Our journey's almost over...

We're sitting here in London's Heathrow airport awaiting our flight back home to San Diego... Thankfully, there have been no glitches thus far (except the 20 minute delay in Hyderabad, but we made it safely to London with some time to spare).  Please pray for Julio, he's been feeling under the weather (tummy problems & vomitting).
I wish we were able to have blogged over the past weekend, but unfortunately, our stay in New Delhi didn't allow us any internet access :(. Our time in Agra was fun... so glad we we're given this opportunity to see this beautiful sight. Thankfully, our hotel stay was just that... an overnight thing! The rooms were moldy & smokey smelling. I remember smelling my clothes after we came back to Hyderabad and they were pretty gross.
When we returned, we said our goodbyes to the students and received a thank you/goodbye party from the faculty.  This trip was a blessing to us as a team & to the students. We're going to miss them, but they're in our hearts and our prayers!
Risa and I were able to talk to Becky (on the second team) for a brief few moments.  It was nice to see a familiar face in this foreign land. It's so weird seeing someone you know, but didn't come over with, especially in India!  We tried to get them in contact with Sheldon (a student from Colorado who's doing a health internship at the campus). Since they are both doing health related trips I thought it would be great tor them to meet.
Well, our flight leaves in less than an hour and we hope it goes quickly... We can't wait to be back with our family ans friends once again.

God bless,
-Tiffany

UPDATE!! Good Shepherd School visit (with video)

Today we visited a Good Shepherd School grades: LKG (lower kindergarten) through 10th which they consider High School. After their 10th year they go to college (11th-12th) and them onto a university. Their "college" courses are to prepare them for whatever they plan on studying at the university. So there are different types of colleges (math & science, teaching, etc.). We visited the LKG through 4th and a 10th grade classroom.  Below is a video of one of the lower classes where the students sang for us. 
Please pray for all the students as they have exams beginning tomorrow, as we had interrupted their review time today.  :( In one of the classrooms we sang "Heads, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes" and they joined along with us... such a precious moment.  One class they sang to us a Telugu song (praising God) and in another they sang us a similar song in Hindi.  It was wonderful to hear them in their own languages and to hear them learn and sing in English also.  In one of the older student classrooms we asked them what profession they wanted to have after finishing school... we heard a few teachers and just a couple doctors.  I'm glad they have the freedom to dream and achieve their dreams just because they have an education! 
Please pray with me for all the Good Shepherd Schools across India (there are a total of 107 throughout all of India). Praise God that these students are also getting a Bible education as well (even if they are not Christian)!
-God bless,
Tiffany

American party photos

Pancakes & syrup

Jelly Bellies

Boy's line for food

Hang loose boys

Giving our students a taste of America

So today we are preparing to throw the American party of our students' dreams...
Tonight is American Party Night on campus! We have prepped by pre-making some pancakes & Jello (lime and orange of course).  We have syrup for the pancakes as well (can't have pancakes without syrup). We have glow sticks & glow bracelets for each student.  Chris will be leading all of us in some worship music (while playing the guitar plus he'll have a fellow student on the tabla -- which I guess is a music instrument).  We'll be teaching (and learning) the Cha Cha Slide with our students.  And if that isn't enough, the students will be able to try authentic Jelly Bellies for the first time (thanks to Nadia Van Otterloo)! 
We'll do our best to post some after pics so you can see the enjoyment on their smiling faces!

Talk to you soon,
-Tiffany

The longer I'm here, the more I'm reminded how blessed I am in America

Hello family & friends,
I hope your all well and in good health when you're reading this & I also just want you to know you're all in my daily prayers.  I get the honor of preaching this Sunday in a local Telugu Christian Church, I will be preaching on the topic of "There's only one God & God's love" (also my brother Chris is leading worship). We've visited more slum schools & tailoring shops (in the slum areas), it's such a blessing every time we visit them.  The kids are full of joy for the Lord & for learning English.  I would ask of you if you would please pray with us for them-- so that as they grow up, they continue studying & be able to graduate, instead of dropping out because they have to work to help their family. I've also learned about the Good Shepard ministry which has over 3,000 churches & are in need of our prayers so the ministry can continue to get funded.  The Good Shepard ministry is what most of the schools we have visited are from, so please pray with us for their ministry. The more I'm around the students the more I've learned of how big their hearts are & their faith for God.  I love it when we have prayer because they're so powerful & it's such a reminder of how much they trust in God.  They don't have the same lifestyle as us & their daily struggles are sure a lot more difficult than ours. It's also a good reminder of how good we live in the States & yet we complain about the smallest things.  It's definitely a humbling experience.  I want to thank you guys for your prayers, they're so hopeful.  Thanks for reading & God bless you all.

-Julio

I'm 'Kind Of A Big Deal' in India

This past Sunday we visited a landmark called Golkonda Fort which is about 11 km away from Hyderabad. It was built in the 13th century by the Kakatiyas. In the 16th century Golkonda was the capital city of the Qutb Shahi kingdom. The city was home to one of the most powerful Muslim sultanates of the region and was the flourishing center of the diamond trade. This is where man has unearthed some of the most coveted diamonds and gems in history, including : the Hope Diamond, Idol's Eye, the Koh-i-Noor and Darya-i-Noor. There's your history lesson for the day everyone. Thanks Wikipedia, haha!

So, as I was saying, we visited the fort because it is a big tourist attraction and it is very impressive. However, things didn't go quite how I had planned. After entering the fort I started noticing that I was getting a lot of stares and strange looks. A couple brave young men came up to me and asked if I would take a picture with them. I figured that was fair enough. The further along we got on our tour the more young men came up and asked for pictures with me. I was basically mobbed over and over by groups of men who were so interested in me only because of my skin color. At first I thought it was kind of cool but it quickly lost its appeal. I started getting a little agitated to be perfectly honest. Now I know how celebrities feel when they are constantly approached by fans and paparazzi, haha! Back in America I'm just a normal white dude, whereas here, I'm a mysterious and fascinating white man, even though I'm just that, a man. I'm no different than anyone else except for my skin color! It was a very strange feeling. The one thing I took away from that experience was that I don't want to be famous, haha!

Thanks for reading and we'll be writing more soon!
-Chris

Eurakalabasti tailoring project

Yesterday we went to the neighborhood of Eurakalabasti where we met with a woman named Shelby.  She trains other women in her community on how to sew.  (If you ask my mom, she'd tell you I could use some training too.). She welcomed us into her new shop which had four rooms and a main entryway where the ladies practice their newly learned sewing techniques.  She shared with us that they have had this shop for about three months now.  They are waiting to get some orders from the schools to begin making uniforms for the students.  They are currently learning a new style of uniform which they call "t-shirt" but it actually looks more like a polo instead of a t-shirt. 
Shelby took us through the neighborhood and we met a young woman named Sunitha who opened the local Good Shepherd Church for us to see.  Shelby said she used to teach sewing inside the church building because it was divided by a wall but it crumbled and now it's all the church (10'x40').  We learned that Sunitha's husband is out of work, not a Christian, and is spending their money on alcohol instead.  We met another woman who was using a walker.  She was paralyzed after she miscarried. Her husband decided to marry another woman and had three kids with her, but amazingly he still cares for his first wife.  They are all one big happy family. :/
Just before we left for the campus, we prayed for the tailoring ministry, Sunitha's family, & the community it general.  We learned thAT there are 500 families and only 100 are Christian.
Below is a picture Julio took of the area.

Please pray for our brothers & sisters in India...
-Tiffany

Second Time Around

I had the opportunity of leading the team coming here to India last year and was blessed to lead the team again this year.  This is my first time visiting a country for a second time.  I thought it would be super easy to just jump right back in to the swing if things since we are doing the exact same things that  we did last year, but I was very wrong.  The first week here was pretty difficult.  I experienced a lot of jet lag, culture shock, and anxiety.  My internal clock was all off and getting through each day became a challenge in itself.  I was actually nervous about teaching English this year which was the complete opposite of last year.  I was also nervous about the tutoring sessions that we would be doing with the students in the evening (for all their other subjects).  I wanted to be honest with the team, so I told them on Friday before our first tutoring session, about how I was feeling.  Julio reassured me that it was going to go just fine.  Later on in the afternoon on Friday, I sat in on one of the mentoring groups that the students have with an older person from the school, so that they can get to know each other better.  During the group the mentor asked the girls what prayer requests they had.  Almost all of the girls in the group asked for prayer for their studies, especially for their English class.  As soon as I heard this, I felt God telling me to ask them if they would prefer to have a girls only English tutoring session so that they might feel more comfortable speaking up and practicing their English.  They all said a resounding "Yes!".  So that evening I lead a girls-only English tutoring session and Julio lead a boys-only English tutoring session.  We both probably had about 20 students in each of our groups.  By the end of my meeting, the girls were spelling their vocabulary words out loud and with very loud voices.  I had never heard the girls be so open or bold in using their English.  It was amazing to see how God answered my prayers without me even needing to ask.  He knew my hesitations and feelings, and took care of me through it all.  God knew exactly what both I and the students needed.

-Risa

McDonald's experience (part II for me)

Yesterday, after our trip to Golconda Fort (which was insane by the way because there was an Indian festival happening when we attended), we ate dinner at McDonald's.  I placed an order of "shake shake" chicken nuggets to share with the team, Jinse, & our driver.  They are the regular chicken nuggets like you'd find in America, but they come with a packet of piri piri spice mix (which is pretty dang spicy, yo!).  I also ordered fries and a spicy chicken sandwich (like I did last year because it was so tasty then).  Although I ordered it plain, it took a three times before I got it that way.  I'm thankful to have ordered an Oreo McFlurry with my meal, because the cold dairy was essential to my being able to finish about 3/4 of it. My mouth was on fire and I was getting the chicken nugget 'meat sweats'.

I thought I'd share a fun eating experience with you today...

-Tiffany

Humble for the Lord

Hello family & friends,

My first culture shock of India was that it reminded me of Mexico-- from the roads to the crazy driving.  Except no tacos here, but we did get a veggie burrito this morning (called "Frankie").  My first days of teaching were a little bit challenging & I was a little nervous, but the students have made it easy to teach.  I love that they're a willing spirit to learn English & smile while I'm teaching.  They don't have to tell me they are humble because I can see it in they're eyes.  We also started with tutoring & it was a huge success, we split up into groups of four.  Risa took an all-girls English group, Tiffany had a mixed boys & girls group for Church Planting, Chris had a mixed boys & girls group for Library science/research & I had an all-boys English group.  We as group, were excited to see them came out to tutor & they had a great time as well.  

I'm really thankful for all the people who were our financial & spiritual supporters, who made it possible for me to be here & be able to experience all this.  It's amazing to see our students' faith in Christ in person, as it's more amazing to know after their English training they will go out & share the gospel into different communities or villages, plant churches & trust in God to provide for everything they're doing.  It's amazing that they will do all that & not fear for themselves because they can be persecuted for sharing the gospel.  I kindly ask, if you can keep the students in your prayers, as I will be praying for them as well.  Yesterday we had the opportunity to go visit a slum school in a local village (part of the same school we're teaching at) where they share the gospel with kids, teach them English, & also teach them small trades, such as tailoring.  The little kids sang some worship songs for us & performed a little dance that was adorable.  Tomorrow we'll be at our first local church (on campus), where they will be preaching in Telegu (a local language in the Andrah Pradesh state).   Have a wonderful day & see you soon God bless you guys. 

-Julio

A Whole New World (please sing title...)

Total. Culture. Shock. From the minute we walked out of the airport my body was on heightened alert of my new surroundings here in India. Every sense was overloaded. Maybe it was weariness from the long flights, confusion from the time change or the intimidation of a new experience but I was completely dumbfounded. As we drove from the airport through the city I just watched in silence and tried to take it all in. Dotted lines divided two lanes, well, what should have been two lanes according to my American brain. However, there were four cars next to each other at points all traveling at different speeds with motorcycles (some with 3-4 passengers) whizzing in and out between them. Dogs, chickens, cows, pigs and water buffalos all roaming free on the side of the road just added to the chaos. The loud honking from the many cars and all the yelling in different languages caught the attention of my ears. All in all, I was fascinated--yet intrigued--by my initial experience.

As the days have went on this week I have continued to keep open eyes, ears and an open mind. I'm trying to immerse myself in the culture and enjoy the experience--which I most definitely have been doing! Besides everything else I've experienced the best has been the people. Working here at the school has allowed me to climb into the lives of the students and the staff and it's allowed them to do the same with me. One thing that I have been trying to focus on more than anything is that no matter where we are from, how old we are, our standing in society or our educational background we are ALL God's children and part of the same family. Romans 8:15-17 comes to mind when I think about this. We have ALL been called by God, ALL been adopted into His family and we ALL have been made heirs with Christ. I'm so excited about the relationships that I have already started making as well as those that I will cultivate over the coming weeks. These are my brothers and sisters and I'm honored to serve them!

Finally, I just want to say thank you to everyone for your prayers and support. Even during the best of days here there are moments of weakness and where we really need to be lifted up. God is going to do amazing things here--as we've already started to see in a few short days--but Satan is going to really try to fight it. Please continue to pray for us as well as the students that we will all stay healthy and focused on the tasks that we have been given. Thanks for reading and God bless!

-Chris

Video alert!

Today we visited one of the local slums with Elsie!  Julio took a short video of the young children singing a Christmas song (that they did during a pageant last year).  We learned that some of them are able to attend a GSS (Good Shepherd School) while others can't. Most of the community, a total of 60 families are Christian... Praise the Lord!  It is due to her desire to serve the Lord in this capacity that these families know about the love of Christ!  Please pray for Elsie's health; she has been having headaches, toothaches, and possibly has a vertebrae out of place (or slipped a disc, something along those lines). We all thank you for your support and prayers!

God bless,
-Tiffany

We're here!

We made it safely to Hyderabad, India!  The motion-sickness patch worked wonders for Risa on every plane! Praise the Lord!  No delays, only a missing strap on one of my suitcases [again]!  Sorry Adam Hammill, but apparently my luggage strap wasn't meant to survive the trip :-(  I don't know why it always goes missing in Hyderabad...  We had a few minor explosions in our suitcases, poor Risa had two of them (one exploded chemlight in one bag and some Sqwinchers that leaked onto her clothes... but we were able to hand-wash her clothes and everything came out just fine.  They were dry before we returned home for the evening).  Chris had a toothpaste eruption in his, but everything else turned out okay.
Our first day at the college, we had a self-guided tour, sat with Manju for orientation, took a second tour with Marina and visited the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) and learned about the various programs they have to help save young girls (5-13 years old) from ritual prostitution and teach their mothers why the girls should not partake in that.  They have a home for rescued girls that either were involved or were more likely to be a part of that.  Currently they have 18 young girls at this home who are receiving some counseling.  We also visited the Lydia's boutique on campus and saw the beautiful purses, shirts, earrings, stuffed bears and elephants, necklaces, and much more that are for sale by the ladies who are removed from the streets to learn the trade of sewing to earn a living instead of prostitution.  After leaving there, we walked off campus to the grocery store "Spencers" so the guys on the team could have a look at a typical grocery store in the area.
Wednesday was our first day of teaching and meeting our students.  Please pray for wisdom for us on how to best teach our students, understanding for the students, that they would take advantage of the tutoring sessions that begin today (Thursday), confidence in our ability to teach and teach clearly, and that we would develop some wonderful relationships with our students that will earn their trust and confidence.
Tomorrow Chris will blog.... so please be on the lookout for it!
Thanks for your support.  We definitely appreciate and feel your love and prayers all the way across the globe!

God bless,
-Tiffany

Visas have arrived! PTL :-)

We can't hardly believe the time has arrived! Tomorrow we leave for India... We thought the day would never arrive & then it came barreling down at us full speed ahead!  We hope to be able to frequently update our readers as often as we can... with videos too!

We appreciate all of you who have been praying for us and financially supporting us to get there.  Without you, it would be nearly impossible for us to go.  Please keep praying for travel mercies & excellent health for us all!

Can't wait to send our first India blog out your way...

God bless.

Plane tickets are booked!

We're about to do this again...

India is fast approaching and we're trying to keep up!  Last week we were able to book our flights and it looks like it will only take us about a day and a half to get there. We leave at approximately 330 pm and arrive at 5 am the day after next!

Please pray for one of our team members who felt the need to back out of the trip and has been under a lot of financial stress and enduring some spiritual warfare.  We hate to lose a member, but we know God has this team & trip in His hands.

If you haven't received a prayer card you can pick one up at Emmanual Faith Community Church.  They look like this:

We would love to have our friends and family praying for us, the students, and professors over there.  We would also love it if you left comments for us on our blog while we're there... we plan on trying to post some short videos of us and/or the students.  You know... bring a little India home to you all while we're there!

Our current fundraising support is at 61%.  Praise God!!  We still have quite a bit to go, however.  If you feel led to support the team financially you can do so online at GPS India Team Post College (July 7-30).  If you want to give, but just don't have the funds... there is an opportunity to donate you time.  Intrigued?  I hope so.  We were asked to help volunteer (and grab as many volunteers a possible to helps us) at 5 of the Camp Pendleton Mud Runs in June (1st, 2nd, 8th, 9th, & 15th).  Volunteering would be us directing traffic to parking spots for the race (so basically for the runners, spectators, and other staff/volunteers who will be parking there).  They will feed us (free breakfast burritos & sub sandwiches) plus we'd get a free t-shirt!  The kicker is: it's from 430am to 1230pm!  If you are interested in helping out please leave a comment (then us send an email at india.efcc@gmail.com if you want to keep your email address private or you may leave it in the comment field).  We're asking for a comment so we can check our email (which we rarely do) and send you the form.

Thanks in advance to all our supporters (prayer warriors and financial studs alike)!  Without you all, this would not be possible!

-Tiffany

Team 2013!

Hi everybody!

We are so grateful to be sharing that some of The Gathering attendees (the Young Adults group at EFCC) are making a return trip to India!  Two (Risa and Tiffany) of the five that went last year will be returning and we have three new team members (Chris, Julio, and Karina) this year!  Our three newbies don't have any international travelling experience and that brings us to our first prayer request:

** Please pray that they are able to receive their passports in a quick and timely manner & that there would be no delays, so that we can send them out together to get our Visas (and not be rushed like last year).

As soon as we take our team pic, it will be posted here and we'll continue to update our supporters (that's you) with prayer requests and praises!

We also have a link for anyone that would like to commit to financial and/or prayerful support of the team and it's members:

India Team 2013 online support

We thank you in advance for taking the time to be connected with us and to be a part of our desire to follow after the Lord!  Without your willingness to pray and donate to this calling that God has set before us, it would be nearly impossible to "care for the least of these."

 ^"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"-Matthew 25:40

God bless,
Tiffany