Thursday, January 27, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Devadasie
Devadasie.
Temple prostitutes.
The scum of India.
The spreader of HIV.
Their only goals in life are 1. to die soon, and 2. that their girl might not become a Devadasie also.
Many of the woman became temple prostitutes as young as 8 or 9.
They are not paid. When they go and peddle their business they do so in hopes that the men who use, or more often abuse and misuse, them will give them a little food to eat.
We might be going to the temple where they are dedicated as young girls. This will be the most spiritually intense part of the trip. The devil is no longer playin' subtle - this is part of his kingdom and he's strutting around no longer caring who sees his destructionwork.
The line from Prince of Egypt plays around in my head whenever I think of it: "You're playing with the big boys, playing with the big boys now!" Everything else we've done in India feels like child's play next to this (we know it's not though by the grace of God - God takes child's play and makes it Kingdom work). "You're playing with the big boys now!"
We are not just going to the temple, but we are also having a conference where we bring these women to a place where we shelter them, feed them, give gifts to them, share the Good News to them, and love them. This will be huge - both for us and them. Their is a fairly big chance that we will see manifestations of the devil come.
Only about a quarter of the women are believers - the rest are not.
This is where YOUR prayers come in. Pray that we might bring them all to know Jesus. We need wisdom to know how to show love to them - GOD'S love - and in sharing the gospel with them. Pray that our minds and tongues will not grow mute and numbed by the suffering we see in these women. Pray that we might be able to speak love into the lives of these hurt women.
Please PRAY - not just for us, but for the entire team. Your prayers are hugely appreciated.
Quick Update: we just finished a conference just like the next one for the pastors of India. I believe that they all were rested and refreshed and are ready to go out and preach again in their churches. Many of the pastors are persecuted, especially in the state we're in (Karnataka), and please also pray for them.
Temple prostitutes.
The scum of India.
The spreader of HIV.
Their only goals in life are 1. to die soon, and 2. that their girl might not become a Devadasie also.
Many of the woman became temple prostitutes as young as 8 or 9.
They are not paid. When they go and peddle their business they do so in hopes that the men who use, or more often abuse and misuse, them will give them a little food to eat.
We might be going to the temple where they are dedicated as young girls. This will be the most spiritually intense part of the trip. The devil is no longer playin' subtle - this is part of his kingdom and he's strutting around no longer caring who sees his destructionwork.
The line from Prince of Egypt plays around in my head whenever I think of it: "You're playing with the big boys, playing with the big boys now!" Everything else we've done in India feels like child's play next to this (we know it's not though by the grace of God - God takes child's play and makes it Kingdom work). "You're playing with the big boys now!"
We are not just going to the temple, but we are also having a conference where we bring these women to a place where we shelter them, feed them, give gifts to them, share the Good News to them, and love them. This will be huge - both for us and them. Their is a fairly big chance that we will see manifestations of the devil come.
Only about a quarter of the women are believers - the rest are not.
This is where YOUR prayers come in. Pray that we might bring them all to know Jesus. We need wisdom to know how to show love to them - GOD'S love - and in sharing the gospel with them. Pray that our minds and tongues will not grow mute and numbed by the suffering we see in these women. Pray that we might be able to speak love into the lives of these hurt women.
Please PRAY - not just for us, but for the entire team. Your prayers are hugely appreciated.
Quick Update: we just finished a conference just like the next one for the pastors of India. I believe that they all were rested and refreshed and are ready to go out and preach again in their churches. Many of the pastors are persecuted, especially in the state we're in (Karnataka), and please also pray for them.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Of Beef and Cars
Update: here is a summarized update of what has and will happen in the next few weeks.
Last week we traveled from the city of Bangalore to a city on the coast called Chennai.
We came back to Bangalore for a week, and are now preparing to move out again. This time it is Dharwad (pronounced DOE har) where we will stay for one or two weeks.
That's the plan.
But what I really want to talk about is this craving I have inside me - a craving for some greasy, cheesy, unhealthy or healthy, processed, good ole' American food - especially beef. Here it is rice, rice, rice, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yeah, you can laugh at me. Of course, they mix-up spices, or the way they cook it and eat it with other things like chicken, veggies, and beans, but the essence is always rice. Now white rice is not very nutritious - it turns into sugar in your stomach - and I'm a growing young boy. This stuff can never keep my solid and growing 5'8 body completely full. Another thing that keeps it from filling you all the way is because of the spices. Did you know spicy food speeds up your digestion or metabolism, which means this food goes through you like a rocket? (Please don't quote me on this on a medical test please.)
But I'm not complaining ... I'm just, uh, observing. Yeah, observing. This is better than what most people eat in the world, even if it's the same stuff.
And here is a subject that touches close to my heart. It's the subject of cows in India. You see, cows here are sacred.
You read me right. Sacred.
Whenever I see a cow lumbering by I think 'Wow what a big hunk of meat'. Yet many people in India do not have enought to eat. One of the members of my team (rather aptly) called it 'the devil's way of keeping people hungry'.
If you could see me walking along the road by cows in India you might hear me muttering to the cows. No, I'm not crazy ... ok, maybe a little. Read the rest of what goes on in http://jays-own-blog.blogspot.com
More random facts and observations that I've made about India are about the cars. The brand name TATA is big around here. The roads here are unbelievably overcrowded and every man is for himself. Autos weave in and out of traffic, dodging the bigger vehicles, and, I'm ashamed to say it, buses do the same. The driving here is ridiculous. Here's an example: do you know how Americans like to stop a few good feet away from the car in front of them? (We like our personal space.) Well, the Indians never completely understood personal space (at least with cars - they are respectful around other people). They stop inches away from the car in front of them. No joke. If you tried the couple feet technique here in India you would have an auto trying to nudge in the space! (By the way, autos are little three-wheeled vehicles that act as cabs.) Also, when the buses back up (and maybe autos but I've never seen one back up) have this odd little music they play instead of beeping. I guess they back up so much they might as well listen to music while they're at it!
- Josh Kuperus
Last week we traveled from the city of Bangalore to a city on the coast called Chennai.
We came back to Bangalore for a week, and are now preparing to move out again. This time it is Dharwad (pronounced DOE har) where we will stay for one or two weeks.
That's the plan.
But what I really want to talk about is this craving I have inside me - a craving for some greasy, cheesy, unhealthy or healthy, processed, good ole' American food - especially beef. Here it is rice, rice, rice, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yeah, you can laugh at me. Of course, they mix-up spices, or the way they cook it and eat it with other things like chicken, veggies, and beans, but the essence is always rice. Now white rice is not very nutritious - it turns into sugar in your stomach - and I'm a growing young boy. This stuff can never keep my solid and growing 5'8 body completely full. Another thing that keeps it from filling you all the way is because of the spices. Did you know spicy food speeds up your digestion or metabolism, which means this food goes through you like a rocket? (Please don't quote me on this on a medical test please.)
But I'm not complaining ... I'm just, uh, observing. Yeah, observing. This is better than what most people eat in the world, even if it's the same stuff.
And here is a subject that touches close to my heart. It's the subject of cows in India. You see, cows here are sacred.
You read me right. Sacred.
Whenever I see a cow lumbering by I think 'Wow what a big hunk of meat'. Yet many people in India do not have enought to eat. One of the members of my team (rather aptly) called it 'the devil's way of keeping people hungry'.
If you could see me walking along the road by cows in India you might hear me muttering to the cows. No, I'm not crazy ... ok, maybe a little. Read the rest of what goes on in http://jays-own-blog.blogspot.com
More random facts and observations that I've made about India are about the cars. The brand name TATA is big around here. The roads here are unbelievably overcrowded and every man is for himself. Autos weave in and out of traffic, dodging the bigger vehicles, and, I'm ashamed to say it, buses do the same. The driving here is ridiculous. Here's an example: do you know how Americans like to stop a few good feet away from the car in front of them? (We like our personal space.) Well, the Indians never completely understood personal space (at least with cars - they are respectful around other people). They stop inches away from the car in front of them. No joke. If you tried the couple feet technique here in India you would have an auto trying to nudge in the space! (By the way, autos are little three-wheeled vehicles that act as cabs.) Also, when the buses back up (and maybe autos but I've never seen one back up) have this odd little music they play instead of beeping. I guess they back up so much they might as well listen to music while they're at it!
- Josh Kuperus
Monday, January 10, 2011
Hi,
I am sorry I am not able to get pictures on, but I cannot connect my computer to the internet, or my camera to the internet cafe's computers. I'm not much of a writer, so if I don't post you'll know why.
India has been good. It is not much hotter than Hawaii, and has been very different than anywhere we've been. The transportation (ever heard of an auto?), food, culture, and clothing are just a few things that are major shocks.They all stare at my family when we go walking... It is very uncommon to see other blondes.
While here, you notice all the things you hardly ever notice in North America. Some things I've started to crave are, baking cookies, hot showers (not buckets), internet, long smooth roads, and washing machines, just to mention a few. It is good though and we are enjoying it here.
The clothes are actually very comfortable, but sometimes the dupidas (scarves) get in the way, or the pants are too hot. Our hair is supposed to always be back, with as few fly-aways as possible. Our usual attire is jeans and a long, loose Indian shirt. When we go out we wear Indian pants (these are WAY too hard to describe), a dupida and a Indian shirt.
All in all though, India is a very exciting place and I would recommend going someday.
In India (Brianna)
Hi,
I am sorry I am not able to get pictures on, but I cannot connect my computer to the internet, or my camera to the internet cafe's computers. I'm not much of a writer, so if I don't post you'll know why.
India has been good. It is not much hotter than Hawaii, and has been very different than anywhere we've been. The transportation (ever heard of an auto?), food, culture, and clothing are just a few things that are major shocks.They all stare at my family when we go walking... It is very uncommon to see other blondes.
While here, you notice all the things you hardly ever notice in North America. Some things I've started to crave are, baking cookies, hot showers (not buckets), internet, long smooth roads, and washing machines, just to mention a few. All is good though and we are enjoying it here.
The clothes are actually very comfortable, but sometimes the dupidas (scarves) get in the way, or the pants are too hot. Our hair is supposed to always be back, with as few fly-aways as possible. Our usual attire is jeans and a long, loose Indian shirt or Indian pants (these are WAY too hard to describe) and a Indian shirt. Dupidas are always necessary when we go out.
All in all though, India is a very exciting place and I would highly recommend going someday.
(Note to any readers who lost themselves in our archives and found this: Here is a post written by Brianna, and lost somehow in our dusty section of blogging Drafts. I wish this had been posted on the day it was written as it provides a rare glimpse into the mind of my sister, Brianna Kuperus, and her views on living in India. Right now she is flying into the war-ravaged country of Cambodia and my hope she will write other posts just like this one. Josh Kuperus, her brother.)
(Note to any readers who lost themselves in our archives and found this: Here is a post written by Brianna, and lost somehow in our dusty section of blogging Drafts. I wish this had been posted on the day it was written as it provides a rare glimpse into the mind of my sister, Brianna Kuperus, and her views on living in India. Right now she is flying into the war-ravaged country of Cambodia and my hope she will write other posts just like this one. Josh Kuperus, her brother.)
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