Friday, December 5, 2014

Faith and Faithfulness

Something wonderful is about to happen. I don’t yet know what it is, but I am in great anticipation. In just a few days, I am going to India. And yes, I know saying that violates one of the most important social media cardinal rules. However, lest any potential home invaders are reading this, my home is not empty. There will be someone there – my wife. I do have family and friends looking out after my wife and I have a dog that not only barks quite loudly and viciously at every stranger that dares come to the door, but also sleeps on the floor beside my wife when I am not at home. With that said, back something wonderful about to happen.

I know that something wonderful is about to happen because this trip has been an act of complete faith and a demonstration of God’s faithfulness from the beginning.

Early this fall, Designs For Hope received the invitation to return to Eluru, India to participate in the celebration of the dedication of a new church (cathedral). Immediately God impressed upon me that He wanted me to go – at least, that was what my spirit was telling me. At the same time, though, I didn’t think it would be possible to go. When we discussed the offer, the initial responses from Chris and the others at DFH was a pretty strong “no” - we even responded back to our friends in Eluru telling them that we could not make it. And yet God was still impressing upon me to go.

One of the reasons I didn’t think it was possible to go was because this trip would be during the peak of the Christmas season. No one really wants to go all the way around the world and be away from family during this time – not even me. Surely God did not want me to travel that far alone. Is that safe? Is it wise? Not by man’s standard of wisdom and safety. So even though we had already decided not to go and had told our friends in Eluru that we would not make it, I made some quiet inquiries to see if others might be interested in going with – but no one else could go. Still, God was impressing upon me to go – even if I were the only one going. God’s standard of safety and man’s standard of safety are not the same.

Even then, I didn’t think it was possible to go because, quite frankly, I didn’t have the money to go. A trip of this kind is expensive enough when a number of people are going and you can spread some of the fixed costs (like product that we would be taking) across several people. It is all the more expensive if only one goes. Sure, everyone knows I give away homemade salsa in exchange for donations towards my mission trips, but there is no way I could make enough salsa to fund this trip. In addition, the timing for raising the funds couldn’t be any worse. Designs For Hope’s annual fundraiser dinner and silent auction was coming up during this same time period. How could I raise funds directly associated with this trip without taking away from the more general fundraising of the benefit dinner? But God was still impressing upon me to go. God’s economy and man’s economy are not the same.

So I took a step of faith. I made a decision. I would go – even if no one goes with me. It reminds me of the old carol “I have decided to follow Jesus” – “though none go with me, still I will follow.” I would go – even though I had no idea how to pay for the trip. I would go – even though the DFH leadership already said we were not going. It was by far one of the largest steps of faith I have taken in my life. So I went to Chris and told him… I’m going… and then I immediately applied for my travel visa.

Here is the amazing principle that so many of us fail to grasp (we know it in our heads but perhaps do not always believe it in our hearts) God’s response to our faith is always the same - his faithfulness. Not only was Chris not upset, but even his heart had softened towards the trip and the DFH leadership decided to partially fund the trip. But that was just the start. Within one week of applying for the visa, I had raised the entire remaining funds necessary for the trip. Funds given specifically for the purpose of the trip. It was the most amazing outpouring of generosity I had ever seen. But even that was only the beginning. Not only did we raise the minimum travel funds necessary, but we raised enough to do far above what we could have imagined for one person traveling alone. AND… it didn’t affect the benefit dinner fundraising either. This year’s benefit dinner was a huge success. It was God’s faithfulness in action. But that faithfulness did not stop there.

At every turn, God has been faithful. While I am there, I will be doing a full day of pastor training and will be preaching 3 times. Two are services related to the church dedication and the third is Sunday services. God has graciously given all that I need for all of that work. The pastor training will be about discipleship and God has given me two sermons that I believe will be perfect for the occasion of dedicating the new building. Also, Sunday will be the third week of Advent. Why is that significant? Because the third week of Advent is all about JOY… oh yeah, I wrote a whole book on Joy (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C7E7SJS)... Who but God could have worked out that kind of timing? Faithfulness in action.

With all of that faithfulness being poured out, I still can’t say I’m not nervous about this trip. There is still the whole “traveling abroad alone” thing. But then again, am I really alone? Of course not, but it will still be an act of faith for me to step on that plane. I also can’t say I’m not nervous about the ministry aspect of the trip. Satan is constantly filling my head with thoughts of inadequacy. Who am I to go over there and presume to train them? Who am I to go over there and preach to them? I don’t know how to install bicycle generators. That effort will certainly be a huge flop. There’s no one there to have your back. The whole trip will be a flop. Why are you even going? These are the thoughts constantly running through my head. So I go… but I go in faith…
Without a doubt, God has worked out everything so perfectly the way he wanted. How can I not have faith that he will be faithful? So… that is why I can say… Something wonderful is about to happen. God is faithful. I have faith in that.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

A Blog Post Long in the Making

It has been almost 12 months since I have posted anything on this blog. In fact, as I prepare to go to Eluru, India I realize that the last time I wrote anything on my blog was just after my trip to Eluru last January. I did not even blog anything about our very successful Designs For Hope (www.designsforhope.org) trip to Bwera, Ugana this past July. Maybe no one cares because no one was reading anyway, but then again, maybe there is meaning in the silence.

2014 has been a year of refocusing for me. I began the year struggling terribly with my ministry. I was serving faithfully as youth pastor at a very small church in Irondale, AL but there was very little joy in the work and the outward evidence of fruit was almost non-existent. I’m not suggesting there was no fruit, just that it wasn’t clearly evidence. It was very discouraging. Even more discouraging was the physical toll that the work was taking on Patty. There were so few of us working with so many troubled kids, and she would not admit that physically she could not take it. I tried to get her to back off, but her truthful response was simply “there’s no one else to do the work”. In all honesty, that precious little church – whom we both loved so dearly – was simply ill equipped to handle the type of ministry to at-risk kids that was required in that neighborhood. So we stepped down.

For months, I searched for the next ministry opportunity – all the while staying engaged in what Designs For Hope was doing – preparing for the next Designs For Hope trip to Uganda in July. We returned to our home church and I immediately got involved in teaching discipleship classes. Preaching, teaching, and discipleship have always been my passion. I have a great desire to disciple other men and could not wait until God gave me my own church so that I could instigate a systematic program of small group discipleship similar to what Jesus did – choosing a few men to disciple, teaching them how to disciple others, and then sending them out to do just that - except God never gave me that church.

It can truly be depressing to feel like you know what God wants you to do, but be unable to do it because God does not see fit to put you into the right place to do that. I really think part of the reason that I did not do any blog writing in this period of my life is that I honestly didn’t think I had anything to say. Clearly, there was something out of whack because I was simply unable to accomplish what I (at least I thought I) knew in my heart God wanted for my life. That kind of thinking, of course, presumes that your expectation of the proper path is wiser and smarter than God’s.

Then two things happened that changed everything. The first was our Designs For Hope trip in July to Bwera, Uganda. Because of my passion for teaching, I have always tried to engage in some form of pastor/church leader training whenever I go on mission trips. It started on my 2009 mission trip to Peru, where an unforeseen illness during the trip sidelined my evangelism work. Instead, I was blessed with the opportunity to train some church leaders on basic church-related doctrines. It was an unexpected blessing that I will never forget. Since then, such training has been a personal staple of my missions work. When I went to Eluru in January of this year (2014), I spent a whole day in pastor training. It was a huge success – so much so that when I go back there in a few days I will be doing it again. When I went to Bwera in July, I did the same thing. That was also such a huge success that they are likewise eagerly waiting the time when we can come back again. I say that not to boast or to pat myself on the back. The only boasting I have is in the cross of Christ AND in the simple fact that how could it NOT be successful when God himself matches your own personal passions (preaching, teaching, and discipleship) with his plans. You see, it was coming home from the Bwera, Uganda trip that I realized I was seeking the right thing – obedience in ministry – but in the wrong venue. It became clear to me that God does not (at least not at this time) want me pastoring a church – or a youth group – or a children’s ministry. Instead, I came to the realization that he wanted me to go as often as possible to the remotest places on the planet - places where faithful and willing saints are taking on the mantle of shepherd but have no access to biblical training whatsoever – and to help empower those pastors through whatever training I am able (through His power) to give. I’m no Billy Graham or Greg Laurie. I’m no David Platt or Francis Chan. I’m not Wayne Grudem or Millard Erikson to be a theologian. I’m not a seminary professor. I see no reason why God would choose me for this task. Truly, I am nobody. But I have realized that the simple Sunday morning or mid-week biblical and theological training that the average Christian in America takes for granted and very often turns his/her nose up to would be considered ministry-changing in just about every mission field I have visited. And while I am underqualified and inadequate to the task, leaning wholly on God’s gracious provision to do what he is asking me to do, I rejoice at the opportunity every time it is presented to me.
As a result, together with the rest of the team from Designs For Hope, I have committed myself to the effort of training pastors. No, I haven’t been writing blogs, but I have been writing. I’ve been writing theological training geared to the educational level of the average pastor in a developing country. And I will keep on writing this way for a long time – until God no longer has anything for me to write. And we will do our best to find opportunities to deliver that training – not only in person, but through technology such as smart phones. Designs For Hope has kicked off a new project called {Co}Mission (http://www.designsforhope.org/comission/) whereby we will be attempting to deliver biblical training content and other helps via smart phones. It is still early in development, but it has given my ministry a new purpose – one that brings more joy to my heart than any children’s ministry or youth pastor position ever has. Not that I regret any of those. They have been instrumental in my ministry development. But this is the ministry that God has called me to do.

Of course I cannot move overseas. Why you ask? That is a whole different blog. However, trust me when I say that I am confident God has called me overseas, but has not called me to move permanently overseas. That means when I am not overseas, I am here… I have no near term intentions of taking on a pastorate or another children’s or youth ministry position because – as my friend, Bob Hall reminded me – that would be a distraction from my true calling. So that brings me to the second thing that happened that changed my perspective. In God’s Sovereignty, the pastor at my home church independently caught the same vision for small group discipleship that was already in my heart. In fact, he went so far as to develop teaching guides, helps, and even a smart phone app for use in small group discipleship. Imagine 6 or 8 people, reading though the New Testament together, meeting together on a weekly basis to discuss what they have read, asking and answering questions about the text. Now that is what I call discipleship. Right now I am leading 2 such groups and am about to split one of those into a third because of how it has grown. This speaks directly to my passion for obedient discipleship and it allows me to minister while still being able to carry out God’s calling on my life to train pastors in developing countries.

Oh yeah… lest I forget… I’m still getting opportunities to preach. Perhaps I am not preaching every Sunday like I would if I were a pastor, but God is faithful and merciful enough to toss me a preaching opportunity here and there, satisfying my passion for preaching.

I have no idea whether anyone really wants to read this – or even why I am writing it. After not blogging for so long, I wondered if I should even do it… if I shouldn’t rather just take down the blog altogether. But here it is. And the point? For me, there is once again joy in ministry and for that I boast – not for myself – but in God’s wisdom and mercy – for his knowing better than me what will satisfy the longing in my soul. Out of the depression comes rejoicing. Out of silence comes praise. For you, there is encouragement to remember that no matter what dark valley you may be in, God is there… and he has plans…

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

"Culture Day" Designs For Hope Eluru India Trip Day 6



Today was supposed to be an easy day-our "culture" day.  However when we got to the Bishop's House we discovered that we were going to get. Participate in the auspicious occasion of the door hanging on the new church construction  apparently the door hanging ceremony is a very special occasion in India. 



We were honored to be able to participate.  The yellow paste that Rosi is putting on the door is basically a tamaric paste.  It is yellow to signify the holiness of God.

Afterwards we journeyed to the Village of Manuguluru and visited the church's school there.  



Like before, the children sang us songs and we shared the gospel with them using the color wheel.  Unlike before, I behaved and did not get them in trouble... But when it came to the color white. -  as in white as snow - I did show them a picture of the snow you guys are having at home...they got a kick out of it (which reminds me...we are praying for all of you  - especially the ones who got stranded).

From here we made our way to Kolleru Lake where we toured the largest lake in India, which also serves as a Siberian Pelican refuge.  



I don't think I have ever seen so many pelicans in my life.    During the boat tour some Indian Catla fish began jumping. These were large fish about 18-24 inches in size and 5-8 pounds In weight. One tried jumping into the boat and splashed against side of the boat - also splashing Matt. I've never seen Matt move so quickly. 

We then proceeded to Machilipadnam - which means "fish town" because it is on the Bay of Bengal.  We had lunch there (chicken fried rice - again) and then went on to see the Bay of Bengal. 


Yes, that is me standing in the Bay of Bengal.  You can't go all the way around the world and see a whole new ocean and NOT get I it...come on Matt and Josh, get with the program!  They "touched" the water but would not get in,  by the way, that is indeed black sand.

We had not been there more than five minutes when people began coming up asking to take their picture with us.  Apparently we are celebrities in India - or maybe it was just our white skin.  Either way, we tried our best to convince Bishop John to start charging for the pictures. 

The Bay of Bengal is about 100km away from Eluru which means a 2 hour drive on a good day - except I am pretty sure we got lost on the way back because Venkat had to repeatedly stop and ask for directions. Then, as if that were not enough, we pulled into one town only to be stopped by a labor union demonstration. They stopped all traffic by lining up motorcycles and began burning tires in the street.  



It was a good old fashion protest like you see on CNN (but a bit smaller) and we had front row seats.  Small as it was, it was the first time I really felt as if we were in any kind of danger.  Fortunately the protest only lasted about one half hour and then after maneuvering through the traffic nightmare, we were on our way.

Tonight we eat at the Bishops House...

...tomorrow we start the long journey home. 

We are so ready. 

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Adventures In Eating! Design For Hope Eluru Trip Day 5



As the picture suggests, today was the Pastor's Seminar.  Josh and I spent all day leading sessions teaching the importance of disciple-making, spiritual disciplines, biblical doctrine, and biblical interpretation.  Josh did an outstanding job.  I hope my part was good as well.  At least we received charitable feedback after it was over.  But it was poor Matt that got the raw end of the stick today.  Originally, we were going to be installing bicycle kits contemporaneously with the Pastor's Seminar so that Matt would be working while we were teaching.  But we installed the bicycle generators yesterday, so Matt really had nothing to do today.  No big deal, right?  Wrong, because Bishop John insisted that he sit up in front of the class along with Josh and me - all day... Over 6 hours just sitting there...doing nothing but staring back at 50 pastors...Bless his heart.  Anything for the cause!

There's really not much more I can say about today, so I thought I might take the opportunity to answer the question everyone - both here and at home - seems to want to know: How is the food?

I mentioned in the day 2 blog that we had Dosa for our first breakfast here... You can see below (Tuesday) a picture of what that looks like.

We actually didn't eat lunch on Saturday, but for dinner we had chicken wings as an appetizer.  Josh and I had Chicken Kabob Biryani while Matt had chicken fried rice.



First of all kabob doesn't mean what you think it means.  Basically chicken kabob means drumstick! Which is evident in the picture.  Second, chicken fried rice ain't what you get at the local Chinese restaurant, although it's actually not too bad.  The biryani was extremely spicy - not hot, just overpowering spice - but it was edible.  But here is the kicker. THERE WAS SO MUCH FOOD.  When they took our order, they asked if we meant 1 plate of biryani or two and were surprised we wanted two.  It didn't take long to figure out why.  Rice is so filling anyway that it doesn't take much to fill you up and there was enough on each plate to feed all three of us.  Literally, all three of us could have eaten one plate and, since then, that is how we have ordered.  The problem though was what to do with all the extra food?  We tried to see if there was someone they could give the food to - perhaps a homeless person - but the language barrier became a problem.  At first they thought we didn't like the food and wanted to send it back - perhaps trade it for something else.  They were insistent that once we ordered we had to keep what we ordered.  Finally we got a manager who could somewhat understand what we were trying to say - at least we THINK she understood since she replied with "Thank you for your mercy."  The truth is, all week we have been a source of entertainment to the wait staff at the restaurant.  We keep imagining them saying "stupid Americans" every time we come in.  Honestly though it has been just as entertaining to us.

Sunday morning we went out to a school before church for the Republic Day flag raising ceremony and they served us breakfast there.  It was a Vada (see picture from Monday below). Vada basically looks like a cake doughnut (although it doesn't taste like a doughnut since it is made from green peas - and tastes like green peas too - yuck).

For lunch Sunday we had Hong Kong Chicken starter with mutton biryani.  All three of us shared one order.  Sorry, no pics, but just replace the drumsticks above with chunks of stewed lamb and you will get the idea.  The wait staff hovered over us the whole time - I think just waiting for us to screw up...which we did when it came time to pay.  Josh was counting his change and noticed that he had two different styles of 2Rupee coins.  It was interesting and we immediately began carefully examining and discussing them... Well apparently the wait staff thought we were questioning whether they had given us the correct change.  Again, the language barrier became a problem as we couldn't get them to understand that we were simply doting over the coin styles...by the way, the reason it was so interesting is that the coin had an imprint of a hand holding up two fingers - just in case you didn't know what a 2 looked like.

Sunday night proved to be somewhat of a relief to both us and to the wait staff because Bishop John and his wife Rosi came to eat with us.  Apparently he is a regular at the restaurant and well known by the wait staff.  He did all the ordering for us.  We could just imagine the wait staff saying "Thank Buda someone to order for those dumb Yankees."  Actually it turned out pretty well. Chicken wings, Chicken Kabobs, Dragon Chicken, and Chicken Fried Rice...and yes, Dragon Chicken lived up to its name (but it was very tasty).  Sorry, no pics.

Monday morning was the first time we actually ate at the hotel breakfast buffet.  We had Idli and Vada (again) but not by choice - that is what was on the buffet.  



Essentially Idli is a rice cake (the white patty in the picture) and unless you are willing to put one of the curry or ginger sauces on it, it has no taste whatsoever.  We have no idea what the noodly stuff is, but it wasn't too bad - not tasty mind you, but not bad either.  Since we were not adventurous enough to go for curry sauce at breakfast, we quickly scarfed down the tasteless food and then immediately went back to our rooms and had some granola and a cereal bar.

We skipped lunch again on Monday due to time constraints (except for eating some crackers and trail mix) but dinner turned out quite delightful.  We decided ahead of time to go through the menu before going to the restaurant and we determined to be a bit adventurous and try a curry.  Not knowing which one to try, we got on the internet and looked them all up.  In the end, we voted for superstition and picked the one that bore Josh's name - Chicken Rogan Josh.



When when we got to the restaurant, they immediately asked us - "Will Bishop be joining you tonight?"  Sorry to disappoint, but you have to deal with us stupid Americans by ourselves...but what you don't know is that we came prepared.  It was actually the best meal we had eaten yet.  We also ordered Chapati  bread and Garlic Naan (both are flat breads). Both were VERY good and helped tone down the curry.  Chapati bread in India is almost exactly the same as it is in Uganda, so that was a pleasant surprise for Matt and me.  The wait staff could see we were enjoying the food this time and so they kept coming over and putting more on our plate. I think they actually enjoyed watching us eat.  I actually had to say "no more" to at least four different waiters, who all apparently didn't believe that I was full.  I guess my size suggests I eat more than I do...

This morning, Josh opted out of the buffet completely, but Matt and I went up and tried again.  They had Idli again (no thanks-we pass) but they also had Dosa.  Since the Dosa we had before wasn't so bad, we went for it. 



It was good this time too. Of course it wasn't enough to fill us up, so we came back again to the room for a cereal bar (I'm so glad we packed those!). I think we both have decided that tomorrow we join Josh in skipping the buffet altogether!

Lunch was served at the Pastor's Seminar - homemade Biryani.



I think it looks more gross than it actually was. Please do not ask what kind of meat it was...we have no idea (just close your eyes and eat it).  Actually the homemade Biryani was better than the restaurant Biryani.  On the other hand, watching all the pastors eat this messy stuff with their fingers was just plain gross...

That brings us to tonight's dinner...  Apparently, last night's success raised our standing with the wait staff.  While they were very attentive after they associated us with Bishop John, they were actually competing tonight to have us at their table.  It didn't matter, I think they all came by at some point to check on us.  They all seem eager to make sure we enjoyed what we are eating.  Tonight's choice was a cashew chicken starter (think sausage ball except with chicken and nuts instead of sausage and cheese).  It was actually pretty good.  The entree (helped along by Chapati bread and Butter Naan) was Chicken Tikka Marsala.


For this one, think of an Italian dish with chicken and tomato sauce...except the tomato sauce is about a 10.5 on the spicy meter. Tum at Tum Tum...

Tomorrow night we will eat at the Bishop's house, so this was actually the last meal we will have in the hotel restaurant.  The wait staff seemed a bit disappointed when they found out we would not be back...but the female manager was able to get up the courage to ask us for an American $1 bill.  We of course obliged and then she asked us to sign it.  So now there is apparently a $1US bill running around the rural parts of India with the names Josh, Joel, and Matt scribbled on it!

We're famous ;)

Monday, January 27, 2014

It Was A Test - Designs For Hope Eluru Trip Day 4


Today started out with a bang - literally - at least for Matt.  We had been discussing the power situation and how most electronics will operate at both 110v and 220v.  That was when Matt noted that he wasn't sure whether his Ryobi battery charger was 110v only or 110-220v.  He though he would give it a test.  A flash of light and a puff of smoke later, his question was answered.  Now his Ryobi battery charger is just a pretty green paperweight.

Despite its rough - but comical - start, today proved to be a very productive and beneficial day.  In the morning, we installed 10 Designs For Hope bicycle generator kits on brand new Avon bicycles and 2 kits on older bicycles.  We then presented the bicycles and generator kits to the pastors, along with the water filtration systems we had assembled yesterday.



The pastors were very glad and appreciative.  In Bishop John's words, they were "Very Happy."  Apparently they knew about the bicycle generator kits but had not been told about the water filters.  At first I think it was a bit of a shock when they saw I would drink the water that came from a pretty filthy rain drainage pond nearby.  However, when they saw how pure and clean the water was after going through the filter, they became quite excited - and wanted to try it for themselves.

Afterwards, we interviewed the two pastors who had previously field tested our prototype generators. They told us how they had used the lights to hold night-time bible services in some of the remote villages.  Something they would not have otherwise been able to do.

After lunch, we went to visit one of ICM church's schools in the nearby village of Madepalli.  



While Bishop John inspected the teacher's records, I managed to get the kids in trouble - at least twice - by making faces and gestures at them when they were supposed to be sitting quietly.  Apparently I get a bad conduct grade (I think I have too much of my Daddy's blood in me).   They sang us some songs and then I told them the gospel story using the color wheel.

To end the day on a good note, we went back to the Bishop's House and the orphanage - after stopping by a local sports equipment shop and buying a couple of balls, two frisbee, a jump rope, and Cricket bats for the kids... Yes, apparently Cricket is the national pastime of India. If you've ever been around me in Kid's Church you will know that I am the jump rope champion.  You wouldn't know it by looking at me, but it is true.  I'm proud to say I still hold that title.  The kids were impressed. I've never played Cricket before...until today.



I still don't get it.  Maybe I should stick to jumping rope. Matt tried his hand at Cricket as well...


While Josh played frisbee with just about every kid there...all at the same time!



It really was a good day today.  Tomorrow, we hold the pastor's conference. 

Eluru Traffic report.  Cows are still running rampant in the streets and taxis are going every which way.  There are more people in the streets than you could think possible.  How they keep from getting killed I have no idea.  Then there was the guy on the motorcycle carrying the golden Mr. Universe trophy... Go figure. Today's traffic was probably the worst yet.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

In Season and Out - Designs For Hope Eluru India Day 3



Preach the word.  Be prepared in Season and out. 2 Timothy 4:2

After 39 hours of travel, our team had only one thing in mind - bed.  As we sat in Bishop John's office though, we (or rather I should say I) had a shocking revelation.  Just before we left Birmingham I had received word from Dr. Joshua Raj - the executive director of South Asia Mission - that he would not be able to make the trip with us due to a family emergency.  As an ordained minister in the Anglican Orthodox Church, Dr. Raj had been scheduled to bring the message today (Sunday) in Eluru.  As we sat in Bishop John's office (actually as we were preparing to leave to come back to the hotel to go to bed), Bishop John dropped the bomb... I would be bringing the message the next morning in church (cue a skipped heartbeat and a jawon the floor).  I sat in shock for a moment attempting to pick my jaw off the floor.  We all thought of course that he was joking - but as it turned out he was not.

Normally, it takes me about a week or perhaps two to put a good sermon together.  Even when I was preaching every week at the assisted living center in Clay, I was always preparing 3 or 4 weeks ahead.  Sure, I have one or two sermons that I keep in my back pocket that - with one or two day's notice I could pull together...but one night?  And being as tired as we were?  And to make it worse, I couldn't pull out one of those Psuedo-prepared messages - despite the fact that I had several of them saved on my iPad.  No...Bishop John wanted me to preach from the scripture established on the Anglican almanac.  I had to go to the hotel room exhausted and prepare a message from scratch from Matthew 4:12-23.



Oh yeah, I had to wear the orthodox vestments in order to preach.   

Be prepared in season and out.  Well I suppose if I had the Anglican Church almanac I might have been prepared better, but I suppose - given a passage like Matthew 4:12-23 - someone who claims to be a preacher can come up with something to preach on. I guess the best thing about God's word is that it really does preach itself if you let it.  No, it wasn't the best sermon or the longest sermon I had ever preached.  Given more time, I might have done something to really impress those guys, but then again it wasn't really about me. A simple, 15 minute sermon on Repentance and Following Jesus was just what God had in mind for the day (read the scripture and you'll get the just).

After church, we went just a few minutes out of town to Madepalla Village to see the new church they are trying to build there. Being the only white people for miles and miles and miles (we literally have not seen another Caucasian since we arrived in Hyderabad), we were treated as guests of honor. And of course, being the "reverend" of our group, Bishop John asked me to speak briefly there as well.  This time I was able to get away with a simple word of welcome and introduction.

The rest of the day was not as stressful.  We prepared the water filters and then I drank filtered water that came from some really gross looking rain drainage.



Afterwards we played with the kids at the orphanage a while before coming back to the hotel for dinner.

Post report:
In case you we wondering whether the rumors were true, oxen and buffalo really do roam the streets of India unimpaired.



They lay down in the middle of the street and people simply drive around them.  They wander down the street like one of the vehicles.  And sometimes they ram things.

We asked who took care of them or how they managed and Bishop John informed us that the cattle actually preferred to wander around free.  Apparently, some of them have started resorting to begging. Homeless cows begging for food. Unfortunately, he also says that sometimes they are misbehaved - even when the police are around.  Imagine that - the cattle do not listen to the police.  You would think they were people or something.

Angry Birds - Designs For Hope Eluru India Day 2


When you leave for a foreign land, you are acutely aware that you are going to a place that is...well...foreign.  The people are different.  The language is different. The food is different.  The culture is different.  That can be quite an imposing situation for your first time in a new country - regardless of how experienced you are in such things.

Our second day began in Mumbai and we were hit square in the face with new culture - specifically a culture in which bribes and extortion are normal practice rather than the exception.  Going through customs proved to be a sink-or-swim education in that practice as we were stopped for attempting to bring in "dutiful" items into the country undeclared.  We had letters declaring that our goods had no retail value and were being brought in as gifts and donations from a charitable organization to a charitable organization, but that mattered not to the customs agent.  A few conversations later, we found out that we could pay $400 in "taxes" to make our  problem go away.  Of course, there would be no receipt for such taxes you understand.  A short trip to the back room and the passing of the cash to one of the guards and we were on our way.  Somehow I doubt that cash ever made it into the state coffers. 

Mumbai proved to be the most confusing, inefficient, frustrating airports I believe I have ever been in.  Before we boarded our transfer to Hyderabad, we were searched and our bags x-rayed at least three times.  Our bags were ransacked twice. And we had to show our passport and boarding passes on at least six different occasions if not more.  But soon enough (or rather later enough) we finally made it to Hyderabad, met our new friend, Bishop John Nakka, and were on our way by van to Eluru.


                                              Bishop John S.D.R. Nakka 


John proved to be a difficult person to communicate with - not because of any character flaw or personality distinction.  In fact, he is a very likable man and I have quickly come to call him my friend.  However, his English accent is quite difficult for any of us to understand and our Southern drawl proved just as difficult for him to understand.  Conversations were labored from the beginning and even after a full day together we still struggle to communicate effectively.  Additionally, were were not in the van more than five minutes and he was fast asleep.  It turned out that the reason for his sleeping behavior was the fact that he is a diabetic and had been ill all week, but it sort of left us alone with one of John's regional pastors, Job, and with the driver, Ventak, who was not the most chatty individual - although apparently Ventak has a propensity to sing to himself under his breath (for the entire six hour trip).  Very quickly my level of uneasiness started to rise...how were we going to manage the week?  Were we going to be able to accomplish anything at all while we were her? That was when God taught me a lesson in a very familiar and unexpected way at our first in country meal - breakfast.

Our first adventure in eating was in a small town about an hour outside of Hyderabad called Suryaped.  It was a very rural, poor town that time seemed to have forgotten.  We had been served breakfast on the plane from Hyderabad to Mumbai, but Bishop John's diabetes required him to stop and eat - so for his sake we stopped to have second breakfast. We ate in the restaurant of the town's local hotel, which was barely a hotel at all and certainly not any place I would ever dare to stop and eat on my own, much less stay overnight - but as it turned out the food was edible after all. We had an onion Dosa, which was pretty good but way too spicy for breakfast.  

Sitting at breakfast, though, we began hearing a familiar sound.  It took us a moment before we realized what it was.  Looking around, we saw across the room a small child playing on a tablet - he was playing Angry Birds. I must admit that was perhaps the very last thing I expected being literally half way around the world from home in a place that was utterly unfamiliar.  It reminded me of the flight over from Amsterdam to Mumbai.  During that leg, there was a very westernized Indian family sitting right in front of us and their small son spent a greater part of the flight playing Angry Birds as well...and when the battery on his iPad died, he cried because he could not play anymore.

Angry Birds... It became a reminder to me - a reminder that I am using to keep myself centered for the rest of the trip... That is, we are not that different after all. Of course we are different in many many ways as I have already pointed out, but in the ways that it really matters we are not different at all. That little boy in Suryaped is just like every other little boy I know at home.  He likes to play.  Apparently he likes to play Angry Birds.  And of course John and Job and Ventak and everyone else I met this day and all the ones I will meet in the days to come are just like everyone else I know at home as well.  They have dreams.  They have fears.  They get sick. They laugh.  They cry.  And either they already know Jesus as savior...or they need Jesus as savior...just like everyone else I know at home.  

Who would think Angry Birds would be a spiritual reminder to me of our unity in Christ and as a human race?  I guess God did when he decided we should eat Dosa for breakfast in the small town of Suryaped in rural India.

Be Still - Designs For Hope Eluru India Trip Day 1

Somewhere Over the Atlantic...

If you have ever flown overseas, whether for business, for pleasure, or for a mission trip, then you know the flight itself is perhaps the most brutal part of the trip - especially if you are flying coach.  You spend countless hours crammed in like sardines with people of all types and ages and there is very little to occupy your time.  If you are lucky, then you can find a way to fall asleep and then awaken several hours later on the other side of the world.



Josh and Matt were lucky.  They say they didn't sleep, but I have pictures to the contrary.  I am not so lucky.  There may have been moments were it seems as if I were sleeping, but truthfully it was little more than a wink here or a "z" or two there.  It just seems if you have sleep apnea like I do, sleeping on a plane is not an option, so I am left watching as the little white icon of an airplane ticks across the flight tracker on the tiny screen on the back of the seat in front of me...Time to Destination 01:43....oh and that is only for this first leg of the journey to Amsterdam. After that, we have another 8-hour flight to Mumbai and then a 2-hour flight to Hyderabad, and finally a 6-8 hour van drive to Eluru.

Oh sure, I could watch one of the complimentary movies or play about a thousand rounds of Bejeweled, or even read one of the books I brought for just this occasion.  Unfortunately, it just doesn't seem right somehow.  All the lights on the plane are out and literally everyone else is asleep.  So for right now at least it is just me and the little white airplane...ticking across...Time to Destination 01:40...sigh...

One thing about his time, however, is that it serves as a very good time to be alone with God.  I wouldn't exactly call it the classic case of Silence and Solitude under the circumstances, but it does just about as well.  I have become a firm believer over the last year or so in the discipline of Silence and Solitude.  Most Christians do not realize its importance.  It is more than "quiet time" and more than "prayer time" - it is one on one time with God.  

On the drive over to Atlanta from Birmingham to catch the plane, Josh was telling me that his favorite verse in the Bible is Psalm 46:10 - Be still and know that I am God.  Actually, that is my wife Patty's favorite verse as well and we have a plaque of it on our bookshelf at home.  That verse probably describes Silence and Solitude better than anything else and represents this particular moment more than anything else I could think of myself - just being still in the darkness on the plane and being alone with God to know him better.

I do want to know God better and to feel his presence with me on a regular if not continual basis.  When you love someone, you want to be with them and spend time with them.  I realize that God is always with me but I want to feel his presence in a very real way.  Think about it this way. It's only been about 12 hours and already I miss my beloved wife.  That is how I want my relationship to be with God - only all the more so because my love for him should be all the more greater than my love for Patty.  Unfortunately, Christians (myself included) say that we love God above all else, but our actions do not always convey that reality. I have found that Silence and Solitude moves my reality closer to my claims.

The lights are up now and Josh is awake...



Time to Destination 01:35... Be still...

Post Note: the one good thing about not having internet access on the plane is that I can actually revise and update this blog before posting.  I am now on my way to Mumbai from Amsterdam and I am blessed to say that with the assistance of a little friend named Ben (a.k.a. Benadryl), I managed to get a couple of hours of fairly decent sleep.

Time to Destination 05:49...(***groan***) Maybe I can try for a few more hours of sleep in a few minutes, but now that I am awake, I think I will first fill out that dreaded customs form!