The students' exams approaching...

Thank you all who are for praying for the team and the students here in Hyderabad.  I just wanted to share with you that the students will begin taking their final exams on Monday and continue through Thursday.  Please pray that their anxiety levels would be minimal and pray that they would be able to retrieve all that they have been taught in these last seven weeks.  As soon as the students finish their exams they have a couple days to get their (minimal) belongings together as they prepare to go out and meet up with their teammates in the field to begin the church planting process all across the different states of India.  They will be in the field for at least 18 months before returning back to ICCS (school) to finish their studies (for their degree).  The students will still have to complete their studies while in the field with minimal supplies and very little free time to do so.  Please pray that they would make it a priority for their studies (especially when they don't have someone forcing them to do so).  Many of the male students want to be pastors and the women want to be fellow teachers in their hometowns.  They know the importance of education and want to be able to help others in the future.  Please pray for the journey that they are on and that God would be leading their footsteps along the way.  This has been an amazing time teaching English to the students and tutoring them in their other studies.  We are truly blessed by what we've seen and heard since we've been here!  Thank you all for your prayers.

The Students

The students have made such a deep impression on all of us. Along with being such friendly, sweet, respectful and loving people they are so eager to learn. 

There are so many examples of their eagerness to learn but there are two I would like to share. Last night, at a tutoring session, a student wanted more clarification about a concept of spiritual growth that was not on the test. When someone said he would not need to know it for the test, the student said, “we may not need it for the test, but we are here to learn this stuff for life." In America, we are so focused on passing a class and moving on, but this student understands that he is meant for a higher calling than just passing a class.

Another example of their eagerness is the students' response when the electricity went out for 3 minutes leaving the classroom pitch black while I was tutoring 17 students. While American students would use this time as an opportunity to mess around, these students wanted to learn. As soon as the lights went out a student told me, “please keep talking, we can hear you speak." Their desire to learn more about God is so moving. I pray that we will learn from their example.

- Caroline

Classes and Tutoring

God has exceeded all expectations for this trip, as he always does.

It is such an honor to be a small part of God’s work in India.  For those who do not know, we are able to partner with an organization who runs schools for Dalit and lower caste children throughout India, provides Bachelors and Masters education to Dalit and lower caste adults, distributes Bibles and Christian books to the thousands of Indian languages, runs a vocational school for women who want to learn a trade and other social services to the community. We are at the “corporate” headquarters in Hyderabad. While we are able to see the other sides of this organization we are focused on the Bachelors students. The bachelors students  spend two months at the school attending classes, then 9 months in teams throughout India spreading the Gospel and establishing churches then one month at home. The five of us are split up into pairs teaching English grammar classes to the 1^st year students. These students have had very limited experiences practicing correct English and for some have limited experience even being in a classroom. All of these students have a big exam on introductory classes and English grammar which they must pass in order to continue. Along with teaching these classes we are tutoring the students during their study time.

Teaching the grammar classes have been quite an experience for all of us. It can be very difficult to explain and break down basic grammar concepts that come very easily to us. Communication can also be a challenge. Some students speak limited English and have a heavy accent. We also can be difficult to understand as we tend to talk fast and have a heavy accent as well. Although communication at times has been difficult it just challenges us to be still and listen. Please keep our communication with the students in your prayers.

The classes have been productive however at least for me the tutoring sessions have been ground breaking. While tutoring is not required, we have had classrooms full of students eager to spend their time learning and growing. Each tutoring session we never know how many students and what subject we will be teaching. So it requires some quick thinking and flexibility. But God’s spirit has worked through each one of us during these times when deep theological questions are brought up. For me these sessions reveal the fruition of the time I have spent the past year studying God’s Word and serving him. It shows how each time you serve God by studying Him he sharpens you so he can use you. I pray that we will continue to be God’s vessel.

- Caroline

The Pace of India

India is such a rich and vibrant country. It has been wonderful stepping outside of our comfort zone and culture and into a contrasting culture full of tradition. The poverty is immediately evident as you step out of the airport. Amid the half completed buildings with rebarb sticking out, slum lean-to huts and trash filled rivers are golden idols and temples, richly colored Punjabi suits and saris, and colorful vendors.

There is a stark contrast in American poverty and Indian poverty. Even the size of what could be considered an upper-middle class home would be the size of a studio apartment. Yet through their poverty there is such a simplicity to their true understanding of necessity and luxury. Even the basic American amenities such as a toilet with toilet paper, a canteen with clean drinking water and public sinks is a luxury. We have become very appreciative of these as well. Being in India only 5 days it is easy to realize how much we waste money on what could be considered luxuries. I pray that when I come back I will learn to adopt the simple life to that I am better able to be steward of the money God provides me.

We quickly realized a concept that Indians call “Indian time”. The concept is based on the value that people are more important than events/or time. Therefore it is common for people, meetings, and events to be late. The first initial instinct would be frustration, however the value placed on relationships over productivity is Biblical. This is God’s desire for our lives just as Jesus praised Mary for valuing her relationship with Him over productivity.

It is a wonderful freedom to know that when you are having a Godly relationship with someone and you are running late that the priority should be that person not the event.  And due to “India time” you do not end up being late after all. The fast pace of American life can lead and trap you into incorrect priorities.  Being away from my cell phone that normally tracks and sets the pace of my day is beyond freeing.

Although the pace of relationships are simple the pace on the streets are nothing but peaceful. The traffic in India is like Los Angeles and New York City put together, then exclude the use of stop signs, stop lights, police or pedestrian sidewalks for most of the intersections. Not only do Indians drive on the left side of the road but what an American two-lane road would be turns into a four way road. It is an every day experience to see two big trucks side-by-side trying to pass another big truck along with motorists and pedestrians darting in front of you while a big truck is coming at you from the right side of the road. There is a dashed white line in the middle the street however it is not used to separate cars but to show what the straightest way down the road is. The horn and brights/flashers on a car are not used to show annoyance but to show people that you are coming up behind them. Therefore the sound of horns are constant. The concept of pedestrians having the right of way is unheard of in India. The big trucks rule the road and if you are smaller you defer to them. As a pedestrians you take an immense risk stepping into the street as it appears to be complete chaos. Then as you enter intersections, where four roads come to a head everyone pushes toward the center trying to be the first one to get through to the other side without the aid of stop light, stop signs or crosswalks. There are teams of cars, trucks, autos (rickshaws), motorcycles and pedestrians coming toward each other at a fast pace.  Luckily, the team has been blessed with a wonderful driver named John who, though he is known to stop in the middle of what would be considered a freeway just because we want a picture, has kept us safe,  but always brightens our day with his low humming and his friendly jokes as he gets us to and from the school.

- Caroline

God is Already at Work

Caroline and Adam arrived on Sunday at noon India time. On the flights over it was already obvious that God has big plans for this trip. 

On the flight to London they sat next to a wonderful, friendly American-Iranian woman who they spoke to throughout the 10 1/2 hour flight. As we talked with her she revealed that she believed God can be found in all religions and that Jesus was just one of many prophets. This concept has become increasingly popular in America. However God used us to share the truth about the love God has for us each personally and that Jesus was not a prophet, but was God himself and the implications of that. These truths prompted her think through her beliefs. God is good. Not only were we able to sit next to someone who was hungry for the truth but that she also happens to live in a town near the church and she happens to be looking for a church to take her son to. It was so wonderful to see how God used us in a small way just on the first few hours of the flight to India.

Then on the 2nd flight from London to Dehli God portrayed his majesty and power over creation. God put on a show for all who were on the plane as we were able to see a massive thunderstorm from above the clouds. It was beautiful how God lit up sections of clouds throughout the sky at a rapid pace. Then after 5 minutes of continuous flashes as we flew into a beautiful sunset. It was a wonderful welcome into India and beautiful reminder of God’s majesty.

- Caroline

New Experiences

The team made it out into town on our first "auto" ride to shop for our new clothing so we could teach in proper attire. The form of transportation called auto is an automatic rickshaw. It's like a semi-enclosed moped used like a taxi service.  Patty, Risa, & Tiffany rode together (tight squeeze by the way) and Harry & Nick rode in another.  It was a 15-20 minute ride weaving in and through traffic.  Loud honking noises, smelly exhaust & trash piled everywhere, there are wild dogs, pigs, chickens, & water buffalo roam freely. 

The shops we entered were small but had many floors (3 or more).  Each floor had its own specialty: top, top liners, pants, & dupattas (scarves).  It was fun mix-matching all the different patterns. We stopped at IDP (Idly Dosas People) for lunch and we ate dosas which are large crepe/pancake-like filled with spices, potatoes, onions, and such along with three dipping sauces. We also had idly which is a fermented rice cake.  For dessert we had a chocolate dosa! Deliciousness :)

We went off to the college and had a pronunciation meeting with the students, but first we first had a worship session: guys on one side ladies on the other.  We did exercises pronouncing the z, v, w, f, and th sounds which are difficult for the Indian tongue.  We start our first sit-in at the classrooms tomorrow now that the while group has arrived.  Monday & Tuesday we will observe the classroom setting & on Wednesday we take over teaching the students their English lessons.  We will break up in to pairs and be on our own. 

Please pray that we teach them well and be slow in speech so that they will grasp our lesson. Thank you to all who are praying for us.  Please pray for Adam & Caroline, that they would adjust quickly to the time difference and not suffer much jet lag.

A full day under our belts

After coming in around noon on Thursday, and doing our best to stay awake until "bed time", we woke early for breakfast. Not wanting to shock our bellies just yet, we chose a traditional American meal: eggs and toast. We made our way back into town to the school where we had a "watered down" traditional lunch with the students and staff on campus (rice, chicken, and a spicy watery sauce). We sat in on a meeting to get us familiar with what we will be doing here at the school. We then broke up and individually visited mentor groups and pray with the students upon getting to know one another. It's now time for dinner (not really sure what we're eating) and to wind down a bit and acclimate ourselves to the weather and food. We can feel the impending rain in the air and are anticipating some much needed coolness. Please, we ask for your prayers: For continued health (especially Risa who has had some sickness upon landing, unable to keep food down), although today she was much better. For us to understand and decipher the thick Indian-English accent and that they would understand us when we speak. For safety for Adam and Caroline who should be arriving around noon on Sunday (our time). Also that their luggage would make its way here as well. For the students and their studies. They have finals at the end of the month. For our ability to teach the English language to the students who are struggling to learn the language. For sweet friendships to develop while we are here and hopefully we can continue communicating after we leave India and be able to encourage them. Thank you for covering us in prayer... We will blog again soon. Tomorrow will be a day of shopping and we hope to have a memorable experience...

One Step Closer...

Rupees (Indian currency) 

It's so hard to believe that we leave in 6 days for India!  The time came up so quickly.  We just wanted to share that we all have our passports back with our India visa stickers adhered to one of the pages inside! Yay!  Team India GPS is a go!!

We are very thankful LORD for all the provisions You've supplied to make this trip happen.  We've had many obstacles and even some frustrations to overcome and we know that if it weren't for You, we wouldn't be able to get through them all like we have.  Thank you to all who have been praying for us, for the people of India, and for the ministry that we will be a part of over there.  Thank you all who have so unselfishly given of their financial resources to make this trip possible... and to those who may not have been able to give money, but were able to give us some items (like sports equipment & foodstuffs) to take to India that will help us interact with the young adult students and the children that we will encounter.

We have some prayer requests if you would like to know how to be praying for us:

-Mercy in our travels (for both departure teams --> on the 10th and 13th & our arrival on the 2nd).

-Health for each one of us... that our bodies would quickly acclimate to the new foods, the hot and muggy weather, and the pungent smells.  All of our senses will be on overload and we'll need God's strength to carry us through. 

-The students we will be teaching English to need copious amounts of wisdom to grasp the language in 7 weeks time! That's a feat that can only be accomplished with the one, true, active and living God! Please pray that we are effective in this process of helping them learn English so that they can attend and pass all their seminary classes & continue to spread the Gospel and plant churches in their hometowns.

-Blessed interactions with each person we meet along the way and for some long-lasting friendships to sprout from our time in India.

Thank you for covering the team in prayer.  Spiritually, India is very dark, comprising of about 80% of the population are Hindu and only 2.3% are Christian (Culture Smart! India. pg 11).  We will see idols everywhere we go... please pray that we would remain in constant prayer to fight Satan's grip on this country.

Thanks again... keep watch, we will try to update this blog as often as we can!

We've got tickets!

Praise the Lord! We finally purchased tickets on Tuesday... our next biggest hurdle is getting our Visas.  We need to mail in our passports in order for us to get our Visas.   It could take 2-3 weeks before we have them back in our little hands.  Which would be right before we leave for India... nothing like cutting it close!  We know it is God that has provided so far and will continue to so...

Just wanted to share with you that there was a two day church garage sale where all the proceeds from the sales were divided up amongst the high school, college, and post-college summer mission teams.  We still need to raise an additional $4000 in less than 5 weeks to meet our goal.  If you feel so led to give to our team please follow this link: India GPS for online giving.  Please continue to pray that all the details are worked out for our trip, that our hearts would be focused on God, that we would be culturally sensitive to others in India and whoever else we may encounter along the way.  Please pray for safety and our health during our stay (hopefully no one has any tummy issues) and that we would be able to bless the Dalit children when we interact with them.  Please also pray that we can hit the ground running and that we would not be affected by jet lag.

Thank you for praying...

Financial Progress

We wanted to keep you updated as to the progress of our financial support... Praise God we have reached just over half our goal at 57%!  We have 49 more days until we leave... Wow that's coming up quickly!   

Thanks to the Book Cellar (17040 Avenida De Acacias  Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92091)  for their gracious generosity to hold a team fundrasier there on May 26, 2012 from 10 am to 3 pm.  The Book Cellar will give 50% of all sales that day toward us!  So if you love to read (and don't mind if you are reading gently used books) please come and and buy some books for yourself or as gifts for others, all the while helping us get to India.  We plan on having a bake sale that same day... so bring your appetites!  We'll be selling homemade treats like cookies, scones, and muffins (thank you Katie Hole for your crazy baking skills!) right outside the store.  100% of the profits from the baked goods will be applied to funding the team!  Please tell your family and friends about this opportunity.  We look forward to seeing you then and thank you for your support!  


God bless,
Team India

Prayers Please:

Please pray for our funding... 
[We need to raise half (around $10-12K) for airfare by the end of April!]
Please pray for us that we will be able to put our work affairs in order before leaving.
Please pray for our health...
[Before, during, & after the trip.]
Please pray that the students would quickly grasp the knowledge & understanding of the (ever difficult & often confusing) English language.
Please pray for our hearts to be moved by the people we interact with...
[Leading up to, during, & after the trip.]
Please pray that we would be culturally sensitive with the people of India.
Please pray that we would encourage fellow believers...
[Those working with the students, the students, and any others we may encounter.]
Please pray that God would stretch and grow each team member on this journey and that His Name would be glorified in all we do!

So it's our first blog and we're excited!  We just received our support letters for mailing out!  Be on the lookout for one in your mailbox really soon :)


If you do not receive a letter but wish to pledge support for the team through prayer or through financial contributions please go here and fill out the necessary information!  

(*Please fill out the all the information if you plan on praying for us as well!  There is a section just for that too!)  

We would like to thank all of our supporters...so tell us who you are!

Questions and/or comments? We'd love to hear from you!