Updates from Ed Ross

11 · 01

Youth, and a visitor!

We are still having a great time out here. This week we received a visitor from the base back in the UK, who has come over to make sure we are all fine, which is good. He gave us a newspaper showing how cold it is in the UK. It is funny, as it is so hot here (in their winter), that I've just had to turn a fan on to cool myself down! He will be here till next Thursday.

This morning I led the meeting, which went quite well. I think the most useful thing to do was have the order written down, so we knew what was meant to happen next. It was encouraging getting things to say as the meeting went on, based on what the main speaker and others were saying, and hearing directly.

We've been studying the culture of a lot of youth recently. I've been able to play a bit of cricket with some of the older boys, and we play other games with the rest of them. It is good that we are visiting the orphanage I mentioned before: it really needs people showing love in it.

The zoo trip on Monday was interesting. There were a lot of animals to see. It was funny in the aquarium: we were led around many tropical fish displays, the second to last tank containing sharks. After the sharks, there were goldfish!

Last night we went to an Isaac Joe music concert, and followed it up with a Chinese meal, which was delicious.

The study of the local villagers by going in to their houses and helping with their daily chores is also quite interesting. We have to use a lot of sign language when the translator is not with us!

Overall, the trip is going very well, and I've learnt a lot about the culture, and myself. It is good getting to know the local young people. Many young people just walk up to us and say hello when we are outside. They are very friendly, and want to know all about us. Hopefully we are communicating our message clearly to them.

We are going to a beach for our rest day on Monday, which should be fun.

4 · 01

Settling in

I now feel quite settled here: we are going to be staying in our current location for a few weeks, so it is certainly home.
This week we had a taster of our regular activities for the rest of our time here, which include a trip each afternoon to a local orphanage, and meeting people in the village, getting to know them and help them out.
We also took a walk around the village, seeing what there was to be seen. The culture of a village like this is interesting to study.
Yesterday we took a 90 minute each way journey to another orphanage, where we painted new doors while the kids were away on holiday. A good time was had by all, but I'm a bit concerned that the slight paint spots on my trousers might not come out!

This morning I talked at the meeting we have on Sunday mornings. I think it went quite well - at least the others in my group say it was good. It is quite a task remembering to stop every couple of sentences to have your words translated, but it gives time to think of your next point, which is good.

Time online again is limited, so I'll have to go now. Thanks for reading.

29 · 12

Contrast

We have now moved to a village and will be staying here for the next four weeks. The move went well, but was at night, so we were not sure of our new surroundings till the next morning. What I saw amazed me with its beauty. There is a huge lake a short walk away, which is used as the source for drinking water in the area. We were stared at when walking around the village today, presumably for being white foreign people, which was fine.

I think one main thing that I've noticed since arriving in India is "contrast". There are areas of seemingly great poverty, right next to wealth. There are straw huts one side of a street, and new apartment complexes being constructed on the other. There were time when we've seen people in great need, and nothing more than bones, and then enjoyed meals that would feed entire families. There are village huts with no furniture or sanitation, that still have high-tech gadgets available. All around there are signs of moving forward in technology, yet at the same time, the old ways of doing things are not lost. Hopefully you will be able to see what I mean when I get back and can upload the photos I've been taking.

I hope you have a great week.

27 · 12

That time of year

We had an interesting week this week.

We met some HIV+ kids, and also saw the mountain St Thomas was martyred on.

Thursday was different to normal, but we all had a good time, I think.

We've rested a bit more since then, which has been fun. We've been playing some games in the house, which have made me laugh.

23 · 12

Party Time

Having a nice relaxing day off today.
Went to a party last night with fellow culture studiers. It was fun. The team I was in the for games won a game where we had to dress up one of the team to look like Santa using newspaper.
Also took a walk in to one of the local neighborhoods to look and think about it in the morning.
Things are going well.

21 · 12

Tour-riffic

This tour of India is going very well (apart from for a couple of girls in the group who are feeling a bit unwell).
We have studied a lot of the culture, and I have been able to see some similarities to my own, as well as many differences.
I'm slowly but surely getting used to the heat, in weather and food.
The people are very friendly.
There is still a long time to go, so a lot more of the culture to study yet!

16 · 12

The Touring Test

The trip to India took about 30 hours, but was well worth it.

We are having a good time.

Went to a hospital for mentally ill homeless women today, which was quite interesting.

We are seeing much of the culture.

Not much time for internet though.

9 · 12

Wash and go

Today we cleaned the entire house and in the evening we were prayed
for by the rest of the base before going on outreach tomorrow.

This will be my last blog entry before going to India. I would like to
thank everyone who has read this blog, commented, and prayed for me
and the others on this YWAM DTS course (talking of which, our male
leader is still waiting for his passport and visa so he can get back
in to the UK after outreach, so please pray for him to get it
tomorrow!).

I think there will be many challenges ahead in the next two months,
but it will be well worth it. I'm so glad God has given me this
opportunity to serve Him in such a way.

I hope you all have a great Christmas and a happy new year. I will try
to blog if I can from time to time in India, but it almost certainly
won't be daily (although I might write a daily diary of some sort
anyway).

Thanks again for your support through all this time. Please continue
to pray for both Team India and Team Poland.

I leave you with Hebrews 13:20-21:

"Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal
covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will,
working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus
Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

God bless you all.

"Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version, copyright (c)2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry
of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

8 · 12

Tidy dorm, unified team

Today we met for our final time of whole of base sung worship. It was quite an emotional time for me. We have had such amazing worship times here, I'm sad to see them go. Still, we are moving on to a brand new stage of the YWAM DTS course, which promises new adventure and blessing.

Following base worship, we tidied our dorm rooms till lunch. This involved cleaning just about every surface in the room, to make it look nice for the next group of DTS students to arrive in January.

After lunch we took part in team games to help the India and Poland teams get more prepared for outreach. These were quite fun, but challenging at times. For example, we had to find a way to get a team member over a wall without them touching it. They were blindfolded and had a cup of water in one hand! We managed it be finding a ladder for one side of the wall and building up a tower of tyers and wood on the other. It will be interesting to see what type of challenges we will face on outreach. I still can't quite grasp the fact that I'm going to India on Wednesday. I didn't even know about the YWAM DTS course at the start of this year, and here I am going to a different continent!

After dinner Team India learned some more dramas to perform out there. We now have a good assortment to pick from. They mostly focus on the message: Jesus heals you from addiction and illness, and He died for you on the cross to do what was needed to clear the way back to God the Father.

This has been an incredible course so far, and this has been an incredible year. I am looking forward to the future in ways I have not done before. I am so pleased I found this course. It really has changed my life.

7 · 12

Daytrip!

Today we took a trip to a distant and exotic land filled with mystery and wonder.

But first, they day started at about 5am with a group of Scandinavian girls coming in to our room, dressed like angels, singing and giving us tea and ginger bread cookies. It was quite odd. Apparently it is a Christmas tradition where they are from.

The rest of the day was spent with our outreach teams, on an 'outreach simulation'. This included tasks such as: starting a fire, finding food, preaching and singing, cleaning the inside and outside of a large car, and walking for an hour with our backpacks on our backs. It was actually quite a fun, if tiring day, finished off by a Sunday roast dinner! It certainly gave me a lot to think about for outreach - such as: what am I going to take out of my backpack!