We’re are now in the northeastern state of Assam, and I must say it’s beautiful! There are mountains, beetle nut trees, and a melting pot of different ethnic groups. From Hindus to Hmars, they’re all here! Teaching at a local school has been the primary ministry, but we have taken part in a local construction project as well. Teaching is something that I have fallen in love with. It has been awesome getting to teach the same class (with Ryan) and slowly but surely learning their stories, dreams, and hearts.
Lent has just begun, as some of you know, and being on the Race during this season has been most interesting. The whole trip so far has felt like a long Lenten season. In fact one of the big things the folks at AIM want us to get out of these nine months is to use it as a time of fine-tuning and learning dependence on the Lord, free from the distractions that would normally afflict us in the States. Basically a really long Lent. It has been a wonderful time of doing just that. Recently though, the Lord has revealed that during this season He wants me to grow in dependence solely on Him and not on other people. Yikes! I do depend too much on folks in my life to be filled up and encouraged by, but I have learned over the last month that people can only do so much. I shouldn’t put all my eggs in that basket. The Lord should be the first one I turn to.
When Ash Wednesday came I struggled to find something to give up. Not to brag or anything, but I am in an internet scarce place, I have been eating weird foods, I can’t remember the last time I didn’t squat when I used the restroom, I haven’t taken a warm or normal shower since I launched (cold bucket showers are the rage), and I’m sleeping in a tent. It doesn’t get any more Lenten than that! I still felt as though I needed to do something. After some prayer I came to the decision that I would take something on, and that is praying four times a day from the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). I have always strived to get into the habit, but I get distracted easily. Through this season of prayer and learning to depend on the Lord, I will hopefully… er, depend on the Lord more, especially with being filled up. Not just in that though, but in every aspect of life. Darn tootin’ I’m about to have to make the (could be) heavy decision as to what I’ll be doing in the Fall after I return. Scary stuff! I need to lean on the everlasting arms for that one. I can’t wait to really delve into this period of faith-strengthening, and intimacy with the Lord.
It has been a fantastic month, and I love my new team of guys. We absolutely have the potential to be a real brotherhood where iron sharpens iron, hence our name, The Forge. Keep us in your prayers though as we still try to get past the whole “new team” stage and on to the real nitty gritty stuff.
In other news I have been given a Hmar name by a close friend of mine here. The Hmars are a native tribe of Chinese/Mongolian descent. They were headhunters up until the early nineteen hundreds and then Christianity was introduced to them. We have worked closely with Hmars since arriving in India. They are an awesome group of people! Anywho, my Hmar name is Zawngeklien (Zong-eck-lee-en). It means Big Monkey Poo. I am very proud.
