Commissionings

Hey Denver friends-- this Sunday, July 4th the India team (along with the Rwanda team) is being commissioned at Pathways Uptown, during the 11am service. Very sadly I won't be able to be there (work!), but please come out and support and pray over all the rest of those who are about to embark on trips to faraway places to show God's love!

I think the India commissioning at Highlands Church is happening on the 11th, but I'll keep you posted!

20 days and counting...

Wow, the time is really flying by! I didn't realize it'd been so long since I posted any updates on here.

Yesterday marked 3 weeks till we leave! We finally have our plane tickets (more stops on the way back, but an 8-hour layover in Munich on the way there, so either way it's going to be some long travel!) and my visa/passport came back in the mail this past Friday. We're still figuring out some details for our first day, in Delhi, and we still aren't entirely sure what we'll be doing in India, but for the most part, the logistics are settled. We've talked about what to pack, and we all headed out to southeast Aurora to Masalaa restaurant for some tasty southern India cuisine. (We didn't even know they have a buffet on the day we ended up going-- yummm!) We didn't practice eating with our hands-- er, hand-- yet, though... (and no, I didn't take that picture-- though I should have thought to bring my camera, my platter-full was lovely and delicious!)

Right now it seems like all the little details to be arranged. I can't entirely pack yet (since I do need to wear some of my clothes during the next 3 weeks), but am going to start an India pile. I've ordered extra memory cards and battery packs for my camera, and am starting to collect all the other little things I'll need-- wet wipes, benadryl, hand sanitizer, playing cards... etc. Presumably no one forgets underwear while going to India, but something like sunscreen (however vitally important for us pale folk on malaria meds) could be more easily overlooked. I've gotten into the habit, when packing to visit family in MI or other trips within the country, to remind myself "well, if you forget something, you can always pick it up there"-- but that isn't necessarily the case where we'll be in India, where things like toothbrushes or deodorant, let alone contact solution, may be next to impossible to find. Hence, the packing list has begun :) I know the trip is going to be upon us before I know it! Fortunately, I realized that the Friday before we leave is my day off (I have a new work schedule with more evenings, but every other Friday off), so it will be nice to have a little more time to finish up the packing and tie up loose ends before we depart.

We had our last group fundraiser on the 11th-- the movie night where we showed the short film about the Dalit people, told a little bit about the trip, showed a few pictures from previous trips, then all settled in to watch Slumdog Millionaire. We had some refreshments for sale and boxes for any additional donations. Now we're finishing up through individual fundraising (and lots and lots of prayer). It'd be very comforting to have 100% of my funds raised, weeks ahead of the trip (and to know that everyone else's funds were fully raised, too), but God does not always work on my schedule (ok, almost never, actually). I'm praying a lot these days, not just for the financial and other details of the trip to fall into place, but more importantly for help in trusting that God called me to go on this trip, so he'll make it all happen. I need to not stress or worry about the details, because there's only so much I can do about them, anyway.

I promise to try and get at least one more update on here before we go! For those of you who are in Denver, the India team is being commissioned at Highlands Church on July 11th-- shoot me an e-mail if you want the details (not that I have all the details yet... but then I'll know to keep you posted!)

What to pray for?

This past week, one of the India team members made up some really nice little prayer cards for people to stick on their fridge, by their mirror, wherever they'll see it and remember to pray for some needs for the India trip. I know I've included some of these in previous posts, but for those of you who'd like having a few specific things to keep in your prayers, please pray for:

• OM India-- these are the staff who are already there working with the Dalit people, and will be continuing this work long after we've left.
• The Dalit people-- that they will be able to see changes away from the oppression and extreme poverty in which they currently live.
• Good weather-- This sounds sort of selfish, but remember, I'm from Michigan so humidity and mosquitoes, I can handle-- mostly we're praying that our work in India will not be interrupted by a lot of rain.
• The continued fundraising needs for the trip.
• Everyone who is going on the trip! Below is a picture we took after our India movie night last night. (sorry, it's a little dark)

 (L-R: Karrie, Megan, Brad, Jo, me; Front: Angela, James, Kaitlyn)

Clay cups

At our India team support party this evening, we had available clay cups for our supporters, as a reminder of the Dalit people we're going to India to serve. What's the deal with the clay cups, you may ask? Here's the story that the DFN includes with them:

    The term Dalit is an ancient Marathi (west Indian language) word that may be defined as "ground" or "broken to pieces". It refers to people who have been broken or ground down by those above them in a deliberate and active way. As a result, the word 'Dalit' came to be the definition for a state of degradation. Dalit usually refers to the portion of the population falling outside the Indian caste society; those who are traditionally known as "outcastes" or "untouchables".

     Clay cups are commonly used by establishments in India. Decades ago, these cups were provided exclusively for the Dalits. The purpose is to destroy the cup, breaking it to pieces, after use, so no upper caste customer will use it and risk "contamination by a Dalit's uncleanness." Today, the use of clay cups is common and no longer limited to Dalit use. However, Dalits are still served in these cups and not other cups made of glass or metail so as to avoid polluting others. The Dalit Freedom Network has chosen the clay cup as a visual representation of the Dalits' brokenness and oppression.

One of the group leaders for our trip also explained that the "Share the Well" on the cup refers to the story of Jesus and the woman at the well (see John 4).  Jesus went to the well during mid-day, when only those who were not allowed to associate with the rest of society went to draw water, and spoke with a Samaritan woman, even though he was a Jew and Samaritans were traditionally enemies. This woman had been married several times and was living with a man to whom she wasn't married: not exactly the most respected member of that society. Yet Jesus set out with intention to reach out to this woman, who was in many ways an outcast, and through her reached many people. Such a fitting example to keep in mind as we go to serve people who are treated as the lowest of the low in their own society! It may seem like a daunting task to be of any help whatsoever, to such a large class of people suffering from deeply ingrained and long-standing oppression, but Jesus started by reaching out and "sharing the well" with just one woman.

Thought I'd also share a few pictures here of our India team support party this evening. I finally grabbed my camera just as things were winding down.

Busy, busy, busy!

So, turns out a trip to the other side of the planet involves a little bit of preparation. (Who knew?)

Suddenly, the trip seems to be coming up really fast (only 6 weeks now until we depart!) and the last few weeks have been busy with taking care of all the little (and big) details that need to happen before I'll be ready to go.

Getting immunizations (luckily, I didn't need many, since I'd already had a lot before I went to South Africa in '04) and trying to figure out the schedule for taking my oral typhoid vaccine (who is near a refrigerator, two hours after eating and an hour before eating again, every other day for 9 days? No, that was not a riddle, just what I need to plan out!) Perusing thrift stores to stock up on a few more ankle-length skirts. Attending trip meetings. Getting extra passport photos taken, to send in with my visa application. Filling out my visa application and printing it out. Collecting all the various documents that need to be sent in with my visa application. Planning events with the trip team. Updating family & friends on the process. And of course, sending out fundraising letters.

Speaking of which, I have been so blessed, amazed & overwhelmed by the show of support for me and the mission of this trip: from those who were able to give larger contributions to the financial needs of the trip, to the many who aren't able to spare as much at this time but still sent whatever they were able; and of course the many many people who are praying for me and for the success of this trip, and showing their support in myriad other ways. Every time I open my mailbox and find more checks and notes of love, prayer and support, I am amazed at the ways God is working to make this mission trip happen! Thank-you notes are in the mail, so if you've sent in a contribution you should be hearing from me individually soon. Just wanted to also add a big collective THANK YOU here, not just for the financial support, but for everyone who's been inquiring about, praying for, and otherwise supporting this trip.

I know I haven't had many updates on here yet, but mostly that's because I don't have much more news to post. Hopefully in the next few weeks we may be finding out more about what the communities' needs will be at the time we visit, so we can start planning and preparing for what specific service we will be providing while in India. Ultimately, though, we may just have to see when we get there! And anyway, I know what y'all really want is the updates after I get back... that's when I'm sure I'll have plenty to write about and pictures to share! So stay tuned :)

Hey Denver...

For those of you who are in the Denver area, in case you missed the evites, there are 2 events coming up in the next week for the India trip! Both are great ways to learn more about what we'll be doing and show your support for the team:

Saturday, June 5 (Tomorrow!)
India Team Support Party, 7pm
@ one of the team members' homes-- shoot me an e-mail if you want the details
Chow on homemade Indian food, hang out with the team members, and learn more about the trip!

Friday, June 11
India Movie Night
@ Pathways Church, 1595 Pearl St.
Learn more about the trip, watch a short video about the communities we'll be going to serve, and stay to watch "Slumdog Millionaire" on the big screens!
Refreshments will be available for purchase

Let me know if you'd like more info about either of these events! :)

Why India?

So... why India? My church does trips to a couple of other countries, as well—Mexico (though I don’t think that trip is occurring this year), Rwanda, and in the future hopefully Afghanistan. Rwanda would actually seem like a natural choice for a first trip with Pathways—I sponsor a girl in Rwanda through Compassion, and probably would’ve been able to arrange a visit with her if I went on that trip (and I do really hope I can visit her someday—she’s awesome, and after all, she did invite me to her brother’s wedding last year). Even before visiting South Africa in 2004, I felt much more of a pull to Africa than to some other places in the world. I would be super psyched to go on a trip to Afghanistan. I didn’t have a particular life-long burning desire to visit India (though if you know me, I pretty much have a burning desire to travel anywhere... I can’t think of a place I’d turn down).

Yet even coming up to the initial information meeting about the India trip, back in February, India and its most voiceless people were weighing heavy on my heart—and showing up everywhere in my life, it seemed! So far, things have fallen into place exactly as they needed to, in a way that only something where God is working can do.

The night before that info meeting, I was making macaroni in my apartment, and I wondered to myself, “if your life was a movie, would you watch it?” I thought about how I would ask my friends and family to pray over whether or not I should go on the trip... of course, I’d have to work out the logistics, too: the financials, the time off work, and how all of the above would affect any other travel plans I might want to make in the coming year. Then it came to me that maybe I’m supposed to accept what God calls me to do, without figuring out the logistics first—to leave the details up to him, and trust that it will all work out. I also heard in my head, “sell everything you have, and give it to the poor.” (Not what I wanted to hear. Hopefully this trip won’t involve quite that kind of a sacrifice, but the point is... it’s not always convenient, or easy, or without sacrifice, to be Christ’s hands and heart here on Earth.)

About a week before the info meeting, I’d started reading Half The Sky, which is a book about women’s oppression and empowerment worldwide (which I highly recommend to everyone, by the way). The beginning chapters I’d read so far were mainly about trafficking of young women and girls for the sex trade; many of the stories took place in India, near places like Hyderabad, Bangalore: places also mentioned in the information meeting. As it turned out, the mission trip will be centered in the slums around Bangalore. The meeting started with a video about the plight of the Dalits, the “untouchables,” and described the same things as I’d been reading about all week: the uneducated, marginalized people taken advantage of, the young girls stolen or sold and brought to places far away where they could not communicate or know how to advocate for themselves, the lack of healthcare or education or basic services like sanitation.

After the meeting, with India heavy on my heart and in my prayers, I went home and looked at my calendar. I had nothing scheduled during the two weeks in July when the trip would take place. I am blessed to be at a point right now where I have the PTO to take off work, and finally a fully staffed department, but still—2 weeks is a big chunk of time to be gone. When I ran the possibility by my boss a couple of days later, without hesitation he told me, “go.”

That same evening I received an invitation to the wedding of two friends from church, and when perusing their wedding website, I read about how she’d found her dress and the place she bought it from—and while I’d heard part of that story already, the part I hadn’t heard (or didn’t remember) was that her dress store donates part of its profits to the Dalit Freedom Network—an organization committed to ending trafficking of the very people the group will be going to serve. I hoped that all the things that were falling into place—all the little reminders of this group of our human family, half a world away—were because God wanted me to head down that path, and not because God was trying to teach me some lesson in massive disappointment. So I prayed, I put in my trip application, and I waited... and waited... longer than I’d thought I would have to, but finally last week I heard the news: I’m going on the trip!

It's a little surreal so far, since I don't really know a lot of the details yet, including exactly what we'll be doing while in India. I'll keep you all posted though (obviously, hence the blog) and ask for your continued prayers for the pieces to fall into place for this trip to be a success: which I would define as safety for everyone involved; increased building of relationships with the communities in India; being able to provide services that will impact peoples' lives in a real way; and being able to show the people we serve the love of God through our actions.