a taste of northern india

India is a place unlike any other.  If you have ever met anyone who's been there, ask them for stories.  With over a billion people living there, you'll have quite a few unique and humorous experiences.  Here are some of mine...

Delhi -
Our first full day in India, we did some exploring.  We traveled to this small park in the city and were approached by young Indian guy.  He came up to Zach and showed him a paper that was a testimony of some kid from Canada that had his ears cleaned and now they "felt better than ever".  Next he showed a picture of him with that kid and asked Zach if he knew what he did.  Zach said, "You're an ear cleaner?".  The guy agreed and then asked Zach if he could check his ear.  Zach said no.  Then he asked again only to get the same response from Zach and this went on and on until finally Zach gave in to just let him check.  The Indian checked and then before we knew it, he was shoving a big metal pin in Zach's ear.  Totally caught by surprise, Zach tried to free himself and was completely freaked out and disgusted.  It was one of the funniest sights I've ever seen.  A street ear cleaner?  That's a first! (We were too surprised and laughing to much to stop and take a picture)

There is an intense and easily visible smog over the whole the whole city.  Some say breathing the air here for a day is equivalent to smoking 2 packs of cigarettes. Wow.  Another interesting thing I noticed was that everyone we talked to didn't like living there.  When we would share our travel plans (8 days in Delhi then on to Lucknow and Varanasi) with all of the locals, they all said that 2 days was even too long to be in Delhi.  They were shocked to hear we were spending over 1 week.  I don't think I've been to a place where everyone wanted to leave...

                 (Here, I'm walking beside the city traffic with noticeable smog in the air)

One thing you will see everywhere is droppings.  Never take your eye off the road.  It takes a pro to avoid both the droppings, all the people, and the many cars and rickshaws which constantly zoom by unannounced. One day, shortly after having some random green goop (possibly poop) fall on my jacket, we had another funny experience.  Zach put more emphasis on avoiding the two rickshaws that were coming straight for him and found himself sliding through a big pile of human feces.  To his dismay, it was the day he decided to wear sandals...

Our first week in India, I had a real difficult time getting sleep.  This was due to a few reasons: two of them being random shouts in Hindi and pigeons.  Street vendors and salesman will shout a repeated phrase at the top of their lungs continuously and ear piercing levels.  This goes on all night 2-6am or so.  If you want to hear sometime, I'll be glad to emulate.   Pigeons were also conveniently nestled right outside our 5th story window.  Their squawks and purrs and pecking never seemed to stop.  The same thing happened while I was in Kenya on our tin roof.  I always thought someone was trying to break in...This was one annoyance that I thought i left them in Kenya.

                                                (chasing [or flying with?] the pigeons)

One of the main modes for travel is the metro.  They recently built a nice railway to get most anywhere in the city for an affordable price.  There are constantly people riding from morning to evening.  Most times it's standing room only.  One memorable night we hit the metro at peak time.  There were people everywhere.  The railway car was already full before any of us in the long line even stepped on.  Grayson, Zach and I followed the trend and grabbed the person in front of us and ran straight ahead.  When we finally made it on, an old Indian man just looked at me and said, "This is India".  How right he was.  I then leaned over to Grayson and said, "I think I'm touching 15 people right now", as I was stretched out nearly horizontal with both legs separated. Right this, we realized we were going the wrong way and had to get back off.  Since we were stuck in the back, we all forced our way out and some of the guys cheered for us and commented on our strength. 

On another metro ride, Grayson got stopped by the police. He broke the city rule for taking pics in the metro.  It was entertaining to see him getting questioned by the officer.  Interesting fact: approximately 1.5 million people ride the Delhi Metro every day!   (and because Grayson was stopped, we have no pictures of us on the metro.  He was forced to delete them)

Lucknow -
Traveling to Lucknow on a very limited budget proved very memorable.  We decided to take the overnight train.  If you thought American airports and bus stations can be confusing then you'll be in for a rude awakening here!  Security is minimal and you aren't required to have a ticket to enter the station.  Vendors and beggars are all over.  Most signs are in Hindi making it difficult for foreigners and there aren't really service people around to meet newcomers' needs.  When we got to our platform and the train pulled up empty, people all around us just went crazy.  The ran up to the train, beating on it and pushing each other out of the way and trying to get in the locked train.  We all just stayed towards the back, confused, and let them duke it out.  Once we were on, we had people in our seats and we just kind of stood there with our bags clueless (not knowing enough Hindi to communicate).  Thankfully there was one guy who knew English and helped move people out of our spots.  It is difficult to sleep at night on the train with constant vendors coming in and shouting at each stop, lots of airflow from open windows, and being cramped up in such a small space with your bag.

                                                          (The station filled with people)

                                                            (crammed in my small bunk)

By now we all were mastering the art of the Indian head bobble.  Zach wins the award for most violent/intense head bobble.  Grayson wins for bets head bobble and smile combo.

We decided to use a bicycle rickshaw to get to one of our meetings in Lucknow.  Rather than split up, we all decided to hope on one rickshaw with a very elderly driver.  He looked to be at least 60, standing at just over 5 feet and maybe 125 lbs.  Let's just say it was tough time for him to take all of us but he insisted that he could handle it.  During the 2 mile ride, he really struggled to get us up and down the hills and through the busy streets.  He shouted loudly anytime someone would get in front of us and did his best never to lose momentum.  One cocky teenage drive came up with an auto rickshaw and made jokes at him and offered to take us.  Our driver shooed him and finally made it to our destination.  Don't worry, we gave him a good tip and I'm sure he'll never forget us.  

                                 (he pulled well over 500 lbs with our packs...plus his weight!!)

Varanasi -
Our final stop in India was what's considered the holy city, Varansi.  One night we were able take a boat ride along the Ganges river.  It was a very active night with lots of Hindu's celebrating a festival and throwing one of their gods or "murti's" in the river.  Also we got to see the famous burning vats. 

                                  (The three of us with a local worker and our Indian tour guide)

On our second visit to one local restaurant, the waiter suggested that we order a drink that he said was "very refreshing".  However, he wouldn't tell us what was in the drink.  He said we wouldn't want it if we knew the ingredients.  He insisted, so we all hesitantly gave in and ordered one.  Awhile later, he comes out with a smile on his face and three green drinks!   "Uh oh", I thought.  The fact that we were in India made my mind go so many places with what could have been in there.  After we all took a sip, he told us it was simply a lime based drink with water and sugar, etc.  It was actually really good and we ordered a second one!  

One thing people use for fuel in India is manure.  There are people who's job is to knead the manure (they do it bare-handed!) and then form it into a patty and put it on the wall to dry.  What a sight and smell...

                                                 (all along the wall you'll see manure patties)

I hope you enjoyed these stories as much as we did.  I look forward to going back someday.

Snippets from India

And so the blog continues after a couple month hiatus.....

As promised, I'll talk about India.

7300 miles away there is a country 1/3 the size of the U.S. with over 1 Billion people.
Their beliefs look like this: Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, Other 1.9%.

It is a very intriguing place with way more diversity than I could have ever thought.  Delhi especially, was one big melting pot of people.  You would see communities of Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus and people from all around India.  My stereotype that all Indian men are distinct from Asia and have dark skin and a mustache was quickly broken.  The city was filled with those who looked what most would normally typify as Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean. You can go shopping in a first world mall with all American advertising and stores and then go across the street to find families living under tarps and digging through trash.  The difference between those that "have" and those that "have not" is enormous.  You can find places to stay even more expensive than America.  See, in India there is a small upper class, small middle class, and then a huge lower class.  It makes the country look much different than the U.S. where we have a small upper, huge middle class, and small lower class.

One thing that really stood out is that there isn't really a sacred/secular divide.  You see worship all around you.  Worship happens at school, home, work, recreation and nearly all activities.  Unlike the States where most keep things about faith private, most Indians are very outward with their worship.  Shrines to their gods are set up in every hotel, shop, taxi, and home.  When you give money many of them kiss it and put it to their forehead as a sign of worship.  Most won't be afraid or shy and will lie prostrate on the ground as a sign of submission and worship to their god.  Could you imagine a church in America full of believers who would lie prostrate to the Lord without so much as a hesitation with their friends, family, and visitors watching??

With all the worship of hindu gods going on there for a few thousand years and just the generations that have been brought up to believe in millions of gods ranging from fire to education to luck, it is a very dark place.  The evil one has a might grasp on the minds and it's his playground.  In us going to bring the light of Jesus Christ into the dark place we encountered a lot of resistance.  Sickness came, nightmares came, sleepless nights came, anxiousness came, sadness and disappointment came, and rejection came as a result of living for Him and as a ploy of the devil to get us off track.  About 5 days in, in the midst of this attack, we all came together and prayed through all of these things and focused our gaze on Him and  for the rest of the trip we had a much different outlook and approach. It was much different trips than the others I've been on and we all saw the difference of living and staying in a place that has prayer covering.  Most overseas trips, you stay at a mission house or church and then go to do outreach to bring light into the dark.  This trip, we stayed in the dark places like hotels filled with shrines and then went out to have fellowship in the light with other leaders and believers working in India and then returned to the dark.  It's hard to rest in the dark.  We saw evidence of this with sleepless nights and nightmares and sickness.

I was extremely blessed to have this opportunity to go and see what God is doing on southeast Asia.  We were able to meet and learn from as well as encourage and pray with over 20 people pouring out their lives for the nation of India.  This was a trip that was only 3 weeks but I know that I'll be drawing from it what I learned for the next 30 years.  I saw very clearly what long term ministry overseas is like.  We would have 2-4 hour meetings talking about everything from where and what the needs are, platform, visas, business, contextualized work vs westernized, urban vs rural, raising a family over there, dress, roles of foreigners, and so much more!

In my next blog, I'll share some thoughts and stories from Delhi, Lucknow, and Varanasi.

Welcome to India

Well another day brings another journey with the Lord.  This day just so happens to be an actual journey and I'll be going all the way to India!  I'm excited to see what God is doing across northern India as well as Bangkok and to see what part He would have us play in that.  It's one of those things where you really don't know what to expect.  Even though I have many friends who told me all about it and have been there or even lived and grew up there, there is still that aspect of the unknown.  We are always prepared with the Lord.  Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.  I know He's going to bring Himself a lot of eternal glory through this trip!

I'm excited to put the few Hindi phrases out there and see if they understand me :)  I will have to leave off the last one I learned, however.  My Nepali friends came over last night to wish us well before heading out and taught me how to say "will you marry me?" in Hindi.

It's neat to travel with three of my good friends over there for the sake of the Gospel.  There's something about serving Him in community that really brings pleasure unto Himself and strengthens us.  Even when Jesus sent out the 72 in Luke 10, He did so in multiples of 2.  I am also going with the prayers and financial backing of many in FL, GA, MS, VA, TX, AR, MD, and more!  I consider you all just as much of this trip as those of us who are going.  Partners for the Gospel.

For His Glory

Blurrrrr

Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything just blurs together?  Maybe you've had a month or even a year like this.  So much happens at once and most of it you never intended to do.  It's like stuff comes at you on all sides.  In this time, it's hard to have clarity.  Focusing on one thing may prove near impossible.  Sometimes you may even ask yourself, "Am I doing something wrong?  Should I not be so racy in each moment?"  Usually, there are so many things on your mind that you need to do, that you don't get to the things you really want to do and maybe even some things that really need to be done.  In these times where "stuff" comes at you from all sides, have you ever wanted to be lifted out so you could see clearly from the outside?  Or maybe you just want a few days of just rest and nothing in order to reset?

That's the current state I'm in if you couldn't tell already :)  With being at the cross roads in so many areas and each event and circumstance just piling on.  I went through a two year Bible program in just five months while living in the most diverse square mile in America.  In this time, I was filled with a wealth of information about the life of a refugee and the present state of our world.  There are some extremely tough stories from every one of these incoming families.  They have been ravaged by war, religious persecution, and even genocide.  On top of that, they come to America expecting to have many friends, be taken care of, learn English, and get a good job. In reality, most of them don't make any American friends.  We have friends who were here 14 months and we were their first friends.  This is not atypical, this is the norm.  Most of them come with a gift from their land for their friend and 90% never give that gift because they don't make a single American friend that will invite them into their house.  It's a pleasure and honor to serve in this area but it's sad to see the unmet needs.  I can say with integrity we've made a huge impact in this community and hundreds have seen the light of Christ in us.

Other than that, I've continued to venture on my 6 year trek to medical school.  After 2 years of seeing and feeling that it wasn't the right time, God gave me all sorts of confirmation that I should apply for 2011.  Let me tell you what, applying for medical school is like a full time job.  Always something left to do.  I wish there were a way to track all of the hours from studying for the MCAT to researching schools and applying but on the other hand, I'm sort of glad I can't see that big faaat number.  Now I'm on the home stretch, with an empty wallet, with only a few more secondary applications to finish up (of course each school asks for a different essay and info).  Then on to the next phase of interviews if they like me :)

Immediately after returning to Clarkston from Christmas break, I moved apartments.  Yes, it was only next door but it did eat up some time and provide some discomfort.  Also, 4 students arrived which are looking to us for guidance, tips, and what they're supposed to do (3 of them sharing my apartment).  Other than that, organizing a big (168 hr) prayer event for the community lasting a full week, to bring many believers together.  That took some time and effort too.

Insert India...In just 9 days, I'll be traveling all across northern India with three others to meet with different NGO's, ministries, and pastors to see what part we could play in serving there.  With over a billion people, many never having heard of Jesus (2,233 people groups out of 2,533 in India to be exact).  That's sad to see so many without Christ even after 2,000 years since He came and died.  I'm excited just to go and learn, experience the culture, and encourage those who are serving there.  We will also spend a good 3 or 4 days in Thailand to visit friends and see Bangkok.

Despite all the madness and having no idea where I'll be 6 months from now, I am encouraged in the Lord.  I am grateful to be surrounded by some great like-minded friends and always have tremendous support from my family.  The great thing is that no matter how much the scenery, people, climate, work, and seasons change, God is always there.  Matt 28:20 boldly says "And behold, I am with you always, even unto the very end of the age."  Other verses of comfort to me are:  Psalm 18:2 " The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."  Psalm 55:22 "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall."  Psalm 73:26 "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Despite all that goes on, though I may grow weary, it's all about my perspective; since His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  Even in the toughest of obstacles and trials, if we fix our eyes in the right place, on Him, everything that caused the blurrrr becomes the blurrrr and Jesus comes into focus

True Gospel

I have been blessed with the opportunity of welcoming in the New Year by seeking the Lord with over 20,000 other 18-25 yr olds at Passion 2011.  The conference was filled with dynamic speakers/preachers of the Lord such as John Piper, Louie Giglio, and Francis Chan.  It also was loaded with worship leaders including David Crowder, Charlie Hall, and Chris Tomlin.

I was beat up and convicted by Francis Chan's intense message on Philippians 1:27-29.  He keyed in on the phrase, "Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel."  I really started to think about what it means to be worthy of the Gospel.  To be worthy of the Gospel means to be on the same level as the Gospel.  Our lives should reflect the Gospel in every way.  This is not just a statement of faith; it's a lifestyle consumed and radically transformed life.

He shared about his travels to India, China, and Thaliand.  In India he met with people who were rejected by their whole families for choosing Christ and renouncing Hinduism.  Francis asked the question which is quite relevant here in the states; "Are there people who call themselves Christians but do not really live different and according to God's word?  Are there people just say they are Christian but aren't living for Christ?"  Emphatically they all said that those people don't exist.  To say that they follow Christ is to lose everything in that culture.  Should this look different in our culture?

Chan shared about talking with the persecuted church in China.  He asked them to share about persecution. They were confused why he was asking.  They wanted to know why this was such a big deal.  "Isn't persecution a reality in all believers?" they asked.  John 15:20 jumps to mind when it states that Christ says if they persecuted Him then they will surely persecute us, His followers.  It makes me wonder sometimes if I'm missing it...

This message was the full and true Gospel.  This was not about health and wealth prosperity.  He talked about our lives reflecting, being in line with, the Gospel.  During the worship time after the message I glanced out over my generation worshiping.  I was encouraged in the sincerity and focus of everyone on the Lord.  We are known as the distracted generation.  We are known as the generation who is ADD/ADHD and have short attention spans.  In class, at church, and hanging out, you will many times see us on our phones and not fully being present in that place.  The minds wonder.  This was not so on this night.  Why???  I believe it was because this is the exact message we need to here.  It is not soaked down version of the Bible but in your face.  This is the true message of Jesus Christ.  This is what you take hold of and center your life around.  It adds up with our hearts and minds and spirit.   Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Concept vs. Reality

Over the past few weeks I've been dwelling on what I believe to be the major disconnect in those of us who claim to be "Christian" in America today.  My last blog talked all about glory.  Glory simply means weightiness or thickness.  According to this, we can say that a boulder has more glory than a feather.

In American churches today we are blessed with arguably the deepest theological teaching in the world.  We have churches on every corner and can access to any sermon you could ever dream of online.  While there are other countries that are closed to the Gospel and Bibles are illegal we are blessed with freedom to learn and follow our beliefs with little objection.  With all of the teaching and sermonizing we have heard it's easy to let it all go straight to the head as another "concept".  We know all about God as a concept.  God is good.  God is righteous. God is faithful.  God is healer.  God is savior.  God is powerful.  God is eternal.  We know these concepts.

The problem is that when you know God as a concept...you are heavier than him.  He is lighter than you.  When you know God as a concept you have more glory than Him.  You can twist him and turn him into what you want to be.  We hear it all the time.  "The god I know wouldn't do that".  "The god I know wouldn't call me to go somewhere that is unsafe".  "The god I know wants me to be happy".  "The god I know would never have caused this natural disaster".  When you only know God as a concept, you distance yourself from the God of the scriptures.  We say, I'm smarter than God's revealed himself to mankind (Moses, Joseph, Job, John, Paul, James) for 4,000 years.   I've always loved James 5:17 because it says that Elijah was a man just like us.  Do you believe this?  He caused the rain to stop for over 3 years, was fed by ravens, and resurrected a dead child all in 1 Kings 17.  In chapter 18 Elijah calls God's fire from heaven to burn a bull on top of soaked wood and stood up to 450 prophets of Baal.  Do you believe he was just a man like us and that God could use you just like this?  Is God the same God of the Bible??

If you come to church on the weekends but it does not affect they way you live the rest of your week you only know God as a concept and a reality. When God is a concept and not a reality how you treat your neighbor doesn't change.  When He's a concept and not a reality how you steward your money doesn't change.  When He's a concept and not a reality how you talk about others when they aren't around doesn't change...BUT when He becomes our reality it changes everything.

Once you understand the reality of the glory of God you CANNOT walk away!


p.s. I encourage you to read the Word as a reality this week.  Some good ones are: james 1:22, 1 cor 1:10, eph 4:26, ch 6, Matt ch 6 and 28:19-20.  Also, you can read The Blueprint by Jaeson Ma if you want a present day example of following God as a reality.

Are you jealous?

Over the last few months of training in Atlanta and especially during this last week God has really challenged my devotion to Him.  While visiting different places of worship including a hindu temple, buddhist temple, and mosque the reality of worship that goes on around us and all over the world really hit me.  The question I have been asking is, "Am I truly jealous for God to get the worship He deserves and do my actions show it?"  Not only should we be interested in worshipping Him, but we should crave others to worship the King and perfect Creator of the universe.  Shouldn't we be hungry for our Savior to get the respect and honor and reverence He deserves?   Piper says it well, "Missions exists because worship doesn't."  We were made to worship.  All creation was made to worship.  The problem is that many times worship can be directed at many things apart from God, called idols.  To name a few, we worship money, comfort, family, security, education, sports and movie stars, entertainment, food, and even ourselves. Luke 19 tells us that if we fail to worship God, the very rocks will cry out.  

Isaiah 45 is one of the most powerful passages ever written and displays the reality of who God is!

⁵ I am the LORD, and there is no other;
   apart from me there is no God. 
I will strengthen you,
   though you have not acknowledged me,
⁶ so that from the rising of the sun
   to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
   I am the LORD, and there is no other.
⁷ I form the light and create darkness,
   I bring prosperity and create disaster;
   I, the LORD, do all these things.

¹⁶ All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;
   they will go off into disgrace together.
¹⁷ But Israel will be saved by the LORD
   with an everlasting salvation;
you will never be put to shame or disgraced,
   to ages everlasting.

 ²⁰ “Gather together and come;
   assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood,
   who pray to gods that cannot save.
²¹ Declare what is to be, present it—
   let them take counsel together. 

²³ By myself I have sworn,
   my mouth has uttered in all integrity
   a word that will not be revoked:
Before me every knee will bow;
   by me every tongue will swear.
²⁴ They will say of me, ‘In the LORD alone
   are deliverance and strength.’”
All who have raged against him
   will come to him and be put to shame. 

So, are you jealous???