Passage to India

Farewell To India

2007-12-15T13:05:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-15T12:58:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-15T12:51:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-15T12:42:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-15T12:38:00.000-06:00

New Believers

2007-12-15T12:34:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-15T12:32:00.000-06:00

Hope Center girls with their new hats

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Diane getting her hand painted

2007-12-14T20:17:00.000-06:00

Sun setting in Agra near Taj Mahal

2007-12-14T20:12:00.000-06:00

See it is ok to drink the water in India

2007-12-14T20:10:00.000-06:00

Street life in Agra

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In Agra

2007-12-14T20:05:00.000-06:00

A boy and his dog resting

Janie giving a lady a blanket

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Ladies in the villages waiting for their blankets

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Traveling across a river to visit a village near Nepal

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Water supply in the village

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All the kids love Daniel, I wonder why?

2007-12-14T16:50:00.000-06:00

Monkey on the road

2007-12-14T16:47:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-14T16:45:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-14T16:42:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-14T16:35:00.000-06:00

Buffalos at Hope Center

2007-12-14T16:33:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-14T16:32:00.000-06:00

Sheeba and Daniel discussing family matters

2007-12-14T16:29:00.000-06:00

Our team at Hope Center

2007-12-14T16:28:00.000-06:00

Hope Center children waiting for us

2007-12-14T16:27:00.000-06:00

Different means of transport along the roads

2007-12-14T16:25:00.000-06:00

Breakfast---no

2007-12-14T16:24:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-14T16:16:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-14T16:14:00.000-06:00

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

Take you for their obedience Lord.

Oh my I am so tired

2007-12-14T16:12:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-14T16:10:00.000-06:00

Karen passing out lots of blankets

2007-12-14T16:09:00.000-06:00

Curious on lookers from the roofs

2007-12-14T16:07:00.000-06:00

Children on the roof tops praising God before getting their blankets

2007-12-14T16:06:00.000-06:00

Bathing in slum

2007-12-14T16:03:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-14T16:02:00.000-06:00

Inside of area where the people live and work

2007-12-14T16:01:00.000-06:00

Fenny and Hauy Meng after passing out more blankets

2007-12-14T15:59:00.001-06:00

2007-12-14T15:56:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-14T15:55:00.000-06:00

this is what they dig through everyday to make a living

2007-12-14T15:54:00.000-06:00

Fenny handing out a blanket in Delhi

2007-12-14T15:53:00.000-06:00

Hundreds of blankets ready to be passed out in the slums

2007-12-14T15:51:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-14T15:49:00.000-06:00

GA New Delhi staff

2007-12-14T15:46:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-14T15:45:00.000-06:00

Euan UK, Hauy Meng Singapore and Diane

2007-12-14T15:43:00.000-06:00

Delhi volunteers in the slums

2007-12-14T15:41:00.000-06:00

Board member involved

2007-12-14T15:39:00.000-06:00

Fenny one of our new board members and her friend Jane joined us to pass out blankets in the slums

Most common means of transport in India Tu Tu

2007-12-14T15:38:00.000-06:00

2 ladies checking us out

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Mom's of the children that we are teaching

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Children working in the slums, no schooling

2007-12-14T15:29:00.000-06:00

Faces in the crowd

2007-12-14T15:28:00.000-06:00

Mom and her baby

2007-12-14T15:26:00.000-06:00

Almost in every community were little babies only a few weeks old.

Families

2007-12-14T15:25:00.000-06:00

Families in the slums

Living in the slums

2007-12-14T15:05:00.000-06:00

These are the small villages inside the slums. Most of these folks live in small communities and collect trash and recycle to make some money to live off of.

Sacred cows

2007-12-14T15:02:00.000-06:00

Two years ago we held an event on this exact corner of the slum with over 1,000 children attending. they had laid our green carpet over the garbage and we had a great time. Now the cows enjoy their time there.

Children in Delhi slums

2007-12-14T15:01:00.000-06:00

These are some of the children we are working with in the sums with Vanitha and Allen and their wonderful volunteers.

Here we are having fun on the train

2007-12-14T14:39:00.000-06:00

See how happy we all are, oh you don't see the other 4 people in here do you. Six bunks in this area 2 across the hall or small walk way. We made it .

Bakers relaxing on train

2007-12-14T14:37:00.000-06:00

Bob and Karen are settled in for the night or so they thing. A bunk became available on a lower level so Karen moved only to have to move again later in the night when the people came to claim their bunk. Next time you see her ask her how easy it is to change the sheets back to the 3rd layer bunk.

Janie and Jay on the train

2007-12-14T14:20:00.000-06:00

Janie and Jay are getting ready to settle in to their new home for several hours of rest and relaxation. Read Jay's account of this adventure below.

India train ride experience from Jay

2007-12-14T14:00:00.000-06:00

Chapter 1
Eighteen Inches of Middle Bunk

I’m fifty-seven years old, what the heck am I doing here? It’s about 3:00 a.m. and I am lying here on eighteen inches of middle bunk of a three-tiered sleeper on the night train to Lucknow. I know, I know. I am the one who decided to take this trip; I knew it would entail some deprivation since I am a coddled, comfortable woman from the USA – where, I bet, the trains have a little moving room and maybe, oh I don’t know, room for luggage. Okay, I know we are a group of Americans on a ten day trip to India and we are carrying enough luggage to make people think we are staying for a year. Next time I am told to “Pack light,” I will know that it doesn’t mean to use the suitcase one size smaller than the big one, the backpack with wheels, and the duffle bag. I will know it means backpack and maybe a fanny pack, that’s it. But it’s too late now, here on the train to Lucknow after six interminable hours of rocking along the track, stopping every thirty minutes or so to take on more passengers. Do the people in this country mind traveling in the middle of the night? What’s wrong with early morning departures? At least then I could look at the country side. Are they trying to hide something?
Maybe if I lay on my back for a while, put someone’s camera case under my knees for a while and this blue bag nearer to my side and scoot up a little on my backpack, which by the way is quite hard. If I had only known what it meant to ride a night train in India I would have packed it with underwear and tee-shirts instead of rocks or whatever I’ve got in there. No one told me to expect to use it as a pillow. Actually, to be fair, the train guy gave me a pillow. At home it would be in a doll’s bed, but here I am expected to sleep on it. I won’t complain though, it does soften the backpack somewhat.
I sound really spoiled don’t I. That’s what six hours in the middle bunk of a sleeper car in India will do to you. Make you realize what luxury really is: a real bed and a fluffy pillow and room to actually turn over. If I turn over here, will the bunk above me, which my bunk is strapped to, fall? Will Janie and I collapse onto that poor woman, a total stranger, so blissfully snoring right below me. Is everyone on this train asleep except me? No one else is moving; why can’t I stay still. Now my back hurts and I have to turn onto my side again, readjust the camera case and the blue mystery bag (It had better belong to someone, someone grateful, in our group!) and the tiny pillow and the hard backpack and try once more. Why didn’t I take one of Karen’s magic sleeping pills? She’s on the top bunk and snoozing away, oblivious to the limited size of the bunk. Oh, now I see why. She doesn’t have extra luggage on her cot! How did she get away with that? Why is she so special? Wait, calm down. She is on the top and I don’t want to trade. I know I couldn’t climb down as gracefully as I bet she can. Besides, it’s way too early in the trip to start turning on one another. I just need to sleep.
Okay, think about other things, like what do I have to be thankful for? It is dark. It is quiet, not even the baby in the next berth is crying, bless his little heart. I have a sheet between me and the plastic of the bunk, even if it is getting wadded up around my knees with all my tossing and turning. That’s my fault; I can’t count it as a negative. I should have tried harder to lose those excess pounds before I came on this trip. Oops, getting negative again, stick to the plus side of the column – sheet, blanket, dark, quiet, little pillow – to half the world, this is luxury so I’ll just lie here and sing songs in my head. That’s odd – I only know the first verse of every hymn I can think of. Why is that? I know we sang three verses every Sunday so why can’t I remember more than one? One more thing to put on my list of things to do in my retirement years. Boy that’s getting to be one long list, good thing I retired early.
Back to my original question: What the heck am I doing here? I used to be a school teacher. For 27 years I worked with young people, encouraging them to read, to experience through books places and events they couldn’t experience otherwise. For a while I was a high school counselor where I pushed lethargic, apathetic teens to aspire to greater things, telling them that the world was a whole lot bigger than Prairie Lea, Texas. I always wanted to travel the world, though I don’t remember ever wanting to come to India. Now England and Scotland, that’s the place to go. So why am I here?

Conditions in the slums are not good

2007-12-07T21:23:00.000-06:00

Heading out to share blankets in Delhi slums

2007-12-07T21:21:00.001-06:00

We are all back home

2007-12-05T14:40:00.001-06:00

We are back home and resting, thanks for praying for all of us on the trip. More updates to come.
John

Back in US this morning

2007-12-05T05:33:00.000-06:00

Well after 15 hours in the air from New Delhi, India we are sitting in Newark airport waiting for our flight back to Houston, Austin and Phoenix in the next hour hopefully arriving into Houston around 10:30 a.m. this morning. Are we tired I think so but we are alive and doing well. Everyone did a great job and most were well the entire time, praise God for that. We really did not have internet access most of the time and when we were in the cities there was no connection oh well we will update everything with lots of pictures, over 1,800 of them that will tell the story of the ministries we work with there, not all will be on the blog but some good ones. We will make the others available on the web some where when you are bored and nothing to do. Great stuff though as Diane has explained in her blogs.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers, we are anxious to get back today and rest and then I head up to Colorado Springs tomorrow night for a Friday meeting and then some days of rest when Diane joins me on Saturday.

We would love to share with any of you if you would like. God bless.

Tuesday update

2007-12-03T23:26:00.000-06:00

Well to say the least we have had quite an adventure the past 2 days to say the least. We left Motipur for Lucknow early Sunday morning went to the GA office and rested up and cleaned up to catch our train at 9:00 p.m. for Agra, well when we arrived there the train was delayed for 4 hours so we went back to the office to rest and went back and it was delayed another 3 hours so we went to Sheeba's folks house and rest some more. Now we are 10 hours waiting on our train and finally taking off on the next 9 hour ride. We get to Agra check in to a small one room at at hotel change quickly and head over to see the Taj Mahal and then back to get our bags quickly so we can get to the train station only to find out that there is a 3 hour delay with our train. So we finally made it to our guest house around midnight Monday night at a nice little plave and we all rested well. Praise God. Today we have our last day of running around in Delhi and then catch our plane to US tonight at 11:55 p.m.
Sorry we could not keep up as much as we would have liked but we did the best we can and there will be an update once we return tomorrow. Bear with us but we really have appreciated your prayers.

Sunday blog

2007-12-03T23:24:00.000-06:00

We are here a the Lucknow office only for a brief time, so this will be short, but just to give you a quick update. We have had quite the journey! We finally got to Motipur and the Hope Center; joy! The children met us at the gate and made us feel more than welcomed. We spent two days going to various remote villages, one very near the Nepal border, sharing blankets and telling the people that it is the love of Jesus that compelled us to come. These villagers were Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs...such a variety, and such contrasts. The Sikh area was particularly fascinating. They are excellent farmers, and driving through their fields was beautiful. They apparently are the only productive farmers, and they work extremely hard. This is in contrast to the Hindu mindset that does not promote hard work, since they feel destined to their lot in life. It was such a blessing to even name the Name of Jesus to these people! Extremely impoverished, shackled by fear and false gods, these people are desperate. Though we were probably viewed as tourists interested in village life, we came with a message as well as the blanket they needed. Everywhere we went, we were shown so much appreciation, as well as curious looks. To grasp a hand, pray openly or silently, to wrap a blanket around an old, crippled man or hunched over woman barely able to walk even with a stick, this was a blessing indeed.

As we stopped close to the Nepal border, we stopped for chai (tea), which is a “constant” here in India. It seems to always be chai time! We discovered that monkeys were everywhere, crawling over the shanties, all along the roads, and of course, we were captivated by them. You can picture our team, lined up with cameras in hand, snapping wildly at the monkey antics, and then a crowd of locals lined up behind us, staring at the spectacle...us! I don't know which was more amusing...the monkeys are us!

We have certainly been the novelty wherever we have gone, eliciting curious stares and bewildered looks. But not so at Hope Center. Perhaps the highlight of our trip was last night as we spent time with the children. As we shared the gospel message once again with an evangicube, we also shared the details of the birth of Jesus, the true meaning of Christmas. Though these children have heard these truths before, it is always refreshing to hear them again. At the end of our sharing time, I asked the children to sing a Christmas song that I heard they had learned. We were out in the courtyard in almost total darkness in the shadow of the lighted cross atop the center, and we experienced what was as close to a choir of angels as we could imagine as they sang “Silent Night” with such joy and emotion. Words just don't describe the beauty of that moment. Then they began what became an hour long “song fest” of non-stop singing. They stood throughout, not seeming to tire or be distracted, but sang “from their toenails,” as I sometimes describe it. Unrestrained joy! And even after about an hour, they didn't seem to want to stop! Pastor Daniel brought several of the boys forward to present some hand drawn cards the children had prepared for each of us. One young boy, Rajid, had been leading the singing all night with wonderful ability. As he approached with the boys, I said, “Here is our leader.” Rajid didn't hesitate a moment, but answered, “No, the leader is Jesus Christ.” I stand properly corrected!

John's mom is a part of a knitting group, and they had made numerous caps for us to bring to the center. What beaming smiles as we placed a cap on their heads! It is already chilly at night there, so they were thrilled to have something warm of their very own. Thank you, ladies, for blessing these children in such a loving way! You can be assured that your work has met a need in a special way that these children will not forget.

There are so many stories to tell, so many incredible scenes, people, lessons. I can tell you this: We have seen the face of suffering in the faces of old men, crippled children, young desperate mothers, malnourished, undersized babies, young boys and girls, and elderly women There is a world of pain etched in the wrinkles on their faces and reflected in their eyes. BUT....we have also seen the face of Jesus in three new believers who came to share with us at Hope Center about how they now know Jesus and have 200 people meeting with them in their village! One of the women sang a hymn that she had composed herself to praise the Lord. Her face, though haggard and worn, was radiant. We see the face of Jesus in Pastor Daniel as he cares so deeply for the children at the center and the people of the villages. We see Jesus in the house parents who have committed to raise these orphans as their own and are teaching them God's Word and sharing His heart with them in such a tremendous way. It is easy to be discouraged and overwhelmed by what you see here, but just as the hand crafted cross breaks into the night sky at Hope Center, the Light of the Lord is piercing the spiritual darkness of India. There is yet so much to do, so many who have not heard of or experienced God's grace, but the Holy Spirit is here in the lives of the believers, and we are praying, and asking you to join us, that His Spirit will invade and penetrate this land; the poor will be fed, the suffering ones comforted, and that the despairing will find hope, The Hope, that can only be found in Jesus. Our hearts have been pierced; we've been challenged and humbled by what we have experienced here. In many ways, we feel a world away and a world apart, but we know that every person God has created is precious in His sight. Those who know Him are united by His Spirit no matter where we may live, and how He longs for every one Jesus died for to come to know Him.

Lucknow to Motipur

2007-11-29T01:33:00.000-06:00

I think it's Thursday; we have had difficulty keeping up with days, hours, but we survived a most interesting over night train ride from Delhi to Lucknow. An adventure to say the very least! We're learning even more meanings of "flexibility," our key word! We had a wonderful breakfast at the Subhan's house (Sheeba's family). We're resorting our bags for the car ride to Motipur, about 5-6 hours on what has been described "interesting" roads. More adventures! Then we'll begin the blanket distribution in Motipur and a number of surrounding villages.

Lucknow has been a pleasant surprise; of course, it's only one million versus 15! Does make a difference! Too bad we won't have more time to explore, but we are visiting the GA office here and enjoying just being with Daniel and the helpers here. So much to learn!

It's been rather ironic not to be able to get online when usually, if you are calling for tech help, you might very well connect with an Indian worker, but here we are.....so this may be our last chance to get anything out on the blog. Looks like we will have two more train rides, one to Agra where we will visit the Taj Mahal, and then from Agra to Delhi for our departure. Not sure we will become really adept at this train business; it's a unique art :).

Janaman, GA director in Delhi, reminded us once again the "power of presence." Everywhere a believer goes, so goes the Holy Spirit, and that light is shed. Where there is great darkness, the contrast is stark. We have already seen some of that darkness. It makes us even more grateful for the ministry here, for our Indian brothers and sisters who are faithfully, sacrificially serving in very difficult circumstances. Life here is hard, and their joy is obviously from the Lord. We are challenged!

It is still so humbling that the very fact that we, or any believer, from a far away country would come here, be with the people, enter their homes, and show care and concern for them makes such a huge impact. It's not because of us; it's just because we are tangible evidence that God cares. Again, the power of presence. And the power of touch. To hold a hand, to offer a hug is huge. Such simple things, but how they can minister. I pray that none of us take that for granted.

Please continue to pray for the team, for safety and health, for energy and strength to be His hands and feet in Motipur. This is Muslim territory; so we need spiritual reinforcement, your prayers, to stand strong and firm and loving. Pray for hearts to be softened and that eyes will be opened to the truth. These people have been held in bondage for so long. We are praying that whatever seeds we can plant will grow, multiply, and be fruitful.

If we can't post more updates, don't worry....just continue to pray!!

Tuesday In Delhi

2007-11-29T01:31:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, our second day in the slum. After another thrilling ride to the area amid choking fumes and smog, we begin by sharing with a beautiful group of women waiting for us at the center. It's a joy to share not only blankets but also prayer with them. We split up into two teams so that we could cover two areas of the slum, and off we went with the blankets piled high on a make-shift bicycle cart. In the slum, there are clusters of papers/stick huts, units of sorts, of 5 or 6 families. As we stop in these communities, we tell them that it is because of the love of Jesus that we are there, and because He cares, we want to care for them by sharing blankets, and we pray that when they are warmed by them, that they will be reminded that Jesus loves them and is caring for them. At each stop, we are warmly greeted, surrounded by gleaming smiles, and always, dark, penetrating eyes. How we wish we could know the stories behind those eyes! At one stop, the children from the Bible class gathered first, and as we waited for the parents to arrive, they sang the songs they have learned about Jesus, and we taught them “Jesus Loves Me” with the hand motions, at the same time, sharing the Good News. They picked it up quickly, and it is always such joy to hear children sing, in whatever language, particularly this song which expresses such basic truth, the key truth. He loves us!

We did have one encounter with an older man, who apparently gives Vanitha a lot of opposition every time she comes. As we were handing out the blankets, he began to rant and rave, in Hindi of course, obviously not happy that we were there. As he continued, we prayed and did not let it deter us. As he hurled some of his rantings toward Jane, she calmly said “God bless you.” And we continued on our journey. Satan is never happy when we bring light into His darkness!

We ended our time in the slum with the children who come daily for tutoring. What an amazing group of children! We watched a five year old working on multiplication tables, others learning English, another tiny girl working on her twelve tables.....bright indeed! We praise God that the children in this outreach are having these sorts of opportunities to learn how to read, write, learn life skills, and most importantly, are introduced to Jesus.

After a late lunch at the local Pizza Hut, we returned to our hotel. Jet lag had set in for most of us, and we were fading fast. Two of our group from Singapore could only be with us for a few days and had to fly back tonight. Though our time with them was brief, we are so thankful they were able to join us in Delhi. We used the evening to regroup, refresh, and have some time to process the deluge of assaults to our minds, hearts, and senses. What a diverse place this is, such contrasts of ancient verses modern, Hindu verses Muslim, western verses eastern. Pray with us that we will be light bearers wherever we go and that the power of the Holy Spirit Who dwells in each of us will be released as we go.

Monday in Delhi

2007-11-29T01:28:00.000-06:00

Delhi Monday morning.
We all arrived safely in Delhi on Sunday with all of our luggage and now settled in to the hotel. It is a nice place on a main road with lots of cars, trucks, tuk-tuks (little taxis ) and lots of honking horns and major pollution this year. Most of us had a good nights rest but many were awakened around 4:45 a.m. Monday morning with a 4.5 earthquake that hit the city. It was a bit disconcerting for a bit, but everyone is ok and there was no damage.

Later Monday morning we had a quick meeting to get to know everyone, as we have folks from the U.S., U.K, Singapore and India on our team -a truly international team for this trip. Everyone is doing well and excited about the morning adventure to the slums.

Even though the slum is in Delhi proper, the intense traffic made it seem like we were going to another region entirely. The sheer number of vehicles jockeying for position is overwhelming. Cars, scooters, tuk-tuks, bicycles, rickshaws weaving in and out makes travel a dizzying and time consuming experience. We finally reached the entrance to the slum; the rest of the way we would walk to get to the small building that houses Vanitha and Allen's home and outreach center. We were greeted by the smiles of children who are now being taught at the small center. They were seated quietly, cross legged with their notebooks placed in front of them, welcoming this bunch of strangers warmly. The children sang wonderful songs about Jesus for us and recited scripture. How beautiful it sounded in Hindi! Vanitha's three year old daughter, Judith, recited the 23rd Psalm for us....amazingly precious for a three year old! But they know the importance and the power of God's Word and are faithfully implanting it in the hearts of these children, and the adults who are always nearby, listening intently.

We began our journey into the slums, carefully making our way through mud, piles of trash, an curtains of flies. Not to mention the cows and their trailings. The cows are ever present and coexist with no notice. As we stopped at hut after hut, people would instantly gather, as much to welcome Vanitha as to see these strange folk with her. They get very few outsiders here, so we are somewhat of a spectacle. Each of us were able to present a very warm, wool blanket to families, mothers, and some children so small they could barely carry the large bundle, but oh, how happy they were to receive them! If you could see their meager shelter of sticks, paper, mud, whatever they can put together, you could easily understand why these blankets are truly a Godsend. An entourage of laughing, eager children formed behind our group and escorted us through the maze of pathways. As we find everywhere we go, children love to have their picture taken and love to see themselves in the picture! The plus of digital!! The eyes of these children are so big, deep, and bright. These deep brown wells seem depthless; what stories they each could tell.

At every stop, people gather. A sea of brilliant colors emerge in the saris of the women, flowing elegantly even in such desperate conditions. The deep lines of their faces show the harshness of life, but their smiles are infectious. We communicate through smiles, holding hands, hugs, and trust that the Lord is speaking through them. We pray silently as we go, for it is dangerous to do so openly in many of these areas. Muslim backlash could be harsh for Vanitha and the ministry, so we pray and trust that Jesus' presence is felt without words. We do tell people individually as we greet them that Jesus loves them, and we're so thankful that Vanitha and Allen are continually sharing this truth with them every time they meet. It's so encouraging to see how God has opened the hearts of many of the people to offer their homes for Bibles classes, even in Hindu and Muslim homes. Amazing!

We continued visiting with the people and sharing the blankets until it began to grow dark and we would need to leave the area. I tried to imagine what this area is like once darkness falls with so very little electricity and such throngs of people. Again, we are caught up in the endless sea of traffic. It took us over an hour to get to a Chinese restaurant that turned out to be less than ten minutes from the hotel later in the evening. As we sat down to a lovely dinner, we had an enormous surprise....Jeff and Trish Ward, our friends from Austin who are ministering in Siliguri (northeast India) walked into the restaurant! They planned it as a surprise, and indeed it was!!! They are spending a few days in Delhi and will join us for some of our stay. It's a joy to see them and have them share more about what God is doing in India with our team.

It was a long, full day as we adjust to jet lag, this new, smog filled environment, and first experience for many of the team in an area of such deep poverty, but we are thankful to be here and anxious to see what the Lord has for us and for the people we meet here.

Team preparing to leave Saturday for Delhi

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Please pray for our team as we head to India on Saturday Nov 24 (returning Dec 5th). Team members are: Robert, Karen, Jay, Janie, Euan, Jane, Fenny, Huay Meng, Diane and John. Safety in our very long travels, our flight to Newark is 4 hours with a 2 1/2 hour layover then 14 plus hours to Delhi, praying that we can get bumped to business class, right! Good health and a time to rest when we have the opportunity. That our team will be open and flexible to what God wants us to do, even though we have an agenda, He may have a better one for us. Working with our local partners in India who have such a heart to reach their country with the Gospel and help those who are so needy.

A lot of our trip will be in rural areas with no electricity so if you don't see any blog updates please keep this in mind, we will try our best to keep you up to date on our trip.

From our team thank you for praying. God bless.

Christian in Delhi slum

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When we visited Delhi 2 years ago we met this man and his family, the only Christians living in this section of the slums. He opens his small home to Vanitha, our ministry partner, who holds many Bible classes with 6,000 children each week. We will have an opportunity to work with Vanitha again the first week we are in Delhi. Pray for us as we reach out to this area of the slums and the people that God sent His Son to die for.

Thanks for the blankets

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These 3 were so happy to receive blankets last year as we passed out hundreds to those who were freezing in the cold winter weather of India. This year we are planning on passing out 1,000 blankets in Delhi and 1,500 in and around the village of Motipur.

Thanks for all of you who have helped us this year with providing all of these blankets. What a blessing it is going to be for so many.

Foster parents in Motipur

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Here are two of our foster parents who have committed to 10 years to raise these orphans in a Christian home in Motipur. We can not wait to meet the 5 families and the children that they are caring for. 35 of these children are now in school and not on the streets begging. Pray with us for 9 more sets of parents. God is good! Pray for us during the week we are there.

Families in Motipur

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The slums of India

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Motipur, the city

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Here are two of the many children we will be working with in Motipur. Motipur is a village of 20,000 people, primarily Muslims, who had no school, no medical facility, few jobs or opportunities to provide for their families and no church within 40 miles of the city.

Things have changed in the past 2 years since Global Action began working in this area in Northern India. There is now a school with over 100 children attending, 35 are orphans that we are caring for in special home settings with home parents who are committed Christians, medical help and very importantly, a church where all can come and learn about Jesus.