Weekend number one

This is the main AICS building where the offices
are and where the classes and chapel services are held

On Friday I was asked to visit the junior school here. There are probably around forty or fifty students from kindergarten through class 7. I didn’t know what to expect when I got there and assumed that I would just watch them in their respective classes. To my surprise, I walked into a room with about sixty people staring at me. Haha. Apparently they had prepared a little assembly and I was to be the speaker. No problem. I started by teaching them a few songs (“I Like Bananas,” “The Fruit of the Spirit,” and “Great Big God”). Then, I told them a little about myself. After that, I told them a story about when I was a kid and also the story of Jonah. I brought it all together by talking about the fruit of the spirit in those stories. At the end, we went over the songs again. They want me to come back whenever I can, which will be fun. The kids were very cute and their English is really good.

The road on the way to the city looks pretty
much like this the whole way; it's so green!

On Saturday I went into the city with John, Mom and Dad’s son. I picked up a cell phone and a few other things I had planned on getting when I arrived here. It was a fun trip, but I’m looking forward to going back into the city with Jenny or other girls, because John didn’t want to look at clothes or jewelry and I did lol.

Today we had church from 10:30-12:30 and at 3:30. At the 3:30 service I read the New Testament text and sang with the choir. They sing a mix of hymns and contemporary worship songs, most of which I know, but some are unfamiliar to me. After finding out that I can sing, they said they would like me to prepare a song for a Sunday morning service. I don’t know if I’ll sing a solo or prepare a song with Jenny, but either way it looks like I’ll be singing in church haha. The sermons are about 40 minutes to an hour, which is not too long for me, but it definitely would be for my Presbyterian friends lol.

Part of Aizawl -- I love how the cloud
covers the hills sometimes

The church here is charismatic, conservative, and evangelical. They dance sometimes, raise their hands, and sing with a worship band. Whenever someone asks what denomination I am, they say, “Oh, you’ll fit in well in Mizoram.” The school is very serious about training pastors and missionaries who are not only well-educated about theology and Scripture, but also who maintain serious devotional lives. They really care about the prayer lives and spiritual well-being of their students. Like many theological schools in the US, many schools here train pastors who are not prepared for ministry in terms of their personal spiritual lives. AICS (the school I’m at here) does not want to be like those schools. I really appreciate the importance they place on maintaining a devotional life in the midst of theological studies. A theologian and/or pastor cannot fulfill his roll without continuous prayer, but it’s easy to let studies get in the way.

Aizawl, the capitol city, isn't much to look at,
but it is definitely lively on the weekends!

Classes start tomorrow, and I will try to sit in on a few history classes while I’m here. I spoke with one history professor who’s teaching the history of Christianity in India and said that I would be more than welcome to sit in. I will be teaching two groups of students twice a week, so I have a class to teach every day except Wednesday. I will also be meeting with my supervisor once a week for theological reflection, which is a PTS requirement for field education. Pray that my first week of class goes smoothly! :D

Most of the houses and buildings are built like
this... right along the side of the hills

Most of the shops look like this, whether you
need a cell phone, a snack, or a stove top.

PS Every Sunday night is "Singspiration." Picture adults (professors, students training to be ministers and missionaries, the principal/president of the school, etc.) dancing and doing hand motions to praise songs for about an hour. It was the best worship I've had in years. There was so much joy and life! Unlike the US, these people have no inhibitions keeping them from giving God everything during their worship time. I think this is going to be my favorite part of every week. Praise God!