Sorry I haven't written to update you on the end of our trip! I unfortunately caught a bacterial infection 2 days before we left, and was so sick on our last day I couldn't leave the house, or the bathroom to be exact. I was sick on the plane ride back as well, and am still recovering and slowly building up my stomach once again, still eating mainly applesauce and saltines. Thank you for your prayers, for those of you who heard about my sickness. God is good, and at least I was able to sleep most of the plane ride back!
Our last week in India was the best, by far. Our stay at the ashram was amazing, and really opened our eyes to a lot of what is going on in India, and around the world. The ashram is called a rehabilitation center for the destitute, and it is and so much more. While we were there, we got to do VBS with about 25 kids each day, which was hilarious and so fun. That ran from about 9 until 1 in the mornings, and then the afternoons we helped out around the ashram, or sat around and chatted with the people there. A family from New Zealand is volunteering there for 6 months, so we got to play with their three adorable, accent-laden lads a lot that week.
One of the most touching and heartbreaking circumstances I witnessed at the ashram were three babies that were brought in by a lady and her 9 year old daughter from a nearby slum community. One was 2, another 1 1/2 and the third was 9 months. All 3 looked about 6 months old, and had swollen bellies and skinny arms and legs. The older two were the granddaughters of the woman, and their mothers had basically left them to be cared for by her. They were around 16, and had jobs at the factory. The 9 year old and 9 month old were her children, and the 9 year old was basically a mother to all 3 of the babies as well. She was so hardened by her life circumstances that it took us a few days to get her to open up at all. The poor babies were fed food, but didn't keep much of it down. The 2 year old was eventually put on an IV so she could hold in foods and liquids. It was so sad to see them, but it made my heart long to help them, and children and women like them.
There is so much more to say, but I am short on time, Thanks for your prayers and support! I will tell you more when I see you! Pictures to come!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Off to the Ashram
Annemarie, Abby & I are off to stay in an ashram this upcoming week to do VBS. It is about 2 hours away from where we are currently staying, so instead of going back and forth everyday, we are going to stay up there. We visited last week, and it is amazing. They are doing so much there to help people recover from accidents, help cope with disabilities, and much more. I am glad we get to stay there and be a part of their ministry. I ask f or your payers for our safety traveling there and back (Delhi driving is insane!) and also for continued support and enthusiasm while we are there working with the children. My prayer is that God would use us to tell the children about Him in a fun and joyful way!
This weekend has been nice and relaxed! On Friday, we hung out here with Allison. She made us chicken enchiladas, which is quite a feat here in this place where many ingredients are hard to track down! We watched a movie and took it easy. Then yesterday Annemarie and I went shopping for souvenirs for our families, which was fun, despite the fact that neither of us like shopping! We almost got everyone we needed, but have a few more to get. We went and saw a movie in the afternoon. The movie theaters where we went were amazing, and way nicer than in the US! They have assigned seating, which was really weird, but cool! The seats also recline so you can be almost laying down watching the movie. And it only cost 200 Rs, which is about $4. We saw Bride Wars, which has been out for a while in the States but recently released here. It was a weird experience watching an American movie surrounded by people who live here in India. I'm sure they were expecting Annemarie and I to break out into fighting and then be completely emotion, just like the girls in the movie :-) It was a fun experience, though!
This weekend has been nice and relaxed! On Friday, we hung out here with Allison. She made us chicken enchiladas, which is quite a feat here in this place where many ingredients are hard to track down! We watched a movie and took it easy. Then yesterday Annemarie and I went shopping for souvenirs for our families, which was fun, despite the fact that neither of us like shopping! We almost got everyone we needed, but have a few more to get. We went and saw a movie in the afternoon. The movie theaters where we went were amazing, and way nicer than in the US! They have assigned seating, which was really weird, but cool! The seats also recline so you can be almost laying down watching the movie. And it only cost 200 Rs, which is about $4. We saw Bride Wars, which has been out for a while in the States but recently released here. It was a weird experience watching an American movie surrounded by people who live here in India. I'm sure they were expecting Annemarie and I to break out into fighting and then be completely emotion, just like the girls in the movie :-) It was a fun experience, though!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Vacation Bible School
Annemarie and I have been doing VBS this week, and will also be doing it next week. This week, we are working with Bobby and Elaine, who work with Hindus here in Delhi. They set us up doing a VBS with the children in the neighborhood they used to live in. Since Monday, we have been going for a few hours to work with them in the afternoon. The first day I was a bit intimidated, since we had no idea how old the children were or what facilities we would be working in. We took an auto to Bobby's house, which took about 45 minutes. Allison came with us the first day. Bobby told us a bit about where we were going, but said he did not know how many children would be there, or what the faciltiies would be like. We prayed with him and Elaine and then head over. On the way, we picked up a translator, who also knows Hindi children's songs. Her name is Sweetie, and she definitely lives up to that! She has been such a help to us this week, both in translating, and just being a sweet person to be around. The first day, we had around 7 kids. We played a few games with them, sang songs, told the story of Noah, and then had a snack. It was fun, but we had thought the children would be younger. We were a bit unprepared, and had to scramble to think of games, since most of the children were older boys. Then we took an auto back home, which took about an hour or more, due to traffic.
Tuesday went much better than the first day! Annemarie and I went over to Bobby's house early for lunch, which was excellent. It was good to get to talk to them more, and find out more about their ministry. They both grew up in California, so that was fun to talk about as well! We headed over to VBS around 4, and there were about double the kids, which was great! We did the same rundown as the first day, but this time I told the story of David and Goliath.
Yesterday's VBS was a bit smaller, due to thr afternoon rain that we got. We did have balloons, though, and made balloon animals for the kids, which they loved! Before VBS yesterday, we had a long trek out to the ashram where we will be staying next week. The ashram is a place of refuge for people who have suffered accidents, or have mental or physical deformities. It was a bit intimidating being there, but when we started meeting people and talking to them, I felt much more comfortable. We also got to meet about 15 of the kids we will be doing VBS with next week, which was fun. They are adorable! Annemarie, Abby and I will be staying there for 4 nights next week, and doing 5 days of VBS. We ate lunch there, and got to talk to a few of the foreigners who work there. There is a family there from New Zealand with 3 cute boys, so I am excited to play with them next week, since they are some of the few children that speak English.
Today, Annemarie was not feeling well. She has been having an upset stomach lately, and today we went out to lunch with Abby and Allison, and then were going to head out to VBS. But after lunch, she felt pretty sick, so Allison said she would go in her place. Allison and I headed out to VBS, which went well. It was a little more low key today, and the children seemed more settled into the routine of how things go. I am sad that tomorrow is our last day to play with these kids. They have been fun, and are very respectful! My prayer is that God has used us to touch the children, and that they will remember the stories and the songs that we have sung with them.
Tonight when Allison and I got home, the power was out, which is typical for India! Abby and Annemarie were playing speed scrabble, so we joined in. We had a blast sitting in the dark, with Allison's headlamp on the fan above us so we could all see. We laughed and sweated until the power came on. I am so thankful that we have gotten to stay with and get to know these girls. They are awesome, and I am going to be sad when we have to leave! I will just have to make the most of our time with them until then!
I ask for your prayers for Annemarie and her health. If you could pray that she begins to feel back to normal soon. Also, for preventative for the future. We both have had a bit of sensitive stomachs over here, flaring up at different times. Thanks for reading!
Tuesday went much better than the first day! Annemarie and I went over to Bobby's house early for lunch, which was excellent. It was good to get to talk to them more, and find out more about their ministry. They both grew up in California, so that was fun to talk about as well! We headed over to VBS around 4, and there were about double the kids, which was great! We did the same rundown as the first day, but this time I told the story of David and Goliath.
Yesterday's VBS was a bit smaller, due to thr afternoon rain that we got. We did have balloons, though, and made balloon animals for the kids, which they loved! Before VBS yesterday, we had a long trek out to the ashram where we will be staying next week. The ashram is a place of refuge for people who have suffered accidents, or have mental or physical deformities. It was a bit intimidating being there, but when we started meeting people and talking to them, I felt much more comfortable. We also got to meet about 15 of the kids we will be doing VBS with next week, which was fun. They are adorable! Annemarie, Abby and I will be staying there for 4 nights next week, and doing 5 days of VBS. We ate lunch there, and got to talk to a few of the foreigners who work there. There is a family there from New Zealand with 3 cute boys, so I am excited to play with them next week, since they are some of the few children that speak English.
Today, Annemarie was not feeling well. She has been having an upset stomach lately, and today we went out to lunch with Abby and Allison, and then were going to head out to VBS. But after lunch, she felt pretty sick, so Allison said she would go in her place. Allison and I headed out to VBS, which went well. It was a little more low key today, and the children seemed more settled into the routine of how things go. I am sad that tomorrow is our last day to play with these kids. They have been fun, and are very respectful! My prayer is that God has used us to touch the children, and that they will remember the stories and the songs that we have sung with them.
Tonight when Allison and I got home, the power was out, which is typical for India! Abby and Annemarie were playing speed scrabble, so we joined in. We had a blast sitting in the dark, with Allison's headlamp on the fan above us so we could all see. We laughed and sweated until the power came on. I am so thankful that we have gotten to stay with and get to know these girls. They are awesome, and I am going to be sad when we have to leave! I will just have to make the most of our time with them until then!
I ask for your prayers for Annemarie and her health. If you could pray that she begins to feel back to normal soon. Also, for preventative for the future. We both have had a bit of sensitive stomachs over here, flaring up at different times. Thanks for reading!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Children, In Many Settings!
We finished up our time of talking to Muslims on Thursday evening with attending a night at the mosque where they have musical and worship events. My group basically walked around the mosque and observed what was going on. We tried to talk to a few women, but they seemed a bit preoccupied with the events going on around them, which made it difficult. As we were walking around the market surrounding the mosque, I began to feel extremely uncomfortable. Since arriving here, I have become accustomed with men staring openly at us, simply because we are white. But at this market, I felt it was a bit more extreme than that. Men were walking closer than necessary to us, and one girl in my group got grabbed by a man, which freaked her out. Needless to say, we did not stay long at the market, and went back to meet up with the rest of the group for dinner back at their house. I don't know why I felt more freaked out, but I took it as a sign from God, and was praying for our safety the entire time we were there and driving back home. Thankfully, nothing happened and the feeling went away quickly.
Yesterday was a fun day. We didn't have anything scheduled to do until 4:30, so Annemarie and I decided to go buy some snacks and take them to beggar children around this market place, Janpath. We bought little packs of crackers and cookies and headed out around 12:30 to the market. On the way, we were approached in our auto by a few children, and were able to give them the food. One little girl grabbed the cookies, gave us a smile, and ran back to the sidewalk to share with her friends. A little boy, on the other hand, grabbed the cookies and ran off to hide, pushing the other boys who ran up to him out of the way. I thought it was an accurate portrayal of boys and girls! At the market, we decided to go to a restaurant that I had gone to earlier that week and really enjoyed. Apparently it is an extremely popular restaurant, and there was a long line outside. We put our name on the list, and began trying to talk to women around us. One younger woman was especially friendly, and we started a conversation naturally. A few minutes later, the waiter called our name, and the girl and her mother bid us farewell, with recommendations on what to order. As soon as we walked away, I felt like I should have asked them to sit with us. I told this to Annemarie, and then we decided it was too late now. Not 5 minutes later, we saw the girl and her mom walking around, appearing to be looking for an open table. I felt this was a sign from God to ask them, like He was giving us a second chance. So Annemarie hopped up and asked them if they would join us, and they accepted. We had a great lunch with them. We talked to them about their family, schooling, growing up, food (of course), and slightly about religion. They were both Hindu, and we shared that we were followers of Christ. Unfortunately, we were not able to get much deeper into a conversation, but it was still a great time. After lunch, we headed to the guest house to meet up with the ECBC team.
Once we got there, we all piled into a lady's car(literally piled- I think there were 14 of us in a explorer-like car). We then drove about 30 minutes to a park near a slum community, where we were greeted immediately by about 20 running children. Most of them barely had enough clothing to cover them, and were extremely dirty, but we greeted them with open arms, which they jumped in to! We played games, sang songs, and loved on them for the next 2 hours, and it was tiring, but amazing. By the end, we were all literally dripping from sweat, but I was so touched by the children and their need for love. They were sad to see us leave, and we were sad as well. Thankfully, the people we went with work with the children regularly, as well as their families, and often provide food, water and medications they may need. It was so fun, and we all wished we could do similar things everyday!
Today was a more relaxed day, but greatly convicting and heartwrenching. We all watched a movie this morning telling about children in prostitution in India. The movie was fictional, but it still left a distinct picture in my mind. Allison gave us some facts afterwards that were astounding. There are an estimated 1.3 million children currently involved in prostitution, and probably double the amount of women. Hearing that made me feel greatful for my life, but also like my heart was being torn out for those children. After that, we took a drive in a cab to the red light dictrict here in Delhi, and although we had to stay in the car, we could see many of the women peering out at the street through their barred windows. All we could do was pray for them, and for now that is enough. I pray that God will bring people into their lives to remove them from their situations, and if He desires for me to help with this type of ministry someday, I pray I will be willing and strong enough too. I am thankful that He opened my eyes to it today.
Yesterday was a fun day. We didn't have anything scheduled to do until 4:30, so Annemarie and I decided to go buy some snacks and take them to beggar children around this market place, Janpath. We bought little packs of crackers and cookies and headed out around 12:30 to the market. On the way, we were approached in our auto by a few children, and were able to give them the food. One little girl grabbed the cookies, gave us a smile, and ran back to the sidewalk to share with her friends. A little boy, on the other hand, grabbed the cookies and ran off to hide, pushing the other boys who ran up to him out of the way. I thought it was an accurate portrayal of boys and girls! At the market, we decided to go to a restaurant that I had gone to earlier that week and really enjoyed. Apparently it is an extremely popular restaurant, and there was a long line outside. We put our name on the list, and began trying to talk to women around us. One younger woman was especially friendly, and we started a conversation naturally. A few minutes later, the waiter called our name, and the girl and her mother bid us farewell, with recommendations on what to order. As soon as we walked away, I felt like I should have asked them to sit with us. I told this to Annemarie, and then we decided it was too late now. Not 5 minutes later, we saw the girl and her mom walking around, appearing to be looking for an open table. I felt this was a sign from God to ask them, like He was giving us a second chance. So Annemarie hopped up and asked them if they would join us, and they accepted. We had a great lunch with them. We talked to them about their family, schooling, growing up, food (of course), and slightly about religion. They were both Hindu, and we shared that we were followers of Christ. Unfortunately, we were not able to get much deeper into a conversation, but it was still a great time. After lunch, we headed to the guest house to meet up with the ECBC team.
Once we got there, we all piled into a lady's car(literally piled- I think there were 14 of us in a explorer-like car). We then drove about 30 minutes to a park near a slum community, where we were greeted immediately by about 20 running children. Most of them barely had enough clothing to cover them, and were extremely dirty, but we greeted them with open arms, which they jumped in to! We played games, sang songs, and loved on them for the next 2 hours, and it was tiring, but amazing. By the end, we were all literally dripping from sweat, but I was so touched by the children and their need for love. They were sad to see us leave, and we were sad as well. Thankfully, the people we went with work with the children regularly, as well as their families, and often provide food, water and medications they may need. It was so fun, and we all wished we could do similar things everyday!
Today was a more relaxed day, but greatly convicting and heartwrenching. We all watched a movie this morning telling about children in prostitution in India. The movie was fictional, but it still left a distinct picture in my mind. Allison gave us some facts afterwards that were astounding. There are an estimated 1.3 million children currently involved in prostitution, and probably double the amount of women. Hearing that made me feel greatful for my life, but also like my heart was being torn out for those children. After that, we took a drive in a cab to the red light dictrict here in Delhi, and although we had to stay in the car, we could see many of the women peering out at the street through their barred windows. All we could do was pray for them, and for now that is enough. I pray that God will bring people into their lives to remove them from their situations, and if He desires for me to help with this type of ministry someday, I pray I will be willing and strong enough too. I am thankful that He opened my eyes to it today.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Hospitality and Mehndi
These last few days have been crazy, but great! On Monday, we joined with a team of volunteers here from East Cooper Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and we will be working with them all week. On Monday, we had a day of fun and exploring Delhi, while getting to share with the people we encountered. I was in a group all day with two girls from the ECBC team, Amanda and Paige, and we had a great day. We got to talk to a pilot from Miami, and she walked around with us for a bit, and then we got to share the Gospel with a shopkeeper, and give him a New Testament. After running around and completing various tasks and finding information, we met the other 4 teams at these beautiful gardens called the Loti Gardens. There are ancient ruins there of beautiful temples, and we had time to walk around and take pictures there.
Annemarie & I got to play frisbee with a girl & her brother & then talk to her aboutfamily, school and faith. She has been raised Catholic, which is uncommon for this area, and shared with us a bit about why she is, and how all of her family members are as well. After sharing, we walked about 2 minutes through the Gardens to a beatiful, upscale restaurant where we were having dinner. It was one of the most beatiful restaurants I have ever eaten at, complete with an outdoor patio with lanterns, lounging furniture, and flowers. We ate a delicious Italian meal (which was roughly $10 American dollards!)then headed home. It was a great day, and I really got to know the ECBC team members well.
Yesterday was another busy day. We had to be up and at the house where the team is staying by 8:30, and that meant we had to leave here to catch an auto rickshaw by 8:15. Once there, we had a Bible study together, and then two missionaries, Paul and Aaron came and taught us about Muslims, and strategies to use to evangelize to them. We had about 2 hours of instrution, along with practicing telling our testimonies. Then we were split up into teams, and given locations where we were going to go to try and speak and share with Muslim women. My team, which had Abby (who I live with), Chafin and Cami, was assigned to a mosque in Mohrauli. We decided the best time to go would be around 4, when the head had subsided some. We had the afternoon free, in which Annemarie and I watched Jaws (so good...) and then headed out. We had to wear the full Indian suits, as well as dupatas (scarfs that cover our heads) since we were going to the mosque. We took an auto there, and then got out and walked around. We had only been there about 15 minutes when we met and began talking to a young woman, Heena, who spoke English. She answered the questions we had about the mosque, and then invited us to her house. We accepted, since it is extremely common inIndian culture, particularly with foreigners, and followed her about 5 minutes to her house.
We were invited to a downstairs bedroom by her mother and aunt, who immediately began chatting with us and asking us questions about where we were from, what we were doing in Delhi, and if we were Muslim. Then other family members started to come rolling in, and kept on coming. We met about 20 other members of Heena's family, all who live in the same house, which is quite wide-spread. There were two adorable little babies that Chafin and I got to hold for a long time, which was so fun. Heena brought us cold soda first, and then after about a half an hour, they asked to take picutres with us, because we were so tall and blonde. We were then invited upstairs, where there was AC, and served cake and ice cream, which we nibbled on while about 15 of the relatives, mostly children just watched us. We did get to have an extensive talk with Heena's aunt about her faith, and ask her and her husband questions about what they believe about their own religion and about Jesus. Cami got to share her testimony, which was awesome. The family then gave us 2 bracelets each, and Heena asked if we wanted henna done on our hands. I was so excited, since I have always wanted it, and so we all got one hand done in beatiful henna. By that time, we had been there about 2 1/2 hours, and said we should be going. They invited us to stay for dinner (of course!) but we refused, and made our escape, after I got Heena's phone number. They invited us back anytime! (Oh yeah, another name for henna is Mehndi- hence the title of the blog :-)
Being here in India, especially yesterday with Heena's family, has shown me how friendly and hospitable the people are. They will invite anyone in, even if they just met you, and caiter to your every whim, and more! I have never experienced such a trust anywhere, and I love it. They are also very open to talk about their religion, since it is such a huge part of life here, although most are well-versed and strong in what they believe. They listen respectfully, but from what I have seen do not seem too willing to think in the way we suggest.
I am excited to be working with and talking to Muslims, which we did again today and wil do tomorrow. They are so convinced that there are rituals and methods that make you saved by allah, and I feel like we have a common ground to build on and talk about. Although my group did not have a very succesful time today talking to the very few women we could find on a Muslim university campus, I know tomorrow is a new day, and I will pray that God will send us more people to talk to and share with.
Annemarie & I got to play frisbee with a girl & her brother & then talk to her aboutfamily, school and faith. She has been raised Catholic, which is uncommon for this area, and shared with us a bit about why she is, and how all of her family members are as well. After sharing, we walked about 2 minutes through the Gardens to a beatiful, upscale restaurant where we were having dinner. It was one of the most beatiful restaurants I have ever eaten at, complete with an outdoor patio with lanterns, lounging furniture, and flowers. We ate a delicious Italian meal (which was roughly $10 American dollards!)then headed home. It was a great day, and I really got to know the ECBC team members well.
Yesterday was another busy day. We had to be up and at the house where the team is staying by 8:30, and that meant we had to leave here to catch an auto rickshaw by 8:15. Once there, we had a Bible study together, and then two missionaries, Paul and Aaron came and taught us about Muslims, and strategies to use to evangelize to them. We had about 2 hours of instrution, along with practicing telling our testimonies. Then we were split up into teams, and given locations where we were going to go to try and speak and share with Muslim women. My team, which had Abby (who I live with), Chafin and Cami, was assigned to a mosque in Mohrauli. We decided the best time to go would be around 4, when the head had subsided some. We had the afternoon free, in which Annemarie and I watched Jaws (so good...) and then headed out. We had to wear the full Indian suits, as well as dupatas (scarfs that cover our heads) since we were going to the mosque. We took an auto there, and then got out and walked around. We had only been there about 15 minutes when we met and began talking to a young woman, Heena, who spoke English. She answered the questions we had about the mosque, and then invited us to her house. We accepted, since it is extremely common inIndian culture, particularly with foreigners, and followed her about 5 minutes to her house.
We were invited to a downstairs bedroom by her mother and aunt, who immediately began chatting with us and asking us questions about where we were from, what we were doing in Delhi, and if we were Muslim. Then other family members started to come rolling in, and kept on coming. We met about 20 other members of Heena's family, all who live in the same house, which is quite wide-spread. There were two adorable little babies that Chafin and I got to hold for a long time, which was so fun. Heena brought us cold soda first, and then after about a half an hour, they asked to take picutres with us, because we were so tall and blonde. We were then invited upstairs, where there was AC, and served cake and ice cream, which we nibbled on while about 15 of the relatives, mostly children just watched us. We did get to have an extensive talk with Heena's aunt about her faith, and ask her and her husband questions about what they believe about their own religion and about Jesus. Cami got to share her testimony, which was awesome. The family then gave us 2 bracelets each, and Heena asked if we wanted henna done on our hands. I was so excited, since I have always wanted it, and so we all got one hand done in beatiful henna. By that time, we had been there about 2 1/2 hours, and said we should be going. They invited us to stay for dinner (of course!) but we refused, and made our escape, after I got Heena's phone number. They invited us back anytime! (Oh yeah, another name for henna is Mehndi- hence the title of the blog :-)
Being here in India, especially yesterday with Heena's family, has shown me how friendly and hospitable the people are. They will invite anyone in, even if they just met you, and caiter to your every whim, and more! I have never experienced such a trust anywhere, and I love it. They are also very open to talk about their religion, since it is such a huge part of life here, although most are well-versed and strong in what they believe. They listen respectfully, but from what I have seen do not seem too willing to think in the way we suggest.
I am excited to be working with and talking to Muslims, which we did again today and wil do tomorrow. They are so convinced that there are rituals and methods that make you saved by allah, and I feel like we have a common ground to build on and talk about. Although my group did not have a very succesful time today talking to the very few women we could find on a Muslim university campus, I know tomorrow is a new day, and I will pray that God will send us more people to talk to and share with.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
The Great Commission
Since coming to Delhi, I have been informed, for the first time, about the classification of people throughout the world into different people groups. These groups are then broken down further into unreached people groups and unengaged, unreached people groups. As I have been learning and researching more about this topic, I have been amazed to see that I am in the country that has the highest amount of unengaged, unreached people groups in the entire world! This classification means that the people here have less than 2% Christianity, and many haven ever even heard the Gospel before. Unengaged means that there is no active church planting occuring. I was blown away by the fact that out of roughly 16,000 people groups, around 6,600 are unreached and unengaged! And of that number, 2,500 people groups are in India, 2,200 of which are considered unreached!
Being here has invoked a passion for the spreading the Gospel in me that has been subdued for too long. Being around people who are primarily Hindu has shown me how lost the world truly is, and how their daily rituals and offerings are symbolic of the works their faith requires. As I see people praying to their man-made idols, I wish I could share with them the love and grace of Jesus, and that they would accept it. Sadly, so many of them have been born into a specific caste, and therefore a specific religion. The other day, we had a cab driver who said he was a Christian, but when we asked him more questions, he said that was because his family is Christian, and he was born into it. Although the people here are extremely spiritual, it is hard to change their minds about what they have been raised to believe. God has definitely been showing me how important and needed the Gospel is, and people to share it. Now all I need Him to show me is where He wants me to serve! India is looking like a pretty vital part of the world.
If you want more info on people groups, here's a great map and website:
http://www.joshuaproject.net/assets/JPProgressScaleMap.pdf
Being here has invoked a passion for the spreading the Gospel in me that has been subdued for too long. Being around people who are primarily Hindu has shown me how lost the world truly is, and how their daily rituals and offerings are symbolic of the works their faith requires. As I see people praying to their man-made idols, I wish I could share with them the love and grace of Jesus, and that they would accept it. Sadly, so many of them have been born into a specific caste, and therefore a specific religion. The other day, we had a cab driver who said he was a Christian, but when we asked him more questions, he said that was because his family is Christian, and he was born into it. Although the people here are extremely spiritual, it is hard to change their minds about what they have been raised to believe. God has definitely been showing me how important and needed the Gospel is, and people to share it. Now all I need Him to show me is where He wants me to serve! India is looking like a pretty vital part of the world.
If you want more info on people groups, here's a great map and website:
http://www.joshuaproject.net/assets/JPProgressScaleMap.pdf
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Heat Wave
People warned us about the relenting heat of India, but I don't think anything could have prepared us for the heat we have experienced in the last few days! I think I have sweat more in the past 48 hours than in my entire life combined. Annemarie and I toured the city of Delhi both yesterday and the day before. On Wednesday, we traveled by auto, which is a cab with 3 wheels that has a cover, but no closed in sides. Then yesterday we traveled in the Murrays air-conditioned car for part of the day, but then by rickshaw, or a bicycle that a man rides, for about 2 hours. It was definitely a great experience, but a hot one! I would guess it was about 110 degrees both days, with an insane amount of humidity. But, we had a great time!
On Wednesday, I traveled around Delhi with Abby and two girls from South Carolina who are going to Nepal for 5 weeks to teach English. Abby wanted tp expose themt to a bit of the Nepali culture in Delhi, and I was simply along for the ride. Abby and I left our house around 9 in the morning, caught an auto, and traveled the hour up to Karol Baugh, where many of the team members from South Carolina Baptist Church are staying. We picked up a Nepali woman, Gita, who works with one of the company families, and she was to serve as our guide for the day. We picked up Meredith and Heather, the girls traveling to Nepal, and headed out to see the city. We had to catch 2 autos for the rest of the day, since they can only hold 3 maximum, and headed to see a Buddhist and Hindu temple. We had to wander around a bit to try and find the ones Abby knew of, but we eventually found them. It was very interesting to get to go inside each one, and see how they are similar and different. The Buddhist temple was much smaller, and less showy than the Hindu ones. They have much less idols that they worship, and we got to talk with the man who runs the temple for a bit. The Hindu temple, although one of the smaller ones for Delhi, was filled with idols, colorfully painted and embellished with jewels and fancy clothing. The man inside explained to us what each idol symbolized, and then tried to paint the Hindu symbol on our foreheads, which we kindly refused. It was interesting to see the Indian people who were coming into each temple to worship and pray, and the rituals they performed.
After seeing the temples, we got back in the autos and headed down to a Nepali area where furniture is sold. We ate lunch at a delicious little Nepali restaurant that is owned by people from Gita's church. We got to try momo's, which are like dumplings, and also a variety of other dishes. After lunch, we walked around the area and prayed for the people living there and their salvation. Then we went to a smaller village with a high Nepali population and met with Gita's pastor. He was friendly, and spoke broken English, so the girls were able to ask him questions about Nepal and how to affectively minister and share the Gospel with people there. It was humbling and inspiring to see the small room where his church meets, and to hear about the persecution he experiences daily from the Indian people, as well as from his own family, for being a Christian. He showed us around the village, and we got to sit down and talk to a Nepali woman who is Hindu. She was very friendly, and had a lot of things to say about Nepal, but not really about her religion. As I walked around, I prayed fervently for the salvation of the people I was seeing. So many of them turn to their pagan idols for peace and prosperity, but are so lost without Jesus. I prayed that they would have people come into their lives that would be able to reach out to them, and share the Gospel with them.
After walking around in the village for about 45 minutes, we were sweating so much that we could barely keep moving. I was amazed that despite the high amounts of water I was drinking, my body was using all of it to produce enough sweat to keep my body cool, and I have not yet had to use an Indian restroom! We headed back into the rickshaws and came back home, while Meredith and Heather went back to Karol Baugh. About 45 minutes after we got home and showered, Abby said she was going to teach English to a small group of children, like she does every Wednesday night. I decided to go with her, since Annemarie and Allison were still out on their adventure. We took an auto about 15 minutes, picked up a pastor of a local Christian church, and headed out to a woman's house. We met in a bedroom of her house, with about 8 children, both from Christian and Hindu homes. The moment I walked in, they were immediately curious, and kept sneaking glances at me, smiling, and giggling. Abby taught them the days of the week, colors, and months in English, and then taught them how to play i Spy. I Loved watching them interact with Abby and each other, and also play a new game. They were so excited, and started guessing everything imaginable, especially on me. At one point a little boy said "green", and it ended up being the tattoo on my foot! After the lesson, I got to talk a bit with the children, and they asked me questions about where I was from and what I do. They were adorable, and I can't wait to go back next week!
The pastor led a home fellowship group right after the lesson, and he spontaneously asked me to share my testimony with the few people who were gathered. I was a bit nervous and thrown off by his request, but decided to say a prayer and go for it. I only shared about 5 minutes, and one passage from Romans, but it was a great experience. He translated for me, and then gave his own talk going off of what I said. I was excited to be a part of their worship service, and see their passion. Afterwards, the owner of the house made chai tea for us, which was amazing, and then we headed back home. It was definitely a stretching experience for me, and Abby shared with me on the way back that I will probably get asked to share a lot while I am here. Now I need to pray that God will provide me with the words to say!
Yesterday was another great and busy day of travelling around. The whole Murray family, Randy Debbie, Corbin and Hannah, picked us up around 11:00. We drove to this place called the Red Fort, which is a huge fort build by the Indian army in the 1700's. Although it was already sweltering out, we braved the heat and walked from the parking lot to the fort, and then all around inside for about an hour. We hired an Indian tour guide who told us the history of the fort. It was great. Then we took rickshaws around to Chandi Chowk. which is a market filled with wedding attire, spices, and everything else imaginable. It was a fun experience to be able to sit back in the rickshaws and watch everything and everyone while we were being towed around. We ate at a famous non-veg Indian restaurant inside the market, which was excellent. The restaurants here always indicate whether they are vegetarian or non-veg, due to the high amount of Hindus. We had a variety of dishes, my favorite being chicken tikka, paneer (like tofu), and rita (a type of bread). Then we headed deeper into the market, where the spices were so overwhelming that they filled my nose and made me sneeze! We bought some nuts and tea to make chai, and then headed back to the Murrays car.
They then drove us to Kahn Market, which is a more westernized area, and we had Costa Coffee, which reminded us a lot of an American coffee shop. We went to KFC next to meet with another company member to swap cars, and ran into a couple who works with the Murrays, and who Annemarie and I will be working with in a few weeks for vacation Bible school. We ended up talking to them for about an hour about what we will be doing, who we will be working with, and all the details. It was exciting to hear, and we found out we will be planning the lessons for the VBS! The Murrays took us home after that, and we crashed after a full two days.
It has been great to hear the stories of the people who work with Randy and Debbie, along with their own, about how God led them here, and what He has been doing with their lives. It makes me more passionate and excited to hear how God used them, and I have been praying about how He wants to use me, both now and after this trip. He is teaching me so much already, and I am stoked to see what the rest of the trip holds! I am now going to try and go back to sleep, since I have been up for about an hour and it is still 6 in the morning! Thanks for reading, if you still are :-)
On Wednesday, I traveled around Delhi with Abby and two girls from South Carolina who are going to Nepal for 5 weeks to teach English. Abby wanted tp expose themt to a bit of the Nepali culture in Delhi, and I was simply along for the ride. Abby and I left our house around 9 in the morning, caught an auto, and traveled the hour up to Karol Baugh, where many of the team members from South Carolina Baptist Church are staying. We picked up a Nepali woman, Gita, who works with one of the company families, and she was to serve as our guide for the day. We picked up Meredith and Heather, the girls traveling to Nepal, and headed out to see the city. We had to catch 2 autos for the rest of the day, since they can only hold 3 maximum, and headed to see a Buddhist and Hindu temple. We had to wander around a bit to try and find the ones Abby knew of, but we eventually found them. It was very interesting to get to go inside each one, and see how they are similar and different. The Buddhist temple was much smaller, and less showy than the Hindu ones. They have much less idols that they worship, and we got to talk with the man who runs the temple for a bit. The Hindu temple, although one of the smaller ones for Delhi, was filled with idols, colorfully painted and embellished with jewels and fancy clothing. The man inside explained to us what each idol symbolized, and then tried to paint the Hindu symbol on our foreheads, which we kindly refused. It was interesting to see the Indian people who were coming into each temple to worship and pray, and the rituals they performed.
After seeing the temples, we got back in the autos and headed down to a Nepali area where furniture is sold. We ate lunch at a delicious little Nepali restaurant that is owned by people from Gita's church. We got to try momo's, which are like dumplings, and also a variety of other dishes. After lunch, we walked around the area and prayed for the people living there and their salvation. Then we went to a smaller village with a high Nepali population and met with Gita's pastor. He was friendly, and spoke broken English, so the girls were able to ask him questions about Nepal and how to affectively minister and share the Gospel with people there. It was humbling and inspiring to see the small room where his church meets, and to hear about the persecution he experiences daily from the Indian people, as well as from his own family, for being a Christian. He showed us around the village, and we got to sit down and talk to a Nepali woman who is Hindu. She was very friendly, and had a lot of things to say about Nepal, but not really about her religion. As I walked around, I prayed fervently for the salvation of the people I was seeing. So many of them turn to their pagan idols for peace and prosperity, but are so lost without Jesus. I prayed that they would have people come into their lives that would be able to reach out to them, and share the Gospel with them.
After walking around in the village for about 45 minutes, we were sweating so much that we could barely keep moving. I was amazed that despite the high amounts of water I was drinking, my body was using all of it to produce enough sweat to keep my body cool, and I have not yet had to use an Indian restroom! We headed back into the rickshaws and came back home, while Meredith and Heather went back to Karol Baugh. About 45 minutes after we got home and showered, Abby said she was going to teach English to a small group of children, like she does every Wednesday night. I decided to go with her, since Annemarie and Allison were still out on their adventure. We took an auto about 15 minutes, picked up a pastor of a local Christian church, and headed out to a woman's house. We met in a bedroom of her house, with about 8 children, both from Christian and Hindu homes. The moment I walked in, they were immediately curious, and kept sneaking glances at me, smiling, and giggling. Abby taught them the days of the week, colors, and months in English, and then taught them how to play i Spy. I Loved watching them interact with Abby and each other, and also play a new game. They were so excited, and started guessing everything imaginable, especially on me. At one point a little boy said "green", and it ended up being the tattoo on my foot! After the lesson, I got to talk a bit with the children, and they asked me questions about where I was from and what I do. They were adorable, and I can't wait to go back next week!
The pastor led a home fellowship group right after the lesson, and he spontaneously asked me to share my testimony with the few people who were gathered. I was a bit nervous and thrown off by his request, but decided to say a prayer and go for it. I only shared about 5 minutes, and one passage from Romans, but it was a great experience. He translated for me, and then gave his own talk going off of what I said. I was excited to be a part of their worship service, and see their passion. Afterwards, the owner of the house made chai tea for us, which was amazing, and then we headed back home. It was definitely a stretching experience for me, and Abby shared with me on the way back that I will probably get asked to share a lot while I am here. Now I need to pray that God will provide me with the words to say!
Yesterday was another great and busy day of travelling around. The whole Murray family, Randy Debbie, Corbin and Hannah, picked us up around 11:00. We drove to this place called the Red Fort, which is a huge fort build by the Indian army in the 1700's. Although it was already sweltering out, we braved the heat and walked from the parking lot to the fort, and then all around inside for about an hour. We hired an Indian tour guide who told us the history of the fort. It was great. Then we took rickshaws around to Chandi Chowk. which is a market filled with wedding attire, spices, and everything else imaginable. It was a fun experience to be able to sit back in the rickshaws and watch everything and everyone while we were being towed around. We ate at a famous non-veg Indian restaurant inside the market, which was excellent. The restaurants here always indicate whether they are vegetarian or non-veg, due to the high amount of Hindus. We had a variety of dishes, my favorite being chicken tikka, paneer (like tofu), and rita (a type of bread). Then we headed deeper into the market, where the spices were so overwhelming that they filled my nose and made me sneeze! We bought some nuts and tea to make chai, and then headed back to the Murrays car.
They then drove us to Kahn Market, which is a more westernized area, and we had Costa Coffee, which reminded us a lot of an American coffee shop. We went to KFC next to meet with another company member to swap cars, and ran into a couple who works with the Murrays, and who Annemarie and I will be working with in a few weeks for vacation Bible school. We ended up talking to them for about an hour about what we will be doing, who we will be working with, and all the details. It was exciting to hear, and we found out we will be planning the lessons for the VBS! The Murrays took us home after that, and we crashed after a full two days.
It has been great to hear the stories of the people who work with Randy and Debbie, along with their own, about how God led them here, and what He has been doing with their lives. It makes me more passionate and excited to hear how God used them, and I have been praying about how He wants to use me, both now and after this trip. He is teaching me so much already, and I am stoked to see what the rest of the trip holds! I am now going to try and go back to sleep, since I have been up for about an hour and it is still 6 in the morning! Thanks for reading, if you still are :-)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Culture Shock-Delhi!
I have decided to keep a blog of my trip here in India to keep you updated! Annemarie and I arrived yesterday in New Delhi, India at 6:20 AM after a 23 hour venture of flights/ layovers. We flew from San Francisco to London, where we had a 4 hour layover. That flight was around 10 hours, and neither Annemarie or I slept at all unfortunately. Then we flew from London to Delhi, which was about 7 hours. When we arrived in Delhi, we were greeted by the humidity. We went through customs, and got our passports stamped, exchanged our U.S dollars for rupees ($100= $4,450 rupees!)and entered India. Then we ventured out of the doors of the airport to the street, hoping to find the Murrays, who are the missionary family that was picking us up. As we walked out, we both immediately began to panick a little bit. Here we are in a foreign country, by ourselves, surrounded by Indian people trying to get us to ride in their taxis. Thankfully, not one minute later, Debbie Murray and her daughter Hannah rounded the corner, follwed by Randy and their son Corbin. We exchanged hellos and were off in their Jeep-like car to the house where we will be staying for the month. We were both so tired that it was hard to make decent conversation with them, but they were so welcoming and friendly that they made it easy. The streets of Delhi, even at that early morning hour, were packed with people, and I thought we were going to get into a crash at least 10 times. People don't drive in their designated lanes, and cars, bicycles, rickshaws and autos are everywhere! We made it safely to our house, however, and were greeted by Allison, one of the interning girls we are living with. She gave us a quick tour of the house, and then we crashed to get a few hours of sleep.
When we woke up, we were greeted with the Delhi heat, which was about 104 degrees and humid. The girls said that that was about 10 degrees cooler than it has been, and that we were lucky! Allison and Abby, the other intern, were up and about in our place, and we decided to go with them on a few errands around the city. We traveled by taxi, which is unusual due to the higher price, and went to the Bible Society, where we saw a Hindu Bible, and then went to a hotel where a group from South Carolina that we will be working with all of next week is staying. We had a quick meeting with them, grabbed some lunch at McDonalds (which was a completely different menu. I got a McVeggie sandwich), and then headed off to the Murrays. Once there, Debbie and Hannah took us to a few local shops to find a kurta, which is an Indian tunic-type top that we will be required to wear during our time here. I had thought that they would be strange and unattractive, but the fabrics that they use are amazingly beautiful! We had trouble deciding which ones to buy. Since the stores were a bit higher end, we ended up buying one each and decided to look more the next day. Then the Murrays and Allison took us to an authentic Indian restaurant, which was delicious! We had naan bread, daal, chicken, and potatoes in a spicy sauce. It was amazing, and so fun to eat with them and get to know them, even though both of us were extremely jet-lagged! After dinner, we drove home and crashed once again.
This morning, I woke up around 6:30, fully rested and excited to be waking up in India! We had some down time in the morning until 1:00, so Allison took us to a local grocery store, along with veggie and fruit stands. There is such a wide variety of fresh fruits and veggies, and I was in heaven deciding what to buy! The grocery store was also a fun experience, and we bought 3 bags full of groceries for the equivalent of around $12.00! Then Debbie and Hannah picked us up and we went shopping once again for kurtas, and full outfits to wear. We went to a flea market, and there were about a 100 different stores that sold different fabrics and styles. Debbie directed us to the best buys, and we picked out 4 kurtas and 2 pairs of pants, which are soooo beautiful! Then we stopped at Cafe Coffee Day, which is a cute little coffee chain that they have througout Delhi. It felt so refreshing after being out in the heat. The strangest thing about the market were the abundance of children beggars flooding the streets. They would come right up to you and put their hand to their mouth, asking for money or food. It was hard to ignore them, but Debbie said that you just have to learn to. The poverty here is overwhelming in places, and it is difficult to pass by and not even acknowledge the children so obviously suffering. But all you can really do is say a prayer for them.
After our market venture, we went back to the Murrays for a few minutes, and then went to a fellowship dinner with about 15 people from their company. It was a great time of worship, good food, and Biblical discussion. It was encouraging to see people who live here and get to talk to them and find out where they are from and what they do. They all seem to have such a passion for their purposes here, and are so on fire for God. It was really encouraging to see! Now we are back in for the night, and the AC is on and our house is refreshingly cool. We can only run the AC at night, due to the high cost, so we should enjoy it while we can. I'm about to call it a night soon. More later!
When we woke up, we were greeted with the Delhi heat, which was about 104 degrees and humid. The girls said that that was about 10 degrees cooler than it has been, and that we were lucky! Allison and Abby, the other intern, were up and about in our place, and we decided to go with them on a few errands around the city. We traveled by taxi, which is unusual due to the higher price, and went to the Bible Society, where we saw a Hindu Bible, and then went to a hotel where a group from South Carolina that we will be working with all of next week is staying. We had a quick meeting with them, grabbed some lunch at McDonalds (which was a completely different menu. I got a McVeggie sandwich), and then headed off to the Murrays. Once there, Debbie and Hannah took us to a few local shops to find a kurta, which is an Indian tunic-type top that we will be required to wear during our time here. I had thought that they would be strange and unattractive, but the fabrics that they use are amazingly beautiful! We had trouble deciding which ones to buy. Since the stores were a bit higher end, we ended up buying one each and decided to look more the next day. Then the Murrays and Allison took us to an authentic Indian restaurant, which was delicious! We had naan bread, daal, chicken, and potatoes in a spicy sauce. It was amazing, and so fun to eat with them and get to know them, even though both of us were extremely jet-lagged! After dinner, we drove home and crashed once again.
This morning, I woke up around 6:30, fully rested and excited to be waking up in India! We had some down time in the morning until 1:00, so Allison took us to a local grocery store, along with veggie and fruit stands. There is such a wide variety of fresh fruits and veggies, and I was in heaven deciding what to buy! The grocery store was also a fun experience, and we bought 3 bags full of groceries for the equivalent of around $12.00! Then Debbie and Hannah picked us up and we went shopping once again for kurtas, and full outfits to wear. We went to a flea market, and there were about a 100 different stores that sold different fabrics and styles. Debbie directed us to the best buys, and we picked out 4 kurtas and 2 pairs of pants, which are soooo beautiful! Then we stopped at Cafe Coffee Day, which is a cute little coffee chain that they have througout Delhi. It felt so refreshing after being out in the heat. The strangest thing about the market were the abundance of children beggars flooding the streets. They would come right up to you and put their hand to their mouth, asking for money or food. It was hard to ignore them, but Debbie said that you just have to learn to. The poverty here is overwhelming in places, and it is difficult to pass by and not even acknowledge the children so obviously suffering. But all you can really do is say a prayer for them.
After our market venture, we went back to the Murrays for a few minutes, and then went to a fellowship dinner with about 15 people from their company. It was a great time of worship, good food, and Biblical discussion. It was encouraging to see people who live here and get to talk to them and find out where they are from and what they do. They all seem to have such a passion for their purposes here, and are so on fire for God. It was really encouraging to see! Now we are back in for the night, and the AC is on and our house is refreshingly cool. We can only run the AC at night, due to the high cost, so we should enjoy it while we can. I'm about to call it a night soon. More later!
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