Friday, July 16, 2010
home
Well, all 12 of us have safely returned to the US. After about 26 hours of traveling, Will, Tim, Elyssa, and I exited the Atlanta airport to go our separate ways for the rest of the summer. We had an amazing time talking with Will and Elyssa about their month of ministry across India from where we were. We feel so blessed to be back, life is so interesting and different in the US, please pray for us as we adjust back to work and studies. Thank you all so much for your prayer support and love, it might have been what God used to keep us alive, literally. There's no measuring it, but we could not have had the trip we did without it. Bless you all.
Monday, July 12, 2010
coming home
We're back from the village again, and our time there has been amazing. This week after Tim and I leave, Anand and a few other teachers will be moving the children out there to a rented room until construction on the permanent home is finished. The school has been started, and 20 different families are joyous that their children are receiving an education in their own village. The kids who have been in school up to this point have to send their kids off to schools in other towns, making it way more expensive because they have to come up with money for room and board.
We're enjoying our last few days in India with a trip back to our home in Bangalore tomorrow. We'll get to spend some time with our little brothers and sisters, as well as our fellow workers Will and Elyssa; it will be amazing to hear what their work has been yielding all the way across the country. Today is one of our host's birthday, so we'll be going out to eat and maybe even to the imax movie theater later today in the really modernized part of town. Please be praying for our travels these last few days, and the ongoing work to which we have had the opportunity to be but a small part.
We're enjoying our last few days in India with a trip back to our home in Bangalore tomorrow. We'll get to spend some time with our little brothers and sisters, as well as our fellow workers Will and Elyssa; it will be amazing to hear what their work has been yielding all the way across the country. Today is one of our host's birthday, so we'll be going out to eat and maybe even to the imax movie theater later today in the really modernized part of town. Please be praying for our travels these last few days, and the ongoing work to which we have had the opportunity to be but a small part.
Friday, July 9, 2010
a difficult week
Plans kept changing again, and it was the 3rd before we made it back to the village. Tim had been getting sick, so our first few days in the village were a lot of resting. We prayed with a few of our brothers and sisters in the village on Sunday, and Monday the 5th the school opened. Or rather I should say, registration began. It seemed like many of the people put off going to the fields to come see if it was really happening. Many parents paid part of tuition, so later that day Anand and I came back to Hyderabad to buy school uniforms, books, school supplies, and even sports equipment for the kids at the home. Tim was still feeling sick, so he stayed in the village, splitting us up. The plan was for Anand and I to wake up at 4 AM on the morning of the 6th and go back to the village.
It took me until midnight to fall asleep, and even then I stayed asleep only until 2, when I started having diarrhea at least once an hour. By 10 AM when I decided to go to the ER because I couldn't maintain any water, I had full body chills and the hottest fever I've ever had. The ER doctor gave me about 9 different antibiotic and vitamin pills to take, but as I began taking those and eating bananas and sliced bread, I began throwing everything up. I was pretty worried, and felt absolutely awful, but I also prayed more on that day than any other day this trip. I really found my Father in the place of suffering as He began to heal and give grace to get through it. Most of the day I felt so bad I just wanted to die/go be with Him, and there were moments when I wasn't convinced that wasn't about to happen. The 7th was a lot of the same, but mostly not as bad. I'm still not all the way better, but at least I can eat most foods now. Assuming I'll be back in action, tomorrow I'll go back to the village one more time, coming back the next day. Not really sure what Tim, Anand, and our shepherd friend J. Anand have been up to there, they have no accessible phone service most of the time. Despite the difficulties of this week, I'm trying not to look forward too much to coming home (we leave Hyd in 4 days, India in 6), so please pray for us to be fully here in the home stretch. Pray for our health, and spiritual protection (I suspect foul play with the suddenness of my sickness; we had not eaten anything that seemed at all suspicious). Pray for our safe travel, and our reunion with many friends in Beantown. love you guys
It took me until midnight to fall asleep, and even then I stayed asleep only until 2, when I started having diarrhea at least once an hour. By 10 AM when I decided to go to the ER because I couldn't maintain any water, I had full body chills and the hottest fever I've ever had. The ER doctor gave me about 9 different antibiotic and vitamin pills to take, but as I began taking those and eating bananas and sliced bread, I began throwing everything up. I was pretty worried, and felt absolutely awful, but I also prayed more on that day than any other day this trip. I really found my Father in the place of suffering as He began to heal and give grace to get through it. Most of the day I felt so bad I just wanted to die/go be with Him, and there were moments when I wasn't convinced that wasn't about to happen. The 7th was a lot of the same, but mostly not as bad. I'm still not all the way better, but at least I can eat most foods now. Assuming I'll be back in action, tomorrow I'll go back to the village one more time, coming back the next day. Not really sure what Tim, Anand, and our shepherd friend J. Anand have been up to there, they have no accessible phone service most of the time. Despite the difficulties of this week, I'm trying not to look forward too much to coming home (we leave Hyd in 4 days, India in 6), so please pray for us to be fully here in the home stretch. Pray for our health, and spiritual protection (I suspect foul play with the suddenness of my sickness; we had not eaten anything that seemed at all suspicious). Pray for our safe travel, and our reunion with many friends in Beantown. love you guys
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Hyderabad
Adaptability: without it, you won't last long here. We were in a village in one part A.P. the other night and Anand got a call from Jay Anand, the shepherd/leader in the village where the home is to be, that Anand was needed there. Tim and I needed to get back to Hyderabad. So we split up. Just Tim and I on a bus heading 4 hours across the country and exploring all over the city when we got here. It was fun. We learned a lot about navigation, how to get on the right bus, and just have an adventure with it. It wasn't a very reassuring day as far as travel goes, we hit a big bump going 30 something, and everyone on the bus got launched into the air. I was sitting up straight in the back, and my head hit the metal luggage rack above pretty hard. Lots of people were laying down and got thrown higher than the seats. My vision blurred for a few minutes, and I had a headache the rest of the day, but now I only have a nice goose egg on the top of my head, so we're past that now.
Within a little while we drove by an autorikshaw trying to go up a hill diagonally and it flipped over; it was full of people, but as pedestrians ran to help upright it, it appeared no one was seriously hurt. As Tim and I were walking back in the city, a bicycle cut off a scooter, the scooter ran into this movable metal divider in the highway, the divider angled into traffic moving in the opposite direction, and two guys on a motorcycle hit the divider, tumbling them and the bike to the street. The bicycle guy pedaled off almost immediately and the others just brushed it off and got on with their commutes.
After we split up with Anand, he came back to hyderabad today, and we're heading back to the village tomorrow. This time will be for about a week - I know I've said that before and it not happened, but this time we're going. Who knows, our departure date keeps moving, every day the plan seems to change multiple times. Adaptability is so important.
One fun story I've been meaning to share concerns a man from last time (I don't think I told this on the blog yet. Two years ago, I was walking with Eric and Anand to get breakfast one morning. A local political party leader who had given Anand and the brothers and sisters in the area a lot of trouble in their meetings (even showing up with mobs telling them to disband) spotted us and came over and started yelling with Anand. He was angry that we were there and started interrogating us, but we just brushed it off. After we got back from breakfast though, just to play it safe, we locked up the house and went to the opposite side of the city, and took a fun day with lunch at McDonald's and the afternoon at the surrounding mall. Upon getting to hyderabad this time, I inquired about the guy asking if he still caused trouble, and Anand told me about how he and the guy were now friends. While they don't agree on issues, the guy opened up a snacks shop, and he even now sells Anand snack foods at discounted rate - both because he buys a lot and because he agrees with the cause (that is the home, the fact that Anand has taken these kids off the streets and out of difficult situations). So the persecutor has now become a helper in what God is doing. It amazes me how much things can change in two years.
We are going to the village tomorrow, so please be praying for our efforts there. The whole area is very excited about the school.
Within a little while we drove by an autorikshaw trying to go up a hill diagonally and it flipped over; it was full of people, but as pedestrians ran to help upright it, it appeared no one was seriously hurt. As Tim and I were walking back in the city, a bicycle cut off a scooter, the scooter ran into this movable metal divider in the highway, the divider angled into traffic moving in the opposite direction, and two guys on a motorcycle hit the divider, tumbling them and the bike to the street. The bicycle guy pedaled off almost immediately and the others just brushed it off and got on with their commutes.
After we split up with Anand, he came back to hyderabad today, and we're heading back to the village tomorrow. This time will be for about a week - I know I've said that before and it not happened, but this time we're going. Who knows, our departure date keeps moving, every day the plan seems to change multiple times. Adaptability is so important.
One fun story I've been meaning to share concerns a man from last time (I don't think I told this on the blog yet. Two years ago, I was walking with Eric and Anand to get breakfast one morning. A local political party leader who had given Anand and the brothers and sisters in the area a lot of trouble in their meetings (even showing up with mobs telling them to disband) spotted us and came over and started yelling with Anand. He was angry that we were there and started interrogating us, but we just brushed it off. After we got back from breakfast though, just to play it safe, we locked up the house and went to the opposite side of the city, and took a fun day with lunch at McDonald's and the afternoon at the surrounding mall. Upon getting to hyderabad this time, I inquired about the guy asking if he still caused trouble, and Anand told me about how he and the guy were now friends. While they don't agree on issues, the guy opened up a snacks shop, and he even now sells Anand snack foods at discounted rate - both because he buys a lot and because he agrees with the cause (that is the home, the fact that Anand has taken these kids off the streets and out of difficult situations). So the persecutor has now become a helper in what God is doing. It amazes me how much things can change in two years.
We are going to the village tomorrow, so please be praying for our efforts there. The whole area is very excited about the school.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
weddings weddings and more
so anand and i were walking down the street today, and we ran into one of his neighbors, a guy i met and connected with last time, and at the end of our conversation, he told us about his sister's wedding tonight and invited us. if we go, this will be our 5th indian wedding in about two weeks. be careful what you ask for, last time, i was really disappointed we didn't go to one, so i prayed next time i would. and i thought i would be going to less weddings by spending 7 weeks in india...
6/25-26 went to a Christian wedding today in the state of Karnataka (4 hr bus ride from here). it was in a church sponsored by a umc church from louisville kentucky. i was floored by umc churches everywhere, we were even in villages where the majority of people were christians. interesting that in the same area in just the past few years, churches have been burned under hindu extremist persecution. the wedding itself was a lot like american weddings in its structure, and it was so fun to add to the variety of indian weddings we've attended (hindu and tribal banjara weddings). we stayed the night there with this amazingly welcoming family, we were so blessed.
now we're back in hyderabad, met some people from y.w.a.m. today, sounds like they're doing awesome stuff with their dts school, we might even get to go encourage some students.
on the 1st we're heading back to the village for up to a week. pray for provision, protection, favor in our work (foundations for the home and school buildings are being built as we speak), God's timing - children set to move into their permanent home/school starting out of nowhere before the end of august, and of course the spreading of some great news to the people of the villages.
if that school thing caught you off guard, God gave anand vision to start a school (was already going to home school the home kids anyway) and he already has people in line to teach. there is no school in the village or any surrounding villages, so we talked to families when we were there 3 days ago and they're all interested. because the teachers are servants in minist., school will be affordable to the villagers, while still making a little money to sustain the orphanage. the school plan came together more or less in the past 2 weeks, so our heads are spinning too at the thought of it, but it looks to be an incredible blessing in all of these mostly unreached villages.
6/25-26 went to a Christian wedding today in the state of Karnataka (4 hr bus ride from here). it was in a church sponsored by a umc church from louisville kentucky. i was floored by umc churches everywhere, we were even in villages where the majority of people were christians. interesting that in the same area in just the past few years, churches have been burned under hindu extremist persecution. the wedding itself was a lot like american weddings in its structure, and it was so fun to add to the variety of indian weddings we've attended (hindu and tribal banjara weddings). we stayed the night there with this amazingly welcoming family, we were so blessed.
now we're back in hyderabad, met some people from y.w.a.m. today, sounds like they're doing awesome stuff with their dts school, we might even get to go encourage some students.
on the 1st we're heading back to the village for up to a week. pray for provision, protection, favor in our work (foundations for the home and school buildings are being built as we speak), God's timing - children set to move into their permanent home/school starting out of nowhere before the end of august, and of course the spreading of some great news to the people of the villages.
if that school thing caught you off guard, God gave anand vision to start a school (was already going to home school the home kids anyway) and he already has people in line to teach. there is no school in the village or any surrounding villages, so we talked to families when we were there 3 days ago and they're all interested. because the teachers are servants in minist., school will be affordable to the villagers, while still making a little money to sustain the orphanage. the school plan came together more or less in the past 2 weeks, so our heads are spinning too at the thought of it, but it looks to be an incredible blessing in all of these mostly unreached villages.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
10 things we love about hyderabad
1. everywhere we go, people want to hear the guitar and singing. the american style music is so different to them. its great, because i just use the opportunity to intercede and worship, and it changes the spiritual climate, usually unknowingly for our audiences.
2. 21 awesome kids with all the potential in the world, taken off the streets or given into care by parents with AIDS who can no longer take care of them. anand and others are doing an amazing thing through this children's home. J is moving and providing so incredibly. they were keeping the home in a rental house until the final location could be built, got kicked out a few weeks ago, are now being juggled around with different families, and tomorrow we go to the village where their permanent will be completed, hopefully within a month, to prepare its completiong and arrange their transportation there. anand and other teachers envision it being a home and a school, as the village is way out there and currently has no schooling for any of its people
3. 3 weddings in 4 days. lots of food, small talk, awkward moments, and going with the flow. we're building relationships, all while getting stared at like we're wedding crashers. they were all so different: one was a big nice expensive wedding with hundreds of people, the other a tribal wedding in a remote village. love it
4. Salman Khan, Indian film star. apparently I look like him, according to the kids on our street. look him up and you be the judge
5. pray for M (we'll call him this for now). before J sends out his 12 in Matthew, he tells them they'll be dragged before kings. while we have yet to be literally dragged, we have been blessed with the opportunity to be on a kings court in a sense. he is a local political party leader, real estate king, and generous friend who has taken us into his house. he's currently hindu, but God has been working in his life,. and i liken our situation to Daniel's (or Shad, Mesh, and Abed.'s). we have been blessed with amazing nutrition (not as much the case last time), and have met others "kings" of the area.
6. rest. or lack thereof. we're going to be exhausted wtih a bunch of traveling, and the village we're about to go to for almost a week has no clean water, so we'll be bringing it from a city 3 hrs down the road. interesting.
7. dirty. we're just used to it. we're going to be dirty, pollution, sweat, rain, walking through mud, going now to a village with not a single bathroom (we'll be using the fields). its kinda like soccer camp with no bathrooms.
8. perseverance. pray for it. we realized that we just now reached halfway point. the most difficult, but also the fruition of so much, has yet to come.
9. every day is such a different adventure. two weddings this day. going to visit a guys tae kwon do academy that day, working with the kids the next day, prayer in a prayer tower, going to a farm yesterday. we've been blessed with variety, but its easy to ask, "what's the point?". i'm glad we don't have to see what He's doing to know that its happening. we have become fools for C's sake. i'm okay with that. it makes no sense, but He is doing some awesome things.
10. More. we're going house to house in a place that's never heard for the next few days. probably never seen westerners actually. petition for us to be able to pour out
2. 21 awesome kids with all the potential in the world, taken off the streets or given into care by parents with AIDS who can no longer take care of them. anand and others are doing an amazing thing through this children's home. J is moving and providing so incredibly. they were keeping the home in a rental house until the final location could be built, got kicked out a few weeks ago, are now being juggled around with different families, and tomorrow we go to the village where their permanent will be completed, hopefully within a month, to prepare its completiong and arrange their transportation there. anand and other teachers envision it being a home and a school, as the village is way out there and currently has no schooling for any of its people
3. 3 weddings in 4 days. lots of food, small talk, awkward moments, and going with the flow. we're building relationships, all while getting stared at like we're wedding crashers. they were all so different: one was a big nice expensive wedding with hundreds of people, the other a tribal wedding in a remote village. love it
4. Salman Khan, Indian film star. apparently I look like him, according to the kids on our street. look him up and you be the judge
5. pray for M (we'll call him this for now). before J sends out his 12 in Matthew, he tells them they'll be dragged before kings. while we have yet to be literally dragged, we have been blessed with the opportunity to be on a kings court in a sense. he is a local political party leader, real estate king, and generous friend who has taken us into his house. he's currently hindu, but God has been working in his life,. and i liken our situation to Daniel's (or Shad, Mesh, and Abed.'s). we have been blessed with amazing nutrition (not as much the case last time), and have met others "kings" of the area.
6. rest. or lack thereof. we're going to be exhausted wtih a bunch of traveling, and the village we're about to go to for almost a week has no clean water, so we'll be bringing it from a city 3 hrs down the road. interesting.
7. dirty. we're just used to it. we're going to be dirty, pollution, sweat, rain, walking through mud, going now to a village with not a single bathroom (we'll be using the fields). its kinda like soccer camp with no bathrooms.
8. perseverance. pray for it. we realized that we just now reached halfway point. the most difficult, but also the fruition of so much, has yet to come.
9. every day is such a different adventure. two weddings this day. going to visit a guys tae kwon do academy that day, working with the kids the next day, prayer in a prayer tower, going to a farm yesterday. we've been blessed with variety, but its easy to ask, "what's the point?". i'm glad we don't have to see what He's doing to know that its happening. we have become fools for C's sake. i'm okay with that. it makes no sense, but He is doing some awesome things.
10. More. we're going house to house in a place that's never heard for the next few days. probably never seen westerners actually. petition for us to be able to pour out
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Hyderabad
Wow. Sorry I have failed to write anything thus far. We have been going going going. We are now finally in Hyderabad, where we will be until the 13th, before we go back to Beantown to head out on the 15th, one month from today.
So trip summary thus far. Amazing time teaching morning school and playing with the kids in our house in Bangalore. Feels like home every time I go there (we've been in and out).
We took a trip to Calcutta to volunteer in the Mother Theresa homes, made so famous by her lifetime there. We got to work all day in two different homes, though not Khalighat , the famous home of the dying. We did get to visit there and prayer walk that area of Calcutta. I had about 4 hrs total time of not sweating in our time there, either in AC restaurants or showering. One day it was 111 degrees F with a heat index of 140. We were smart about it and didn't try to do too much, making for an amazing trip in which my father taught me a lot about life and how to feel about poverty, wealth, and the world.
Kristen, Mallory, Tim and I went to Delhi for almost a week. It was amazing. We saw the Taj Mahal, so many other amazing sites, and had so many many instances where all we could do is say, "TII (This is India)" for those unique times where it is so obvious you are not in kansas anymore. I think my favorite was when the driver we hired bribed a cop to not give him a speeding ticket. Welcome to India.
Stayed in Chennai with R. We had an amazing welcome with the local Body and received such a warm welcome. We got to lead songs, Kristen got to preach, we all got to speak about a testimony (they even asked us questions, like we were on a panel). It was fun, we were very blessed and honored.
Now we're in hyderabad. Anand has opened a home and taken in 21 kids of the streets or from AIDS parents who can't take care of them. we'll be with them from here on out. its amazing. 2 years ago, this was his dream. Now we get to be a part of it 2 months into it, seeing God provide in amazing ways. please pray for this new adventure, these kids are amazing. I'll try to update every now and then, but I can't promise anything, this is india.
mike
So trip summary thus far. Amazing time teaching morning school and playing with the kids in our house in Bangalore. Feels like home every time I go there (we've been in and out).
We took a trip to Calcutta to volunteer in the Mother Theresa homes, made so famous by her lifetime there. We got to work all day in two different homes, though not Khalighat , the famous home of the dying. We did get to visit there and prayer walk that area of Calcutta. I had about 4 hrs total time of not sweating in our time there, either in AC restaurants or showering. One day it was 111 degrees F with a heat index of 140. We were smart about it and didn't try to do too much, making for an amazing trip in which my father taught me a lot about life and how to feel about poverty, wealth, and the world.
Kristen, Mallory, Tim and I went to Delhi for almost a week. It was amazing. We saw the Taj Mahal, so many other amazing sites, and had so many many instances where all we could do is say, "TII (This is India)" for those unique times where it is so obvious you are not in kansas anymore. I think my favorite was when the driver we hired bribed a cop to not give him a speeding ticket. Welcome to India.
Stayed in Chennai with R. We had an amazing welcome with the local Body and received such a warm welcome. We got to lead songs, Kristen got to preach, we all got to speak about a testimony (they even asked us questions, like we were on a panel). It was fun, we were very blessed and honored.
Now we're in hyderabad. Anand has opened a home and taken in 21 kids of the streets or from AIDS parents who can't take care of them. we'll be with them from here on out. its amazing. 2 years ago, this was his dream. Now we get to be a part of it 2 months into it, seeing God provide in amazing ways. please pray for this new adventure, these kids are amazing. I'll try to update every now and then, but I can't promise anything, this is india.
mike
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