No I don't hang out with" HOSTILE people" I hang out with the "HOSTEL people"!

*This post is dedicated to my little sisters. They probably don’t realize it but they are a great supporters for me. I have got to share their adoption story with many people. Love you Shrimp and Peanut.*

Okay okay so you caught me…. I kinda, sort of, really like photography. It has a way of freezing time and capturing memories and telling stories. I think that’s pretty incredible. So I’d like to recap my week  and the Hostelers with a couple pictures. Actually 20 to be exact. 

But first the main thing I want to talk about... well more like show you in pictures is the "Hostel guys". If you don't know what it is,The Hostel is one of Khen's ministries. It houses about 40 boys and 20 girls that are all students of Rayburn, where I teach. The students live far away from their families to get a good education at the school. They are respectful kids but are still teenagers that need guidance spiritually and academically. Yes I'm still 19 (till next week) and am still a "teen" myself, but I am doing the best I can to be a good example for the kids. Every night all the kids join for a devotion, which is a great time of sharing and singing(more like screaming at the top of our lungs!). I really enjoying being around this guys and fellow teenagers. Most of them are my drum students which is also a great way to connect with them.Other than that we just love playing guitar and playing some football ("soccer" for all you American folks) together. Its great to build these relationships and call them "my brothers". So below is the Hostel boys and my week in pictures!

Ohhh I almost forgot one thing! Make sure to read the captions of the pictures cause they got some important information that I would never want you to miss out. Okay now you can start scrolling down. GO go GO.

My Hostel Brothers.

You could call this the "dinner table" I guess.

          They all are such models.

Screaming in worship. My favorite time.

Worshiping among the students.

The hostel boys always have a funny sense of humor.
They are weird and goofy and not afraid to show it.

Teaching them the value of TEAMWORK. You push him... I'll trip him!!

This kids got moves.

My first purchases in India were football cleats and jersey.

Woah woah SLOW DOWN SLOW DOWN! You better not be skipping any. Even the captions. 

There you go that’s a better pace.

Notice the kid in the back getting a nice muddy fall.

All ages get to play.

Random kids visited during a drum lesson and had a good time.

We had to move the drums to this corner of an office across the street because the neighbors said we were too loud. I'm totally serious. 

But I cant complain because this is the view out of the drum office window!

Well hope you liked my week in pictures and a little view of what life at the Hostel is like!

 Be sure to comment on the link or comment below…if you have any questions about what else I’m doing here … Or might wanna know more about India and Khen Tombing ministry… or just wanna ask something! Just comment away.

Be thankful.

God is good.

Psalm 106:1

"Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!"

Be thankful. I saw this family sitting in front of the shop across the street for hours yesterday. No doubt they were homeless and from the looks of it the boys don't go to school ever. 

See when I'm getting tired over here and the days seem to blur by I need to stop and really be thankful for this awesome place and opportunities to serve.

Read about my Saturday and all the things I'm thankful for (in photos) below!! More stuff after the pictures so don't quit on me.

I'm so thankful that I have a roof over my head and the finances to help people that don't.

I'm so thankful that every single day I get to teach drums to kids and share with them my love for music.

I'm so thankful that I get to teach kids in India baseball, America's greatest Sport.

I'm thankful for finally getting a good picture of the moon on my camera.
It just shows how cool God is to perfectly place that big white ball up there so we can live.

I'm so thankful that after a long day I can look up at the mountains and see the beauty of the creation that God made all around me.

I'm so thankful for the roof over my head, the shirt on my back, and the opportunities God has given me to serve these sweet people over here. I challenge YOU, yes you, look at the computer or phone you are reading this on, look at the shoes you wear everyday, look at the place you call home... You are blessed and there is nothing else we should do other than stop and pray and the Lord for giving you the life you have. When you think you life is tough with your WiFi not working or you have too much homework at school or too much stress at work. STOP and think cause come on people... those are FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS. At least you have a house to have WiFi in, at least you have a school to go to, at least you have a job to support your family.
Cause the truth is God is good.

The four Cs.

I dedicate this blog post to my sister, Jessica and my new brother, Rob. They got engaged this weekend! I’m super super happy for them! Congrats to the both of you.

I can’t believe it’s already been two weeks since my last big post.  These past weeks were filled with activities, I mean filled! Today was the first day I wasn’t totally busy from 8 in the morning till 9 at night. I’m not saying this to be prideful or to bring pity for my work, it’s actually the opposite. I’m telling you this because I’m super super stoked how God is orchestrating every hour of my day to get me as connected in these four months as possible. RELATIONSHIPS is the best way to sum up the month of August. It was really just a time to meet people and get to know them. Without having a relationship with people, there is no way they will trust you enough to believe you and the whole “Jesus” thing you want to share with them, that will apparently change their entire life. So these last couple weeks have showed me relationships with the people must come first. SO my biggest prayer request is, pray that God will give me the bravery to step out and be intentional in sharing the Gospel with the people I have built relationships with.

“Competitions, Celebrations, Court, and Cadets.” That basically sums up these past crazy two weeks.

 It is said pictures speak 1000 words, so below are some pictures and a summary about each category. You better not stop half way down them! If you stop halfway you will miss out on the cool things I'm doing and the last picture, which is my favorite. Its only 20 or so pictures you can do it!! 

P.S. Sorry for the pictures that are turned side wards, I couldn't figure out how to change that. Hopefully you won't look too strange turning you computer screen side to side. ENJOY!!

COMPETITIONS
Last week a poetry/calligraphy/drawing/painting/essay writing/ story writing/ dancing/ singing competition was held. The contest was at the school and the whole school had to either watch or join a category. It was a fun time to be around students and I was even one of the judges for the essay category. This was put on by the Literature Club of Rayburn High where I teach.
 Also this past Friday was the first annual Rayburn High Quiz competition put on by the Science Club. This was a long day, but a great time to chill among the students and watch and guess the answers to the competition.
I don’t have any picture of these two competitions sorry! I was a little too busy to snap pics.

CELEBRATIONS
September 5^th is declared National India Teacher’s Day. The celebration put on by the students for the teachers was amazing. A stage was set up and tarps for shade, it may not sound fancy but it was quite impressive for here I must say. This will be one of the highlights of the trip for me for sure. The teachers all got a standing elevation as we arrived individually and I even got many roses and presents that day from my students. The celebration was basically students embarrassing themselves for the teacher’s enjoyment. Like male students doing a fashion show, lots of classes dancing and singing, and some classes did dramas. The day was filled with many pictures with students and lots of laughter among everyone.
Since the drums are in my room I had lots of bands coming over to practice for the celebration throughout the week. Fun times!

The students awaiting the show with all there teachers in their seat.

One of my favorite moments!! All teachers got cheers and shouts when entering, as well as many students running out to you with gifts!

A neat display of Indian culture.

Rayburn Teachers 2013. A lovely group of people.

The young romantic dancers.

The skit about appreciating your teachers.

Class 10 boys performing awesome dances.

Miss Rayburn Competition.

Practicing songs with some students.

Students performing their song

Don't mind the guy in the background doing a back flip.

CADETS
In America it’s known as the ROTC, here it is known as the NCC (National Cadet Corp). The NCC at Rayburn is a vocational course that teaches marching and disciple. So as you can imagine these are the most respectful kids at the school! The NCC leader approached me and asked me to help some of his cadets prepare for an upcoming speech that happened this Saturday. Of course I said yes and so every day this week three cadets (and more that wanted to watch) came over and practiced pronunciation of their speeches, which we all wrote together. I got to connect with these cadets and joke around with them a lot which as cool. The ceremony (another “C”) was this Saturday, where some cadets got moved up to the next rank. I was one of the special guests and got to give a short speech. Of course the ceremony was followed by many pictures. I spent most of Saturday going to the picture store and getting photos developed and hanging out with the cadets I become close with. Looking forward to furthering these relationships!

ONLY 12 more pictures… you can do it! Keep going.  DON'T QUIT ON ME NOWWWW!!

The guests being escorted in.

Students receiving their ranks.

One of the basketball boys all dressed up and looking serious.

Giving the most inspirational speech ever. Not really. At least half of the people there didn't understand English.

With the highest ranking cadets and Officer in Charge.

Practicing and preparing the speeches with the cadets.

The students giving their speeches.

COURT
No no no I didn’t get in trouble and sent to court here. I mean basketball court. Basically I have time to play about 3 times a week with the guys playing basketball. They are really improving and loving the game. But the talks sitting on the sideline waiting for a game is really the best part. I am getting the opportunity to talk and see more where the kids come from. Hopefully some good Bible talks will come up in those conversations soon! Pray for that for sure all you prayer warriors out there!

Almost done.... These are my favorite!

Playing some basketball.

Dogs are common on the brick basketball court.

Trying to be like Michael Jordan.

My favorite picture so far. No color edit.

YAYYYYYYY you made it to the end! 

Thanks again for taking the time to read this and for the prayer and support. I majorly appreciate it! I couldn’t do it without YOU. No I’m not talking to the OTHER people reading this…. I’m thanking YOU specifically. You may not realize it but if you are just reading these words you are encouraging me to keep going. And for that I thank you.

FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO ONLY READ THIS FOR THE ANSWER
Ostriches are often not taken seriously. They can in fact run faster than a horse and male ostriches can roar like lions. (I found it on the internet so it must be true... right?)

I pray that God saves these kids.

Since I asked for such a huge prayer request, a couple days ago, I figured I'd let you know how it went! Well it was a long talk, maybe 25 minutes or so, and it was emotional. The kids usually look like they are half way paying attention but, because of the serious look on my face, they were all staring right at me. If you want to know more what I said just look at the post from a few days ago. All I know is that I got everything I wanted to say out there. I challenged them in many areas of their lives and gave them some pretty tough questions, I told them to sit down and think about before they went to bed. 

Luke 24:45-47
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,  and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

It is all in the hands of the Trinity now. I pray that the Bible will become more clear to them. I pray that will not find all the answers and have questions, because I've found searching for answers is when God works best in you. I pray that they ask those questions that they have though to me or their leader. And I pray that we, as their leaders, can help them find answers. I pray that these kids would be okay with living a life of earthly things but of things that last eternally. I pray also that as these kids are far from their families that the men around their lives will be solid Christian role models everyday. I pray that God saves these kids.

Be looking for a big big big fat huge gnarly sweet update this weekend! Don't miss it.

This night could change a kids life for eternity, all thanks to Ian Hensel and Jesus.

I had a big update that I was going to post today with pictures and all, but it just doesn't seem appropriate to on a day like today. It can wait till this weekend. Right now I have something I need major prayer for.
This evening I will be going to the hostel tonight to give my speech to the high school and elementary kids there for devotions. Just like I always do every night. But tonight I am not just sharing a normal speech. This speech took hours to prepare and it’s long and deep. I will be telling Ian Hensel’s story and the encouragement he has been in my life. I have collected many Jon Piper quotes from his book "Don't Waste Your Life". That I recently read (one of the main things that showed me I wanted more with my life, in missions). Of course I have lots of scripture as well.
As I talk to these kids I’m basically I'm going to emphasize that even though I'm here to build relationships with them, I'm not here to just be friends, I'm here to share the honest truth about the gospel with them. I am going to talk about death, hell, serving earthly "gods", getting your priorities right, and living a life not mediocre for Christ, but one fire. I'm going to blunt with them, but I want them to see I'm serious and here for the purpose of sharing the Gospel. I need them to see that I’m not okay with them wasting their lives. I’m here to focus on the gospel. These aren't easy topics and I have a lot to say. This is a big night. I’m ready to cry. Chances are I will. But if a grown man, with a beard, ever has an excuse to cry it is because he is begging to give a gift,the Gospel, which WILL change your eternity forever.
Pray for the kids to receive this message well and for me to have the right words to say.

Also never stop praying for the Hensels. It’s easy to question God and struggle in hard times as these. Pray for the Hensels to have peace and comfort in this rough part of their lives. Pray that they see it all part of God’s plan.

It has been a sad day, and I am ONLY at peace because I KNOW that Ian is in heaven cancer free now. My guess is he is building Legos with Jesus. All I know is he is enjoying time with the heavenly Father. And that we will see him again someday. Already Ian is an amazing testimony that could change these kids’ lives for eternity.

In the end, God is good.

   Ian Hensel. Your story will change lives around the world.   

Ian Hensel

Ian Hensel is one of my best friend's brothers, for those of you who don't know. Ian is battling cancer for the third time. For a young guy, he is a warrior. Anyone who fights this hard is. He has pushed though years of cancer I don't think I could. He is a role model for me. Ian has officiallly been given about 24 hours to live. Please pray for peace for Ian and the Hensels as this tough time in their life continues. Thankfully Ian knows the Lord as his Savior so he will be in heaven cancer free someday.

If you know the Hensel's personally or are hearing this story for the first time now please pray for this situation.
My challenge to you: is if you are sitting reading this right now you are blessed. Don't take the next breath you take for granted.
YOU HAVE ONE LIFE DON'T WASTE IT.

I wish I could be there with you now bro. I'll see you again someday. Love you Ian.

SNEAK PEEK at the next post check it out.

This past week was filled with Celebrations, Competitions, and Concerts. 

Check back Monday night, your time, to see what in the world I'm talking about?!

Ohh and here is a picture of a cute kid, that was playing my drums, just to reward you for reading this post.

Thanks so much for the support.

Reached 1100 views this week on my blog. I can't thank everyone enough for the prayers and support! Be looking for an update this weekend!