India: Now the Journey REALLY Begins

The past two days of orientation have been encouraging. Once again, we have a great team. I love watching how God joins hearts and lives so quickly–you can almost see friendships forming before you eyes.Yesterday and this morning were spent teaching and training the group; this afternoon they counted and sorted meds for 6 days of medical clinics. 

I had a very encouraging meeting with a government official. Vince, Swee Lip, and I met with her for about an hour. She was very helpful as we discussed the greatest needs of beggar children in the city. We left with the beginnings of some definite strategies.

Tomorrow morning, we leave by bus at 7:15 and head out to our first village. It will be about a 90 minute trip. I love the villages of India; as I have written before, in many ways they are like stepping back in time. Walking through the laneways always makes me feel like I have stepped into the pages of the Gospels where so much ministry happened in the poor, rural villages.

Besides conducting the medical clinic, I will be teaching a group of rural pastors and leaders, we will do children's ministry and we will hold an outdoor meeting at the end of the day. Vince's team has been preparing for this Journey for many weeks now.

Last night Vince, Nancy and Samson shared with our team about all the ministry that their team is doing, both in the city and in the villages. They are working in over 100 villages, in the children's prisons, in the hospitals, with the street beggars, doing weekly children's clubs, concerts in the city to attract young people, bible studies, home groups and Sunday meetings. Listening to all they are doing and hearing their passion & commitment made a powerful impression on all of us.

The Lord has linked us with a remarkable and courageous team of young people. It is a privilege to come alongside them.