Journies in India

Dharmsala=Awesome

Micah Taylor — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:52:31 +0000

So after painfully tearing ourselves away from our friends in Chamba,we landed ourselves in Dharmsala. We’ve reunited with Luke, Joseph, and a few other girls from the organization.
The Dalai Lama lives here due to the Tibetan exile (longer post coming on that for my other blog when I get home in 2 weeks). Anyways, that basically makes this place the hippies capitol of the world… and it’s great. So far we’ve met whities from America, The UK, Australia, Ireland, and South Africa. Half of them have dredlocks.
We’ve also been able to share with many of them (in English, glory!). It’s been a great experience and none of us really want to leave here on Monday.
Vic woke me up this morning singing “Proud to be an American” before singing all the patriotic/country songs he knew. Tonight we’re meeting up with some more friends to celebrate the 4th in the most American way possible… blowing stuff up (fireworks for anyone who was worried about that statement).
Only a little over a week left… time is flying.

It’s all downhill from here

Micah Taylor — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:34:38 +0000

Literally.

We’ve reunited with Vic, Ian, and Mudan. In two days we’ll head out from the mountains of Chamba (sadly) to a place called Dharmshala. From there we will leave and head to Shimla where we will be from the 7th-9th debriefing with the Himchal Pradesh team and eating Subway, Macdonalds, and KFC. On the 9th we will return to New Dehli where we will debrief with the IMB and eat Pizza Hut until the 13th when we all fly out (I leave at 2:35am, it’s gonna be a long day).

Dolhousie… false advertising.

Micah Taylor — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:58:58 +0000

So going back to Kugati for round 2 didn’t go so well.

While going back up the mountain, Grant and I got very sick. I’ll spare you the details, but it was bad. So we came back down the mountain to stay in Chamba, take some meds, rest, and recover (just for you mom).

We’ve gotten much better since being back. Liz and Beck met us in Chamba and today we came to Dolhousie (which is not a giant doll house like I thought). Liz and Beck where here a few weeks back and we’re recontacting many of the people they met.

Grant and I bought Cricket gear (a non-existent in America… but apparently wildly popular around the rest of the world) in Chamba and Saturday some locals are going to teach us to play (or laugh at us as we attempt to learn).

Continue to pray for Vic, Ian, and Mudan who are probably with some shepherds as we speak.

Grace and Peace,
Micah

It’s all uphill from here

Micah Taylor — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:10:18 +0000

This morning our supervisors, Coop and D, left us to go back to Chandigarh for the month. Last night our guide/interpreter Muden came up and will be with us for the rest of the month.
Today we are taking a day of rest. We’re going to eat, sleep, pray, and stay in the Word.
Tomorrow we leave our “comfortable” hotel and head up a mountain with shepherds, complete with waking up at 5am to trek at a 50 degree angle with one, maybe two meals a day. I am excited not only to share the Father’s love with these 40-60 year old men, but also to start this extreme weight loss program.
The plan is to spend the first week with on the mountain all the way through, then next Friday come back into the city, meet up with the girls (who will be touring surrounding villages) and stay for the weekend. After that each week will likely consist of 4-5 days on the mountain, 2 days off.
Pray for strength, we’re going to need it. Pray for endurance and that our minds would be constantly focused on the Father and the leading of our Helper rather than… uh, our own survival.

Thanks you for your continued prayers
Grace and peace,
Micah

Greetings from Chamba!

Micah Taylor — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:52:54 +0000

We’re up in the mountains of Chamba after a two day journey through the countryside of India. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.
Today Luke and Joseph (another team of guys who will be trecking up through the mountains met a person of peace today. A local community teacher from South India named Emannuel who invited all of us, my whole team (Vic, Ian, Grant, Liz, and Beck) along with a team of two other guys (Joseph and Luke), and our supervisors (Coop and Diana) to dinner at his house tonight! How great is the Father!
Tomorrow Luke and Joseph leave for the mountains, Emmanuel offered to be their guide, which is amazing, and not chance. Our team stays here for a couple more days until or local follower, Muden, joins us and we guys will head into the mountains to live with sheapherds while the girls travel to neighboring villages. Coop and Diana leave on the 4th, about the time we all head out.
The Father is amazing and continually reveals our weakness, our need for Him, His grace, His love, and His willingness to refine us!
Thanks you for your prayers and please continue… it’s all up hill from here… literally.

Side note: For those of you in the States, you should all go pick up the new Taking back Sunday album tomorrow… special edition if possible. Because it’s going to be good.

Grace, Peace, and Love,
-Micah (and Ian)

India hates my body

Micah Taylor — Sat, 30 May 2009 15:48:54 +0000

So I have been sick the past couple days. Very Sick. Like… 48 hour headache, random blindness in right eye, entire body ache, and bowel… troubles… kind of sick. Yesterday Matt Fontenot, the top dog here, came to check on my room mate Hunter and me, who where both in bad condition. He went out and bought us some Cipro, among other medicines to help us make it through the trip alive. During my time in bed I tried to memorize scripture and recite scripture to myslef… nothing makes you memorazer scripture like the sincere belief that you will not live through the week. I woke up this morning with mot of the symptoms gone except I still have an ongoing, terrible headache. But Vic, being the attentive person he is, just found out about it 3 hours ago and gave me some Ibuprofen.
This morning we packed up and took a 4 hour bus ride to Chandigarh. It’s so much better here, less pollution and a lot cooler. Tomorrow at about 4pm we’ll take a 12 hour bus ride up to Chamba where we will be working for the remainder of the trip.
I got an e-mail from Matt saying that this week the 60 of us students got to talk to about 125 people about the Father in the city of New Dehli… and that’s just during training week!
I’m not sure how much contact I will have from here on, please continue to keep us in your prayers, it is becoming increasingly apparent that your prayers and the Helper are going to be the only things getting us through this summer.

I love you all,
Micah

First week in New Dehli

Micah Taylor — Thu, 28 May 2009 07:36:48 +0000

I’m sitting in an internet cafe on a PC… on internet explorer… I think this might be the toughest thing I have to do allsummer. The cafe littered with us American students. Liz is behind me semding some e-mail, Vic and Michael are in the next section over conversing with the owner about education and religion. It’s nice here, there are some fans, easing the tempurature which outside is about 120 ferenheit.

We’re coming to an end of our first week here in New Dehli. From here we will take a train up to Chandigarh to stay with some long-term followers there. We will stay there till further notice because quite recently there were some buss-bombs by Punjab in that area and well.. we have to take a 12 hour buss to get where we need to go (Chamba).

Yesterday we toured some temples, saw crippled beggars, feeding stone statues… idols. I came to the realization that Idol is not in the vocabulary here. The people are so desperate to please their gods. They are so enslaved by their religion. Yesterday I was reading in Galations 5 which states “It is for freedom that Christ has set you free.” What a statement! We have freedom simply given to us by grace. It is heart breaking to watch a people so enslaved by trying to obtain it!

Continue to pray for my team and the many others who will depart from here Friday and Saturday. Pray for strength, wisdom, discernment, and love.

Grace and peace,
Micah

First update from India

Micah Taylor — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:59:04 +0000

So I’m sitting in an internet cafe typing this up… we’re staying in a hotel for the week, so besides the sun coming up at 4:30am, there really isn’t much out of the norm… you know besides the heat and food and cold showers… the point is, we’re pretty comfortable. I’ve been really surprised by how encouraging everyone has been.. like experienced workers here coming up to me and telling me that I’m going to get leaches and work with Muslims that hate whites, etc. The funny thing is that we’re doing a job and working an area no one’s ever been to before. We are the first followers of the way to go through this area, so no one really knows much.

We head out from the hotel here in New Dehli Saturday. We’ll take 2 hour train ride to Chandigarh where we’ll stay for a day before taking a 12 hour bus ride to Chamba… that’s what we know so far…

Keep me in your thoughts, much appreciation.

Grace and Peace,
Micah

Things I’m going to miss for the next 2 months…

Micah Taylor — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:22:45 +0000

Here’s a list of a few things I’m going to miss (excluding people) while in India:

Cheeseburgers
Toilets
Ability to watch The Office whenever I want
Comic Books
Music
The Release of the new Taking Back Sunday DVD Album
Steak
Air Conditioning
Deodorant (not wearing any)
Phone/E-mail/Blog/Facebook… all forms of immediate communication
The premier of the new Transformers movie
Driving
Temperatures below 95 degrees
Cheeseburgers

One week out…

Micah Taylor — Mon, 18 May 2009 03:31:56 +0000

I leave for India in 6 days.

Tomorrow I have to call DHEC to set up my immunizations, after that my friend Barry is going with me to pick out a pack and chacos. Tuesday I’m meeting with Stuart, Hester, and maybe somemore of my Radius family to pray about the trip. At some point Carter’s going to help me pack since apparently he’s a pro and I’m… well terrible at these kinds of things. I have about 4 more lunch dates left to schedule for some time this week. Looks like this thing is really going to happen!