varanasi. the holy city.

i can't really explain varanasi to you. this place is so surreal. it's the holiest city of hinduism. the ganges river is the holy water, the lifeblood of the city. hindus come from all over to worship in the ganges. good news: our hotel is literally right on the ganges, so we've gotten an up-close view of all the madness. a couple of times we've taken a boat out on the ganges to see it all from that perspective. the river is where life happens for these people. it's where the sacred and the secular intersect. people are bathing, brushing their teeth, washing their clothes, and performing worship rituals all right there next to each other. so crazy! last night we went to an arti, a worship celebration to the ganges. you can't even begin to fathom the number of people there. it was like a carnival--bells ringing, music playing, people selling things, beggars everywhere, holy men who look like they're dressed up in costumes.... it was sensory overload. so much to take in.

this city is also a big deal for buddhism. today we went out to the tree where buddha received his enlightenment....like where buddhism began. what?! pretty crazy.

on wednesday night, we met with one of stroope's friends, swammi. our time with him was worth the entire trip to india. he's a hindu christ-follower, and his perspective on what it means to follow jesus is absolutely fascinating. i was so challenged and inspired by him. i wish i had more time to go into more detail, but hopefully i can share more thoughts later.

stroope has been saying that this trip is like a journey into a well....and varanasi is the bottom of the well. it overwhelmed me at first, but now that we're about to leave, i think i can say that this has been my favorite city we've visited so far. there's just SO much going on here. so many people, so much devotion, so many stories....it's incredible.

tonight we have another overnight train experience...this time on our way to agra. tomorrow we'll see the taj mahal!!!! what in the world?! this country is amazing. can't wait to post pictures when i get back. i feel like my words fail at describing it.

thanks for your prayers. continue to pray for safety. pray that we'll maximize our last few days here. can't believe it's almost over!