After a crazy week of travel, I’ve made it to India! I did enjoy 3 good days with @SethGuthrie in London. (He is doing well and will be back in the states for awhile soon!) I spent all day Friday flying to Delhi. Then Saturday was spent getting to Manali…first a 4hr train ride and then an 11hr drive up the mountain. But after two days of 5:30am-midnight travel, I finally reached Manali Saturday night. Thank you all who prayed for smooth travel..all things considered I think those prayers were answered!

I’m staying here with a missionary couple who has been here 3 years through Crossroads Worldwide. They have a small house on a mission hospital “campus” in Manali. They have a small attic-like loft over their living room. Its about 6ft by 12ft and the ceiling is about 4ft on one side and slopes to about 3 on the other side. I have a mat on the floor in one corner and a small shelf. It’s a little cumbersome to crawl around, but its definitely all I need. I’ll try to send some pictures of the house and Manali soon. The geography here is quite stunning if you look higher than the street.

Personally, I’m doing pretty well. I won’t lie and say it hasn’t been quite overwhelming at times. Leaving home, the Shotgun, Kacie, and all the rest of you whom I really love was much harder than I could have ever expected. But I’ve been slowly adjusting. I haven’t been sick (answered prayer!) and I am handling the transition pretty well. I’m learning how to live…there are so many things that take a whole lot more time than at home. There are no chairs. You can’t drink the water. There is no shower (you bathe with a bucket of water and a tile floor with a drain). You can’t eat vegetables without a long process to clean and sanitize them, and shopping in the market is far from Publix (its sorta like a ghetto jockey lot..haha). So, I’m just getting my bearings and getting used to those things. It’s a very different world, but I’m sure I’ll survive.

I am slowly getting involved in ministry here, and I have been meeting a lot of people. There is a little church on the mission campus, and the missionaries I’m staying with have volunteered themselves to start and run a youth program. The church itself is not really doctrinally healthy…there are a lot of political and cultural issues involved in it. It’s certainly complicated. It’s really strange to be in a place that is less than 1% Christian. There are Buddhist monks, Sikhs, and Hindus everywhere.

I was able to lead worship for the youth and teach them some songs on Sunday, and I also got to lead a small Bible study. Music should continue to be a great door for relationships and ministry. And really, I hope to be able to teach these boys not just how to play guitar and lead worship but just about worship as a lifestyle and more than songs.

I am going to be working in a children’s home during the week. I also hope to be able to do a lot of ministering/dialoging with people in the streets through prayer and also hope to be a huge encouragement the missionaries I’m staying with. I know coming here was His will for me, so that frees me a lot I think from having to define exactly what success is here. I’m just trying to listen to Him and let Him teach me how to minister and love these people. So far though I’ve mostly just been trying to get acclimated.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement. It does look like I will have the internet most of the time I’m here. It is contingent on having power though (which has gone out 5 times in 6 days…but it usually comes back quickly). Also, keep in mind that I am now 9.5 hours ahead of Anderson! But I really hope I’ll be able to stay in touch, and I’d love to hear how you are doing! It’s so encouraging to hear from home. Please stay in touch and let me know how I can be praying for you as well!

Love you all.