Temples, Temples, Temples!

Star On Stage has made a good friend in India. A while ago she came home from a long day at her friend's house and burst into sobs the second the door was safely shut behind her. She ran up to me and said, as quietly as her sobs would allow, " Something bad has happened! I have to tell you about it in your room right now!" As you can imagine the absolute worst case scenarios were running through my head. I walked calmly upstairs and was as loving and patient as I could be as she slowly managed to get the story out. It seems Star On Stage was at the park with her friend and her friend's nanny. Suddenly it was decided that they should show Star On Stage the local Hindu Temple. So off they went. Inside the temple she was overwhelmed by the many ornate statues, the smells of incense, the loud music, the prayers being sung, and someone marking her face and forehead with ash. Toward the end she was given some "food of the gods" and was told she must eat it. She slipped it in her pocket instead.

So far in her young life, church has consisted of song's, activities, and lessons all geared to children. No real rituals with the exception of the sacrament every Sunday and her own baptism 4 months ago. After this experience she was sure she had done something wrong, that she had somehow offended God by allowing them to put ash on her face and by not standing up and proclaiming the things she knew to be true in front of Ganesh! I chuckled and held her in my arms while she calmed down. I assured her that it was good to learn about other people's beliefs and that Heavenly Father would never be angry with her for that. I also told her that there were times and places to tell people about the things she believed, but that a Hindu temple wasn't that time or place. Then I remembered about the food of the God's in her pocket. We shared it while she told me about the temple and the bicycle rickshaw she got to ride home in. It was all very exciting, now that she knew her immortal soul was not in danger. In case you are wondering, food of the god's consists of little beads of sugar in the shape of rose blooms, and some kind of peanut.

Something else exciting has happened. We have new neighbors. I think that it is just a man and his wife, no children. But wait! That is not the exciting part. It seems that they holding a Pujah in their new home to bless it. We can go there to worship or to learn about Lord Krishna and what he has done for mankind. This morning was the first of, I believe eight days. About two hours of singing and praying over a PA system. I believe that this will happen every day, twice a day. Exciting! Add to that the construction at our other neighbors and my kids, and you have one sweet little piece of heaven on Earth. Visitors should know that my house is now B.Y.O.E.P. - Bring Your Own Ear Plugs!