Farewell To India

As we left India the final night the sky was beautiful with the cross over the Hope Center.  We pray that you will join us next year to see this incredible ministry that God is letting us be a part of.  The people are wonderful and the challenges are large but our God is so much bigger than all of these issues and problems.  We are seeing changes in the lives of the people of this community in northern India and the slums of New Delhi.  If you want to help with this project of Global Action please let me know.  There is much to be done at the Hope Center so that we can add more children with loving families to care for them and tell them about the ONE TRUE GOD.

Thank you and God bless.

Our India team

As our team gets ready to head home we want to thank each of you for your prayers and support for us.  We had a great trip and experienced God at work in many ways.  The people of India have been so gracious to all of us.

Last village for blankets

This was the last village that we shared blankets with this week.  It was probably the poorest that we have seen.  No education and a mix of young and very old.  Many of them work the fields which are beautiful as the Sikhs are the best farmers in all of India.  Beautiful crops of all kinds.  All of the people both men and women were so appreciative of receiving the blankets.  Many of the children were malnourished and one child's face was covered with flies and she didn't even notice them ( I won't share this picture with you).  The GA staff is definitely making a difference in this area of India in helping meet some very basic needs.  Daniel and the GA staff are reaching out to so many in this village near the Nepal border.  Many of the ladies wanted to share their problems with Diane and asked for prayer.

Sikh elders watching us

We were invited to lunch with a major land owner in the area who had asked Daniel to come and share the blankets with which we did.  They were very generous to us and feed us a feast at their home.  This is a group of the elders in his family who were curious about us but very friendly.  The ladies and girls in the family were serving us our meals with the men watched what we did.  After we ate then the men ate and I assume the ladies ate much later after everything was cleaned up.  I wonder if 10 Sikhs came to our house and community would we be as open and friendly to them as they were to us?

Some grateful leaders in this village

New Believers

These 3 came to share with us as they are new believers at the church in Hope Center.  There were about 80 in their church when the local officials came and said they needed to shut down the church, they said no and now there are over 200 coming.  The lady to the right of Diane sang us a couple of songs one that she wrote as a worship song to the Lord.  It was quite a moving moment and then a neat time of prayer with them.

Diane with new baby and Mom at Hope Center

Hope Center girls with their new hats

Diane getting her hand painted

Sun setting in Agra near Taj Mahal

See it is ok to drink the water in India

Street life in Agra

In Agra

A boy and his dog resting

Janie giving a lady a blanket

Ladies in the villages waiting for their blankets

Traveling across a river to visit a village near Nepal

Water supply in the village

All the kids love Daniel, I wonder why?

Monkey on the road

This monkey is happy now since he got some bread from us.  the way he did that was jump through an open window where Diane was sitting and ran across her down to the floor got the bread then exited by jumping on her again.  When she got out the monkey left a little something on the seat for her and it wasn't a tip.  Fun times in the jungle.  Lesson don't feed the monkeys.

Workers

A truck load of workers mostly women and children heading to the sugar cane fields to harvest.  They are loaded in the back of a truck only able to stand up.

Sugar cane harvest

They grow lots of sugar cane in India but unlike in Louisiana in the US it is mostly harvested by women and children in the fields by hand, cutting down, stripping and loading on to trucks.  Hard work and little pay.

Students study outside until more classrooms are available

Buffalos at Hope Center

Here are the 2 large buffaloes and one baby one.  If you want to buy one we would love to have more at the center.

Karen and Diane under the Hope Center sign

Sheeba and Daniel discussing family matters

Our team at Hope Center

Hope Center children waiting for us

Different means of transport along the roads

Breakfast---no

Even the dogs were able to find a nice warm place to sleep along with everyone else.  He is ok dog lovers don't worry.

Having Chai each morning before heading out

Every morning Daniel wanted us to stop for Chai tea before heading to Hope Center.  This was outside and we were quite the attraction.

Many truckers stopped her to eat or wash up either themselves or their trucks, but may look at us.

Friends sharing the joy of ministry

Diane, Vanitha and Sheeba share so much together in the slums.

Take you for their obedience Lord.

Oh my I am so tired

These Americans are driving us crazy and weary.  Will they ever take a break.  Yes ministry is hard in the slums.

The cows wait at people's doors each day to be feed yet others are starving

Karen passing out lots of blankets

Curious on lookers from the roofs

Children on the roof tops praising God before getting their blankets

Bathing in slum

This lady was preparing to bath in the middle of the road as we passed out blankets.  When we returned she was totally soaked and washing herself and clothes at the same time.

Fenny giving blanket to Mom and new baby

Inside of area where the people live and work

Fenny and Hauy Meng after passing out more blankets

Sheeba with family in the slums.  Mom was very grateful to receive the blanket for her family.  The young girl on the right seems very traumatized as she never changed her expression while we were there and did not want to talk with us.  this is life in the slums.

There are flies everywhere but not on the people

this is what they dig through everyday to make a living

Fenny handing out a blanket in Delhi

Hundreds of blankets ready to be passed out in the slums

Diane doing what she loves best, Karen Vanitha's little girl

GA New Delhi staff

Allen and Vanitha work in the slums with over 2,000 children each week and Janaman heads up our pastoral training of GLOMOS in Delhi.  Wonderful people.

Colorful ladies everywhere you turn in India

Euan UK, Hauy Meng Singapore and Diane

Delhi volunteers in the slums