Bethinindia

"Then Christ will make his home in your heart as you trust in him"

2007-06-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

--Ephesians 3:17

I am home!! Kelowna, Canada, where the fruit is ready to ripen and where my parents are graciously letting me stay with them for the summer, I am feeling incredibly blessed. I have hardly been here a week, do not have a job yet (that's okay with me right now), and I am simply thanking God. That seems to be all I can utter sometimes...simply a "thank you."

That reminds me--thank you to everyone who has read my sometimes-way-too-long blog entries, emailed me, sent me money for my trip, and especially prayed for me. You are all my heroes!! Oh and IF you want to see photos from my trip and chat (I'd love to hear what your year has been like, too), then let me know!

Little recap from the past month:

-- Jordan (the country...see previous blog entry) was AWESOME. We won all of our games, visited Petra (where I rode a muel! It was my favourite), went to Mount Nebo (where Moses saw the Promised Land), and got to swim in the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. It was great, and what a beautiful country!

-- I was in Abbotsford for two weeks with all the other Trekkers (who went to Thailand, Peru, and Mexico) for debrief. It was really helpful and we had a great time hanging out and learning to be normal again..haha. We also went white-water rafting and spent a day at a nearby lake! I just feel so blessed to be in this country, enjoying the big and small things in life. This is a verse that has really spoken to me regarding just that, from Philippians 4:11-13...

"For I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength."

Sadly, this will probably be my last blog. It's been fun, God has been faithful, and India is hopefully touched a little bit. I'm so glad that God has the whole world in HIS hands. What a good God we serve.

Blessings,

love, Bethany

p.s. Photo #1--Amy and I pointing to the promised land. #2--Me and my Bedouin guide on a muel. #3--A little Bedouin girl that we had tea with. #4--The "Monastery," a 78m by 79m part of Petra, carved into the mountains. #5--Our team in Punjab!

Just Kidding!

2007-05-28T05:00:00.002-07:00

Well, it wasn't really a joke. I actually thought that I wasn't going to be able to go to Jordan with Amy to play the soccer games, but it is now happening!! I'm going to Jordan on the 30th!

I had written in my journal, about a month ago, a bold prayer asking God to provide all the money that I would need to go on this trip. And since I had peace that God wanted me to go, I trusted that the money would come. Well, there were definitely times of doubt but look what He's done!

My parents, first of all, had decided that they wanted to help me get there so they were incredibly generous...thanks Mom and Dad! But then when I found out that the cost was just going to be too high, my teammates really surprised me. They wanted me to be able to come, so three of the ladies voluntarily contributed their fundraised amount on my behalf (which was a lot of money...), so I find myself on my knees once again praising God for the way that He answers prayer! I know, without a doubt, that it was His goodness. He is always, always good.

We're having a goodbye party here on Wednesday so we're looking forward to that...lots of sad farewells :( :)

See you soon Canada!

Beth

no go for Jordan

2007-05-21T02:08:00.000-07:00

Just a quick little update...

I'm not going to Jordan anymore because I found out that the flight was going to be mucho too costly (to go from Jordan back to Vancouver). But that's okay that it didn't work out. I trust that God has a bigger and better plan for me--not necessarily a different country to go to, but there is definitely some reason why it didn't work out. It will be nice to fly back home with the rest of the team and it's also nice not having to dish out the extra money for the trip, so it's all good. And maybe I'll get to go to Jordan another time in my life!

It's strange having only 12 days left here. We went to our church for the last time yesterday which was sad. The hardest part was saying goodbye to the girls to whom I've been teaching English. One of them in particular, one of the girls who has a terminal illness, just wouldn't let go of me. She'd say, "No Beth didi, you stay here in India. You not go...... Okay, you come back? Jesus, I pray that Beth didi will come back. I like Beth didi." So sweet, but wow, that one was hard. I really will miss the people here. I'll keep them up in prayer, although that's not always as easily done as it is to say it. A new challenge for myself--yes!!

Other than that, I'm still running my mind about what to do when I get home. I've been challenged recently to dream big dreams...even bigger than what we think is big. I really want to pick up the dreams that I've laid down in my life--I mean, if I really believe that nothing is impossible for God, then I need to live my life that way, even if it hurts sometimes. So I've been praying more about the stunt business and how/if God wants me to pursue that. It makes me excited! So we'll see....

Well I'd better be going. Tomorrow's Jen's birthday so we're planning a nice day for her.

Many blessings friends and fam,

Beth

time is drawing nigh

2007-05-08T05:36:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

First of all, I apologize for not updating my blog in awhile. It's crazy how time is flying...it feels like last week that I wrote on here but almost a month has passed!

Speaking of a month, that's how long it will be until I'm standing back on Canadian soil. I was saying to Jen the other night that this place is feeling so normal now that it's not registering that we're going back to our strange culture. But I must say that I'm getting excited to see my family and friends, and to not be in a role of leadership for a little while. I have enjoyed it, but man it's harder work than I could have guessed. Way to go leaders all over the world. You guys are my heroes.

So this past month our team took one more trip down south to Hyderabad (actually, just outside in a village) where we got the chance to lead in singing, prayer, and a few of us even got to teach a class of young adults on "goal setting" and "Christ-like living." I taught the latter, although I am weak in that area, which is why I think He had me explain what not to do..hah. I was encouraged in that area though afterwards which was nice. We had a really good time down there though...our team came away with some really good memories (like making friends with young Indian leaders who were all gathered for training there, visiting a 2-acre banyan tree, and having an AMAZING answer of prayer at the airport on the way back to Delhi.) I would write the whole miracle-story but Jen already has on her blog, so I would encourage you to read it at: http://www.xanga.com/shakey80 ----------- her April 23rd posting.

Other than that, I have still been teaching English to the young girls and doing the "Bhangra" workout dancing with Amy and Bindu. A lot of women from the neighbourhood have been coming out so it's been great!

A lot of my time has been spent hanging out with an Indian friend that I've met here, who is asking a lot of questions about Christianity. She was staying with us for a week because of some problems at home and we were able to encourage her. I am really glad that I am here to support her in this time but she is really not looking forward to me leaving back to Canada. I've been telling her that God loves her more than I, or any guy on earth, ever could. She needs prayer, and so do I as I try to follow the Spirit's leadings...so please do! :)

Another exciting thing that happened just today is that the Quest (the program I did 2 years ago, which is why I came to India the first time) team came to our place to hang out, worship, and pray together. It was so awesome showing them around the area where I live, and encourage them to listen to God's voice...maybe they'll be called back to India as I was! But yeah, it was great to get to hang out with Jeremy--the leader, one of my favourite people-- and get to talk to the Questees about their experience at CBC this year. God knows how to bless us all the time!

I won't write too much on this for now, but as long as flights work out and everything, it looks like Amy and I will be going to Jordan on May 31, just before I fly back to Canada. Our soccer team is going to play some games against some teams there, as well as tour some of the country. So that's exciting! Well, except for the fact that we'll be playing in 50-55 degree weather. But that's alright...it's a good thing I come from hot Kelowna.

Okay so I'll try to answer the burning question that everyone's been asking. "What will you do when you get back?" First, there are two weeks of debrief back in Abbotsford, BC, where we'll meet back up with team Thailand, Peru, and Cheyla in Mexico. Then I'm planning on going back to Kelowna for a while (don't know how long) and maybe find a job for a couple months. Then, in either July or August, I would LOVE to visit my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews in their respected cities. That would be the greatest. After the summer, I'm not sure what God has planned for me. But I have options in Abbotsford, Vernon, India, Kelowna, or Vancouver, so I'm definitely waiting on the Lord. I'm not really worried though cause God always has something planned for me in the end!

As for what God's teaching me, the list never ends: trust, humility, patience, confidence and boldness, the laying down of my rights, my dreams, my fears...etc. I am especially learning daily about what it means to practise trusting in Him, even for the small day-to-day things (and the big things as mentioned above). But I love that I can just ask him to help me and he is so faithful to save me every time. I wish I asked him things more often! But I guess that's what learning is--a continual process that shapes us.

Thank you so very much for all your prayers, thoughts, and letters. Seriously, I am in awe of the generosity I've been blessed with. I know that I would not have ever felt such support if I didn't have such awesome friends and family, so thank you. And I wanted to say that if there are any prayer requests that you'd like to send me, or if you just want to say "hi," you can always email me. I'd love to hear what's on your heart and how I can support you from this side of the world.

God bless you!

Bethany

Beauty all around me

2007-04-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

Pokhara, Nepal, with a cement ping-pong table.

Well hello everyone!

Our team got back from Nepal and Goa last week (April 3) , and we're preparing ourselves for another short adventure to a southern state of India, called Andhra Pradesh. We'll be getting some exposure and speaking at some Mennonite Brethren churches down there.

In Goa, we had a lot of fun doing childcare for the missionary families as they had meetings. But we got plenty of time to relax and actually be tourists for a while too. The beaches and sun were just beautiful and I had forgotten how much of a sucker I am for the water. I just love being in God's creation so much, and praising Him for letting me enjoy it in this life! In the book of Psalms, chapter 29 says,

"The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.
The God of glory thunders.
The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic...
The Lord rules over the floodwaters.
The Lord reigns as king forever.
The Lord gives his people strength.
The Lord blesses them with peace."

You know that feeling when you're sitting in front of the ocean watching/listening to the waves, and you feel so incredibly small? This psalm makes me feel that same way when I think about God's strength. And yet he gives us his strength when we trust that he can...wow. That kind of strength--the kind that makes the ocean move around--blows my mind.

Another one of my favourite parts about being there was riding a motorized scooter around, getting to observe some non-touristy areas of the state. There are salt fields all over, cool Catholic churches, and just amazing beaches. I found out later from the men who rented the scooter to me, that I was supposed to have had my biking license. Oops, but ignorance is bliss....and probably really dangerous. I also got opportunities to hang out with locals a lot...just to chat outside of their shops and listen to them talk about their families and religions (Islam, Hindu, Catholicism...they're all here). Not many things beat just hanging out in my opinion.

Our Visa run in Kathmandu, Nepal ended up being a nice blessing from God. We were hosted by an absolutely amazing family who owns a Christian Publishing company there. Our stay was extended because the Indian Embassy apparently really takes its time with foreigners' Visas, so we got to visit a little bit more of the country. We took a 7-hour bus ride to a city called Pokhara, a beautiful city with a lake and mountains all around. I felt very much at home there. I called my mom on her birthday from there, and she told me over the phone that she was in that city 16 years ago (when I was in grade 1), so that was really cool for me.

Easter was this past weekend and we spent it with the Klassens and Oommens, as well as with the church that we've been going to. Everyone in India seemed to know that it was Good Friday (because they get the day off work), but hardly anyone knows what Easter is let alone what it means. I got to explain the meaning to my Bollywood-agent friend and she came to some of the celebrations with me so that was a lot of fun. Please continue to pray for the relationships that we've built here.

I'm so glad that we still have two months left here (June 2nd we land in Vancouver!). I just know that God has amazing things planned for us in our last months, otherwise we wouldn't have gotten our Visas renewed. God still has work to do, amidst our thinking about our plans for the summer and beyond. I just wait in expectancy and trust that Jesus will make my path straight. What a joy it is to know that my Father in heaven walks beside me each day. He is all I need.

God bless,

Bethany

Air

2007-03-12T09:14:00.000-07:00

I find it hard to believe that we share the same air as Jesus did when he walked this earth. About 2000 years ago He was gasping for breath in the desert as he walked in the heat, using the same oxygen to preach to people he cared about, and breathing his last on the cross; "Father, I entrust my Spirit into your hands!" (Luke 23:46).

And yet today, despite Jesus' sacrifice for us and his invitation to freedom, we still take for granted the air we breathe. People treat others poorly. There is sin everywhere, all around us...it takes a quick glance in the news to get a glimpse of the brokenness people are feeling. No one can escape death. No one will be without some sort of suffering and pain in his life. I am not saying these things to be a downer...that's not usually my personality :). I just want people to see that if there is any hope in this life then it has to be in Jesus Christ.

In these past weeks we have watched our host families go through some hard times of mourning for a father who passed away and a baby who never got the chance to be born. But I also got to celebrate with my mom who told me of a mother who has just given birth to a boy who should not have lived, back in Kelowna. We were also amazed to hear, from Ben Froese visiting our team from Abbotsford, about the story of the two AIDS orphans in Thailand who, in September I believe, were healed from their terminal illnesses. And all it took was the wondering-if-Jesus-is-real faith of a Buddhist woman in Thailand (now-turned follower-of-Jesus) who prayed and fasted for the boys. She found out in an amazing way that He is real!

I've been seeing Jesus in a lot of places lately. I've seen him in the street children who beg at the Community Centre down the street from us, six days a week. Instead of fearing us they now know that they can trust us, and I look forward to giving them hugs as they come and wrap their little arms around us, seeking love that they do not receive often. I believe that's the way Jesus wants us to run to Him.

I have seen Jesus in the six AIDS orphan boys who go to our church, and that Jen teaches math to. At the ages of 9, 10, 11, and 12, and knowing that their lives will most likely not be lived much longer, they have memorized more of the Bible than I have. At church, they lift up their little hands to God in faith that He can do miracles. We as a team have been intentionally praying for them this past week, that He would do miracles for these boys. If you would like to know their names to pray for them as well, email me and I'll send them to you.

I've seen Jesus in the eyes of the children who live in a nearby slum, whose faces lit up the other day when we had the privilege of taking them to a park across the city, at India Gate. Most of them had never been on a swing or slide, in a car or even out of the slum they call home. The joy on their faces when they would gleefully get to the bottom of the slide can be only described as "perfect." I suspect that that same look is familiar to parents of young children in the West (and in the East for that matter)...I just wonder, "Why do we lose that joy as we grow old?" Jesus said in the book of Matthew, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven." Why does our pride get in the way of seeing all the awesome things God has in store for us?

Other things worthy of mention:

- We celebrated "Holi" with our neighbours on the 3rd and 4th of March, a Hindu festival where they rub paint on each other's faces and arms, as well as throw water balloons and hose each other as much as possible. If you go outside those days, that's it. You're wet.

- We will be heading out of Delhi this coming Saturday (the 17th) until the 31st for a trip to Goa and to Nepal to renew our Visas. Please pray that they will be processed without trouble, and that we will have a relaxing time/good bonding time in Goa.

- I am still trying to raise financial support from out here in India, so if anyone is getting an unexpected sweet tax-return or just feels like helping me out, I would be super-grateful!

God bless you all. In Christ,

Bethany

2007-02-25T10:47:00.000-08:00

Hello hello!

February has been fun. I have really enjoyed getting to help coach the kids' soccer team here in Delhi. Boy, what a stressful job though...well done former-coaches! In the last month, God has also opened the door for me to get to play on a women's soccer team, in a volleyball tournament, and join in playing badminton with some faculty members of the university nearby. It's a huge blessing because I had been praying that I would get to play some sports! God knows the desires of our hearts, that's for sure. I am really excited to let Him guide me in the next few months that I have left in India. I feel like I've grown in so many ways already--it's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that we still have a lot of time to spend here.

One verse to encourage and challenge you all--one that you may or may not have heard before but one that I love...

Jesus replied, "‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’-Matthew 22:37-39

God bless you all this week!

Bethany

A few photos

2007-02-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos finally! Today (I actually wrote this on the 12th--now it's the 19th) was sweet...I got to be in another Bollywood movie, playing a tourist at a Red Fort restaurant. My friend in the picture is an agent and I've gotten to talk with her a lot about a ton of cool things. The entire day I got to talk to other foreigners and share about Jesus! It was awesome! The other pictures are taken of the retreat centre across the road from us...they have beautiful flowers over there that lift my spirits. Praise God for His beautiful creations on this earth! Oh and there are a couple random photos added in there too. I got to ride a horse and carriage on set, and there were guards there with AK47s protecting us...I snapped a photo. hehe.

Just about halfway....crazy

2007-02-04T08:25:00.000-08:00

Hi friends and family,

Hey, first off I just wanted to say thanks for the emails and notes telling me you're reading this blogger-thingy. It's hard to motivate myself to write when I have no clue if anyone's keeping track, but I shall write on!

Things in Delhi, India..........ahhh, well the longer I'm in this place the more I'm realizing I know nothing about it. I mean I can get to where I need to go on a rickshaw, buy vegetables from the "subzee walla", chill with locals on the street and say a few sentences, but I really would need years to feel like this place is totally comfortable. That being said, I am enjoying parts of the Indian culture more and more and am able to appreciate some of the ways they do things.

Like for example, I really like the way religion here is so tied in with tradition and community. Most people are Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh so the culture fits mostly into those religions, but even the Christians I know in Delhi are so community-oriented, it's awesome. The tiny little church we go to meets for a regular Sunday service, a Monday married couples' prayer meeting, four seperate youth events (one for girls, guys, young guys, young girls) and a Friday night prayer meeting. I mean who meets on Friday night and everyone in the church shows up? These people actually want to be there and are excited to pour into each other's lives and be stretched and molded by God. It's incredible. I would love to see what that kind of community could look like in Canada.

Switching gears here, I was challenged the other day to not put "please pray for our team's unity" as just a bullet at the end of a blog, so here is me not putting it as a bullet. The five of us got to meet with Sam Dick, one of the Trek leaders from back in Abbotsford, a couple times this past week because he was out here for meetings, and our team has described it as "like pressing a reset button." It was really good for us to be challenged and also encouraged by him to really look to God for our strength, joy, peace, patience, and love especially. God really is the source of everything good in this world, and if we want to love each other better it has to come from Him. I realized for myself that I have been trying to please everyone on the team, by doing the whole chameleon thing and changing into who I think they want me to be. But that's totally wrong! I know that I need to be the leader, daughter, friend, woman that God created me to be--not who others think I should be. And hey, I like the girl He's made me. :) But yeah, please pray that we'd be able to be ourselves around each other.

A couple cool things:

-We went to the Republic Day parade at India Gate last week. We saw the Prime Minister of India as well as Vladimir Putin, the Russian President. Also a lot of marching bands, soldiers with huge, scary guns, marching bands on camel-back, elephants, helicopters, and waaay too many floats...one for every 28 states of India in fact. It was very well done but we were a bit disappointed they didn't throw candy to the crowds.

-After coaching soccer at the American high school, Greg and I got to eat real hamburgers and then he played basketball in a real gym with good players so I got to watch. For a minute I forgot I was in India!

-Nicole and I have been learning some "Bhangra," (Punjabi dancing) with Amy and Bindu. A few women from the community have been coming out which is awesome and it's a lot of fun!

Well I hope everyone back home is doing well. Keep the emails coming...I love hearing what is going on in your lives as well!

Miss you all, God bless,

love, Bethany

Sisters, soccer, Scripture and...Bollywood

2007-01-16T05:31:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've posted so I thought I'd just write to let everyone know I'm still alive and well. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened in the past little while, except that I got to be an extra in a Bollywood movie...that was kind of a neat opportunity.
For some reason--I think because I'm white and trustworthy-looking(?)--they gave me one of the producers' behind-the-scenes cameras and I played the part of a tv media person. I would start filming before they said action, and I'd keep filming after they said cut, while I was in the scene. It was kinda crazy...all of these Indian guys were also acting as media people, crowding around the main actor, Shah Rukh Khan (big name apparently) and it made me and Nicole and Jen feel like we were in a mosh pit! We were the only women newspeople and we just got trampled on. But it was fun and I got only one scar so I'm going to be fine.

This past Saturday was the first game for a 5 and 6-year-old soccer team that I'm helping coach, along with my mentor out here, Amy Klassen. Her daughter plays for the team and Amy is a great coach. Props to all my previous coaches...it's kinda a stressful job. I guess it doesn't help too much that many of them have never touched a "football," we have only 15 minutes of practice time which is right before games, and half the kids have Indian names and don't speak English. Haha, we're going to need God's help so please pray.

Most of my days, however, have been spent with the "sisters," explained in the last posting. Me and Nicole take a 30-minute rickshaw ride most days and try to teach them English at their place. It has been a good experience and it's been nice to hear their stories a bit more. I am realizing more and more just how blessed I am to have grown up in Canada, to be respected as a woman and to be stood up for. There have been times when, listening to the sisters' stories, I have felt like a complete fool for ever thinking that my problems have been so big. In reality, God has blessed me with a family that loves me, awesome friends, ex-boyfriends who treated me so well, and most importantly the awareness of the love that can come only from God. If you're up for the challenge, I'd like to challenge you right now to think about something/someone that you take for granted, and thank God for that thing/person. It's interesting the things you might come up with. I'll leave it at that :)

Here's a piece of Scripture to leave you with...something that I've been hearing a lot about lately. From John 15:9-17 says, "I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other."

Have a great week ladies and gents. Miss you.

God bless,

Beth

my first Indian Christmas

2006-12-22T02:28:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas friends and fam,

So it's my first Christmas away from my family, and I think I will be just fine. Don't get me wrong, I miss every last one of my 18 family members (and my friends too...don't think I've forgotten about you guys!) but I think I had prepared myself for something close to a mental breakdown during this season and that's not even close to how I feel. God has, once again, been faithful to comfort me. Plus I was thinking, it's pretty neat that I get to spend a Christmas on the eastern side of the world, closer to the actual place where Jesus was born!

Last night we had a Christmas party at Saji and Bindu's and did a gift exchange thing, tomorrow we will go carolling from home to home in our neighbourhood, and Christmas Eve we will serve the host families by providing them childcare and waitering for a "Christmas Satsung." Instead of a regular candlelight service it will be a Hindu-style worship night to celebrate Jesus' birth to this earth. They promised we'd still get some goodies out of the deal, just in case some of you were worried for me. :)

Since we've returned from Punjab (which was neat...we saw the Sikh Golden Temple and some famous...rock garden...?) I have been spending my days with five young women, teaching some basic English, playing games with them, and taking some of the load off of the woman who lives with them 24/7. These girls have been either rescued out of prostitution, abused in some way, or banished from their homes for various reasons and they now live together under some supervision. It is quite amazing to see the laughter and happiness in that home. It has God's grace written all over it, just as His grace is waiting there for any of us.

That reminds me, I have been learning a lot from God about his grace. Here is a verse that has been encouraging me. Hopefully it can be the same for you. It goes, "But (Christ) said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9,10). I sure feel weak a lot of the time--thank you Lord that you can use me best in those times!

I thank God that he sent his Son, Jesus, to be born in this crazy world. He is my Saviour!

A few prayer requests to end things off:

-That our team would take delight in having an Indian Christmas away from our usual families.

-For the 30-year-old woman who lives in, 24/7, with the five "sisters" I wrote of. She needs another live-in woman to help.

-Please pray that the rest of my funds for this trip will come in.

-That God would continue to mold me and form me into who he created me to be.

Thank you and God bless!

love, Bethy

p.s. I can't download pictures right now but I'll keep trying!

2006-12-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

This little light of mine...

2006-12-05T22:26:00.000-08:00

Namaste friends,

F.Y.I.--Photos are coming soon :)

Well, it's December sixth and from the sounds of it, things are really looking a lot like Christmas back in B.C.! It's starting to be sweater weather out here but we won't be getting snow...thank you to those of you who have sent snow pictures!

These past couple of weeks have been filled with an American Thanksgiving party, a friend from church's birthday party, and the end of our Hindi classes with Subodh, our teacher who often preached to us.

This past weekend was a heavy one for four of us (Greg, Jen, Jon, and me) who visited a city called Varanasi, one of the oldest cities in India. Its steps lead right onto the Ganges River and Hindu people from all over this country go there to bathe in it to wash their sins away. Not only did we see people dipping themselves in the polluted water (like seriously polluted...I wouldn't have wanted to dip one finger in that river), but Hindus often bring their dead there to be burned in fires so their ashes can be scattered in the water.

I can't really describe what that was like--to see such masses of lost people searching for truth in false gods. We all felt it too, and the spiritual heaviness was draining.

One morning Jen, Greg, and I woke up at 5:30am to watch the sunrise on the Ganges and we were praying on the steps near the water. A little boy, about 11 years old, came over to try to sell us these floating candles that you can send off into the water. They are actually quite pretty but the meaning behind them stopped us from buying any. As we started to pray he stuck around and a few others gathered. But they were all talking loudly and kept trying to sell us things. At first I thought it was just a bother, but I started talking to the boy (he spoke decent English). I said, "The reason we don't want to buy your candles is because we believe that there is one God only." I pointed around me explaining, "He made the sky, the river, the birds, the sun that's about to come up, and he made you and me. And you know what else? Jesus loves me, and Jesus loves you too." His face looked threatened. Then he walked away. Please join with me to pray for children like this one, that he would see Jesus' light shine even brighter than the candles he sells.

There were some hints of hope in that city: the children with joy on their faces, the picturesque river and sunrise, the baby animals running around everywhere. There is hope for the nations, as promised by God the Father.

Another mentionable and completely unrelated change that happened last week is that I got my hair cut! Those of you who know me well enough would know that that is a big deal because the last time I had it short was in grade 11. I felt it was a thing God wanted me to let go of so I did, and I'm glad about it. Much easier to take care of anyway, and maybe my Fructis shampoo will be able to last me a couple extra months!

Thank you once again for your prayers. We are deciding, this week, which areas of volunteering we will each be focusing on for the rest of our time here, so if you could pray for discernment and peace in that area that would be great. We will also travel to the Punjab state this coming week for five days, so pray for protection and that our eyes would be opened to the way God sees the people we meet.

Hope all is going well…I miss each and every one of you!

Love, Beth

one week shy of a month

2006-11-21T09:53:00.000-08:00

Hi friends and family,

Well we are finally hooked up to the internet (no more 1o minutes per week!) so hopefully communication will get better. We also got a phone yesterday and we all crowded around in utter joy for our first phone call from Trilby and Theresa. We must miss Canada and all of you more than we know!

This past weekend we were in a little town called Dehradun where we did childcare for this church who was taking a retreat up there. It was such a treat for us! There was no pollution (so we could see the blue sky during the day and the stars at night), the home we stayed in had beds off the floor, we had good indian-cooked food, and there were fruit trees everywhere! (tangerines, grapefruits, etc...) That part made me happy cause it reminded me of Kelowna. I got to play some soccer and volleyball too! Okay, so I was the only girl, but I didn't really care. The little kids loved it and they call me "Didi" which means "Big sister." They laughed and cheered any time Greg or I did anything with the ball. We went into the weekend thinking that we would be taking care of about six English-speaking kids and it turned out to be about twenty English-speaking and non-English-speaking kids in one group, for a total of 12 hours. But of course, God in all his faithfulness pulled us through and softened our hearts for the kids. Six of the boys are AIDS orphans and are so darling. The joy and the hope on their faces, despite what their lives look like, reminds me how all that is important in life is putting our hope in Christ. What else is there to live for?

We have been going to these ESL conversation classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and tonight the level 3 class threw us a party! They're so excited to have Canadians chilling with them for the next while. They made us a cake that said, "Get together with Canadian." Hehe, so awesome. We are starting to get to know more of the Muslim students there which is great.

I have mentioned this to a couple people, but last week we were on an auto-rickshaw and my backpack got driven off with (intentionally we think). It had all of my Hindi notes in it, all of my month's spending money, a cell phone, and my new Bible. So I have been praying for the driver, whoever he is. The team was great to be behind me though, lending me a little bit of cash, and one person even bought me a soccer ball...what a blessing!

Although things have been hard here--in more ways than one--God is so evident and encouraging. He reminds me so often of His perfect love that he wants to pour out on me. And when I make mistakes, his grace is never-ending. I know I have made mistakes leading this team but it's a learning process and it's awesome how God uses those mistakes to strengthen us....."Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."--Romans 5:3,4

Please continue to pray for the five of us as we are still figuring out how to love with 4 others and how to be useful for God's kingdom at the same time. Hindi is coming slowly but surely...Indians just love that we know any words or phrases at all like, "What is your name?" or "How many brothers and sisters do you have?" (Aap ka nam kya hai?, Aap ke kitne bhai bahan hai?). Prayers are always welcomed!

Blessings from India...I love to hear how you are doing. Even if I haven't had time to respond, it's great getting mail! Bye for now,

Beth

p.s. Photo #1: Our day trip to the Taj Mahal...we had random people coming up to us all day asking to take their pictures with us. Photo #2: The sitting room in our appartment, my favourite room in the place. I think I caught Jon off guard. Photo #3: A few of the boys that we looked after this past weekend, taken right after a big game of soccer (football). The little Christian school in the background is where we spent most of our time watching the kids.

Cultured? for a week now...

2006-11-07T00:19:00.000-08:00

Namaste! (Hello in Hindi)

Well, we've been here for almost a week and it's seemed like a lot longer. We 3 girls live in an appartment in a relatively nice area (which means that we get hot water for about half of our showers, as long as we remember to turn the hot water on), and people have cars around here. The guys have their own appartment right around the corner so it's good, cause as girls we can't walk around alone at night. That brings me to my next topic...it's crazy being a girl here! Men are ALWAYS just standing alongside the streets, in the middle of streets, or hanging out of buses, and because we are white we all get a lot of looks. Sometimes whistles and swooning songs sung to us too. (So some might ask, what's the difference from Canada eh? haha)

We have been learning a little bit of Hindi...it's been so frustrating not knowing the language! People kinda take advantage of us in the market and when we get rickshaw rides (which we do pretty much every day), just because we are white. But it's okay...we just have to be patient with ourselves and keep praying that the language will come in His timing.

Prayer requests:

--That we will not be fearful in this place.
--That the language will come quickly.
--For us as a team, that we will learn to have some fun together...it's been tough to just relax and have a good time.

Thank you everyone for praying and for your comments...I feel your prayers very much! I hope you are doing well, and I will keep trying to get on the internet...it's not readily available. (maybe a good thing, hey Mom? :)

God bless,

love, Bethany

p.s. There is a market right near our place called Masi Ghar, which means "House of Christ"...which is actually the meaning of my name! I just found that out today...thought it was kinda cool. Bubye...

One week left in Canada!

2006-10-22T20:19:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

Well, a whole lot has been happening since I've been here in Abbotsford. First of all, I'M GOING TO NEW DELHI, INDIA!!! I'll be leading a team of five of us (in the picture), and the crazy thing about it is that when the leadership team was deciding the teams they didn't even know that I had been to the same part of India a year and a half ago for 3 weeks (with the Quest program at CBC). At the time I didn't think that I would get to step back into that country, but God had amazing things planned for me.

I think that I'll still be trying to process, in the next five years, everything that the speakers have been pouring into us. The 15 of us have been learning about spiritual warfare, hearing the voice of God, 24/7 prayer, the gift of prophecy, cultural stuff, and sooo much more. My relationship with God has grown a lot deeper and it's awesome waking up every morning knowing how much He loves me despite my shortcomings (and there are a lot!), and truly wanting to just hang out with Him. I am really excited to bring, to India, the joy I have in the Lord. I know it will be hard a lot of the time, but knowing that God has promised that He will never leave our side brings me so much comfort. I just want to show love to people!

A lot of people have been asking me what I'll be doing when I get there...I know a few things like establishing a 24/7 prayer room and working alongside the poor, but I think that I'll leave more of those details until I get there so my answers can be more accurate.

Thanks everyone for your prayers...serious blessings you've been.

ONE WEEK LEFT OF SITTING ON A NORMAL TOILET! haha..................

God bless you all,

Bethany