The teens want to say hi!

Hey Everybody,
We have gotten many requests to hear more from the teens. And, honestly, the only reason they are writing is because we have the whole evening off. And, honestly, the only reason we have the evening off is because we are traveling all night. And, honestly, the only reason we're traveling at night is because the churches need EVERY WAKING HOUR OF OUR TIME!
love,
Ben


Whatsup Everyone,
I'm very suprised that I'm writing at all. When I get back I'm going to have Wendy's and catch up on some sleep. Traffic here is crazy. Some of us have been riding the disciples motorcycles. Speaking of motorcycles we hit one today. I'm almost positive that there are no traffic laws here. Everyone seems to be getting sick about now. I thought I saw a dominos but it could of been in my mind. We're about to leave the state of Tamil Nadu and go to Kerala. When we get back it's all fast food and Halo 2.
Love,
Holland


Hey Everyone,
This is my first opportunity to write on the blog, and I have way too much stuff to say. I finally got to ride on a motorcycle yesterday, and it is very encouraging to visit all of the disciples homes. I really wish that I really had Gatorade with me, I don't know what I was thinking when I was packing. I am also really missing fast food, I am going to pig out.
We went to the 10th anniversary church service on Sunday and it was great, there were 160 visitors to go along with 220 disciples; and I met at least half of them. It was great, and time consuming at the same time. Well that's all the time that I have for now, I have to go finish packing because we are going to Kerala tonight.
Love,
Sam Goedker a.k.a. Zt RickJames

Hey all,
It's been cool to read what everyone has thought about our trip. It has also been encouraging to "hear" your voices through your words. The days in Coimbatore have been productive to say the least. We have been going to disciple's houses and meeting their families. We have also been going to do followup studies with visitors. The whole time here has been really well spent and it is easy to see how much God is working in the church here. The ten year anniversary service was amazing! They had half of their regular numbers in visitors (160+ and 220 disciples). So that was sweet. Getting around has also been an experience worth noting. Indian roads are insane! Rickshaws are the most popular way to travel. They are nothing more than a covered motorcycle. I once saw eleven people packed into one! When you see pictures of them you'll see why that is incredible. I am definately missing the modern conveniences of home. I got a bad case of Traveler's Diarrhea. Not fun :( But the trip has been good. Dad, we are not lazy, there is seriously no time to write because we are so beat from serving at the end of the day. Sorry, we'll write more if we can. I have been living on water, white rice and Naan (oh the delicious Naan... Naan... Naaaaaaaaan!) It's basically fresh pita bread, ask Brian P. if you wanna know more. Hey Church What's up?!
well until i write again,
Nate
a.k.a. JBruiser (level 18)


India has been very interesting and luckily I have not been sick. One thing that touched me the most is the hospitality of the Indian brothers and sisters. They are always so happy to have us in their homes even if they have nothing to offer us. One old lady, who isn't even a disciple, offered to make us dinner if we waited. The other thing that is very inspiring is the conviction of the Indian church, they are commited to sharing the gospel and their lives with everyone they meet. After, church they asked all the visitors who wanted to study the bible to come to the front and study right then (and we got to study with the visitors ourselves).
Overall, I am having a great time and learing a lot about being selfless.
-Lulu




Okay. So, it has been a week now and we are still on the go. Two more weeks to go, so hopefully not anyone is too homesick. So... a small overview of a bit that has happened in the past few days. On Sunday, we went to the ever anticipated 10th anniversary of the Coimbatore Church of Christ. Throughout the service, they presented clips of a slideshow with many pictures of the church's past. In addition, Ben and Tim each preached a short lesson. Ben gave the communion message. Tim then preached the full sermon, which we found had to be a little shorter than usual since everything had to be translated into Tamil (the language spoken here). After the service was over, there was much fellowship, and, believe it or not, Ben took note that almost EVERYONE was still present even after more than an hour of fellowship. It was very encouraging... but we all wanted a nap REALLY badly afterwards. The entire time for us 'Detroiters' was filled with talking. I personally had a line of people waiting to talk to me! No time to rest at all, it was convicting, I'll have to say. It definitely set an example of what our Sundays should look more like... After church, there was a leader's meeting held, and then came some more active fellowship - games. We all headed down to a park near the hotel to play some Cricket, Volleyball, Basketball, 'Futbol', you name the sport and somebody was playing it. Many of us spent the entire time playing volleyball, and it was a blast. The Indian brothers seem to be professionals at volleyball here. They had their master server, spiker, and everyone was equally skilled at bumping. After about 6 games, us from detroit finally formed our own team and faced the Indian brothers and sisters. They won again... and then we FINALLY beat them on the second and third games. But of course, all good things must come to an end, and the day DID finally end. After games, we all gathered around in a huge circle and Felix (the church leader) asked who was the MVP. They all started chanting ALEX ALEX ALEX..... but I think it's only because they like to say my name... A LOT!!! Every where I go I here ALEX! ALEX! Almost annoying sometimes. Well, I have completely annoyed everyone in this room because I type WAY too much. Here's Ryan.
I'll try to respond again. (If I don't get shanked on the bus tonight.)
So bye!
Alex a.k.a Waddles
PS. NAAN IS GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Hey everyone (again),
I get to write again on the blog. AND to answer your question dad , I have been trying to write on the blog everyday but have always missed it (Not to mention the internet has been down half the time we get on). AND what Nate said about us not having enough time or energy to write on the blog unlike you wealthy/spoiled americans with unlimited time to use the computer. But we're happy to write anways. But another thing I wanted to say was that the 10th anniversary church service was awesome! We had over 160 visitors and there are 220 disciples. It was insane! We also had awesome fellowship that took over an hour. When you finished talking to someone, writing your e-mail , phone number , and address, you were guaranteed to have someone waiting in line to talk to you. Although it was exhausting , it was sweet. While Alex and I were visiting one of the brothers' homes, he asked us to study the bible with his 21 year old brother. We didn't see that coming but we did some last minute preparations........ cough Shari cough...... (thanks Shari!) But it really helped us to be more evangelistic because we didn't think we were capable of studying the bible with someone who's older than us.
We also saw little chickens that had food coloring in their feathers. Today was awesome (as were all the other days). We went to the HOPE Computer school , and a cotton textile Mill. But we all miss the comforts and luxuries of home in america. Hey mom it's a new record. I've gone more than a week without playing Halo 2. AREN'T YOU PROUD OF ME!? But as soon as we get home I'm gonna eat some american fast food. (although the food here is excellent) Well, hope all of you are well and pray for us here in India as we go to Kerala tonight. Love, peace and chicken grease.
-Ryan a.k.a Squirrel1028 (level 23)

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