raginghippo's Xanga

Monday, July 07, 2008

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:53:15 GMT

GRADUATION-Bethel University!!!!

Rebecca & me

Dad & me

Mom & Alan

Barb & Dad

Alyssa & (former) President George Brushaber

Me & President Jay Barnes

Whoo-hoo!!!!

Monday, July 07, 2008

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:51:51 GMT

Spring Banquet: Rebecca and I

Grant & Heather & us

Department of Anthropology and Sociology Senior Research Presentations

Dr. Harley Schreck

Dr. Jim Hurd

Monday, July 07, 2008

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:49:19 GMT

Kovonne, Kelley, me: Spring Sprint 5k

me & my RA partner, Anna Ask

Heritage RA Staff: RA Appreciation Banquet

Ryan Doheny

Skyler Dickson

Monday, July 07, 2008

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:28:33 GMT

Hydrobike

Justin, Mandy, Rebecca, me

Eating in a bus stop in Chicago

Wicked

Spring Break on the Island

Flirty

Lake Michigan

Friday, February 08, 2008

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 02:14:05 GMT

January 2008

Peak Performance-Nepal

Reflections since returning:

I left pieces of my heart with the people I encountered in Nepal. And they gave pieces of their hearts to me. I will forever cherish these pieces as they now have become part of my heart.

While sitting in class the screen saver on my laptop reveals to me images from my time in Nepal. I am immediately drawn in to the beautiful faces of the people: the street kids in Kathmandu, the girls from the Peace Rehabilitation Center, the lepers separated from the rest of society. I love these faces. I miss these faces. I pray for these faces as they are so much more than faces. They are my fellow human beings and are beloved in God's eyes.

These are the e-mails that I sent home throughout my trip. Enjoy!

Hello my friends,

I wanted to let everyone know a little bit more about what I'm doing this January. I am going on a missions trip to Nepal. January 2-5 we have training for the mission trip in Minnetonka, MN. On Jan. 5th we fly to Nepal and travel all over the place. We are doing a 10-day trek in the Himalayas staying in tiny villages along the way, hanging out in a leprosy colony, hanging out with the monks at Hindu and Buddhist temples, and interacting with people in two cities. Please pray for us.

And I am staying by myself for a week in Bangkok, Thailand basically because I can stay. I am going to check out the city and culture, and spend a few days on the Indian Ocean in a bungalow. As you can imagine, my family is freaking out because I'm going to be alone, but I am so stoked about being in Thailand. So please pray for this time also.

At His Feet,

Austin

1/7

Hello,

I have survived my 24 hours of air time, with my longest flight being 18 hours from LA to Thailand. I have arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal, and the trip has been amazing thus far.

We had three days of training where our team of eight first came together. We have people on the team from California, Texas, New Jersey, Arizona, and Minnesota, and we all get along just great.

Two pictures of the team

The Leadership Team

Plus our Nepali leader, Kumar.

Story: On my last flight today, I met a 23 year old man named Dinesh who was a little man full of life. I spent the last 3 years in Malaysia working at a clothing factory. He is returning to his home in Nepal for the first time in 3 years.

Dinesh

I started asking him about his Hindu beliefs and we struggled explaining them to me in English. And then I got to share Jesus with him for the first time. I had him read passages of the Bible to me, I wrote the basic gospel message in his journal, and I had him write Nepali phrases in my journal. And I underlined a lot of verses for him. He was so excited and glad to meet me, and to hear what I had to say. My friend Evan ended up giving him his own Bible. I hope to keep in contact with him. Denish said that he would read the whole Bible. Please pray for Denish. Pray that the first seed I planted in him would bear fruit. I am still so pumped.

I am now wandering around the narrow streets of Nepal. When we meet people, it feels like we have known them for years. The Nepalese are beautiful people. I love it over here. Please continue to pray for us; especially our next few days in Kathmandu where we will be interacting with a lot of random shop owners and street kids. Blessings!

At His Feet,

Austin

1/9

Namaste,

A few more days have passed in Kathmandu and the adventure never ceases.

Let's be honest: the city is filthy. Dirtiest place I have ever been for sure. But the people are probably the most beautiful. On the street, almost every other person will make eye contact and then I get to practice my Nepali. I picking a little up. The street are very narrow and most buildings are very close to the road and about 4 storeys tall. There really are not sidewalks, so you have to basically walk in the street and dodge traffic: cars, rickshaws, bicycles, motorcycles, tractors, people, liquids, cows, dogs. I have been run into on many occasions and the honking never stops-all night. Good thing I sleep hard. The city is surrounded by hugenormous mountains, but it's usually pretty foggy/polluty.

Food is good; lots of museli (oatmeal), momo (potstickers), noodle dishes, curry, milk tea, and such. Today we shared pizza with Shanta, a woman who runs an organization called Peace Rehabilitation Center. She rescues girls from prostitution and helps get them an education. The girls were very shy at first, until we had them write their names down (all 9 of them) and then I was trying to remember how to say their names and whose name fit who. And then I had one girl take pictures with my camera of the other girls and it turned into a big giggle fest. It was a blast. These girls were young and beautiful and it is so hard to think that many of them were so abused before the organization rescued them. We get to see the girls again at their house in the future. I'll see if I can remember any of their names.

Kaipana and Pramilla

The last two days we visited the most holy Hindu temple in Nepal and the spiritual warfare was intense-my stomach hurt the whole time. But it was great to be able to talk with people who just hang out at the temple and learn more about their religion, and then also share with them. I have had numerous opportunities to share about Christianity and show love to many people. I have been blessed with many good conversations. And today we went to the Monkey Temple (lots of feisty monkeys running around), the most holy Buddhist temple in Nepal. The spiritual warfare was not as intense, but I again had great conversations. Fascinating day.

Man who lives at Hindu temple

Buddha statues

At His Feet,

Austin

Friday, February 08, 2008

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 02:05:59 GMT

1/10

Namaste,

Kosto chai kabare? (How are you?) Ma tik chue. (I am good).

Quick update: We took a 6 hour bus ride to the city of Pokara. It was such a beautiful drive: mountains, rivers, rural villages with lots of beautiful people. We are staying in Pokara tonight and then for a few days after our trek. Tomorrow we leave for our 10 day trek to the Annapurna Base Camp. Please pray for our health (many members of the team have colds), safety, and strength, and that we would experience God. I am pumped. We are staying in villages in the mountains on our trek. So I can't communicate for 10 days. Peace.

After arriving in Pokara we checked into our lake side guest house. The lake is gorgeous and surrounded by mountains. We (the students) were then told to "show the love of Christ" in any way we wanted. So we decided to buy sodas and we gave them away to children down by the lake. And then we played a lot of soccer with them. They were adorable and feisty. They get calling me Rochecko, the name of one of their famous wrestlers. Wrestling is popular over here. I will get pictures on my blog when I get home.

Kids we played soccer with in Pokhara.

Lake Pokhara

At His Feet,

Austin

1/20

Namaste Friends,

I'm clean! After not showering for 10 days in the mountains I am clean! Oh the mountains. The first three days got easier and easier as my body got used to the rigorous hiking conditions. The trek was amazing! We hiked through many villages full of beautiful people and lots of adorable children calling out for "sweet, sweet!" We had to fight off donkeys, water buffalo, goats, chickens, sheep, and other people for the trail. Let's just say it's kind of scary when a 500 pound water buffalo is climbing down the stairs next to you. And I only had two donkeys try to knock me off the trail. We definitely had our fair share of injuries and sicknesses; many severe runny noses and coughs, and many aching backs and knees.

Mt. Annapurna I

The "Fish Tail" mt.

But let me tell you about my physical ailments. My knee starting clicking on day 2 and I've had a severe cold. On day 4 I was leading the group and I was about 15 minutes from our final destination-Annapurna Base Camp. My body decided I couldn't handle the altitude (13,500 + feet) and I almost fainted, collapsing onto a large boulder. Someone carried my pack the rest of the way and I spent the rest of my time (one night), at the prettiest part of the trek, in bed. Someone also had to carry my pack the whole next day as I recovered. Oh it gets better. And then on day 6 I had some trouble having a bowel movement for a few days so I took 8 fiber pills from a friend. Evil fiber pills. They decided to lodge/stick themselves to the side of my esophagus and they were stuck. I could breath, I just couldn't drink or eat anything without throwing up. So I spent the whole half of the day trying to make myself throw up the pills by drinking water. Slowly but surely 7 of the pills came up one by one. I counted them as I was hurling every time I made the team stop on the trail. It was highly entertaining for the team, so I hope I didn't gross you out.

Annapurna Base Camp

Regardless, the trek was beautiful and eventful. It has been so easy to see God working within and through our team. We spent one whole day in the village of Gondrick where we played a lot of soccer and basketball with the local kids. I left a soccer ball with one of the boys. And I had some of the kids write in my journal to keep them occupied; specifically one boy who had a fake leg. We also had the opportunity to translate a story (Daniel and the lion's den) to the children as these kids didn't speak much English. We have all made it out of the mountains alive and are recuperating. Also while in the mountains and over the whole trip, we have been going over "leadership" curriculum, so I thought I should mention that. It has been great teaching, and we as students have also been responsible for teaching some of the curriculum.

Love and miss you all. Please continue to pray for us as we dive into the last week of intense ministry.

At His Feet,

Austin

Friday, February 08, 2008

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:56:27 GMT

1/27

Sawasdee Krub Friends,

Goodbye Nepal-Hello Thailand!

Let me update you on the past week. After the 10 day trek, we spent a few more days in the lakeside city of Pokhara. We continued to build the relationships we had and that meant playing more futbol (soccer). I met a young man named Sabin who is 17 years old. He was an amazing futbol player and had the most gentle and endearing personality. I left him a soccer ball and spent a lot of time with him. I tried to tell him about Jesus but struggled because he spoke very little English. Oh what I would have given to have spoke Nepali on this trip. But Kumar and I wrote Sabin letters. Kumar is a Nepali man who was with our team while we were in Nepal. He is very good friends with Scotty, who led the trip. Anyway, Kumar was going to share with Sabin because he speaks Nepali and also send him some booklets he wrote on Christianity. Kumar's booklets have been and are distributed all over Nepal. The booklets have been an effective ministry. Please pray for Sabin and that he would begin to know the Lord.

Then we came back to Kathmandu. We spent one day at the Peace Rehabilitation Center (PRC). It is run by this amazing Nepali woman, Shanta, who fed us the best meal of the whole trip: plow rice and dahl baht (rice with special spices). PRC is very multifaceted. They help start and run non-traditional education for women, they have a pig and goat program, they help resuce women from prostitution and then help them re-enter into regular community, they do border control to rescue girls being sold into India, as well as many other things. And at PRC, there are a group of about 10 teenage girls who are there for a variety of reasons and being raised by Shanta. They are all so beautiful and we got to just hang out with them and play Uno. And they sure liked my gum and candy. Please pray for PRC's ministry.

And then we spent the afternoon at a Leper Colony outside the city. We just got to sit with the lepers and communicate with them through some translating friends we brought along. We got to sit and let them tell us their story while we rubbed lotion on their hands, or what is left of their hands. Many of them have lost fingers, arms, legs, hearing, sight, or a combination. They are all just so beautiful. Many never get to see their family, and they only get outside visitors two times per year. Those two times are when Peak teams like us come to visit. It was an extremely emotional experience for me. Pray that the lepers would feel God's love, especially when they rarely feel the love or touch of other humans.

Today, I said goodbye to Nepal and all of the beautiful people there. I will right some more when I return to the States and I will also post some pictures on my blog for everyone to see. Now I am in Thailand and let's just say I am very overwhelmed. It was hard to say goodbye to my team and new friends today. I just spent every waking moment with them for a whole month and I miss them. I am staying at the Bangkok Christian Guest House, so it's nice to know I'm in good company. I plan on hanging out for the next few days in order to debrief from the last month. Quick Prayer Request: I just came back from a quick walk and was very appalled by the small section of Red Light District I encountered. Pray against the abuse of women and men in the form of prostitution here in Thailand. It is very hard to see in such an over-exposed way.

The little red sign on the left is labeled "Rahab Ministries." They are a Christian organization that runs a beauty parlor in the red light district to build relationships with the prostitutes. This street is the red light district. I met some of the missionaries there. They also go into the bars twice a week to develop relationships with the prostitutes, and have a house where they let women stay after they decide to stop prostituting themselves. Beautiful organization. I apologize for the large offensive sign, but it reveals the evident corruption and evil in this place.

Well, I plan on enjoying my time here. And it is so hot and humid-uffda! I love the change from the MN and Nepal's much colder weather. Pray for safety in my travels and time spent in Thailand. And that I would really be able to process my last month of ministry away from home. Thank you!

At His Feet,

Austin

This is my friend Soramon who I had lunch with in Bangkok. We knew each other for a short time in 8th grade.

My new friends Immi and Edy from Pakistan who I spent the day at the beach with.

We also hung out with Jooho from South Korea.

Well that is a summary of my adventures in Nepal and Thailand this January. Thanks for looking and reading, and please pray for the people of these countries.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 22:16:47 GMT

The Roomies: AJ, Tyler, Craig, BJ, & Adam

BJ & Justin-Bethel Football defeated St. John's for division championship

Heritage RA Staff

Staff at Homecoming: RD Chris, Drew, Gary, Debbie, Rachel, Emily, Kaylee, & Anna

Anna-she is my floor RA partner

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 22:02:35 GMT

Grant & Greg's birthday at the Wild Onion on Grand Ave.

Bowling with "touchy" Santa! I think we're a little bit too old.

3rd Floor Heritage-Christmas Progressive Snack Party

Dad & Barb at Bethel's Festival of Christmas

Barb & Dad-snow covered downtown Minneapolis

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 21:10:48 GMT

Scholarship Luncheon w/ Darleen & President George Brushaber