where she does worship to her idols. (this is very typical) She never goes to the temple, but does all the offerings at her house. I have shared with her my story in two languages, and also the good news. I have told her a couple of stories from the book. She loves to hear about my beliefs, but she doesn't see hers as any different. I will be gone for a month - please join me in asking that the boss will work in her heart, and the hearts of all her family members, while I am away. My hope is that I come back and they all have questions for me and husband, and that they accept the truth.