India August 2007

Gene's Blog...

2007-08-13T11:16:00.000-04:00

Crew!

Just a quick note to let you know that Gene has also created a parallel blog to track his view of the experiences in India. You can get there by either clicking here, or by clicking the link on the left hand side of the page.

Enjoy!
-samurai jack

13 Hours...

2007-08-05T15:04:00.000-04:00

In the last 24 hours, we spent 13 in the car. It took us 5 hours to get to the church dedication, and 7 -1/2 to get back. We rolled in this morning at about 6:30 a.m. after leaving the celebration at about 11 p.m. Not exactly the most restful night, but I’m still glad that we had the experience.

Nicodemus As A 17 Year Old Girl...

2007-08-05T15:03:00.000-04:00

Argh! Again, no picture, and I REALLY wanted one, alas! After the dedication ceremony, a young girl (maybe 16?) approached Raj at the platform. I immediately liked her! You could tell that she was driven. She had an intense look in her eyes, the gleam of intelligence, but balanced with a gentleness and calmness that simply bespoke the fact that she wasn’t a raving freak, but was definitely “on a mission” to talk with Raj. When she finally caught his attention, they went on for about 5 minutes, and I could tell that there was more to the conversation than just your simple, “thank you for the beautiful message, pastor!” thing going on. Raj would speak machine-gun-style for a few minutes and then she would whip right back to him with some staccato of her own. Finally, Raj wrote something down on a piece of paper and gave it to her. She smiled at him, bowed in the cursory gesture of polite gratitude, turned and smiled at me (against what I’m sure was just a bewildered look on my face), and then walked stealthily out of the room. When I finally got my camera, she had already left, so I couldn’t ask her and Raj to pose for you to see. Sorry.

Anyway, I asked Raj later what she had asked him, and his eyes brightened as he explained:

“This girl heard me speak, and came to ask me about when I said that she would have to be born again to follow Jesus. She said, ‘I have already been born once to one mother, and I have one name already. How can you tell me that I must be ‘born again’? Am I to abandon my mother and her name when she gave me life just to follow this Jesus of yours?’”

(Wow! Remind you of John 3 when a man named Nicodemus approached Jesus with the exact same question?)

When I asked Raj how he responded to the girl, he explained to me that in India, one of the big things is that people have mistakenly assumed that once you decide to follow Jesus, you have to abandon your Indian culture, change your Indian name to a “Christian name” (like Joseph or John or Mary), wear western clothing, and distance yourself from your family. Raj explained that more and more, they’re seeing that what people (like this bright young girl) are asking is if it’s okay for them to still “be Indian” and follow Jesus. Raj deftly explained to her that Jesus is about a commitment in your heart and in your life, not in how you dress, what you name yourself, or alienating yourself from your family (quite the contrary, in fact!). He explained that she said that she wasn’t sure about all of that, and so Raj told her to go home and ask God for wisdom. Then he gave her his phone number and told her to call him if she had any more questions.

New Creation Community Church...

2007-08-05T14:54:00.000-04:00

We arrived at New Creation Community Church just in time to dedicate it before the worship service started. We prayed, cut the ribbon that barred the entrance, and then packed in for a worship service that was so loud and so enthusiastic, I actually had a splitting headache when it was over (reminds me of the Far Side where the cowboy, all shot up with Indian arrows says to his friend, “Yeah, Clem.. I hurt. But you know, it’s a good kind of hurt.” :- ): We followed the service with an excellent dinner served on palm branches, and then set about meeting the congregates and praying for them.

All in all, there were probably about a hundred people in the little church, and the building was large enough to seat everyone. The pastors are TBL church planters named Hannah and Anthony-Raj (husband/wife team) – shown here – and they were gentle and friendly while talking, but thundered away from the pulpit. I’ve seen that happen before.. it’s an amazing transformation that I truly admire about so many of the church planters with whom we work. They are lambs in every environment, but lions behind the pulpit. Anyway, Hannah and Anthony-Raj have both come to Christ from Hindu backgrounds, and both have experienced significant physical and financial persecution as they have not only continued to live out their lives for Christ, but lead others to do the same. They stand strong with this small community of Christ-followers, and by doing so continue to see (like the early church) their numbers swell daily in the community.

Also, I can’t remember who said it, but i love the quote that says that “a measure of greatness for any empire is how they treat their least”. The young man in this picture suffers from what looked to me to be Cerebral Palsy, and had to be helped or carried anywhere he went. He was a happy young man, but what amazed me most was how the church just “owned” him. They would come and pick him up to help or carry him to the front for Raj to pray for him, then help him to sit down in a chair by the wall. Then they would bring him food, and then take his plate when he was finished. Then they would carry him outside so that he could enjoy the meeting and greeting, and when it was time for him to go (I was standing nearby), an older lady tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to him. “Help him up!” she was saying through the smile on her face (I have no idea what she really said, but it was obvious that such is what she meant), so several of us took ahold of his fragile frame and then hoisted him up to his walker. Being limited in any fashion here in India would be tough (“Handicap access” is not a widely-understood term here yet), so I was significantly encouraged to find that this little church understood their responsibility to not only engage him, but care for him in every way.

The Female Infanticide Capitol of India…

2007-08-05T14:53:00.000-04:00

As we continued to drive, at one point Raj turned to me and said, “look out the window… you see this place? This entire district (Madurai) has the highest incidence of female infanticide in India.” So I looked out the window and noticed how remarkably few women I saw walking around. See, here in India, if your wife bears you a daughter, your rationale goes something like this: “Well, we don’t really have enough food to go around as it is, so she’ll be hungry her whole life while she’s in our house. Plus, we’ll have to clothe her and care for her, which again, will be a significant drain on our already limited resources. Then we’ll have to raise a dowry for her to marry her off (a sizeable sum equaling up to $3 – 5,000, even for a poor family), and in the end, she won’t be able to help us when we are old and frail (that’s the son’s job… a daughter’s job is to take care of her husband’s family, not her own). So really, it’s better for everyone (including the baby), if we just give her a hug, take her down to the river, and then hold her under until she stops breathing.” I’m not trying to be melodramatic or unnecessarily graphic, and i hope that you’ll forgive me if such seems to be the case. Rather, I just had no idea (until a couple of years ago when I started coming to India with Rob) that such things still happen in the world, but they do. And we were driving through the middle of it. I had a hard time sorting through the emotions, and still do. Rage, helplessness, sorrow, hope (yeah, even hope… as Jesus comes into these communities, things like this atrocity stop) and amazement. And the more people (like all of us) who know about it, the better the chances that it won’t continue much longer as we pray, serve, engage and support the work of the men and women who are planting churches in areas like this.

Besting Best Buy...

2007-08-05T14:52:00.001-04:00

I wasn’t allowed to take a picture of this because it involves political stuff (or something like that), but I have to tell you about an odd site that I saw on our way to the church dedication. We were cruising through a small town when I looked out our window and saw a gigantic line bending through and around a particular courtyard. It was filled with people from all walks, castes and status, and was so long that it even spilled out into the street. When I asked what was so important that people would be standing in line in such a fashion to acquire, Raj and The Professor both smiled and said, “That’s a government television distribution center. So long as you are an Indian citizen, you can line up there and receive your free television set!” As mentioned already in the previous post, the whole notion of government-sponsored televisions to every citizen as a high priority absolutely blows my mind. So… you may go to bed hungry, but at least you’ll be well entertained.

Breaking Formation...

2007-08-05T14:50:00.000-04:00

We split up today to head in two separate directions. I’ll do my best to adequately recount the details of each:

Jack, Raj and The Professor – We drove 5 hours at about (as nearly as I can tell) ten or fifteen times the speed of light to a village some 500 km away. Reason? Raj had told a group of church planters who had just constructed a church building that he would come and dedicate it when they were ready. As a result, I tagged along and had a great opportunity to spend some time with Raj, talk about GCC/TBL strategies, and just enjoy laughing. You can’t spend too much time around Raj and not laugh as his personality, enthusiasm and chuckle are contagious.

Jodi, Brandy, Gene and Pastor Samuel – Pastor Samuel took the rest of the team back out to some of the more remote villages under his current span of care (I learned today that there are 72 villages in this immediate area, and that Pastor Samuel visits them all!), and they spent the evening doing more house-to-house visitation.

Sewing Saris By the Sea Shore...

2007-08-05T14:48:00.000-04:00

Well, maybe not by the sea shore, but sewing saris nonetheless. The family pictured here is a sweet young couple who offered to help our ladies appropriately fit and tailor their saris (you see, you buy a sari in a rather incomplete phase, and then have it fitted and sewn after you buy it). The family lives in a 4-apartment building and keep their little flat immaculate. The husband works in a textile factory while the wife does some part-time seamstress work. The little girl is hilarious, acting very shy around us by simultaneously playing as coy as she could get in fostering our attentions.

"Do What Is!"

2007-08-05T14:47:00.000-04:00

We blasted past a small car on the side of the road today (again, didn’t have time to catch the photo) that had a Nike “swoosh” on its bumper and the obscure phrase “Do What Is!” in English beside it. It took me a second, but I realized that someone had probably tried to explain “Just Do It!”, and while they may have gotten the general meaning across, “Do What Is!” just sort of seems to lack the same potency. But maybe you could try that out at work the next time you’re feeling all “go-get-‘em”. “C’mon, guys, ‘do what is!’”

Slow on the Draw, Pardner…

2007-08-05T14:43:00.000-04:00

Okay, guys, I have to apologize. For some reason, I was just really slow on the draw with my camera today, or accidentally left it in the car entirely when I didn’t mean to do so. As a result, for a couple of the following posts, all I have is text, but will do the best I can to describe the details. Alas.

Postcard From the Land of Surreality!

2007-08-05T07:39:00.000-04:00

Yes, that’s a thatched hut in the middle of nowhere. Yes, that’s a satellite dish mounted on the side-post of said hut. “Why would they need a satellite dish?”, you might be asking (we did!)? Well, to get them cable to their government-sponsored television set, of course! Apparently, a new initiative by the Indian government is supplying both free television sets and free satellite TV dishes (only specific channels, mind you) to all Indian citizens. When I asked why, Raj cocked an eyebrow and said, “So that the government can keep people well-informed about what it wants them to think.” Allrighty then. So we people living in significant poverty, children with orange hair from malnutrition, and thatched huts in remote villages… but at least we have TV! It became an exercise in total surreality as we moved from door to door, house to house in the villages, each of which had a faint blue glow coming from inside. When we looked in, sure enough, there were families glued to a small box usually propped up on branches or makeshift tables watching everything from news to what looked like an Indian version of Soul Train. Unreal!

Yeah... Definitely Tapioca...

2007-08-05T07:37:00.000-04:00

Shortly before we enjoyed the “slaughtered goat”, we had the opportunity to try some REAL Tapioca. If you’re like me, you’ve probably ever only had it in pudding, but this was the real stuff. It’s a long, pale white root kind of like a potato that is boiled and served in raw form. Sometimes it’s served with salt or sugar, but gets mealy and mashy like a baked potato does. I’m holding a big one here so that you can see how it looks. It also gets turned into meal flower for various kinds of breads and pastries.

Evening Villages...

2007-08-05T07:35:00.001-04:00

We spend the evening in two of the villages where Pastor Samuel is working currently. Both have very low concentrations of Christ-followers, and for the most part, there are high-caste Hindus living in both. Pastor Samuel has done a lot of “walking” in the villages and has spent quite a bit of time going door-to-door, but the few people who have come to Christ in the process have experienced significant persecution as a result. However, when they heard that we would be coming, they made sure that we knew that they would be slaughtering a goat to prepare for dinner! I tell you, the Bible comes alive here in India. When we read about a “fattened calf”, we kind of have to stretch to think about what that might be like. Here, however, they still do it.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a large group of people, the most notable of which were 6 – 12 enthusiastic teenage girls. They were quick to want to practice their English, smile and laugh at our attempts to mimic some Tamil. When we asked about them, one of the village members told us that the girls were all new brides in the village, and had been married for between 1 and 3 years. When we asked how old they were, we found that they ranged in age from 16 – 19. Wow! One or two already had a small child as well, and were performing all the duties commensurate with wives and mothers.

As we walked through the village, we stopped by a lady named Ravina’s home. She was very kind, and asked for us to pray for her. Pastor Samuel told us that was one of the first people to come to Christ in the village, and that she and her family have experienced significant persecution since. When I say “persecution”, I don’t mean the verbal kind (though that certainly happens), but rather the “we’re going to beat you up, and then, if you don’t leave, we’ll come back and finish you off” kind. We prayed that God would guard her and her family, and that through their peaceful steadfastness, would win others to faith.

We also had the opportunity to pray for a number of other people along the way, and my heart broke as we prayed for a group of women I came to call the “Ladies in waiting”. I don’t know all their names, but their stories made it difficult for me to move beyond. Three of the ladies were related, and live in a single home together. The eldest (the mother) has been sick for some time and has tried a number of remedies suggested by doctors and Hindu priests, all to no avail. Her daughter-in-law asked that we pray for her and her husband as they have tried to get pregnant a number of times, but have only experienced miscarriages. In India, much like we read in Scripture, to be childless is a significant hardship, and while losing children is its own extreme pain, to continue without them carries ramifications far beyond the current generation. The other daughter’s husband left her six months ago, and has simply “vanished” without sending support or help in any fashion. In India, that’s particularly difficult as it will be culturally taboo for her to ever re-marry, and due to the patriarchal nature of the culture, will limit what she can “do” for income or career options as well. She is simply “trapped”. The next lady was diagnosed with TB six months ago, and is not able to afford therapy or treatment. The final lady’s abusive husband left her recently (they have 2 small children) and has not returned. While the abusive nature of the relationship is terrible, the fact that she no longer has any means of support causes her more pain as she has to scrap together whatever she can for herself and her children. None of these women know Jesus, but all are waiting on God to show up. Hence, “ladies in waiting”.

Coconut Break...

2007-08-05T07:32:00.000-04:00

Raj is quick to stop by the side of the road and let us “try things”. In this particular instance, a lady and her husband were selling coconuts by the side of the road. They were really sweet people, and when she saw all of us pile out of the car, she happily began hacking away at various coconuts and gave them to us. See, the way it works is, you drink the milk first (either with a straw, or, as Raj showed us, “chug style”), then hand it back to the seller to split it open so that you can eat the meat. I’ll tell you, fresh coconut rocks! It also helps you to do some “high speed downloading” (Raj’s metaphor for going to the bathroom) afterward.

Aw, Rats!

2007-08-05T07:30:00.001-04:00

I’m a fan of Disney, but “M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E” isn’t something you typically want to think about while you’re eating lunch. Especially when it weighs 8 pounds and is larger than your Dachshund at home. We finished lunch after our errand-running and as we were standing up to go, I saw this shadowy blur dart between Raj’s feet. When I thought “hmmm… that’s odd… wonder what it was”, I looked again and it was gone. But then I saw it again, and it DEFINITELY was “something”. Every time I got closer to it, it moved, and it was pretty big, so it took the image a second to register. But yep, it was a rat. Not a “mouse”, but a big honkin’ rat. Now, I lived in Chicago for 3 years and I saw some pretty good sized sewer rats while I was there, but even they had nothing on this brutha. He was about 26” from nose to tail tip, easily weighed 8 pounds, and was roughly the size of a small cat. In fact, I’ll bet that most cats would have a hard time with this homey! When Raj finally saw him, he (Raj, not the rat) jumped in the air and shouted. It was pretty funny. I thought about trying to go all “Mouse Hunt”, but opted for a hasty getaway instead. Sorry the picture isn’t any better… this is where he was cowering under my chair, and it’s the only time he stayed still long enough to photograph.

Meet "The Professor"...

2007-08-05T07:28:00.000-04:00

This is “The Professor”, and everyone simply calls him such. He’s an amazing man, and has worked closely with Raj for years. They originally became friends when he asked Raj about the church-planting materials that he was teaching (in conjunction with Bible League). The Professor currently is an English professor at a local university (which naturally means that his English is very good), and has spent the week with us here in Kavundampadi. His primary focus has been to observe Pastor Samuel to see how he is doing ministry so that he can replicate what is most successful. One of the great things about our friends with TBL is that they freely lend and borrow from one another.

Morning Worship... Hindu Style...

2007-08-05T07:22:00.000-04:00

While we were running our errands, we had the opportunity to watch some Hindu worship in action at a local temple. Some things to note if you can see the pictures here (sorry they’re so small… they have to be in order for me to be able to load them to the blog page given our internet connection):

* “The Cow” – as you probably know, cows are sacred in the Hindu system of worship, and so people bow down before their images, worship them, present them with flowers and garlands, and ring the bells around their necks. Why ring the bells, you might ask? According to Raj, they ring the bells to “wake the gods up so that they might hear their cries for help”.

* “The Cobra” – snakes are not only feared, but also revered here in India. I’m not exactly sure what all the significance is, but the cow statue is constructed in such a way that the cobra is drinking from its udder.

Service for the Sick...

2007-08-05T07:20:00.000-04:00

This morning, Brandy had the chance to speak during a special service for those who are suffering from various sicknesses in the community. The service was held at the church facility, and involved about 30 – 50 people from the surrounding community who were afflicted with various ailments ranging from skin diseases to internal pain. It started around 10 and kicked in with some serious music, followed by Pastor Samuel’s address to the crowd, and then Brandy’s message on strength in Jesus. She sited passages ranging from Isaiah 41:10 to the prayer of Hannah, and did a great job negotiating translation, timing and delivery. Go Brandy!

An interesting side note: while the service was under way, the neighboring house suddenly erupted into a cacophony of ear-splitting Hindu/Indian music. The louder the people in the service sang, the louder the neighbor would crank the volume. When I asked what was going on, I was told, “Oh, see, the neighbors are high-caste fanatical Hindus, and they don’t like the fact that we’re here. As a result, they went out and bought some thousand watt speakers and put them in their windows facing our church (note: the buildings are maybe 10 feet apart). Whenever we begin worship services, they turn on their speakers and try to drown us out.” Whoa!

After the service was finished (around 1 p.m.), we left to run some errands and eat lunch.

Dosa, Chutney and...uh...Goat Intestines!

2007-08-05T07:18:00.000-04:00

Oooookay, here’s something IHOP probably doesn’t have on their menu: goat intestines! Yup, we sat down for “breakfast” (it was around 10 a.m. by the time we got there) and were promptly served a banana leaf (which functions as a plate), a dosa (a tortilla-like flatbread), some white chutney (you’d think it would be sweet, like it’s made from coconut or something, but it’s not. Think “spicy oatmeal”.), and goat intestine curry. We sort of peered over the plate and sure enough, you could see little spongy tubes about the size of your little finger floating around in a spicy brown gravy. Well, what the heck… load us up. For the record, they taste about like you think they would: spongy, springy, rather tasteless… kind of like eating a garden hose. According to Raj, goat intestines are really good for you since goats eat mainly grass and other natural things. The only problem with that logic is that I’ve also seen goats eat beer cans, pop bottles and other “recyclables” if you know what I mean.

Up and At 'Em!

2007-08-04T02:57:00.001-04:00

The last time I looked at the clock before we konked out, it was just after midnight. But around about 6:30 a.m., morning devotions kicked up just outside our door, shortly followed by increased traffic in our little area, so we got up around 7 a.m. and hit the day running.

Crashing Hard!

2007-08-04T02:54:00.000-04:00

After eating dinner (at 11 p.m. … whoof! According to Raj, “Indians can’t sleep without dinner in their stomachs, even if that dinner happens at midnight”), we returned back to the church, rolled out our mats on the floor, and crashed hard! And when I say “hard”, I mean that we were really tired, and also that the floor is really hard.

Village Life...

2007-08-04T02:50:00.000-04:00

Wow, you should have seen how Jodi and Brandy were the hit of the evening in the two villages that we visited. At both locations, we packed into the hut of a local person who knows Pastor Samuel and waited as the drama unfolded around us. What follows is a brief explanation of each.

Village #1: We met on the porch of a woman who, along with her husband, were recently threatened to stop following Jesus. The attackers were armed, and cut her face with a knife, as well as her husband’s arms. They also threatened to return and kill them, but a neighbor called the police and were able to intervene before the attackers could return. A police case was filed, and is now under investigation. The process has actually caused other people in the village to be alerted to the claims of Jesus as they have been amazed at her tenacity and the strength that her faith affords her, and even a few of the initial attackers have come, asked for forgiveness, and begun exploring what it means to follow Jesus. In addition, I also looked over one of Pastor Samuel’s helper’s shoulders and recognized that the content of the Bible study material being used is actually the translated version of the 101 CORE class. When I asked Raj about it, he confirmed that each of the people who were present were proceeding through the 101 CORE class materials and were proceeding toward membership. Here in India, they divide the CORE class materials into 10 – 1 hour lessons rather than doing 1 4 or 5 hour class like we do at GCC.

Village #2: In village #2, we gathered into the hut of a nurse named Susi who also helps Pastor Samuel. She works at a local hospital by day, and helps Samuel at night by conducting Bible studies and…yes, again…CORE class materials in the local village contexts. Two cool things that happened in this village were that Jodi cracked everyone up as she learned to say some Tamil phrases. Believe it or not, she’s surprisingly good at it, and amazed everyone at her intonation and pronunciation with just a few times hearing a phrase. In addition, toward the end of the meeting, several men joined the group, looking a little inquisitive, but rather sheepish, and there was a sudden ripple through the group of mostly women. We learned on the back end that the men who joined us had never been to a Bible study before, and that they were largely comprised of the women in the group’s drunken husbands. Whether the husbands came to see the “odd white people” or just were curious doesn’t really matter. It was a cool moment of “potential” when the women saw their men come in, and the men seemed to feel pretty comfortable as well.

Farm Life...

2007-08-04T02:47:00.001-04:00

Right outside our little rooms here at Samuel’s church, we have some roving “wildlife” I thought you might like to see. First, there are two goats, both of whom are female, and, for the record, both of whom love banana peels! Also, there is a small flock of the longest-legged chickens I’ve ever seen. It’s a specifically indigenous Indian species, I think, and they stand over two feet tall. They could audition for the Chicken version of the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes… or be on the “most wanted” list for KFC.

School's Out!

2007-08-04T02:44:00.000-04:00

After Bible study, we jaunted downtown to grab some bananas and some “sweets” (Raj is very committed to the notion that we will need to try EVERY single kind of dessert or sweet in the country before we leave), and while we were waiting in the car, we noticed a local school was just getting out for the day. Note that at the time of this photo, it was nearly 6 p.m., and the kids usually start around 8 a.m. They also have considerably higher degrees of stringency in regard to subject matter and testing, and from what I can understand, have much higher standards for things like foreign language (many of these kids will speak Tamil, English, and probably Hindi by the time they are 8). I also love the uniforms. Each school has distinctive uniforms, usually typified by specific colors and/or patterns, and as you drive down the street, you can usually identify which kids go to school together simply by the mobs of like-colored dress.

Bible Study with Samuel and the Team...

2007-08-04T02:41:00.000-04:00

The group here includes Pastor Samuel and about 15 of his closest peers. These men and women all are engaged in beginning cell-groups or other ministry, and serve as the “staff” for the church, though most of them are unpaid. We spent about an hour with them, introduced our team and what we are hoping to do, and listened to Raj ham it up with a great Bible study on the Apostle Paul and what made him effective in his ministry.

Take Off Thy Shoes!

2007-08-04T02:39:00.000-04:00

Here in India, you usually take off your shoes before entering someone’s home or especially a building or “holy place”. I just thought that you might like to see this cool photo because while all the shoes are out here… all the people are in church! Imagine what it would look like at GCC if we all took our shoes off before coming in!

GCC -- India Style!

2007-08-04T02:36:00.000-04:00

Samuel is one of the few church planters who have a church facility like this, but his church is strong and he has immense faith. When he asked Raj how big he should build his building, Raj just said casually, “you should consider how big you want your church in the next couple of years? If you want a thousand people, you should build for a thousand people.” So Samuel did. As a result, even though he currently has some 400 members, his auditorium/worship area will easily hold a thousand people.

And want to know what else is cool? He had the engineers design the building so that they could easily “blow the wall out” on the western side when they exceeded a thousand people and mirror the sanctuary for another 1000. I swear, somebody’s been reading GCC’s mail, eh?

Our New Friend, Samuel!

2007-08-04T02:32:00.000-04:00

This is Samuel! As mentioned before, he’s quite an extraordinary young man. His family are all Christ-followers, and he grew up in a Christian home, but has faced many challenges as he has been planting churches in this region. We learned yesterday that many of the people that Samuel has led to Christ have been physically beaten or persecuted afterward, and that Samuel himself has been beaten 3 times for his outgoing gregariousness in telling people about Jesus. Still, he stays strong, and his family backs him up all the way. He has benefited tremendously from partnership with TBL and Raj, and has not only successfully and significantly engaged his immediate area, but other villages as far away as 13 km (about 8 miles) and is currently planting “daughter churches” in the remote (and largely unreached) areas. We are looking forward to spending time with him and visiting the homes of many of the people who have already benefited from his ministry, and also in helping in any way that we can to open doors for him that may have previously been closed.

Kavundampadi… Betcha Can’t Say THAT 5 Times Fast!

2007-08-04T02:29:00.000-04:00

We arrived at our target destination at just after 1 p.m. and met our church planter and friends. The city we’re in is called Kavundampadi, and will serve as a “base of operations” for us. Our church planter’s name is Samuel, and he’s a gentle, but very charismatic young man (he’s still single, ladies! - see next post for photo and details) who is seriously experiencing the blessing of God as plants churches in this region. His current church has some 400 members, and has grown to that size in just over 3 years, and sports a contextualized, culturally relevant worship service (hmmm… what a novel idea! :- ) that has been very attractive for those people in the area.

Apparently, we will sleep at the church, but make little day-treks out to the villages to engage people with whom he’s been working.

Things On the Way: Neem Tree

2007-08-04T02:22:00.000-04:00

We pulled over for another fun Indian treat called a Neem Tree. This is a very famous tree in India, and is both used and grown throughout the country for a variety of purposes. Interestingly, it’s made into both soap and toothpaste here, but Raj instructed that people in the rural villages simply pull off the branches and do the following with it:

* Eat the leaves. Yup, they just chew the leaves and swallow the mixture.

* Brush their teeth with the branches by chewing on the wood. This causes the wood to “fray” and then can be used to brush one’s teeth.

According to Raj, villages that regularly brush with Neem do not experience tooth decay of any kind, or intestinal parasites. This is due to the fact that Neem has high concentrations of a variety of natural chemicals that most troublesome bacteria and worms just don’t find pleasant.

Things on the Way: Elephant!!!

2007-08-04T02:17:00.000-04:00

Here in India, while driving along the road, we suddenly looked up to see an elephant walking down the road. It probably should have had a “wide load” sign on its back end, but the sheer novelty of seeing it caused other motorists enough reason to give it a wide path. This particular elephant’s handler was receiving alms (elephants are sacred animals in India) from passers by, and actually just walked right up to the bus in this photo for some quick cash from the bus’s driver. In addition to being a sacred animal, elephants are used for a variety of “heavy labor” functions as well, including tree trimming, hauling, and excavating.

Things On the Way: Tamarine Plant

2007-08-04T02:10:00.000-04:00

There is a spice called “Tamarine” here in India that grows on government subsidized trees that grow along the road. Raj pulled the car over and got out, and encouraged us to follow along. Then he climbed a tree and plucked several little bundles that look an awful lot like flat peanuts (in their shells) from the branches. After dropping several of them down, he showed us how to “crack” them open and pull out the pulpy fruit inside. It has a large seed, so you can only really scrape the fruity part off with your teeth before spitting the seed out. According to Raj, the tamarine plant is used extensively in Indian cooking, and the government usually collects and auctions off the fruit of these trees on a regular basis. How does it taste? Well, it’s a little sweet, but mostly sour. We thought it was pretty tasty. Well… at least some of us thought it was tasty. Jodi shown here trying one, and then her subsequent reaction to it.

Ready to Rock!

2007-08-04T02:04:00.000-04:00

With the exception of Stephen and Don (who left at 6 a.m. to head to the train station to make their train to Chennai), the rest of the team met downstairs at the Sangam at 8 a.m. after eating a quick breakfast at the Cascade (gear pictured here all ready and loaded up for transit to villages). The TBL staff and planters who were traveling with us gathered in the lobby to meet us, and after a quick prayer, we disbursed with our gear into a small squadron of taxis, cars and SUV’s.

Pictured here as well are several of the team ladies dressed in their new skirts and regalia after our shopping venture on Wednesday night.

Also, as I have been travelling with Jodi, Brandy, Gene, Raj and “The Professor”, what follows for the next several posts will largely focus on that team. When we all gather back again on Sunday from the field, I’ll try to get pictures and stories from each team and post them then.

Quick Note...

2007-08-03T02:36:00.001-04:00

Hey, guys, just wanted to let you know that the dates for the posts here are a little "off". I write the blog posts first and then post them en masse when i get a decent Internet connection. It's Friday, for instance, but all my posts thus far only catch us up to about Wednesday night. I'm having to use Raj's computer to post, and will try to do so more as i get the chance, but trying to draft, post and picture everything while still doing all the visiting and things that we're doing as well makes for a tough trick sometimes. Anyway, thanks for your patience! Know that your prayers are felt, appreciated and powerful here! Know as well that your loved ones over here are doing GREAT!!!

-samurai jack

"The Plan"...

2007-08-03T02:30:00.001-04:00

We returned to the hotel and explained “the plan” for tomorrow. Here’s how it was going to work:
Sub-Team 1: Jodi, Brandy, Gene, Jack
Location: Kavundampadi
Distance from Trichy: 5 hours (west)
Method of travel: car
TBL staff: Rajendran and “The Professor”
Notes: Our church planter contact is an extremely successful pastor, and currently is planting a single church with over 400 members, with other daughter churches and cell groups in development. Most of the current work he does is within villages that surround the church building, and there is a fairly high instance of persecution among the people with whom he works who come to Christ.
Sub-Team 2: Josh, Hayley
Location: Kalavai
Distance from Trichy: 8 hours
Method of travel: car
TBL staff: Prema & Clorinda
Notes: They will be staying in a smaller town, but will make periodic ventures to surrounding villages to assist the church planter with whom they will be working.
Sub-Team 3: Jeanna, Courtney, Allison
Location: Panamarathupatti
Distance from Trichy: 5 hours
Method of travel: car
TBL staff: Aroma & Raj
Notes:
Sub-Team 4: Don, Stephen
Location: Vidaioor
Distance from Trichy: 10 hours
Method of travel: train, then car
TBL staff: Annanraj
Notes: Don & Stephen had to leave the hotel at 6 a.m. to catch their 6:30 train connection. (Later: When I last talked to Stephen, he said that they had reached their destination, but literally had to run with all their gear to catch the train as it was pulling out of the station.)

Fresh Jasmine for Your Hair!

2007-08-03T02:27:00.001-04:00

In India, street vendors will sell strings of fresh Jasmine flowers for ladies to put in their hair. In addition, fresh flowers are just a large part of regular and everyday life. The little guy in this picture was selling Jasmine on the street, and Raj purchased several strings for the ladies of the team to put in their hair. It smells wonderful, and looks pretty too.

No Comment!

2007-08-03T02:25:00.001-04:00

The title of this book is “Do I Look Fat In This?” No further comment necessary. Nor requested.

I've Seen the Signs!

2007-08-03T02:16:00.000-04:00

For some reason, the clothing store had a particularly large assortment of bizarre signs. I took pictures and thought you all might think they were good for a laugh as well.

Trial Room – I’m sure they meant “fitting room”, but I thought “trial room” sounded a little threatening. “I swear, your honor… I really thought I was an extra extra small!”

Nachas or Nachos? – I don’t know what Nachas are, but I’ll be they taste GREAT with Jalepenos and sour cream.

Blouse Bits! – What is that, like clothing shrapnel? Doesn’t sound very friendly.

Silk Cotton? – C’mon, make Up Your Mind! I figure that this is either some sort of hyper-lightweight but extremely soft material… or they just need to give each section its own space.

Shopping for Sari's...

2007-08-03T02:11:00.000-04:00

After stopping at TBL HQ, we set out to do some shopping. Our first priority was to get skirts, saris and salwars (a 2-piece “pants outfit” worn by Indian women in place of a sari) for the ladies of the team, and so we went to a multi-floor department store to see what we could see. Once there, we explored colorful, hand-embroidered skirts, beautiful saris, and prettily patterned salwars (Hayley King shown here looking over the embroidered material of an Indian sari). One interesting thing about Indian “sales tactics” in a large store is that the sales associates will literally pull down “potential garment candidates” by the dozens in the hope that one will hit your particular preferences. Do you like blue? Faster than you can say “bling”, there will be 40 blue saris immediately out of their packaging and sitting in front of you. They do it happily and cordially, and it’s difficult to resist the urge to just “buy something” simply because they expended so much effort to pull everything out. But that’s precisely the point, and so you have to be willing to have a will of steel until you see exactly what you want to see.

After a couple of hours, each of the team’s ladies had enough skirts and other related clothing to last them for the remaining duration of the trip. We also stopped by a couple of souvenir stores to find some fun trinkets to bring home, but by the time we were finished, we were all a little too bushed to climb the 40 gazillion steps of the “Rock Fort Temple”. Maybe when we get back on Sunday or Monday… we’ll see.

Seeing "The Big Board"

2007-08-03T02:10:00.000-04:00

We stopped briefly at the Bible League HQ again so that the team could see the “Big Board”. Our friends are really amazing, and systematically track all the data that relates to their ministry. At any given time, they know how many new contacts have been acquired through church planters and staff, how many people have been led to Christ, how many new churches have been planted, how many CORE class materials have been distributed and taught, how many people have been baptized, how many new cell groups have been established, how many Bibles have been given/placed, and pretty much anything else you might want to know. All that data makes the big board on a monthly basis, and is tracked over a 12 month basis so that totals can be easily tabulated. Pretty cool!

Bet You’ll Never Think of Coconuts the Same Way Ever Again…

2007-08-01T13:37:00.002-04:00

A new friend of mine recently told me that in ancient Hinduism, human sacrifice was often practiced, and that a human’s skull was sometimes split as part of the process. She also said that in light of the fact that such sacrifices are now illegal, many Hindu priests will use a coconut instead. It’s roughly the same size, shape and weight of a human head, and so it is still often split as part of the priestly duties. She also said that in many instances even today, the Hindu priest will color the milky white “coconut milk” inside with red food dye to make it look more like blood once the coconut has been fractured.

I asked Raj about this historical piece of information, and he agreed that it was so. In addition, he said that covertly, even today, whenever anyone builds a bridge or a dam, there will be a small, hollowed out grave at the base where a Hindu priest has been invited (usually under cover of darkness) to sacrifice 2 to 3 humans to ensure that the bridge stays erect of the dam successfully holds back the water.

Nevermore!

2007-08-01T13:37:00.001-04:00

Did you know that Indian crows have gray bodies, but black heads and wings? I saw similar crows in Russia, and am now beginning to wonder if we in the US are the only ones who have “just regular black” crows flying around.

Lunch!!!

2007-08-01T13:36:00.002-04:00

We had a traditional Indian lunch today, and it consisted of the following:

Rice – Yup, white rice is to Indians what bread is to us Americans. They serve it as a “base” for just about everything.

Sambar – Yup, the same “pepper water” from breakfast. It’s really good, albeit a little sharp on the tastebuds. But hey, they don’t call it “pepper water” because it’s bland, right?

Chicken 65 – Yup, they actually do call it “Chicken 65”, even in India! It’s chunk chicken that’s been rubbed with a red mixture of (at least the legend says) 65 different spices to give it a “buffalo” sort of “dry-but-spicy” flavor.

Chicken Curry – Yup, it’s tasty too. It’s “soupy” the way that Campbell’s Chunky Soup is, and you just pour it straight over the rice. Makes eating it with your fingers a little tricky.

Chai Tea – Yup, even in 90 degree weather, the tea is awesome but straight from the boiler.

After eating, you simply retire to the upstairs porch to wash your plate and hands, and then wait for your scalp to stop sweating and your sinuses to re-close after the awesome Indian spices have still lingered on your lips.

Individuals vs. Communities...

2007-08-01T13:36:00.001-04:00

Raj said a lot of brilliant stuff this morning, but one thing in particular that I thought was really great was what follows. He was describing why what we do as GCC church members coming to visit Indian church planters helps them so much in their ministries. However, in the process, I think he also said some great stuff about just the nature of the Body of Christ in general, and a lesson that we can learn from him about how true Community affects both us and those around us.

“Here in India, individuals are not respected… only communities. Many church planters are viewed as ‘operating alone’ or without the backing of any larger group. As such, they are easily dismissed. You see, you can dismiss an individual. But you cannot dismiss a community. And when we come (or GCC teams come), we show the people of the village that the planter is not alone. That alone gives him some instant credibility. But in addition, as Americans, that credibility is increased. You see, Americans are perceived as being very high in status. If Americans are willing to come and recognize this church planter as having something to say, and if this church planter is a part of their community, then he must really be something special and they will then listen to him.”

Let It Roll, Doc!

2007-08-01T13:35:00.000-04:00

Dr. Don did a great job with the morning devotional, and spoke from 1 Kings about the story of Elijah, and Elijah’s hearing the “still small voice of God”. He mentioned how often we want to see God show up in big ways in what we are doing. We want him to crash with thunder, or overturn mountains in a giant earthquake, or split the atmosphere with a great wind, but more often than that, He speaks to us softly and quietly in our own hearts when we seek Him with untainted devotion. We were all encouraged by Don’s reminder, and so were our Indian brothers and sisters!

Worship Indeed!

2007-08-01T13:33:00.000-04:00

One thing about Indians… they know how to worship! We arrived to meet our friends just after 10:30, and they were in full worship mode. Even if it’s in Tamil, the worship experience is felt to the depths of each person’s soul, and expressed aggressively and vehemently through their lips and their actions (click here for a brief sample). We sang, prayed, listened and followed along as best we could for the better part of an hour, and then introduced the team. Afterward, we sang, prayed, listed and followed along as best we could for some more time until Raj introduced Don Wolfram for the morning devotional.

Follow the White Rabbit!

2007-08-01T13:31:00.002-04:00

Okay, here’s something new too (well… at least since the last time I was here). All of a sudden, these nifty little trash receptacles started showing up on street corners and shop entrances. Josh King is posing here next to this cute little bunny-guy with a “Use Me” sign on his little can. Go ahead… you can say it… “awwwww”. Plus, the potential humor of having Josh pose in front of a large white rabbit with “use me” scrawled in English across it’s front is also worth a smirk.

Anyway, we stopped for a quick second to grab some traditional Indian sweets before meeting the TBL staff, and we got to sample a couple before moving on. Mmmm…

All You Can Eat… If You Like Garbage!

2007-08-01T13:30:00.000-04:00

I know I blog about this on every trip, but I just think it’s hilarious. Detail #1: See, here in India, people toss pretty much all their garbage on the ground (paper, plastic, glass, bio, whatever). Detail #2: Also, cattle and other livestock are allowed to simply roam free throughout streets, alleyways, yards, wherever. Sooooo then, if you put detail #1 with detail #2, what you get is herds of cattle that simply gather at trash piles ad hoc and feast on the mounds of garbage that collect by wind or dumping. Having grown up in Arkansas, I’m used to seeing cattle. What I’m usually surprised to see is said bovine creatures munching on a pop-bottle wrapper rather than lime-sprinkled hay. Nevertheless, the cattle don’t seem to complain, and in the long run, the garbage gets… uh… “recycled”.

Human Again!

2007-08-01T13:29:00.000-04:00

Ahhhhh… a good night’s sleep, a hot shower, and a hearty breakfast complete with fresh fruit, toast, cheese omelets, and even some Indian pongol (I call them “Indian grits”) and sambar (“pepper water”) for those of us who wanted it, topped off with Chai Tea and thick, Indian coffee made the team seem and feel human again after all the travel. Then, at 10:00, Raj met us in the hotel lobby to take us to meet the TBL staff members and pastors who are in the area for some morning worship and fun.

In the Villages...

2007-08-01T01:00:00.000-04:00

Hey, all! This is Sami, Jack's wife, posting not from India, but Indiana... : ) Jack was able to call briefly yesterday and let me know that their internet connection went out, so he hadn't been able to post. They were going to leave last night (our time) for the villages and everyone on the team was doing well! He wasn't sure if they would have internet access over the next several days, so if he doesn't post, know that it's just due to a temporary lack of access. He said that the team has thoroughly enjoyed reading your comments!! They should be back to Trichy on Sunday morning, U.S. time, Sunday night, India time!!

Whew! Caught Up...

2007-07-31T23:04:00.000-04:00

Whew! Okay, it’s about 7:15 a.m. here (Wednesday, 8/1) in Trichy and I think I’m finally caught up on the blogging to bring you to where we really “are”. Here’s what we have ahead of us today, though the details might look a little different at the end of the day:

9:00 a.m. – meet for breakfast

“The Cascade” downstairs makes a mean cheese omelet (or, as I learned from Dexter’s Laboratory on Cartoon Network, “Omolette du Fromage” in French – who says you never learn anything from watching cartoons?!)

10:00 a.m. – morning devotions

Don Wolfram will be delivering our morning devotions!

11:45 a.m. – meet TBL staff and facility

We’ll get to see “the board” (click here for previous post on other team that describes) and meet the crew that keep things spinning here in southern India.

1:30 p.m. – lunch
3:00 p.m. - shopping for clothes

There won’t be a lot of time for “souveniring” on the back end, so we’ll not only do a little of that on the front end, but we will also give the ladies a chance to purchase “native” dresswear.

5:30 p.m. – Rock Fort Temple

If you come to Trichy, the Rock Fort is something you just have to see. Click here for explanation from a previous team’s post.

8:30 p.m. – dinner

We’ll probably eat dinner here at the Sangam Hotel again.

10:00 p.m. – crash hard!

Most teams will leave from Trichy at about 8 a.m. to travel to their respective villages. Some are as far away as 10 – 12 hours. Others are more like 4 – 6 hours.

If things continue to go as planned, I should have a chance to blog a bit tonight to recount whether or not that speculation was actually accurate or not, but in the mean time, the team is doing great, adjusting well, and are having a blast!

Thanks again to all of you who continue to pray for us and keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

-sj

Dinner with Raj...

2007-07-31T23:01:00.000-04:00

Raj, Prema and Clarinda all joined us for dinner down in the little “Cascade” restaurant (a little 24 hour coffee shop in the sub-level of the Sangam) for a quick bite of dinner before we dismissed for the evening. Most of the team ordered Schezwan Noodles and rice, of a sort, though some of the more adventurous ordered things like lamb and beans, fish, rice and dahl, etc. We finished off with good ole’ Indian Marsala Tea (Chai Tea) and then headed to bed.

Tiruchirupalli… or Just “Trichy” Will Do, Thank You…

2007-07-31T22:55:00.000-04:00

We landed in Tiruchirupalli (or just “Trichy” for short) just a little after 3:00 p.m. and, after getting our gear, were met by hoards of smiling faces from our friends at TBL. See, it’s traditional in India to greet guests with these beautiful, Hawaiian (of a sort… though have you ever seen one this huge?) liai’s. Each weighs about 3 pounds and is manufactured from fresh rose petals. According to Rajendran (or just “Raj” as we all know and love him), they take about 1.5 – 3 hours to assemble and only cost about $1.50/each. Considering that US roses are about $5/stem, that’s amazingly inexpensive, but let it blow your mind that at even $1.50, that’s still good money for the local craftsmen who make them (remember that most of the world lives on less than $1/day). They smell wonderful, and continue to do so for several days (making hotel rooms seem really pleasant). In addition, a large convoy of Bible League friends were all present to receive us. Then we loaded our gear into the cars and headed for our Trichy place of residence, a lovely hotel called The Sangam.

Featured here in the photos are Gene Ort and Annan Raj (who just goes by "Annan" and helps with translation when GCC teams are in town), then Raj and Annan (see that laugh and smile? It's SO typically Raj! He's just one of the most joyful people you'll ever meet!), and the team assembled around Prema (Raj's wife and co-conspirator in bringing about the Kingdom of God here from Heaven to Earth...or...as we say in India, from "Unga to Inga").

Bangalorious!

2007-07-31T22:52:00.000-04:00

After taking off from Bombay on our lovely new Kingfisher Airlines airbus, we landed for a quick stop-over in a nice little town called Bangalore. There, we were met by several Bible League friends who had driven some 4 hours from Chennai just to hang out with us (for about 30 minutes) before we took off to head to our final destination in Trichy. Two of our friends (Solomon and Streeter) are recently married, and so we got to hear a little bit about their engagements and weddings, and how happy they are to finally be “hitched” (it’s a big deal in India … wedding feasts go on for more than a week… whoa!). We also spent some time with Immanuel on some GCC/TBL “business” related items, and our friends Yanashaker (we all call him “Shaker”) and Jibarosh (he’s a “premier wheel man” and drives regularly for TBL in their various cross-country ventures). The time really was way too short, and we all left well loved and well encouraged after our brief time with our friends!

Childhood Fancies...

2007-07-31T14:24:00.000-04:00

Okay, no one is going to care about this but me… but I couldn’t NOT put it in the posts just because of it’s freakin’ overdrive coolness. While sitting in the little holding area for Kingfisher Airlines, I caught a glimpse of something sleek and powerful out of the corner of my eye. No, it wasn’t Stephen Hinkel. Nice try, though. No, actually, it blasted past the outside window with a “BOOM!” and a blur that I only caught as I rocketed over to the edge to see if I could see. But, short of a rapidly disappearing set of twin jet engines and single tail stabilizer, didn’t get enough of the silhouette to make it out. “Mig-23, I thought? What would something like THAT be doing here?” Then I realized that I had completely forgotten that like many countries (including the US for some things), conventional airports actually double as air bases for the nation’s military. Now, since India has one of the premier air-forces on the planet (yup… if you didn’t know that, you can check me… it’s true), and since we were at Bombay International Airport, you’d think I would have guessed that we might see some cool hardware just… I dunno… lying around, but I didn’t.

Then, we loaded onto the little Kingfisher tram that was to take us out to our Airbus A320 “puddle jumper” (though it’s still a jet, so the “jumping” happens pretty fast) to Bangalore (our next waypoint on the journey to “Trichy”), and on the way, as we turned a corner, I felt a surging rush of recognition. “That’s a SEPECAT Jaguar!” I beamed! And sure enough, it was. Sitting less than 25 yards from our little tram stop, just being fueled and readied for takeoff was a familiar, streamlined shape from my childhood fantasies (hey, most kids fantasize about being professional athletes… I fantasized about being a fighter pilot… or a ninja… it was a toss-up most days). Then we turned another corner and a Su-27 (one of the Sukhoi’s advanced next-gen fighter aircraft – but not as next gen as the new Su-33, mind you!) sat just another 100 yards or so away.

I’m sure I looked like one of the monkeys from 2001, jumping and hooting on the little airport tram and pointing and shouting and spewing nonsense about operational parameters and weapons loadouts, but we have a great team and they just sort of humored me. Want to know what was really kind of funny, though? The picture attached here are NOT of the actual aircraft we saw today. Want to know why not? When we tried to get said photos, airport officials very quickly and very sternly warned us that photographs were not allowed. Bummer!

Think GCC... But At 45,000 Feet...

2007-07-31T14:23:00.000-04:00

Okay, so we’ve just quite simply had an amazing set of surprises as far as carriers go for this trip. As already mentioned in a previous post, Air India was great. I would have wondered how it would have been possible to top that short of Singapore Air or maybe Silk Air (one of Singapore Air’s co-chairs), but when we boarded the Kingfisher Airlines Airbus A320, there was something vaguely familiar about it. Everyone from the attendants to the ground staff smiled happily at us as we hauled our bedraggled forms across the tarmac (were they really that glad to see us?). Each lady was dressed in an East/West fusion attire that was simultaneously professional but pushed the edge considerably over the traditional Indian saris or “punjabs”, sporting instead deep red slacks suits or skirt suits of the same design and material. The men were dressed crisply in white button downs and seemed to know exactly what they were doing. Then they pleasantly helped us to find our seats and get our gear stowed in the appropriate places. There was a little present waiting for us when we sat down, and we were immediately showered with “sweet lime” (an Indian traditional… and tasty… beverage) and more smiles from the crew. The video safety presentation was state-of-the-art, with nifty computer graphics and even individual displays for each seat/passenger (keep in mind… this is a 55 minute flight… 55 MINUTES… you see where I’m going with this?). The meal was…well… great! No, seriously. It was really good. As in “I might actually eat this if I weren’t just on an airplane” kind of tasty. The flight crew arrived with a feather-soft landing and a kind word of gratitude about our choice to fly with Kingfisher. We disembarked amidst more smiles and greetings, and were sent merrily on our ways to our next point of [ad]venture. From start to finish, the entire experience spoke of an excellence and intentionality and attentiveness to detail that seemed more than just a little familiar.

And yet, it continued to bug me… where had we seen this before? Oh yeah… duh… we go to a church just like that! A place where excellence matters, people matter, and all that goes into both of those things are matter as well. Now we just need to see if Kingfisher will let us pipe weekend services into the nifty display monitors during flight. Hey, it’s already pre-set to 55 minutes!

Just Add Fatigue...

2007-07-31T14:16:00.001-04:00

See what I mean? It’s a simple recipe, really. I call this my “GCC India Team Soufflé”. First, add 11 team members, 36 hours of straight travel, 2 extended (and preferably superfluous) layovers in strange airports. Whip team members until suitably beaten to a zombie-esque sludge. Then sprinkle several dashes of airport terminal sprints (get it… “dashes”?), a healthy dose of frisking from airport security officials, and then bake at 85 degrees with 95% humidity for at least 8 hours. Finish off with the promise of comfy couches, and this, my friends, is what you get! Voila!

Finally!

2007-07-31T12:45:00.000-04:00

About 7 a.m., we were finally able to check in at the counter and get our bags all set to go. This meant that we would be able to go through security and to the beautifully reclined sleeping benches I knew awaited us on the other side. Featured here are Jodi Wagonmaker as she checks her bags with the Kingfisher agents, and then the team on the other side of Security as it preps for the entrance to the much anticipated “Promised Land of Recumbent Couches”.

Denied!

2007-07-31T10:32:00.001-04:00

Alas, no dice on the comfy loungers! Apparently, the x-ray machines didn’t kick on till 4 (no problem… we waited), but you can’t actually check in for your flight until two hours before it leaves. For us, that meant that we needed to find solace in the non-reclinable waiting chairs and try to get comfy for the next 3 hours. To make matters a little more easily manageable, we found an open currency exchange and then stopped at a snack kiosk to purchase “rations” of a sort. Want to know what we found? Water, of course. Whoof… lugging all that luggage (now I know why they call it “luggage”) is thirsty work, especially when you consider the heat and humidity, and so a little H20 was a welcome refreshment. But that’s not all! A little Lipton Marsala Chai (i.e. what most people think of as “Chai Tea”) was also open, so we did short-cups all around for the team. Gene Ort and Jodi Wagonmaker are featured here daintily sipping Marsala Chai while kicking back and waiting out the…um… wait. But the strangest of all things we found in a little snack kiosk (believe it or not) were Pringles! Yup, Pringles. Ranch, Jalepeno and “Stuffed Baked Potatoe” flavors were all available. I think most of us like Pringles anyway, but THESE tasted particularly good! Pringles… wow… now THAT’s some serious international marketing!

“Finding Kingfisher”… Sounds Like a Great Title for an Epic Movie, eh?

2007-07-31T10:25:00.000-04:00

Kind of like “Finding Forester” or “Finding Neverland” or… heck… “Finding Nemo”… except after traveling on a plane rather than water, dodging delays in Customs rather than benevolent sharks, and trying to find our next flight connection to Bangalore rather than our lost father who now resides in a dentist’s aquarium. Anyway, we finally DID make it to the Domestic Terminal, and we finally DID make it to the security check point for Kingfisher Air. And believe it or not, Bombay Airport isn’t THAT busy at 3:30 a.m., so we just plopped our gear down and waited for the x-ray machine attendants to notice our presence and kick that puppy into gear. Why the rush, you ask? Because having been in Bombay Airport before, I knew that if we could get on the other side of the ticket check-in, they would usher us down to the boarding terminals where there are comfy reclining lounge-chairs where we can snooze out our remaining 6 hour layover in quiet and peaceful slumber.

In Case You Were Wondering, Purgatory Is In Bombay.

2007-07-31T10:22:00.000-04:00

So we made it through Customs just fine, but because our connecting flight with Kingfisher Air is a domestic flight rather than another international connector, we had to then find a way to the “Domestic Terminal”. Problem: we didn’t actually have “real” tickets for Kingfisher, just e-tickets, which puzzled the airport official who was trying to herd us to no end. “No tickets?” he would say incredulously, “you know… like on paper?” “Nope…” I would just say and tried to look helpless enough that he would take pity on us, but confident enough to not think he could take us for a rid (that’s a real trick… try it!). After a few minutes, he finally just directed us to a “holding area” off to the side somewhere. Since there was no posted schedule for any bus or tram to take passengers to the Domestic Terminal, and since no one else in the little room spoke English, we all just parked our gear and waited for what seemed an eternity before a little guy showed up and announced that the tram had arrived. In retrospect, we probably only spent 15 minutes in the “holding area”, but when you’re not sure if/whether/when you may ever get to leave it, that can seem like a REALLY long time. I kept having flash-backs to my Catholic upbringing and wondering if this is what Purgatory might feel like.

Touch Down! And I'm Not Talkin' 'bout the Irish!

2007-07-31T10:21:00.000-04:00

We “touched down” at just after 2 a.m. local time here in Bombay, and after a quick “de-plane, de-plane!” (sorry… now I can’t stop!), headed for Customs amidst 85 degree, 90% humidity (yep, even at 2 a.m.)! While we all agreed that we’re a little groggy and ready to be in Trichy, the team has been holding up well and maintaining an exemplary state of high morale! Go team!

Travel Phobia #162: "The Landing Card"

2007-07-31T10:20:00.001-04:00

One of the things you have to fill out before you can land in India is a little document that they call a “landing card”. I’m not sure what purpose it serves, in reality, but it gives you something to panic about in the last few minutes before landing. It’s standard information: name, passport number, visa number, best time for telemarketers to call you… (gotcha on that last one!), etc., and once you hand it to the friendlies at the Customs Counter, you never have to see it again. But want to know what’s weird? Every time I come to India, the airline always runs short of landing cards. So the pressure mounts really quickly. It’s a government document, so you’d better not screw it up… oh, and there are no more in case you do. No pressure! They just might not let you in the country if you fill it out wrong, though. NO pressure! Not to mention that they ask you questions that require some space, but then don’t give you any room to write it. NO PRESSURE!!!! AAAAAAGH! Seriously, though, we all made it through just fine. No incidents, and even if you messed one up, they have plenty more when you land. I just think that it’s a little unfair to throw that at people after they’ve been on a plane for what is quite nearly a straight 20 hours.

It’s Like a Hamster Wheel… but on a Half-Mile Track…

2007-07-31T10:17:00.000-04:00

Okay, so get this… we land at London’s Heathrow Airport and are told that we have to “de-plane” (which always makes me thing of the old serial show “Fantasy Island” with the little guy – Tattoo – shouting to Mr. Rorke whenever he would see “de plane! De plane, buss!” soaring overhead… but that’s just me), even though we were going to take the same plane and the same flight from London to Bombay. I mean, in the “old days”, you could just stay on the plane, but no more, apparently, so we all obediently “de-planed” (“Buss!”) and began what could only be described as a rather surreal sprint through Heathrow, security, long corridors, moving sidewalks, long lines, escalators, stairs, up-ramps, down-ramps, and then more security in an hour long dash to arrive at… yup… the same plane we just left. We even sat in our “original seats”… go figure. Oh well, maybe, if nothing else, we all got some exercise before our 10 hour flight to Bombay.

Air India... Two Thumbs Up! Seriously!

2007-07-31T10:11:00.000-04:00

Okay, I’m a pretty harsh critic when it comes to international travel… really. I mean, I can handle being herded cattle-car-style and hunker down for the long haul if I have to, but really… no one simply relishes such for the fun of it. And I was HIGHLY suspect of flying Air India, but since their rates were so much more competitive than British Airways, Lufthansa, United, Air France, or… well… everyone else, we decided to give them a shot. For my money, I sort of do this “how close do they get to Singapore Air?” scale in my head as we get on the plane (Hey, Singapore Air made me want to see if I could permanently relocate my family to a 747 operated under their care just because everything was perfect the entire time… ask me about it sometime… I brag on them!). If the attendants smell nice, smile nicely and greet us pleasantly when we board, then they get 1 point. If the aircraft is new and appears to have been cleaned in the recent past (spending 18 hours sitting on a cushion that some guy my size already spent 18 hours sitting on the day before doesn’t conjure images of sanitation and sterility), that’s another 1 point. If the aircraft (and this is a big one) has “individual monitors” for movie watching, that’s 3 points! Remote controls in the arm-rests is another 1 point, individual options and choices that include arcade games is another 2 points (Josh King shown here playing some sort of Ferrari simulator video game that, despite it’s “no turns lame-ness” still seemed to capture his attention for a little while). Food? Well, that’s up to 3 points. If it looks like someone microwaved a Lean Cuisine before takeoff and then splatted into a serving tray, that’s 0 points. If it’s warm and not wilted, that’s 1 point. If it’s actually edible, that’s another 1 point, and if it’s actually tasty, that’s a final 1 point. (Air

India

actually called our buddy, DiAnn Reamer with Theran Travel to inquire ahead of time as to our team’s dining preferences, and the resulting chicken actually wasn’t half bad). Next to last is the frequency of service from the trolley. “I only come by once per flight, whether it’s 18 hours or not” will yield 0 points. “Is there anything I can get you ever?” will yield 1 point, and, “Please, just take the whole bottle of water… we have plenty!” will win 2 points. Finally, there’s the bathroom. Close, confined, poorly ventilated and infrequently cleaned in-flight yields no points. Attendants personally taking initiative to wipe the bathrooms down periodically yields 3 points. All in all, that’s a total of 16 points, and Singapore Air is the only carrier in my experience to get a perfect score… so the standard is set pretty high. Surprisingly, however, Air India scored at least a 13, with only minor points taken away mainly in the “Bathroom” category, but there were lots of people on the plane, and most of the people didn’t know to stuff used paper towels into the little “garbage cubby” and just left them on the counter for the next user. Eeew! But again, not really Air India’s fault. All in all, Air India gets two enthusiastic thumbs up from yours truly, and we’ll most certainly be flying them again for future teams.

The Team Has Arrived!

2007-07-31T08:03:00.000-04:00

The team safely arrived at their destination early this morning! They've checked into their hotel and are catching up on some lost sleep for a few hours! Later today they will meet up with their Indian friends, do a little shopping in preparation for the next couple of days, do some sightseeing and share an evening meal! Jack will catch up with the blog shortly after they catch on some much-needed sleep!!

Radio Silent...

2007-07-29T21:21:00.000-04:00

Allrighty then... it's now 8:25 and i'm going "radio silent" for the next 8 hours as we load up to make our first leg of the journey. According to our current flight details, we'll make a quick stop over in London (for about 2 hours) before re-loading and setting out for Bombay. If everything works as planned, i should be able to get a quick connection in Heathrow, and will post again then.

If that doesn't work, however... well... we'll catch up in Bombay.

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers! Any comments that you would like to relay will be happily passed along on to the team!

Shinken!
-samurai jack

Postum Securitum...

2007-07-29T21:11:00.000-04:00

Security was a little more of an "issue" than it normally is, but i';ll attribute that largely to the fact that the crew who was checking us in had apparently missed their break periods and been passed over... twice. Needless to say, they were a little grouchy, but after a lengthy dissertation on the intricacies of the new "3-1-1" Security Rule (i.e. you can only have 3 oz bottles in a 1 quart bag, and it's 1 such bag per person) and an explanation that we were all on our way to India where we would need more than 3-1-1 for 10 days, they begrudgingly let us through.

Featured here in this picture are Jeanna, Allison, Courtney and Jodi, each attempting to engage their relative spaces of temporary nirvana before being called to board the plane at 8:30.

Time Flies... But the Shuttle Flies Faster...

2007-07-29T21:06:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Dan K, we blistered through time and space to make it to O'Hare in just over 3 hours (pretty good when you consider the gridlock that we hit after jumping the Skyway bridge) and dropped off successfully at the International Terminal by the curb of Air India's check-in counter.

Assembled and Ready!

2007-07-29T21:02:00.000-04:00

At 4:00 p.m. sharp, the team assembled amidst considerable fanfare from a massive group of friends, family and former team members! After a round of prayer and the loading of all the gear, we successfully counted off and loaded the GCC shuttles to begin our journey to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

Special thanks to Dan and Karen Kagarise, who drove us to the airport and negotiated all the Chicago traffic, and who will also be picking us back up when we land.

Thanks as well for all of you who will be joining us on the blog throughout this journey! Your thoughts and prayers mean so much already, and we look forward to keeping you posted!

Feeling All "Indiana" Yet?

2007-07-26T14:51:00.000-04:00

Crew! We're getting down to the wire on prep for leaving for India, and by now, you should be feeling like quite the adventurer setting out on a fantastic expedition! A couple of quick notes that you'll want to make sure you pay attention to in these last hours before we depart:

* If you would like to pick up your team binder before Sunday, you can drop in to our offices here at GCC and grab one. They'll be back in Jeanna and I's office (where all my Samurai gear is) until Saturday evening, after which time you'll just have to wait until Sunday afternoon when Jeanna brings whatever is left with her to the United Limo terminal.

* We have our paper tickets in hand, but won't distribute them to you until Sunday when we meet at the terminal. These aren't "e-tickets", and when you get them, you'll want to hang on to them. The deal with paper tickets and Air India is, "no ticket, no plane ride".

* Get plenty of rest! I say sleep all you can in the next couple of days and try not to panic too much about packing and other travel-related details. Your body will both need and want to draw on any reservoirs of rest that it can over the next 10 days, so "stock up" all you can beforehand.

* Drink plenty of water! Like the sleep issue, try to hydrate as much as you can starting now, and lay off as much of the junk food as you can as well. You want your systems to be in peak condition, so try not to make them unhappy by pouring two quarts of Ben & Jerry's down your throat (no matter how tempting that may be) on Saturday night.

* Pray! Remember to pray for your church planter partners to whom we will be going to serve. They are preparing for you just as much as you are preparing for them, and customizing your thoughts as much as possible to praying for them and their ministries is a great way to take your eyes off of yourself and remember why we're really going on this trip!

* Don't forget your felt fedora. But make sure to leave your bullwhip in your "checked" luggage and not your "carry on". Heh-heh...

-sj

Your Steed Awaits... Psyche!

2007-07-26T14:27:00.000-04:00

Crew! Hey, need to let you know ASAP about a change in our departure schedule (hey... get used it... remember, flexibility will do you well in India, young grasshopper...). Our ability to take a GCC shuttle fell through at the last minute today and so we quickly found another solution to getting to O'Hare airport.

Rather than renting a fleet of minivans or some other option, we worked out a deal with United Limo to get us and our gear to O'Hare without too much variation time-wise in our schedule. As a result, we'll be taking an air conditioned motor coach (erm... no... it doesn't look like the one in the picture here, alas!) that can haul of us and our stuff, but the only differences are as follows:

* We will need to leave from the United Limo terminal rather than GCC. The terminal is located at 3025 N Home St, Mishawaka, IN (phone, if you need it, is 574.255.3068). Click here if you would like to link to a Google Maps set of driving directions from GCC.

* The bus leaves at 3:50 p.m. As a result, we'll need to meet at the terminal at 3:00 p.m. instead of GCC at 4:00 p.m. Hopefully, that doesn't cause any of you any difficulty, but please let me know if it does.

-sj

Calling All Trailblazers....

2007-07-26T13:31:00.000-04:00

Crew! We now have dates for the "debrief" section of our team that will take place after we return. Dr. Ron Craker has already confirmed that he will be available to facilitate both sessions, and so, as we have consistently mentioned, if you're up for being a "trail blazer" and helping us to prototype something that we will make mandatory for following teams, here is the information and details that you will want to make sure you log into your calendar:

Session #1: Monday, August 13th - 6 - 8:30 p.m.
* Most likely, this will be in the Jungle Room, just as all of our previous training has been.
* We will discuss the nature and details associated with the "Re-entry process", and check in to see how we're all doing.
* We will begin to work through the "Jack's List" of questions that we compile while on the field (i.e. the "Why do they do this?" or "What does God think about that?" kinds of questions).
* An assortment of other details, emotions and experiences that each of you will experience upon re-entry and integration once home.

Session #2: Monday, August 20th - 6 - 8:30 p.m.
* Again, most likely, this will be in the Jungle Room, just as all of our previous training has been.
* The focal point of this training will be working through the question: "Where do we go from here?" Now that you've been to India and are back home, what do you do with the experience and information garnered from the trip?

Again, this isn't "mandatory", but we would really value your participation and feed-back so that we can serve you better as well as subsequent teams.

-sj

India for a Day: "Little India" Trip Highlights...

2007-07-25T10:29:00.001-04:00

On Saturday, July 21st, the team spent a day in Chicago's "Little India" with our ministry partners and friends at the South Asian Friendship Center (click here for SAFC's official web site) learning more about Indian culture, and having an opportunity to see a little glimpse of India first hand before departing for the field.

After negotiating Chicago traffic, we arrived at the SAFC to be greeted by Mark Engle, the Center's Director. Over a customary cup of Indian Chai Tea, Mark answered basic questions about the Center, and also told us the story of Little India and how most people come to reside there from their home countries (most often Pakistan and India). Mark then introduced us to Sunita (shown here in this photo along with Mark), one of the Center's other treasures and an amazing lady with a deep passion for Jesus and reaching her own people. Sunita grew up in India and immigrated to the US some twenty years ago, where she met Christ and has continued to grow in her faith. Through our interaction with Sunita, we gained considerable insight into how Indian culture values family, hospitality and loyalty, and how those things play out in the individual lives of Indians both in their own "home" context of India as well as here in the US.

Lunch at a great Indian restaurant (that seemed to specialize in Southern Indian cuisine) followed our formal time with Mark and Sunita, and they both joined us over dishes of dosa (a crispy giant "pancake" stuffed with a potato-based paste), sambar (Indian "pepper water" -- a delightfully flavorful soup mixture into which flat bread or other dishes are dipped), coconut chutney, and breaded onion. Interestingly, restaurant owners had managed to pipe Indian music videos onto flat screen TV's throughout the restaurant, and the Indian flavors combined with Indian music, sights and sounds all combined to give a surprisingly accurate foretaste of Indian culture.

After lunch, the team dispersed in teams onto Devon Street for a one-hour cultural scavenger hunt supplied and coordinated by the SAFC. Items on the list included entering a clothing shop and trying on a Sari or Salwar, finding books or materials written in other languages (Hindi, Farsi, Telegu, Tamil and Arabic text books abound on Devon St), buying and trying some other Indian foods, asking Indian shop owners about their lives, and exploring Indian produce, clothing and jewelry markets.

Following the scavenger hunt, Mark answered some final questions about what we had seen and experienced, and then offered a word of prayer for the team and its success in the field. We then loaded up and returned back to GCC, arriving just in time for the 7:30 p.m. Saturday evening service.

Schedule Basics...

2007-07-25T10:17:00.000-04:00

Crew! Below is a tentative schedule for our time in India. Please remember that "Flexibility" and "Adaptability" are the two biggest keys to enjoying your experience, and what follows below could change substantially by the time we get there, or even during. Nevertheless, what follows is at least a fairly general and similar schedule to what we have done in the past.

7/29 - Departure

Meet at GCC
Pray with past India Team members
Travel to Chicago O'Hare

7/31 – Arrival

Arrival and getting settled at the hotel
Rock Fort Temple in Trichy
Dinner with Raj (either at hotel restaurant or other local)

8/1 – Orientation/briefing

Morning devotions
Meet TBL Trichy staff and see TBL offices
Cultural orientation with Raj and prep for villages
Travel to town to acquire Saris or Salwars at a local clothing shop

8/2 – 8/4 Travel to village/Village

Travel to villages
Meet and edify church planters

8/5 – Village/Travel from village

Attend Sunday morning worship with church planters
Travel back to Trichy from village

8/6 – Debrief/sightsee in Trichy/Depart

Debrief with team
Final sight-seeing/shopping
Leave for airport

8/7 - Arrive back in US

No Sherpas Allowed...

2007-07-25T09:31:00.000-04:00

Crew!

By now, you're probably in the full stages of packing, and you're probably wondering how possible it would be to hire your own personal Sherpa (like the guy in the picture here) to help you carry your gear. But alas, there are no Sherpas for this trip, so you'll want to remember my instructions from Monday night about how to pack:

* Einstein's Theory of "Packativity": Remember what Einstein said, "Make everything as simple as possible... but no simpler."

* "Shibumi": The concept of "restrained elegance" to the Samurai of Feudal Japan caused them to peel away whatever was unnecessary in order to allow the beauty of what remains to be evident.

* Light and Tight: The tighter you can roll your gear, the more space you will save. The lighter you can buy or pack, the better.

* Klingon Biology: Our friends from Star Trek have redundant vital organs. You should too. Split up your gear so that if your checked luggage accidentally ends up in Dubai, you're still not completely without functionality. For my part, i split toiletries, a spare change of clothes, and extra food between my carry on and checked gear.

In addition, you can see my packing list by clicking here (note: it's in Microsoft XL format, so if you can't open it, please let me know and we can send it to you in another file type).

If you want to see Mark Beeson's "sweet rig" that i mentioned on Monday, you can go to Kifaru's web site by clicking here. Again, you probably don't want to purchase any of this stuff for this trip... but if you want to see what just how sophisticated you can get with the whole packing thing, this is a pretty good glimpse.

It's Like a Flight Simulator... But for Culture...

2007-07-18T13:17:00.000-04:00

Crew!

Usually, before you stick a pilot in the cockpit of anything, you give them a chance to try out their skills in a "friendly" environment where they can spread their wings (bah-dum-bum!) without worrying about falling out of the sky. We'll be doing the same thing (but with Indian culture instead of behind the stick of a jet) on our trip to Little India in Chicago on Saturday morning (7/21) at 7:30 a.m. Please be here no later than 7:15 a.m. so that we can make sure we're all set to go and can be on time for our day's activities.

If you're curious about what will take place, here is a quick schedule:

7:30 (EST) - 9:30 (CST) - Travel to Chicago
Note: Chicago is an hour behind time-wise, so all times are listed denote their zone. EST = Indiana Time (Eastern Standard Time) or CST = Chicago Time (Central Standard Time).

9:30 (CST) - 10:00 (CST) - Arrive at SAFC and orientation
The SAFC operates right in the middle of "Little India" on Devon Ave, and opens doors of discussion about Jesus through love, service and compassion to both Indian and Pakistani people who have migrated to the United States. We'll get a tour of their facility, as well as some information on their mission, vision and values. Mark Engel will be our primary contact there, and has arranged to spend a good bit of time with us for the day.

10:00 (CST) - 11:45 (CST) - Time with Sunita
Sunita is an amazing lady and most of our past teams have verbalized a high degree of gratitude after spending any length of time with her. She is an on-staff pastor with the SAFC, grew up in a Muslim environment, and has a helpful perspective on the beauty and complexity of Indian culture. We'll have lots of time for Q&A as well, and we'll want to be able to maximize our time with her.

11:45 (CST) - 1:00 (CST) - Lunch!
Now that you're all pro's at eating Indian food and doing so with your hands rather than forks and spoons, you'll have the opportunity to get a little more practice as we eat lunch at an authentic Indian food restaurant in Little India. It'll be fun for you to notice the differences in spices and flavors (we'll be eating South Indian cuisine rather than the more Northern Indian food we at at Star of India), so pay special attention to the taste as well as the consistency.

1:00 (CST) - 2:30 (CST) - Scavenger Hunt!
SAFC is great at giving "hands on" cultural training, and one of the things we have historically enjoyed is the opportunity to do a "Cultural Scavenger Hunt". Basically, we will break into teams and then they will give each team a list of things to do or find on Devon Ave.

2:30 - 3:30 - Debrief
Mark will spend the final hour with us debriefing what we've seen and done during the day, and will help us to answer any cultural questions we might have.

3:30 (CST) - Leave for GCC
While the team is debriefing with Mark, i'll be picking up pizza to eat on the return home. Yes, it's not the best "road food", but the options are a little limited restaurant-wise, and we'll want to eat on the go so as to avoid Chicago 5 pm traffic if we can.

7:30 (EST) - Arrive Home
At this point, we anticipate being home around 7:30, but that will also depend greatly on how much time and effort it takes to negotiate traffic on the way.

Sleep Simulation: They Rocked!!!

2007-07-16T11:41:00.001-04:00

"And what," you may ask, "did they exactly do during the sleep simulation?" Well, they didn't sleep much, i can tell you that. Comments on Saturday morning after sleeping on the floor Friday night ranged from "I feel pretty good, actually." to "Other than being a little stiff and waking up several times, i'm still doing better than i expected." Both were great places to start as the team trundled into the Community Center on Saturday morning to report to work. Those who participated were:

* Jodi Wagonmaker
* Brandy Huff
* Stephen Hinkel
* Allison Risser
* Gene Ort

What follows is a brief overview of how the simulation went after arrival.

7:00 a.m. - We did a brief intro and tour of the Community Center and the vision for what will be accomplished there. We also had some Krispy Kreme donuts present to provide some calories for the energy that would be expended. The team also acquired the necessary work gloves, masks and safety glasses they would be using for the day.

Shortly after the tour, Dan Blacketor recruited us to begin the "gutting" process at the newly acquired former "Dee Ken's Bar" space, and the team jumped in enthusiastically. Initial jobs included the removal of the lath and plaster ceiling, the removal of debris from the basement, and the loading of 4 industrial dumpsters in the alleyways. In the process, the team discovered some lovely "souvenirs" such as this "Ladies" sign that formerly occupied a spot atop the women's bathroom door.

Around 9:00 a.m. teams from 2nd Saturday arrived on 3 buses and provided additional labor reinforcement and a solid infusion of fun.

10:30 a.m. - During a brief break, the team admitted that while they were all a little stiff at start, the hard work was "working out the kinks" and they were all feeling pretty good.

noon - 2nd Saturday teams left around 11:30 a.m. and the team broke for lunch shortly thereafter. Lunch consisted of pizza from Barnaby's restaurant, as well as a few leftover Krispy Kremes.

2:00 p.m. - After lunch, the team set about joining the rest of the construction Team on the roof, and pulled off nearly 2" of rock, wood and other debris to make ready for the new roof that will be going in sometime in the next couple of weeks. At 2:00 p.m., team members were dismissed to run home and get a quick shower before heading back to GCC to meet and attend the 5:30 p.m. service.

5:15 p.m. - Meeting in the Atrium at 5:15 p.m. shortly before service, the team was in great spirits, but admitting some fatigue from the day's work coupled with the sleeping arrangements from the previous evening. Jodi joked that we might have to nudge her to keep her awake, but nothing of the sort was necessary as the team enjoyed the opportunity to hang out, relax and enjoy worshiping together.

Saturday night - After service, everyone departed for their respective homes with instructions to sleep on the floor again, and then "pay particular attention to how you feel on Sunday morning".

Sunday morning? - We'll share this evening during our next team training how each team member felt after engaging the sleep simulation, and i will record our findings in the comments on this post.

Reflections: Elaine Bader

2007-07-12T11:12:00.001-04:00

It’s hard for me to imagine that anyone who visits India would ever come back to their Home Land the same. While on an India Mission Trip in 2006 to help build homes and the Kingdom, not only was I changed, but it transformed the way I see our Lord and how he has created our Earth and all who inhabit it. When I first arrived the nationals all seemed so foreign and different, but it did not take long for me to realize that they were just like us, made in the image of God. They loved their children, worked and prepared meals and experienced heart ache and joy just as we all do. I will always hold dear the friends and the memories that were made in India. The smiles will forever burn in my mind and heart. I was in awe of everything I saw, everyone I met and all that we did. From building homes, praising Jesus with the church planters and eating food very unique to my pallet, I could not soak it up fast enough. I wanted every new experience to play in slow motion so I could savor the moments.

My favorite memories are that of the children and their warm bright big smiles. The children would run up to us with tiny little pencils and a small note book and ask us for our autographs. We would write our names down and beside our autograph we would write “Jesus loves you” with a cross or a fish symbol. The kids would jump up and down with delight. Each time a child jumped for joy I prayed they would jump for Jesus someday and not for the autographs.

While the joy is there with those children my sadness and sorrow is with those who were starving and begging on the streets. The severity of poverty in India is something I had never seen before. The ache of not being able to help them all immediately was hard to bare. I find comfort in my prayers for the hurting and impoverished and believe that God is helping us make a difference.

The change I experienced manifests itself in my day to day life and my world perspective. I pray that the God will continue to bless our efforts in India. I hope that anyone who visits India will help others grow closer to the Lord by their love for the people that surround them.

Sleep Simulation: Don't Worry... It Won't Kill You!

2007-07-11T12:50:00.000-04:00

Crew! For those of you who will be participating in the Sleep Simulation this weekend, here are the basic details:

Friday, July 13
* Simply find a place in your house where the floor looks comfortable. It's fine if it's carpet, linoleum, or whatever looks good to you.
* Feel free to bring blankets, covers, whatever you might need to keep you comfy, but don't haul your mattress to the floor.
* The goal here is not to make you miserable, but rather to let your body know how it feels to sleep on a less comfortable surface than what you're used to. Even if you're quite comfy, you'll still feel a little different in the morning.
* Note: I'd recommend not staying up as late as you can for obvious reasons. Try to get a decent night's sleep if you can.

Saturday, July 14th
* Arrive at the Monroe Circle Community Center (MC3) at 7:00 a.m. I'll be there to greet you.
* If you don't know how to get to MC3, you can follow these directions, or click here for Google Maps directions from GCC:

Travel South on Main Street from GCC
Turn right at Douglas Road
Turn left onto IN23 (which turns into South Bend Ave)
Turn left at Hill
Turn right onto Colfax
Turn left onto Main Street
Turn right onto Western Ave

* When you get there, you can park across the street at Fred's Transmission's parking lot. Just please be careful to park along the northwest edge (near the trees) so that we don't take up their good customer parking spaces.
* The Construction Team and team leaders have already been prepped in regard to your arrival, so will have lots of stuff for us to do and will attempt to keep us fully engaged. Again, the point is not to make you miserable, but you should really attempt to work hard if you're going to get the full effect of the simulation.
* After 2nd Saturday teams leave around 11:30, the Construction team will provide lunch (usually Barnaby's or Jimmy John's), so you won't need to worry about bringing a lunch.
* After lunch, you'll work until 2:00 p.m., and then be dismissed to head home for a couple of hours.
* Report back to the GCC Atrium for the 5:30 p.m. service. Again, i'll be waiting for you in the Atrium, and we will all sit together during service.
* After service, you will be dismissed for the evening to return home.
* When you go to sleep on Saturday evening, repeat the drill from Friday night. Sleep on the floor in the same fashion.

Sunday, July 15th
Pay particular attention to how you feel when you wake up on Sunday morning. This is a pretty good indicator as to how you will feel on a regular basis in India. We'll ask you how you felt during training on Monday night, so please be prepared to share.

17 Days and Counting... Ah-ah-ah!!!

2007-07-11T10:31:00.000-04:00

Crew! Can you believe it? In just a little over 2 weeks, we'll be on our way to INDIA!!! These next 17 days will be pretty intense as you prepare, so i wanted to give you another quick outline of what's coming up next so that you will be suitably reminded and informed:

Sleep Simulation: Friday, July 13th - Sun, July 15th
Are you ready? It'll be a blast! For those of you who signed up to participate in the Sleep Simulation and team-building exercise, you will want to make sure that you block Friday evening (10:00 pm) through Sunday morning (whenever you wake up) of this coming weekend to participate. Details on exact specifics, parameters, and protocols will follow in additional posts.

Full Support Due: Monday, July 16th
The full balance of your financial support is due by team training (6:00 pm) on Monday, July 16th.

Team Training #5: Monday, July 16th
You will want to make sure that you take copious notes on Monday night as both Ron VanderGriend and Ron Craker join us to engage details concerning insight into the culture and lives of Indian church planters, as well as how to process what you will experience in India on an emotional, mental and spiritual capacity. Training is from 6 - 8:30 pm in the Jungle Room at GCC.

Shots Round #2: Thursday, July 19th
The St. Joe County Health Dept will be on-campus here at GCC again on Thursday, July 19th, from 5:45 - 6:45 pm in the Meeting Room (same place as last time) to administer the second round of shots for those who would like to have them before leaving for India.

Little India Trip: Saturday, July 21st
We'll be spending the day in Chicago on the 21st in "little India" off of Devon Street with our friends at the Southeast Asian Friendship Center. Initially, we were going to leave GCC at 8 am., but we're having to move that back to 7:30 am due to traffic and construction related issues on the way. As a result, please plan on being at GCC by 7:15 am so that we can get everyone up to speed, loaded and on the road appropriately.

Team Training #6: Packing and Travel Protocols
As many of you have asked "what do we pack?", this will be my opportunity to give you the full scoop. I'll come with all my gear completely packed (minus underwear), and will walk through it with you so that you can get a better idea how to pack and prepare yourselves. Training is from 6 - 8:30 pm in the Jungle Room at GCC.

Luggage Check: Saturday, July 28th
Want to know whether or not what you're packing is too much or too little? Join us at Potato Creek State park on Saturday, July 28th, from noon - 2 pm for a quick hike and analysis. We'll spend some time on the trails, and then, if you like, i'll be happy to look over your gear and recommend any additions or subtractions. It's $5/car to get into the park, and i'll meet everyone at the gate so that we can travel to the trail together.

Each of these upcoming points will receive its own separate post, but i at least wanted you to know what was coming up. It's moving pretty fast from this point forward, so hold on to your hats! And keep counting... Ah-ah-ah!!!

Reflections: Kevin and Janet Maggert

2007-06-28T08:55:00.000-04:00

We don’t think there is any good way to prepare for India. The country is beautiful, extreme, rich, and poor. The colors of the buildings, saris, and faces bring life to sites that might not be so appealing. You may see:

-goat heads in the market place

-elephants on the roadways

-billboards for the latest flat screen TV’s.

-buildings of marble

-homes of thatch and cardboard

-piles of trash and garbage with cows and goats dining

If all this sounds strange or exaggerated, you will soon get to see it through your own eyes. So our advice to the team is to RELAX! Learn, Listen and let God show you the heart of the Indian people who will blow you away with their hospitality, care and love.

Reflections: Jay Aquila

2007-06-28T08:37:00.000-04:00

1) What amazed you most about India?
How God can do so much with so little. The people God put in place within most of the church plants were not people of stature. Nor were they highly trained scholars – But they were people seeking God’s kingdom and wanting to bring God’s love to the people of India. There really is no money to be passed around. There’s just enough for what is needed. Even when we visited our selected churches, we did not bring much more than ourselves, and our stories. And look how God used us!

2) What stressed you out the most while in India?
Just the feeling of not being able to do more. When you touch down in India, you’ll see that this new world around you has a lot of problems. Things that in America seem so elementary, like garbage collection. There’s trash everywhere! All you want to do, thinking in “Mission Trip” mode, is that you have to clean it up. Or - Why isn’t anyone cleaning it up? Or – Why did our hosts just tell me to toss my water bottle on the ground? It doesn’t make sense, and I wanted it to … badly. I wanted it to make sense to the people I was visiting. But trash collection, cast system shake up’s, and distribution of wealth wasn’t what we were here for. We could only hope that by showing people Jesus, that these separate issues would be worked out by the people we meet and show the love of Christ.

"I'll Take 'Malaria Chemoprophylaxis' for $500, Alex!"

2007-06-27T10:51:00.001-04:00

Crew! Wanted to let you know that Dr. Don Wolfram handed me two articles that he pulled from a couple of medical journals about both Traveler's Diarrhea and also Malaria. They're both very extensive, and will yield a lot of information, and you may want to peruse them just to see what they have to say.

You can click here for the article on Traveler's Diarrhea, and here for the article on Malaria. Both articles are in PDF format, so you'll need an Adobe product to read them if you don't have it loaded onto your computer. If you need Adobe Reader, you can download it for free from Adobe's main web site, or by clicking here.

Arrigato!
-sj

Team Training #4: Team Building and Basic Medical

2007-06-27T10:46:00.000-04:00

We had a great time on Monday night at our 4th India Team Training! During the couple of hours that we had together, our friends Scott Crouch and Dave Cherrone led us through the process of both doing some fun team activities as well as helping to better prepare us for the field.

Pictured here are both Scott (on the left) and Dave (on the right) assembling what we came to know as "The Laser", which was used as a team building exercise for us to learn to not only trust and depend on one another, but how to collaborate and plan strategically in order to accomplish a goal. What are the rules, you may ask? Well, the "simple" objective is to get your team from one side of The Laser to the other. But while the objective may sound "simple", the execution of it is more complicated. Here's why:

1) You're not allowed to touch any of the "laser" beams that span the framework. Almost as if we were all trying to re-enact a scene from Entrapment... except that we're not stealing anything.

2) You're not allowed to use the same "hole" in the lasers more than once. One person can go through one hole one time. Some holes are bigger than others, so figuring out which team members go through which is a part of the planning process.

3) You can use "stuff around you". My belt, for instance, became a sort of sling that we would use to bolster each other around the mid-section in order to keep lower backs and bellies from hitting a laser in the process of transfer. We also used chairs and other items to accomplish our objectives when they were beneficial.

It may not seem that difficult, but trying to get 13 people through The Laser was tougher than expected. We ended up doing some pretty Cirque Du Soleil looking maneuvers to get certain team members through or over. Hayley and Brandy, for instance, were hoisted to a height of nearly 10 feet on the shoulders of Don Wolfram and then passed to waiting team members on the other side in order to utilize smaller holes at the top of The Laser, while i (yes... i know... 230 pounds might be a little much to "hoist" anywhere) opted for larger holes closer to the bottom.

The first time around, Scott pretty much let us try to figure it out on our own, and it took us 25 minutes. The second time through, he told us some good "tricks of the trade", and we managed to shave off 7 minutes for a record time of 18 minutes! Way to go, team!

After The Laser, we gathered around as Dave Cherrone helped us through the basics of CPR (Dave shown here with an "Annie" dummy, which we used to practice the CPR and related compressions), the Heimlich Maneuver (for choking or blocked airway), and then on to some basic field first aid. We learned about treating insect and snake bite related injuries, as well as talked about heat and dehydration issues, fatigue, and bleeding. We even got some good "hands on" experience with the process of proper bandaging and care of related wounds.

Overall, we had fun, learned some good stuff, and are now moving faster toward our actual departure date!

Reminder: Team Training #4

2007-06-25T15:55:00.000-04:00

Crew! Don't forget that we have training tonight (Monday) from 6 - 8:30 pm at GCC in the Jungle Room! It will be one of our more "active" training sessions as we will enjoy guest appearances from two of our friends and ministry partners: Scott Crouch and Dave Cherrone.

Part 1: The "Laser"
Scott Crouch works with the Niles Fire Department and has a passion for team building! He regularly helps GCC teams to prepare for the field by designing fun ways to foster trust and teamwork beforehand. One of the more creative processes that he has engineered is called "The Laser", and consists of a wooden structure constructed to provide a framework for bands of multi-colored lights. These lights serve as imaginary "lasers" that you are not allowed to touch as you move each member of the team through the web. Oh, and the "catch" is that you can only use one "hole" one time, so figuring out who goes through in what order and how they do so is just as much as part of the process as the actual "going". At the end of the experience, you will find that you have to crawl, hurdle and carry team members through in various fashions, and it's usually good for a laugh or two if nothing else.

Part 2: Medic!
Dave Cherrone currently works with the Clay Fire Department, has worked to build the GCC Medical Team, and also provides basic medical training to area schools and organizations. Dave has helped past GCC India teams to prepare for the field by providing a "crash course" on basic field medical practices (including CPR), and has also graciously provided his expertise in assembling the team "medical bag", which is carried to the field by teams as a basic first aid kit in the event of need.
Shown here is Dave demonstrating proper jaw lift techniques in preparation for CPR with Beda "Skip" Dodge in conjunction with preparation for one of 2006's Tsunami Relief teams. Other basic items covered by Dave will include:

* Heat issues (burn, rash, stroke, etc.)
* Insect and animal bites, allergies and irritations
* Recognizing, understanding and dealing with the basics of trauma
* Dehydration
* Abdominal and intestinal issues

While it's always great to say that we never hope to need any of Dave's training, we are always grateful to have it. As the old saying goes, "Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it."

Reflections: Zach Allen

2007-06-25T14:13:00.000-04:00

What is the one thing you would tell the team that could help to prepare them for leaving?

Be relaxed! The trip was so well managed, from both the GCC and the Bible League, that there is little to worry about. The Bible League staffers in India will take such good care of you that you’ll feel spoiled during the entire time. The trust I had in the people leading me allowed me to relax and enjoy every moment of the trip. “Worry will not add another moment to your life…”

What did you think of the food?

I loved it! Of course, there were some things that took a little getting used to, but all in all, everything tasted great. I heard stories of unpalatable food and digestive nightmares, but I really enjoyed it. Even more, spending ten days with completely natural food was wonderful for my body – I’ve never felt healthier than the day I returned from India.

Note: Zach travelled to India in August of 2005.

Ouch!

2007-06-25T12:51:00.000-04:00

Thursday evening, the team experienced its first round of immunizations for travelling to India in August, and the St. Joseph County Health Department came to the GCC campus to administer the injections!

Starting at about 6 p.m., team members began rolling in to have their "destiny with the dosages", and with the exception of the tetanus shot booster (which can be notoriously a little uncomfortable in the shoulder after it's injected), each member emerged feeling better prepared for the the upcoming trip both psychologically and physically.

As a general rule, most team members opted for the "Twin-Rix" Hepatitis A & B immunization, and while it's expensive ($50/dose and given in 3 separate doses), once finished, will allow immunization against those disease strains for life.

Most also requested Typhoid (a single dose injection that protects against the primarily water-borne pathogen), and a few also took advantage of several "booster" as well, including Tetanus, Polio, Measels & Mumps.

On their own, each team member will be consulting with their physician to get properly medicated for Malaria as well. Usually, we have found that most physicians tend to steer clear of Larium and its generic form, Mefloquin, and we have had bad "field" experience with Doxycycline (a general antibiotic that also possesses decent anti-malarial properties) as it tends to cause stomach irritation and severe skin sensitivity to sunlight (of which there is an abundance in India). We have had pretty good luck with the drug called Malarone as an anti-malarial, and have usually found that it "bundles" well with a general antibiotic called "Cipro" (short for Ciproflaxin, i believe) for intestinal safeguard against nasties that might be ingested.

Because a few of the injections are required in multiple doses, we will be offering a second opportunity to receive them on Thursday, July 19th, from 5:45 - 6:45 p.m. in the Meeting Room at GCC.

If you plan to be here on the 19th for more injections, please remember the following:

* You can raise support to cover your shots, but that increases your total support required amount accordingly.

* You need to let either Skip Dodge (sdodge@gccwired.com) or Jeanna Tripp (jtripp@gccwired.com) know that you are planning to attend and what you will be needing in the way of shots before you get there so that they can relay to the SJC Health Dept.

Finally, you can also contact the SJC Health Dept on your own if you would like to do so or missed the opportunity to get your shots here at GCC. You can, of course also ask your family physician to recommend and administer your injections.

-sj

Resource Recommendation: AIDS in Asia: A Continent in Peril

2007-06-25T12:15:00.000-04:00

Crew! Hey, i would like to recommend that you pick up a copy of Susan Hunter's AIDS in Asia: A Continent in Peril.

"Why? We're not going to work with HIV/AIDS issues when we go to India, are we?", you might be asking, and rightfully so. And while the direct answer is "no, not specifically", this book outlines many of the cultural and social issues that exist in Indian (and other southeast Asian) cultures that make engaging such issues as HIV/AIDS and other poverty-related social issues such a difficult challenge. In addition, many of the church planters with whom we will be working ARE engaging HIV/AIDS issues in their contexts, and while it may be said that we are not engaging that issue directly through our trip, many of the people we are going to serve will be engaging it if they are not already.

According to Hunter, 3% of India is currently HIV positive. By 2010, that figure is expected to rise to 10% (which would be 140,000,000 people). If trends hold, HALF of all of those cases will be located geographically in Tamilnadu, where we do the bulk of our work. In addition, if the former holds true for speculation, then by 2010, there will be almost 3 times as many cases of HIV/AIDS in India than the entire continent of Africa (remember that Africa is a continent with 54 countries... India is a single nation).

Hunter worked for several years with the UNAIDS (The United Nations special task force on the HIV/AIDS issue), and has a very hand's on perspective on not only AIDS, but the social and community implications as well. She is by no means an avowed Christ-follower, and many of her conclusions are downright anti-male (the whole "men are evil and the root of all problems in the world" perspective kind of rubs me the wrong way... though there are some who might agree :- ), but she provides a great analysis of how culture and other issues are often "entangled" with other ones, and how no issue operates in a vacuum. I learned a lot about Indian culture that i didn't already know and often this was completely separate from the HIV/AIDS issue.

Change in Departure Date

2007-06-22T14:08:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone,
It's official, we will be departing for India on Sunday, July 29th instead of Monday, July 30th. Here are the flight details in case you're interested:

To India:
-Sunday, July 29, 2007
Air India-Flight AI 0124
Depart: Chicago O'Hare Int'l Airport-9:30p.m.
Arrive: Bombay Mumbai Airport-Tuesday, July 31, 2:05a.m.

-Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Flight IT 0103
Depart: Bombay Mumbai Airport-9a.m.
Arrive: Bangalore Hindustan Airport-10:30a.m.

-Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Flight IT 2435
Depart: Bangalore Hindustan Airport-1:30p.m.
Arrive: Tiruchirapally Civil Airport-2:25p.m.

***********************

Return to US:
-Monday, August 6, 2007
Flight IT 2436
Depart: Tiruchirapally Civil Airport-2:55p.m.
Arrive: Bangalore Hindustan Airport-3:50p.m.

-Monday, August 6, 2007
Flight IT 0110
Depart: Bangalore Hindustan Airport-6:20p.m.
Arrive: Bombay Mumbai Airport-7:50p.m.

-Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Air India-Flight AI 0125
Depart: Bombay Mumbai Airport-5:45a.m.
Arrive: Chicago O'Hare Int'l Airport-3:15p.m.

Let me know if you have any questions. Have a great day!!

Reflections: From the Heart of Rob Wegner

2007-06-21T17:39:00.000-04:00

What amazed you most about India?

The people! More specifically, the church planters.

Let me tell you about Anon. Anon is an electrical engineer. He has a full time job. In addition to that, he has planted a church among an unreached people group called the Malayali. In the area he is working in, Manure (yup...you say it just like it reads), there were no Christians before he came.

So, along with two other team members, I got to visit one of the three villages Anon works in. There are no roads that lead to this village. We drove on the paved roads until they ended. Then we drove off road until the trails ended. Then we hiked up a mountain 10 kilometers to 8,000 feet. That’s Anon's ride to his ministry. So, get this… Anon puts in a 50 hour week. Then on Friday, he gets in a bus, takes it a couple hours outside the city of Salem. When the bus stops, he gets off, climbs up the mountain and spends the whole weekend, every weekend, in the village. He gets up Sunday morning at 3:00 am because he has to be back in Salem at 8:00 am for work. He does this every weekend! It takes me 10 minutes to drive to GCC. I’m complaining about the cost of gas.

Experiencing life in this village was like going hundreds of years back in time. Houses made out of mud and thatch. People have millstones on their porches so they can grind wheat to make bread. People live their entire lifetimes up on this mountain. For example, when I was preparing to speak, I asked Raj, “Hey I want to use the illustration about a train.” He said,”They won’t know what a train is.”

They don’t get visitors in this village. As far as anyone knew, we were the first white men in this village. So you can imagine, ministering in this village is not without it’s challenges. In fact, the first three months of his ministry, they wouldn’t even come out of their homes to speak with Anon. But he kept coming back, week after week. I was thinking, “You know what…I’d be done after 2 trips. I’d be thinking…You people are hard-hearted. Jesus gave us permission to dust our feet and leave a town that’s unreceptive. That’s what I’m doing. I’m out of here.”

But Anon kept coming back. He’d bring little gifts. Eventually, one family broke the silence and spoke to him. One of the first things they asked him, “How did you make it up the mountain alive at night?” He’s thinking, “It’s not that hard of a climb.” They said, “The demon gods... did they not attack you? The evil spirits fill the countryside. We won’t go down at night.”

Anon proclaimed, “That’s why I’ve come. You don’t need to fear evil. I come to tell you God has sent his Son to set you free from fear. He has come to set you free from death.”

No response. Blank stares. No interest. He leaves the village that night discouraged.

Next weekend, when he returns, this family runs to greet him. They said, “We know your God must have power. Every night, before you came, we hear the demons at night. The rocks would always rumble, the sound of an avalanche, at night. Since last weekend, the rocks no longer rumble. The demons must be scared of you.”

OK, that’s a Twilight Zone episode. I know the cynical, rationalist, western mindset wants to punch that full of holes. But let me say, “Is God God or not? Does God speak through culture or not?” So, for Anon, the conversations began at three months in. Still, no one has decided to follow Jesus.

On our climb up, Anon says, “About six months in, I was ready to give up. No converts. So few resources. It’s so hard.” He said, “I sat down at this very rock where we are sitting right now. I told the Lord, “I’m ready to give up.” He said, “Jesus spoke to me. He appeared to me.” Jesus said, “Anon, if I loved these people enough to die on a cross for them, the least you can do is climb up this mountain.”

I was thinking, “Ouch. Jesus Smackdown! Jesus, why do you have to be so rough on him?”

But then, he said something I’ll never forget. Anon took Jesus’ words in the exact opposite way I would have. He trusted the heart of God more than I would. He said, “Immediately, my heart filled with joy because I knew Jesus didn’t die on the cross, rise from the grave, and then call me up this mountain, so this village would remain lost.” He said, “I knew then that the whole village would know my Lord. Not only that, but that they would send out missionaries to reach all the other villages in the area. I immediately rose and went up the mountain filled with hope again!”

Let me say I stood in awe at Anon’s totally confidence in God’s love for him and God’s ability to pull the impossible off. I still stand in awe at his relentless commitment and tireless hours of work. Now, there is a thriving church up on that mountain. The week we were there another couple dozen villagers decided to leave their old gods to follow Jesus.

Anon comes from another church we have been mentoring. They’ve grown to 600 in less then three years and they’ve already sent out 30 church planters! Anon is just one of them.

It blows my mind to think that GCC had a little part in helping Anon reach the Malayali people. The Malayali will be in Heaven now. The Malayali people are now included in the present Kingdom of God. Before Anon went up the mountain, this wasn’t true, but it is now. We’re a part of that, friends.

The brothers and sisters in Christ you will meet in India will leave an indelible mark on your life. Go ready to listen and to learn. Sit at their feet. Ask good questions. Listen intently. And ask, "Jesus, what would You have me do to serve these great people?"

Reflections: Jeanna Miller

2007-06-21T17:35:00.000-04:00

What amazed you most about

India

?
The sense of relaxed urgency.

India

is a very fast-paced country – from the quantity of things to accomplish to the traffic moving at a frighteningly fast speed – and yet there was always time to “take rest”, there was always time for family, friends and building relationships. It’s ironic that I had to travel across the world, to a place that runs at warp speed, to learn how to integrate relaxation into my every day schedule.

What did you pack that, after getting to India, you either never used or wished you would have left behind?
I was scared about the food we would be eating. In fact, I think our whole team was, because all of us packed insane amounts of non-perishable food. A little would have been perfect, I packed too much. We never had to worry about being hungry while in India – even if Indian food isn’t your favorite, there is always bread, rice and fruits of different sorts. The only time we broke out our supply was in the airports and our last night at the hotel when we were too tired to venture out for dinner. And that night a little container of peanut butter with crackers was like heaven. I would have had much more room in my suitcase for souvenirs if I hadn’t over packed with food. Word to the wise though – if the Indian people say something is “good for digestion” they really mean it, and consume in small amounts!

Reflections: Becky Callender

2007-06-21T17:29:00.000-04:00

* What amazed you most about India? The hospitality shown by everyone we came in contact with – not just TBL people, not just church planters, but Indians in general. They’re warm and generous and loving people.

* What did you think of the food? It won’t kill you. It might make you vomit on the side of the road before taking a 3 hour bus ride, but it won’t kill you.

* What stressed you out the most while you were in India? The antibiotics didn’t agree with me. The lack of modern bathrooms was intimidating at first, but it’s surprising how quickly one can overcome that! When you gotta go – just do what you have to do! :)

* What did you "take away" from the trip that still impacts you today? A lasting friendship – I’m still in contact with a couple of friends, and I can’t wait to see them again!

* What was the smartest thing you packed (i.e. the thing you were most glad you had when you got there)? Toilet paper. And snacks – granola bars, trail mix, etc. And baby wipes – they’re great for cleaning up between showers, which you feel you need to do – A LOT!!

* What did you pack that, after getting to India, you either never used or wished you would have left behind? Don’t bother with make-up or hair products.

* What did God teach you through your time in India? Many things, but among them, that Americans are a very blessed people. EVERYONE should be required to travel to a 3rd World country at least once in their lives.

Reflections: Val Qualey

2007-06-21T14:09:00.001-04:00

What amazed you most about India? India may be a "Third World Country" but very early on, God showed me that within India there are amazing men and women of keen intellect and capacity to change their nation. Such a man is Rajendran, with the Bible League, that you will soon be meeting! Another friend (shown here) leads a community health initiative in Northern Tamil Nadu, that is literally transforming villages and lives. He has been implementing healthcare, housing, and micro-enterprise schemes with amazing success for nearly 10 years. He is my mentor and teacher when I have questions about health issues in India. It is best to go to India, not with answers, but with lots of questions. You will learn a lot if you take the time to listen!

What did God teach you through your time in India? The man pictured here taught me what true joy is all about! Joy does not depend on circumstances or situation, but rather on an inner contentment and happiness in spite of circumstances. This man, a destitute leper, cast out by his family, nearly blind, deformed and disabled by his disease gave me a clear picture of joy. Spending an afternoon with him and his friends at Shantigram humbled me. I have a lot to learn about joy, and this picture helps me to remember every day, to not focus on the negative but rather to rejoice in everything! As you travel to India, prepare for God to shake up your priorities and attitudes.

Note: Val is one of our "pioneers" who led some of the first ventures to India from GCC. She has led teams, has been several times, and has most recently helped us to design much of what will become our HIV/AIDS intervention strategy for Indian church planters as they engage that tragedy in their contexts. Val has a passion for India, and we have been privileged to have her expertise and experience as we have moved forward on a macro-scale in taking our next steps in that environment.

Reflections: Skip Dodge

2007-06-21T11:03:00.001-04:00

Crew! I thought that you might like to hear some things from other past team members from time to time as you prepare to go yourselves. So i asked Skip Dodge to give me her angle on the following two questions:

1) What amazed you most about India?

What amazed me the most about India was how nice and welcoming all the people of India were. We were complete strangers, but yet they welcomed us like we were family. They would do or give us anything just to make sure we were taken care of. Everyone from the Bible League to the people off the streets. As I felt the welcomed by these strangers (and there were thousands of them), I realized that God loves each of them just like us.

2) What is one thing you would tell the team that could help to prepare them for leaving?

To help prepare you for leaving for India I would tell you: Prepare yourself for God to do what you never thought possible. Prepare yourself to rely on God wholly for everything especially with being flexible. God will challenge you like you've never experienced before and will stretch you to limits you never though possible. Spend as much time as you can in the Bible and in prayer. Then, when everything changes last minute, you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is still with you and that He will take care of you.

Note: Skip travelled to India twice in 2006 to work with Indian church planters who are operating in the tsunami zones. Both teams helped to build 27 homes total in the tsunami regions of southern India, and gave TBL church planters the opportunity to demonstrate that Jesus cares for the everyday needs of people as well as their hearts and souls.

Skip also volunteers regularly with a variety of GCC ongoing teams, including the Angel Team (administrative teams) within the Life Mission Department, and the Connections Cafe.

Food Simulation: Star of India

2007-06-21T09:16:00.000-04:00

On Monday night, we all met at the Star of India restaurant on Grape Road at 6:30 p.m. and had a great time experimenting with India food.

We started with "Chicken 65", a dish that has a variety of stories in regard to how it got its name, but which our friend Rajendran in India claims to be due to the fact that it has "65 spices" in its process of cooking.

This was shortly followed by vegetable briani (something akin to long-grain vegetable fried rice), white rice, dahl makahni (a thick "bean soup" that is dumped over the rice), chicken curry (featured in picture here), nan (a crispy, wafer-like "chip" that is the size of a saucer), nan (grilled "tortilla" bread), and, of course, Chai Tea.
The "Rules of Engagement" for the evening? Simple! They were as follows:

1) No silverware. In India, most food is served without silverware and is roughly the consistency of Campbell's Chunky Soup. As a result, you "access" it best by simply using your hands to mush everything together into a soupy pile and then "scooping" it with four fingers into your mouth.

2) No napkin. In most rural settings in India (i.e. the kinds of areas where our team will be working), napkins are generally not provided nor used. As a result, your fingers stay pretty messy as you move from one part of your plate to the other, and just learning to enjoy the amalgamation of flavors is part of the game. Either that or your pants get pretty messy if you insist on wiping your fingers after every bite :- )

3) No left hand. In India, the only thing you do with your left hand is what you normally do with toilet paper when you go to the bathroom. As a result, you don't use your left hand for anything else, particularly if it involves eating or other people. That's why if you used your left hand to help you eat on Monday night, i Karate-chopped your wrist. Or maybe not... but you get the idea.

Overall, the team did a great job! They enjoyed the food and the experience, and felt wiser and more prepared when we left!

Don't Forget! Shots: Round 1

2007-06-20T13:55:00.000-04:00

Crew! Hey, just wanted to remind you that the SJC Health Dept will be on premises here at GCC tomorrow night before New Community (Thursday, June 21) to administer immunizations for you as you prepare to go to India. Some quick reminders about tomorrow night:
* Time: 5:45 - 6:45 pm
* Place: Meeting Room by Staff Offices
* Don't worry... if you don't know where the Staff Offices are, we'll have someone in the Atrium to direct you.
* Please come prepared to pay for your own shots. You may also raise support to cover the cost of shots, but be aware of the fact that such increases your total amount to raise, and therefore the amount necessary for your "full support due". Below are the costs associated with each immunization:

Twin-Rix (Hepatitis A & B)*: $50
Typhoid: $58
Polio Update**: $37
Tetanus: $8
Measles/Mumps: $50

* Twin-Rix is a 3 dose vaccination. Each dose costs $50, but when you are finished with the full cycle, you will be immune to Hep A and B for life.
** If you have not had a Polio booster since childhood, you will want/need to have this.

See you then!
-sj

T-minus... and counting...

2007-05-25T16:57:00.000-04:00

Crew! We are now officially ramping up the tighter part of our timeline to leaving for India, and as such, i wanted to give you a quick listing of upcoming dates you should be aware of, a thumbnail of what to expect, and the heads-up that we will be sending you more info on all these items as each grows closer.

Monday, June 4: Team Training #3: Culture - Photo Safari
* Mandatory!
* 6:30 - 8:30 pm
* GCC Jungle Room

* See a "start to finish" compilation from other teams in regard to the sepcifics of what you will see from the time you leave GCC until the time you arrive back home. We'll have ample opportunities to talk about each stage of travel, what you will do at each segment, and what to expect along the way.

Monday, June 18: Indian Food Simulation: Star of India
* Non-mandatory... but lots of fun and free food!
* 6:30 - 8:00 pm
* Star of India on Grape Road
* Want to get some practice on eating "Indian style" at one of the area's best local Indian restaurant? Come with us to try Briani, Dahl, Roti, Nan, "Chicken 65", a host of other delightful and traditional Indian foods, along with plenty of Indian Chai Tea. Come hungry, leave your wallets at home... but no smuggling forks into the restaurant! That's cheating!

* We'll be asking for RSVP's, so you'll want to check your schedules now to make sure you can come!

Thursday, June 21: Shots (Round 1)
* The SJC Health Dept will be on campus at GCC to administer the first round of shots
* 5:45 - 6:45 pm
* Meeting Room by Staff Offices

* Don't worry... if you don't know where the Staff Offices are, we'll have someone in the Atrium to direct you.
* Please come prepared to pay for your own shots (we'll be in contact about how much each costs, etc.). You may also raise support to cover the cost of shots, but be aware of the fact that such increases your total amount to raise, and therefore the amount necessary for your "full support due".

Monday, June 25: Team Training #4: Team Exercise & Basic Medical
* Mandatory!
* This training session is a time of fun and great information! Check out a past team's event by clicking here.
* We will be joined by Mr. Scott Crouch of the Niles Fire Dept for our venture into "The Laser", a unique team building exercise that perpetually facilitates a lot of fun, and a few laughs in the process.
* We will also be joined by Mr. Dave Cherrone of the Clay Fire Dept and head of the GCC Medical Team for some basic medical preparation for the field. This training includes a CPR refresher, how to deal with heat, dehydration, basic first-aid, insect and other bites/stings, etc.

Friday, July 13 - Sunday, July 15: Sleep Simulation Exercise
* Non-mandatory... but please participate.
* This will help you to "get a feel for how you will feel" on an "average day" in India, and will provide you with critical recon on such things as your physical fitness, how you handle and engage emotional stress, and how prepared you are for some of the rigors of travel. It's also a fun team-building exercise, and some of you will be interviewed by our very own Gene Ort through the process.
* Details on this will follow, but the general schedule is as follows:
- Friday night: sleep on your floor. Doesn't matter if it's carpet, linoleum or dirt. You don't have to try to to "tough it", but just don't haul your matress onto the ground.
- Saturday morning: report to MC3 at 7 a.m. just ahead of the 2nd Saturday teams. You'll work hard until 2 p.m., and then will be dismissed to run home and grab a shower.
- Saturday evening: come to the 5:30 p.m. service and join the rest of the team. We'll sit together.
- Saturday night: sleep on your floor. Same drill as Friday night.
- Sunday morning: See how you feel. That's a pretty good indicator of how you will feel on any given day in India. If you feel terrible and unable to function, that's a pretty good indicator that you need to step up your physical fitness regimen. If you feel awesome, you should apply for entrance to the US Navy's "SEAL" program. :- )

Monday, July 16: Full Support Due
* The total balance of your support is due on this date.
* Please remember that this is a "hard" cut-off. If you don't have your full support by this date, you will either need to meet the difference out of pocket or postpone your participation to the next cycle.

Monday, July 16: Team Training #5: Edification & Psychological Prep
* Mandatory!
* We will be honored to have two very special friends with us on this evening: Ron VanderGriend and Dr. Ron Craker.
* Ron VanderGriend is the Vice President of Ministry at The Bible League, and has personally helped to pioneer church-planting movements in over 30 countries, as well as having served as a "career" missionary in the Phillippines. Ron will be helping us to understand what it means to have a "Ministry of Edification" while in India, and how to develop the appropriate mentality before going.
* Ron Craker is a Developmental and Family Psychologist who has been a critical player in the development of a number of systems here at GCC ranging from weekend services to our Life Coaching teams, and is now helping us with our ministry teams to develop excellent care processes both before and after going to the field.
* 6:00 - 8:30 pm
* GCC Jungle Room

Thursday, July 19: Shots (Round #2)
* The SJC Health Dept will be on campus at GCC to administer the second round of shots.
* 5:45 - 6:45 pm

* Meeting Room by Staff Offices
* Please come prepared to pay for your own shots (we'll be in contact about how much each costs, etc.). You may also raise support to cover the cost of shots, but be aware of the fact that such increases your total amount to raise, and therefore the amount necessary for your "full support due".

Saturday, July 21: Little India Trip
* Mandatory!
* We will have an opportunity to spend the day with our friends at the Southeast Asian Friendship Center in Chicago (click here to go to their site). We'll get to hear the hearts and lives of those who have come to Christ and grown up in India, as well as immerse ourselves in Indian culture for a day.
* We'll leave GCC at 8 a.m. sharp, and return somewhere around 7 p.m.
* Lunch and dinner are provided, but you'll need to make sure that you eat breakfast before you come.
* Would suggest $20 or so in "personal spending money" just in case you see something you'd like to pick up along the way.
* Wear good walking shoes.

Monday, July 23: Team Training #6: Packing & Protocols

* Mandatory!
* Want to know what to pack, how to pack, and what not to pack? We'll deal with all your travel related questions during this training session, and i'll even bring in my personally packed gear so that you can see how i do it (minus the underwear, of course :- )
* 6:00 - 8:30 pm
* GCC Jungle Room

Saturday, July 28: Luggage Check
* Non-mandatory, but strongly recommended!
* How is your gear? Want to know for real? Join us for a quick hike through "India climate simulation" with all your gear just the way you're going to pack it. I guarantee that at the end of it, you'll wonder whether or not your industrial sized bottle of hair gell is "really" necessary :- ) On top of that, however, we'll practice how the team will move through airports, how we'll keep track of all of us and our gear, and also learn how to move with "shared luggage" such as media equipment and "Smurf" gear (i.e. Smurf gear = gear that Ron VanderGriend gives us to shuttle back and forth to India for the Indian church planters).
* Noon - 2 p.m.
* Potato Creek State Park
* Again, our friend Gene Ort will be filming, and having as many team members as possible to participate will increase the overall fun, so please plan to be there.

Monday, July 30: Team Leaves for India!!!
* Blast off!!!

Nice Job on Geo-parody!!!

2007-05-09T13:03:00.000-04:00

Crew! Nice job on Monday night! Hope you enjoyed our second team training as we did our spoof of Jeopardy ("Geo-parody") and hoped that you were able to learn some fun stuff as well.

I'm going to attach the notes from the questions that i asked in case you would like to download them for use in either prep, discussions, etc., so if you would like those, you can click here to get them.

New Wiki Article on Tamilnadu...

2007-05-07T15:25:00.000-04:00

Crew! Hey, just wanted to let you know that i found a newly posted article in Wikipedia on Tamilnadu that you might want to check out. It's a very concise little piece that is well-researched and is chock-full of information about where we're heading. Check it out by clicking here.

See you guys tonight!
-samurai jack