Roughing It

Greetings fellow missionaries -

Your India 2012 team has officially gone from Gilligan's Island to the Swiss Family Robinson. We're wrapping up our wonderfully draining day together as a team in the new dorm addition that David and his team so generously set up for our team. Well, specifically the ladies on our team. They have the benefit of sleeping in the new room, complete with three new "Western" bathrooms (meaning, they flush) and mosquito netting over the open-air structure, so they can also enjoy the cool breeze. The men are refusing to leave this amazing place in the hopes that the women get annoyed and move down to our rooms. Squatter's rights.

Today was a great first day of serving and we saw God move in big ways. After an early wake-up call, we rolled out of David's condo around 7 a.m. to head to the Poonthantalam (Poon-DON-da-lahm) Mission Center for our first week of VBS. We arrived around 9:45 and immediately went to work. We were so blessed by the children greeting us with flowers and hugs, then the team gathered around the flagpole, sand a chorus of "Hallelujah" and then celebrated the beginning of VBS by raising the Christian flag. We had the joy of spending the day with many children, leading in skits (The Good Samaritan: The Comedy) and songs (God O and Father Abraham). We also got to lead four Grain Game illustrations that were HUGE hits with the kids. We really want you to understand how amazing and effective the Grain Game is, so as we do them each day, we'll share with you (briefly) how they work.

The Grain Game blends theological teaching with fun and exciting demonstrations for the kids. The first one we used today was The PinWidget, led by Justin Hanneken. The Pin Widget is that rectangular box with the pins that get pushed to the other side and make a visible imprint of the "thing" pushing against it (hands, face, etc.) Justin used it to teach the children about how Jesus Christ is the image of God the Father. While Jesus is not God the Father, He is the perfect representation of Him. Then, every kid had an opportunity to play with the Pin Widgets and see their hands/faces to remember how Christ reveals God the Father to us.

After lunch, we stayed indoors (mostly) and used some more active Grain Game illustrations to teach the kids. I led the Pillow Fight Grain Game. We teach the story of Joseph and how his brothers beat him, tossed him in a well and then sold him into slavery. But as God's hand was on his life, as he rose to power in Egypt, Joseph had the opportunity to exact revenge on his brothers when they came to them in need. The, we let the kids come up and pillow fight! I'm happy to report that kids everywhere seem very aware of what pillow fighting is and are very eager to do it. After they pillow fight, we point out that when someone hits you, you want to hit them back...and harder


And yet, when given the opportunity to hit back, Joseph didn’t. We talked about how Joseph is a picture of God in that our sin “hit” and hurt God. And even though we deserved punishment, God, instead of hitting back showed mercy too us and offered Jesus in our place.

After the Pillow Fight Illustration, Debbie C. led a great teaching involving two hula hoops. The sole purpose was to encourage the children by acknowledging that just as the hula hoop is one shape and only one piece, when we are in relationship with Christ, we are all one as believers - that no matter your color or location, we are all united under Jesus. Lastly, “Little Debbie” led her Grain Game illustration using bubbles. The teaching here is that our lives are like the bubbles and God’s plan is the wand (our life circumstances), as God breathes through His purpose for us, our lives take a beautiful shape and are able to soar. And then…we blew bubbles for 10 minutes. Everyone. And it was a blast.

The rest of the evening was spent hanging out with the team and the village kids/teens who hang around the Mission Center. It’s been a great first day.

One thing we wanted to communicate to you all this evening is how amazing our Indian family is. These people are so loving and hospitable. David and his crew have worked tirelessly for the last month renovating the Mission Center so the team can have a place to stay. The children here are so loving and affectionate, too - all they want is a little bit of attention, and it is our joy to give it to them. But today, we saw two examples of generosity that blew us away. First, on the way to the Mission Center, because of the size of the van we were driving in, we didn’t have enough room for two people. So Hanneken and Leon graciously offered to ride in the back of a truck that was carrying 10 other teenagers in the back. These teens, concerned for Leon and Justin’s comfort, all moved out of their places to allow Leon and Justin to extend their legs, while the kids chose to sit uncomfortably. But what’s more….the teens then all began to massage Leon and Justin’s legs to make sure they were experiencing no discomfort.

And then tonight, Debbie C. would NOT stop playing with the kids and as a result, ended up turning her ankle pretty severely. Before our team could even get to Debbie’s aid, some of the teens began massaging Debbie’s ankle to help reduce the swelling. And every time they saw Debbie, they expressed concern and offered to give her any assistance they could. We discussed in our debriefing time tonight that we are WAY outnumbered and there’s no way we can out-love them. But the challenge for us is to try to anyway. And we need your help to do this.

For us spoiled Americans, the sleeping conditions are pretty tough. The beds are very comfortable, but there’s very little air in some rooms, making sleep difficult. We are fully aware of what we signed on to and we thank God for the provisions He’s given us. We just ask that you pray on our behalf that God would give us rest. Already, on just Day One, we’ve seen some real struggles with the effects of the heat. Pray that we stay focused on the mission God has for us and that we maintain a spirit of thanksgiving in all circumstances. God is faithful, we know this completely. Help us rest in this promise tonight.

From the team, here are the prayer needs we have this evening:

1) Pray for continued healing for Debbie’s ankle and my foot as I stepped on a nail today.
2) Pray for energy and physical strength as we move forward.
3) That the children would be receptive - not just to the fun activities, but to the truth behind them
4) Thanksgiving for the sincere unity of the team and pray God’s protection over it, that nothing would break this bond.

Thank you all for your diligence and commitment to the India 2012 Team, the mission, but most importantly, Jesus.

Also, feel free to chime into the conversation below with comments or questions. We view the blog daily and if there’s anything that isn’t clear or you have a question for any of the team members, jump in and we’ll chat with you.

Thank you guys again, so much, for all that you’re doing!.