Hello everybody from up in the mountains in Northern India. For those of you who don't know, Namaste is Hindi for hello and Tashi Delek is Tibetan. We've been up here in McLeod Ganj, which is just up the mountain from Dharamsala, for 12 days now, and it has been awesome so far. Unfortunately we've been battling some sickness in our team, including an unsettled stomach for me, but things are starting to get better for all of us. Please be praying for us all for health as well as safety as we are here.
It has been a fairly exciting time here so far. When we got here, the Dalai Lama was teaching for the first week we were here, so it's been really busy here with a lot of monks (even more than usual) and tons of travelers who are pretty much all spiritual seekers. We have had some amazing conversations with both the travelers and monks, and have been interacting with as many people as possible while we are here. I have been helping out at a free childcare centre for Tibetan refugee children up to about the age of 4 every morning with the 3 girls in our group. It is not really something that I'm terribly comfortable with, but it is an amazing organization that really helps out Tibetan refugees as well as single mothers, so it is definitely worth it. The children are absolutely adorable, and half way through, I haven't had to change a diaper yet!!!! lol. In the afternoons we tend to do some street evangelism, go on prayer walks, meet people in cafes or do conversation classes. I try to do 1 conversation class every afternoon because it is a great way to meet the monks and other Tibetans that have come here and to hear their story. They tend to be very open to talk about religion too, so we've had some amazing conversations about Christianity and its similarities and differences with Buddhism. It is very interesting talking with the monks, and some of them speak very good English.
It is absolutely beautiful here, but can get pretty cold when it is cloudy and when the sun goes down. We are staying with a Tibetan family in some of their guest rooms, and it is awesome. They are a very friendly family and it is absolutely awesome staying with them. When Emily and I were sick in bed the other day, they came up to check on us a few times and to offer us tea, porridge and bananas. It is very secure because they keep the entry to the balcony that gives access to the rooms locked at all times, and we have locks on our rooms. The only downside is that they have to be around when we need to get in our out and we can't stay out too late, but it hasn't been a problem yet and we don't stay out too late because we're all pretty tired after the long days. Our place is up the mountain a little above McLeod Ganj, so I wake up every morning to the sunrise streaming in through my window. It is absolutely beautiful. The mountains and scenery here are breathtaking, and the people are so polite and kind. It was a nice change from Delhi which was so busy and you had people flooding you at all times.
We will be here until the night of Saturday the 18th, when we will get on a 12 hour bus ride to Delhi (the craziest, windiest, bumpiest, longest bus ride ever), then hang around Delhi for the day and leave on a 12-18 hour train ride to Varanasi that night. Needless to say it will be a long as day, and we will be a little tired and probably rather sore after. Varanasi is going to be a whole different experience from McLeod Ganj, but we found out that the Dalai Lama actually is doing a teaching there as well while we're there, so there will most likely be a lot of monks there again for the first part of our trip. I'm not exactly sure what we will be doing there, we will have to see exactly what opportunities will be available when we get there, but we will definitely be helping out with the railroad kids at the K-Centre, which will be awesome. They are kids that need to be loved and played with so badly. There is a huge Christmas party for the kids that we will be helping out at that I'm really looking forward to. I'm really excited to go to Varanasi because we will be there for about 5 weeks, so we will have a lot of time to make an impact and get involved there.
In other news, I have been accepted into the School of Biblical Studies in Taiwan starting in March. There are still some hurdles to get by with getting my visa letter so that I can get my visa, so please be praying for that, but I know that this is where God wants me to be so I am confident that He will make it work out. I will be there for either 9 months or 1 year, depending if I do the Titus project afterward which is a 3 month teaching outreach to teach what we have learned in the 9 months. It will be an intense time and will be very busy, but I am extremely excited about it. We will be reading through the Bible 5 times in the 9 months and will be digging into the context and culture that the different books were written in. I've heard it described as a treasure hunt through the Bible digging deeper to get a greater understanding of what the text means. This is a dream come true for me to be able to spend 9 months doing nothing but studying and getting a fuller understanding of the Bible. I believe this is an important step in the equipping process that God has me in as He prepares me for what He has for me.
Please be praying for me and our team here in McLeod Ganj as well as the other teams that are in Orissa (India), Fiji and Rotuma. We can all use prayer for healing, as well as safe travels and protection. I will try to write another update soon after we get to Varanasi. Thank you for all your love and support.
God bless.
