Banjara For Christ 2007-2008 (Day 6)

Today is New Year’s Eve.  Sush asked Steve to say a prayer at midnight to bring in the new year.  Besides that they have nothing else they say that they will be doing.  I assume there will be a lot of singing and dancing.

I realized I’ve not commented much on the girl’s lately…

Julie is loving this experience.  She loves to spend time with the children, playing games with them and dancing with the Banjara men and women.  The food may not be settling with her though.  Jana is doing well too.  Always with her light sense of humor she makes us all smile.  She misses home, like we all do.  She’s been hugging a lot more than I remember her doing lately.  It’s strange how a mission trip like this brings a family closer together.  Yesterday she got to put the Banjara’s traditional dress on.  Steve got some pictures of it.  She looked – different, to say the least.  Lisa is doing good too.  She always sings, she does have a pretty voice and uses it to find common ground with these people, half way around the world.  Her and Anand, our translator have been singing together.  Anand loves English praise and worship songs.  He speaks english very well.

Today we went sight seeing with Sush and Sudakar, Damodar’s brother and he’s also the guy that’s been serving us food all week long.  We saw some waterfalls and monkeys.  We also tried some sweet lime juice and some wonderful roasted peanuts, they were GREAT!  Both were a refreshing change from chicken and rice.  I got some good pictures of the monkeys, Dakota and Trevor will like them I hope.

We also taught our first lessons today.  We shared our testimony and gave general overviews of our lessons we’ll be teaching for the next couple of days.  So many were pleased with the lessons and testimonies we all gave.  I am glad they turned out well, but I wish they wouldn’t “gush” so much over what a good job we do.  I tend to get prideful in situations like that.

Tonight there will be a service from 11 PM to 1 AM, I am told to bring in the New Year.  We, thankfully don’t have to teach anything.  But 1 AM is going to make life hard for the first day of the year.  No matter, the Lord is in control now.  Satan has tried to stop the messages we’re going to be teaching but he cannot.  The Lord has delivered us from his hands.

It’s been a relaxing evening so far.  I’ve been able to get to know Richard a little better as the three guys…me, Steve and Richard have been able to just visit with each other tonight.  Julie and Lisa and maybe Jana are downstairs getting painted.  “Hannah” they call it.  Them being here has been good for Sush and the other women.  It is good fellowship they’ve had this week.  I’m enjoying a “natural” toothbrush (according to Sush) right now.  The sticks I’ve seen these guys chewing and brushing their teeth with are not half bad.  Steve pulled one down for me because I’m to short to reach it (says he, well, he’s probably right).  I’ve been gnawing on this thing for the past hour.  A little bitter, but all in all, not a bad pass-time.

Banjara For Christ 2007-2008 (Day 5)

Today is the last day of preaching in the villages (thandas).  It’s also Sunday, which means worship services will be going on.  Lisa and I stop with our group to preach in a thanda before going to a church service.  An old Banjara friend of ours is pastoring the church we visited.  I met Pastor Baloo Naik in Khammum last time we came to India.  It thrills my heart to know this man is still following the Lord, and his congregation is growing.  I asked our interpreter on the way to the service how many people he was expecting.  He said only a few, there weren’t too many believers out there; but when we turned the corner and saw at least 30 people sitting waiting for us, he said “Oh!  There are many Banjara believers in this area!” 

The church service went great.  Anand, our interpreter who has informed us his name means “Happy” in Hindi, explained to us that “where two or three are gathered together” there the Lord is with them.  So these 30 men and women, began to pray, very loudly, all at the same time.  Some shouted, some whispered, some chanted, but there was no doubt that the Lord would be there.  Later I heard someone from our mission trip say about the experience that it might have been what God hears when he listens to all of us pray.  It was wonderful to see them taking the scripture so literally.  A Banjara woman evangelist gave a long testimony after that, and then I preached to them…I gave my “3rd spoke” lesson a trial run and found that the lesson on fellowship was a pretty clear message.  People understood it and appreciated it.  Not that I was the one who put this together.  The Lord did that.  I sometimes forget that it’s through Him that a message is communicated. 

Pastor Baloo and his wife were so sweet to us.  After the service they provided a bed for us to sit on and rest for a few minutes before they took us inside their home to pray.  Then we went to their church building which seemed so small for the size of the congregation that had gathered today.  The size of that room couldn’t have been any bigger than the bathroom we had back at the hostel.

I tried to call Karen again tonight, again she didn’t answer.  I wondered where she was and looked at my watch to realize I’m 12 hours ahead of her, it’s 9:45 AM back home, she’s in church!  Duh…it’s Sunday for her and the boys right now and they are in Sunday school.  She’s a good wife.  I miss her and the boys very much but also realize my wife is capable of handling just about anything, so I don’t worry.

During our share service tonight I found there were about 6 or 7 people who came to know the Lord in thandas today.  It’s always hard for me to tell.  Nageesh, a huge Indian pastor who I got to know some last year, kept track of names of those who were new believers.  They do this so they can go back and follow-up and feed the new born Christians.  Note for myself next time though – ASK how many are coming to know the Lord and keep track throughout the days we’re preaching.  Write it down even.  Damodar is asking the Americans how many were saved and I’m finding I have no clue who’s accepting the Lord and who’s not.  The very presence of Damodar seems to be one of a gentle nature but also one of respect and authority.  I almost felt ashamed that I didn’t know how many were saved just because I respect the guy so much.  I’ll make sure and know the the next time I come.

Banjara For Christ 2007-2008 (Day 4)

It’s 6 AM and I’ve been awake off and on for at least 3 hours.  I have a head ache too.  I’m thinking my sinuses are starting to clog up.  I prayed about it and it seems to be a little better.

Something about my attitude this year.  I find I’m missing home more and sooner than I did the last time around.  I know I don’t care for it much – my attitude that is.  So I’m trying to change it.  I’m trying not to complain out loud, in fact, I’ve been pretty quiet just to keep from it.  It might be that we just need to get back into the swing of things.

Pastor Steve has been telling about his dreams lately.  He’s had several; most are comical but last night was a little disturbing he said.  He doesn’t have any premise for dreaming the things he has. 

He spoke about walking down to our open air dining area and being beaten by and Indian man there.  After that he dreamed about a beast, a serpent like demon with a chainsaw who he had no choice but to fight with for exactly one hour.  Otherwise the demon would cut him up with his chainsaw and eat both he and his friends.  The first action Pastor took was to pick up a card table but found that was no good against a demon with a working chainsaw.  So he took a different approach and began singing praise and worship songs.  There were other Banjara pastors and friends who encircled the fight and he encouraged them to sing as well.  Upon hearing the songs, the beast was defeated and he was unable to fight.

Pastor thought that maybe the Lord was trying to warn him about spiritual warfare sometime this week.  I usually don’t put much stock into dreams.  But in this country, I would expect God to do anything.  This entire process this time around – from getting money to being here today, battling this headache - seems like a never ending battle; so I don’t know what to expect this week.

Lisa and I are on the road now.  We just stopped for a drink of water.  Well…they did anyway.  We can’t drink this water.  The villages we went to so far are the most remote I have seen both this year and last year.  The gospel message we’ve preached has been pretty much the same approach as last year, teach creation to the ressurection, giving a simple plan of salvation as “all of sinned” and showing them they are separated from God willfully and belieing in Christ is that bridge to everlasting life because He is the son of God.  Lisa has been giving a short testimony and helping play a few games with the kids.  That is one thing I’ve noticed here, you embrace the people’s children and they embrace you and your words.  Several Banjara men and women have come forward wanting to be believers; that and be prayed for about their health issues and finances.

Lisa fell ill on the way back to the hostel tonight, she was sick to her stomach.  Her neck was sunburned pretty bad, so she may have just got too much sun.  Might have been the car ride.  I don’t blame her, I had to take a motion sickness pill too.

All in all the trip is going well.  There was one instance today that I thought we might have a fight on our hands.  A man did not want us preaching Jesus in HIS village.  The man is apparrantly a big time idol worshiper and he’s the elder who gets all the cash and sacrifices offered to the temple from his village.  One of the pastors in our group has preached there 3 times before and a man there converted to Christ and quit offering money and sacrifices to the idols as he’s taking a stand for Jesus.  The elder of the village was furious because he told the pastor not to come back.  Now, he shows up with white people from America preaching Jesus.  I thought fists were going to fly, but was able to talk them into leaving as Christ told us to ”shake the dust from our feet” and move on.  

The pastor who had been there before said when they go around and sing praises in Christ’s name in the villages, it drives out evil spirits. The demons of idol worship are defeated and powerless when the songs are sung so the Holy Spirit then has room to work and people will quit worshipping idols and quit drinking.  Sounds a lot like Steve’s dream doesn’t it?

I fell asleep after we got back from visiting the thandas.  Sush woke us up to come visit and share our experiences in the villages.  I made it through but my head was pounding.  I don’t know if my head has ever hurt that bad.  I was dizzy and started feeling sick to my stomach because of the pain.  I couldn’t eat anything or even write like I wanted too.  Sush offered for me to call Karen and the boys as everyone else had called their family.  I got the answering machine.  I asked her to pray for me because of the headache that I was dealing with.  I went to bed just sick.  Whatever happened, the headache was better by morning.  Maybe God allows things like that to happen because He wants us to know the love and support of our family through prayers.  I have no doubt Karen was praying the moment she heard the message on the machine.  I will covet her prayers specifically from now on. 

Banjara For Christ 2007-2008 (Day 3)

At 2:30 AM we arrived in Hyderabad.  It took at least another hour to find our luggage; Richard’s checked suit case never arrived.  At 4:00 AM, we laid our heads down on pillows to get a few hours rest.  Now it’s 8:00 AM Hyderabad time and I’m wide awake.  It’s funny how just a few hours of laying down and resting can revive a person.

The city hasn’t changed much in a year.  The same terrible things I saw from last time are still here.  People with deformities are begging in the streets.  Dozens of grown adults lay trying to stay warm under store awnings just wanting a decent nights rest.  It makes me wonder how so many people can be in the same sad situation.  Is it a lack of will that keeps them in the streets?  Have they just grown so accustomed to begging that they just won’t do anything else?

Last night a boy came up to our group begging for money.  His arm was so mangled and gnarley looking.  It wasn’t bad enough that his hand appeared to be drawn up – but his fingers were bent toward a misplaced wrist, the opposite direction of his palm.  His arm formed almost an “S” which should be impossible with a human arm; but there it was.  The boy said nothing, he just kept putting that poor, freakish hand up to his mouth as if to say “eat, eat.”  You could almost get the impression he knew how bad his arm looked and he used it to his greatest advantage.  I felt so bad for this guy.  How in the world can men live this way?

Today’s schedule is some what up in the air.  Sush and Damodar are supposed to pick us up at around 10.  That is all we know for certain at this point.  I’m missing home already.

We’ve arrived at our “hostel” in a different town than last year.  It’s better than the one in Khummum I think.  We all have plenty of room and the room itself seems cool enough.  Though right now it’s pretty warm everywhere.  I’m probably just a little nervous.  We’re getting ready to go out and preach in just one village Sush said; though I’ll not be surprized if it turns out to be two or three.  I hope I can remember how to do this.  Lisa Forehand I believe will be accompanying me.  She’s about to see a side of me she’s never seen before…

Indeed, not just one village, but three.  The evangelism went well.  A couple of dozen people expressed an interest in becoming Christians.  I learned a couple of things myself.  Lisa did good as well.  Tomorrow will be a long day, but right now I am so tired the week looks as though it will never end.  I’ll shower in the morning…

Banjara For Christ 2007-2008 (Day 2)

I’m not certain I’ve recorded the date correctly in my journal or not.  Based on where we are in the air and all that I’m not real sure what day it is.  All went well in Amsterdam.  We were finally able to stretch our legs for a few moments before boarding our connecting flight to Hyderabad.  There sure are a lot of souvenirs i would have liked to take home to Karen, but it would just be more dead weight to carry while traveling.  Maybe I can get her something a bit lighter than porcelain or wooden shoes, pearls maybe.  There are a few advantages to being a missionary in the world’s capital for pearls.

Sleep came FINALLY!  I took a three hour power nap when we first boarded the plane heading for Hyderabad.  My brain seems to be functioning properly once more.  I was able to write some additional notes down for my lesson on the 3rd spoke of the discipleship wheel.  Thoughts came to me that weren’t necessarily there before.

I keep looking at my watch, I’m not sure why, all it tells me is what time it is in Oklahoma.  Right now it’s 12:09 PM back home.  I imagine the boys are probably playing with their Christmas toys.  Karen is probably doing something to keep herself busy.  Maybe she’s making the kids’ lunch.  The time away from them already seems like forever.

This flight has had some of the nicest flight attendants yet.  They certainly try to make you feel comfortable.  One stewardess is a bit sassy though.  This flight is laid back too.  I’ve never been on a plane where so many people are just standing and walking around and visiting.  It makes it crowded at times, but people are polite to move as best they can when you need to get past them.  I’ve met a nice Indian man who has had a few too many scotch and sodas, he’s friendly and apparantly approves of the way I keep a journal of our journeys.  Almost there I hope…

Banjara For Christ Mission 2007-2008 (Day 1)

Our destination is Hyderabad, India – in the province of Andreh Pradesh.  We plan to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the Banjara tribe of India.  Pastor Damodar and his wife Sush are making all necessary arrangements for our arrival and we have done what we can to prepare.  I’ve spent the last few nights working on outlines for the lessons that I will be teaching while there; I still have two more outlines to create.

I was telling Jana, a woman from our church who is going to be working with the Banjara pastor’s wives and children, that this seems like a dream.  Things have been happening so fast and time has passed so quickly.  Though I’ve known about this trip for months, and have been working and praying and asking that provisions will be made for the trip, it is still hard to believe they were and we are now on our way.

There are six of us going on this mission trip:  myself, Janna, who I’ve already mentioned, Pastor Steve, Richard, Julie (Richard’s daughter) and Lisa.  This is Steve’s fourth year to go, this is my second.  The rest of the group, it is their first.  But they are hopeful and happy to be aboard.  I’m happy to have them.  This will be the first time women from our church ahve come along since Steve has been coming to India, we look forward to seeing how they contribute.

The plan is to fly from Tulsa to Memphis, have an hour and a half lay over and then fly another 9 hours to Amsterdam; have another hour and a half and then fly another 9 hours to Hyderabad.  Experience has proven I will be in “la-la land” as far as what the actual time is until I am in India.  I’ll keep my watch set by the time at home until we get to our final destination.  This way I will at least have an idea as to what Karen and the boys are doing while I’m away (sleeping, working, etc.).

We are on our way!  Karen dropped me off and saw I made it throgh security before she left.  I sure am missing her already.  Our flight was delayed.  I personally am not surprized as it is the day after Christmas.  Still…it bodes ill.  We can only handle so much of a delay or we’ll miss our connecting flight and when you only have an hour and a half, each minute seems to be precious since you’ll be on a plane for 9 hours at a time.

Okay…had to check one of my carry ons, not planned but still not surprized, the delay gave us only about 20 minutes to get our checked carry ons and jump on our connecting flight in Memphis.  Problem is, the checked carry ons weren’t right there waiting!  Steve ran on ahead with Julie and Jana.  Me, Richard and Lisa stayed behind for the bags, and man…we barely made it on board!  Pastor Steve thought for sure the plane was going to be leaving without us.  Thank the Lord it didn’t!  The airport in Memphis is BIG!  We were all out of breath once we boarded.

At first it appeared I was going to be sitting in the middle with Richard on the flight to Amsterdam, not that this is a bad thing – but sitting in the middle with ANYONE on a 9 hour flight is no fun.  This type of trip requires leg room and that’s hard to get when you don’t get an aisle seat.  Fortunately, Steve had an extra aisle seat open next to him and offered it to me.  I had more room; Richard had more room, and it worked out great.  As of right now we only have a little over 2 hours left on this flight, maybe we’ll have a chance to stretch our legs this time around.