Highlights

Sunday February 13th :: Taylor, John & I attended a 1 year anniversary for a local village church. 9pm - midnight prayer and fasting, amazing service. However, as we were wrapping up they invited us to stay for dinner... at midnight. Surprisingly it was absolutely amazing food and we enjoyed every bite.  

Monday February 14th :: Passover feast with the team. Slightly difficult to get through the first part, but so interesting to watch 4 year old Nancy and 7 year old Vacintha as they were completely unfazed. Favorite part was the bitter herb curry that the Kumars made in lieu of simple bitter herbs. It was actually super tasty.

 

Wednesday February 16th :: Day at the beach. Lots of laughs with the team. Many encounters with nature. HBO on the hotel tv. Random cows sunbathing. NO MOSQUITOS. Body Surfing. A Cricket team on tour asking Taylor to teach them to swim. Being able to completely relax and unplug.

Thursday February 17th :: College Outreach at St. Peters. Bethany gave the message and didn't throw up or pass out from stage fright. Taylor found his calling as a game show host. 

Friday February 18th :: Taylor, John, Cory, Elana & Bethany visited another Harvest India Orphan home to catalogue the kids for sponsorship & learned much more of the heart behind these homes. Watched geckos hunt down a huge dragon fly. Saw a firefly indoors chillin on a chair. Came home and laughed hysterically when a large rat ran through a drain pipe and across our living room while John & Crystal tried to jump on the couch, only to find that it is not stable or intended to be jumped on. 

Saturday February 19th :: College Outreach at JMJ, a Catholic all girls school. Learned that Indian girls are COMPLETELY different when there are no Indian boys around.  By far the most fun College crowd we have had so far, as well as the largest. 

Sunday February 20th :: 7am - 9am church service at Ambedkar College (where we held our first College Outreach). Taylor shared a passage from Luke and encouraged the students that even when the storm rages around us, Christ is still in the boat with us. The president of the school totally affirmed Taylor for how pertinent the message was and then raved about his drumming, dancing, and guitar skills. Got to call Bethany's parents and wish her dad a happy birthday! 

Monday February 21st ::  Caught up with Suresh and began dreaming about future College Outreach events. Skyped with Todd and realized that we are more on track with our goals and objectives than we sometimes realize. Were invited to the 200 year birthday of the Bible Society of India in nearby Guntur. It was a Harvest India Crusade on Steroids, (not funded by HI). There were speakers & delegates from the US, Scotland, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere. While we were excited to just sit in the crowd and 'blend in' we somehow ended up on the jumbo-tron half a dozen times. Guess we haven't quite figured out how to blend in just yet.

E. Billy Babu Brown Sheep

Exodus 12:1 -11 abridged
"Now the Lord spoke... '...On the 10th of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb...a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it... Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the 1st year...Now you shall keep it until the 14th day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight... then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire - it's head and it's entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire... It is the Lord's Passover... and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgement: I am the Lord."


We are continually amused by the similarities we see as we read the New Testament and as we walk through the streets of Tenali. Our grasp and understanding of Biblical concepts are challenged and expanded daily. Personally I've been spending a lot of time reading the book of Matthew, grasping for how Christ interacted with the multitudes of people that followed him, desperate for a miracle or to hear him teach. The massive amounts of people and the constant attention has been difficult for me and I wonder how Christ remained loving and attentive when there was so much demand.


In reading his One Year Bible, on January 30th, John Brokenshire came across Exodus 2 and the description of the Passover. He was struck by the symbolism of the community we are living in. He was struck at how important a shepherd's job truly is. He was struck by the symbolism of Christ as the lamb led to slaughter. And he was excited at God's response to the people's obedience - that He would execute judgement over all the gods of Egypt. 


In sharing this with the team, we began praying that God would execute judgement on all the gods of India. It has been a constant prayer that God would continue to draw our team closer together as family and continue to grant us unity and love. Somehow in all of that, we decided that on the 10th of this month we would purchase a lamb in it's first year, we would take special care of it until the 14th, and we would slaughter it and roast it together. It turns out a 1 year old lamb will feed about 50 people, so we are joining with Suresh's family, as well as with our India Residency members and a few Harvest India staff members. The 14th also happens to be Valentine's day.


Not totally sure of how we felt about getting to know our dinner, or participating in the slaughter, it has created some truly intimate conversations among our team. How do we handle decisions when the team is not in full agreement? Do we continue towards what a few feel convicted to participate in, and a few are uncomfortable with? At what point do decisions need to be unanimous? We've discussed morals, and comfort, boundaries and convictions. We have had to stop in the midst of plans and truly explore the reasons behind each of our feelings. What I initially thought a humorous experience (not thinking past visiting a field and picking a lamb), suddenly had deep and profound implications. The more I thought about it I realized that this might be a once in a lifetime experience, so I was in. 


So conversations began with Suresh. "No! You're crazy man." was Suresh's response. "You will ruin relations with me and ROCKHARBOR. They will think I am teaching you bad theology." But as we explained our hearts behind the reasons, he agreed and began negotiations with a local shepherd. 


John, Crystal, Taylor and I took the 30 minute trek, and arrived in a Hindu village that has not had much interaction with white people. They were not expecting us, so there were no crowds, flower garlands, or flying petals. It was amazing. We strolled down a dirt path, lined by small farms of water buffalo, goats and chickens.  We came to an open field and met the farmer, who was not expecting white people. He introduced us to his flock and pointed out the sheep within their first year. We learned that shepherds live nomadic lives here. They are hired by land owners to come camp out, live off the land, and allow their sheep to graze and fertilize the area. We thought of Christ and his nomadic ministry. We chose the sheep that was without defect and were glad that he was a far cry from the cute, white, fluffy image we all had in our minds. We haggled with the shepherd as he tried to peg us with the "white tax", jacking his quoted price up 1,000 Ruppees (about $20). I stood firm and refused to go above the price he gave Suresh on the phone.


And so I introduce you to E. Billy Babu Brown Sheep. E stands for Exodus. Babu is the Telugu word for little boy. Billy, Brown & Sheep just made sense to our American minds. 


We will celebrate all that God has done and will do this Monday, February 14th. While not everyone will participate in the preparation of our dinner, we are all very excited for our sheep kabobs (we aren't following to the letter of the Law as we are no longer under the laws of the Old Testament.) Our India friends will spice it up with Mutton Curry. Together we will worship, praise God, and pray for judgement on all the gods of India. 

The Shepherd and the  papa ram

E. Billy Babu hanging out while our money was counted

Taylor and RamRaj getting cozy in the van with E. Billy Babu

Be Prepared In Season and Out of Season

This Scriptural command has really rung true with us this past week. It being our fourth week here small irritations have not felt so small. It has been difficult to adjust to being completely dependent on others. We are fairly limited in where we can go without a translator or chaperone. Even within the walls of our own home, we often feel as if we are in a fishbowl. The kids in our neighborhood will gather in front of our gate yelling "Chris! Chris! Chris! Cory! Taylor! Taylor! Crystal! John!" It is pretty relentless and only gets more raucous when we poke our heads out to say hello. Walking down the street we are stared at, approached, and pointed at. Today during breakfast "Mama" (the grandmotherly lady who lives in our living room and helps take care of our house) came in with two relatives to introduce us. They wanted to meet us because they have never met a white person before. While this should be no more than a little annoyance, it is frustrating when it is all the time, even when you are still in your pajamas and have yet to shower.


However, we are slowly learning what true flexibility looks like. We are slowly learning to be patient, to have grace, and to be prepared at all times. We are learning to live outside of our agenda or itinerary and invite the Holy Spirit into every moment (for without Him, we would truly be able to do nothing.) It is in the down times that we find patience and grace more challenging to come by. While we want to shut down, we find ourselves surrounded by a culture that doesn't really ever shut down. A culture where children are in school 6 days a week. Where many laborers work 29 days and have 1 day off (2 if you include the holidays that fall every other week or so.) God has been stripping away the layers and showing us who He is when we are at the end of ourselves.


Yesterday we had the honor of celebrating with our new friend and personal chef Sunni and his wife Sunnita. Sunni had a great job working for a phone company. Previously he worked for a continental hotel - where he learned to make french fries, chicken burgers and steamed vegetables (thank you JESUS!) Sunni agreed to leave his stable job at the phone company and come to work for Harvest India as our cook. It was a leap of faith as his wife is pregnant and Harvest India cannot promise a steady salary. Since making the decision, Sunni claims that God has blessed him in many ways. His marriage was full of conflict and is now full of peace and joy. Sunnita's high risk pregnancy stabilized and the doctors are declaring that the baby now has a healthy heart. Sunni has seen God work in miraculous ways and is so thankful. Last night he threw a celebration dinner in which all of their family came from out of town to join in on. To celebrate the coming of their first child as well as all that God has granted them these past few weeks. Sunni asked us to attend. We knew he was excited about it, and although we were not thrilled about a late night or interrupting our already laid out plans we decided to go. We thought we would be simply attending, but alas we were treated as honorable guests. We were asked to each give a word of encouragement to Sunnita. Thankfully Christina and Suresh were there and they took the stage to preach the Word.


This has not been the first time that we have found ourselves spontaneously asked to preach, to pray for healing, or to give encouragement. Tenali, India feels so near to the descriptions in the new testament. The people are so eager for the Holy Spirit. They believe in the power of prayer and will fight their way through crowds to be prayed for. And there seem to be crowds just about everywhere. We are viewed as disciples and are challenged to begin living as such. To be prepared. To be in communion with the Holy Spirit. To lay down our own lives and be prepared to advance the Kingdom in every moment.

1 year

Sunday Taylor and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary. We had grand ideas about going to the beach (an hour away) and getting a hotel but decided it was a risk to get a hotel sight unseen, and too much to ask of Suresh to free up a driver for us. Sunday he was essentially juggling 5 different teams. Between the Residency Team, John's parents, two women from Prescott, Arizona, the 17 person team from Cornerstone Church in Phoenix, and the 15 person team from Holland; the Harvest India staff has been working on all cylinders. Taylor and I opted to stay with the team, and we are glad we did.


Highlights of the day ::
1. Being kidnapped by Suresh. While we thought we were on our way to join the CORNERSTONE team for breakfast we suddenly realized that this was not the way to Suresh's house. Sneaky Sneaky Suresh had other plans which included a very impoverished village and us dedicating a fresh water well.

2. Meeting the CORNERSTONE team and hearing their heart to join Harvest India in supporting village church plants.
3. Attending church in our common room as a team by listening to a ROCKHARBOR podcast on freedom from anxiety - timely, very timely.
4. Anniversary photos by Elana Grace. Thanks E! 

 

5. Celebrating with a little taste of home. 

Lessons & Reminders from India

• Remove your wash from the clothesline before sunset; otherwise they will pick up the scent of the burning trash piles
• When your stomach hurts and you say you would like something “light” to eat, you will probably get French fries.
• When the bathroom is clearly marked “ladies” and the school children wildly protest, telling you that is the boys bathroom; you should believe them, even if it simply doesn’t make sense.
• You can truly handle anything for two weeks; three months feels more daunting (especially when you’re sick and you just want a bowl of soup, a bath, and the pillow you left behind.)
• Sometimes your attitude is the only thing you can change.
• Sometimes your attitude is the only thing that needs to be changed.
• Mosquitoes suck. Swarms of mosquitoes suck worse, but they are more fun go after with the electric bug tennis racket.

• God answers prayer is surprising ways.
• When you are frustrated that your ride is two hours late, perhaps that is an opportunity to ask God to open your eyes to what He has in mind for you to do. 
• In the terrifying game of Indian driving, the most timid driver loses ever time. 
• Being back on a bike is refreshing; riding past a burning trash pile is not.

• Kraft Mac & Cheese is a delicacy when everything else tastes foreign.
• A coffee pot is no good without coffee filters (of which the state of Andhra Pradesh has none.)
• Luckily, while sweet, a cup of Indian Chai beats a cup of coffee any day. 
• When the smell of your bathroom makes you gag, leave immediately, take a deep breath, remind yourself of why you are here, and try again.

Getting Schooled by the School Children

In our initial planning and strategy conversations about the Residency, Suresh shared that he would like us to teach conversational English at the Harvest India public school, where the RH orphan kids attend, as well as at the 200 student all female college he recently acquired (called KSK or Kadera Suresh Kumar college). I will admit that I initially did not like this idea. Not a single person in our team is a teacher, nor are we qualified to teach english as a second language. Also only being here for three months I felt like this was a bit ambitious. As John and Suresh shared their heart and vision for teaching English, I began to feel that we may as well give it a try. One of the more valuable assets we bring is our native tongue. Suresh tells us that if you speak English, you are guaranteed a better job here in India. It is also a great strategy to begin building relationships. In addition to teaching at these two schools, we plan to also to have conversational english nights with the students at Vignan University, a Hindu university across the street from the HI public school.


Yesterday we went to visit the HI public school, to see the campus and say hello to the children. While greeting the 3rd/4th Standard (grade) classroom, the kids started to test us. After asking us all the questions they could in English, they then put us through a spelling bee. First it was "Sista Crystal, spell apple." Then they gave me the word umbrella. Now, I'm a visual learner & thinker and I immediately panicked, unable to visualize the word in my head It took a minute to sort out whether there was umbrela, or umbrella. The team helped me out by whispering "double l."


Sorry Mom (who is an English teacher) for bringing you shame.


Then it was Taylor's turn. They gave him "banana". Again panic... I'm having trouble uploading our video from Youtube... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpI7bpW4FaI


Hmmm, seams we all have some serious studying to do :)

Broken Down Vans, and Bomb Squads

Yep, I said Bomb Squad! Yesterday, a bomb squad and multiple rounds of police officers searched not only our house but the houses, and the mosque on all sides of us.   Just another day in India.  You may be thinking what is going on over there?  But, the occasion was really a special one.  The Deputy Speaker of Guntur, the district we are in, came to have dinner at the house we are living in.  His job is similar to a Governor or an Assembly Men. Its was an absolute honor, but the night was almost trumped by a broken down van.  We headed into Vijayawada to get some supplies for the house that we were in desperate need of.  Bethany was very excited to find that they do sell whiteboards in India, and is now confident that we can be productive in our meeting times. 

All was going well until we were ready to be picked up, we were told that the van was in the shop because it had broken down. "Only five more minutes" turned into "only five more minutes" again and again.  At one point I did hear "fifteen more minutes" to which i responded jokingly, "so, the van will be ready in 30 minutes".  All in all, we left an hour and 45 minutes later then originally planed.


Now if the dinner is to start at 8pm and we needed to be home by 7pm to get ready but did not leave Vijayawada till 7:45 and it takes an hour to get home, chances are were going to miss the dinner.   We arrived home at around 8:15, thanks to our drivers who drove like bats out of hell, only to find that the Speaker was not there yet.  Thank You India Time!  We had just enough time for Bethany and the other girls to get  their saris on, a very detailed process.


The motorcade pulled up and the dinner was on!  It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed some good conversation over an Indian Feast.  I must add that I was very impressed with the Speaker's vision and burden for the poor and impoverished.  He spoke of his visit earlier that day in a nearby town where the government is investing in a micro lending program. Gathering women in groups of 10, and giving them loans as a collective which brings accountability. They use the loans to buy livestock that will then bring income to their families. Its something Bethany has been reading about lately and hopes to see it in action here in India. We were ended the night by praying for and over the Deputy Speaker. 


At that point we crashed into bed pretty exhausted, we didn't even wake up with the call to prayer this morning, but slept straight through it. 


Now we are off to a birthday party for Rajesh's 1 year old son Leo.


Taylor