Merry Christmas!

Hello! Hello!
So, it's the day after Christmas and I know many of you would like to know what exactly my Christmas looked like. Well, I'll tell you!

About two weeks back I got a package from my family with presents and letters for me that just made my month... even more importantly, it had the presents I requested for the boys! :]
They included socks, candy, and an individual present specifically picked out for each boy.

So, the days went by after that, pretty standard, until the 23rd. I had already given them the socks but had some left over and seeing that I have to show indifference and couldn't just give out the remaining pairs leaving some with less than others, I came up with a grand idea. Stockings! I decorated the left over socks and put a Reese's cup, a bracelet (I brought with me), and a letter I wrote for each of them. They thought the tradition was odd... I mean, who wouldn't have? I was hanging decorated socks on their wall with candy in them... I even think it's odd. But they didn't mind as they reached in and found their little treasures. Good times.

The next day, Christmas Eve, was full of fun. Just a good day all around. But the entire day was blotted out by the gift giving at the end of the day. Typically, the boys just get gifts from Blessy and Veer, which is one new pair of clothes. But they each had two presents to open this year [: Stuffed animals, puzzle books, a football, aviators, and joy filled the room! All kinds of gifts! Then I surprised Blessy and Veer with a little cross I had brought with me to give them. But, they too surprised me with a present. They gave me this beautiful picture frame with an even more beautiful picture inside it with me, Veer, and the boys. One of my favorite gifts of all time! BUT, the presents weren't over for the boys!

Christmas Day... They boys were all in their brand new clothes they had picked out. We had a church service. Then we did impersonations of each other... my impersonation of Veer had the boys hootin' and hollerin'! Then Wilson (a very tall friend of ours who was visiting for Christmas) gave all the boys their THIRD gift! More NEW clothes (which is nice cause many/most of their clothes are used***)! After that countless of dear friends and family came to our school to celebrate with us. We sang, danced, ate massive amounts of food, and set off fireworks!! That was a blast. Did you like that unintended pun? Cause I didn't. Anywho, it was a ton of fun! Loved talking to Luvson (pronounced Louewvson... in other words, it's harder to say than it appears) who is kinda the only real friend I have... Not counting my new family, of course! So Christmas was good. The boys definitely loved it. I'm very happy for them.

Anyway, the day after tomorrow (the 27th) Veer, Jeremiah, and I are headed to Delhi to picked up the Faith team at the airport. We'll get back to Beawar on the 29th. There's probably only gonna be one more blog before I am home. Yup, bittersweet. Tears are in the near future.

Love you all, can't wait to see you guys in person!

Merry Christmas (yeah, I know it's not Christmas anymore but get over it)

***At the beginning of November the boys were all receiving their winter clothes from Veer and Blessy. Jeremiah asked for a Faith (my high school) shirt. He was going crazy over wanting this used shirt (a girl's shirt keep in mind) that most of the students at Faith, myself included, dislike/don't care about our school shirts, which is why someone donated the Faith shirt to Veer in the first place haha. One man's trash, is another 9 yr old boy's treasure! Makes me thankful for my clothes for sure!

Just Givin' Some Thanks

Hey yall, sorry for the long period with no updates (again). Things have been super busy lately.

First off, the half yearly exams are going on right now, so I've been grading a TON of papers. Fun times. All the boys are getting great grades on all my exams, so that's good!

In other news, this is the season of weddings. Due to some Hindu belief of god's sleeping and waking up, they all have their marriages during a period of one month. SO, Veer and I have attending about 7 or 8 marriage parties in the past month. Lost of weird traditions, like marching through the streets dancing all the way to the bride's house while the groom rides a horse and holds a sword. They have to stay in their homes for a period of time before the wedding itself. The receptions are basically tons of food with an outdoor stage with two thrones on it where the newlyweds sit. I have pictures of that which will be posted on my return. They wear the most ridiculous (to US standards) outfits, consisting of extremely shiny and sparkly clothes and cheap looking plastic decorations in their turbans. Instead of exchanging rings, they exchange leis (did I spell that right? you know, the flower necklaces lol). Anywho, it's all really insteresting.

Construction is going well. The roof on the second floor of the school and church are both finished and the massive stage is currently being constructed. Kids who have been out here won't even recognize it anymore, it's totally different.

It's been raining a lot lately, which has made it fairly cold, even for me (the Indians have a different definition of "cold" than we do, a perfect day for us = three layers of clothes haha). But the rain has been causing some problems. Countless buses, tractors, rickshaws and cars have gotten stuck in the mud. That plus the battery in Veer's car dying on us a lot lately equals Ethan pushing a lot of cars, some to get unstuck, some to get to start.

Thanksgiving YO. Well, my thanksgiving was rather pleasant. For breakfast, I took all the poptarts my mother sent me, cut them up, and shared them with the boys. They loved 'em! After school, Veer and I went to Ajmer to visit a pastor and had some chicken nuggets and chicken burgers for lunch, that was homely. Thanksgiving night, we doubled up two celebrations: Thanksgiving and John's (the second oldest orphan) 15th birthday. We had cake, biscuits, a chocolate treat that just seemed like cereal to me, these cream filled things, and more! It was very pleasant. We also spent some time in prayer and worship, giving thanks to the Most High, for all the blessings He has given us. Missed throwing the pigskin with my brother though :[

That's really all that's been going on: exams, weddings, and life.
Still constantly struggling with the boys to steal their work. Earlier this week I was helping John, Samuel, and Shivam clean the buses. They demanded I stopped and "supervised". I told them, as their supervisor, to let me show them how it's done haha. They still don't really get that I am here to serve... I try to explain, but they just don't understand why an American would come to India to do work for some orphans... The battle wages on.

Miss you all, a little over month left here in the land of festivals, then it's back to the grand ol' US of A. Bittersweet.

Much love!
-E

"I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins." -my Father
Isaiah 43:25

Long Over Due

Hey guys.

Let me start off by saying I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get an update posted. I've been very busy.

Happy Birthday Blessy! Yes, today is her birthday and we are having a celebration tonight. Yahoo!

Anywho, first off things are going GREAT here. I'm still growing like crazy! And my relationships with the boys are really starting to flourish. It's a daily battle to get to serve them. Literally. I have to fight them for the broom or mop. I have to force them to let me wash their clothes. I have to argue over letting me help make their dinner. Yes, they partially don't wanna let me work cause they think Veer will beat them for being lazy, but Veer knows how I am. However, sometimes they don't want me to work because they honestly want me to not have to. They still don't get that I WANT to serve them. The daily battle goes on.

Jeremiah is doing a lot better if you were wondering. The burns are completely healed on his knee and his foot is doing a LOT better. He is running and playing as if nothing happened. Praise God!

So two Fridays ago we (me and the orphans) had the first "Fasting Prayer Friday". Veer was busy going to pick up his mother (who know lives with us), so he told me to lead it. So I spoke for about 20 minutes on prayer, fasting, and worship. Then we song a few songs and prayed for about 30 minutes. Then we layed hands on Sunil (the youngest) and prayed for him. The Sohan, then Ajay, and so forth going up in age. The Holy Spirit's presence was so heavy and thick in that room. Even the Hindu night-watchman asked to be prayed over...(Sidenote: I'm regularly praying that he will dedicate his life to Christ... I ask you pray for that too. His name is Gomji, if I spelled that right). At the end I tried to just close us in prayer and conclude the meeting. They knew exactly what I was doing and stopped me, pulled me to the middle of the huddle, and prayed over me. As I knelt and had loud prayers poured over me, I teared up. It was such a blessing. Truly, I tell you, that of all the pastors, friends, family, teachors, and mentors who have prayed over me... this was the most touching to me. Then we concluded the prayer meeting. Then 10 of the boys and Samuel the cook all volunteered to fast. Touching. The only ones who didn't were the 4 youngest who weren't allowed to. So everyone who could, did. I was proud of them, then humbled by them. I began to realize that these NINE year olds were asking to fast. When I was nine I don't think I even knew what fasting was. They will grow to be great men of God.

I received a package from my family about two weeks ago. Such a blessing. Candies and snacks, a FRISBEE, some CD's, a shirt, and some hilarious boxers with mosquitoes on them (speaking of, I'm being eaten alive right now... seriously, I've killed 5 mosquitoes since I started writing this blog and they just keep coming). They package wasn't just a blessing to me but to the boys as well. I immediately went and shared the gum with them all. The other night, I gave them all the Oreo's, which they loved! It was hard for me to not just eat them all... and I feel GUILTY for not sharing the Reeses Pieces... I just love that peanut butter, chocolate-coated candy. Point is, it truly is better to give than it is to receive. Trust me.

I had a straight razor shave the other day at a barber shop. Wow. My face hasn't been that smooth since I was a baby. Afterwards, I got an Indian face massage (no, not a head massage as my fellow Indian travelers have received) which was pretty awesome.

Diwali! Now is Diwali season, the largest Hindu festival. There are lights everywhere and fireworks going off all the time. We went ahead and bought some firecrackers and had a blast setting them off with all the orphans. I'll post videos of it when I get home.

Okay, there's literally 6 other things on my "BLOG" list on my iphone BUT I am way to fed up with these mosquitoes to type about them. So I'll conclude.

I love you all and miss you all very much! Cannot wait to be back in the grand ol' US of A!

Alvida!

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." 2 Peter 3:18

T.I.I.

"T.I.I." stands for "This Is India"
This has been my catchphrase lately... I feel like you'll get the meaning

I've grown more familiar with the wildlife here and I truly do feel like I am on the discovery chanel. Cockroaches literally the length of my index finger. Those three-horned dung beetles you see on T.V. all the time. Grasshoppers that have blue and yellow stripes (Mom, you would have been FREAKING out). Water buffalo (I hope you think of the Veggietales song when you hear that, cause I definitely do). We caught a random turtle and now it's our pet, though we disagree on the name: some call him "ToTo", others agree with me that "Leo" (after Leonardo, my favorit Ninja Turtle) is the better pick. Lizards. Thousands of flies. Pigs. Cows. Goats. Chickens. Dogs and puppies. I gaurantee there will be more. Heck, the FIRST day I got here I walked up to Heera and he pulled a bird out from behind his back that he had caught... handed it to me, and was the first time I held a bird. It definitely attacked me haha. But seriously, the cockroaches... I hear all the time how big they are in some places... those AREN'T exaggerations.

but, hey... T.I.I.

So, I forgot to blog about this in my last blog. The science fair we went to last week. One day, Veer told me to go hop on the bus with the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th graders. So I did. Our destination was a state level science competition. It was rather interesting. I had a lot of the "security" (who looked like boyscouts) telling me to do things. I just politely responded "Nahee Hindi (No Hindi)" and then went my way. One persistant boyscout grabbed me by the arm as I turned around and pulled me to the side. This kinda made me mad. I kept it cool though. When, he spoke some harsh words to me, I kindly (okay, maybe I said it more like he was partially deaf or mentally challanged) "NAHEE HINDI". Puzzled, he responded, "Nahee Hindi?"And I replied, "Haaaa" (in a "thank you captian obvious" tone of voice). Then one of the teachers from EMS came up and started yelling at him. I wasn't bother by security for the rest of the day haha.

But, hey... T.I.I.

However, there was one persistant student at the fair from another school. I think he has seen one too many American movies, cause he spoke fairly good English, but seemed to drop the F bomb every sentence. For example he would say "these are my ****ing friends and they dont speak ****ing English." He was nice, and spoke good English, I just don't think he knew exactly what the word meant.

but, hey... T.I.I.

Two days ago Veer and myself (and three of the orphans) were headed to a prayer meeting. On the way, Veer got a call from Blessy saying Jeremiah got burned, badly, but more on that later. Veer dropped us off and shouted, "Ethan, take prayer!" as the car peeled out. Great... See at these prayer meetings someone is suppose to share a message and it's usually Veer. Well, now I had to, but I had nothing prepared. So while they were singing their two worship songs I was frantically searching through my Bible to find a message. Then the time came for me to speak. I told Sagar who knows some English to read the verses in his Hindi Bible. After, I started speaking the short message I had put together. It didn't take long for me to realize none of them even understood what I was saying (and I was using the simplest English I knew). So, I concluded and said "Let's pray" and started to list off everything we should pray for (as was the job of whoever was leading), but again they didn't understand me or the multiple things I named. In fact, there was a large response from everyone when the word "Jeremiah" was said. They all repeated, "Ha, Jeremiah, ha, ha." (Ha means yes, no they weren't laughing). Then I said "Okay, let's all prayer together" but again, they didn't understand. Typically we would all get on our knees and pray outloud together, and it would be rather powerful. However, only two of the orphans understood me and no one else, and those two boys didn't translate. So, It was me, Sagar, and Shivam praying but as they realized no one else was praying their prayers grew to a whisper, which means I was the only one praying now... Not a problem, right? Well, the group gathers to PRAY as a GROUP, so ya... it kinda was. Then I said Amen and that was it. Veer talked to one of the men who was there later that night. That man said prayer went like this, "we sang, he spoke, and then we prayed for only Jeremiah." Success.

but, hey... T.I.I.

If you don't wanna hear nasty details of Jeremiah's burn, skip this paragraph.
Now for Veer's part of the story, he sped home and took Jeremiah to the surgeon and had him bandaged and drugged by the time I got back from prayer. Apparently, he was "dancing" and knocked over a pot of boiling water... burning his knee and foot. Suresh tried to wipe of the hot water with a towel... he wiped off layers of skin instead. That's not the story I wanna tell. My story is about yesterday (the day after the burn). He had to go back to the surgeon to have his bandages changed. I went with Veer and Jeremiah. We went inside. Not the operating room a surgeon should be in by US standards. Not the surgeon you would picture either (this one was wearing short shorts for one little example). So the surgeon laid down newspaper (for sanitary purposes... yeah, I know... newspaper). Jeremiah laid down. The next part is hard to describe. As the doctor began removing bandages Jeremiah started screaming, crying, and kicking in pain. I was now given the task of holding down his legs. (Sidenote: you guys know that one scene that's in 80% of war movies, where theres a soldier who has no medical training that's in the wrong place at the wrong time. The medic tells him to hold the guys hand, or put pressure on the wound... all the while, having to watch the surgeon did out a peace of shrapnel or a bullet or amputate a guy's leg. I can think of a great one in Band of Brothers. Well, though it obviously wasn't THAT bad... I felt like that soldier during this next part.) So where was I? Ah, I was holding down Jeremiah's legs and the doctor got to the gause (gauze? forgive me... idk how to spell that). The gauze was stuck to the burn, yes, stuck. The peeling off of the gauze was hard to watch, but it got harder. After unwrapping the knee and foot (and much resistance from Jeremiah), it was time to apply the medicine. The doctor poured some liquid on the burn that seemed to bubble and fizz and then he poured something that looked like very thin blood on them. Jeremiah again, began to kick and scream in pain. The burn itself was deep and fleshy. Veer said it was 60% worse the day before. So, now comes the really hard part for me to think about: the dead skin. There were two boils on his foot that the surgeon punctured to let the fluids out. The the extensive amount of wrinkled, dead skin on Jeremiah's foot at the be, literally, PEELED off and cut away with scissors. Though I was awful for me, Jeremiah didn't feel a thing (thankfully). Have you ever seen someone peel layers of skin off of a person, to reveal the pink flesh that was hidden underneath? No? I wouldn't recommend it. I'm kinda sick talking about it so we'll move on. Then the doctor bandaged him up, gave him two injections in the butt (more resistance from Jeremiah), and then we went out way.

But, hey... T.I.I. right?

Oh, and if you are wondering Jeremiah is fine. Yesterday morning he waltzed (yeah, like walked on his burned foot) right into the office and asked me to help with his bandages. He did all of this with a smile on his face. We do have to go to the surgeon again tonight, and then again tomorrow but after that he doesn't have to go back for another 10 or 12 days, so that's good! He's not in pain, only when the surgeon is doing stuff (ironically). So don't worry about him.

So, that's all that I have for ya today... keep Jeremiah in your prayers for swift and painless healing, and Tia cause she is still having diffuculties talking and moving...

Love and miss you guys!

-Ethan

T.I.I.

Events and One Amazing Meeting!

Hellllllo my dear friends in the grand ol' US of A!

Let's see... first off, engagement! I hear wedding bells!! haha, noooo not for me! For some complete strangers :]] Mr. Ariel, one of the admins at EMS invited Veer and I to go to his daughters engagement party. It was very interesting. There were two large chairs that looked like thrones that were positioned side by side facing rows of chairs. Both families and friends sat in the rows while two pastors (Veer was one of them) sat on a bench to the side of the thrones. Obviously, the newly engages couple sat in the thrones. They started off with a message from the pastor (not Veer) and then moved on to gifts. The man and woman gave eachother money, fruit, sweets, and other things. Then the three seemingly more important gifts were Bibles, rings, and big, decorated leis. Then they fed eachother slices of cake. It had many similarities to a western wedding. There was a camera man too, who used an unnecessarily bright light that rendered me partially blind haha. Anyway, afterward there was a dinner which concluded the party. It was quite interesting to witness.

Next up, I spoke in church this past Sunday. For those of you who were part of my gaduating class, you'll appreciate the fact that I chose to speak on John 15, yes, our theme for retreat haha. This is the second time I have preached with a translator... and I still don't like it. I'm too ADD to stop talking every 2 sentences and actually stay focused. It made concluding my message very abrupt, rough, and a little awkward. I just kinda lost my train of thought. Oh well! Afterward I sat in on the orphans' sunday school class and that was nice. They wanted me to quiz them on their Bible knowledge. They did rather well. But then I stumped them with questions like "Who are the Nephilum?" and "Which book of the Bible never says the name of God?". But they knew a lot more than I had expected.

Now, for "One Amazing Meeting".
Veer invited me to go to a prayer meeting with him last night. I said yes, of course. Blessy warned me saying that it was a fast too, and I wouldn't be able to eat till the meeting was over, and I assured her that I can go without one dinner. Then she warned me saying that it was 7 hours of straight prayer and worship, nothing else. I don't think she realized that she was only making me more excited about the meeting. So Veer, myself, and two other pastors hit the road for the 2 hour drive to Pali. Once we arrived, the second I stepped out of the car I could hear loud prayers being shouted from inside. I was very excited. I took off my shoes at the door and walked inside. The feeling I got the second I walked into the main room was... wow... I literally got chills down my back and arms from being overwhelmed with the Holy Spirit the second I stepped inside. I took my seat, and began to pray... I wasn't sure what I was SUPPOSE to be praying for, but it was amazing nonetheless. Then one by one each of the pastors (there were about 20) would stand up and say their prayer requests and praises and then we'd all pray as a group after each one. Loud praises went out for the many testimonies of miracles that had been preformed. I shan't say the things that were revealed there, but they put chills down my spine as they were spoken. I can't really explain any further other than... WOW. The Holy Spirit's presense was so THICK in that room. It was incredible, truly incredible, to be around such faith. I will never forget my night last night.

Anyway, that's all I really have to say. I'm doing well. Blessy made me cold milk which was very nice of her! haha

Misssing you all!!!

Love,
Ethan

I Exalt Thee

I'm currently listening to "I Exalt Thee" on the Jesus Culture: Your Love Never Fails album. Thats the explanation for the title haha

Anyway, to the point. Much to cover. I actually have a list haha

There was a Hindu festival a few days ago. It was quite the experience. Veer decided to take all the orphans to it so we could ride some rides. It was a lot of fun. There was one of those swinging ships like the one at Six Flags, except there was no restraints on this one... SOOOO, Samuel (the 20 year old who cooks for the orphans) and myself went to the back of the ship and STOOD UP, yes, the entire time.. sorry, Mom haha. That was quite the experience, scary at first but definitely FUN! It was especially cool to get to take a trip with all the boys though. We left right before a huge fight broke out, so God definitely had a hand of protection on us there!

My eyes have completely healed! So God answered my prayers there. No more eye flu :]

So Veer has me taking a break from teaching to do some administrative stuff. Specifically, I know select random students, go throught their graded assignments and check to see if the teachers are grading accurately. If they haven't, I have to be mean... which I'm not good at haha! But it's nice to mix in some grading... teaching is kind of hard. I'm sorry past teachers for the little punk I was haha

The students are going through a testing process right now. In the evening, the orhpans are just STUDYING STUDYING STUDYING! Veer is very forceful there. I am now tudoring many of them, so thats kind of fun.

We've had two church services so far. The first time I just sat and read my Bible cause the sermon is in Hindi, but this past Sunday Veer had me lead part of worship, and he wants me to speak soon. SO, that's really awesome!

Theres really bad flooding in all of India, it reminds me of Katrina. It's bad. All of India is in need of prayer for protection and for the damage to be minimal. So keep that in your prayers.

Also, a large prayer request is for safety tomorrow, on the 24th. Veer was telling me that on Sept 24, 1991 the Hindu's claimed that Rhaman (spelling), their god, was born at same location of a Muslim temple. Ever since then, there has been fighting and rioting in India every September 24th between the Muslims and Hindus. There also have been a case in the Indian court ever since 1991 to decide whether a temple or mosque would be built there. This is the 24th that they announce the decision, at 3:00 pm. Veer says there will most likely be a curfew enforced and that police presence will increase significantly. So, just pray for safety. Not for me, but for the Indian people. Because I am a Christian there is no danger for me, so don't be worried!

On a lighter note, yesterday I got a hair cut. My first on since in India. And another famous Indian head massage (I wisely requested them not to do anything to my ears this time! My ear still hurts since July 2009). That was very nice, and my hair is looking... well... it's shorter haha.

There's been a lot of pastors visiting Veer lately... These men are so strong in their faith that I am moved just by being around them... no, I'm not just around them, I'm surrounded by them... I can feel the warmth of Christ coming off of them and I can see His love in their eyes. It's just so cool to see these men who keep their faith despite the amount of persecution there is in India. They truly are inspiring to me.

Oh, I almost forgot. Last night at prayer, Shubum (not sure if I spelled that right haha) spoke about some verse in Matthew. Hera translated as best he could. Apparently Shubum was saying that it's wrong to hit children. Hera turned to me and asked what that verse was about sparing the rod... I told him it was Proverbs 13:24. He then taught them that it is okay to strike children as a disciplinary method. I'm telling you this story for two reasons. First I thought it was hilarious that Shubum taught that because he just didn't want to get hit anymore haha! Second, it was very cool to see Hera lead the group of boys in prayer and a Bible study. Which he does every Sunday after church and every night that Veer is too busy, such as last night. Hera has a heart for God and he inspires me just like those pastors do.

Anyway, I gotta go start the day.

I miss you all almost as much as I am missing cold milk right now!

In Him,
Ethan

Prayer

There are many things to cover, hopefully, I won't forget anything but chances are I will.

First off, On the 11th of September, we had a Gideons convention where all the Presidents of Gideons in Rhajastan came to EMS to meet. We also had all the Beawar pastors and family come. It was really awesome to see so many men of such great faith gathered together in one spot. Though, the number wasn't substancial, the amount of faith was.

Secondly, if you saw my old facebook status you'll know my new name is Ethan Bhaiyya, you probably have no idea what that means though. It translates to "Big Brother Ethan." This makes me really happy. All the orphans and Jeremiah and Tia call me it. Everytime they do, I can't help but smile.

Thirdly, school is going great. I still don't have a regular teaching schedule and am just kind of floating around filling in for teachers but it's still great. I'm getting the hang of it. I also am learning more Hindi each day. And have made the "head bobble" a habit (Indians "bobble" their head from side to side instead of nodding yes). The only thing I fear is coming back and annoying you all cause I can't stop bobbling my head! Haha anywayyyy

Fourthly, the purpose for the blog and reason this blog is simply titled prayer...
Praise the Lord that the Qur'an burning was cancelled, however, consequences still occured for even considering it. An Iranian news station that broadcasts in Kashmir (the northern part of India) reported a story that the Qur'an burning was carried out. Being a highly populated Muslim area, Kashmir's response was not good. Riots broke out in two larger cities, which resulted in: the burning of a cross inside one church, a Christian mission school being completely burned down, police vehicles being set fire to, and 88 deaths. The deaths were not Christians, to my knowledge, however, in order to stop the riots the police had to use force... 88 unspecified people died. A 24/7 curfew has been enforced in both cities but the anger still remains despite the fact that the citizens were informed the Qur'an was never burned. Now, before you start worrying about my well-being, I should tell you that there was no false report in Rhajastan, Veer is highly respected amongst his community, and all the violence has only taken place in those two cities (far north of here). However, prayer is still necessary. I ask you to pray for the Christians in Kashmir, for their safety and the preservation of their ministry. I also ask you to pray for the Christian presence in Iran and other Muslim countries... I do not know if they are in danger, or being persecuted, or anything... but it was an Iranian news channel that said the Qur'an was burned and it resulted in 88 deaths in India alone, so be praying for them. Pray that the violence has stopped for good and that there will be no more outbreaks. Pray for the school that was burned down, that they will find the money to rebuild and be able to continue their ministry without further persecution. Pray! Pray! PRAY!!!

In Him,
Ethan

September 10th, 2010

Hey Everybody!

Everything is going great here! It's been raining a lot which is good because the past 8 years have been very dry for India. Today is "Teacher's Day" at Emmanuel (like teacher appreciation week) so we are putting together a meal for them and Veer has asked me to sing/play them a song on my ukulele. I only know one song, the one that is on facebook, so that's the one I will be singing.

For those of you who know the legendary "Beardsley" I got to see him last night AND not only did I successfully say no to him when he offered me more biscuits, I made HIM have more!!! For those of you who don’t know of him, he is Veer's good friend who is very, very persuasive (aka forceful) with what you eat.

Anyway, I have heard some troubling news from the U.S. I heard there was a tornado near Love Field... I also heard there is flooding in the US. I hope it isn't as bad as the flooding here. Regardless, it will be in my prayers.

Even more troubling, I heard the news of this pastor who wishes to burn a Qur’an tomorrow, on the anniversary of September 11th. This saddens me greatly... Whatever happened to turning the other cheek? Or forgive them Father for they know not what they do? Tomorrow is also one of the biggest Muslim festivals of the year (not because of 9-11 but because of the moon). I know from word of mouth that the retaliation the Muslims will take if their holy book is burned, is not good... "A babbling fool will come to ruin" and so will this pastor. "The mouth of the wicked conceals violence" and so does this pastors words and actions (Proverbs 10). Christians, our command is to LOVE, not to be vengeful. This foolish pastor is only damaging our faith, and our image to the Muslims. Now, the idea the Muslims will have of Christians is that we are vengeful, hateful, and disrespectful people. I know I am rambling but I want to express how this is NOT good. This is NOT of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So, I ask for prayer, not for myself, but for this pastor to not do this foolish act... for the safety of the U.S. soldiers in Muslims countries from violent retaliation... and for this act to not be viewed as all Christians... Pray today, and ALL throughout tomorrow.

"The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen."
1 Corinthians 16:24


In Him,

Ethan

First Post from INDIA

Well, traveling was an experience. I met a lovely girl named Katharine on my 14 hr flight who was from Georgia. This 18 year old was headed to a different orphanage to do the same thing as me. It was really nice to have one last taste of home before being engulfed by India!

The changes here at Emmanuel are countless from my last visit. Things like two buses instead of one, new rooms being built, church is half-way completed, the foundation for Veer's home has been layed, Jeremiah speaks English MUCH better, there are 14 orphans instead of 9, and the list goes on and on.

God has some amazing things planned for this place and I can't believe I get to see/help part of His plan take place. I already have ideas for jobs for the Faith team in January, they are gonna have some funnnnn!

There is so much more to tell... Unfortunately, I still have yet to get some actual sleep and am exhausted. Starting my English Grammar class tomorrow! Watch out you crazy little Indians, "Ethan Sir" is BACK! haha

Okayyyy, I miss YOU terribly, yes YOU.

Love you all,

-Ethan

P.S. Pray for construction of the church and remodeling of the school to go smoothly without any hold-ups.

Departing.

Well, the time has finally come.

The pain of leaving my home, family, and friends is masked by the joy of returning to India! Though, I will miss everyone dearly...

My plane takes off at 11:10 today, flying to Chicago, where I will board the plane to New Delhi.

So, I ask you to keep me in your prayers throughout the next two days of travel. Pray for safety and that everything goes smoothly.

I'll post again when I arrive to keep you all updated.

-Ethan

Update!

Well, I leave September 4th! Yes, that's in a week and half! I'm SO excited!

There have been a few changes: Due do the changing of dates for the Faith mission trip I will be returning sometime in January as of the moment (about a month and a half sooner than originally anticipated). I still plan on returning with the Faith team but we are playing it by ear as of the moment.

I met with Mr. Brooks and Dr. Smith today to discuss big picture stuff and it got me very excited about the work I'll be doing out there! God is going to be doing GREAT things out there!!

-Ethan :]

Preface

Namaste!

I'm Ethan Hulme. I'm 19 years old and am about to embark on the biggest journey of my life. In one month I will be moving to India and living there for 7 months. This blog will practically be the only way I get to talk to all my friends and family back home so there may occasionally be some shout-outs! To kick off the blog, I want to tell you a little bit about myself and the trip.

Two years ago, my junior year in high school, I was desperately trying to make a trip out to India. I just felt a strong calling there. After months of no success I was at "HeBrews", the creatively named smoothie shop at my high school, when my principal, Jeff Potts, came up to me. He said, "Ethan, I hear you are trying to go out to India." To which I replied, "Yes, with no luck." He responded, "Well, we (Faith Christian School) are sending a group of four guys, you can go with them." "Great! When do they leave?" "Two weeks." Yes, I know... Two weeks is not a lot of time to prepare for a trip to India. I talked to my dad about it and with little time to hesitate, we made a swift decision. I was going. I flew out to Houston to order my visa (because mail order would have taken much to long) and received it the day before I boarded the plane. It was quite a hectic two weeks for me. Long story short, I was in India for two weeks, but it only took me one day to completely fall in love.

So, now I am returning to India. Except this time, its for over half a year. I am going to live in Beawar with my dear friend, Veer Singh, and his wife Blessy, and their two beautiful children Joanna (or "Tia") and Jeremiah. Together Veer and Blessy run a private school, Emmanuel Mission School. This K-9 Christian school not only teaches hundreds of Muslim and Hindu children a Christian education but also doubles as an orphanage. When I was there last the orphanage housed 9 beautiful boys. Now, it has 14! I'm so excited to meet the new boys! Veer has also started a church that takes place at his school! So many great things are going on out there and I cannot wait to be apart of it!

So, that's all for now! Keep me in your prayers (as well as Khristina Rost as she has just left for Mexico to do the same thing). I will try to post blogs as frequently as I can!

In Him,

Ethan Hulme