Yes, you read that right. We are back in Shillong. No, I can't believe it either.
In the last post, I wrote that we were getting ready to board our flight to Aizawl. Well, we boarded the flight, it took off, and it flew all the way to Aizawl. And that's when things stopped going according to plan.
We were most of the way into our descent to the airport when the plane leveled off. We flew directly over the runway, and then the plane pulled back up. And it kept going up and up. About twenty minutes later, they made an announcement that due to "technical difficulties with the aircraft", the plane was being diverted back to Guwahati! Definitely not what we wanted to hear, but not much we could do about it.
So back to Guwahati we went. When we landed, we waited for a few minutes and then the officials told us to come to the podium to make further arrangements. They told us there would not be another flight today, and that the flight for tomorrow was full.
So we decided to try to find an overnight bus to Aizawl. But they were all full. Next step was to try to book a "sumo" or jeep to take us on the fourteen hour trip. Not much luck there, either. So we called up Remkung, our guy in Shillong, to ask him what to do. We finally decided to return to Shillong and arrange for the all night ride from there.
So here we are, back in Shillong, after the three hour ride here. Our great friends once again provided us with dinner, and we will be heading out in another hour or so... once again to make an attempt to go to Aizawl.
Never a dull moment...
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Stuck In Guwahati!
Well, you couldn't expect a month long trip half way around the world to go without ANY monkey wrenches, could you?
After making the four hour drive from Shillong to the airport here in Guwahati yesterday, we went to check in for our supposedly 1:30 PM flight, only to find out the flight had left at 9:50 AM. They said they had sent an email a few days earlier that apparently landed in cyberspace somewhere.
Being in a strange town with no one that you know and no place to go is not the best feeling in the world, but again the people from Shillong came through! I had called Remkung, our contact in Shillong, as soon as we found out about the flight. He immediately called our driver, who came back to the airport and made all the arrangements for us stay in a hotel in Guwahati.
So, we are back at the airport where our flight is supposed to be leaving at 9:50 AM, which is in an hour. From here we fly to Aizawl, where we will be received by Paul and Joyful Chonzik, who were the leaders of the 2006 India Children's Choir.
NOTE: I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE EMAILS OF THIS POST ARE NOT VERY TIMELY. IT SEEMS THAT SOMETIME THEY DO NOT GET SENT OUT UNTIL ALMOST A DAY AFTER THEY ARE POSTED. YOU CAN READ THE POSTS RIGHT AFTER THEY ARE MADE BY VISITING WWW.MICHAELESH.BLOGSPOT.COM.
After making the four hour drive from Shillong to the airport here in Guwahati yesterday, we went to check in for our supposedly 1:30 PM flight, only to find out the flight had left at 9:50 AM. They said they had sent an email a few days earlier that apparently landed in cyberspace somewhere.
Being in a strange town with no one that you know and no place to go is not the best feeling in the world, but again the people from Shillong came through! I had called Remkung, our contact in Shillong, as soon as we found out about the flight. He immediately called our driver, who came back to the airport and made all the arrangements for us stay in a hotel in Guwahati.
So, we are back at the airport where our flight is supposed to be leaving at 9:50 AM, which is in an hour. From here we fly to Aizawl, where we will be received by Paul and Joyful Chonzik, who were the leaders of the 2006 India Children's Choir.
NOTE: I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE EMAILS OF THIS POST ARE NOT VERY TIMELY. IT SEEMS THAT SOMETIME THEY DO NOT GET SENT OUT UNTIL ALMOST A DAY AFTER THEY ARE POSTED. YOU CAN READ THE POSTS RIGHT AFTER THEY ARE MADE BY VISITING WWW.MICHAELESH.BLOGSPOT.COM.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Having A Wonderful Time In Shillong
Well, our time in Shillong is almost over :(. What a great time it has been. If the rest of the trip is anywhere close to as good as the last few days have been, we are in for an awesome, awesome time.
One of the best parts of being here in Shillong has been not only getting to spend time with the former ICC members, but also getting to know all of their friends. There are a lot of children here in the compound where we are staying, and we have made a lot of new friends. We are constantly surrounded by the kids. They wait for us to get up in the morning, and are here at our guesthouse until we go to bed at night. And I'm not talking just one or two kids around, but more like twenty! It's awesome. It will be a sad day here at the EFCI compound when we leave tomorrow.
The hospitality has been exceptional. Mary Jones, the 2008 ICC narrator, has done an outstanding job of making sure that our needs are more than met.
Yesterday was Sunday, and so we attended the morning church service at 11:00. After the service, we went and had lunch at Joyce's house. Joyce was one of the 2008 ICC school teachers. After the lunch was over, we played with the kids for a few hours, went back to the guest house to rest for a little bit, and then went to church for the 6:00 service.
Grace, Christina, and Jerry performed the song "Here I Am" during the service. It was one of the most beautiful renditions of the song I have ever heard. They chose it especially because they knew it was one of my favorites. The three of them were good singers during the time they were in the India Children's Choir, but they blew me away with how good they are now. They have improved tremendously.
I also had the opportunity to preach the sermon at the evening service, and I preached a message about not wasting your life, but making every moment count for God. A lot of the inspiration for the sermon came from a book called "Butterfly In Brazil", written by my friend, Glenn Packiam, who is a worship pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. A great book... check it out.
After the service was over, we went to Grace's house for dinner and then came back up to the guest house where, surprise suprise, there were a bunch of kids waiting for us. We spent some time with them and then retired for the night.
This morning, we had breakfast at Mary Jones and Jerry's house and then went sightseeing to Cherrapunjee, an are about two hours from Shillong. Cherrapunjee is the rainiest spot on earth, but you wouldn't have known it today. It was quite hot and sunny.
We got back to the EFCI center around 4:30 and then went and had tea with the family of Uniky, the girl that my parents sponsor.
This evening, they had a special time of singing with the youth and children at the church, an event planned in honor of our visit. Following the service, we ate dinner at the home of Rev. J. Huoplien, the president of the Evangelical Free Church of India.
Tomorrow, it's off to Aizawl, where we will meet Paul Chonzik and his family. They were all a part of the 2006 ICC. We will miss Shillong... I wish we had a few more days here... but are also looking very much foreward to the next ten days or so, during which time we will get to travel to some extremely remote areas. We'll try to keep you posted as much as possible.
One of the best parts of being here in Shillong has been not only getting to spend time with the former ICC members, but also getting to know all of their friends. There are a lot of children here in the compound where we are staying, and we have made a lot of new friends. We are constantly surrounded by the kids. They wait for us to get up in the morning, and are here at our guesthouse until we go to bed at night. And I'm not talking just one or two kids around, but more like twenty! It's awesome. It will be a sad day here at the EFCI compound when we leave tomorrow.
The hospitality has been exceptional. Mary Jones, the 2008 ICC narrator, has done an outstanding job of making sure that our needs are more than met.
Yesterday was Sunday, and so we attended the morning church service at 11:00. After the service, we went and had lunch at Joyce's house. Joyce was one of the 2008 ICC school teachers. After the lunch was over, we played with the kids for a few hours, went back to the guest house to rest for a little bit, and then went to church for the 6:00 service.
Grace, Christina, and Jerry performed the song "Here I Am" during the service. It was one of the most beautiful renditions of the song I have ever heard. They chose it especially because they knew it was one of my favorites. The three of them were good singers during the time they were in the India Children's Choir, but they blew me away with how good they are now. They have improved tremendously.
I also had the opportunity to preach the sermon at the evening service, and I preached a message about not wasting your life, but making every moment count for God. A lot of the inspiration for the sermon came from a book called "Butterfly In Brazil", written by my friend, Glenn Packiam, who is a worship pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. A great book... check it out.
After the service was over, we went to Grace's house for dinner and then came back up to the guest house where, surprise suprise, there were a bunch of kids waiting for us. We spent some time with them and then retired for the night.
This morning, we had breakfast at Mary Jones and Jerry's house and then went sightseeing to Cherrapunjee, an are about two hours from Shillong. Cherrapunjee is the rainiest spot on earth, but you wouldn't have known it today. It was quite hot and sunny.
We got back to the EFCI center around 4:30 and then went and had tea with the family of Uniky, the girl that my parents sponsor.
This evening, they had a special time of singing with the youth and children at the church, an event planned in honor of our visit. Following the service, we ate dinner at the home of Rev. J. Huoplien, the president of the Evangelical Free Church of India.
Tomorrow, it's off to Aizawl, where we will meet Paul Chonzik and his family. They were all a part of the 2006 ICC. We will miss Shillong... I wish we had a few more days here... but are also looking very much foreward to the next ten days or so, during which time we will get to travel to some extremely remote areas. We'll try to keep you posted as much as possible.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Shillong, Northeast India
They call this place the "Scotland of the East" because of it highlands and beautiful scenery. Shillong is situated high in the mountains of the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya. Also here is the headquarters of the Evangelical Free Church of India, the denomination founded by Dr. Ro and Mawii Pudiate.
We traveled here mostly for one reason. Some of the former India Children's Choir members live here.
Our day started early this morning... we left our hotel at 4:00 AM and went the the airport. We took the flight from Delhi to Guwahati and then made the four hour drive to Shillong. We had a big party awaiting our arrival. Grace and Christina from the 2007 choir, Jerry from the 2006 choir, and Mary Jones and Joyce, both leaders from the 2008 choir, all live here. Not only do they all live here in Shillong, but they all live here in the same compound (owned by EFCI) where we are staying.
We had a great time playing and hanging out with them. We ate dinner at the house of Lal Pakhuongte, one of the EFCI pastors who works here in the office.
After the dinner, we attended the Saturday night prayer service at the church and then came back to our guest house where we entertained a bunch of visitors (mostly kids) for the next few hours.
We are all running on less than three hours of sleep, so this boy is off to bed.
Oh, one more thing. I've gotta preach at the church service here tomorrow night, so if you will keep me in your prayers, I'd appreciate it!
We traveled here mostly for one reason. Some of the former India Children's Choir members live here.
Our day started early this morning... we left our hotel at 4:00 AM and went the the airport. We took the flight from Delhi to Guwahati and then made the four hour drive to Shillong. We had a big party awaiting our arrival. Grace and Christina from the 2007 choir, Jerry from the 2006 choir, and Mary Jones and Joyce, both leaders from the 2008 choir, all live here. Not only do they all live here in Shillong, but they all live here in the same compound (owned by EFCI) where we are staying.
We had a great time playing and hanging out with them. We ate dinner at the house of Lal Pakhuongte, one of the EFCI pastors who works here in the office.
After the dinner, we attended the Saturday night prayer service at the church and then came back to our guest house where we entertained a bunch of visitors (mostly kids) for the next few hours.
We are all running on less than three hours of sleep, so this boy is off to bed.
Oh, one more thing. I've gotta preach at the church service here tomorrow night, so if you will keep me in your prayers, I'd appreciate it!
Friday, December 5, 2008
INDIA!
Greetings from Delhi.
We arrived here yesterday afternoon around 3:00 following a twleve hour flight from NY to Dubai, a two hour layover there, and then a three hour flight to Delhi. It is so good to be back on Indian soil again. This place definately has a special place in my heart.
We were met at the airport by C. Thant Khawbung, one of Bibles for the World's people who lives and works in Delhi. He took us to our hotel where we rested for a few hours and got cleaned up. In the evening, we went to Boaza's house for dinner. Boaza was a member of the 2007 India Children's Choir. His father is a pastor working with Bibles For The World, and the family lives here in Delhi.
This morning, we met up with Jocelyn, the narrator fromt the 2007 India Children's Choir. The four of us in my group, along with Jocelyn and one of her friends, spent a few hours together, including lunch at TGI Fridays! Yea, all the way to India, and we get to eat at TGI Fridays. Very interesting, though, is that there is no beef on the menu. The have hamburgers, but they are lamb meat. Even the McDonalds here in Delhi do not serve any beef.
The rest of the day we will just be hanging out, meeting a few more friends, and then bright and early tomorrow morning, we fly to Northeast India.
We arrived here yesterday afternoon around 3:00 following a twleve hour flight from NY to Dubai, a two hour layover there, and then a three hour flight to Delhi. It is so good to be back on Indian soil again. This place definately has a special place in my heart.
We were met at the airport by C. Thant Khawbung, one of Bibles for the World's people who lives and works in Delhi. He took us to our hotel where we rested for a few hours and got cleaned up. In the evening, we went to Boaza's house for dinner. Boaza was a member of the 2007 India Children's Choir. His father is a pastor working with Bibles For The World, and the family lives here in Delhi.
This morning, we met up with Jocelyn, the narrator fromt the 2007 India Children's Choir. The four of us in my group, along with Jocelyn and one of her friends, spent a few hours together, including lunch at TGI Fridays! Yea, all the way to India, and we get to eat at TGI Fridays. Very interesting, though, is that there is no beef on the menu. The have hamburgers, but they are lamb meat. Even the McDonalds here in Delhi do not serve any beef.
The rest of the day we will just be hanging out, meeting a few more friends, and then bright and early tomorrow morning, we fly to Northeast India.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The Trip is Underway!
Hey there,
Welcome to the blog that will (hopefully) allow you to follow us (myself, Marv Esh, Mahlon Esh, and Elvin King) as we travel around India for the next month.
Right now, we are at JFK airport in New York and getting ready to board our flight that will take us to Dubai and then on to Delhi.
Keep checking back for more posts, or you can subscribe to receive the posts via email.
Welcome to the blog that will (hopefully) allow you to follow us (myself, Marv Esh, Mahlon Esh, and Elvin King) as we travel around India for the next month.
Right now, we are at JFK airport in New York and getting ready to board our flight that will take us to Dubai and then on to Delhi.
Keep checking back for more posts, or you can subscribe to receive the posts via email.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Tour Is Over, and I'm Going to India!
Hey everyone,
The tour is over... the kids left the US on November 20. I have been back home, enjoying family, friends, and "real" life for a few weeks. Tomorrow, my brother, two firends, and I head for India! I am so excited to get to see all my kids from the last few years and spend Christmas and New Years with them. Can't wait!
The tour is over... the kids left the US on November 20. I have been back home, enjoying family, friends, and "real" life for a few weeks. Tomorrow, my brother, two firends, and I head for India! I am so excited to get to see all my kids from the last few years and spend Christmas and New Years with them. Can't wait!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
