Friday, November 23, 2007

"Only In India Moments"

Here's some funny things that i have decided that you can only find or experience in India.

- Only In India (OII) can you find elephants walking on a city street.
-OII can you go into your bathroom and find a frog in the toilet and lizard in the window.(They keep me company)
-OII do people eat with their right hand, clean themselves with their left hand, but use a spoon to eat a doughnut.(Don't ask)
-OII can you buy home made mango icecream off the street, and then eat it off a giant banana leaf.(Tastes great)
-OII can you be packed into a train car and stare eye to eye at the person 2cm from your face the whole way and it not be disrespectful.(Its actually like a contest)
-OII can you find tea on every corner, at ever hour of the night.(i had tea at 4am the first night i was here)

Greetings From india!

Hello everyone! Sorry i haven't updated in so long, i have been trying to build up my e-mailing list for all of my updates.

As most of you know I arrived in India on November 1. It has been one interesting, crazy ride so far but i am loving every minute of it. It is a complete different world! I'm living and doing ministry just an hour and a half outside Mumbai, India's largest city. The Teen Challenge Center where i live and work is in the the outskirts of surrounding mountain ranges and jungle. Its beautiful, away from the crazy city and a little community of its own. We call it Ashagram which means Villiage of Hope. This is where men, women, and children come to recover from the lives of addiction, slavery, and the street. I have the great privelege of working with the boys unit here at Ashagram. 36 boys ageing from (8-16) from all different backrounds, religion, and even countries! I have been teaching their regular evening chapel each night and it has been so amazing. I have been building relationship with each of them and they are really enjoying my creative method of teaching. I really wanted to teach them the bible in a way that is interesting and real to them, a way that is different from anything they have ever experienced, and God has been faithful to give me the material and creativity to do just that.

In December im planning to start a small group with the older boys. God has really put them on my heart, for it was at 16 that God really started molding and shaping who i am today, it was during that time that he put specific people in my life to see me through to the finish and to never quit no matter how hard or impossible it may have seemed. I really want to support these guys, they dont have parents pushing them to do something with their life, or a close friend to tell them to dream and believe for whatever they want. I want to be someone that can stand beside them, dream with them, and encourage and support them in finding their calling, what God has for each individual, and do everything i can to help get them there. Im really excited for this to start and i think God is going to do amazing things through it. It's only about 6 boys that i will be discipling, but my prayer is that i can follow Jesus' example; Pour my life into a few, and witness the change and salvation of many.