First Meeting

Hello friends and supporters!

We had a great and busy week last week.  We got our flights to India finalized and had our first pre-trip meeting.

All said, we have 12 people going on the trip - 7 students and 5 chaperones.  We're excited to grow together as a team as we work towards spreading the love of Jesus in India.

Our first meeting was full of information.  We went over the schedule for the day, talked about some basic things the trip participants would need to know and answered questions.  Lots of people (including the adults) were really shocked when we said that we'd be waking up each day at 5:00am to join the kids at the Children's Home in their morning chapel service.  Most of us are definitely not used to waking up at that time of day!

We talked a little about what we'll be doing while we're there, and found out that we will be mostly painting during the day and leading a kids Bible Study in the evenings.  We've also been asked to put together an hour presentation that will include skits, music, and testimonies from our students.  We are so excited to see how it will all come together.

We spent about thirty minutes studying Luke 10:1-11 and 16-17 and discussed our views on the passage, and how we could apply this passage to our trip.  The passage says this:

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.  He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’  If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. 
“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’

“Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.” The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

We then had a chance to talk about our fears and excitement for the trip.  Many people were worried about getting sick or being outside their comfort zones, while others were scared that they would get grumpy on less sleep than usual.  Everyone was excited to meet the kids at the home and were also excited to learn about a new culture while serving God. 

The most exciting part of the meeting for me (Whitney) was seeing the students plan out some of the things we will do for our hour-long outreach program.  We have found a drama that 5 of the students will be performing, and two other students will lead worship.  It was a riot sitting around the table listening to our students offer suggestions about fun songs to teach the kids at the home.  All in all, we are excited and are getting ready to go!  

In an answer to prayer, we have made a great start on fundraising! We are still in need of about $30,000 HKD, so please continue to pray for that! 

Other Prayer Needs:
Team Cohesiveness
Planning for Worship
Drama practice
That our hearts would be open - regardless of how different or unexpected India is

Blessings to you all!