...well, 99%, anyway! And I'm getting ready to go...
One thing that has been a concern in the back of the mind of many of our team members is the fact that in the forecast for Bangalore, there is a chance of thunderstorms every single day! I'm not going to wish or pray for no rain while we're there, since for all I know they might need it, but am really hoping for the rain to not interfere with the work we'll be doing. In the slums where we'll be visiting and serving, there are dirt roads and poor or no sanitation. So maybe just pray that whatever weather may come, that it not interfere with our ability to visit, serve and build relationships with the communities to which we'll be traveling.
Time to go finish up those last little packing details, and prepare for a lot of traveling over the next few days!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
90 hours
No, that's not how long it takes to fly to India! (Not quite, anyway...)
It is the amount of time left before I-- and the other 7 people who comprise the ServeGlobal India team this year-- lift off from Denver (hopefully on time and without any complications), on the first of several legs our our airborne journey that will, before too long, find us in southern India among the people of the Dalit caste-- the "untouchables."
Those of you who have already been committed to partnering with me and the rest of the team in this journey-- whether that be with your words of encouragement, your inquiries about the trip and how the planning process has been going, your prayers, and/or your financial contributions-- thank you. You can read on if you want, but mostly this post-- which might be the last I get a chance to make before we head across to the globe-- is an invitation for those who haven't taken the time to stop and notice yet.
So the rest of you: listen up! I am making this trip not only to hopefully be able to make some sort of positive impact by serving the communities and agencies we'll be visiting over in India, and not only to learn more about the plight of an entire people-group who have been oppressed for centuries; but to bring that experience and those stories back to share with all of you. And that doesn't start when I get back from the trip. That starts now. So, what does any of this have to do with you? Read on...
It is the amount of time left before I-- and the other 7 people who comprise the ServeGlobal India team this year-- lift off from Denver (hopefully on time and without any complications), on the first of several legs our our airborne journey that will, before too long, find us in southern India among the people of the Dalit caste-- the "untouchables."
Those of you who have already been committed to partnering with me and the rest of the team in this journey-- whether that be with your words of encouragement, your inquiries about the trip and how the planning process has been going, your prayers, and/or your financial contributions-- thank you. You can read on if you want, but mostly this post-- which might be the last I get a chance to make before we head across to the globe-- is an invitation for those who haven't taken the time to stop and notice yet.
So the rest of you: listen up! I am making this trip not only to hopefully be able to make some sort of positive impact by serving the communities and agencies we'll be visiting over in India, and not only to learn more about the plight of an entire people-group who have been oppressed for centuries; but to bring that experience and those stories back to share with all of you. And that doesn't start when I get back from the trip. That starts now. So, what does any of this have to do with you? Read on...
- Learn more. Find out more about the Dalit people and the extreme poverty, exploitation, trafficking and discrimination that they face every day. There are about as many Dalit people as there are people in the entire United States. It's time to bring their story to the forefront of our conciousness. Find out more from the Dalit Freedom Network, or learn about the work of those on the ground in India by checking out OM India's website. Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn's powerful book Half the Sky also includes tales of the exploitation of young Dalit girls who are trafficked throughout India for the sex trade. (You can also learn a bit about the other global relationships that Pathways Uptown is building at our ServeGlobal page.)
- Get involved. What does that mean? That depends on you. It might mean passing along your copy of Half the Sky to a friend to read. It might mean listing the DFN's website to your web page, facebook profile, or e-mail signature. Maybe it's sporting an anti-slavery t-shirt from the DFN store. Or perhaps it's sponsoring an Indian child through Compassion, helping to equip them with the education and support they need to have more options for their life, and showing them that they have value.
- Pray. Pray for the Dalit people throughout India; pray for the agencies and individuals who are there, 365 days a year, doing the hard and sometimes slow work on the ground to help empower these communities; pray for the group going to India this month (for safety, good health, team unity, and that we will be able to both show God's love to the people we encounter through our practical service, and also be humble enough to allow them to touch our lives and to learn from them).
- Contribute. I (and the other team members about to embark on this trip) are giving much of our own time and money in order to cross the global and connect on a personal level with people who might not have crossed our minds much before. We'll be gone for two weeks-- in the next two weeks, what could you give up? * 1 fancy Starbucks drink per week: $10
* 2 movies at the theater: $20
* Dinner for two at a restaurant: $35
* Local concert and drinks: $50
* What else could you give up in order to contribute? More importantly, what would be meaningful for you to give up,
knowing that the money would be going to facilitate love and
service to those who have so little?
* Scroll all the way down to the bottom of this page, for easy
instructions on how to contribue to this trip financially
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Blog update
Notice anything new? I now have a fundraising tracker on the left side of the page, so all of you can see how my fundraising is coming along. Please pray over the fundraising efforts (mine individually, and the rest of the team as well), consider contributing if you are able (any amount that you're able!), and speak to others about the mission of this trip, and if their hearts are touched by this outreach, let them know they can make a difference by donating, too! :)
Note: I just put all the contribution details at the very bottom of this page, as I realized they're all scattered throughout these posts, various emails, etc.!
Update 7/13: Also... check out the weather box! It shows the current time and weather in Bangalore-- today it hit 98 degrees in Denver, so it has actually been very appealing to me to see what it's like where we'll be, even though southern India in July wouldn't normally seem like the cooler option! :)
Note: I just put all the contribution details at the very bottom of this page, as I realized they're all scattered throughout these posts, various emails, etc.!
Update 7/13: Also... check out the weather box! It shows the current time and weather in Bangalore-- today it hit 98 degrees in Denver, so it has actually been very appealing to me to see what it's like where we'll be, even though southern India in July wouldn't normally seem like the cooler option! :)
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
On the horizon...
With less than 2 weeks until we leave for the trip, I thought we were due for another update.
A lot of people have been wondering, "what are you going to do in India?" And while I was hoping to have more details on that, by this point, the answer is still mostly, "good question." Mostly, it's hard to know in advance because the organization we'll be with in India has a lot of groups coming in at different times, and they're not always able to predict far in advance what will be needed at the particular time we'll be visiting. (And even if they did, that could likely change before or during our trip.) But I can say a little bit about what is, and isn't the purpose of this trip to India.
We are not going to be handing out religious tracts on street corners to hungry people. First of all, it wouldn't be a good move in the political and religious climate of India, and we certainly are doing our best to avoid jeopardizing the work that the organizations we're partnering with are there doing every day, all year long. We could easily cause big problems for them if we went in with our own notion of what we wanted to do, or felt was best for the people in those areas. Second of all, it's not really our style-- and, I don't think it was Jesus's style. You can't do a whole lot to influence people's hearts and minds until you've ministered to their needs and shown your love for them in practical ways. We also are not going on vacation. We're there to get our hands dirty, to learn and to be able to share our experience with others after we get back home.
We are going to build relationships, show our love and God's love in practical ways, and hopefully help some people improve their quality of life. We are hoping to support the people who are there, every day, working in these communities-- working in social work here in the U.S., I know about burn out, but can only imagine what it's like to work with people living in such worse conditions, day after day, when there are so many that need help.
As far as preparations for the trip... we'll only have one more meeting before we go. I've started my "India pile" of stuff to pack (though still feeling woefully unprepared-- I had a dream the other night that I was in the Munich airport before it dawned on me that I hadn't packed any luggage at all!). We are still fundraising, so if you haven't contributed, but would like to support this trip by doing so, I believe there is information somewhere below about how to mail in a check (shoot me an email, if it's not in an earlier post). Otherwise, I just got more info about the online giving options-- if you go to the Pathways Church website, you can contribute using a credit card (click the "click here to give online" button-- reportedly this is not just for recurring donations, you can select a one-time donation) or Paypal. Under either option, there is a place for you to add a note specifying that it's for the India trip. (If you would it to go to my trip costs in particular, you can then shoot an email to our business administrator at lynne@pathwayschurch.org, and she will credit it accordingly.)
The countdown continues!! :)
A lot of people have been wondering, "what are you going to do in India?" And while I was hoping to have more details on that, by this point, the answer is still mostly, "good question." Mostly, it's hard to know in advance because the organization we'll be with in India has a lot of groups coming in at different times, and they're not always able to predict far in advance what will be needed at the particular time we'll be visiting. (And even if they did, that could likely change before or during our trip.) But I can say a little bit about what is, and isn't the purpose of this trip to India.
We are not going to be handing out religious tracts on street corners to hungry people. First of all, it wouldn't be a good move in the political and religious climate of India, and we certainly are doing our best to avoid jeopardizing the work that the organizations we're partnering with are there doing every day, all year long. We could easily cause big problems for them if we went in with our own notion of what we wanted to do, or felt was best for the people in those areas. Second of all, it's not really our style-- and, I don't think it was Jesus's style. You can't do a whole lot to influence people's hearts and minds until you've ministered to their needs and shown your love for them in practical ways. We also are not going on vacation. We're there to get our hands dirty, to learn and to be able to share our experience with others after we get back home.
We are going to build relationships, show our love and God's love in practical ways, and hopefully help some people improve their quality of life. We are hoping to support the people who are there, every day, working in these communities-- working in social work here in the U.S., I know about burn out, but can only imagine what it's like to work with people living in such worse conditions, day after day, when there are so many that need help.
As far as preparations for the trip... we'll only have one more meeting before we go. I've started my "India pile" of stuff to pack (though still feeling woefully unprepared-- I had a dream the other night that I was in the Munich airport before it dawned on me that I hadn't packed any luggage at all!). We are still fundraising, so if you haven't contributed, but would like to support this trip by doing so, I believe there is information somewhere below about how to mail in a check (shoot me an email, if it's not in an earlier post). Otherwise, I just got more info about the online giving options-- if you go to the Pathways Church website, you can contribute using a credit card (click the "click here to give online" button-- reportedly this is not just for recurring donations, you can select a one-time donation) or Paypal. Under either option, there is a place for you to add a note specifying that it's for the India trip. (If you would it to go to my trip costs in particular, you can then shoot an email to our business administrator at lynne@pathwayschurch.org, and she will credit it accordingly.)
The countdown continues!! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)