The Long Journey Home

We left IREF last night after a wonderful send off. We gathered in the college courtyard. The floor was covered with students.

We were astounded all week by the behavior and joy expressed by the wonderful students.

We were privileged to on hand for Dee and Emmanuel's anniversary. The students had hidden a banner for them behind the send off banner for us.

Here's a picture of the train and station where we arrived in Chennai this morning.

We've had some wonderful networking at the YWCA guest house along with some rest. We said good bye to the Scotland team. We're about to have a debriefing meeting. Then we'll be off to the airport for the long journey home.

Thank you for following us on this once-in-a-lifetime journey. We sensed your prayers all along the way. 

Groundbreaking and Church Re-dedication

Wednesday was another packed day. We started by driving through lush fields of Tumeric, bananas, and corn on our way to a ground breaking ceremony. It looked like a garden paradise. Thanks to a generous gift that South Park Church received last year, we were able to fund the construction of a Child Development Center (CDC) in this area. Children will come here for an after school program where they will be fed, tutored, and introduced to the gospel.

A glimpse of Indian culture... As we boarded the bus for the groundbreaking, there was discussion about what the CDC should be named. A board member suggested Prasada Rao Rebba, IREF's founder, because the local village is where he first started a school. So as we boarded the bus, 2 IREF staff jumped on a motorcycle, picked up the banner from the print shop, and raced to the site. They were waiting for us when we arrived.

A spear type spade was used for the groundbreaking. Each team member took a turn repeating "In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" as they turned over the dirt.

Later in the day we traveled to a nearby village to "rededicate" a church in Nalluripalem. In 1989, Dr. Art Gay was on hand to dedicate the original building. Our presence honored that heritage and will help this church continue to shine Christ's light into the future. Over the years the dirt floor and foundation had decayed. Funds from SPC were used to pour a cement slab, repair the ceiling, and paint. 

After revealing the plaque and cutting the ribbon, we entered for a brief service. All of us brought greetings to the gathered church that was full of children. It felt a bit like VBS with kids on the floor.

The woman in this picture is the sister of the original evangelist/pastor of this local church. She remembers IREF when it was 5 orphans in a thatch hut. At 84, she is still worshiping in this church. Here she is with her great grandchildren--a rare sight in a country where the average life expectancy in the villages is probably in the 50's.

It worked out that the groundbreaking and church re-dedication took place on my birthday. What an amazing gift from God!

We'll have a send off soon from the kids... it promises to be emotional. Then we begin the long journey home. It begins with an overnight train ride to Chennai. Then we board a plane on Friday night. We're home by Saturday mid-day, but that's because we gain hours on the ride west.

Sometimes re-entry can be difficult. The affluence and privileges of the West will be welcome and repulsive at the same time as we remember our experiences and dear friends in India. Pray that God would help us use our experience well to His glory.

New Children's Clinic

The medical clinic packed up and traveled to an off-campus school operated by IREF yesterday. Several of our team went to play with the kids while they waited to be seen.

Here's Keifer, our well-loved team member from Michigan, ready to sing 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed. The kids adored him!

Peggy is in her element when she's with kids. Can you tell?

The sun was hot, but the smiles of the kids kept Suzanne and the team going strong. They used balloons, balls, and old fashioned games to demonstrate love to the students. 

In the foreground is my new hero, Dr. Aileen Bell. She pulled 49 decayed teeth in about 3 hours. That's me in the scrubs in the background. One of the medical team was ill, so I took the job of cleaning and sterilizing instruments. It was a bit of a challenge with no running water, but we had buckets and pitchers. You can see the instruments  of torture (and healing) laid out on the table. 

Here's Dr. Stuart Shaw, our optometrist, sitting with the IREF nursing students at our lunch break.

Our friends from Scotland are amazingly skillful, full of laughs, and deep in their faith. It has been pure joy to work with them.

Later that same day, we dedicated the church funded by First Baptist of Eaton Rapids, MI. I'll share more about some similar activities that involve SPC in our next post.

Chirala Church Dedication

The longer we are here, the wider IREF's outreach is revealed. We traveled 2 hours by bus to dedicate this church building.

After marching around it 3 times with music playing, I helped cut the ribbon. Below is the pastor and his family with Emmanuel and Craig Darling (US Director of IREF). 

It's easy to love these people. And almost everyone is eager to get their picture taken. When you have Christ in common, you already share so much.

We continued the dedication under a tent. Several of us had a chance to bring greetings. When the power went out, they had a truck battery ready to go to keep the amplification strong.

They served us lunch. It is a bit risky to partake given food born illnesses. But you also want to be grateful for your host's extravagant display of hospitality. So several of us partook. The IREF team forgot to bring forks. So we ate true Indian style... with our hands. 

The church dedication took place in a fishing village. So we walked less than a mile from the church to the beach. Fishing boats lined the coast. 

The man I'm standing with plays a major role in the history of IREF. He comes from a community well known for it's violent crime. This man was reported as dead. Emmanuel's dad, Prasada, prayed for him and he miraculously recovered. That set in motion much of the outreach that continues today.

Water buffalo are prevalent here. Lilly is making friends with one that went into the water to cool off.

We travel today to one of IREF's satellite schools to do a mobile health clinic. Some of the team will be pitching in with the health clinic, some will be entertaining kids while they wait in line, and others are forced to stay back to recover from illness. A stomach bug has been going around. So please pray for recovery of health before we need to begin the long journey home. Pray also that we would fulfill every divine appointment that God has in store for us.

Busy Weekend

Saturday was so busy that we didn't get an opportunity to post an update. On Friday night, Lilly shared her testimony with thousands at the Gospel meetings. Emmanuel translated for her. God used her story to touch the lives of many.

These are people who've come forward at the end of the meeting to either trust Christ for salvation or respond to God in  another way. We have the privilege of praying with many of them after the meeting is dismissed.

Here are all the VBS participants. They are in front of a girls' dorm that was funded by South Park Church several years ago.

These boys are praying during VBS. The attention span of children and adults far surpasses anything we might see in the West.

The highlight of the trip for many of us so far was the baptism. We traveled outside of Repalle about 15 minutes to the Krishna River. Water Buffalo were crossing nearby. About 50 people were baptized--many were teens. Those who have  a Hindu name are given a Christian name at their baptism. 

Suzanne shared her testimony on Saturday night... the largest meeting of the week. God also used her story in a way that connected with many in the crowd.

This morning's church service was lively... and long... about 4 hours. It included singing, testimonies, introduction of our team, preaching, Bibles for those baptized, and communion.

We're enjoying a day with less activity. We'll be travelling to some surrounding villages in the days ahead, and we'll share more as we're able. 

Please continue to keep us in prayer. Pray for health for team members, open doors for the gospel, and love for one  another.

Hitting Our Stride

We've now had 2 days of Gospel meetings. People arrive on wagons pulled by tractors and in motorized rickshaws from the local train station. Vendors set up selling popcorn, peanuts, and other items.

Here is Eric preaching through one of IREF's very capable and passionate translators.

Emmanuel is translating here for Brandon Smith from Village Church of Gurnee.

This photo gives you a glimpse of both the VBS and lunch that is about to be served. The pots they use are massive.

The children were thrilled to receive coloring pages and new crayons they call "sketches."

The children are here learning a song in English.

Pray that God would continue to open a door for the Gospel. Pray also for God to stir the hearts of those that should be baptized. The baptism will take place at a nearby river tomorrow.

Gospel Meetings

All the teams have been making tremendous progress. The clinic has been doing vision, dental, and skin care screenings. A few hundred teeth have been pulled. Many glasses have been fitted. And many cases of scabies have been treated. And the work team has completed painting of the boys' dining hall.

The Gospel Meetings began last night. A few thousand people gathered in the field behind the college campus. The whole team was introduced and brought onto stage.

The girls choir sang several selections.

After three sermons, an altar call was given. We had the opportunity to pray with several people after that.

VBS got underway this morning. Peggy, Lilly, and Suzanne worked with a group of translators to teach Bible stories, songs, and games. 

The Gospel meetings will continue to draw more people each night. We'll share more tomorrow about the amazing way they are fed and cared for while here. 

Preparations

Preparations, a set on Flickr.