More Blessings - Daryl

Just a quick update.  The total given to our trip is now over $9,200.  With 4 days left we may top $10,000!  We really didn't have a goal, and I'm glad we didn't because it would have been too low and demonstrated our small faith.  As excited as I am to see India and to preach to so many people (some who know nothing of Christ), I think I am more excited at the opportunities we will have to bless the folks there with these gifts.  

Other than the children's home being in desperate need of bathrooms and many villages needing wells, we really don't know what needs we will find.  Isn't it amazing that God has already prepared us and equipped us with the ability to meet so many of the needs we know nothing about.  That shouldn't surprise us because that is how God has always operated.

4 days!  I still keep adding things to my list that I need to get to take with me.  I hope it will all fit in my bag

More about our trip - Steve

"Where exactly are you going?" I get asked that a lot. We are going to visit Ricky Gootam in the port city of Kakinada (sometimes spelled Kakinda) in the State of Andhra Pradesh in southeastern India.

Kakinada is about the same size as Tulsa and it's on the East coast on India on the Bay of Bengal. I've attached a link to a lousy map of India (the only thing worse was all of the other maps of India I found on-line). If you click on the map, it will blow it up so you can actually read it (Clay will still need his bifocals!). In the blown up version, Kakinada is visible just to the left of the first "B" in "Bay of Bengal." http://www.geographicguide.net/asia/maps/india-map.jpg

The local language spoken is Telugu. Although most Americans have never heard of it, Telugu is one of the 15 most spoken languages in the world (native to 74 million people--almost all in Andhra Pradesh). Andhra Pradesh has a population of about 76 million people (about 1/4 of the entire US population) and is only the 4th most populous state in India! India's total population is over 1.1 billion (about 3.5 times the US population)--second only to China and expected to surpass China within a few years.

Andhra Pradesh is 89% Hindu, 9% Muslim and 1% Christian (with 1% of "Other"). As fast as the church is growing there, it is still a drop in a very large bucket.

We will be flying into the city of Visakhapatnam (via Chicago, London and New Delhi), a couple of hours north of Kakinada. On the way back, we reserve that route, except we fly non-stop from New Delhi to Chicago--about 15 hours, over the North Pole I believe. I don't know exactly where we will we going while we are there, but I know we will be spending one day in Rajahmundry (visiting a preacher, Suman Singh, whom Derek and I have corresponded with by e-mail for a couple of years) and 4 days "in the jungle." We plan to lodge at Ricky's house except for the 4 days in the jungle, where we will be staying in hotels.

Our objectives for the trip are to learn more about Ricky's work and how 29th & Yale can help in that work, encourage the church there, use the funds our brethren here have entrusted to us to bless our brethren there and preach the Gospel. We also hope that the folks back here will be encouraged and excited by the faith of our Indian brethren and the amazing things God is accomplishing over there.

Four days and counting!

Time Difference--Steve

India apparently has some unusual time zones, because it appears that the time difference between Tulsa and the State of Andhra Predesh--where we are going--is 11 and a half hours (India is ahead/later). Not sure where the half comes from, but oh well.

By the way, the time difference is only 10 1/2 hours now, but it will be 11 1/2 hours after we go off daylight savings time here this weekend.

So if you want to know time it is in India (after this weekend), it's easy: change Tulsa time from AM to PM (or vice versa) and subtract a half hour. If you are in the EST, do the same thing but add a half hour. Piece of cake!

I'm trying to post a link to a personal time clock that shows both times. Let's see if this works.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/personal.html

Generous Support - Daryl

I have to mention that this trip is only possible because of the generous support of so many of our brothers & sisters in Christ.  When we announced that we wanted to take this trip a few months ago we said that we would need about $5,000 to cover airfare and travel expenses.  We almost immediately raised that amount of money, but the gifts did not stop there.  To date we have been given over $8,200.  This additional $3,200 will be used to bless some of the different works we will be visiting  ie. children's home, local preachers, congregations, and those in need.

We have specifically been given money to build a bathroom for the children's home and to help some of the congregations in villages dig wells which benefit the entire village.  We have also had some funds given to purchase Bibles in Telegu which is the official language of the region we will be visiting.  I want to thank everyone who has donated funds to not only make the trip possible but also to help the work in India grow.

Oh, man! I let Daryl get the jump on me!

One week from this very minute, Daryl and I will be on a LONG flight from Chicago to London! It's hard to believe our trip is finally upon us after months of planning and dreaming! I am excited, but now a bit overwhelmed with all of the last minute details (packing, shopping for gifts, getting shots, making sure I have converters and adaptors for electronic devices that will work, getting projects at work completed before I go, preparing 10 sermons to preach while I am there, keeping on eye on the weather forecasts in India, etc.).

I'm really excited that Daryl can join me--especially since this will be his first foreign mission trip. It will be a GREAT experience for him in a lot of ways, but I can't imagine a place where he would have greater culture shock (and jet lag) than India. I expect India to be more different than the US than anyplace I have been before. We'll see. It will be really interesting to see what Daryl thinks of it all.

Most of you know this, but we are going to visit Ricky Gootam, a young man about Tom's age who used to be the campus minister at OSU for the Stillwater Church of Christ. Ricky went back home to evangelize his native India a few years ago, and we have kept in contact with him since that time.

He does great work there, from preaching throughout the region, preaching on national TV (with a viewing audience of 10 million people), teaching through Bible correspondence courses (2 MILLION enrolled) and running an orphan's home for about 50 children. I'm really excited to see all of that for myself!

I do hope that you all will check our blog often while we are gone and not forget about us! We will do our best to keep you informed as to what we are doing. We will be 11-12 hours ahead of you, so you should be able to check our blog daily and see what we did that day if you want. We are hoping we can figure out how to download photos on here too!

PLEASE keep us in your prayers! Pray that God will bless us and use us to bring glory to Him on this trip. We want to preach the Gospel, encourage and build up the local churches there, encourage Ricky and the other evangelists AND encourage all of you by reporting on the great effect that God is having on people's lives in India. Can't wait! See you all tomorrow!

Grace and peace,
Steve

The Countdown is On!

Daryl: It's hard to believe but we will be leaving in just one week.  Having never travelled outside of the US this will be a completely new experience for me.  I am grateful to have Steve with me on this journey since he is an experienced traveller.  I can't wait to meet Ricky and see all of the good work that he and many others are doing there.

I hope to begin posting updates and pictures as soon as possible upon our arrival.  The earliest I think that will be is Thursday or Friday of next week.  You might check back next Wednesday.  Amy may have some pics of our departure posted.  We hope to be able to post everyday while we are there but that will depend on our access to the internet.  I know we are supposed to spend 4 days in the Jungle, so we may have to take a break then.  Please keep us in your prayers!