Peter(In)dia

The last post from India (possibly)

I’m spending my last couple hours in Mussoorie typing on the EMI office computer trying to think of a clever or interesting post to write before I travel back home. After tonight’s train to Delhi (we get in around 6am Tues morning), a day wandering Delhi, and a 1am takeoff Wed morning, I’ll be homeward bound.

Since I know once I get back home I won’t have as much time as I would like to type out updates, I’ll do a fast one over the busy last week I had here.

Wednesday’s last English lesson was such a great encouragement. We got to give Vijay and Raju the dictionaries and NTs. But what was even better was being able to talk to Raju (Vijay mostly listened in) about religion in general and share the gospel during that time. He has a very universalistic thought on God, and I know there is still work to be done by the Holy Spirit, but there is definitely an interest in their hearts and hope for God to work in both of their lives, whether it’s through the Word we gave them or not.

The last cell group was great too, as the interns and myself were prayed over and given words of encouragement. I’ll be missing the group and the incredible community they provided me while I was here.

Thursday was off to the village with Jenny (some of the other teammates went Wed) for Lackie’s wedding! After setting up my tent, I just spent the day relaxing, reading, and playing with some of the kids that came down. We were at a further campsite since the one we’ve been camping in the last few times is really close to the village and thus really loud from all the weddings, haha.

Friday was mostly spent at the campsite during the day. I went into my tent to QT (as it’s gotten pretty cold so the tent is perfect temperature when the sun’s out), and when I came out everyone was gone doing other things. So I just stayed around to read more (just finished “Challege of Jesus” by NT Wright that I bought at Urbana. Pretty interesting view.) After dinner we went up to see some of the villagers while some “pre-wedding festivities” (read “drinking”) were going on with some who had come to the wedding early. Nevertheless we were still able to have a small fellowship time at Rakesh’s, with Chandra talking about how Jesus’ death was once and for all and doesn’t need to be repeated like the puja is here (puja is the idol worship they do, which is especially high during weddings.) One of my most joyful moments was seeing the kids not accept the food that a puja was done over, especially Rakesh’s mom! The night Meena verbally confessed Christ, Rakesh’s mom also said she would, but I didn’t hear her say anything, so I wasn’t sure what was up. But to see her refuse the puja food the multiple times it was offered, was so encouraging!

Saturday Chandra and I marched down w/ the “bride brigade” as I like to call it. The groom’s side goes down to the bride’s and they do a ceremony in that village, have lunch, party, etc. It was a long walk (stopping multiple times for people to dance using music from a ghetto megaphone hooked up to a small electric keyboard. Sounds awesome, yeah? You’re correct.) It was cool to experience the whole thing and to see what happens and the culture that surrounds it, but still unsettling just how strong of a grasp Hinduism has. Chandra and I left a little early to go back to the camp site and rest. In the evening we went up to the village (the one we usually go to) to celebrate with the groom’s side. By this time everyone that was down at the bride’s side of the wedding was up there. Usually this process takes 2-3 days, but they condensed it into one. It was fun to dance and eat with them. Garwhali people can flat out party, it’s impressive. It was again so great to see the kids we do fellowship with not accept puja food or have tillaks on their heads (tillaks are the red dots Hindus place on their foreheads.) Afterwards I was able to say goodbye to some of the kids and head back. Sad to go, but so so hopeful in what God is doing there. We truly worship a big and powerful God.

Sunday started off around 530am to pack up and get a taxi back before church. The taxi was late as usual, but luckily we made it back in time for church. Rakesh and a few of his friends came down too, to attend a Christmas program Pratim’s church was putting on. One of them wasn’t a believer (they call him “Mr.America” because he’s always playing American music. I heard more Justin Beiber than I thought was possible for a human to handle.) Church was great and filled with joyful goodbyes knowing God was amongst us and going to be with us whereever. The afternoon was spent shopping for last minute gifts and then the evening was dinner at the Franks (one of the staff families at EMI.) Awesome time of fellowshipping w/ the interns and talking about the things we’ll be facing during our time back. Lots of laughs shared. These guys have been a huge blessing.

Today has basically been packing in the morning, EMI in the afternoon. And now I wait until the Franks and I leave for Delhi (my leaving and theirs coincided, so we have friends on the trainride down.) Sprinkled throughout was saying goodbye to all the wonderful friends, brothers, and sisters God’s place in my life during my stay.

To try to write a nice sentimental reflection post would be foolish and shallow since I haven’t had ample time to process through everything. So I won’t. But I will say one thing.

Amongst all the stuff that’s happened here, physically, spiritually, and emotionally, there is one overarching truth that I’m just now starting to realize how undeniably sovereign it was and is.

My God is faithful to no ends, and goes after His people with a love that is treacherously ferocious, comforting, and all encompassing. For that I am thankful.

Pictures and maybe another post later since I think I might have internet in Delhi. We’ll see.

Otherwise, please be lifting up my travels back and my transition at home. See ya’ll in Austin soon!

The last week

Well faithful followers, this will be my last week in Mussoorie. Crazy to think that a year ago at this time, I had absolutely no clue where, or even if, I would be gone a semester for. But alas the only thing constant in life is change, and in view of all the great things God has done for His glory during my stay, I cannot complain.

The last week a few of us went to the village for one night, there was the Pi thanksgiving meal (since everyone was back), and some “goodbye dinners” with a few great brothers and sisters here in the city.

Krishna also went back to Nepal to see family, so I got to say bye to him too. I would make a separate post about him, but it’d be more for myself than for anyone. If there is something to say to ya’ll back home though, it’s that he has been an incredible blessing the last 4 months. We got to talk with each other and thank each other for what God’s done through us and how He’s blessed us with our friendship. I have rarely met someone who’s servant heart made me praise God daily. Krishna has that kind of heart and attitude, and it is one I have tried, and will continue to try, to emulate since meeting him. God’s presence through people is always a joy to witness. If anyone is wondering whether the kingdom and body of Christ outside their comfort zones at home is worth investing in, look no further than Krishna for an incredible testimony of how great God’s family really is.

Praise for being able to find dictionaries, Hindi NT, English NT, and even a gospel of John w/ notes pamphlet to give out to our English students! I was nervous that we wouldn’t find anything to give them since we wanted to leave them with at least a window to read about the gospel, even if we couldn’t share it proficiently. But God is good and provided all, and more, to give to these guys. The Word is actually very easy to get a hold of here, and it’s all for free. What a blessing! Our last meeting with Raju will probably be Wednesday, so please be praying for that time. (He agreed to go to church with us, but on Sunday he was still in his village. O well, at least we know he’s open to something!)

The majority of the Pi team will be going to the village Wed-Sun, but I’ll be staying Wed to attend cell group one last time, then take a taxi out Thurs morning. I don’t know if there will be any fellowship times as there are 2 weddings during that time frame (one of them is Lakhi’s), but it’ll be nice to see all the kids one last time and to say goodbyes. I’ll be coming back super early Sun morning to go to church and say my goodbyes there too. Then Monday night, the EMI interns and myself will be taking the night train (with seats this time) to Delhi. They’ll be visiting another part of India for the week, but I’ll just chill around Delhi for the day and then head to the airport that night since my flight is around 1am Wed morning.

Prayer Requests

-For Raju and Vijay!! That our last meetings with them will be good and blessed, and that God will open up opportunities for them to read the Word we give them and hear about Jesus in deed and truth!

-For the last time in village. That the marriages will go well and that God will still be at work even amongst all the celebration and commotion, strengthening or breaking down hearts for His glory.

-For all the goodbyes and closure to my season here. That they will be filled with His Spirit and not anxiousness or burden.

-For travel and transition back home; emotionally, physically, and spiritually. That God will be guiding me the whole way and helping me with whatever He has planned to mess me up with :) and that I will continue to push into Him.

Sooner or later this blog will be finished and all of this will officially be in the “past.” But whether then or now, I’ll give thanks to a God who is greater and a Savior who is my brother.

Holy are You God. Holy is Your Name. With everything I got, my heart will sing how I love You. -Beautiful Exchange by Hillsong United

And just for giggles…

These are a few of the chicks that have been hatching, with more on the way (Dave and Daphne have chickens.) Cute, huh?

Picture Update

This week’s happenings

Krishna, Pratim, Jenny, and I are headed out to the village tomorrow (Tues) and Wed. Please be praying for us! It will only be one night, but God can still move no matter how long we go (or if we’re even there at all.) I’m going to be wrapped up in multiple layers. It’s getting cold here!

Raju, one of the guys we’ve been tutoring, is leaving for a job in another part of India next week. This news sort of crept up on us, so please pray for the opportunity to find him a nice English/Hindi dictionary and Hindi New Testament (maybe even English NT too.) If we don’t get to share about Christ, at the very least we can leave him with the chance to read about Him. 

Here are a few photos that may or may not tickle your fancy.

Men’s Bible Study

This is the crew that wakes up for 7am Monday Men’s Bible study. We’ve been going through the book of James and just finished up today. It’s been an awesome blessing to discuss God’s Word and hear from all of them. I’ve definitely grown and learned from our time together. (From L to R: Me, Sadbeer, Nate, Bhagat, Himmat, Nick, Mark) We’ve all been doing No Shave November, but Bhagat had to shave for his wife’s bday present a couple days ago, haha. And Himmat and Mark had some gruff to begin with, but they would’ve been impressive no matter.

No Shave November

Nick

Nate

Myself

Thug life. Yeayuh.

Plans are starting to get settled upon for the last couple weeks here. It’s still mind blowing how fast everything’s wrapping up. Totally caught me off guard. If ya’ll ever get the chance, please be lifting up the “closure” here and for my transition back!

Missing everyone as always and kind of ready for the holiday season. Christmas carols galore! 

Back to the blogging world

My apologies for my lack of correspondence the last couple weeks. They’ve been plenty busy, but alas I need to let my faithful followers (the few of you that actually read this) in on all that’s gone down. Luckily, because of the density of events and lack of remembrance on my part, you’ll get an easy to read, pared down version of the last two weeks.

Vilage

Krishna, Jenny, and I were out in the village last Mon-Thurs. Pratim joined us Wed, with two guys from a church in California that support him. Things there were pretty normal. I got to share the 1st night during fellowship and Krishna the 2nd, since Pratim wasn’t there. I talked about Lazarus and how Jesus has the authority and power to raise up the dead, yet is our close friend and weeps for us as well and not some far away God in the sky. We just need to come to him and ask. Krishna spoke on different kinds of life (physical, spiritual, eternal). Wed, Krishna and I were able to help Rakesh finish up the bathroom the summer team built for his family. So I spent the afternoon mixing cement and shoveling dirt. Of course, my plush American hands blistered, but it was fun to do manual labor.

One of the other afternoons, Jenny was able to play this recording she has in Hindi about Jesus for the kids (they came down every afternoon to play. so we were a daycare/circus rides for a few hours each day.) most of the kids have short attention spans and ran off, but Puja was glued to the recording and wanted to hear it again the next day! So cool to see someone so interested in the gospel at such a young age.

The last night was a huge praise! One of the guys that supports Pratim (a pastor) gave a simple gospel message out of Romans and invited anyone to confess Christ with their mouths if they believe Him in their hearts. At first no one volunteered to, but later on Meena (Rakesh’s sister) said she’d like to verbally confess Christ! We figured, living with Rakesh and all, that she was close, so having her finally say Jesus was her savior was great to hear! Praise God for all He’s doing there. It’s encouraging to see all the people that show up for fellowship and how He’s slowly building up a small church here in the younger generation. Just keep letting the gospel and God’s word make it’s way in their hearts and pretty soon things get rolling. Less than 2 years ago there were no believers. 1 year ago there were only 3. Now there are around 8 with more on the cusp. God’s moving and it’s incredible to watch!

Delhi/Agra

Friday night the EMI interns and myself headed out to Delhi for the weekend +mon/tues to do some sightseeing and the like. It started out as rough as you can get. We were waitlisted on the train to Delhi. So when we got to the station thinking we’d have tickets (usually when you’re waitlisted you get on easy), we found that the 7 of us had 2 berths on the train in the sleeper class. No a/c and no room for an overnight train. We all got about 1/2 hrs of sleep (maybe) the whole 10 hr ride. We tried sleeping up 3 and 4 to a bed. Didn’t work. Nick, Mark, and Cara were troopers and just slept on the nasty train floor (they’re my heroes) so Deb and Katie shared a bed, and Nate and I had one too. Sleeping in the fetal position with about a 3x2ft space for your body is impossible. Luckily some guys left at earlier stops prior to Delhi so I jacked their beds for the last couple hrs of the ride.

Anyways after getting into Delhi and haggling with our hotel that made no sense (more ranting here, but it was ridiculous) we finally settled in. Most of us decided to just push through and get some sites in then sleep early. Deb and Katie were running the Delhi half marathon the next morning.

We checked out Himayan’s tomb (google it for the history). It had cool ancient architecture and was quite impressively built. Afterwards some of us checked out the Lotus temple. This building is awesome. Looks like the sydney opera house, but is symmetrical. It’s also a temple for the Baha’i faith (a very universalist, po-mo faith in my opinion) and we came when they were holding a 10min prayer service. So the four of us that went decided to sit in and observe. It was interesting to say the least. The inside is a huge hall that echoes like crazy, so it was difficult to hear what was being said, but different people would walk up and sing a hymn, or recite different prayers. A psalm was even recited at one point. Having that time there, in the silence, was actually a great time to convene with God too and pray over the temple and those practicing this faith, so I was glad God gave us an opportunity to claim Christ’s name over a place that needs His truth badly.

Afterwards we came back, got food (at an awesome restaurant next to our restaurant that was probably the grungiest place i’ve eaten in and lowered roti in a basket through the roof), and headed to bed.

Sunday we woke up and tried to get to the finish line to see some staff and interns finish the half marathon. They all finished rather close to each other so it was pretty impressive. I was tempted to run more when I got back to the states, but then I remembered how much I hate running. Dream quickly squashed.

While the runners went back and cleaned up, the rest of us checked out the Jamamashid mosque in Old Delhi. This place was pretty sweet too, with similar arched, vaulted architecture seen in a lot of the older buildings. The coolest part is going up one of their minarets and seeing all of Delhi around you. Delhi from above looks crazy and much different than when you’re on the ground. I think it’s easy to get caught up in the dirtiness when you’re walking around, but from above it’s a beautiful Indian city that’s sprawled out for miles with small, big, contemporary, ancient, colorful buildings throughout. Some people were sitting on their roofs flying kites too, so it was just this sweet picture of the city.

The runners caught up with us after and we went to check out the spice market. It wasn’t what we were expecting and pretty underwhelming. So we soon just headed back to the metro and went to the hotel. Dinner that night was at a bar next door, and Nick and I basically ordered the Indian version of hot wings (tandoori chicken) and fries, haha. Later we had our own little fruit eating party in the guys room since there were so many fruit vendors outside our hotel. Oranges, guavas, pomegranates, bananas, custard apples. <3 fruits.

Monday was spent traveling to Agra in the morning (2 hr train ride turned 4 hrs), the Taj for a couple hours, lunch, then back to Delhi. We wanted to check out the Agra fort as well, but since our train arrived so late, we just decided to enjoy more time at the Taj instead of trying to rush both. 

The Taj was a lot better than I was expecting. I came in with pretty low expectations because everyone tells you that it’s not that great. So seeing it when you walk in was really cool. The building is huge, plus it’s all marble. Just crazy. Going inside kinda stinks since they rush you through and you can’t really see anything (just the tomb of the woman it was a made for), but the building as a whole is great. Intricate designs, grand scales, and great landscaping. There were crowds and crowds of people (lots of Indians like to come here) and they love taking pictures with foreigners. I look the least foreign, so I was left alone, but the rest of the the interns (the white ones at least) got bombarded with people wanting to take pictures with them. Hilarious, but annoying. In the end, we got some really sweet pictures of all of us and were able to enjoy and relax in the Taj. Cool beans.

We finished the night at the same restaurant from the first day (“Roti through the roof” is what we called it. “Roti” is bread for all those wondering.) Then said our goodbyes to Deb as she would be leaving early the next day back to the UK. Sad and weird to see her go, since we’ll be leaving soon after. Time flies.

Tuesday was spent traveling back to Mussoorie. This train was a nice luxury seat car with lots of food. It’s amazing how quickly things that aren’t that “nice” suddenly because incredibly luxurious after experiencing the train ride from hell. So thankful to be on a nice train for the ride back, haha.

That’s about it for our travels. Thanksgiving was spent with the EMI guys (our PI team will be celebrating next week when half our members come back from a conference in Delhi.) We all made stuff, and to be honest, it was a pretty awesome spread considering none of us ever really cooked back home. Beer grilled chicken, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, salad, fruit salad, cream corn, grilled jalapeños, gravy, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, pumpkin pie (+ whiskey sauce), and apple crisp. All of it home made. It’s safe to say I was stuffed and extremely impressed by our cooking capabilities.

English lessons are still going well. Rakesh has pretty much disappeared (we literally have no clue where he is), but Raju has been coming out faithfully. He’s been improving quickly and is very eager to do work. I’m hoping God keeps building that relationship the last few weeks we’re here.

No Shave November is still going strong. Unfortunately that means I look pretty straggly…

Prayer Requests

-For God to keep developing our relationships w/ the men in English class, and opening opportunities to be lights and possibly share Christ verbally.

-For the village believers to continue to be strengthened in their faith, especially the newer ones, and to keep bringing love, peace, grace, and truth to their peers, elders, and family.

-For chances to get back out to the village a couple times before I leave.

-For God to continue stirring my heart for His glory and His gospel even as my time here begins to wind down. To let God be God amongst it all and go as the Spirit leads.

Thanks for all the prayers and support! It’s crazy to think that I’ll be leaving in a few weeks, but through all of this ya’ll back home have been an incredible blessing. Praise God for an amazing family all around the world!

Special shot out to my Dad for his birthday! Love you and all you’ve done!

Pictures

Village

what made up our afternoons…

Jenny sharing the “Jesus story” in Hindi.

Shoveling cement with Krishna and Rakesh.

One night in fellowship. The girl at the very left is Meena!

Delhi/Agra

Our train ride in. Those were the only 2 beds we got. Awesome…

Himayan’s tomb.

Sweet light pouring in from outside.

Some shots of the Lotus Temple. We weren’t allowed to take pics inside, but it was pretty cool.

Jamamashid mosque

Shots from the minaret. Delhi in all it’s glory.

The Taj! Too bad that day was sort of musky.

S’more shots of the Taj.

Group pic (self timed no less! Mark’s a pro) infront of one of the mosques on either side of the Taj.

Awesome jumping group pic from the side of the Taj. This one was selftimed too. We are pros. (From L to R: Nick, Deb, Me, Katie, Mark, Cara, Nate) And yes, I went captain morgan.

There is never a bad time to hook ‘em.

Thanksgiving

The spread minus the desserts.

The desserts minus the apple crisp (which I didn’t get a pic of even though I probably did the most work for that.)

That’s all for now. Until next time folks! Less than 3 weeks until I get back. Crazy!

A post as short as my facial hair

For those confused, the title is referencing the disaster that is “No Shave November” which is happening on my face. I don’t have a current picture, but I’m sure in the next week I’ll post some updated ones.

A couple cool things from this week:

-Wednesday when we went out to do English class, I was feeling complacent/apathetic and didn’t really want to teach. Rakesh, the man Nate and I have been tutoring, hasn’t been showing up for the last week and half. We still help out and teach one of the Indian staff at EMI, so it’s not like we do nothing, but it’s still discouraging to see the guy you’ve been teaching stop coming out. We have no idea why he hasn’t been coming. Anyways, Wednesday he didn’t show up either. But a new guy, Raju, who’s friends with the other man we teach, Vijay, was there. He ended up being such an encouragement! As I’ve written previously, the hope is to get to a point with Vijay and Rakesh that we can share our testimonies or the gospel, but as of now, it’s looking to be a difficult task. Raju on the other hand, has a very good grasp of English and practices often on his own time. I was able to go through 5-6 different verb tenses (which amounts to almost all that we’ve taught Rakesh so far) in the whole session and he caught on to all of them. On top of that, he was eager to practice and kept saying sentences or questions and asking what the correct form was. He’s anxious to come out each time to practice and even asked for my email so we could stay in touch when I leave for the states. The best part is, he’s a Hindu! So with our remaining times together, his willingness to learn, and his already good English, there is a great opportunity for the gospel to be shared! I can’t tell you how great it is to finally have an opportunity like this. This isn’t to say Vijay and Rakesh are done, we’ll keep tutoring them as well, and hopefully be able to present to them an English dictionary and Hindi New Testament as gifts when we leave. It’s just refreshing to see how God opens doors when I least expect.

-This next week, Krishna and I (and possibly Jenny), will be heading out to the village alone for Monday and Tuesday. Hopefully Pratim will be able to join us on Wed as he has some business to take care of. Depending on how things go, we’ll either come back Wed night, or Thursday. This is actually slightly intimidating as Krishna and I have never been out there alone. Pratim usually does the teaching and we help out with worship. So the thought of going by ourselves actually made me more anxious than excited. How sad that my faith is so small! I was actually on the fence about going, seeing as there was new opportunity to teach English to Raju, and going to the village would mean I wouldn’t see him until the week after. But God quickly showed me that I needed to get out and trust Him no matter how intimidating the circumstance. So now we’re going, and I have full faith that God will work something, whether I see it or not. I must keep reminding myself that He is God and I am not. It be better that I leave the roles like that…

The tentative plan, depending on who shows up for fellowship in the evening, if any, is to share our testimonies (as the kids haven’t heard either of ours) and a Bible story. But as things go here, I’m expecting plans to change and for us to just go with the flow. Who knows what will happen there, whether it’s just playing guitar with Rakesh or playing games with the kids, I pray God will somehow be glorified and His name heard.

He is faithful and works despite us. That is a beautiful truth.

So that’s the big news for this week/this coming week. After we get back from the village I’ll be heading out with the EMI interns on Friday for Delhi, and then visiting the Taj on the following Monday.

Prayer Requests!

Please pray for the two things I mentioned!

-For our time at the village to be God-glorifying. That God will speak truth, grace, wisdom, and love from Krishna and myself while we are by ourselves. That our faith in His faithfulness will knock down barriers or anxiousness through His strength. That the hearts of the kids, believers and unbelievers, will be open to the gospel and His Word. That God will be God and do as God does!

-For Raju, and more opportunities to meet up with him to practice English, inside our allotted times or outside of them. That an opportunity to share the good news will present itself, and that my own initiative will still be to love as I’m called and not to aim to “convert”. That the Holy Spirit will be opening and preparing his heart for the gospel to take root as well.

Thank you everyone for your support and prayers!

PS- for all the UT folk reading this, Praise God for thanksgiving banquet! I heard of the great things God did, and I am so excited for how the gospel is changing our campus and fellowship. There is something awesome happening amongst you. Rejoice and keep imploring our God to move as mightily as He can! 

Another week, another post

First of all, thanks to everyone who prayed for the retreat last week! I have no doubt all those prayers helped make it as great as it was.

The early part of the week was the same as the last. Monday-bible study, English class, Tuesday-catching up on chores/reading, Wednesday-English class, start of the retreat. I’ll do a quick recap of each day of the retreat.

Wednesday the kids got in around 3-4pm. There were 12 people from the village in all, we were expecting 8-10, so already a great praise to see more than we thought! 2 guys from the main village we visit, 5 girls from the same village, 1 young mother and 1 of her small kids, 1 guy from a village near by the one we camp at, and 2 girls from that same nearby village. The last 3 kids from the nearby village were friends from school that we had never met before, so it was a great opportunity to have the gospel shared for the first time!

After they all settled down and a few rounds of ladder ball, we gathered together to have some fellowship time, singing songs (old and new for them to learn), and a little talk by Pratim afterwards. Then we had dinner and the kids all went upstairs to watch a movie about a missionary that went to NE India. They really enjoyed it, as there were Hindi dubs.

Thursday started off around 8 with breakfast. Then around 1030 we had fellowship time again. People from the team or friends would come to Dave and Daphne’s around that time every day, so there would be from 20-30 people all the time. After some more songs with Krishna and I playing guitar, a friend of ours shared her testimony. Then Dave shared about the prodigal son. A couple of us acted it out while he narrated (Rakesh-younger son, Krishna-father, me-older son). By the end of it, the kids got to hear about how God wants to come after us the same way the father ran up to the younger son, how we need to realize that we’re eating with the pigs in our sin/lives without Him and turn back to Him as he runs after us.

After snacks and lunch, we had some craft time where the kids were able to paint tshirts. Right before they started, Dave shared about Noah’s ark and how the rainbow was a symbol of God’s promises. He might of shared some more, but I was inside doing dishes from lunch, so I’m not sure. Anyways, they told the kids to paint a rainbow on the shirt and a cross under it (as the cross is God’s full fulfillment of His promises) and then to write their names or whatever else they wanted to design. A few of them misunderstood and wrote “NAME” on their shirts. It was awesome. I love things being lost in translation, haha.

The kids (and the rest of us) were getting a little tired, so Daphne put on a movie for them to watch upstairs (“3 Idiots”, which I’ve seen before and thought was pretty good.) I took advantage of the normally long Hindi movie and had a nap.

When they finished, we had some more fellowship with songs and a little message by Pratim and then dinner. They wanted to watch another movie at night, “The Passion of the Christ.” Yeah. When I first heard that that was what was lined up I voiced my thoughts to Vanita, Pratim’s wife. “Don’t you think that’s a little heavy?” Her response: “Yes, but they need to see what the Lord has done for us.” Straight up, no hesitation, as calm and collected as could be. I have no refute for that…

The movie didn’t have Hindi subs, so before we started, Vanita read parts of the gospels to let them know what was going on. During the movie she would translate most of the parts (there isn’t that much talking in the first place). This was actually my first viewing of the film as well. It’s safe to say that many of them got a good sense of what Christ went through.

Friday was super packed. After breakfast and everyone had arrived at Dave’s house, we went hiking up the side of the mountain were on to picnic/visit people. Another new believer that lives in Mussoorie joined us for the day. She’s a young mother with two kids under 10. Her husband recently passed away and Daphne, Vanita, and some others from the team visited her and shared the gospel with her a few months ago. Since then she’s received the Lord, burned all the idols in her house, goes to Pratim’s house for their weekly Bible study, and has seen God’s blessing on her life (she just got a government teaching job, which are actually sought for here since they are permanent and pay better)!

Slight Tangent: In the States where the prosperity gospel is getting bigger and bigger and the thoughts of material providence and wealth are what you get with Christ (this is wrong by the way. You get Christ with Christ, and Christ alone. That is all we need. That is all He gives, because He is everything), there are certain times where blessings reinforcing salvation are looked down upon. Here it’s a much different story. Many come to faith, not for the material blessings, but for the salvation in Christ and the promises in love of our Father. He is Love afterall. So when they receive blessings, they turn their hearts to proclaim God’s glory and providence even more. Stories like this are actually extremely powerful in saving souls for people who happen to live in poverty, which is interesting seeing as stories like this in the US often lead to selfish greed driven “trust” instead of legitimate faith in a God who gives and takes away, no matter our desires, for our betterment and His glory. It’s funny how culture can be so different in some areas. But I digress…

The team thought it’d be a good idea to open up some of the believer’s eyes to ministry outside of themselves/village so we went to a house with an older couple who Dave and Daphne have built a relationship with over the years. All of us crammed into their small house and sang worship songs and heard a little from Pratim. The whole group in this dimly lit, tiny room of a house, singing praises to God was a sweet sweet experience.

Once we finished, we traveled up to a small clearing on top of the peak. We found a shady spot to have snacks, play some games, and have another time of fellowship, this time with Vanita sharing after worship.

When we got back to the house the kids had some time to play around (ladder ball became a huge favorite), and the rest of us made wai-wai (Indian version of ramen) for the kids as a small snack, while the others prepped the ingredients for momo making (momos=dumplings). Pratim, Krishna, Jenny, and I were momo making machines for like 5 hours, haha. Everything’s from scratch, so it was quite a bit of work. The funny part in all of this, is that many of the girls didn’t like it and ate very few of them. They’re all used to rice and daal and I guess aren’t big fans of anything different from that… So what we hoped would be an awesome dinner was pretty lack luster for them. You live and you learn, it’s all part of the process. Thankfully we had brownies and ice cream for dessert that they liked. Success! While we were making momos, they watched a movie upstairs about the gospel, and this one was in Hindi so they were able to understand and follow along.

After dinner, since they already watched a movie, a few of us gathered outside to set off fireworks. Friday was technically Diwali, a Hindu holiday, and the kids more or less came to the retreat so they wouldn’t have to celebrate it with their villages. But when there are fireworks going off everywhere, you can’t not set off your own. It’s like impossible for anyone, especially kids. So Krishna and I helped them shoot their own bottle rockets into the sky. Fireworks are always fun! The kids had a great time and got super excited over the smallest of things. I have to keep reminding myself that there isn’t much of this “fun leisure” stuff that my life is unfortunately cluttered with. So for them, setting off bottle rockets is a much bigger deal than it is for me.

Saturday started like the other days, but the jeep was coming around 10am to pick them up. So after breakfast and pictures with their sweet shirts they made, we had some quick fellowship time. Dave challenged the believers to show love and grace when they get back. That this was the whole reason they were here with us, because of Jesus and His love, so love as well. We prayed for them and then they had to go.

I can’t say much on how this retreat affected them, as I wouldn’t know since I couldn’t exactly talk with them. But the hope, and I think by God’s grace this was achieved, was to just love on them and let them have a good time to relax with good Christian community. Whether it be watching movies, playing ladderball, setting off fireworks, singing songs, hearing the Word, playing “Sorry!”, or just being in a new place sleeping in sleeping bags, they were able to have a few days away from things to enjoy life and what God has given them. There were no altar calls, no demands for faith, that wasn’t the point. The gospel was preached, sung about, and seen. Apart from praying for those souls now, there wasn’t much we could do without imposing a false faith from their lips. The beautiful thing is that when we go back to the village, we’ll see them again, and hopefully God will open up opportunities for their faiths’ to bloom, and we’ll get to celebrate with the angels when they do.

For myself, it was another great experience for me to see how long term ministry is. Whether it was problems that had to be dealt with during the retreat (there’s definitely a higher demand for scheduling things better next time around amongst the team members), or serving in my niche with the right attitude (I washed more dishes than I ever thought I’d wash in my life at one time), or learning more how to love in my actions without the ability to converse, they were all cherished lessons to learn.

Lackie, one of the guys from the village, has especially been on my heart. He’s my age, maybe a little older even, and is getting married in December. He’s extremely quiet and humble, never says much, but is always willing to help, and pretty dang tall. I don’t think he’s openly voiced a faith in Christ, but he always comes out to these things, greets with “Jai Ma Seeki” (not sure if that’s how you spell it) which is like “Glory to God” and all the Christians say it to one another, and always listens intently when there’s teaching. I know there is something there, but I guess we still have to wait and see if that’s what he truly believes. Anyways, I dearly hope he comes to Christ soon as he has become a great friend (though we rarely are able to converse) during this time.

Forthcoming

I’ll be staying in Mussoorie this week, so email me if you ever want to catch up. Next week the plan is to hopefully go to the village Mon-Wed or Thurs. That Friday, I’ll be going to Delhi with the EMI folks as some of them are running the Delhi half marathon so we’ll support them, as well as visit the Taj in Agra. Tentative plans are to get back Tuesday the week of Thanksgiving.

Pictures

Playing ladderball. They were seriously obsessed with this game.

Fellowship time!

Dave in between songs explaining that singing/worship doesn’t depend on where you are or who you are around, but it’s your song to God.

Diving into the Word.

Dave narrating.

A father’s embrace, son asking for forgiveness, father giving his cloak and ring.

Everyone working on their shirts.

Displaying them for all to see (and dry off).

Watching the movie. There’s Jesus!

The house we went to before the picnic. Lackie’s looking smooth up in front.

Most of us in the house. It got a little tighter when a few more came in.

Going up to the picnic spot.

Nice little clearing we found.

Snacks on the hill in the shade.

Game time! Notice how the girls get in a circle and play cool games while the guys gather around a tree and ponder whether we should climb it or not… We ended up playing some ultimate ninja though, they learned it from the summer team.

Vanita teaching.

The momo master at work. Krishna is a beast at cooking.

The momo making team of aweseomeness.

A small fraction of our work.

Before and after shots of the dishes we washed. Krishna and I have it down to a science.

You can’t really tell, but Lackie just set off a firework in this one.

The whole group and their shirts!

Me and the guys. Rakesh (left), Subhash (mid), Lackie (right). You can see where some of them wrote “NAME” on their shirts.

Thought this one was funny. Rakesh being fly. Yes, we made fun of his tight muscle-showing shirt, haha.

No Shave November Update

Nate

Nick

Me

I’m glad to be beating at least one white guy. Though I’m becoming uglier by the day…

Thanks for all the prayers! Until next week!

Blog post “Speedy Gonzales” style

This update is mostly to get out prayer requests, so you guys benefit with an easy read :)

The last week was basically spent in the city, so it was a bit more relaxing than past weeks. Highlights:

• English teaching MWF. But Rakesh, the guy I usually help, wasn’t able to make it W or F. Slightly discouraging, but the goal’s always to make yourself available for things to happen without expecting returns. Note to anyone looking to teach English: using “I am going to verb” is a poor choice for future tenses. “I will verb” is SO much easier to teach as it doesn’t have other meanings. You’ll save you and your pupil much time.
• Finished reading Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis and read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Housseini in three sittings. Both are good. And because I know some will ask, I enjoyed Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns equally. They’re both great in their own way. Yes, I’m a flake and can’t choose. Sue me (except don’t).
• One of Dave and Daphne’s chickens got taken by an eagle. It’s not the first time a chicken’s been taken away by another critter. Funny thing is, the eagle never ended up feasting on it’s prize because of some of the workers that are building a house next door. There’s more to elaborate on, but I’ll save it for another time.
• Monday morning (7am) men’s Bible study has been awesome. We’ve gone through the first 2 chapters of James. Great discussion (especially considering how early it is). I say it all the time, but it’s true so I’ll say it again, Christ centered community made up of all different cultures and age groups is an incredible blessing I’m so glad to have.
• Skyped with multitudes of people back home. Our God is SO BIG! Moving everywhere it seems. If we haven’t chatted yet, I would love to soon, so email me and we’ll figure out a time!
• Some of the interns, guys from church, and myself have committed to “No Shave November”. For myself, this is probably a horrible idea, but it’s probably more accepted here than anywhere else, haha. Pictures will come.

Village Update/PR’s

Some of you may remember me mentioning some tension in the village. We’ll when the team went to go check it out, the situation smoothed out some. Basically there are some high caste people (specifically one older man) who are treating the low caste in poor fashion (understatement) and both sides are trying to pull the Pi team to their side. Whichever side has the missionaries wins I suppose. Dave and Daphne have relationships with everyone, but the majority of believers are low caste and young, so some jealousy came up with the older high castes. We do not want to be in the middle and are trying to let things calm down some, so we won’t be going back to the village this week. But we still wanted to encourage the believers, so many of them are coming from the village to Mussoorie Wed-Sat for a mini-retreat! We’re expecting 8-10 people. We’ll be fellowshipping, having some Bible studies, going on a picnic, doing crafts, watching movies, etc. Anything to encourage them to stay strong in their faith and to get their mind focused on Christ and away from brooding on the tension. I’m actually quite excited that there is some persecution because this always breeds endurance and stronger trust in Jesus. And things like this provide opportunities for the grace and love of Christ to shine through the believers. Daphne showed them passages on Christ suffering, and His response, and encouraged them not to talk badly about anyone that puts them down, but to continue to show respect and love in a way they don’t expect. All of these believers are less than 2 years in their faith, so having something like this is a big step towards growing closer to God. There will also be a couple nonbelievers coming too, so there’s more opportunity to hang out with them and share God’s love and gospel!

Please pray for:

-Believer’s hearts to be encouraged, strengthened, and more deeply rooted in their faith after this retreat. That back in the village they will radiate with Christ’s love, grace, and peace amongst any more persecution they may face.

-Holy spirit to move in the non-believers’ hearts and break down barriers and open up avenues for the gospel to take root.

-The high caste in the village, that throughout this whole thing they will see something different in the believers that leads them to Christ. That the Spirit will be working in their hearts as well, softening them from stone to flesh, and destroying the pillars of hatred/caste system that Satan has set up for hundreds of years.

-The Pi team to be Godly representatives of Christ, discipling, mentoring, and shepherding these guys into stronger faiths.

Thanks for all the prayers everyone!

For all my AACM buddies, I hope fall retreat was a refreshing experience that brought the reality of Christ’s death and resurrection closer to your heart, compelling you to go further and further for His glory. I was praying for ya’ll!

Here’s a view from the EMI offices of the Himalayas. So cool…literally. (I’m sorry I just ended the post on a pun…)

Good looking family

I was blessed to skype with these guys for the first time since I’ve been in India on Saturday. There are no words to express how thankful I am that God placed them in my life and how much joy, love, and patience they’ve given me.

Praying for you guys!!

Quick rundown

Last week we were at the village Mon-Wed. We were able to have fellowship/bible study both nights again! Pratim taught on the equality of women and men (big in the village culture) and the fall of man, all through Genesis. I have to remind myself that what I consider common knowledge is groundbreaking and possibly heartbreaking for these guys to hear. It is an utmost blessing to be present as the Word of God is being first preached to a peoples. If the process ever feels slow (which it does at times), I need to remember that church planting is a process that is only exactly known by God, and only God. Trust in Him for His work and continue to pursue what He’s called us to pursue. The most simple and most difficult task I think I will ever have as a follower of Christ.

The last few times we’ve gone, a high caste family in the village that Dave and Daphne rent a room from to keep their camping gear in, has been getting angry at us for camping on a terrace owned by Rakesh, who’s low caste. Jealousy and the caste system are still rampant in the village and there were some unkind things said to all of us as well as threats that we weren’t going to be allowed to camp in the village if we kept it up. Without writing too much about this subject (as I’m still trying to process many of my thoughts), it’s important to remember that the sin in their lives is a testament to the power of Satan. High or low, everyone needs Christ, and anger/disagreement is an opportunity for Christ to shine.

This week a few people on the team are going for a day trip to try to figure out the situation a bit, but I’ll be staying in Mussoorie for the week catching up with English teaching (we didn’t teach the last week since the interns were all out trekking for their holiday) and relaxing/refueling in God. As fun as camping is, it’s actually incredibly out of my element and definitely far away from my comfort zone. God provides and comforts, but after 3 weeks of going to the village, I’ve come to see that it’s more taxing on me physically and spiritually than I anticipated. Combine the nature of church planting missions and my own human frailty and one understands the commitment to this type of ministry is longterm or not at all.

Plus, since I’m in town all week, contact me if you’re free to skype or talk! I miss everyone back home dearly and would love to hear about life and/or what God’s been doing! Make me feel not lonely again!! Haha, just kidding. Community is sweet here, but family is everywhere and sometimes it’s how God brings about encouragement/renewed vigor to each other.

We also started a men’s Bible study with some interns and some guys from the church we attend. 7am Monday mornings going through the book of James. Today was great (though I was tired and cold, haha). The body of Christ experienced in His word and with a kaleidescope of different cultures/races/people is always uplifting for my soul.

Prayer Requests

-Keep praying for the village ministry. For believers’ faiths/hearts to be strengthened through Christ, and for unbelievers’ to come to know Him. For the disagreement to be resolved and for God’s mercy and grace to be seen entirely in how it is resolved.

-For English classes, just that God will keep building our relationships with the men there and for the barrier of knowledge to slowly come away for opportunities for the gospel to be shared.

-For myself, that I will find life in God, again and again. Impressing the gospel upon my heart every morning.

Praying for ya’ll back home! Fight for His glory! Titus 2:11-14