moving

hey readers. I've started a tumblr a bit back and forgot to mention it. If you're still interested in following me there feel free to keep reading along. I appreciate it.
Everything Edward
which also means.. i'll probably stop writing in here.

syke

not a testimony..

Who knew the hardest question to answer the children I have been teaching at St. Paul High School would not be about God, about election, about Creation vs Evolution, or anything about theology. Rather, it would be the simplest of words joined together to create the most heartbreaking question: "Teacher Eddie, why do you have to leave us?" and "When am I going to see you again?"


My answer: A sincere and genuine hug while repeating to myself, "Never forget these kids." 


I am torn between two worlds.

"last"ing thoughts

As I come to the end of this chapter of my life, the next chapter seems promising. 


Final thoughts? Final feelings? It feels a bit surreal - as if I was leaving home to go do mission work at home. Ironic? Confusing? 


Let me digest it all and the next entry will be certainly my testimony. Thanks for reading all my posts and constantly supporting me through your thoughts and prayers. May God bless you immensely. 


ed

RECENT SHINDIGS

There's a load of pictures of recent shindigs. So, I have decided to update with just pictures/captions. Enjoy!

Handful of KCM'ers who made us, the missionaries, BOMB donkats!

it was such a blessing to get to know the stsmers.. or at least some of them. HAHA! You are all an encouragement to me :) May we all advance the gospel always! now, mobilize! haha oh, and I refuse to conform to 2k10, 2k9 shirt ALWAYS!

A Thought:

Crack open my brain and you’ll find this intermingled with all my other thoughts.

No elderly man should have to bow down before a much younger boy. Where is the respect for elders? Where is the establishment of status? With age comes due respect, in a sense – not to completely negate humility or for that matter, idiots also.  But why is it that to some, a much younger boy (twenty-four is still considered young), would be exalted beyond such status? This is quite the case in many impoverished districts, which sadly enough is all too common here in India.

Next Chapter

As one month comes to a close, and I find myself turning yet another page in the calendar, in many ways it seems as though it went by fast but interestingly it feels as though time is going by just as it should - not too fast, not too slow. Sure, there were and still will be days where the day seems endless or days where I'm attempting to save as many hours as I can, but everything seems to be normal. 


I've been doing "alright." There has been some extremely difficult struggles that I've been enduring and learning from - mostly learning from than anything else. Details which I will keep to myself for now until I can fully regurgitate everything, but it has definitely been a roller coaster ride. Days of pure joy as my heart dances and sings, but also plenty of days where my heart was full of sorrow, down and tired. Regardless, God has been faithful to answer the many prayers and keep me within His embrace - oh how warm and comforting the arms of our Father! He's never far, He's always here, I (we) just fail to see it. How humbling and so reassuring is the love of God.

Learning from Nate "Otega" Henn

Nate "Otega" Henn LINK

I came across this story while browsing online for various ministries and missionary efforts around the world. Sure, I'm not doing something as significant - at least in my own eyes - as the ministry of physically rescuing lives, raising awareness of children abducted into hostile environments, etc. Regardless, Nate "Otega" Henn was doing what the Lord had given him a heart to do, serve and demonstrate the love of Christ to the Invisible Children of Gulu, Nothern Uganda. 

simple

May my heart dance for You, Lord

Recent Learnings + others

Brace yourself for a lengthy post with not too many pics. I do apologize for not updating more frequently. haha If this sort of post is not your slice of pie, feel free to skim and not be blessed. I hate you.

Here we go.. Since the last post, a lot has gone on, but there are a few things I wanted to point out in specific detail rather than a small taste of many things. Rather it is definitely more engaging to know certain issues and its specific implications/learnings/thoughts. 

The JOY(s) of my life

One of the classes I teach. Currently teaching twelve different St. Paul High School classes 3rd/5th/7th/9th Standards (Gospel, English, Math)

It has been a while since I updated so please do forgive me for keeping all of you out of the loop. It was not because I was extremely busy, but I guess rather a mix of laziness and work. Anyway, here I am updating, so you cannot give me crap. HAH! suckers. 

Two Month Marker!

I cannot believe it has already been two months since I have arrived in India. Interestingly enough, it feels as though it has been two months. Time does not seem to fly by, nor does it seem to be slowing down; it just moves along. Regardless, it has been a great two months so far - with its share of ups and downs, of course - which I have so far enjoyed. 


As St. Paul School has now begun, I am currently teaching Seventh and Ninth standards (grade). It is wonderful because last year I taught Sixth standard so I get to see all my students again. When I first walked in to the Seventh standard classes all my students gasped and shouted "AH! Teacher Eddie!" I did not tear up, but my heart.. oh man.. it felt good. HAHAH!

an excerpt from "edward"

"...searching my wallet, only to find bigger bills, I had over 100 rupees. Only to find him walking towards the corner snack shop. Turning around abruptly, Timothy questions us to find out if he should buy in bulk. The gang answers with a 'no thanks.' But finding our feet incapable of remaining planted, we approach the glass counter filled with cheap packaged and unpackaged goods. Timothy points out, as a young child in a candy shop eagerly anticipating the magical joy overwhelmed by the taste of sweets, and says he wants ten of those chikkos or whatever they are called.
'And that.. ten rupees,' he adds while gesturing with his hands. 'And that!' he continued in that dense Korean fob accent of his.
As they are nonchalantly tasting the fifty pisas masala chips, of which the name escapes me, a young boy approaches the shop with his father to use the adjacent telephone. Moderately dressed with a blue shirt and dusty pants, as if he had spent all day playing in the dirt, the boy was just like any other boy; not poor, not wealthy, just an average boy. While conversing with Joseph, Timothy purchases one more masala chip, breaks it in half, approaches the boy and inserts one half of the chip into the boy's open mouth. Giving the other half to the boy to eat later, Timothy continues to feed the boy.
It was at that specific moment I was able to see who Timothy was and his heart. I was truly blessed to see Timothy not as the young working slave in the office, but as the compassionate, humble, and loving child of God. My view and respect for Timothy has completely changed, not necessarily meaning none existed before, but now, I have even more. It was an amazing sight indeed, one which could be easily overlooked and forgotten, yet it painted such a vivid picture of Timothy's character. May God continue to be glorified through the heart and deeds of Timothy."


-an excerpt from my journal entry (6/8/2010: Tuesday)

So it begins..

It’s been a while since my last post so forgive me for not keeping you updated.. but then again.. o well! HAH so here goes another one of them funny/cool/amazing/brilliant blog entries that have attained 32 followers. HA!

A game of cricket with the AECS scholarship students.. they seemed surprised that I was a good batter (watching the many Indians play outside Leavey Library @USC has it's benefits) haha

Lately, I haven’t been doing much translating because they have me running around taking care of other issues such as going to K.R. Market (Bangalore’s wholesale distributor district) to find prices for submersible and centrifugal water pumps for the buildings @ Veracai (read previous entry for background) and the teacher quarters where I live. After intense research, my job was to go get various quotes from different distributors. Since I usually get what I want (I credit it to my confidence and charisma… haha! I’m in need of a beating with the humility stick) I managed to find some extremely good prices from quality dealers. God gave me the gift of bargaining! aka.. being cheap.. HA!

one of the more honest distributors: ended up bargaining with him for about 30-45 minutes.. ended up giving me the best price among the other distributors for the same water pump.. my charm works wonders. HA!

I left in the middle of the conversation to take this picture. Store owner was like WTF?! hahah! Upon returning to the sales desk, I just said.. your final price is too high and left.. then he cut the price by an additional 20% HAH! sucker

I ran from about 50m away after seeing this sign because I was thinking.. "OH SHOOT! MEXICAN FOOD!!" then I arrived to Bell: Mobile Accessories. HAH!! you teasing bastards! They know how to toy with my heart. haha and my appetite

The translucent window covers I cut and adhered. Felt SOOOOO good to hold an xacto in my hand. goodbye korean-english translating websites.. hello familiar hands-on work

Banner #1

Banner #2.. the M's were amazed at the banners.. I guess they didn't know how talented I was.. haha!

Besides running a lot of errands, this past week was the first All-Missionaries Meeting. This is a meeting where all the missionaries meet together and bring their monthly offering. What I find amazing is about this meeting is that besides giving such a large amount of their money to church, they also give anywhere from 40%-80% (sometimes 90%) of their annual income at this meeting. It’s quite humbling to witness the work of their faith in Christ through their offerings. How often do I (we) find myself (ourselves) seconding guessing even offering or giving? I am in awe of their trust in the Lord’s provisions. The pure joy they have when giving their money to me is the sign of complete submission and trust to the leading of Christ. I am blessed every time thinking about their dedication to God’s kingdom work. Not to make you guys feel out of the loop with what I’m doing with your supporters money, I am currently giving about 60%-70% at these mettings (not to boast in my giving, but for you to know where majority of your money is being used; I am living off about 20%-30%; and the rest for emergency)

AND, finally St. Paul High School is officially IN SESSION! After much prayer and even working on the banners for the school opening, it’s finally here! The time for me to make these lost children pee in their pants as I proclaim Hell’s misery! HAH! Just kidding. But I am excited to be teaching the students about not only the bible, but about God, creation, man, sin, Christ, atonement, sanctification, justification, total depravity, Trinity, and so much more. I am even more excited because I’m teaching 7th standard(grade) and 9th standard which means I will be seeing my students from last year! It also makes me happy because all the girls in the classes thought I was good looking so more compliments for me, more gospel for them! WIN-WIN situation! God is good. HAHA! Jk. But shoot, the guys thought I was funny and buff.. just wait till I show them my toned, hard, lean, muscular body. HAH!

only half of the students showed up today (800-1000 children) HALF! that's alot of stankin kids! yummy. HAHA

haha this little sucker was looking at the camera and the teacher got mad at him. HAH! how I find pleasure in that.. questionable.. funny thing: the kid looking at me, didn't get punished. HA! An early lesson that life isn't fair HAHAH!!

my favorite picture from all of India so far: There is something about this girl's joy and innocence that goes beyond simply words. My favorite picture so far.

Joking aside, please pray for:

1. The students @ St. Paul High School to be exposed to the gospel message of Jesus Christ from the beginning of the school year;

2. The teachers to be great/mighty instruments for the work of God;

3. Me to deliver effectively and wholly the gospel message to all my students.

NEXT UPDATE: The relationships with locals that God is creating/building/establishing and their implications.. just a few of the many people I converse with. Will try to upload all the photos of the specific locals I see on a regular basis.

Mr. Joseph who I talk to everyday about any and everything (food, family, Christ, business, economy, etc)

Little Kenneth who doesn't know he's wearing Beer Bottle glasses.. he just knows they're green HAH!

Time for Fun/Time for Work

There is a time for fun definitely.. but there is also a time to work. I'm definitely being treated SOO well and God is definitely blessing me and knows that staring at korean articles anxious to be translated would drive me absolutely insane.. or even worse.. make me turn into Kang-Ta or Tony An, God gives me breaks to play or do other work without Korean. haha

Work comes first: my message prep on Matt 7: 24-27 (Wish & Foolish Builders)

Visited a traditional Christian house warming party.. which lasted 2-3 hours (my new goal.. to have my own 2-3hr house warming party haha)

the house they completely built from the ground up by hand. I'm still waiting for my chance to build/design here

a cute delicious looking Indian child. HAH! jk jk but she was pretty cute

praying for the household and for the house.. somewhere at 1.5hrs or so.. I could have built a house in the time I spent sitting there. haha

but there was extremely good catered Indian food.. so the wait was worth it

couple days after the M's wanted to go out on a picnic.. if this is what they think a picnic is.. more picnics please!

Water World: I have no clue why the water is green.. but I'll let you know if I find the growth of another limb.. :/ HAH!

Spent the majority of the time in the lagoon.. came out all prunny.. possibly the green water?! hah

The M's: John (short-term), James, Caleb, Moses. These men are legit and awesome men of God

wasn't really a picnic.. but I'm down for more great Indian food!

"chook-ghu"a fusion of tennis/soccer Team A (Team Old People)

team B (Team Young Blood) I've learned after this game.. dont judge an athlete by their age. We got owned haha And I managed to get rid of the tan "tank-top" haha

what would a picnic be without seeing them filming a bollywood film right? 

now back to work I find myself. Working on the banner for St. Paul High School (4'x20')

final design.. the blasted file is...   1.56Gb... haha

So basically that's what I've been up to since my last update. I'm still currently working on the banner and will be taking it to get it printed tomorrow morning. Pretty funny story: I was chatting with my buddy Mike and saying wouldn't it be funny if we get the banner printed and put up along the side of the school and it's completely different than the final design? HAH! What if it was "Excellent results of University of Southern California" with trojans and had absolutely nothing to do with the school. haha! Then I would immediately pack my things and bounce before the M's could say anything and live out the rest of my time in Korea with all your support money.. HAH! jk jk.. but what if?! HAH! Random funny conversation.. but thank God for funny/jacked-up/random jokes and ideas.. I would go insane without them. They provide that little chuckle when the days are gloomy. HAH!

Progress Report

As promised this blog will be about the ministry growth..

It’s pretty amazing to see what God is doing with the construction progress of St. Paul School and Veracai (100 Acre Land) Some details before the pics to familiarize yourselves with the ministry:

St. Paul School – the school that houses daycare to 10th grade. Established roughly 20 years ago, started with nothing but it’s built two complete buildings, 4 stories each, with enough classrooms for 2000 students and a somewhat small and awkward “L” shaped open assembly area. (As of Summer of 2009)

Now:

Current St. Paul School exterior facade. 4 stories with classrooms for 2000+ students.(I spy pointless openings in the wall)

Mid-Term M: John, Missionary James & Missionary Caleb talking about construction(I spy manboobs)

Mid-term M: Timothy thinking he knows something about rebars. hah (I spy fob tshirt)

Rebars laid & getting ready to pour concrete(I spy James)

the new renovated open space. before, half of the space was taken by an adjacent building (I spy a bird)

pouring the concrete, they call the action "moulding" in India (I spy man skirts)

Veracai (100 Acre Land) – Land that the missionaries bought to build and establish a new Asia Evangelical College and Seminary that is made into an actual campus with various promenades, office buildings, dormitories, classrooms, labs, libraries, and more. The entire network of buildings, soccer field, and cricket field amounting to 100 Acres.. hence the name. The land has absolutely nothing besides a rough brick building without a roof.

Now:

Digging for water and YES! We have water.. after digging 1000ft through the rockbeds. 800+ft of pure rock (I spy nothing special hah)

inserting the pipe into the ground for water withdrawls (I spy 2 who aren't helping haha)

Missionary Moses, who lives out in Veracai by himself. what a servant! Missionary James on the right (I spy popped collar) 

God has been really making things move along this summer. So crazy to come back after a year and witness such progress. Oh and it’s not even close to finishing The missionaries have future plans to expand all their campuses and establish new ones too. It’s a big “fhwy-ting!” for the Missionaries and for God. HAH!

the rascal that always watches me pee with those big eyes.. awkward..

Prayer Requests:

1.    1. For the safe and lasting construction of the schools without much opposition from the legal issues of the government or unreliability at times of construction services.

2.    2. For the progress to be for the glory of God. Not for man, missionaries, us to boast of our accomplishments but in loving submission completely rely on God for all things and praise Him alone for everything so far.

3.    3. These new construction would be great outlets for the gospel of Jesus Christ to be furthered by enrolling/housing more students who can be exposed to the truth.

Indian food is the best!!

I HAVE to show you the food I just ate for lunch.. all-you-can-eat lunch. I couldn't find some photos cuz dont remember what it's called. enjoy.. OMG! I have 3-4lbs of food in my stomach right now while updating. HAH!

Mutton Briyani (sheep fried rice)

chicken masala

Eggplant and Tomato with some green sauce (spinach perhaps?)

Veg Kofta (Indian meatballs.. usually non-meat)

Masala Aloo (not sure if it was masala, but potato in creamy sauce)

Palak Paneer (cheese *thanks dan for the info* in some green curry)

Dal (not sure which dal we had, but some lintel dish) 

Wheat Roti (Indian flatbread, usually eaten with everything.. also comes in butter, garlic, spinach, regular, etc)

AND FOR DESSERT:

Indian Milk Cake (not too sweet but also not too mushy.. just perfect)

Mango Mousse

These are just a few of the dishes that I ate at the buffet. BUT best thing about this entire meal...

LUNCH PRICE: Rs. 198!!! That's equivalent to $4.40!!!! I won't be eating for probably a week. I feel like a bear going into hibernation hahah!