Sunhills Community Church

A trip log for Dan, Reggie, Jeff and Angel as they travel to India On Mission!

SunHills and SEED are travelling to India to work with local organizations and figure out how we can partner with local churches to Love God, Love People and Live the Mission!

Please pray for us while we travel on September 8th through 15th!

September 8, 2009:  Leaving from San Francisco

The trip starts Tuesday afternoon - flying off to Hong Kong then on to India!

September 9, 2009:  Alive in Hong Kong!

Jeff:  Nice flight into Hong Kong - Finished Mere Christianity: C.S. Lewis.  Favorite Quote from what I read during the flight:  "The world is a great sculptor's shop.  We are the statues and there is a rumour going around the shop that some of us are some day going to come to life."

Angel: We survived the grueling flight!  I thank God SO much for the extra seats around us.  I was the most blessed, I think, 'cos I had a window seat and the next two seats to myself!  But like the Israelites, when I woke up from my nap (I was stretched out), I started whining about my back! But only for a moment though... I came back to my senses and as I saw ships sailing below me, I started thanking God for airplanes and that it's not taking us months to get to India like the initial missionaries had to endure!  

Dan: Thankful for a Starbucks in Hong Kong. Read the book 'The Hole in our Gospel' by Richard Stearns (of World Vision); praying to see through cultural differences to the reality of each person reflecting the image of God and being deeply loved by Him. For those of you reading... we're already missing family and friends at home; thinking of you.

Reggie: I'm glad to be finished with the first leg. I sat next to someone that had a lot in common with me, and we moved time along by chatting. It's fun to be asked why we are doing this... why the trip. The responses are coming easier. We love you all. 

Dan and Reggie in Hong Kong

Angel and Jeff in Hong Kong

September 10, 2009: Day 1 in Bangalore:  KEA offices and City Slums

Jeff:  7:00 AM and we're working on just a few hours of sleep.  Looking forward to visiting the KEA headquarters and perhaps visiting Siddupura, a church / feeding program in one of the city slums. 10:30 PM:  Everyone is fast asleep, wiped out for the day.  Why am I awake?  To make sure you get the latest news and pictures, dear reader.. :).  Thanks to all for your continued prayers - Dan does a pretty good job wrapping up some thoughts for the day below...  Biggest sadness of the day - a family of 4 living in a house no bigger than a big bathroom (with no bathroom!) or a lady who burned her feet, fell and then burned her hands, while walking on hot coals because she thought the gods would help make her husband come back through her suffering. 

Dan: 9:30pm - Today has been a good day. It seems a long time since we got in last night/ early this morning so we're tired but this was a well-spent first day. Three thoughts from the day from my perspective: (1) we definitely got some cultural Indian experience, including food (a funny line came during lunch when Reggie was asked if he thought one of the items was hot and his reply was: "yeah, it's all pretty hot"). (2) Our time of hearing from Devanand (director of KEA) was really encouraging and helpful (a big part of this trip in my mind is these kinds of conversations that build toward partnership). I found myself listening to him and smiling inside with the thought 'I love this guy'. I am especially encouraged by his heart for mission and outreach - while there is some Christian presence in the city of Bangalore, there is NONE in quite a few of the village/ rural areas and KEA is specifically seeking to reach into those areas and to those people. This is challenging ministry that takes courage and perseverance and requires a close and constant dependence on God. I am blessed to watch the men and women of KEA intentionally step into this for Christ and His Kingdom. One other thing (there could be others, but this is enough for now) about Devanand's heart for ministry that I deeply resonate with is the burden for holistic ministry. Simply put, we want to care for the whole person - their concern for evangelism and church planting is primary but with that they carry practical demonstrations of the love of Christ through caring for physical and emotional needs - they are feeding people who otherwise wouldn't eat, they are taking children off the street and forced labor, they are providing education and family support, etc. (3) We visited Siddapura - a slum in Bangalore - it was heart-wrenching and uncomfortable to see the poverty and hardship, more than I can put in words right now; but also what an amazing thing to see the ministry which shines the love of Jesus and offers hope in this place. When we left, all feeling a bit overwhelmed by the magnitude of the needs, Devanand gave the wise reminder that we know that we can't affect all of them but we can affect one, and so we will do so, one at a time...

Angel: Hard to believe it’s only been two days since we landed!  We were exhausted after the flight and got only about 1-2 hours of sleep before we launched into day #1 in Bangalore.  In my mind, the main activities for the day were to exchange currency inside the city (and thus give a feel for the city to Reggie and Dan) and spend quality time with Devanand… And visiting Siddapura was optional.  

After lunch, we were all even more exhausted due to the time difference.  When we entered Siddapura, I just wanted the team to spend some time getting an overview of the Compassion Child development programme, take a tour of the slum, serve food to the kids and then leave as quickly as possible to get to bed soon.  Well, God had a different plan, I suppose.  I hate it when that happens!   We walked through the slum and I just braced myself saying this is how it is in India and I just have to harden my heart and not let my guard down too much lest I break down.  The system is messed up and it’s too complicated to bring about any real sustained change,  especially in the city, I told myself.  But I was not ready for the “hole in the wall” experience.  We met this lady who was very cheerful right outside this small door.  Part of the door was blocked with waterpots and she happily welcomed us into her home.  I took the first step as I just wanted to get it over with.  I squeezed through the pots and tried to get in the door after bumping my head on the short doorframe.  I could not see inside… it was totally dark.  Standing in the doorway, I reached into my purse and pulled out my handy little flashlight and took a few steps… tried to anyway… I couldn’t even walk straight, the hallway was so narrow I had to walk sideways.  I didn’t like this at all, I wanted to get out but two others were already behind me and I was forced to go in.  It’s not a hallway, it’s more like a crevice between two walls… 3 or 4 steps later, we were inside the “home” and there was hardly any room to move about.  There was stuff packed into tiny spaces above our heads… she had pictures of Mary/Jesus on whatever little wall space she had… I asked her how many slept there at night and she said 4.  They are a family of 5 (3 kids) but one of the kids sleeps with her sister due to the lack of space.  I was totally disgusted by now and worried especially about the air I’m breathing… How are these people even alive?  How are they surviving without being infected with various diseases?  At that moment, I just wanted to be “beamed up” back to my comfortable home.  I tell myself, this is not for me, I’m not cut out for this.  I don’t want to get involved.  I wish I could do something but the system is messed up and it’s too big and too complicated a task to bring total transformation to this community. 

Then Devanand introduces a lady who has burns on her feet.  Her husband works in northern Karnataka and she lives here in Siddapura with her parents and her 4 children.  3 boys and 1 girl.  The husband is asking her to come and join him where he is… but on one condition that she should leave the three boys in Siddapura and only go to him with the daughter.  How messed up is that?!  Two of the boys are Compassion children and the daughter was in a recent Compassion film shot at Siddapura.  To get her family back together, she decided to walk on coals against the advice of all around her.  I don’t know if she walked on coals and if her soles were also burned but we saw the burns on the top of her feet.  She is diabetic and is spending big money to take insulin shots.  Because of her diabetes, the burns require more diligent treatment.  The doctors have adviced her to take 14 shots (twice a day for a week) and she doesn’t have the money for it – Rs. 1500 or around $30.  Hearing this, Devanand has arranged for funds from Compassion to get her the shots.  We prayed for her and her husband.  She said that the burns in her heart (due to her separation from her husband) are more painful than those on her feet.  She is not a follower of Jesus yet but says that she prays to him.  We encouraged her to pray for her husband and left.  

Does anyone in Bangalore care about these people other than KEA and Compassion?  And KEA and Compassion have limited resources themselves.  They are doing the best they can with what God has entrusted to them.  As Dan writes above, they are making a difference in the lives of the children through the Child Development program.  But what about these women?  What about these men?  They work very hard to provide for their families but they are caught in the miserable system.  Devanand tells us that it’s not even a vicious cycle, it’s a vicious web.  And without significant intervention, they cannot escape this prison.  What about these homes?  I mean, these holes?

There is a “church” that meets in the same tiny building where the children gather for the after school program.  But they don’t seem to have a burden for this community to be transformed.  Devanand agrees with me that this is a very difficult and very complicated task.  The land where these people have been living belongs to the government.  Even though they have been living here for a long time (decades, I think) they don’t legally own the land.  But it’s a good thing that the government has not tried to evacuate them.  So not sure if KEA can even buy land here.  And it will be quite expensive even if they are allowed to legally buy land.  I asked about relocation and Devanand correctly reminded me about Ullalu and that it would not be a good thing to move these people away from whatever their source of livelihood is right now.

We have been reminded multiple times about God’s heart for the poor.  Pastor Dan read a book by World Vision’s President on meeting the needs of the poor and suffering and shared with us.  Devanand’s first devotional to us was about Isaiah 58 and caring for the poor.  During my last trip in 2007, I was heavily burdened with God’s heart for the poor in Isaiah 61.  So what are we to do?  Just give up ‘cos it’s too difficult?  I don’t think so.  Nothing is impossible with God.  With God, all things are possible.  

Devanand later shared with us that he has been challenged by the Compassion Facilitator to do something at least for the CDC as the space for the children to gather is very very cramped.  The church that meets in that building has graciously allowed KEA to use the facility but it’s not even enough for all the kids to sit criss-cross on the floor.  They have to come in shifts.  KEA is doing a fantastic job with the kids so far.  Will you please join me in prayer that God will provide a way for this community?  For their “holes” to be filled with the glory of God and made “whole”? (As Richard stearns writes in his book “The hole in our gospel”).  May God change my desire and vision if it’s not His, but wouldn’t it be great to build a high-rise right in Siddapura?  The bottom floor will be the community center for the CDC and the church to be planted among these people.  The higher floors will be apartments for the families in this community.  God can make it happen.  Will you please join me in prayer for the same?  I know… it’s difficult and complicated.  What about the government?  What about the finances?  What about … what about?... I don’t know.  I don’t want to look at the circumstances.  I’m ready to put my Sunday school and Bible study lessons to the road test.  When we ask according to His will, God hears us and He will answer us.  That’s what I’ve been teaching the kids at Siddapura and Ullalu through songs.  That God is our defender, that He will save and rescue us when we call on Him.  ‘cos He’s the 911 of our heart!  I don’t want to be a hypocrite and not practice what I preach! 

Isaiah 61

 ¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
       because the LORD has anointed me
       to preach good news to the poor.
       He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
       to proclaim freedom for the captives
       and release from darkness for the prisoners,

 ² to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
       and the day of vengeance of our God,
       to comfort all who mourn, 

 ³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
       to bestow on them a crown of beauty
       instead of ashes,
       the oil of gladness
       instead of mourning,
       and a garment of praise
       instead of a spirit of despair.
       They will be called oaks of righteousness,
       a planting of the LORD
       for the display of his splendor.

Dear Lord God, please display your splendor in Siddapura.  You give us good and perfect gifts that are exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or imagine.  We are trusting in you for something big.  Please save the people of Siddapura from the darkness and may your light shine brightly among them.  

Isaiah 59: 15,16  The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice.  He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene.

Father, may this not be true of us and Siddapura.  Burden us for what you want to do in Siddapura.  May YOUR Kingdom come to Siddapura.  Not our will, but yours be done.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

P.S. I love God’s sense of humor!  I hate watching sad movies and didn’t watch “slum dog millionaire” because there were sad parts!  So, God decided to bring me on location instead!  

Pictures: Reggie's spicy food; the slum; helping at the feeding program

September 11, 2009: Day 2 in Bangalore:  Ullalu Child Development Center

Jeff: Great day at the children's development center in Ullalu.  Almost 300 children are fed here daily.  Reggie was great with his puppet show and energy doing the hokey pokey!  All of us fed the women at the woman's "retreat", which was culturally backwards!  Men never serve women, and some of us were corrected for doing it incorrectly.. :)  I played several songs for the big and small kids and they just loved shaking our hands and saying "Hello Uncle!"

Dan: Saturday morning here; it is good to have the continued time with Devanand the beginnings of friendship are a privilege. We also see some of the fun and funny side of Devanand. We talked and laughed together yesterday. Being a part of the family of God and united with others from different cultures and backgrounds is a beautiful thing. I am thankful. Yesterday was Ullalu ñ this is a place that didnít exist as a community 15 years ago; people were moved out of the city to live there. They have built homes and now, through the ministry of KEA, there is a church and Child Development Center (CDC). They feed about 285 kids six days a week (for many that may be there only meal of the day); they provide educational, physical and spiritual nurture for the kids and it shows. It was so encouraging to see the light of the gospel and the love of Jesus shine there. The ministry of the Indian men and women there is an example to me/ us.

Other thoughts: I miss my family; have thought about Gary R quite a few times and the trips we did together; so thankful to be sharing this trip with Jeff, Reggie and Angel. Thanks for praying for us; we are praying for you too

Angel: Ok, I don’t want to write just about heart-wrenching stuff.  Ullalu was an oasis to our saddened hearts.  Ullalu had its share of heart-wrenching stuff 15 years ago when the Bangalore city government decided to clean up the slum where they were living and relocate them 10 Km away from the city.  But with KEA’s involvement over the last 14 years, Ullalu is a transformed place.  It was so heart-warming to see the 275 children so joyful and singing God’s praises!  I could see the spiritual growth from my 2005 trip to my 2007 trip to this one.  At the parents’ retreat, many of the women were flipping through their Bibles pretty fast as the references were given which shows that they are familiar with the Bible and they read it themselves!  Pastor Vincent had organized some games after lunch and it was just such a blessing to see the women laugh!  I was concerned for the women as I remember them being very sad in 2007.  But God has been faithful to Ullalu and He has brought joy to the women and children of Ullalu!  Praise His Holy name!

Reggie: Ulallu, what a blessing! One of the most wonderful partnerships is the union between Compassion International and KEA. If it hasn't been mentioned yet, Compassion Int. provides financial support for the the kids to be educated, fed once per day (yes only once), and then provided with the Gospel. Compassion is at the KEA site because it is Christian based.

The kids are so amazing. They are so willing and wanting to be spoken to and encouraged. You sense that this is how the truth of the Gospel will be spread in future generations in India. What a concept...love the kids.

Please continue to pray about what this all means for our church and our community. Many people from SunHills have recently read about the idea of being a "luke warm christian". Let's pray that God will push us and provide the guidance and strength necessary.

Pictures: Feeding the women, Reggie teaching "If you're happy and you know it", older and younger children sitting patiently while the adults talk and talk and talk... :)

September 12, 2009: Day 3 in Bangalore:  Youth Transit Center, Professional Meeting

Jeff: Played worship music for both of these events.  My biggest takeaway:  I'm glad we have Greg, Don and Jake.  :)  Let's just leave the music to the professionals (or at least the talented).  I was glad to see graduates from the Compassion Kids programs now have somewhere to fellowship and receive further support for their studies - some of these kids were on fire and will definitely succeed through God's support!

Dan:Part of the reason our blogging has been slow is how full our days have been. After getting back late Saturday evening we were met at 6:30am on Sunday for a quick breakfast before going out to Hosamane. After the day of ministry (and travel) and our evening dinner, we came back to our rooms around 9pm. There is so much to share that I couldn't possibly do it justice here, but here are a few highlights.

The Youth Training Center (YTC) & the Professional Association (Saturday pm) - The main thing that impressed me at the YTC was the eagerness of these students to grow in the Lord and serve Him. Their English was excellent and it made conversation so natural and fun. I loved asking them questions, listening to them, they asked me a bunch of questions as well.... At the Professional Association I shared briefly from 1 Peter 2:9-12 (a great passage), but the real highlight was Reggie's sharing a bit of testimony about what it meant to follow Christ and be a witness for him in the business world. Reggie shared from his heart, and with humility, and the group was powerfully touched by that. One of the participants also spoke after Reggie about how he could relate in his own setting - I am sure that God will use that time of sharing to bear fruit.... One final thought from this night: both the YTC and Professional association are relatively new ventures from KEA, and I love the way they are thinking and carrying out gospel ministry. They are trying to find new venues for building relationships and reaching people so that they can permeate as deeply as possible with the good news and love of Jesus. May the faithfulness and fruitfulness of these efforts of KEA be multiplied; and let us do the same....

September 13, 2009: Day 4 in Bangalore: Hosamane Church and Baptism (plus leaving on the 14th!)

Jeff: Last day before leaving India is very bittersweet.  The friendships solidified with Angel, Reggie and Dan have been a blessing.  Even more so, growing further in our relationship with KEA and Devanand has been truly enjoyable.  He can be incredibly funny and a joy to be around.  His love for God and the work to be done is moving  We've spent the last day in talking about our experiences and in prayer.  We even got in a little shopping, which Dan enjoyed thoroughly... ;)   I think as I reflect, there is just so much work to be done.  The needs of many of these people are so basic and raw.  Like a lady who needs to find a hospital to perform surgery on her baby with a heart condition and yet has no money.  Like a small businessman who lost his entire cash stash ($480) to burglars - yet God returned the money.   And even while these things are occurring, they still meet on Sundays - in a sweltering hot, cramped church with nothing but their voices - to simply worship and give glory to God.  They give testimonies every Sunday - and each one of them knows what God is doing TODAY in the life of the others.  And KEA is right in the middle of it, helping with it all.  Gloria a Dios.

Reggie: We are six hours from leaving this place. I am ready to come home but I feel the same as the rest of our team... that there are so many ways that God has blessed us on this journey. I am ready for the next phase, whatever that might be. I want it to be intentional and inclusive of the body of believers at SunHills.

Yesterday was an EXTREME highlight for me. Traveling was difficult (three hours one way), but worth every moment. Hosamene is a very small village much like what you would see on the Discovery Channel. This was the first visit where communication was difficult, but the smiles were pretty much universal. The kids loved hanging out with us and just being goofy, and the adults couldn't wait to touch Dan's garments. I think they expected too much from him. I'm joking in case you don't know me. There was a very real sense of respect for Dan, and we were honored just to hang out with him. Jeff and I are comfortable being lower caste.

What touched us all was the service. For those of you that have attended our Mexico trips, it was similar. The worship is loud, spirit filled, distracting at times, and I loved it all. What a special privilege to listen to the testimonies of eight people in love with our Jesus. I could not understand what they said but I didn't need to. The Holy Spirit was rocking the house!

From the church building we hiked about 1/2 mile to a small pond. All of our new Brothers and Sisters were baptized. What you don't see in the video below is the lady who had paused from washing her clothes on a rock. She was gracious enough to make room for something important. After all were baptized, we made the trek back down to the church, avoiding the water buffalo, and blessings ended the service.

It's hard to describe something so special when you're so far from the circumstances. My prayer will be to allow God to communicate this when we get home. Presenting the Gospel to either the people of India, or the people of El Dorado Hills should be exciting to us all.

Blessings

Dan: Hosamane - If I had to pick one favorite of the trip, this might be it. Worshipping in the context of these believers - no instruments, no A/C, no chairs, etc.... and circumstances harder than most of us can even conceive and yet they joyfully and whole heartedly pour themselves out without reservation. Their prayers and hunger for God are sweet. One thing from the baptisms that stood out - each of those being baptized stood up for sharing a part of their testimony, but they were also asked questions (almost interviewed) from Devanand. The questions were of the sort of "has anyone forced you to take the baptism or follow Christ?" Varying forms of this were asked in about 4 or 5 ways. In addition each of the people being baptized had to sign an official document stating these things. The reason is that if anyone ever claimed that they were baptized not under their own, will there could be serious repercussions. Final thought for now on this - Basavaraj's testimony was amazing. He is the pastor at Hosamane and is doing a fantastic ministry there - caring for people, seeing people come to Christ, leading and loving. He was born into a Hindu family but God worked on his mind and heart to see that these idols couldn't take care of themselves, much less him. So in his exploration for what his soul was longing for, he was brought to hope for the Savior that he found in Jesus. What a remarkable story; what a remarkable and amazing God!

Additional - the delights of being with our team have been a treasure. We have had good conversations even in the car, as we talk, eat, walk, pray and share a bit of life together... it is good and I am blessed to be in it with Jeff, Reggie and Angel. And my heart rejoices in the bond with Devanand as a brother and fellow pastor and new friend.

Angel: We left for Hosamane early in the morning.  The guys were all uncomfortable that I made coffee.  They liked the coffee, however, and now they owe me a whole bunch of tips!  :)  But then I owe them some compensation for letting me sit in the front of the Toyota Innova and for their willingness to sit in the backseat.  We have agreed to take care of the tips a/c when we reach heaven.  We are all going to work harder on earning our heavenly rewards so we can pay for a banquet where we will sit down and leisurely figure out how much we owe each other in tips! :) 

We arrived in Hosamane before the service started.  We were warmly welcomed by the missionary Pastor Basavaraj and his wife Mangala.  There were a few other church members who were also early arrivers standing outside the tiny church building.  I recognized a few of the women and one of them smiled and held my hand very warmly.  She didn’t understand Tamil so I couldn’t converse with her.  She kept holding on to my hand and as others were coming up to say hi, I had to let go of her hand and she let go reluctantly.  After the service, we had to walk over to a nearby pond and on the way back, I saw two teenagers texting on their cell phone and I was just struck by how they had signal in the middle of nowhere!  So I started talking to them and they knew a little bit of English and a little Tamil.  I was teasing the two youngsters about texting and talk about how it’s the same in America as well.  After a lot of questioning and guessing, I realized that they are brother and sister and the lady who was holding my hand earlier is their Mom, she joined our conversation as well.  Her name is Jaya Lakshmi.  I asked about the rest of their family and came to find out that her husband died in a motorcycle accident just a few months ago.  I now remember this family as Devanand had shared the story with me when it happened and I had prayed for the same.  In short, when Basavaraj had gone to their home to conduct a prayer meeting,  Jaya’s husband borrowed Basavaraj’s motorcycle to run a quick errand and lost his life.  I felt terrible that I had let go of her hand earlier.  How could I have been so insensitive?  I quickly took hold of her hand and told her how sad I was to hear it.  Tears welled up in her eyes and I had no more words to offer.  We went back into the church and I held both her hands in mine and prayed earnestly that God will comfort her.  

Jaya’s husband was an auto-rickshaw driver and now his son, Jagadish, is driving it.  He is about 20 years old and is now the main bread-winner for the family.  His sister, Latha, after finishing high school has taken a small job in Bangalore working for Reliance Communications.  She has an interview for a better job tomorrow, please say a prayer for her.  I later found out that Jaya’s oldest son got involved with wrong friends and is now behind bars.  Please pray that he will commit his life to the Lord and be released from prison.  

After the service, I shared with Jaya (through translation) about my brother Josh who had died at the age of 41 due to cancer and how God has been faithful to my sister-in-law and kids beyond my imagination.  I hope she was encouraged by that.

You’ll see Jaya’s bright face in the back seat of the auto-rickshaw wearing a white-with-green-leaves sari.  KEA does not encourage the people to change their names at baptism like it’s typically done in other parts of India.  Neither do they insist that they stop wearing the dot on their forehead.  So, you will see Jaya with the dot but she has accepted the Lord in her heart.

As a new believer, going through this trial is difficult.  But praise God for how they are still coming to church!  Please pray that God will comfort and strengthen Jaya and her children.  May God protect them from all harm.

Also want to share with you all about another clueless moment… this young lady came forward for prayer with her little daughter.  She said she had another daughter as well.  She was pregnant and asked that I pray that God will give her a boy baby.  Although I can totally relate to her desire,  I encourage her to accept whatever God gives her.  I tell her that although we can express our desires to Him, God knows what is best and that He is the giver of all good and perfect gifts.    That in my life, there have been many times I didn’t understand why God didn’t give me what I ask for but later realized why God’s choice was better.  She is surprised at my statement and asks, “really?”.  I resoundingly say "yes" and encourage her that even if it’s a girl, she should love and cherish the child and raise her according to His ways.  That God sees the child in her womb and that He has chosen to send this gift to her for a specific purpose.  I then pray that God will give her the desire of her heart but His will be done.

Devanand shared with us today about the multitude of issues in the mission field.  That a woman suffers much shame if she doesn’t have a child.  And if she doesn’t have a boy child, even though it’s not her fault, then her husband is not pleased with her because there is no boy child to carry his name.  She could even be physically abused for the same.  I feel terrible that I didn’t even clue into that other dimension of her request.  Lord, please protect this woman and take care of her during her pregnancy.  Give her a safe delivery and may Your will be done regarding the sex of the baby.  Help her husband and her to be totally delighted with whatever you give them.

I am just SO thankful for local missionaries who can minister in the cultural context.  Although I look Indian, I don’t qualify for a missionary position in KEA!  

Devanand reminded us this morning about Matthew 9:35-38.  Please join me in prayer for the Lord to send out more laborers into the vineyard.  May we be moved with compassion like Jesus was because so many in India are weary and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.  

Jeff: Just a note; This is our final update before flying home - thanks so much to everyone for you prayers and support.  We love you and we'll see you soon.

Bonus Video:  Baptisms at Hosamane!

Pictures: Devanand (KEA Director) playing the guitar, in India everyone DOES have a water buffalo, 12 people leaving from church in an auto-rickshaw, inside the Hosamane church, Dan speaking, outside the Hosamane church.

September 14, 2009: Day 5:  Back Home

Dan: I’m writing this sometime Tuesday morning. What a morning – we left Bangalore in the early hours of the morning and when we flew into Hong Kong it was still Tuesday morning. There we had a few hour layover (and the possibility of a cancelled or delayed flight due to weather, thankful that we got off) before beginning the roughly 12 hour flight to San Francisco. As I write this it is still Tuesday morning – my mind can figure it out better than my body.

Mostly though I wanted to say thanks again for all who have been praying for us and the trip and the ways that we (SHCC) can partner with KEA in a piece of what God is doing in India. Thanks, and we’d love to have you keep praying in those regards. Jeff and Reggie and I will continue to do the same. As we pray and process and discuss with others here, we will communicate more as our plans develop….

Thankful for this trip and thankful to be home