June 30
After making the rigorous 4 hour journey by every form of transportation that exists back from Bali Island, we finally arrived in Kolkata around supper time. From there, we took some taxis and headed to a mall. The traffic was especially crazy that night because even though the mall was not far from the train station, it took us about 45 minutes (maybe 3 miles at the most).
When we got to the mall, I was in shock. This mall was huge and very, very fancy. They had a beautiful fountain in the middle with lights and everyone was taking pictures in front of it. There were also a lot of fancy stores. It was extremely different from what we had normally been seeing in India. We then proceeded upstairs to eat at a Chili’s. We were all very excited to get to eat some familiar food. It was not the same as it is in America, but it was still really good. Zack and I ordered so much food that we couldn’t even finish it all (and for the first time since we arrived that was okay). Adam predicted, that because we got so much food, that either Zack or I would be up at 2 in the morning throwing up. Luckily, neither of us did. We slept great.
The next morning, we had to get up early and head to the airport because we were flying out to Bhutan. When we were checking into our flight, we had to check our carry on bags because the plane was quite small. For some reason, they told us we had to take out any power banks or battery-powered devices from those bags. Zack and Jenna did not do this, so they had to be taken into a private room. We didn’t know how long they were going to be gone, so we ordered some breakfast. Then after about 20 minutes, they came back out and we proceeded through security. Thankfully, everything went fine and we were able to get into our plane. Our plane reminded me of the plane from Jurassic Park. This flight was very short; but nevertheless, they fed us.
When we finally arrived in Bhutan, I was amazed at how beautiful it was. They had lush, green mountains, and rivers, and trees. It looks a lot like the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. The air was cool, and it was not crowded with people. It was a very nice break from the heat and busyness of Kolkata. We had an hour drive from the airport to our hotel in Thimphu. As soon as we arrived, we ate lunch quickly and then went upstairs to a youth conference hosted by the Bhutan Friends Church. The theme verse for this meeting was Isaiah 60:1, “Arise, shine for your light has come. Let the glory of the Lord shine upon you.” During the time we spent at this meeting, we sang songs, gave testimonies, played games, and encouraged the youth in their faith by our team preaching lots of messages. It
was a very interesting youth conference. When we first entered, we got to wear the national dress clothes of Bhutan. They were not very comfortable and they were quite hot, but it was so neat to be able to do that. Also, when we entered the room, all the windows were shut and the blinds were closed. We had to be very secretive about what we were doing. Rupak told the youth not to post any pictures on Facebook until we left and to not answer anyone’s questions about what we were doing. This made us realize the challenges of practicing your Christian faith in a “closed” country. Please pray for Bhutan to be open to the gospel. I felt very blessed from this as well, and I could feel God moving in this place. We then proceeded to eat supper and socialized with the youth. I enjoyed this because most of them could speak English very well, so we could have real, meaningful conversations.
After eating supper, we went sightseeing. By this time, it was dark. We drove up a mountain, and when you looked down, you could see the whole city. It was such a beautiful view. I could have sat there for hours just looking at everything. We took pictures, but they did not do it justice. Bhutan is such a fascinating and breathtaking country.
I am so blessed to have the opportunity to come on this trip and visit both the countries of India and Bhutan. I have gotten to see the work of God firsthand, and it is so amazing. These people truly have a heart and soul and love for Jesus. I am constantly amazed by their faithfulness and willingness to do God’s will. I want to thank my family, friends, and Bethel Friends Church for all the support and prayers. I am truly honored. God bless you all!
-Mark Persinger
Bethel Friends Church
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