Back-dated May blog entry: Wednesday

Horses to camels; cows in green pastures to cows in public streets; dollars to rupees; set prices to bargaining; toilet paper to left hand (generally); 4 seasons to winter and summer; this is a whole new lifestyle. As PB said in his last post, we are getting to see the beauty of India as well as its great need. We saw everything from the trash filled streams and streets to the huts and makeshift tents for homes. We experienced the traffic with mopeds everywhere. A nice little tip if you ever visit India, try your best NOT to drive during the day to avoid the traffic and chaos. "If you can drive in India, you can drive anywhere," said one of Sammy's friends the very first night on our way to the hotel. Praise the Lord that Sammy can finally drive and has survived without any damage thus far (and I pray he and the car continue to remain untouched). For lunch the team was treated to Barbeque Nation which is nothing like what Americans would consider to be a barbeque. One would picture a backyard or porch with a grill and lawn games, right? Well, this was a really nice restaurant with appetizers heated over a grill right at our tables with a wonderful assorted dish buffet meal dessert. Meeting the Assemblies of God representative, we were blessed to have some guidance on gestures and sayings to avoid in learning about the culture, especially with India being a "closed country" to the gospel. We enjoyed a trip to Commercial Street for city shopping. Praise the Lord for Grace, Sammy’s sister, as she directed us to great stores and deals. From there we were welcomed into Pastor Pem's home as he and his family blessed us with a home cooked meal. They are so generous. He also brought a message from the book of James regarding the 4 S's to run to God to pray: suffering, sickness, sin, and supernatural. Perseverance through suffering; call on a brother/sister for anointing for healing of sickness; confess sins; see the glory of God through the power of the supernatural in Him. This all comes from James 5. We then had an amazing time of corporate worship through song and speaking in the spirit. There was much encouragement for being filled and moving in the presence of God, especially with the upcoming elections of India on May 16. PRAY for the open door for new congress! Afterwards, we came outside to find Georgia's sandal bit and broken down the alley by one of the stray dogs which just deepened her dislike for them. Ha! Nick's sandal was also missing. It was found with a bite mark all the way down the alley. These little funny moments just add to the many inside jokes as the group grows together, especially in our close quarters. What a day and night! Praise the Lord for rest!