Visiting Believers in Chitradurga

A beautiful view from the hotel room Saloni and I shared. 

Another morning in India and another long drive ahead of us. I got up and joined Samuel and Keaton for coffee while we waited for the others to appear to start the day. We met together for prayer before drinking more coffee and heading off on another journey. We are going to be doing lots more travelling in the next week or so together and I'm looking forward to all the places we're going to see. 

We stopped and had vegetarian dosa for breakfast again. We've been enjoying such big breakfasts that so far most of us have been happy with only two meals a day. 

We have discovered that Luke is extremely ticklish especially around his neck. This is a fact much enjoyed by some people :). 

We continued on again, most of us simple ready to get where we're going for the day. 

We made another stop for lunch and had butter chicken; yum!

They served a kind of candied seed after the meal to freshen your breath. It sort of tastes like aniseed and is quite pleasant after a meal full of spice. So far it feels like we've mostly been eating and travelling. 

A quick stop to stretch the legs. 

We eventually arrived in Chitradurga and were warmly greeted by the church and the missionary couples that minister there. They served us all soft drink as a treat, which is sort of ironic as most of us don't really enjoy soft drink and Bill doesn't drink it at all. 

We discussed IEM, the work in Chitradurga and plans to further the work in different areas. We were asked to sing and chose "Before the Throne" seeing as most of us know the words pretty well.

We headed off to visit Paul's daughter and parents at their home where we were served a tray of Indian desserts. Saloni pointed out her favourites and we all experimented a little with the unfamiliar sweets. 

We then visited a family of new believers in the area and heard their story. I'm amazed at how these people turn around from lives immersed in idol worship and immediately start spreading the gospel to anyone that will listen to them. Some of these people have already faced all kinds of persecution from neighbors and police but remain committed to Jesus in the face of it all. 

This small community of believers have already built their own local church building and we met together with them for worship. Men on one side, women on the other and of course all sitting cross legged on the floor. 

Keaton and Luke enjoyed the group of boys that gathered around them. Making friends with kids is never hard even if you can barely speak the same language. 

With Gupal playing the drums, a tambourine accompanying and two girls leading the singing they worshipped and sang with hearts full of joy, before hearing Bill speak. This small group of people late on a Saturday night could easily rival our large church back home on a Sunday morning with their enthusiasm in singing. We clapped along as we witnessed the kind of joy that can only come from fixing your eyes on Christ Himself. 

We visited another family of new believers and prayed with them before heading to one of the missionary family's house. 

This house was filled with still more believers who had been waiting for us to come and join with them in worship too. Bill spoke again and we prayed together before fellowshipping with the people here. 

Alex's height is a bit of a novelty here in a place where Luke is considered quite tall for his age. The children all look younger to us than what they really are. From memory this boy was about 13 years old. 

Samuel is chatting her with some of the missionary ladies. The young lady in the middle is still doing missionary training at the moment and has plans to marry a young man also in training by the beginning of next year. 

We were served dinner by the people here and we all enjoyed it once again. So far every meal has been great, the only downside is that we can't seem to fit enough of it in our stomachs!

We had to take some of the men here with us to our hotel in order to sort out our rooms and so we squished Alex in our jeep again. We have now figured out a method for us all to sit in relative comfort without sitting on one another.

There was a slight confusion with rooms but it was all eventually sorted out, with Saloni and I sharing a double bed. Saloni and I were both suffering from bug bites and I feet felt filthy. 

We both took just enough time to wash our feet and write in our journals before collapsing into bed. 

I'm looking forward to church tomorrow and sharing once again in worship with the believers here. 

"Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.......But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls."

Hebrews 10:35-36,39

On the Road

We are now in Mysore for the night. 

We've had a very long day and though it's only 8pm most of the group have already headed up to their rooms for the night.

Again, it was an interesting experience travelling on Indian roads. The drive from Bangalore to Mysore is about 180km and took us about 4 hours not including stops to drive. 

We stopped for breakfast and we were all quite happy to eat dosa again, along with Indian tea. I've never been a huge fan of chai tea, but it tastes different here and most of us enjoy it almost as much as coffee, though it's a little sweet. 

As we got closer to Mysore we stopped and Samuel bought fresh coconuts for each of us. The tops were cut off with a machete and we were given straws to drink the coconut water. Coconut water is very good for you and is quite refreshing but I don't particularly enjoy the flavour so Keaton drank the rest of mine for me. 

I shared a jeep with Keaton, Luke and Saloni and we did some singing together to help pass some time. I could sing almost all the time and enjoy singing with the others. Gupal is our driver and he doesn't speak much English, but seems to enjoy watching us sing and joke together:). 

Packing up for the trip to Mysore. 

From the back left: Gupal (our driver), Bill, Luke (Bill's son), Keaton, Robyn.

Standing at the front: Paul (our other driver and worker at the missionary training centre).

Front, sitting, from the left: Alex, me, Saloni (Samuel's daughter), Samuel, Jonathan (IEM staff and main organiser of our trip).

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Upon arriving in Mysore we visited the palace there. Just outside the gates and in the car park we got mobbed by people selling different things. I've become used to being in these situations and in Uganda I was by myself so I quickly learnt how to get people to leave me alone. In Africa I learnt tricks to showing no interest and avoiding eye contact with people in order to avoid having different wares shoved in my face and people clamouring for my attention. 

Inside the gates of the palace we had to hand over our cameras and our shoes. The palace was amazing! Intricate carvings, paintings, colours and textures of all kinds, great teak doors, gold pillars, marble floors and portraits of royalty. It was the kind of craftsmanship that has been lost in generations past, skills that this generation doesn't possess anymore. I couldn't help but wonder what the temple would have looked like in Solomon's day compared to this Indian palace. 

We saw the throne room, and lots of golden figures. The gold throne itself is made of solid gold worth about 49 million dollars. 

Leaving the palace, we collected our shoes and Keaton, Luke, Robyn and Saloni went on an elephant ride while the rest of us were happy to watch on the side lines. 

We seem to do a fair bit of waiting around as a group, which though a little tiring, makes for a fairly relaxed atmosphere within our group. 

We went and had lunch at a vegetarian restaurant afterwards. The food is amazing and I'm learning how to eat with my fingers a little better each time. I usually pester Saloni to teach me the right techniques. 

We stopped for fuel, which was right next to McDonald's. As McDonald's employees, Alex and I decided we had to at least go in and look at the menu, though we didn't buy anything. I'd much rather eat Indian curries than Indian McDonald's :). 

We managed to get in a photo with Ronald's Indian cousin. 

Only a few minutes after leaving here it began to rain and Gupal turned the jeep around. I wondered for a minute and then realised, our suitcases were on the roof! It was raining fairly hard and Gupal didn't see a large speed bump and so didn't slow down. Those of us in the back weren't wearing seat belts and so hit the roof pretty hard as we went over. We went back to the fuel station and the guys managed to fit all the suitcases into the back of the two jeeps. We managed to squish Alex into our jeep meaning there was now four of us on the back seat. After some shuffling around, I ended up sitting on Saloni's knee for our short trip to the hotel and hoped that we wouldn't go over any more unexpected speed bumps with my head now a lot closer to the roof of the car. 

_

The hotel is beautiful and makes all of us feel slightly uncomfortable in our luxury. We enjoyed showers and then met together for prayer and a bit of a debrief. Bill headed up to his room early in order to prepare for all the added sermons he has to do on this trip. The rest of us chatted for a little while longer, some made use of the internet at the hotel, some headed off to bed and Luke played some more guitar. 

Praying together is the perfect way to end any day and I love it when as Christians we support and encourage each other in this way. 

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:4-7

Strangers and Friends

I love to wake up on a new continent and experience the early morning light with the Word of God and my journal. I love watching a place come slowly alive as people begin to go about their daily work. There is an interesting respect for a person's quiet space early in the morning which I find no matter where I go in the world. It's not rude to simply nod and say good morning without stopping for a chat. Everyone quietly goes about their work, almost as if we are all still half asleep, lost in our own thoughts. Quickly the hush lifts though, as more people get up and those already up become alert and focused on the day's duties. 

It is now 8am in Bangalore and I'm sitting on the front steps of the guesthouse. I have seen a few of the group up but not all of us have emerged yet. We are heading off at 9am to visit IEM's headquarters and have morning devotions with them. 

We had a warm welcome at IEM and were introduced to many of the staff. We each were presented with a whole bouquet of flowers, which of course I loved. :)

We sang together and listened to Bill's devotion on Jesus and Peter walking on water. I love the way we can have Christian fellowship no matter where we are so long as we're with the body of Christ. 

We were given a wonderful Indian breakfast afterwards! The table was laden with dishes full of scrambled eggs with sausages and chilli, porridge, toast and dosa, which look a bit like a pancakes with savoury fillings of meat and/or vegetables. Yummy! 

Saloni and I enjoying the beautiful flowers we were given. 

Robyn enjoys her gardens. :)

We wandered around the buildings for a while, poking our heads into offices and talking to people about their different roles at IEM. Meanwhile, Bill and Luke enjoyed checking out the General Secretary's son's soundproof studio for his music. 

Indian driving and traffic is definitely a new experience! There really aren't lanes that have to be followed and all you really need to know is how to work the horn to hopefully get where you need to go safely. We have two jeeps with drivers from IEM to show us around. 

Some of the stickers on the back of the cars made us laugh:). 

We drove to parliament and wandered for a while. 

There are many road signs encouraging people to follow road rules, but so far from what we've seen they don't seem to make much difference!

We wandered around some shops for a while and crossed some roads successfully:). Keaton and Luke went off to a music shop and Luke came back with a guitar to take with us. I can't really imagine either of those boys without some form of musical instrument with them. 

We met back up again and were getting ready to leave a cafe when a little girl came and stood right in front of me, maybe 4 or 5 years old, though Indian children are so petite that it's hard to tell. She held one hand out to me and simply looked into my eyes. She didn't say a word; she didn't have to. My eyes were already welling up with tears as I tried to pretend I was still following the conversation I had been a part of only a few seconds before. It's so easy for me to love children. My first instinct is never logical or practical which is unusual for me, no matter what a child looks like or how filthy they may be. I have an insane urge to gather her up in my arms and hold her tight. 

No matter how many hungry and hopeless little faces I see, I can never become used to it. 

I always struggle to know what to do in these situations. Giving money for me is the easy, if not lazy, way out. I'm not saying we should never give money, but that, in the end, how much will it really benefit the child? Do we give money just to make ourselves feel better? Tell ourselves that we did all we could do to clear our consciences? One thing we can all do which is never in vain is to pray. I didn't give this little girl any money. Should have I? I don't know.

I did pray for her though and still do for all these little children, even as her eyes still haunt me. One thing I know for sure is that her soul is far more important than her body. God cares for both her soul and body, and I take comfort in the fact that He is a just God Who will make all things right on the earth one day. 

_

We returned to the guesthouse and rested for a little over an hour. I played skip-bo on the front steps with Saloni and Alex, we all listened to Luke with his new guitar and Keaton and Robyn went for a walk. 

Saloni and I completely worn out, waiting for our dinner. 

We walked down to a restaurant and had curry and chapattis with ice cream for dessert. It was great! I think we're all already loving the food. 

Of course good food always tastes better seasoned with good conversation. Robyn, Alex, Samuel, Saloni and I were sitting near each other and had some great conversation about different social issues and biblical doctrines. Robyn and I are both very passionate about our opinions and beliefs, which leaves us with never a dull topic. Everyone that knows me well will know that these kind of conversations have me in my element:). I love it when as Christians, though we may not agree on every subject, we can still discuss our opinions with love and grow closer to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. 

I can't wait to share this experience with these wonderful people!

We finished the night with a game of phase 10, more music from Luke and then off to bed. We are leaving for Mysore at 7am tomorrow. 

"Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel."

"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."

Proverbs 27:9,17

The Light for the Nations

This is going to be a fun trip. :)

I can see it now; we are going to joke and laugh together, work together, live together, get to know each other better, annoy each other a little, encourage each other, and ultimately grow closer to God together as we fellowship with one another. 

Being so close with people always opens my eyes a little more to sin, grace and forgiveness that occurs in every day life. 

I'm so excited to step foot on another continent! I've learnt to love all the uncertainties of travel and experiencing another culture. God never works the same way twice and I can't wait to see how He will work through this trip.

"For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."

Philippians 2:13

I got up at 5:15am, shoved the last few things in my suitcase and ate breakfast. Everyone got up to say goodbye and when Samuel, Saloni and Keaton arrived Andrew took us to the airport. We arrived before 8am and the rest of the group, Bill, Luke, Robyn and Alex, were already there waiting for us. 

Traveling was pretty easy. The twelve hours were passed with the usual chatting, listening to music, dozing off, watching movies, listening to sermons, doing puzzles, reading, writing in journals, until we all reached the point of total exhaustion. 

We had a quick stop over in Delhi and were on our way to Bangalore. 

We were greeted at the airport by some staff from IEM and arrived at the guesthouse by about 1am India time. Our rooms were basic but comfortable and clean, and we all slept comfortably. 

_

Jesus is a Light for the nations of the world. Only Jesus' light can dispel the darkness of this world. I want to be an instrument of His light. 

Lord, when people see our group, what we do and how we behave, may we be shining lights of Jesus Himself; that they may not see 8 Aussie tourists, but instead wonder Who You are, Lord. Prepare the way, Lord, shine Your light into people's hearts, for we cannot free people from darkness, only by Your power can the prisoners be set free. 

Thus says God, the LORD, 

who created the heavens and stretched them out, 

who spread out the earth and what comes from it, 

who gives breath to the people on it

and spirit to those who walk in it:

"I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; 

I will take you by the hand and keep you;

I will give you as a covenant for the people, 

a light for the nations,

to open the eyes that are blind, 

to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, 

from the prison those who sit in darkness.

I am the LORD; that is my name;

my glory I give to no other, 

nor my praise to carved idols. 

Behold, the former things have come to pass, 

and new things I now declare;

before they spring forth

I tell you of them."

Isaiah 42:5-9

Travelling Again

Yep, that's right. I'm off again. :) 

This time only for 12 days. 

I leave this Wednesday! 

I'm travelling with a group from my church. There will be 8 of us all together of all different age groups and walks of life. We are travelling to India and spending time in three different states in the southern part of the country. Bangalore and Hyderabad are the main cities we are visiting. This trip has been organised by a elder in our church (who is originally from India) in conjunction with the staff of Indian Evangelical Mission. We hope to visit several of their mission fields and see first hand the work that they do as well as bring greetings from Christians in Australia. Most of us return on the 29th of September, but Bill, our minister, and Samuel, an elder in our church, are continuing on to several other places to minister to other men in ministry. 

We would appreciate prayer for this trip. It seems that everything about planning this trip has been more difficult than it should have been. I would especially appreciate prayer for one young guy who has been quite sick this week and may not be able to come with us now. It would be disappointing for all of us if he can't make it. So, please pray for Luke and his health. 

Also, there is a fairly new Hindu prime minister in India. We have to be careful to be sensitive about the purpose of our trip. Officially, we are going only as tourists. So, please pray that God might be preparing the way for us as we travel. 

Most of all I pray that God will be glorified and His Kingdom furthered in our hearts and the hearts of His people. 

I won't be able to blog while travelling this time, but I plan to journal each day and post when I get home. Thanks for your continued prayers. 

"For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."

Hebrews 13:14-16

Sharing My Scars

Over the past few months I've had the opportunity to share about my experiences in Uganda with many different people in both my home church and with extended family. Many of those who read this blog were able to come to hear me give my presentation either at Frankston or Rokeby, or watched the recording. 

I love to talk about my time in Uganda but I also find it difficult as I bare my soul afresh to the heartaches. I wrote out most of my presentation word for word because I knew I'd be a mess of tears by the end. Sure enough, by the time I reached my conclusion, the words on the page were a mere blur. 

I knew it had to be that way though. After all how can I relate what it was really like for me without showing the scars left on my heart? My scars are beautiful though as each one shows where I've been hurt but God has healed me.

The following is the conclusion I gave to both my presentations. These are my most recent scars. One day, after all the scars are healed, maybe my heart will look a little more like Christ's. 

 Reality

I’ve had a few people ask me how it’s been coming back to reality here. The truth is that I think that being over there is more like reality than being here. What I mean is that being in such an environment forced me to grapple every day with issues of this life in a way I don’t experience in my mon-fri job.

What were only ideas and inklings to me became reality.

The idea of poverty, becomes reality, as I visit a family that has no roof in the middle of the rainy season.

The idea of malnutrition and starvation becomes reality, as I watch a 1 year old so weak he can’t even lift his head.

The idea of being orphaned becomes reality, as I walk hand in hand chatting to a young girl who looks at me as if I’m the most privileged person on earth to still have a father that is alive.

The idea of abandonment becomes a reality as a the two year old boy at my side asks if he can be my son.

And in all this painful reality that I was faced with every day, God showed Himself to be real too, and faithful. Like a diamond shines brighter against a black background so too does God’s goodness shine clearer in midst of suffering and pain.

As I became tired and weak, He showed Himself to be my source of strength and courage.

As I struggled with my own limitations and helplessness, He showed Hi s limitless power and perfect understanding.

As I discovered more and more my own insufficiency, He showed Himself to be sufficient in any and every circumstance.

Both the joys and the heartaches make me look forward to eternity all the more. I put my trust in God for the future of both these precious children and my own.

I just want to finish with a verse which shows my hope for eternity , when I will experience the full reality of Christ in all His glory, with none of the pain of this world, for He took all this world’s suffering onto Himself.

 “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”

1 Corinthians 13:12

Beauty Created

God created flowers. 

Flowers teach me something about God. 

I can admire a rose and know that God delights in beauty, in colour, and in fragrance. 

I am made in the image of God and so I too delight in such beauty, especially  the flowers He has created. (I was more than a little thrilled to receive two bouquets for my birthday last week)

Does God smile each time a new bud opens its face to the sun? Does He scatter the morning dew and watch the beads of water sparkle on the silky petals? Does He breathe the breeze to watch pink blossoms float down from trees? Does He watch knowingly as my eyes light up at the sight of a simple vase of flowers on the kitchen table? 

It may be just my imaginations, but if I delight in a flower's beauty surely the One Who formed them takes great delight in watching a winter rose bloom.

The photo credit goes to my mother who delights in capturing God's beauty with a camera :).

"He has made everything beautiful in its time."

Ecclesiastes 3:11