Getting ready to say goodbye...

Wow! Sorry for this late late post! I will be updating this post with pictures :)

So in January, I was in Jalpaiguri for 10-11 days doing teaching ministry, leading bible study with the teachers, and just spending time with the staff there.

This was one of the holidays where the Sunday school children came and played games!

One of the classrooms at St. Paul School at Jalpaiguri

Susanna SGSN made some korean momo's (mandoo)!

Each morning, there is a layer of thick fog. My flight back to Bangalore was actually cancelled due to the thick fog so I returned a day later than planned. 

From left to right: Susanna SGSN, Pastor James, brother Isaac, and me. Pastor James and Susanna SGSN were actually serving in Bangalore for 10+ years, until they started to serve in the ministry at Jalpaiguri about 5 years ago. Isaac is from Korea and was serving in Jalpaiguri for 3 months.

Transportation

Jalpaiguri's beautiful, green, spacious, and relaxing campus!

The teachers and staff at St. Paul School JPR.

A group picture with all the students. There are only nursery-I std. students here at JPR.

A selfie with one of the classes. The classroom sizes are also very small here!

Night market!

Fruit market!

On the holiday, after we played games with the children, we gave out children clothes!

Right before playing games!

During the weekend, I went up to Sikkim (a bordering state of West Bengal). There, I stayed with one of the AECS graduates and was able to tour parts of the state/city and visit the ministry work going on there. These type of vehicles are the main source of transportation up and down the mountain (Sikkim itself is in a huge huge huge mountain). These cars are fully packed, seating four to each row (and yes the front, too!!). unfortunately, I was seated in the front row coming back down the 4-5 bumpy windy road down. 

A large Hindu temple that is located at the tip of a mountain.

Buying some meat for dinner

Namchi City, Sikkim

This is Pastor Ramesh (AECS graduate) and his wife. Samuel, the boy in the green, is one of the church member's child and is staying with Pastor Ramesh for a few weeks during his vacation. Solomon, the brother in the back, is an AECS student and a staff at the St. Paul campus JPR who came along with me!

Sunday service at Pastor Ramesh's church where I was asked to share a message.

During my stay here for the weekend, Samuel and I were not able to communicate through words because he couldn't speak English and only spoke Nepali, which I can't speak. So we bonded a lot through facial expressions and just goofing around. He is so helpful around the house!

The house/church!

If you look closely behind the clouds, you can see the snow covered, white peak of Kangchenjunga (the second tallest mountain in the world!). 

Another view of Namchi

Now after my return to Bangalore, the following weeks have been busy! There was the Students for Christ Conference, AECS graduation, and the St Paul High School and PU College graduation. Here in this picture, I am sharing a congratulatory encouragement to the graduates of St. Paul High School and PU College.

Moses and David offered to wash my scooter if I paid them, so I did (because my scooter was so so so dirty!).

Naomi and I enjoying some Lassi (which basically tastes like melted frozen yogurt!)

During SFC

Fun (and not-so-fun) story: My scooter got towed. 

Being a part of the choir during a revival meeting of three Korean churches here in Bangalore.

AECS graduation

Eating ice cream with David and Moses

I believe I wrote about starting up the new Special Education classroom in my last post. This is during the last few days of preparation. The class has now started and the students are enjoying this new classroom atmosphere and environment!

Putting up the whiteboard with the scholarship students.

PU College graduation!

High School graduates

And... I got less than two weeks left here. These next two weeks will be hectic and chaotic as I will have to make final preparations going home, saying bye to the people here, and finishing up the ministry work I have been serving in. Please pray for an effective, efficient, diligent last two weeks! :)