Great Controversy

Jesus for mumbai meeting’s report

Leave a Comment / travel spreading 1858gc / October 31, 2009 October 31, 2009

The “Jesus for Mumbai” meetings last week ended on Sunday. The people living there were quite discouraged by the low turnout (around 70-100 per nite), but i told them that even if there was just one who received benefit from it, then it was worthwhile. One pastor said it even better when he said: “We just do the work we are told to do – to spread your bread on all the waters, and then we trust in God that he will do his part by sending his Holy Spirit to work on hearts.” That was encouraging! Myself tho, i had several excellent experiences, and praise God that i had an opportunity to serve him in that capacity for a few days.

I was told to have the health talks, so each meeting i gave around a 10-minute talk which was translated into Tamil, and then into Hindi. I talked about eating fresh fruits, drinking lots of water (especially on awaking), whole grains (the bread of life), increasing your immunity, and regularity in all our actions. God gave me good freedom to speak, and i pray the people were blessed.

It was great to see that the producers of the meetings had all the food prepared before the Sabbath. They also happily saw to it that all the bottled water was delivered before the Sabbath. On Friday evening, while practicing singing with two Brothers, it hit me that the music man and video man were being paid to work for us on the Sabbath hours. In talking with the music man, i found out that while he was getting money, it wasn’t a “money” gig, he was basically doing it as a favor for the meetings. The video man however was asked to stop, which he did on the holy time on Saturday, but not on Friday nite.

On Friday morning there was a nice meeting for all the students taking tuition from one of the SDA families there. 97 children came, and it was nice to see them singing Christian songs and listening to a Christian message, something which is not usual for them. It brought back memories of my students in Japan, and made me wish that i had brought all of them together at least once to have a Christian witness meeting for them….. Lord, please forgive me for not doing much for my students in Japan, to lead them to eternal life. Yes, they all knew i was Christian, and i did have Bible studies with several of them, but i wasn’t near as strong about it as i should have been. I don’t want to see any of them going to the fire………..

The main speaker was Pastor John Willmott. A hall had been rented in a Christian school, and of the 5 nites, 2 of the nites saw wedding parties on the same grounds with the attendant noise. Our meetings got quite noisy too, and i counseled the music people twice to have more melodious music, but after one or two songs they went back to the heavy almost rap-like beat. After 45 minutes, your stomach tends to turn upside down, and the relish for spiritual food is mostly gone. Fortunately, many of those who sponsored the meetings agreed that the music should be better next time 🙂

On Sabbath i was able to have a deep Bible study with 3 young people, one of whom is not yet Christian. We studied the last part of Matthew 5, and then several verses in Matthew 24 about how Jesus will return. I also had an interesting experience giving away Steps to Christ and 1858 Great Controversy books to those Christian groups who were having worship services in other rooms of the school complex. I only sold 3 1858gc books, but was happy to see that everyone was happy to receive a laminated printing of a beautiful drawing of Jesus’ Second Coming.

There were some things which could, and should be done better next time, but all in all, i believe it was a great start to evangelizing the Tamil-speaking population in Mumbai, and am very thankful to having been asked to pay a small part in this great work. Courage Brothers and Sisters!

prayer for meetings, myanmar 1858 great controversy

Leave a Comment / daily rambliniscings / October 21, 2009 October 21, 2009

Tomorrow, Lord willing, i will be going to Bombay for 4 days for what is said to be the first SDA evangelistic effort for Tamil speakers there. There are a few dedicated families who have gotten together, and have rented a hall. They are expecting around 500 to attend, with Pastor John Willmott being the main speaker. I hope to give away some drawings of the Second Coming, and sell some Tamil 1858gc books too.

Two weeks ago i got info that someone donated funds to reprint 3,000 Vietnamese 1858 Great Controversy books, and then last week info that the Myanmar 1858gc has been printed. Today i got a email that a group in Ukraine is studying this book after church every Sabbath. My cup is running over ;0

Please keep these meetings, 1858gc book work, and myself in your prayer.

best laid plans of mice and daniel

Leave a Comment / travel spreading 1858gc / October 16, 2009 October 16, 2009

In laying plans to make this Great Controversy movie, i had decided quite long ago that India would be the best place to do it. There are friends in India who would be willing to have me stay with them. There are lots of animation schools, and many young SDA people who not only already have been trained in this area, but they would be happy to work for a decent salary to use their skills for the glory of God. I thot. The reality is, while the first parts of the equation worked out well enough, the last item did not. I just can’t find anyone willing to work for a “decent” salary. The young people i’ve met all want to work for a big company, making wages that far exceed what their parents make.

Along with the difficulties of living in this place, police killing innocent people to get promoted, people getting run over by motorbikes or cars very often, people throwing trash just everywhere, the general attitude of doing the exact opposite of “do unto others as you would want them to do unto you”, the lack of coherent thinking, the cheating, the noise, the filth, the ridiculousness of what is said and done and believed — it is all very hard to take. But if for Jesus, of course we take it. This whole world is a crazy place compared to what he made it like, and i’m sure it was difficult for him to live in this hell-hole of a planet.

Just this week, the man who lives in this house said he went to vote, but when he got there, they told him he had already voted. He protested, but they showed him the book with his name already marked off. Finally 5 drunk policemen carried him out of the polling place. There is no democracy here it seems. Oh yes, it seems that votes are costing about 4usd each, and even our SDA brethren are congratulating themselves at making “easy” money. Have they not learned anything from the Bible?

So around three weeks ago i started getting serious about finding a new venue to carry forward this animation work. My friend in Tbilisi gave me a good idea of working in his English language school, then i could have plenty of free time for this project, and perhaps he could find some people interested in helping. But there were two sticking points, and they were not satisfied. I MUST be able to walk in harmony with anyone i link up with. I cannot, and will not, spend my time trying to give glory to God, while working with someone who is not following God.

After sending out feelers to friends in 5 countries, i got back positive responses from all of them, especially from Sabah Malaysia, and northern Thailand. Praise God, he has moved on hearts, and there are already 4 young people, and 2 adults in Thailand willing to work on this project basically for food and a place to stay. The response from the person there really thrilled my heart when she wrote “those youngsters dont think first about money, but their own spiritual thing”! My heart was really uplifted by that statement! These kind of young people are very rare.

Then the Sister in Sabah, (strangely enough, with the same first name as the Sister in Thailand!) wrote saying that i could teach English sometimes, help in the oil palm orchards sometimes, and would have plenty of time to work on the animation, and with the Brother there who runs a computer-training school. She even said she would make me fat – ha! Good luck on that 🙂 Really tho, my heart was/is very touched.

But the greatest opportunity to give glory to God looks to be in Thailand. In conjunction with this animation work, we plan to work towards starting a little “homeschool”, based on the counsels from the Spirit of Prophecy, and the Bible. Along with the 4 young people, that Sister and her husband are saying that they will work for no remuneration at all. I don’t know how long they can last on that, but that heart, that attitude, is very, very encouraging.

So the plan now is to leave India after the SAYJ camp around the end of December. I’m hoping against hope that i can meet someone who will have a booth at the General Conference session in Atlanta next May, that will let me have some space. So i’m praying that the Lord will move on someone’s heart.

Please keep this in your prayers.

myanmar 1858 great controversy printed!

Leave a Comment / great controversy book work / October 16, 2009 October 16, 2009

I received word yesterday that the Brother in Myanmar has finally gotten the 1858 Great Controversy book by Ellen White printed in the Burmese language – Praise God!! There were some printing mistakes, so they are pasting in pages in the back of each book, which may take a while to finish. 3,000 copies were printed 🙂 Now we need to pray that the Holy Spirit and angels will go with each copy, and that the people will be able to understand, and prepare for the soon-coming Time of Trouble so they can all go up to heaven when Jesus comes.

This has been about the longest of any of my projects from beginning to printing – 3 years and 7 months. The only ones longer are the Chinese and Spanish translations, which have both been done, but not properly, so cannot be used. One Sister right now is supposed to be translating it into Spanish, but i haven’t had any contact with her for months. Can anyone out there translate into Chinese?

happy news from vietnam!

Leave a Comment / great controversy book work / October 6, 2009 October 6, 2009

The following is a email received:
————————–
I have a great news to share with you.
A friend of mine just sent me money to reprint 3,000 copies of the Great Controversy.
In fact, we are out of stock for sometimes already and thinking to reprint it, but don’t know where can we find the money.
We just prayed!
And out of the blue, this friend of mine wrote me an email …

Usually it will take a month to finish the printing.
However, this coming Oct. 22 will be our 80th anniversary of the Advent message came to h tVietnam. I will talk with the publisher tomorrow morning, hoping we can beat the time and make the book come out at that special occasion.

Please pray for us.

Just share with you a great news.

Figures, Characters, and Avatars by Les Pardew

1 Comment / book and video review / September 27, 2009 September 27, 2009

Figures, Characters, and Avatars. The Official Guide to Using DAZ Studio to Create Beautiful Art by Les Pardew (2009)
B

reviewed September 27, 2009

This book does accomplish what the stated goal is: “to unlock the 3D artist in you using the incredible power of DAZ Studio….You will learn how to build sets, and populate them with amazing characters…create movies…improve drawing skills, make you a better artist..” But probably most of the purchasers of this book are hoping to learn specifically how to use the Daz Studio software, and seeing that there is much more theory than actual software practice, they (and a little bit myself too) are a bit disappointed. Having said that tho, the book, as a whole, fulfills what i wanted it to do. The main reason i bot it anyway, was for the super software bundled with the book – Carrara Pro 6, Hexagon 2.5, and Daz Studio 2.3, plus a lot of content.

The book helps explain artistic theory for total graphic idiots like myself. So explaining the “whys” of posing a figure, instead of the “hows” is very useful, and will hopefully help to keep down amateurish mistakes, which can be seen all over the internet. Theory about composition, posing, lighting, animating reactions is given in a very simple manner, which is what i need. There are also examples of actually using the software to do certain tasks like using Puppeteer to do animations, or how to use the various tools to do the poses, Mimic Pro to lip sync etc.

One somewhat odd thing, is that some parts of the book seem to be advertisements for various software programs. The oddest example, is a large section of one chapter is given to what Bryce is all about with even an actual example, but then Bryce is not included on the DVD that comes with the book. On the opposite side of the coin, Hexagon is not mentioned in the book at all, but IS on the DVD. Keeping with what i’ve noticed of the Daz company in the few months i’ve been following them – they are just not coordinated well.

For minor gripes, mostly of a grammatical nature:
p.59 shows how to put clothes on a figure and fit it, but no clothing comes with the base program. p.64 explains what to do with a opacity map, but there is no example of how to make the map. p.82 says “next chapter”, but the chapter referred to is the “next next chapter”. p.157 called “drop shadow” on the pic, but “cast shadow” in the explanation. p.170 and 191 right and left are mixed up. Again, Bryce is highlighted in the book, but not included on the DVD. However, you can download version 5.5 for free on cnet.

Carrara Pro 6 alone is worth far more than the cost of this book. So while the coordination between Daz and the author seems to have been shaky at best, the DVD itself contains programs and 3d figures and characters worth many hundreds of dollars, so i’m very happy with my purchase 🙂

Hopefully i can use this to give glory to God, and be a good representative of what a dedicated Christian can do with just a little mammon and modern technology availabe today.

plan for future?

4 Comments / 3D animation work / September 17, 2009 September 17, 2009

I’m in the land i’ve been aiming for since at least one year ago, yet it seems like i’m no closer to realizing my dream of making the original Great Controversy Between Christ and His Angels and Satan and His Angels into a movie than i was last year at this time. Actually, that’s not true, as i do have some 3d software now, and have learned one of them fairly well.

I’m working on The Two Crowns vision animation first before i tackle the full-length book movie. The storyboard i completed 2 days ago, and the material/prop list i completed yesterday. Now what? The audio? I’m still not sure what software i should use for the main working of the movie. The software i learned (Bryce) is mostly for terrains or space shots. I’m trying to learn Daz Studio, and hoping soon to get my book with the free Hexagon and Carrara 6 software included. Hopefully Carrara will do the job.

The reason i came here there has very little to do with hardware, and mostly to do with finding people who will work the software. India is famous in the computer world for having 3d animators, and i know that there are many SDA young people who have a hard time finding a job, so thot it would be relatively easy to find some to start a little training school, then do this project, then they could support themselves with this skill, or they could start their own training center to spread these skills, especially using this skill to spread the Three Angels’ Messages.

While a couple of people have shown a bit of interest, no one has shown a lot of interest. Two months have gone by. Just today i realized that i am past the “disappointed” stage now, and am in the “acceptance” stage. In a way that is good, and in a way bad. I’m happy in every situation, which God says to do, but then i’m losing interest in this animation too, and just living day to day. I enjoy very much homeschooling 2 children, but there must be a greater good i can do for the cause of Jesus Christ….isn’t there?

India is more difficult on the psyche than i had imagined. My memories of the horrid time i had here in 1998 have mostly faded, and i had an interesting time in 2006. I even gained weight that time! But this time the water doesn’t like my intestinal microbes, and i’ve gotten ill twice, and have churning nearly always, and the knowledge of the police killing some people just to get rewards for killing “terrorists”, and the fact that the lady in the building i’m staying in got hit by a motorbike and died just a 1/2 mile from here, and another man got hit by a motorbike and got his leg broken recently, and the open idol worshipping with the story of the angry young men among them last year who came to my friend’s apt building intending to kill someone last year and the constant noise and smell and filth, it is all enough for me to say “You win India, i lose. Let me out”. But again, not my will, but yours be done Lord.

So my thinking now is — to maybe go somewhere where i can find 2-4 young SDA people who are interested in learning 3d software to use for the glory of God, and who would be willing to work for around 200usd/month at first, until they get producing material, when i could probably pay up to 300/month. I haven’t had any income except for a few donations for 1 1/2 years now, but am very willing to use up my remaining savings to realize this movie. While i’m working to make this movie, i would be very happy to be of service to the surrounding people – by working at an English language school 3 or 4 hours a day for example, and being of help to the church. I really believe this idea could work in SE Asia, and in fact, what made me think of this, is that a friend in the country of Georgia has expressed an interest in doing this very thing.

Show me Lord, what your will is.

rst seminars

Leave a Comment / christian study / September 15, 2009 September 15, 2009

I got a email with an attachment recently with “RST Seminars” mentioned. Now my “interest-meter” was maxing out, as this group is promoting research into the prophecies of Revelation and Daniel, especially showing how some things that us Seventh-day Adventists teach – like the 7 Trumpets being in the past – is in the future. Yes!

So i contacted this group, and received a email with 5 newsletters attached. Mostly what was written was good, but a few clear “supposition” things (like how 666 refers to the number of people Satan leaves alive in each of his cell groups at the end time!?!) were written too. However, their view that Ellen White is not a prophet of God is absolutely wrong.

The reason for this post is to warn anyone who has any contact with RST Seminars (Revelation Speaks Today), and its owner, Sandi Evilisizer Kosak, to not have anything to do with them.

Sandi wrote me: “The problem is that in order to keep their financial positions within the church, they are teaching the false idea that there are “dual” fullfilments. That they happened in the past one way as symbolic, and that they will happen in the future as literal. This cant be farther from the truth. A seal can only open once and trumpet number 1 can only sound once.

As people come into this understanding, if they abandon the historical view completely, they are disbarred from the church. It is because of SOP, in holding up EGW above the Bible. The ones who hold the historical view cannot abandon it without admitting EGW was infallible. Because she says the seals and trumpets were in the past, they cannot change the church doctrinal position on the prophecies. If she were alive today, she would be changing her position based on new light that she consistently spoke of.”

When i wrote her explaining that i had found some good material in the 5 newsletters, and a couple of strange things, and to believe in Ellen White as God’s prophet she wrote: “~~All of the prophets in the Bible have been wrong.~~”

Well, now we see that there is no common ground at all, so i sent a email asking to her repent, and she wrote back: “~~The only things written by your “prophet” (I say this because I am not an SDA),~~ ” and “~~Please do not contact me again.~~”

This is exactly the worst thing that i have thot of happening to this new light in the prophecies, is that some disgusting group will promote it, to turn away honest souls from seeking the truth. Please avoid RST Seminars until they repent and believe God’s prophets,

Read Revelation to see what it says for yourself. I understand that Pastor John Lomacang believes (to what degree i don’t know) that the 7 Trumpets are future. Doug Batchelor, Marvin Moore, Ken Cox, and John Carter are said to be believing along these lines too 🙂 It IS super clear that the 7 Trumpets must have a final fulfillment in the future, as the locusts under the 5th Trumpet only hurt those without the Seal of God in their foreheads, and up until now, September 2009, no one has ever had the Seal of God in their foreheads!

counterfeit water

1 Comment / daily rambliniscings / September 13, 2009 September 13, 2009

After feeling lethargic for 4 weeks, and vomiting twice during that time, i finally got smart and decided to buy bottled water. Now during this time i was using boiled water, which should be ok, but it was not. The first taste of the bottled water (20l) revived me, and i felt very good for the remainder of that bottle and the next bottle. But last week we got a new bottle, and when i woke in the nite and took a sip of it, i knew exactly what it was – the same water as our boiled water. Sure enough, i could not eat breakfast, and was on the verge of upchucking everything most of the day. When a little bottle was brought me, it tasted so good.

I felt like i shouldn’t be such a weaky, so washed my cabbage and carrot in the old bottled water last nite, and ate. Within 30 seconds, i needed to use the toilet. I couldn’t even finish my meal without going to the toilet.

We were told at the shop that all the big bottled water is basically the same, they just have different stickers to put on the outside of the bottle so people think they are getting something different. I’ve found that most everything in India is relative, with police officers killing innocent people to get rewards, people selling things that have no relation to anything in reality, and people pushing religion for reasons they don’t even know themselves. What a cesspool. And to think that this place also has some of the grace of God… It makes me shudder to think what Satan wants to drive us all down to.

moneybags

3 Comments / daily rambliniscings / August 30, 2009 August 31, 2009

I’ve been here over 5 weeks now, staying in Mumbai the first 4 days, then here in Pune, then 2 days back in Mumbai, and possibly going to Mumbai again next weekend. There are a few strong Christians i’ve met, but most everybody, even of the church members, are just looking for money. And with this face, i look like Mr. Moneybags, so i have to be on my toes. I’ve already been approached to “invest” money so someone could lay claim to their 18,000,000usd inheritance from South Africa. They wanted me to pay several thousand dollars so they could buy some liquid to pour on the US money that had been covered with something black to keep from counterfeiting. They showed me lots of important looking papers from the US Embassy, from the United Nations, from the World Bank etc. etc. You would think that someone hoping to scam thousands of dollars from someone would at least go to the trouble of making sure the spelling on their fake documents would be correct, but, well, i guess they are just scam “artists”, not scam “professionals”. Yet, i heard later that someone did get scammed in a similar manner. May these men (one a church members) realize they are doing a bad thing, and stop, and do something productive to help society.

where in the world?

Leave a Comment / daily rambliniscings / August 28, 2009 August 28, 2009

I’ve told several people that i’m 100% sure that i should be busy about making a movie on the 1858 Great Controversy book (hence this web site’s domain name). But i’m not sure about “where” to do that. I’ve thot India was best for several reasons, such as availability of talent and skilled people in the animation field, and also for the low cost of labor. My ability to accept awfulness of surroundings tho is deteriorating as i get older, and the wretched smells and noises and sights of India are reallly wearing on me.

Let’s see, a lady in Malaysia said i am welcome to come there anytime. A doctor in Alabama said i am welcome to stay as long as i work there. A friend in Switzerland basically offered me help to settle there for awhile. My old landlord in Japan offered her house for me too. Probably one other friend in Thailand would like to have me there too. A man in Vietnam invited me to come to a school there in the future. Then yesterday i got an offer from Georgia asking if i would consider teaching at their new English language school they are opening up, and that i could have plenty of free time to work on my animation too.

All so attractive, but i’m afraid not God’s will. By his mysterious providence, i’m homeschooling the 2 children of the house where i am staying, and am committed to help them for at least one school year.

Lord, give me patience with these children, give me signs showing you are leading with this animation – like providing some workers and funds, and please accept my humble efforts to give you glory in any area of service to which i’m called – big or small (as seen by human eyes).

“Behold Your God” by Fred Wright review

86 Comments / book and video review / August 21, 2009 August 21, 2009

“Behold Your God” by Fred Wright (1979)

I first heard about this author and book from a fake missionary in Brunei in 2005, but was not proffered the book. In 2006, while staying in India, i was told to read the book by the lady of the house where i was staying, so, to please her, i did decide to read the book.

This book has many quotes from the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy (Ellen White’s writings), and has a very attractive tone, but with a fatal conclusion — that God does not destroy. How anyone can read their Bibles or SOP and come to this conclusion is beyond me, but like i say, it sounds attractive to itching ears, ears which don’t want to hear that there will be a judge we have to meet at the last day to whom we must answer for all the deeds in this life, and who has power to “destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt. 10:28)

Fred Wright is deceased now, but he formed a church organization claiming about 2,000 members. He claimed to be the “4th Angel’s Messenger”, similar to the way in which Mrs. White was the “3rd Angel’s Messenger”. Just this equating himself with someone who was inspired of God should give a serious pause to anyone considering whether this man is true or false.

So what is the main theme of the book? — that God does not kill. Beings who choose to rebel against God just put themselves outside of the “lifeforce” of love that is God, and they destroy themselves.

Starting in the preface to the book, we see a sentence that gives cause for pause: “He (Jesus) loved the Romans as much as he loved the Jews, neither was it his way to use force to accomplish any desired objective.” There are many places in the Bible showing that God specially chose and loved the Israelites, and did not love some other nations, even destroying them, as written in many places such as Isaiah 43:3-4 “For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.” If he loved Israel the same as the other nations, what was the whole point of separating them out from Egypt, driving out the nations from Canaan, bringing them back again from Babylon and Assyria etc.?

p.13 (Regarding Satan) “he worked at deceiving them into believing that God was a liar and destroyer”. This is just speculation on Mr. Wright’s part. We know from the 1858 Great Controversy that “Satan was insinuating against the government of God, ambitious to exalt himself, and unwilling to submit to the authority of Jesus.” There is nothing about him trying to show God as a “destroyer”.

p.15 Lucifer made progress “….until he became the brightest of all the creatures.” Pure speculation.

p.23 “… those who have made the fatal mistake will die, not because God will strike them down, but because they have placed themselves where life is impossible.” This is the heart of the false doctrine of this book. But what does inspired word say? Isaiah 14:30 “And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant. ” Some may say, “Oh, that is the Old Testament God”. OK, Revelation 2:23 “And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.” The 1858 Great Controversy says regarding the final destruction of the wicked: “But fire from God out of heaven is rained upon them, and the great men, and the mighty men, and the noble, and poor and miserable men, are all consumed together”
…

“Behold Your God” by Fred Wright reviewRead More »

animated imagery

3 Comments / 3D animation work / August 20, 2009 August 20, 2009

I wondered for several years after first getting the idea to make the 1858 Great Controversy into a movie if this was even God’s will. I know that we are not supposed to have “drama”, and we should shun the theater. Yet i also knew that illustrations are not all denounced in the Spirit of Prophecy, and in fact, the 1843 chart was “directed by God”.

I had read enough to be absolutely convinced that if done in a proper manner, to give glory to God, that making a movie of this book could be a great way to spread the words in it, thus giving God glory. So i had already decided to try and find friends in India, where there are many animators and who will work for less than astronomical rates, to help, and i would go physically and work on it myself.

Well, i came to India 4 weeks ago, and the main man whose family i am staying with, and who was a bit reluctant about helping very much in this project over the 3 years that i have known him, opened up Child Guidance, and read the following quote which greatly strengthened my conviction that this movie idea is definitely from God:

God commanded the Hebrews to teach their children His requirements, and to make them acquainted with all His dealings with their people. The home and the school were one. In the place of stranger lips, the loving hearts of the father and mother were to give instruction to their children. Thoughts of God were associated with all the events of daily life in the home dwelling. The mighty works of God in the deliverance of His people were recounted with eloquence and reverential awe. The great truths of God’s providence and of the future life were impressed on the young mind. It became acquainted with the true, the good, the beautiful.

By the use of figures and symbols the lessons given were illustrated, and thus more firmly fixed in the memory. Through this
animated imagery
the child was, almost from infancy, initiated into the mysteries, the wisdom, and the hopes of his fathers, and guided in a way of thinking and feeling and anticipating, that reached beyond things seen and transitory, to the unseen and eternal.

May God guide and direct this project, and give me wisdom into how to get started!

stomach turning

Leave a Comment / daily rambliniscings / August 11, 2009 August 11, 2009

There are many “interesting sights” in India. I remember thinking while here 3 years ago that there is no need for a tv, (i don’t watch anyway), as there is always something “impossible” happening just outside your window.

My friend here likes to say: “India, where the impossible is always possible”. I’d like to change that to: “India, where the only “impossible” is “impossible!”

Yesterday i rode from Mumbai to Pune by train. After getting into the mountains it was beautiful, but up to that point – oooh no! – the worst you can imagine, and then some. Just the smell passing thru nearly made me sick. How can the people live in that mess?

But the “cake” for this category was in watching from my balcony the other day. Now i’m staying in a relatively nice, quiet area of Pune….. A cow walked down the middle of the asphalt road, and left a big pie — ooooooooh. Within one minute an auto-rickshaw had made a u-turn in the middle of it, making it a bit like a pancake — yucko. Then soon after, a dog came, eating it up — (insert appropriate response here).

homeschooling

Leave a Comment / daily rambliniscings / August 11, 2009 August 11, 2009

Today i started homeschooling the 2 children of the family i stay with – 7yo and 4yo. It is a precious experience, as i love children, and love to see them grow close to Jesus. It is good therapy for me too, to get me away from doing too much computing – ha! Just while typing this the 4yo girl told her brother who wouldn’t let her play with his blocks: “Then i don’t want to be your friend anymore”. It didn’t escape my ears, so i went over to her and asked her what she said. She wouldn’t say, so i said if it was something good, then there was no need to hide it, but if something bad, then Jesus knows all things. I asked if she remembered what we studied this morning – the motto of our whole homeschool: “Do to others what you want them to do to you”. She nodded, and said again what she had said. I asked if she wanted her brother to say this to her. She said “no”, and soon we were on our knees asking forgiveness from the brother and from Jesus too. What a nice experience 🙂

We did worship, exercises, Bible reading in Matthew 7:12, ABC writing, punctuation marks, how to ask questions, walked around the streets with me asking questions about how metal and concrete is made, and how God protects the various fruits we see (papaya and cocnut) from being eaten easily by animals, 5 minutes of addition, typing on the computer, and then the 3 names of big wind storms. It was sad to see that over 400 people are feared dead in Taiwan because of a typhoon.

Lord, please bless the start of this little school, and may we do everything to your glory. Please send your angels and Spirit here to keep a pure atmosphere around these precious little ones, and give me patience and wisdom with dealing with them.