Where Do We Go From Here?

I have sat and pondered for quite a while how I am to start this blog and I have continued to put it off. Blaming many different things, saying that I am tired and have no energy (that jet-lag really gets you), saying that I am busy with school and have no time, saying that I am sick and need sleep,. . .etc. I have finally come to the point where I need to toss away all my excuses and get down to the bare bones of what needs to be said in this blog about my trip to India.

Despite a number of colds, a possible parasite, and numerous bad moods our team arrived home safe and sound last Thursday.

I am not supposed to dwell on details of our trips, namely people’s names and places so I apologize for the lack of details, which at the same time is too bad because I would love to tell you stories about the people that we got to know on the trip, their amazing testimonies, and stories of how God has and is working in their lives. One of the guys that we got to hike with had a testimony that left my jaw rubbing the ground, I have never before heard nor dreamed of such devout dedication to Christ, such incredible faith and surrender.

It seems that the overlying theme throughout our trip was faithfulness. Not only how God was being faithful to us but also how we were to be faithful to God. I couldn’t stop praising God throughout this trip for his faithfulness and answers to prayers. My ankle, which had been in a cast no longer than three weeks before we started hiking caused me no problems on the trail, i was able to carry my pack and everything PRAISE GOD! I got sick one evening and sickness while hiking is bad news, but the next morning my sickness was gone PRAISE GOD! At the beginning of this trip despite the opposition of my team I prayed for struggle and trials on our trip, asking for the rain to pour and the winds to blow. This trip turned out to not be easy in any means, we were all faced immense trials PRAISE GOD! On the third day of this trip, I was sick, and being at high elevation did not help the situation at all. It was on this day that I experienced exhaustion like I have never felt before in my life, I was amazed after every step that I had not fallen to the ground and passed out, it was only through prayer that I actually made it through that day, or nay others for that matter.

God truly showed me his faithfulness on this trip but he also showed me how important prayer is and how we need to trust that every single one of our prayers are heard. We need to pray often and pray boldly, not afraid to ask for large things, like entire Hindu villages to be overcome with the love of Christ and transformed. The power of prayer has been doing incredible things in India and will continue to do so.

One of my prayers coming out of this trip is that I will not forget the people that I met, that I will not forget the huge grasp that Satan has on the people of India through Hinduism, that I will not forget the children of the villages, that I will not forget the impact that this hike had on me and my fellow teammates, but most of all that I will not forget India. I pray that my heart will remain broken for the people of this country.

India!

Well after an extremely long day of work, church, and play I finally finished packing my bag for India, I just put the final touch on it, a Canada patch right in the back for everyone to see, I will hopefully now be treated very well in India.

To update you a little on this journey that I embarking on, we are leaving for Vancouver on the ninth and spending the night at a church. We then proceed on the tenth to the airport and fly off to Tokyo, Japan. Where we will spend a night waiting for a flight to India the next day. Upon arriving in New Delhi we hop on a bus and rive many hours north. Where we will eventually begin our hke through the Himalayas.

Things to pray for. . .

• My ankle still has not fully healed and I will need to be wiking on it in less than five days
• Support for India as still have not raised the 3250$ that I need to go
• Health for the people in our group, that no one will get severe mud butt or any ilness related or non-related to the bowel system.

Hmm...

This past week has not lacked work in any way. But despite the stress, late nights, and early mornings I have thoroughly enjoyed the majority of the papers I have had to write. For our theology class which ended last Friday I had to write a paper analyzing Isaiah 6, which is Isaiah's commission from God. What seemed like like such a simple passage proved me wrong when I found myself learning more and more about the Holiness of God. This week we are in our Gospels class, which so far has been quite interesting. A pre-course assignment for this class was to read through the Gospels, which is something I have never done before. I was intrgiued to see all the differences in writing style, content, and focus of every Gospel. I came to the conclusion that I enjoyed reading Matthew more than any of the other three.

Theses past couple days I have begun to feel an improvement in my ankle, which is great, but I still fear that it will not be up to par for India considering we are leaving in a week. But also need to praise God for the improvement that has happened and the healing that will happen. I have received tons of encouragement from people who are praying me and have there churches and friends praying for me. That just blows my mind to think of all the prayer that is involved in the recovery of my ankle.

Last Friday all the youth from our church got together in the evening for a bonfire, food, and Frisbee. it was a great evening! It was really good for us Kaleo's to get away from camp and the homework that was overwhelming us there. On Sunday we decided to play worship as a full band which we haven't done for a while, lately we have been going for more of a group feeling, so we would only have an acoustic guitar and nothing else. But it was nice to have a full band playing again, I enjoy playing much more when I am playing instruments with others.

Please pray for:

• My ankle recovery and our India missions trip in genral (funds, health, moral,...etc)
• Health as a sickness seems to be creeping its way around the camp
• The Bridge, that God would bring people there who he knows need to hear about him.
• Kaleo students - it seems the more that we learn about God and his holiness, the more we understand how full of crap we are and it can be discouraging and overwhelming even thought we know our trespasses are atoned for.