India - what we've been doing

12:30am, our plane arrives and we take our first breath of Indian air. It isn't until 2am that we arrive at the place that we will be staying the next 3 nights. 7am, we arise - so as not to miss breakfast. Breakfast is some kind of spicy Indian chili curry poured over a kind of pancake - friends... we have arrived in India. The next few days are spent finding our feet and being briefed on the ministry we will be partnering with in the weeks to come.

On our third day in India, we board a plane for Pune, India. On arrival we are taken to the home of the family we will be staying with. Pastor Ilangovan, his wife Ruby and their 2 children, Joshua and Daniel. Present in the home also is Sanju, who has been with us ever since our arrival as a connector to all the ministry happenings in the near-by slums. Sanju himself lives in the slum area with his family... he is amazing.

Since our arrival in Pune, our role has mostly been shadowing Sanju while getting to witness the amazing work God is doing here. Our days have been consumed with walking through the slums - the heart and focus of the work here. While in the slums we've been visiting homes where families welcome us with huge hearts and a cup of tea or even a meal. There we spend time hearing about the family and then join together with them in prayer for their families. We've also had the chance to attend several prayer/fasting/worship gatherings. The worship is so full of life and deep from the heart. The prayer is real and powerful. We have visited homes that host children's ministries - kids singing songs with laughter and glee, storoes being told and biscuits handed out. On Sunday was church - 100 or so people longing to enter in with the Lord.

All along the way, we have been asked and invited to join in the ministry takingplace. At the prayer meetings, we are asked to shaer a word from Scripture after having all worshipped together. At the children's ministry we're asked to shaer a story and hand out food as we interact with the kids. On Sunday, I was even asked to give the sermon. In the homes we visit, we are asked to pray for the familes. It has been a joy to be alongside the people here and enter into what God is doing through His faithful ones. Thank you, Lord, for India.

Aside from being in the slums, I have thoroughly enjoyed learning the game of cricket. Several times now the guys have taken a few hours out of their day to play cricket. It is a wonderful game. Confusing at first, but easily understood after a while. It is a very fair game also, in that you don't switch from offense to defense until everyone has had a turn to bat.