Quick Sharing

So, we just got back from our travels yesterday. I don't have time to write a long post or give deep reflections on things, but I did want to share some of the pictures of India. I hope you guys enjoy them.

At dinner at our hotel in Delhi.

The streets of Delhi: Anything and everything can fit on whatever sized motor vehicle.

Tok-tok

Val and his camera

Liz!

Linda and Jim. We are all getting ready to go to the Taj Mahal.

The main gate

The dome of the Taj

 Tommy, holding it up.

 Hey, that's me!

 A close up of the flower design and scriptures from the Koran around the front arch-- all of this is inlaid by hand into the best marble in the world with semi-precious stones.

 One of the four towers

 Through the trees

 Still at the Taj-- there is a wrap around hall, connecting the four gates, and surrounding the courtyard of the Taj.

 Riding a camel!

 Qutub Minar. This ancient site from the 300s AD was used as a defensive tower to see if any armies were marching against the city. Val has more great shots of this place as my camera ran out of battery while there! :(

 Sweeping the streets.

 Either rice or wheat fields.

 At school

 Village church, worshipping.

 Home-Farm

 This is a small Hindu shrine.

 More rice, I think.

If you look closely, you can see a distant lady farming.

Some observations so far

Hi, everyone!

I apologize that I haven't been able to post to this blog until now. As you probably know, access to the internet during travels, staying in hotels here, and all the chaos that can go along with being in a foreign country can be sketchy. :P

We are now settled into the place we will be staying for the rest of our time and we are each preparing for the work we will do. We have had the opportunity to be very touristy for the first couple of days in Delhi. We saw the Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar (another historical site), and have gone shopping! Let me say that shopping in India is the best experience. :) Indian people have the best clothes-- and for this girl, it is just too much fun.

Obviously the culture is very different. I wanted to share with you some of my observations and reflections during this time. Much of Delhi, with its population of 25 million people, can be overwhelming. I wonder: how does anyone have a moment of peace and quiet? How does a person find some solitude? The extreme poverty, with which we are all familiar -- you have seen the images and movies, just like me --, the lack of infrastructure, the lack of value for individual life... The problems are systemic, massive, ubiquitous, and extreme. It is easy to become despondent over the need.

A couple of days ago, Jim was expressing some distress about this when we were all sitting together over dinner. It's very distressing because you feel helpless. You wonder-- what could I possibly do that would make a difference? And especially when we get to go back to the US in a couple of days, to our safe, secure, wealthy and selfish lifestyles.

Just two days ago in Delhi, a little, undernourished girl, about the age of 10, who lives on the streets came up to the side of our car as we sat in traffic, tapped on our window, and begged for money, indicating that she was hungry.  Yet these children are a part of a network, are enslaved to adults who entrap and abuse them, forcing them to beg and taking the money the children get. So, even if we give, we know it doesn't go to them anyway. But your heart breaks. What can you do in that moment? Nothing.

Yesterday we saw a girls home, where some girls who would be living on the street just like the one I saw are given a home, a safe place to live. However, the space and the funds are limited: they can take care of about 30 girls.

This is how it is easy to become depressed and hopeless. Yet we must have faith. I don't know His plan. None of us know His plan. But I do know that He has called this team to be here, to do the work set before us. I know we can do that work. I may not be able to help the millions of children being abused on the streets of Delhi, but I can do what He has called me to do for this day. Even if we try to do things in our own strength, it won't matter any way. It won't have power; it will be meaningless; it will just be burned up in the refining fire. There is no need to be distressed when we are being faithful and obedient to our Father. We should have joy in our work, honor to participate in His plan, and faith that He has the capability to take care of the rest.

Meet Liz!

So far, Liz wins for the most creative answer to the food question. :) I also love her answer to the question about her role on the team-- what better answer could any of us have?

Have you ever been to India before? No, but I'm really looking forward to seeing for the first time this country and its wonderful people.

How did you decide to go on this trip? Because of my friendship with the Corrao family. I have heard so much about the work done in India and I can't wait to meet the people there.

What do you feel your role is on the team? My role on the team is to be a servant where ever the need may be.

What are you most excited about doing in India or as part of the team? I'm most excited about meeting the children at the school for the blind.

What do you think will be your greatest challenge? Without a doubt, it will be speaking before the large group of women!

And last of all... What is your favorite Indian dish? It's not really a dish, but what I'm looking forward to the most is Indian Chai.

Meet Valentine!

Here's what Valentine had to say. I, for one, am challenged by his sincerity and the respect with which he approaches the task we are all about to take on for the Lord. I hope you will be challenged by his attitude of service, as I was.

Have you ever been to India before? No. What's your connection to India? My Father loves India a lot. He even sent His Son to die for the people of India (and for all others, too) and that's why I love them, also. Besides, I have a lot of brothers and sisters there, and I would love to meet them for the first time! Any interesting stories or memories? Not yet, but wait until I come back: I won't stop talking about it!

How did you decide to go on this trip? I had the desire to go for many years, but I did not have a convenient opportunity. However, after taking the Kairos course, I realized that Jesus did not wait for the convenient time, so neither should I.

What do you feel your role is on the team? I feel blessed to be a blessing. The honest answer-- I don't know what my role is! But, I am thrilled to be a part of the team.

What are you most excited about doing in India or as part of the team? To attend and serve others; to meet my Indian brother's and sister's and worship our Father together.

What do you think will be your greatest challenge? Communicating clearly; however, "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength!" It's His mission, not mine.

And last of all... What is your favorite Indian dish? It is hard to say because I have had Indian food only a couple of times. However, I enjoyed everything I ate at that Indian restaurant where we went to as a team. The best part is that I can eat with my hands. :)

Prayer Requests

Thank you for everyone's prayers! Below is a schedule with specific prayer points. All prayer is helpful. Thank you, again, for this most powerful form of support!

Monday, October 8th. Packing day. It is important to be ready for the trip and have all we need. Sometimes this can be stressful or hectic. Pray for wisdom to pack everything we need and nothing we don't.

Tuesday, October 9th. Leaving Fresno in the early morning. Pray for all of us to get to the airport on time, to pass the security and customs without any problems. Pray for all of the connection flights to be on time. Pray above all for safe travels.

Wednesday, October 10th - Friday, October 12th. Rest from the long travels and visiting Delhi. This is an important time for us to rest after a long trip and to get adjust to the new time, new culture. We also need to get energized before the Big Job! Pray for safety, team unity, and God to prepare us in all ways for our mission. Pray for our health as we adjust to the new environment, food, and water.

Saturday, October 13th. Travel to India and spend time with those in need. This could be a time of culture shock especially for those of us who have never been to India before. But, it is also an awesome time to meet our brothers and sisters in India!

Sunday, October 14th. Day of worship and fellowship with the local church. We cannot wait for this moment! This will be a great time to praise God in different languages, declaring the wonders of God – almost like the day of Pentecost! Pray for the Lord to begin His work in the hearts of those who have not surrendered themselves to Him. Pray for the Lord's blessing on this awesome time.

Monday, October 15th. Day of preparation. Today we will set up and decorate the meeting place. Pray for unity, peace, health, courage, and wisdom. Continue to pray for safe travels for the attendants.

Tuesday, October 16th.  Pray for God to enable each member of our team as we will be speaking. We need God to speak through us; we need God to make us say what He wants to say. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in that place. Some of us have years of experience in public speaking, others have none or little, but it doesn't matter for we are each an instrument in God's hands, a conduit of the Holy Spirit to bring His message. Without Him we cannot do anything, but with Him all things are possible!! Also, pray for protection from those who oppose Christianity. Satan does not like what we are doing and he will try to disrupt our time of meeting, worship, and service.

Wednesday, October 17th. Pray for us to stay uplifted, strong, and healthy to proclaim God's words with courage. Also, continue to pray for unity and peace as we are serving the Lord and our brothers and sisters. Pray for the Lord to continue to use us and speak through us. Pray for their hearts to be receptive and for us to be able to encourage our brothers and sisters as they are serving the Lord in a very hostile situation.

Thursday, October 18th.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to come and fill that place, for us to say the last words of encouragement to those who are around us, and for the the Lord's name to be glorified as we are worshipping Him together. We may not see some or any of them again until we meet in front of the White Throne our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and our loving Heavenly Father. This will be a very emotional day for all of us. May the name of the Lord be glorified! Pray for the Lord to use them in their local congregations powerfully!

Friday, October 19th. Visiting with others: Pray for the Lord to use us as we are visiting and teaching the Indian people. Today we also rest, pack, and prepare to leave early the next morning.

Saturday, October 20th. Leaving for Delhi and flying back to the U.S. Pray for safety, unity, and for us (and our luggage!) to make our connections.

Sunday, October 21st. Continue traveling home. Pray for travel safety, health and peace as we are finishing our last hours of travel. We arrive at Fresno at 5:30 pm, which means we will probably stay up all night sharing with family and friends exciting stories!

Happy People Dancing on Planet Earth

Watch this. You will love it. I promise. :)

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120710.html

What I Learned About Yoga

John Maxfield asked, "What are the origins of yoga and should Christians be involved in yoga in any form?"

So, most of you are probably familiar with yoga-- it's big business in the health world in America. A yoga class consists of stretching and strength positions as well as breathing exercises. These positions have names like downward facing dog, crane, and mountain.

Yoga was first mentioned in the Vedas, ancient Sanskrit scriptures. Yoga is also mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita. The word "yoga" is usually translated as "yoked" or "union" and refers to the union of the body and the mind through the meditation and stretching done as a part of yoga. According to the Bhagavad Gita, there are three types of yoga: "Karma yoga was based on selfless action; bhakti yoga was a form of devotion and prayer; and, jnana yoga referred to scholarly pursuits." (www.howstuffworks.com/yoga). Later texts, the Yoga Sutras of the Patanjali, were more precise about how yoga should be done. But this text emphasizes philosophical and meditative principles rather than exercise, which is just mentioned briefly as helpful preparation for meditation. Hatha yoga, an athletic yoga, was developed throughout the 1800's and Ashtanga yoga was developed out of that in the mid-1900's, which is basically the athletic yoga you can take at gyms pretty much anywhere in America. It was during this time that Westerners went to India to learn from yogis there, then brought the form back.

One of the major figures to bring yoga to the United States was Indra Devi, who de-emphasized the mystical aspects and emphasized the physical benefits. He realized that celebrities would be a great way to popularize the form, and even worked with Marilyn Monroe. Not much has changed in the culture of American yoga. In America, yoga continued to be popular as a form of exercise, which angered the yoga purists, who felt they had missed the boat as the exercise was really secondary to meditation. There are lots of different types of yoga: from ashtanga yoga, in which you move quickly from pose to pose, to bikram yoga, which is done in hot room, to lyengar yoga, in which you hold poses longer than in ashtanga yoga. Other types of yoga forcus more on the spiritual elements: jivamutki, kudalini, and ananda. (www.howstuffworks.com/yoga)

Yoga is widely known for its health benefits, but how should we deal with its spiritual aspects? The second part of John's question-- should Christians participate in yoga-- I am far less comfortable answering. I have heard Mark Driscoll state that Christians should not. I have also heard John MacArthur agree that Christians should not participate. I think it is important to consider the spiritual aspects and background of yoga. It is obviously not Christian in origin. I also think it's important to understand the ways in which Eastern meditation differs from Christian meditation. Where Eastern meditation focuses on emptying the mind, focusing on nothingness, as well as attempting to achieve union with the universe, Christian meditation works in the opposite direction: it requires focus on a particular verse or Biblical doctrine; it is a filling of the mind rather than an emptying of it; it seeks to unify with God (the creator) rather than the universe (creation). The meditation that would be done as part of yoga is then the opposite of what Christians do. Nonetheless, I am not a pastor or spiritual leader. I can only adjure each of you to consider this issue for yourselves. You should pray about it and research it yourselves. If you feel a strong conviction about it, then follow what you feel God is telling you through your time in prayer and research. I would be curious to hear what other leaders in the Christian community have said regarding this.

I got most of my information from this website How Stuff Works (one of my favorites). Here is their article on yoga: http://www.howstuffworks.com/yoga.htm