Team Himalayas 2011

just a little video i took of the view from where we are staying. one of the many sick timelapses to come.

in honor of our last day in darjeeling. a place we will all certainly miss. pray for us as we head now to our next location.

Beloved family and friends,

Emily here!  Greetings from Darjeeling, the city in the clouds!  I sit right now in an internet cafe as the rain beats down and the wind whips everywhere….apparently Monsoon season has just begun!  

The team has been here now for a week and 3 days, and we have been working alongside the AG church.  In the mornings we lead a brief chapel service at the AG school (K-10th) and then we split up to teach in the classrooms.  The kids love learning sunday school songs and bible stories or even just practicing math and english pronunciation.  In the afternoons and on weekends we take part in prayer, worship, and teaching sessions with the adults and pastors of the local church.  Last weekend we were able to visit an orphanage and spend time in play and prayer with the children there.

I am continually amazed and humbled by the uncomplicated faith of the believers here in Darjeeling and I am so encouraged to see how they long for God to move in powerful ways.  And He does just that.  There have been multiple healings and lots of prayer for more of His peace, joy and love.  We have been so blessed by the ways God prepared each team member for ministry here, even if we didn’t know it beforehand.

Darjeeling is such a beautiful city and we will be sad to leave it in just 3 days.  The colorful prayer flags wave energetically on every corner, but we know that the Lord is at work here and is bringing people to Himself.

Various team members have been fighting flu and cold like symptoms that may be partly due to the extreme change in climate from Kolkata and the high altitude here (approx. 6800 ft).  Also a stomach virus had a few of us in bed for a couple days, but as of right now we are almost completely healthy!

Prayer Requests

• HEALTH - The more physically challenging part of our journey is just ahead so pray for complete physical health of all team members.
• Continuing sensitivity to the Holy Spirit
• That truth would reign supreme, and that the devil would have no foothold in our minds, actions, discussions, etc.
• For the church here in Darjeeling - for strengthening of faith and increase of numbers of those who follow Jesus.
• For the AG school - that the Lord would send Christian teachers…90% of the students and teachers are not Jesus followers so pray for Christian teachers and the salvation of those already there.

We SO appreciate your faithful prayer and support and we look forward to reporting more praises in the future!  Praise Jesus that in Him we are made complete and fully equipped for every good work!

Grace and Peace!

~Emily Nash

So it has been a while since we have posted on the blog as it has been somewhat difficult to find internet.  Since our last post, we spent the rest of our duration in Kolkata, and now sit in Darjeeling, India.

First I will try and update everything that has happened since our last post in Kolkata.  As you all know, we’ve been working in the Mother Teresa Homes, working in Dyadon which houses mentally disabled children, Kalighat which is the home for the terminally ill, and Premdon which is a hospital.  Our team was divided between these three groups performing a variety of functions from physical therapy, washing dishes and linens, and helping feed and bathe these individuals.  We would spend a majority of our days in these houses seeing how many ways that God is moving in these places.  I’m sure whatever loved one you have here has many stories confirming this.

In the evenings, we were able to come along side and visit with one of the biggest churches in Kolkata and were able to join along in many of their ministries as a church.  We were able to come alongside them in small groups in which we were able to visit with local church members in their houses and discuss what God is doing both in India and in America and encourage and pray and worship with one another in that.  We were also able to driving along a tour a feeding program of the church which feeds nearly 10,000 mouths a day in the outskirts of Kolkata, where the average income per day is around 2 USD.  We were also able to hang out with some of the youth of the church and play football (soccer) with them at church in which we were able to give them the satisfaction of beating the Americans. We also had the privilege of listening to the stories of many of the leading pastors in the church and how God is using them both in Kolkata and the globe as they themselves are involved in missions work as well.  Hearing these stories and praying over these pastors has been amazing for us to really gain a grasp over how to pray and look at this city.  Overall our experience in Kolkata was that of hope, despite the 15 million people population crammed into a super small space, with tons of people living on the streets and overlooked, I think that our team has seen God moving in big ways through the local church as well as the humanitarian efforts of many organizations here.

We left Kolkata 3 days ago via overnight train for Darjeeling, a completely different culture and environment than Kolkata.  Where Kolkata was crowded, hot, and urban, this city of Darjeeling is not as crowded, decidedly cold and wet, and nestled into the foothills of the Himalayas.  Darjeeling is literally a city built on the side of a hill with the roads switch-backing up the side of a mountain.  Since being here we have had the opportunity to visit 2 home groups in which my group was able to both share songs and hear songs of these local Christians in Nepali.  We were then able to preach and talk with them through their pastor who interpreted for us.  We are also able to be working with the Church’s school where we will be putting on their morning chapels and visiting their classes to teach some classes and help some of the younger kids with their English.  We are also pleased to be joined by our friends in Team India-Kolkata as they are visiting up here for a couple days. 

If you would friends and family, continue praying for us as we are in a place of real privilege getting to preach the word of God and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in this city.  Also if you would pray for our health as that has been somewhat of an issue as of late with the great difference in climate and altitude.  Also if you would be patient with us as internet is a little harder to come by, but know that we want to still keep you all informed as much as possible.

Hey Yall, I thought i’d stop in and briefly update everyone of how our time here is going while in Kolkata.  We participated and partnered with the local A-G church here in the city and assisted in their ‘RAVE’ outreach to local teens.  The Indian culture/humor when it comes to entertainment is a joy to participate in; it is definitely a site to see.  Last Sunday we went to their ‘SOAR’ outreach which is a live radio show that is shot and filmed in the church itself.  Entertainment consisted of everything from Rap and Hip/Hop dance crews to artists like Lecrae, drama inspired choreographies, solo worship artists from Canada and Berkeley CA, and Bands from Northern India and the Middle East.  This morning we woke up at O-Dark-Thirty to follow the food distribution outreach which is out of the city and into rural areas of Kolkata.  We crossed over an off shoot of the Ganges river and saw many numerous slums as we were invited by hundreds who are regularly fed.  The church feeds between 10 and 11K every day and it was a blessing to see people who lived outside the city.  Indian terrain continues to amaze me, i cant go anywhere and not be left stunned by how many new things there are to see and experience.  As far as our day to day ministry consists of:  we are volunteering at different Mother Teresa homes 

Grant

Hey Everyone,

Jai-ma-si (essentially the greeting you say to other believers - “God be with you”, “God bless you”).  After 40+ hours of travel, LAX to Tokyo, Tokyo to Singapore, Singapore to Kolkata, we’ve arrived safely!  This is the first time I’ve had internet access, so our apologies for the pause.  The rest of the team has yet to find this out (that there’s free wireless at the house we’re staying at).  I’m sure once they do (I’ll let them know in a few hours), the floodgates of posts/blogs/facebook status updates will begin! 

We landed at 10:30pm and it took about an hour and a half to get out of the airport.  The feeling of exiting the plane was both nostalgic and new for me.  I have not been back to India for 3 years but the familiar smell of humid stone and plaster filling the exit corridor - I will never forget.  We really had no major snags getting our baggage or getting through customs which was a major praise.  I believe it finally hit the team that we were in India when we were picked up by a single SUV that “seated 13” though that really meant 3 in the front row, 3 in the middle, and 6 in the back row.  We tied down all our large backpacks to the roof, piled in the car, and headed on our first journey through the streets of Kolkata.  Even at midnight, there are signs of life everywhere - cars meander every which way honking as they chaotically, yet cordially, zoom past each other.  Dogs rule the street in the night as those who are less fortunate sleep on cardboard mats in small groups of 2-3.  Though I have been here 3 previous times, the sight created just as much burden in my spirit as it did my first.  We arrived at BMS House, where we were staying, around 12:30, worshiped, anointed the rooms we were staying at, and headed for bed.  Despite the jet-lag and such the team did great. 

Our first day was a celebration/reunion with Team India (another team from APU here in Kolkata).  We worshiped together in the morning, prayer walked the streets, broke bread for lunch, and then Team India showed us the ropes around some of the toughest, crowded streets/shopping centers so we could find some local clothing that better camouflaged our very apparent foreign appearance.  In the evening we were able to attend an annual youth conference, RAVE, where many of the team were able to pray for youth who went to the altar for prayer after the sermon.  Dad was with us!  Though it was only 8pm, our exhausted team headed back to the house with hopes of sweet rest.

Waking up this morning, I thought to myself, “this has been the first full-nights rest I’ve had in 3 weeks”.  We all slept well and were so thankful to feel refreshed.  After breakfast, we shared a time of devotion, worship, and prayer with the staff of BMS.  As I type this, the team is busy putting finishing touches on our human video (done to Lifehouse’s “Everything” song).  After which we will have lunch (curry, daal, and rice) and half the team will head to the RAVE conference and the other half to Mother Teresa’s Home for orientation.  We are excited!

So, thats all I have for you all.  Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers - we are definitely feeling those blessings!  In short:  the team is adjusting well, Dad is moving strongly here, we are all healthy (minus a few small stomach issues), rested, and alive in the Spirit!

Jonny

Here are a couple pictures from the last couple crazy days!

-the first picture is a photo booth picture is a couple of the team members at a kiosk in Singapore on their computer.

-the 2nd picture picture is arriving in tokyo as the sun set

-the 3rd is just the boys being goofs

-the 4th is us and our team bracelets

-the 5th is Sunday’s sendoff barbeque with a ton of support from friends and fam.

Boarding our plane to Tokyo then Singapore!

We were fortunate enough as a team to go to Mission Viejo Christian Church last Sunday and be prayed for and eat lunch.  Here are some of the pictures. While there, the church body blessed us with nearly 2,000 dollars for our trip!

We are also psyched because in just over a month, we will be boarding a plane for India!

Say Hi to our team!