The House of Praise International Church

Pastor’s Conference (India Update) from House of Praise International on Vimeo.

Last Day!

Well, we have come to our last day here in India. After many great adventures and computer issues, we are ready to come home. It is now 10:53 am on Tuesday morning (1:23 am your time, the night before) and we will be heading to the airport very late tonight at around 2:00 am. Then begins our 23 to 24 hour journey across the globe back to you. We have another large layover in NYC so Mark and I will treat Pastor Gilbert to some street-side pizza in Time Square. I don’t think Gilbert has ever been there. :-/

Anyhow the video we posted is from yesterday. It was a Pastor’s Conference and everything went very smooth. The people’s reception has been great. We are totally used to Indian Food now, but I believe we will be taking a break before we go searching for Indian Restaurants in Cleveland. Ha.

Thank you again for your prayers as we travel home. Thank God we are not in London! (You know, because of the ashes and such?) Well, then, I hope you have enjoyed the updates and the videos and the pictures and I’m sure there will be more stories when we return. Sleep tight.

Brandon

Church in the Jungle (India Update) from House of Praise International on Vimeo.

Finally

After hours of stressing out and multiple tries, the video has finally updated. Today we will be going to a Pastor’s conference. So hopefully the internet will be working properly when we return so that you will be able to see what we do shortly afterwards.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support. See you soon.

Brandon

I have been trying to update this page for the last hour. The internet is working. Then not. Working. Then not. Ughhhhh.

Anyhow. Today we went into a few home churches that meet in various villages. We ended up at a church in the jungle. It’s the church that House of Praise helped build with their financial contribution to Pastor Dennison some time ago. When we arrived and Pastor Dennison addressed the congregation, he became somewhat emotional as he again reminded the people of a prophecy given long ago that “foreigners” would come and worship in the house. (It’s crazy being called a foreigner :- )

Once again the pastors shared and di a great job. We enjoyed yet again, way too much food. The three of us honestly believed that we would be losing weight on this trip because we figured we would be eating rare vegetables and very minimal meals. We were wrong. It is hard for us to tell them no because they LITERALLY get offended. haha. Oh well, when in Rome… or India.

I have been trying to upload a video for the last hour and a half. Please check back within the next few minutes (hopefully) for the video. I will say it has an elephant in it.

Brandon

OKAY!!!!! So the internet here is awful. After hours of trying different things (Going to different parts of the hotel, using different browsers, different computers, ordering a mini-chicken burger and fries, a chai tea, etc.) The video is finally uploading. However it will take 45 minutes and I am tired. So I will sleep while it uploads, and then I will wake up in the morning to post it here. If you are impatient, however, you can check http://www.vimeo.com/user2523511 in about and hour to see if it has posted.

Good night

Good morning or Good Night

Hello everyone. It is now 9:12 am on Saturday morning. (11:42 pm Friday evening for you.) Yesterday we had a free day. We switched to a different hotel that is much cheaper and 4 times nicer. Pastor Joseph Dennison and his family have been incredible. They feed us like kings and are very hospitable. We have also learned that Judy knows how to cook all of these things. When we return, we shall be sitting down with her to discuss dinner arrangements. haha.

We slept very well last night and are now in the hotel room preparing for the day. Today, the pastors are sharing at the Bible College. We hope to have an update to show you by Sunday morning service. Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Stay tuned for more videos and pictures.

Brandon

Previous Updates

(If you are not seeing the video display correctly, or are viewing this page on an iPad please visit the following link. And if it is taking too long to play because of your internet connection, click the HD option to off)

India Part 2 from House of Praise International on Vimeo.

The Village Church

Today was great. We drove to a beach and walked around for a bit with Pastor Dennison before the church service tonight. It was held at a village church in a community where Pastor Dennison had grown up. Pastor Gilbert and Mark got to talk with other pastors from the area that were there and I played the ukulele for the kids while we waited for the generator to start. (At night time, the power isn’t very strong so they weren’t able to have the lights on and use their sound system at the same time)

At around 7:15 their worship leader, Anson, began with a song that we had heard in the small group the night before. It’s very catchy. Maybe I will have to learn it and sing it when I return. Hahaha. I doubt it. I will try and find the name of it though so you can look it up.

Pastor Dennison shared his testimony with the church and became emotional as he reflected on his salvation experience and growing up in that village. He had me come up and sing Our Salvation with my Uke (Yes, I said Uke. It’s short for Ukulele) It had a totally different feel to it tonight. I don’t know what it was, but that song came out like it hadn’t before. It was awesome. Gilbert and Mark sang the bass parts behind me for support. lol.

Pastor Gilbert and Mark then shared 20 minutes all together to share a quick message. It went very well. The church loved it and afterwards they got to pray for some of the people there including a group of widows that Pastor Dennison helps to support. They usually have tea and some sort of small food or snack after their get-togethers.

It was a good night. Tomorrow we have a free day so if I post a video it might just be funny. If that’s okay with you. For example. Tonight, as soon as Pastor Mark fell asleep, Pastor Gilbert and I turn on the video camera and pastor put something in his ear… You’ll just have to see it.

Anyhow, it is 2am and I would like to sleep now. Good night. (or good afternoon for you)

Brandon.

India Part 1 from House of Praise International on Vimeo.

UPDATE From India

Hey everyone, things are going great here in India. It is now 7:30 in the morning. Thursday Morning. It is 10:00 at night Tuesday evening back at home.

Last night we visited a small group here in India, it was awesome. These people were hungry for God and His presence. Pastor Gilbert and Mark were able to share the gospel in such a simple way and to see these people’s response was great. Afterwards, one by one, people from the group came and waited for prayer from Gilbert and Mark. One lady and her daughter had just recently converted to Christianity from Hinduism (The daughter is wearing the orange head covering in the video). They have been receiving a lot of persecution from their family but they seemed so happy and full of peace.

Anyhow, today we will be going to another small group in the evening. I will try hard to provide another video soon with updates. I have been posting many more pictures than you see here on facebook. If you have an account, just friend request me (Brandon Carter) and be sure to check them out.

Thank you for all the prayers and support.

Brandon.

Wednesday, April 14th 11:10 am. (India time… It’s 1:40 in the morning back home )

We made it in last night. (or very early this morning.) It felt so good to sleep on a mattress in a horizontal position than to sleep sitting up in a chair that wasn’t made for people 6 feet tall.

Pastor coping with the driving in India

Pastor Dennison met us at the gate and drove us to our hotel when we arrived. Pastor Gilbert sat in the front seat… big mistake. HaHa. They drive on the opposite side of the road and our driver was like Jason Bourne. Mark and I just laughed as Pastor clenched his hands on his jeans as we rapidly approached oncoming traffic.

We will have lunch today with Pastor Dennison and begin to get into the swing of things. Stay tuned for more updates and information. I will probably put together a video tonight.

Namaste,

Brandon

Monday April 12

Hey everyone. We are now waiting for our flight to JFK. We are beginning our 10 day trip to India. I am sitting in between Pastor Gilbert and Mark while they discuss proper India etiquette.

Be sure to check back to our website for news, photos and video updates of our trip. It’s going to be awesome. Please pray for us during the next week and a half. (Safety, Health, our wives, etc.)