India, Here I Come!

This past week has been a week of many old things coming to an end and many new things coming to a beginning. For the past three months, I have been living an intense lifestyle of learning about God, myself, the Bible, and so much in between, and deepening my relationships with God and others surrounding me in this unique environment. It has been an amazing experience, but it is now time for me to move on from this phase of lectures and learning to the outreach phase of serving and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Today the Iceland Team left to begin their outreach, followed by the India and Fiji Teams on Monday. It's an exciting and busy time, but it's also sad and difficult. It's sad to say goodbye, sad to end this special time together (although we'll reunite for a week after outreach), sad not being able to spend Christmas or New Years with each other or our family at home. It's difficult to pack one bag for two and a half months, difficult to deep clean the entire base, difficult to know I won't live in Room 46 again.

It's a bitter-sweet time in my life, but as much as it is bitter, it is oh so much more sweet. For one thing, I get to say goodbye to always being cold and say hello to warm Indian weather! I get to experience a completely different culture. I get to continue growing in my faith and I get to pour myself, my heart, and Jesus into the people of India. And I get to wear Indian clothing! It's such an exciting time in my life and sometimes I can't even believe the things that I'm doing, the places I'm going, and the people I'm meeting.

I have some prayer requests to ask of you to keep in mind whenever you think of me:

• For safe travels, both to and from India, as well as within the nation. We will be traveling from Mumbai to Goa on the west coast, and later to the Himalayas in the north of India.
• For the team--that we are united, have open communication, and unending grace and love for each other. 
• For divine appointments, open doors, and opportunities, along with discernment as to how to act on these, with the people we interact with in India.
• For the people that we will interact with, that their hearts, minds, and spirits will be prepared and in the right place to have meaningful interaction with them.
• For our health, that we can get over any colds or sicknesses we currently have and that our immune systems can be built up and strengthened against sickness in India.

To put faces to the India team, this entry's pictures are pictures of my team members and a bit of information about them. Please keep us in your prayers for the next 10 weeks as we'll be in India!

Michael Van Kesteren, Belgium (Staff)

Clotilde Helene Barberon, France (Staff)

Katrine Lund, Denmark (Staff)

Nathan Ghinn, England

David Hildreth, England

Selena Mckenzie, USA (Right)

Bethany Turner, USA

Sadie Ferl, USA

Lilian Elgert, Germany (Left)

Anna Lise Carolan, USA

Ashley Johnson, Wales

Tiffany Matsumura, USA