Chennai adventures

What an awesome trip! Despite the weather being about 95+ degrees with 70+ percent humidity, it was such an amazing trip. We set off from the Bangalore at 12:30am, on sleeper class. Pictures do not really depict how crowded and dirty the trains are.. but o well! I saw two cockroaches climbing the side of my seat. I guess they reserved seats 50 & 51. HA! There is no A/C so you have to sleep with the window open but it’s still hot. That’s just a glimpse, but we suck it up and be a man! and then cry. HA! jk

Anyway, arriving in Chennai, our first priority was attending a Sunday worship service at a Christian church. We went to St. Andrew’s Cathedral, which I thought would be a Roman Catholic Cathedral, so I was sort of like “eh.. looks like I’ll have to just worship God at a catholic cathedral” but nooo.. God is good! This church was such a blessing because of it’s true devotion and absolutely submission to not only the authority and supremacy of God, but also the redeeming gospel of Jesus Christ. I was extremely blessed to be surrounded by fellow believers who were such fervent believers of Jesus Christ. Everything was gospel oriented and it made my heart jump for joy. The worship made my entire Chennai experience worth it.

Then there was plenty of eating. Feast your eyes on two dimensional food! Rather glorious I would say :) Then plenty of walking to visit various sites. James and I probably walked a total distance of 15-20 miles all throughout the day visiting mosques, failed attempts at finding a specific Hindu temple, going to the St. Thomas Mount (where Apostle Thomas was supposedly martyred after bringing the gospel of Christ to India), looking at the tomb of Apostle Thomas, then stopping in 'heaven', an A/C’ed barista that served coffee/chai(tea- in hindi)/snacks/etc, for about 2 hours, then more food!

It was simply a blessing to worship with fellow believers in the morning and spend the day just venturing here and there finding great food with James, praying for various mosques, temples, and the lost of Chennai. Plus, it was nice to get out and travel instead of sitting around in the office doing translating work. I can only take so much before I go nuts "keke" and start listening to some KangTa while memorizing the dances of K-pop songs off VHS concert recordings. HAH!

Enjoy the pics.. sorry for all the vertical shots

Bangalore train station: haven for rats and cockroaches :)

inside sleeper class. btw: the fans dont help haha!

line for the toilet.. a hole in the floor of the train. funny because if the train is stopped and you go ddong, you can see it drop from outside. HAHAHAH!

breakfast: Vadai + 2 Idli w/ dipping sauce SO GOOD!

St. Andrew's Cathedral where we had morning worship

Interior of St. Andrew's Cathedral

church at the top of St. Thomas Mount.. with elephant idols marking the entrance. o_O?!

India kids may be the cutest kids with their side head nodding "Bobblehead" kids

I'll give the kid the benefit of the doubt and say she's praying

for these, I continue to spread the gospel :)

Lunch: thalli - all you can eat India plate with sauces, rice, roti, etc

San Thome Cathedral - houses the body of Apostle Thomas

Marina Beach is just as hot/humid. Despite the 2004 tsunami, the beach is now booming with life

Barista is the equivalent to starbuck's in India. mint green tea!

ended the trip with spice infused blot fish steamed in banana leaves. Best dish I've had while in India so far.

God's Amazing Work!

There’s so much to talk about since my previous entry of the tangible work that God has done on behalf of AECS and St. Paul School here in Bangalore. AECS is Asia Evangelical College and Seminary where students from all over India and its neighboring countries come to study theology. Many aim to take the gospel back to their hometown after being adequately equipped. St. Paul School is the pre-school to 10 grade school that brings into the educational system a Christ-centered curriculum while still teaching subjects such as English, math, science, history, etc. @ AECS there are about 200+ students, while @ St. Paul School about 2000+ Both ministries were created by the vision of the head missionary, President Chung and his wife, Principal Chung.

Over the thirty years, it’s flourished by God’s grace and now as I continue to pray for these ministries, there is news that possibly a third school may be opening. St. Paul PU (Pre-University) College which will host 11-12 grade students, and the India Education College which has received accreditation equivalent to Bangalore University (the best university in southern India) by the state ministry of education. God is doing some phenomenal things here. If this vision materializes, imagine the implication it has on the students! Their entire lives, they will go from pre-school all the way up to graduating college with the best degree in India, while constantly being exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ!! This one news excites me more than I can express. Praise and thanks be to God! However, it hasn’t fully happened yet, so much prayer is needed.

Other not so relevant stuff (haha): I find myself in the main office working a lot.. A LOT (the English language doesn’t really have a word to express how much I mean) doing Korean-English translating work, which takes me about 30 minutes to do a sentence. BLAST YOU OLD FASHIONED KOREAN! For example, “내 인생은 나에게 있어서 가장 귀중하다 하나님께서도 여기신다 온 척하보다 한 사람의 생명이 더 중요하다고 예수님께서 말씀하셨다,” literally translates to “my life for me having most precious even for God precious here come whole world one person one’s soul more important for Christ taught.” Yes, I suck at reading/writing Korean and my best friend has been online translators. That one sentence took me roughly about 45 minutes. I still think the only Korean I need to know is “하하하” and a thumbs up.

Besides translating we’re doing other admin work because both institutions are on vacation right now and will resume in June, so the task at hand is more preparation work. Personally, I had to write up drafts of letters we will be sending worldwide to ask for book/textbook donations from various NGO’s, churches, seminaries, schools, etc. As tedious and boring as it may be, after praying that I would rejoice in every task, God helped me realize that everything is linked for His glory. Letter – someone possibly wanting to help – books arriving – students are more excited to learn – school may grow – more students can be exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ through the schools – God is glorified in once lost souls being found. May God be glorified in EVERYTHING! Brothers and sisters, I pray that as you read this, you too will be excited and enthusiastic to make the most of every opportunity for God’s glorification whether you may think it is significant or not!

James and I bought out train tickets to Chennai for this Saturday on SLEEPER CLASS!!! Hahahaha.. sleeper class is where the cockroaches of India get to ride for free too. But, I am super excited to be traveling despite the weather, train condition, etc. I’ll post those pictures after the trip.

And as always.. pictures :)

crazy streets without any "lane discipline" hahah

student walking back to the kitchen to make us seminary food. haha

where we have morning prayer @ 5:20am

one chili = 1-2 days of the BTS but soo worth it

he's not as creepy as you think HAH! our awesome brother :)

the BEST chai tea + BEST samba! our seminary food

eating breakfast with our AECS brothers

welcome to our office

the translating work I have been doing for the past 3 days

this wasp took 20 minutes to kill (edward 2 - bee/wasp 0)

Prayer Requests:

1. St. Paul P.U. College to be established for the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ. IEC/St. Paul School/AECS to receive a flood of applicants and qualified staff so through that also, they can not only be more educated, but exposed to the redeeming gospel of our Lord. 

2. For myself: to be a willing and able servant through ALL things & to make the most of EVERY opportunity for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. My life, and even death if it comes to that, would be submissive and devoted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Phil 1:20)

3. For James and myself: safety in our journey to Chennai tomorrow (april 24)

Let us make the most of every opportunity in and through all things for the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord. God bless!

Hello India

Hey everyone! Thank you to everyone who came out to my sendoff. I am blessed to be supported by such encouraging family and friends. Thank you! It’s great to be able to update you all on my trip thus far. Currently it is about 3pm on Sunday, April 18, as I am writing this blog update in my room. (Note: I do not have internet in my room. I simply write it first, then copy+paste the entire entry.) First of all, I’m sure EVERYONE is curious.. It’s hot and humid. There are times where it’s nice and breezy here in Bangalore, but it’s about 80+ degrees when I’m sleeping. My room doesn’t have any cross-ventilation so it simply heats up like a sauna during the day. Haha. I only wish I could ttae-me-luh.

It’s been a long journey here to India with an 18hr layover in Korea. We decided to go to Myeong-Dong to kill about 12 hours and fill up on some last minute bomb Korean food. (interruption: as I’m writing this, some house is blasting Timbaland. HAHA!) It was fun just relaxing, eating, and walking around the city before we get down to the nitty-gritty. The food is simply amazing. The one thing that blew my mind wasn’t the street food, it was this little waffle creation filled with chocolate (I’m guessing nutella) and honey. Oh Ma Gawd~! Yes, it brings out the inner fob in me. HAH!

After arriving in Bangalore at 8:30am, Sat, James and I changed money, ran some errands, put up our mosquito nets on the windows, and settled in. My welcome gift was a bee’s nest up in the electrical socket of my ceiling that I taped up like crazy. I waited for them suckers to leave the room to go find food and while they were gone, I taped the entire hole up. Slowly one by one they would hit my window confused at why they couldn’t get back in. Then an hour later they just left and never came back. HAHA!! Edward 1 point, Fear 0.

Sitting here, I’ve returned from two morning church visits/encouragements and wow, God is amazing. In a nutshell, I was so blessed and encouraged (although I’ve been to the same church before and done the exact same thing last year) by how excited the locals are in their churches. Every time I witness their passion, praises, and prayers, I think about how crazy and awesome it’s going to be in heaven as all the God’s children of different backgrounds, languages, cultures, etc praise God together.

Later today, I’ll be joining the few students @ Asia Evangelical College and Seminary (AECS) for evening worship. Majority of the students have gone home for their vacation time, but I am still very happy and exited to see familiar faces once again. Probably tomorrow I shall begin teaching the St. Paul School students as well as the few remaining AECS students.. lucky them! HAHA

The sugar in my blood from the candy is making me more prone to mosquito bites. haha 

IN KOREA:

Mr. Waffle Man making his famous waffles. BEST JUNK FOOD EVER!!

Big Woman=Big Taste=Big smile. These korean dishes are BOMB!!

IN INDIA:

For tradition sake: James and I eat our samosas at the mumbai airport

Picked up by the AECS students: Aaron and _______ (tbd)

"to look fear in the eye" means to close up a bee's nest with gorilla tape

my room or shall I say.. my free personal sauna

James in his miserable 75 degree room with plenty of ventilation. hahah!

Leg exercise = squats. If you're curious, we wipe with our hands (no toilet paper)

the first dinner @ Abhiruchi with Missionary James, his wife Susan sam-ohn-neem, and Pastor John

amazing local church worship with such passion and purity

one of the local churches we visited on sunday

Prayer Requests:

1. For the gospel of Jesus Christ to be made known through James and myself, but also through the local church, the students of AECS, and the missionaries here in Bangalore. 

2. For my health and safety.

3. For the work I will be doing here: teaching english to the AECS students, teaching gospel studies to the St. Paul School students (when classes resume), and the aid that we will be providing for the missionaries here (translating, administration, planning, etc)

... there is soooo much more, but I'll ask those prayer requests with other updates on what God is doing in Bangalore, India.

prayer requests/answered

I'd like to share a little bit about what it took for this trip to be possible and how I have been tremendously blessed beyond comprehension. 

I felt a calling, an extremely strong conviction, to return to India while I was on missions overseas last year with KCM. Through a series of eye-opening thoughts+convictions God has graciously pressed upon my heart while serving, I prayed for God to open doors, if it was part of His will, so that I may return. With an enthusiastic heart, my passion for the gospel grew exponentially, yet opposition was right there to accompany me. To name a few of those oppositions: my parents were absolutely against me going back out on missions (thank you God for changing their hearts to go with their full blessings), I had no money whatsoever, and a job in NY was still on the table (although it seemed like an opportunity from God, through much prayer and humility, I declined the job). As hard as the end of 2009 has been, 2010 has been filled with blessings and encouragement despite how unfaithful and unwilling I have been to God's calling.

This brings me to the point I wanted to make. I was meditating on how far I have come from the last missions trip to India (summer 2009), definitely not because of my own doings. The first thing that pops into my mind is the faithfulness of God to answer my prayers despite how blind I have been. My first prayer for missions was that I would raise enough to give back to my parents, who are struggling, and to see God pouring out such blessings to meet that goal and beyond, answering ALL my prayers specific to this missions trip.. I am reminded how small and insufficient I am compared to the love, grace, and glory of our Heavenly Father. So many times, I credit myself for answered prayers: my righteousness, my blameless walk (at that moment), my loyalty, my joy in God. Although those things are great and desirable, when has God EVER relied on ME for anything? Is the creator subject to His created? Does God need me in order to be? How foolish His pompous creation can be. Through such meditations, I marvel at God's splendor and demonstration of His love and mercy for me: an infinite, magnificent, unfathomable Being is so personable and intimate and longs for such a relationship with such small and depraved beings. I am simply lost for words every time I ponder His love for me. 

Prayer Requests:

1. May the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the glory of God be revealed through my life, actions, and words while in India. 

2. The softening and preparing of the hearts of those whom we will meet to fully receive the gospel and be saved.

3. My health, as well as James', to guard against sickness and diseases. In the event that we do get sick, that even still, the gospel and glory of Jesus Christ will not be stumped but proclaimed.

and pictures: haha

A typical classroom where I will be teaching the Gospel Studies (St. Paul's School)

St. Paul's School consists of grades Preschool-10th grade, totaling to approx. 2000 students

The classroom @ Asia Evangelical College & Seminary where I will be teaching English and possibly theology

The President/Founder:  Missionary Chung whom I will be serving for the duration of my trip

note: there are four missionary families and a handful of short-term missionaries (Missionary Chung and his wife, Missionary Stanley, Missionary Moses, Missionary James and their respective families)

First Post

Hey everyone. This will be the first of hopefully many updates. Continue to stay tuned and "follow" this blog so you can stay up-to-date with latest news, prayer requests, and PICTURES! 


I wanted to thank all my supporters through finances and/or prayer. It has been such a blessing and your prayers are definitely being answered. To be more explicit, God has blessed me with my parent's complete heart change in blessing me to go, a well-paid job to raise my own funds, a flood of financial support, and also a continual growth in my walk, hunger for the Word, and passion for the lost. I am encouraged and blessed by so many supporters, friends, family who continue to give despite such hard times. From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely thank you for your financial support, prayers, and words of encouragement and blessings. 


The current status of everything (because everyone asks :]) is I am ready to jet.. get it? jet.. going.. jet.. plane? HAH! Yes, but I am pretty much all packed up minus two items. The only thing left to do on my checklist is.. get on the plane. I honestly cannot wait to head over to India. Five days left and I am filled with joy, anxiety, peace (as strange as that may be), and hope that the Lord's Will shall be done and the gospel will be taken through this lowly vessel. As mind boggling and amazing as that is. That God would use an imperfect vessel like me to join in His ministry. That makes me smile :) haha 


I leave you with this one verse that has become my life verse.
"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." - Phil 1:20


May we all, children of God, participate in actively living out our faith and calling to be light and bearers of the gospel message. Missions is all around us. May we join together in the spreading of His truth! :)
-edward

IV

watercolor #4 (3/31/10) "sunset"

-edward