Monkey Business

We’ve been in our city for a little over a week and despite the heat, we’ve really enjoyed it. We’ve had great time getting to know the Ms here. They are the nicest family ever! We also have a sweet bungalow, which is relatively quiet and has A/C. We also have a kitchen so we’ve been trying to cook a lot of meals with food we buy on the street. By the time we come home, we will be master chefs. We’re pretty sure that all of the animals at the zoo live in South Asia. We’ve already had peacocks on our balcony and monkeys sitting on our open windows. We had to scare them away. (See video!) Elephants, camels, goats, horses, and cows share the roads with the cars, two wheelers, buses, auto rickshaws, and pedestrians. We survived a round of broken air conditioners and South Asian customer service and now all of our A/Cs are working again. We’ve been spending a lot of time at parks, malls, and at movies and we’ve already met a good deal of friends who speak English. We’ve also had the chance to share the good news with many people here. In addition to all that, we’re excited to start mentoring local brothers in how to share the good news and how to mentor others.

  

Please PR:

-That we would meet a lot of guys who speak English and be able to share the good news with them.

- That Father would be working in the hearts of the people we’ve shared with and people we still have yet to meet.

- That we can meet regularly with brothers for mentorship

- That monsoon would come soon so that it will cool down

-That we stay healthy

Here are some specifics and stories from each of our weeks:

Patrick- It has been an eventful week. The city is just as I remember it, bursting with people hungry for truth. I got to share with a guy named Ned at a major landmark here. He was not ready to accept or even ready to really listen, but he is definitely searching for truth in the world. PR that others would share with him and he would recognize the truth. I am adjusting well, and my three years experience here has been really helpful Praise Him. Gayle, I miss you so much and love you. I can not wait to marry you. Thank you all for your support and PR. We have a few meetings coming up with friends. please lift up these meetings.

Brandon: Wow! South Asia is crazy! It’s crazy hot, crazy colorful, crazy loud, crazy busy, and the driving here is just plain crazy. Seriously, there are no rules.  This first week has been a lot of orientation and adjusting to the country. We’re beginning to learn the language, our way around the city, how to catch (and pay the right price for) auto rickshaws, which way to look before crossing a street, and how to find our way home when we get lost.  I’m beginning to get a sense of the darkness and lostness of this part of the world, which can be hard, but also makes me really excited to begin working alongside the M’s here.  PR that we would meet many English speakers and be able to share the good news with many more people. 

Shout-out to Ryan: I’ve already listened to a ton of John Mayer and also Ben Rector, just like old times in East Asia. 

Jacob: Cows, dogs, and monkeys….monkeys and more monkeys.. oh my! South Asia is awesome! The autos are pretty crazy here. They try and rip you off so much. A day during this last week we saw a huge parade that a rich man threw for himself. We heard that he was a wealthy business man who decided to become a monk and throw away all his worldly possessions. I am doing really well. Father has already shown me so many things, and I can’t wait to see what else He has in store. As week one comes to a close, I can’t help but feel like this journey is going to be amazing. I love you all!

Shout out to Aaron: The heat is CRAZY! Thanks for the clothes you gave me. J

Aaron: Life here in South Asia is great! We’ve all adjusted to the heat and culture really well. The city is a big mix of developed and undeveloped. The streets are almost what I’d expect to see in my own hometown and there are a lot of nice high rise apartments and A/C malls. At the same time there are houses built out of clay or tarps and some people have cots on the streets that they just flip over at night. We’ve met so few here who have even heard of Father. PR that those we speak with would understand and store the good news in their hearts.

Silas: PTL culture shock has been a minimum for me. Imagine the South Valley of Albuquerque on steroids, and that’s how I would describe aspects of what it’s like here. I love living and interacting with the people here, but there is also an incredible sense of depravity that weighs heavily on my heart. What a great feeling to be at home in Father’s will, yet so far from familiar life. My PR for this trip was to be placed in circumstances where I am weak so that Father may be more evident shining through me, and it is being answered in ways I never imagined. I love visiting the local places of worship to PR and talk with the people there. Patrick and I met the director (Andrew) of one of these places during PR and were able to share with him. He has also weighed heavily on my heart since our meeting. PR for Andrew, for meetings with new brothers, that we will meet more English-speakers, and for more crazy adventures.

Parents: We will be calling on your Sunday night between 730pm -9pm


Question of the Week: What is ZaZ?