Destination: OM (Operation Mobilization)
Team: Aaron Bailey, Luke Greenaway, Tim Barley, Adam Burke
Duration: October 18-28, 2009
Assignment: Education, Encouragement, Evangelism, Adventure
Today’s Log: October 25
Submitted by: Luke Greenaway
We’ve decided to start off each morning with a team devotion. One person will lead this each day. Today, we were challenged to consider our own personal reasons for being here and make sure they were truly in line with the Lord’s plans and purposes for us.. Then we reported to the Operation Mobilization (OM) dining hall for a tasty Indian taco breakfast before heading off to visit the Good Shepard’s School in a village called Uddamarry, about a 45 minute drive from the OM Campus. The School greeted us with a whole presentation and had us sit down on stage in front of the whole student body (pre-kindergarten to high school). We were given flower leis and the children sang a series of songs, recited the Indian pledge, and quoted Bible verses. We were then each asked to say a few words in front of the 400 students and faculty members. We went from class to class, led by the principal of the school, and we were introduced to each of the teachers and the students in all the classes.
The manager of the school then taught us about the other ministries of the Good Shepherd schools. This is the official name of all the OM schools in the country. Since the Dalit uprising in the early 2000’s, OM has made it their commitment to provide education for as many Dalit communities as possible. Once the schools are established, OM makes it known to the local community that they also provide services including micro loans, health and dental care, local church participation, and helpful seminars on parenting, women issues, etc. We were all so impressed by all the services that OM provides for the Dalit communities.
We were then driven a slum area where we were greeted by more smiling Dalit children who move with their parents from job to job. We walked into the middle of their makeshift shanty town, filled with homes made of tarps and mud. The children and adults that came to greet us seemed no different from those who approached us in the downtown areas of Hyderabad. But their lives and homes were quite different from the city dwelling Indians. Remarkably, OM has set up a school in this slum and has even made the school out of tarps and mud to fit in with all the other dwellings.
We all are so drawn to these kids! They are so open to us and so happy just to receive our hugs, hold our hands, and take pictures with us—and they never asked for anything! I was so taken back by that—they didn’t ask for food, money, nothing. I left their homes so convicted by my lack of appreciation for what I have in the USA. These children are content with virtually nothing, yet I always find myself wanting more. I found myself wanting to give them anything--everything I had, yet they didn’t ask me for a thing. They seemed to be content just to be with us and touch us. The Dalit “Untouchables” (as they are sometimes called) had been touched by four guys from America, Ambassadors for Christ.
The rest of the afternoon, we were in meetings with lots of OM staffers and leaders. We learned about everything from how their finances are handled, to the child sponsorship program, to the advocacy work that’s being done, to the books and resource materials that are being sent out all over India by OM. The more we learn, the more impressed we are with how God is at work here and the level of integrity of the team he has assembled to serve him in India.
Friday, October 30, 2009
India: October 26
Destination: OM (Operation Mobilization)
Team: Aaron Bailey, Luke Greenaway, Tim Barley, Adam Burke
Duration: October 18-28, 2009
Assignment: Education, Encouragement, Evangelism, Adventure
Today’s Log: October 26
Submitted by: Luke Greenaway
Today we took a train from Delhi to Agra, home of the renowned Taj Mahal. After deboarding the train, we were swarmed by taxi drivers and we ended up renting an auto rickshaw (three wheel taxis which is like a covered motorcycle with a bench seat attached to it). The drivers offered to take us to the Taj Mahal and any other sites we wanted to visit in Agra for 500 rupees (approximately 10 bucks) for the entire day. It sounded like a good deal to us and so we hired them. We arrived at the south gate of the Taj Mahal and as it came into view, we understood why people travel from all over the world to see it.. It truly was a magnificent site. The ruler who had the Taj Mahal built did so as a tribute to his deceased wife. She had died from medical complications after giving birth to the couple’s 14 child. Aaron kept commenting about how deeply he must have loved her to have built such a monument.
Our drivers took us to lunch and we enjoyed fine Indian cuisine (butter chicken, naan, basmati rice, roti, and other Indian delicacies). Afterward, we were taken to a bunch of shops around Agra where merchants pandered marble, carpets, jewelry, and textiles. We soon realized that our taxi drivers were probably getting kickbacks from all the places we were visiting!
Finally, we visited the Red Fort (or Agra Fort), another big tourist attraction in Agra, The walls were huge and the views spectacular, but the most fascinating attraction for us was the monkeys that roamed wild around the courtyards. We took a lot of pictures and made a lot of memories, and met some great people, but man, we were beat by the time we got on that train back to Delhi! We’d covered a lot of ground and it was nice to nap on the train. A driver from the hotel picked us up at the Delhi train station and took us back to the hotel. In no time, we were all in bed, anticipating the trip back to Hyderabad and ultimately, home.
Team: Aaron Bailey, Luke Greenaway, Tim Barley, Adam Burke
Duration: October 18-28, 2009
Assignment: Education, Encouragement, Evangelism, Adventure
Today’s Log: October 26
Submitted by: Luke Greenaway
Today we took a train from Delhi to Agra, home of the renowned Taj Mahal. After deboarding the train, we were swarmed by taxi drivers and we ended up renting an auto rickshaw (three wheel taxis which is like a covered motorcycle with a bench seat attached to it). The drivers offered to take us to the Taj Mahal and any other sites we wanted to visit in Agra for 500 rupees (approximately 10 bucks) for the entire day. It sounded like a good deal to us and so we hired them. We arrived at the south gate of the Taj Mahal and as it came into view, we understood why people travel from all over the world to see it.. It truly was a magnificent site. The ruler who had the Taj Mahal built did so as a tribute to his deceased wife. She had died from medical complications after giving birth to the couple’s 14 child. Aaron kept commenting about how deeply he must have loved her to have built such a monument.
Our drivers took us to lunch and we enjoyed fine Indian cuisine (butter chicken, naan, basmati rice, roti, and other Indian delicacies). Afterward, we were taken to a bunch of shops around Agra where merchants pandered marble, carpets, jewelry, and textiles. We soon realized that our taxi drivers were probably getting kickbacks from all the places we were visiting!
Finally, we visited the Red Fort (or Agra Fort), another big tourist attraction in Agra, The walls were huge and the views spectacular, but the most fascinating attraction for us was the monkeys that roamed wild around the courtyards. We took a lot of pictures and made a lot of memories, and met some great people, but man, we were beat by the time we got on that train back to Delhi! We’d covered a lot of ground and it was nice to nap on the train. A driver from the hotel picked us up at the Delhi train station and took us back to the hotel. In no time, we were all in bed, anticipating the trip back to Hyderabad and ultimately, home.
India: October 25
Destination: OM (Operation Mobilization)
Team: Aaron Bailey, Luke Greenaway, Tim Barley, Adam Burke
Duration: October 18-28, 2009
Assignment: Education, Encouragement, Evangelism, Adventure
Today’s Log: October 25
Submitted by: Luke Greenaway
This was a big day for our team! We woke up, had breakfast, then Tim, Adam, Aaron and I prepared for our parts of the worship service at the Gundla Pochampally church (Pastor Solomon).
Before we left we went to the OM service where we were able to hear the VBC missionary, Dr. Joseph D’Souza, preach part of his sermon. We had hoped to spend time with Joseph, but due to his hectic schedule and some family health issues, we were unable to do so. Although it seemed that spending time with Joseph was supposed to be a priority for us, we all began to realize that there were other important matters to occupy our time and not seeing Joseph was going to be okay with us.
We were greeted so warmly at the Gundla Pochampally church by a round of applause and an introduction. There was a lot of singing, and a time spent for each person in the church family to present an offering to the Lord. Then many church members shared testimonies and prayer requests. We couldn’t understand a word that was being spoken but the Spirit was definitely prompting us to pray as we felt led.
We presented a skit demonstrating the way as humans we often find ourselves rebelling from God’s plan and rejecting our need for the Jesus. Yet Christ always waits for us with open arms and patient love. Adam and Aaron did a wonderful job sharing and challenging the church to grow in their faith as they have grown in theirs. Tim gave a powerful message on what it means to give our full lives to Christ not just bits and pieces. We all sensed by the reaction of the people that they received the message with open hearts, judging by the line of people wanting to talk to us and have us pray for them.
The love and message of Christ has been shared profoundly during our week in Hyderabad, and this team from Valley Bible Church now has some wonderful new friends/brothers and sisters in Christ in India!
Team: Aaron Bailey, Luke Greenaway, Tim Barley, Adam Burke
Duration: October 18-28, 2009
Assignment: Education, Encouragement, Evangelism, Adventure
Today’s Log: October 25
Submitted by: Luke Greenaway
This was a big day for our team! We woke up, had breakfast, then Tim, Adam, Aaron and I prepared for our parts of the worship service at the Gundla Pochampally church (Pastor Solomon).
Before we left we went to the OM service where we were able to hear the VBC missionary, Dr. Joseph D’Souza, preach part of his sermon. We had hoped to spend time with Joseph, but due to his hectic schedule and some family health issues, we were unable to do so. Although it seemed that spending time with Joseph was supposed to be a priority for us, we all began to realize that there were other important matters to occupy our time and not seeing Joseph was going to be okay with us.
We were greeted so warmly at the Gundla Pochampally church by a round of applause and an introduction. There was a lot of singing, and a time spent for each person in the church family to present an offering to the Lord. Then many church members shared testimonies and prayer requests. We couldn’t understand a word that was being spoken but the Spirit was definitely prompting us to pray as we felt led.
We presented a skit demonstrating the way as humans we often find ourselves rebelling from God’s plan and rejecting our need for the Jesus. Yet Christ always waits for us with open arms and patient love. Adam and Aaron did a wonderful job sharing and challenging the church to grow in their faith as they have grown in theirs. Tim gave a powerful message on what it means to give our full lives to Christ not just bits and pieces. We all sensed by the reaction of the people that they received the message with open hearts, judging by the line of people wanting to talk to us and have us pray for them.
The love and message of Christ has been shared profoundly during our week in Hyderabad, and this team from Valley Bible Church now has some wonderful new friends/brothers and sisters in Christ in India!
India: October 23
Destination: OM (Operation Mobilization)
Team: Aaron Bailey, Luke Greenaway, Tim Barley, Adam Burke
Duration: October 18-28, 2009
Assignment: Education, Encouragement, Evangelism, Adventure
Today’s Log: October 23
Submitted by: Luke Greenaway
Not as many meeting were planned for us today which gave Tim and I time to prepare for the sermons we are to share at two different churches on Saturday and Sunday. Aaron and Adam would be sharing their testimonies as well over the next couple of days.
We went to a lunch with a few of OM founding leaders. They informed us about how OM was started and of all the ways it has grown over the past years through the provision of God and his people. They asked each member of our team to tell share from own lives because they really wanted to get to know us, too. We spent a lot of time sharing and listening and encouraging one another and this was one of the best meetings we’d had so far. For Aaron, especially, this seemed like a breakthrough day and he began to see his purpose in India and on our team from a new perspective. It seemed that his excitement about being here was completely changed and even more open to God’s plans and desires than before!
After our lunch we were taken by a local pastor named Bangaraju (Bong-a-ra-joo) to what the people around here call the Pipe Villige. It’s a Dalit community that has built homes in discarded, large, cement pipes provided by the local cement factory where many of the Dalit work. As I most of the slum areas we’ve visited, there was trash and debris everywhere surround the dwellings, but on the inside, their living areas were clean and well kept. We were greeted by some of the most loving and beautiful children we’ve met so far, and their parents welcomed us into their ‘Pipe’ homes with open arms. They even asked us to pray over a newborn infant born to one family just a few days ago.
We arrived home early enough in the afternoon to walk around the campus and we stumbled upon a group of OM staffers playing badminton. We all joined in for a few games and had so much fun with them and they with us. Our new badminton friends, Christopher Wilfred, Babychee and Babuchan encouraged us to come back every afternoon we had available to play with them. We all hope we’ll be able to!
God continues to care for us so faithfully! We’re all safe, well-fed, comfortable, and we’re meeting so many amazing people and seeing so much of what God is dong here. It really is an honor to be here.
Team: Aaron Bailey, Luke Greenaway, Tim Barley, Adam Burke
Duration: October 18-28, 2009
Assignment: Education, Encouragement, Evangelism, Adventure
Today’s Log: October 23
Submitted by: Luke Greenaway
Not as many meeting were planned for us today which gave Tim and I time to prepare for the sermons we are to share at two different churches on Saturday and Sunday. Aaron and Adam would be sharing their testimonies as well over the next couple of days.
We went to a lunch with a few of OM founding leaders. They informed us about how OM was started and of all the ways it has grown over the past years through the provision of God and his people. They asked each member of our team to tell share from own lives because they really wanted to get to know us, too. We spent a lot of time sharing and listening and encouraging one another and this was one of the best meetings we’d had so far. For Aaron, especially, this seemed like a breakthrough day and he began to see his purpose in India and on our team from a new perspective. It seemed that his excitement about being here was completely changed and even more open to God’s plans and desires than before!
After our lunch we were taken by a local pastor named Bangaraju (Bong-a-ra-joo) to what the people around here call the Pipe Villige. It’s a Dalit community that has built homes in discarded, large, cement pipes provided by the local cement factory where many of the Dalit work. As I most of the slum areas we’ve visited, there was trash and debris everywhere surround the dwellings, but on the inside, their living areas were clean and well kept. We were greeted by some of the most loving and beautiful children we’ve met so far, and their parents welcomed us into their ‘Pipe’ homes with open arms. They even asked us to pray over a newborn infant born to one family just a few days ago.
We arrived home early enough in the afternoon to walk around the campus and we stumbled upon a group of OM staffers playing badminton. We all joined in for a few games and had so much fun with them and they with us. Our new badminton friends, Christopher Wilfred, Babychee and Babuchan encouraged us to come back every afternoon we had available to play with them. We all hope we’ll be able to!
God continues to care for us so faithfully! We’re all safe, well-fed, comfortable, and we’re meeting so many amazing people and seeing so much of what God is dong here. It really is an honor to be here.
India: October 22
Destination: OM (Operation Mobilization)
Team: Aaron Bailey, Luke Greenaway, Tim Barley, Adam Burke
Duration: October 18-28, 2009
Assignment: Education, Encouragement, Evangelism, Adventure
Today’s Log: October 22
Submitted by: Luke Greenaway
So today after breakfast, Sanjeev, one of our OM drivers, took us to the Dalit school called in the village of Nandigaon. We were met by the school’s Principal, John, and he introduced us at a school assembly of a little over 100 Dalit children. They performed some songs for us and we actually taught them a song of our own (Brother Friend). They were a beautiful group of kids and so excited about life and their dreams of becoming doctors, teachers, police officers and pastors some day. The school was actually a rented home built of sticks and mud and the permanent school is under construction, a few kilometers away.. John and Sanjeev took us to visit the new school site, another project funded by OM and their contributors. The school’s goal is to eventually reach the 10,000 Dalit children living in the area.
Later that day, our favorite OM driver, Subrahamanyam, picked us up and took us to an old fort called Golkonda in the middle of Hyderabad. It was huge stone fort built during an ancient kingdom to provide protection and oversight. It had a beautiful view of all of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. We did a lot of exploration and took a lot of photos. Then Subrahamanyam took us to the old city of Hyderabad. It was an amazing area, filled with shops and people and lots of activity. Unfortunately, we found ourselves trapped in a mammoth traffic jam created by an Islamic ritual that was taking place in the middle of the old city. Traffic was backed up for miles around and we were stuck with no air conditioning and rolled down windows in one of the most polluted and congested parts of the city!
But there was an amazing end to our traffic nightmare—we found a McDonald’s for dinner. We were bummed that there was no dollar menu (or beef!) but the chicken sandwiches were the best EVER! We eventually made it back to the OM campus and went to bed exhausted, but with bellies filled with good ol’ American fast food.
Team: Aaron Bailey, Luke Greenaway, Tim Barley, Adam Burke
Duration: October 18-28, 2009
Assignment: Education, Encouragement, Evangelism, Adventure
Today’s Log: October 22
Submitted by: Luke Greenaway
So today after breakfast, Sanjeev, one of our OM drivers, took us to the Dalit school called in the village of Nandigaon. We were met by the school’s Principal, John, and he introduced us at a school assembly of a little over 100 Dalit children. They performed some songs for us and we actually taught them a song of our own (Brother Friend). They were a beautiful group of kids and so excited about life and their dreams of becoming doctors, teachers, police officers and pastors some day. The school was actually a rented home built of sticks and mud and the permanent school is under construction, a few kilometers away.. John and Sanjeev took us to visit the new school site, another project funded by OM and their contributors. The school’s goal is to eventually reach the 10,000 Dalit children living in the area.
Later that day, our favorite OM driver, Subrahamanyam, picked us up and took us to an old fort called Golkonda in the middle of Hyderabad. It was huge stone fort built during an ancient kingdom to provide protection and oversight. It had a beautiful view of all of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. We did a lot of exploration and took a lot of photos. Then Subrahamanyam took us to the old city of Hyderabad. It was an amazing area, filled with shops and people and lots of activity. Unfortunately, we found ourselves trapped in a mammoth traffic jam created by an Islamic ritual that was taking place in the middle of the old city. Traffic was backed up for miles around and we were stuck with no air conditioning and rolled down windows in one of the most polluted and congested parts of the city!
But there was an amazing end to our traffic nightmare—we found a McDonald’s for dinner. We were bummed that there was no dollar menu (or beef!) but the chicken sandwiches were the best EVER! We eventually made it back to the OM campus and went to bed exhausted, but with bellies filled with good ol’ American fast food.
India: October 24
Destination: OM (Operation Mobilization)
Team: Aaron Bailey, Luke Greenaway, Tim Barley, Adam Burke
Duration: October 18-28, 2009
Assignment: Education, Encouragement, Evangelism, Adventure
Today’s Log: October 24
Submitted by: Luke Greenaway
Today was a BIG day! Tim and I were asked to share in the sermon at a youth meeting at the Erukula Church, in a Dalit Village. An OM pastor (Bangarraju) met us at OM headquarters and we drove to the village along with Isaac, another OM staffer.
Tim and I prepared for the majority of the day, but we continued to have great fellowship with Adam and Aaron, and even took in another round of badminton with some OM staffers!
Bangarrau and Isaac drove us to the church, positioned in the middle of the village and about 20 teens and young adults showed up. The service started with a lot of traditional Indian worship music and even thought none of us could understand a word, we all joined in the with clapping and worshipping as everyone else sang their hearts out. Tim gave his testimony and then our team led a song for the youth (Every Move I Make). They all sang with us and laughed at our hand motions and it was really a great experience for all of us. Then I shared a message on 1 Peter 1 and talked about being strangers in this world, the struggles of teens in the USA, and the common trials we share with youth in India. I wanted to share with them that we should not be storing up worldly treasures but rather as followers of Christ we should be storing up our treasures in heaven as Christ called us to in the book of Mathew.
The message went well and the youth seemed responsive to the word and to us throughout the whole night--even though the song, testimony, and message were translated.
After the drive back to the OM base, we spent the rest of the evening resting and preparing for ministry the next day. Aaron, Adam, Tim and I will all be sharing tomorrow at another church in a different village. God is blessing us so and giving us amazing opportunities to see his hand at work and allow us to be used to share his power and love with so many!
Team: Aaron Bailey, Luke Greenaway, Tim Barley, Adam Burke
Duration: October 18-28, 2009
Assignment: Education, Encouragement, Evangelism, Adventure
Today’s Log: October 24
Submitted by: Luke Greenaway
Today was a BIG day! Tim and I were asked to share in the sermon at a youth meeting at the Erukula Church, in a Dalit Village. An OM pastor (Bangarraju) met us at OM headquarters and we drove to the village along with Isaac, another OM staffer.
Tim and I prepared for the majority of the day, but we continued to have great fellowship with Adam and Aaron, and even took in another round of badminton with some OM staffers!
Bangarrau and Isaac drove us to the church, positioned in the middle of the village and about 20 teens and young adults showed up. The service started with a lot of traditional Indian worship music and even thought none of us could understand a word, we all joined in the with clapping and worshipping as everyone else sang their hearts out. Tim gave his testimony and then our team led a song for the youth (Every Move I Make). They all sang with us and laughed at our hand motions and it was really a great experience for all of us. Then I shared a message on 1 Peter 1 and talked about being strangers in this world, the struggles of teens in the USA, and the common trials we share with youth in India. I wanted to share with them that we should not be storing up worldly treasures but rather as followers of Christ we should be storing up our treasures in heaven as Christ called us to in the book of Mathew.
The message went well and the youth seemed responsive to the word and to us throughout the whole night--even though the song, testimony, and message were translated.
After the drive back to the OM base, we spent the rest of the evening resting and preparing for ministry the next day. Aaron, Adam, Tim and I will all be sharing tomorrow at another church in a different village. God is blessing us so and giving us amazing opportunities to see his hand at work and allow us to be used to share his power and love with so many!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
India: October 18-20
Destination: OM (Operation Mobilization)
Team: Aaron Bailey, Luke Greenaway, Tim Barley, Adam Burke
Duration: October 18-28, 2009
Assignment: Education, Encouragement, Evangelism, Adventure
Today’s Log: October 20
Hello everyone! This is Luke I am writing you from the flat (i.e. guest room) that Tim and I are sharing at the OM (Operation Mobilization) headquarters in Hyderabad, India. Our flight from SFO was amazing with lots of food, sleep and fellowship. After 16 hours of sitting next to each other on a plane, Adam, Tim, Aaron and I become very comfortable with one another and bonded as a team, ready to touch a new part of the world with God’s love and the message of Christ.
Our first stop was in Dubai where we had a 9 hour layover. We all enjoyed walking the streets, walking through a local mall, and driving to the Burj Dubai, currently the tallest building in the world (it’s still under construction and will be completed in December 2009). Our next stop was Hyderabad, India. We walked off the plane and the first thing we heard from the people and saw written on the signs was the saying “Glorious India.” We’d find out very soon if that was true or not!
Our driver from OM headquarters picked us up and we drove to the OM campus. Let me tell you--that was the drive of a life time! What a local in India considered a normal drive through town was more like a suicide mission for me! I heard more bus and car horn honking than all the horns combined I’ve heard in my lifetime. The drivers are so aggressive and they swerve around other cars and motorcycles, coming literally inches from smashing into each other. Fortunately for us our driver, Subrahamanyam (try and say that three times fast!) has been a cab driver in India for over 15 years took very good care of us.
When we arrived at the OM campus, we were taken to our flats. The room Tim and I share is about 15 feet from Aaron and Adam’s. We were soon greeted by a lady named Manju who is the guest relations coordinator (she will be taking care of us the whole time here). She brought us to meet the associate director of OM India, Raja, and we talked with him about many of the current projects and ministries of OM over some Indian tea (which Tim says it’s the best he’s ever tasted!). Then Manju took us to lunch where we ate a meal consisting of rice, noodles, meat, yogurt, banana, and some soup which was poured over rice—a real taste of India!
Manju then took us on a tour of the whole campus we met sooooo many people--there is a college, supply center, and three warehouses filled with Christian books and supplies that are distributed all over the country. We learned about how the Gospel is spread through Bibles, CDs, books, movies, and OM is involved with all these areas of production and distribution. It was amazing to see how the Body of Christ is working as a team so effectively in India.
We then had dinner and decided to go out into the street to see what the night life consisted of. Not much other than more traffic, strewn garbage, stray dogs and lots more people. We spoke to a few locals outside of the OM campus and they were all people interested in what we were doing in a place like Hyderabad. Aaron and I have been taking a lot of pics so we will see if we can get them up on the blog for you. Everyone is well and happy and tired and speaking of tired I’m actually going to bed right now.
Good night until next time…
Team: Aaron Bailey, Luke Greenaway, Tim Barley, Adam Burke
Duration: October 18-28, 2009
Assignment: Education, Encouragement, Evangelism, Adventure
Today’s Log: October 20
Hello everyone! This is Luke I am writing you from the flat (i.e. guest room) that Tim and I are sharing at the OM (Operation Mobilization) headquarters in Hyderabad, India. Our flight from SFO was amazing with lots of food, sleep and fellowship. After 16 hours of sitting next to each other on a plane, Adam, Tim, Aaron and I become very comfortable with one another and bonded as a team, ready to touch a new part of the world with God’s love and the message of Christ.
Our first stop was in Dubai where we had a 9 hour layover. We all enjoyed walking the streets, walking through a local mall, and driving to the Burj Dubai, currently the tallest building in the world (it’s still under construction and will be completed in December 2009). Our next stop was Hyderabad, India. We walked off the plane and the first thing we heard from the people and saw written on the signs was the saying “Glorious India.” We’d find out very soon if that was true or not!
Our driver from OM headquarters picked us up and we drove to the OM campus. Let me tell you--that was the drive of a life time! What a local in India considered a normal drive through town was more like a suicide mission for me! I heard more bus and car horn honking than all the horns combined I’ve heard in my lifetime. The drivers are so aggressive and they swerve around other cars and motorcycles, coming literally inches from smashing into each other. Fortunately for us our driver, Subrahamanyam (try and say that three times fast!) has been a cab driver in India for over 15 years took very good care of us.
When we arrived at the OM campus, we were taken to our flats. The room Tim and I share is about 15 feet from Aaron and Adam’s. We were soon greeted by a lady named Manju who is the guest relations coordinator (she will be taking care of us the whole time here). She brought us to meet the associate director of OM India, Raja, and we talked with him about many of the current projects and ministries of OM over some Indian tea (which Tim says it’s the best he’s ever tasted!). Then Manju took us to lunch where we ate a meal consisting of rice, noodles, meat, yogurt, banana, and some soup which was poured over rice—a real taste of India!
Manju then took us on a tour of the whole campus we met sooooo many people--there is a college, supply center, and three warehouses filled with Christian books and supplies that are distributed all over the country. We learned about how the Gospel is spread through Bibles, CDs, books, movies, and OM is involved with all these areas of production and distribution. It was amazing to see how the Body of Christ is working as a team so effectively in India.
We then had dinner and decided to go out into the street to see what the night life consisted of. Not much other than more traffic, strewn garbage, stray dogs and lots more people. We spoke to a few locals outside of the OM campus and they were all people interested in what we were doing in a place like Hyderabad. Aaron and I have been taking a lot of pics so we will see if we can get them up on the blog for you. Everyone is well and happy and tired and speaking of tired I’m actually going to bed right now.
Good night until next time…
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