2 sentence summaries

• Saw God move through many challenges – long days, hot weather, long bus rides, horrendous traffic, tiredness, strange food, trash, dirt. Loved experiencing the country of India, seeing the school, and being with the children, interacting with the team.
• 27 people together in India turned out to be productive, hilarious, wonderful, easy. I got to meet a new brother, D_ _ _ _!
• The India trip was an amazing experience that brought us closer to each other, the people of the village and God. It was an eye opening experience that really showed me that there was more to the world than my own little bubble and that there is serious need in the world for God and for basic essentials.
• An interesting culture with its own food, clothes, music, attitude and mind set. An eye opening trip that will lead to further desire for God’s Word.
• This trip was life changing. Seeing all the kids and all the joy they have with as little as they have. Also how different their idea of clean is. What we think is gross is their normal.
• Emotions I went through….joyful, exited, sadness, heart ache, overwhelmed, encouraged. What I feel now is the same but I now see hope.
• This trip really opened my eyes spiritually. I saw God work in the Dalit children’s lives that was amazing.
• The school and village are amazing because of what has been accomplished with their intelligent students. With 102 schools, lives, a culture and a country are being reshaped through the education of children who will be the next leaders of India.
• I never expected to love a country and its people so much in spite of its total brokenness and need for God. I’ve never been so emotionally touched by anything in my life. They are beautiful people unknowingly in bondage.
• A super awesome, eye-opening experience of a new amazing culture. And experience which taught me a lot and I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
• Wow, what a cultural experience that opened my eyes to a new world and also showed me that God is so big! It also demonstrated to me the need to share the gospel through love and acts of service both at home and around the world.
• God used the poverty and brokenness around me to reveal in my own life an area of brokenness. In the midst of it his love and forgiveness had a redeeming power to transform lives and give a real hope in a desperate world.
• This trip was the most fun, most serious, and most life changing event in my life. I had so much fun being with friends and making jokes, I had a good time of devotion and times to grow closer and get forgiveness from God and my life was changed by the joy and happiness that all the Indians (especially the poor in the slums) possessed I will never forget this life-changing journey and I hope to continue it at home and maybe even back here.
• My eyes were opened to the blessings I have and how I am counted among the rich. It has changed my attitude toward outsourcing and other industry issues and given me a new perspective on where I should be standing.
• This trip has been able to help me see areas of my life where I need to change, be more grateful and understanding. It was amazing to see the amount of poverty there, and also the overwhelming joy and contentment on the people’s faces.
• My heart and passion for India are affirmed and stirred anew! I blessed beyond words and forever changed as I watch God work in miraculous ways throughout these last 8 years as our partnership with India has deepened.

India Team 2011

2 sentence summaries

Paula: Traveling half way across the world, I realized that every person, though very different, is searching for the same thing in life and that is a purpose. It was amazing to see Indians who have found God's purpose for them and sacrifice so much to follow it.

Megan: After going to India 6 different times, God has given me a picture of transformation that is and continues to happen in the lives of these children. A Christian world view has been given to these students and this year I felt the oldest students heard and understood the Gospel so my prayer is for real heart transformation for each of them.

Aaron: You look around and see the trash, dirt and all around poverty, its heart wrenching, but then you look at the people and you see their compassion and their joy and their love and it makes you happy again. Its like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Josh: Physically this trip was hard for me as I didn't always feel well, and I disliked the Indian food. But God brought me on this trip so He could reveal His purpose for my life.

Eric: I've found friendship in the faces of boys who are turning into young men. The church of India in slums and nice buildings are fully alive and well.

Sharon: It was a tremendous privilege to step through a door to a strange land to be welcomed by humble, passionate servants of God working and living in conditions that I still can't honestly get my mind around. The fragrance of their lives brought to mind the scripture, "Theses are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight," so I feel I have spent time with royalty.

Dave: Though my heart has been distant at times, God has been faithful to meet me there and in the slums and in the houses of new friends. The worship of Prabu (the Lord) is not bound by language.

Lori: I got to see a greater ease of reading with students than ever before, getting to share the Gospel with 8th grade, "I love you" from 8th grade girls, Poojah leaning on me with a hug, Elsy's commitment to stay. This year had many new unknowns - to each other - and seeing them bond was a delight.

Stepping outside the base in the late night, I find time to be by myself and do a little thinking. It's a simple pleasure I find in being alone and walking around the Indian streets. This year as I strolled down a small lane that branched off the main road, I passed by three old men enjoying the night's coolness and drinking chai tea. I am sure they enjoyed watching some white guy stroll past on a lazy walk. But I began to wonder, this country, with so many people, they have so few who know Christ. This is a country caught up in different religions and idol gods stealing away people's hearts in false worship. I asked God to come and to proclaim his Name, to show himself here to these people.


Little did I know, God has of course been at work in this nation. During our trip I heard countless stories of how God was reaching individuals and calling them to service in his Kingdom. Listening to Indian men and women tell testimonies of how Christ was revealed through a miracle or a vision when they were sleeping. I was amazed at how God is, in an intimate way, reaching out to India and building a foundation for the church to be deeply rooted with people who have seen the face of Jesus and seen his miraculous healing hand. The church has passionate people sharing, growing, and being a real impact in the country. And I have been encouraged to see that God has His plan, and my prayer now is not that God would come, because I know he has, it would be that His message spreads. Even to those three old men sitting along a quiet lane on a night when some lonely white guy happened to walk by.

Eric

Lori here. I was talking with some good friends last night about India. Jeff asked me what did I notice about India that I hadn't seen before. Very good question. Here's my longer answer:

We were able to spend time with people in a number of slums this time. And instead of walking through them we were allowed to sit with them and have time to converse.

In Mumbai, in a dear sister's teeny, crazy tiny house, we asked her why she lived in Mumbai instead of her beloved village. She said that in the village you could find food to eat, but that there were no job opportunities for them. As in, no rupees at all, ever. If you wanted your child to go to school, you needed some money. Or to buy shoes or salt or cloth. The way she figured, it was better to live in a desperately dirty and noisome place because then her children had a chance to get ahead. Because her husband could take her sewing projects out to sell. This is the stark reality of nearly all of India.

I pondered that awhile. We visit a village surrounded by rice paddies and corn fields. And no job opportunties for unskilled, dalit laborers. Food could be grown, but rupees cannot be earned. But now the equation is different. Because God, in His kindness, dropped a school right in the middle of their midst. So these children are not having to leave the village with their parents to hunt down a better situation. Staying right there, hundreds of children are being educated, in English, so that they can choose any life they desire.

How curious and glorious that at no back breaking effort for them, parents are able to see their children walk over to the school and have their lives transformed. Just like that.

It has the aroma of heaven all over it!

Sunburn has nothing on laughing and running and dancing and bubbles. Nothing. But you do have to apply some lotion after. That’s what we learned yesterday.

There is a school wide Arts Competition at the school. We were invited to provide judges for the Dancing component. What a terrific morning! These kids have talent to spare. There was a fun mix of traditional and Michael Jackson.

We played with water balloons. And taught them a tamer version of dodge ball. And chased soap bubbles.

When we are at the halfway point we feel that there isn’t enough time to do all the things we had planned. While in the states we take a fair amount of time to plan out activities and then gather supplies for them. If we don’t use the supplies while we are there will the teachers know what to do with a few thousand water balloons? Or the flash cards? Or a Boggle game? Today Megan put together a Treasure Hunt and …..Sharon can tell you that handing out the candy prizes was frenzied!

It's coming to an end so quickly...

Sorry about the lack of posts the past few days. We've been in Mumbai and have had some incredible experiences. Sadly we've had very limited internet access so the updates haven't been possible. We have several that we will give when we get home. We're looking forward to seeing all of you and thanks for praying! We're about to head to the airport to begin the journey home in a couple of hours. See you soon!

This is the Day the Lord Has Made!

Two years ago, I made this trip to India for the first time. It was an incredible experience with so many new things and impacted my life, even to this day, on so many levels. One of the most profound experiences I had was the first day we were in the classrooms, I was taught the song that so many of us sang in Sunday school as little children "This is the Day" in the local language of Telegu. On, what we thought at the time was our last day there, we, as a team were able to sing it with the students at their assembly in their native language. It was incredible! Since that day, that song would run through my head nearly every day, and it wasn't in English. I have to stop and think about what he words are when I have to sing it in English. But not in Telegu.

Flash forward to Tuesday night. We were asked to spend the evening a local pastor and come speak at a house church near a rock quarry not far from where we are staying. We were excited for the opportunity and were crammed into a small one room home. There were probably 40 people there, about half of them being small children. Our group was asked to come with someone to speak a full length message and to have two people give testimonies. Paula and I were giving our testimonies and Eric shared the message.

Leading up to the testimonies there was a sweet time of praise and worship. They sang several songs, most of which we did not know. They did sing a couple though, one of them being "This is the Day", in both English and Telegu. It was the first time I had heard it since we've been here so I was more than a little excited. I sang as loud as I could. Those of us that were on the trip with me two years ago were able to understand the moment for me a little bit more than the rest of the team, I think. When it was my turn to speak, I mentioned that I had learned the song when I was here two years ago. I think they were a little skeptical because after I was done sharing and had sat down they asked me to stand up again and sing the song for them. They wanted to be sure I knew the song. So, I stood up before a group of native Telegu speakers and sang a song by myself (though a few of them joined in) in their language. They tell me I pronounced all the words correctly, but I don't think I stopped smiling the rest of the night. The song is fresh again. And that makes for a great day!

Idhe dinam Prabu checinadhi!

- Dave

team pictures!

Above is is a picture of how we wanted our team to look. All nine of us raring to go.

But God had a different plan for our team and for Melissa Taylor. Her India visa was held up just long enough for her to miss leaving with us by a few days. Sad story! And yet we are trusting that God has a unique plan for Melissa as she stays in Nebraska, and for us as we are here without her.

Viewing difficult things.

Josh here. We went to the workers camp near a hotel construction site yesterday. The contrast was stark. On the towering hill is the wealth of man, his might and knowledge reaching towards the sky. Below lie the crushed and devastated poor struggling to find their next meal. As we journeyed through the work site, we saw weary men and women breaking boulders into gravel to be carted away. The hopeless look on the faces staring back said it all. We left the van and traveled through the narrow paths of the camp. The brick and tarp hovels stand in bleak contrast to the towering wealth on the hill above. We approach a tin building, to the sound of children's voices reciting in English. We enter the school, to the site of perhaps 2 dozen children sitting on a dirt floor. In their hands they hold a chalkboard to copy from the schools only book. Many of the children are only partially clothed, and one little boy has only a fragment of a shirt. A girl with a cleft pallet stares as we give the children candy. We listen to the teacher as she tells us how the laborers have worked here for seven years, how the children are left alone each day. They stay till the construction is done, then move to the next job. As we leave the school, the children calling their farewells, I begin to think. I am angered at the injustice I see, by the wealth over this poverty. But I am reminded that this will be made right. He has said, the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. In the Kingdom of Heaven there will be no more tears, no more suffering. He who is humbled will be lifted up. And as the smoke from the campfires disappears over the treeline, I know that He will bring these children hope.