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Latest News

India, week one!

Hi everyone!

So, we have finished our first week of ministry and taking today to rest and get ready for this upcoming week. We arrived here on Saturday, January 23^rd and spent the first two days at the base meeting the staff/students and getting accustomed to the culture. The first thing we did was work in the local village with Pastor Samuel. Samuel has a heart for this village and built a church right in the middle of it. He has spent the last years building the church community and reaching out to those who live there. There are many spiritual strongholds over this place where most of the people are Hindu. We have been doing prayer walks, and handing out tracts while talking/praying for the people. The Indian people are so kind and we’ve been invited into many homes. The best part about the people is that they are wonderfully hospitable. Everywhere we go, they have offered us food and tea, and the tea is really really good! We also did an Open Air and afterwards got to minister/pray for the people. We have a lot of fun with Samuel and are looking forward to working with him.

Rachel, Bo and Natalie outside the church

We also went to a day care center for Gypsy children. Gypsies here are considered total outcasts. They live in their own community and the children are practically on their own by the time they can walk. The man who started this day care has spent the last few years building trust with the Gypsy people so that they now bring their children daily. The kids are bathed, fed, learn English, and learn about God. We were able to help bath, feed, and reach out to them by loving on them. They loved us being there and attached themselves to us right away.

Katie and one of the gypsy-kids.

On Saturday we went to a home that housed the elderly, mentally retarded, and those who have no where to go. We spent time with the people there, prayed for them, or just sat by their bed. There are over 600 men, women, and children living there and up to 10 deaths per day. We even saw two deaths while there. Death is seen as a peaceful thing because many of the people are picked up off the street and the home gives them a comfortable place to die. It was so great to encourage and pray for those there. Many wanted prayer and when we prayed they had tears in their eyes. It was a really touching experience for our team.

Sunday we ran the church service. We sang, shared testimony, and Danny spoke on hearing God’s voice. Then we had breakfast and fellowshipped with the pastor’s family. We then took off for Anbu’s (our driver/guide/translator who is awesome) house to have lunch and rest. His wife is doing a DTS here at the base. Later that afternoon we went to the zoo with an HIV positive group. Those with HIV are also casted out of normal society and are unable to work. Some looked very sick but others you could hardly tell. We had so much fun with this group. We played “ Bunny Bunny” and they loved it! It was amazing to see them laugh and we even drew in a crowd. I guess it’s pretty abnormal to see foreigners playing games at the zoo. By the time we looked around the zoo the animals were inside so we basically became the main attraction ;)

Melissa, Courtney and Rachel leading worship

Yesterday we went to a leper colony. The families have been there for 30 plus years and all living in small huts. Pastor Benny started a church there and now almost all have become Christians. We were able to pray and encourage the people living there. We saw a lot of what you would expect to see and at times it was hard, but their faith and joy was amazing. So many testified to being happy and at peace because of Jesus, despite their outward circumstances. Pastor Benny then took us to a school for disabled children. Some had down syndrome, were deaf or blind, and some were just orphans. The kids were so great and most importantly loved Jesus and loved each other. We can’t wait to go back..

So that’s about it. Tomorrow we start all over again but as of now we are unsure of what we are doing. We love it here. The food, the colors, the traffic, and mostly the people. It’s amazing to see people’s lives impacted just from our love and prayer. I’m sure God will undoubtedly do amazing things while we are here. Can’t wait to write more 

Rachel and Bo