Sunday, November 9, 2008@4:15PM

Hey All,

Well we are wrapping things up here. We went to church today. What an amazing experience to worship and pray for 3.5 hours together. We heard many stories of what God has been doing in the lives of the people in the church. We also had a final opportunity to speak at the service. That was really fun; to get to share our experiences with them. It was also a time to be able to encourage them. We also were greatly encouraged by them. People asked us when we were coming back........ 

We will be leaving for the airport at 8Pm, but our flight doesn't take off until 4:30 AM, so we will be in the airport for about 7 hours. We land back in Boise on Monday evening about 10:30 PM. We are sad to leave the people here, but are anxious to get home, and also to share. There is so much more to tell. 

Thanks to all of you who have been tracking with us and who have been praying for us. If you could pray for us as we fly, it would be much appreciated. Is God working in the world? I can answer with an emphatic yes. It is so much better to see than to hear about it. The people here have let it be known to us that they would love to have more come and see. 

This picture is of the 2 of us in traditional Indian men's wear before we went to the church service. See you soon.......... 

More Pictures

Flat Stanley

In case you didn't know, we had a third person on our trip from my daughter Natalie's 3rd grade class. His name is Flat Stanley. Her he is!!!

Pictures from the Past Few Days

Tuesday, November 4 to Friday, November 7, 2008

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Today, we flew about 1.5 hours north to the state of Andra Predesh. We landed and didn't get back to our hotel until 11PM. The drive from the airport to our first home was 2 hours. They held a special night service because they knew we were coming. How humbling is that!!! We both had a chance to worship with the villagers and speak with them. These people all came up to us after the service that we had a chance to speak at and simply wanted us to pray for them. 

We met a boy at this home who was thrown into a dumpster 2 years ago and left for dead because he had polio. The boy was rescued by the Mercy Home pastor and is doing great now. He is about 3 now (see picture).

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

We are on our way to visit our first Mercy Home today and it is interesting that our driver is Hindu, we are with native Indian pastors and we are listening to a Hillsong cd that they had! This home is in a village in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, we are in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in India. We traveled a dirt path for about 3 miles from the main road. These villages just pop up out of nowhere, but they know exactly where they are going. 

Check this out, we were the first white faces that this village had EVER seen. Can u believe that? They gave us the most amazing welcome with flower garlands and a big round of applause. This village is so far out. They are uneducated because the school is far away. The kids don't go to school. There is no water for miles, so they walk quite a distance. This is a great spot to put a well. 

They were breaking ground on a new church building, and unbeknownst to us, we were the guests of honor. We were asked to speak and then participate in the ceremony (see picture). The land was donated by someone in the village.

This village church was planted by a Mercy Home pastor 3 years ago. He has also planted many others in surrounding villages. The pastors are expected to evangelize and plant churches in neighboring villages. 3 years ago, the village was all Hindu and no believers. Now, there are 110 believers. Pastors are being trained in each of the villages to take over each church, so the pastor will be a village pastor. Again, they simply wanted prayer and waited in line to be prayed for.

We drove to our next home and had lunch in the pastors home; some tasty chicken. The pastor and his wife have only been married for 6 months, but felt led by God to open a home. One of the stories there was of two brothers and their sister. The dad was a drunk and the mom was a mental patient. Their were 8 children total in the family. 5 of the kids were sold to a factory for money, and these 3 found their way to a Mercy Home. Originally it was just the boys, but when the little girl asked what about me, the pastor took her also. Usually the homes are all boys or girls.

Afterwards, we went to another land dedication. While we were there, a large monkey ran by. I guess monkeys run, right? Anyway, we were told that the monkey was the god of the village; that many of the villagers actually worshipped this monkey. As we drove away, we saw shepherds tending to their flocks of cows, sheep and goats. That still really exists.

At the last home of the night, we were greeted again with flowers and a shawl; the custom of this village. This home needs a bathroom as well. We stayed in a hotel in the village that was, well shall we say interesting to say the least.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

We arrived at our first home at 9AM. This home has 12 children and 4 adults in a very small area. ICM is a ministry that has partnered with them to build churches/Mercy Homes. The organization pays for 75% of the cost, typically about $18,000. They then have to cover the other 25%. This is a home that they are hoping will be one that falls under ICM, who has agreed to already build 10 homes/churches. 

In this home, there are 6 kids who have neither a father or a mother. One brother and sister had parents who were missionaries, but mom dies of cancer and dad died of a liver problem. One of the children is in the hospital with hydrosyphalis. The pastors wife was an orphan as well. It is interesting how many of the kids want to be in the ministry a run a home. to give back what was given to them. 

We are now on our way to another home about 50 miles away, but because of the road conditions, it will take us about 2 hours. Today is Danny's 25th birthday, so Pastor Daniel's wife Lilly called him to wish him a happy birthday. The kids also sang happy birthday to him. We must have about 10 dozen flowers by now!!!

They don't have any house pets here, but the many animals pretty much run free. Today, we have seen wild pigs. There are alot of streetside vendors and tents along the side of the road where people live. We also saw a herd of camels. 

We visited our last Mercy Home and left at 4:30 for our 4 hour ride back to our hotel. Lots of driving on this trip. This home had 12 kids and the common theme was that almost all of the kids had 1 or both parents who had died. Many women had husbands who simply left, or that the parents were field workers and could only feed themselves. There was nobody at home to care for the child as both had to work. Again, this home sang happy birthday to Danny. 

We saw women gleaning the fields after the harvest looking for food. There are alot more muslims the farther north you travel. There are so many nomads around; carts being pulled by a team of oxen. 

The pastor in this home has been in the area for 15 years. His church in this village has about 200 members. This pastor was telling us that he has been beaten many times by the villagers. They have told him to leave, but he won't and God's church is being built. 

The food here is very inexpensive. We bought 2 liters of water, some nan bread and 2 chai teas for about $1.50. This hotel was pretty nice. The bathroom tells you how nice the hotel is. We watched some cricket on TV trying to figure the game out.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Today at 12, we are flying back to Pastor Daniel's house in Kerela. The flight was delayed 2 hours, so we got back at 3:30 and drove for an hour back to his house. They then took us out to dinner at a really nice conference center for Danny's birthday dinner.

Since the day that we arrived, we actually haven't had a day off. It has been a wonderful time of serving, but very tiring. It's 10pm now, so it's about time to hit the sack. 

Tomorrow we will visit some homes that have been built by the ministry. For the first 3 years, they actually rent a place to make sure that everything works out with the pastor and the village, then they build a permanent church/home if they can find land.

On Sunday, we will be in church sharing our experiences with the church. Everywhere we go is a speaking engagement. It has been alot of fun.....We have to be at the airport Monday morning at 1Am to fly home. Our plan takes off at 4:30 AM and we arrive home at 10:30PM, about 30 hours later.

God has done amazing things and it was such a blessing being used by Him. Please keep praying for us. W look forward to sharing more when we get home....

Grace, Gary 

PS...We will also be writing an article for their newsletter. 

    

  

Pictures from the Leper Colony

November 3, 2008@6:15PM (Monday)

Hey All,

Today we had the humble honor of speaking at a pastors meeting of 50 of the Mercy Home pastors. Seeing these guys is so amazing because they are the ones doing the ministry. We had the opportunity to encourage them with God's Word. Pastor Daniel specifically asked us to talk about the role of the family in ministry, so I had the opportunity to share about the balance of ministry and family, and Danny shared about endurance and persevering in ministry. 

We then had an opportunity for a little rest. We then visited a leper colony. I am not sure that I am able to paint a picture of what we saw and experienced as I am still trying to process it myself. Outside of the city, there is a 100 acre facility where 300 plus human beings live who have leprosy. This facility was originally started by the Salvation Army so that they could all be put at one location from all of India. I had no idea these places really still existed. The government then took over and now is in charge.

These people live in the worst of conditions. They basically can't get around, as leprosy eats away at the hands and feet until they are useless. Eventually, these people can't even get around. They are pretty much ostracized from society and left to themselves. The ones who are the healthiest take care of the rest. We met on gentleman who had been there for 50 years. He arrived there when he was 20. Can u imagine? There is nothing for them to do, no purpose for them. They just sit all day and wait to go to sleep at night. He wasn't the senior moan. There was a man who has been there for 65 years. 

They have different dorms where they are placed based on the severity of the disease. Some just laid on a wooden bed all day. That is their existence until they die. We were able to pray for them. It was humbling and was heart breaking. We were told that the government provides 1 bar of soap per month, per person. They were begging just for soap. It was killing us. Their is food that is brought in, but we met some people who looked like they had been in concentration camps.

The Mercy Home Ministry, actually called Voice of Gospel, was able to get 7 prosthetic legs donated and we were able to help deliver them to the recipients today. It was a big deal as a man from the legislative assembly of their government was there as well.

It is amazing, because all that people ask for here is the basic necessities of life. They scoot around or limp around. Their is a pastor who visits them weekly. His name is Johnson. This man is amazing. He not only does that, but is a pastor in a Mercy Home as well. All he does is smile. Are u kidding? Boy do I have alot to learn. To provide them with soap, food, wheelchairs, or crutches, is that possible? 

In case you didn't know, our little church is the largest single sponsor of Mercy Homes. The Pursuit sponsors 10 and there are 3 individual sponsors as well. If you saw what I am experiencing, you would do whatever to help. God has used The Pursuit to make such a difference here, but there is so much more that can be done as well. Are we willing to be used in an even greater way by God? There are many causes out there which are all worthy, but God has placed this one in our laps as a church.

As I was praying on the way back, I felt God say to me, thanks for visiting the least of these.Oh my goodness. We are heading alittle to the north tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday) and will be back on Friday afternoon. Not sure if I will be able to get online. If not, I will blog again on Friday night for us, which is Thursday morning for you...

Check out these photos....

Love you guys, Gary  

Pictures

Friday, October 31 to Sunday, November 2, 2008

Friday 31st at 3:30PM

Today, we left at 6:30AM and visited 3 mercy homes, including the one that we sponsor. They kept the kids home from school just to meet us. The conditions in each vary, but are all nothing that we would live in. The kids basically have nothing but their school uniform and maybe 1 or 2 other outfits. It all fits in one small suitcase. Yet, these kids were happy. We were so important to them. The first thing they say when they greet you is “Praise The Lord.” Many want to be in the ministry and when we ask why, it is because they want to do for others as they have been done for. Also, lawyers, engineers and mayors. They all sang songs for us. When we asked what they pray for, they said things like “wisdom” and pencils that are their own. Can u imagine a child praying for wisdom?

But the one that stands out is in one of the homes that has been open since June. They have been praying for a toilet. They have to go over a hill to an open field to go to the bathroom, so when it rains, etc. it is difficult. A toilet costs about $500 US, so we told them to build it. Their first response was “Praise the Lord.” Then they cheered and wanted to shake our hands. This toilet is basically a hole in the ground. See God does answer prayers, they said. I believe that one of the other reasons that we were here was just to be used by God to answer that specific prayer. At one home of all girls, we found out that in addition to the 4 girls in the home, there were 3 other girls that the pastor had been given to care for, but not through the mercy homes. You can imagine the strain .We are going to get them included so he can get money to care for them also. Where they slept was horrible. 6 boys on 2 twins thin mattresses. They are so proud to be able to go to school. Nobody has to motivate them. At 1 home, we had coconut juice straight from the nut!

The ministry just purchased some property that they want to build a retreat center on for the Mercy Home kids. Most of these kids have never been outside of their village. This would also give the pastors and their wives a break. We met 2 UK doctors, who are partnering with the Mercy Home ministry to provide medical care for the kids. Right now there is no medical care for them. Just in their initial diagnosis of some of the kids, they have identified kids with HIV, heart problems, and malaria. Nobody knew these kids were sick and for most their lives will be saved, when they would have died. What a great ministry! There are 7 homes still waiting to be sponsored, and 4 just lost their sponsorship due to the economic issues in the U.S. They are also seeking to put wells next to Mercy Homes for the villages. The cost is $1,000 per well. Some have to walk for miles to get drinkable water. In one of the homes, the water storage well that they had was also the baptismal for the church. They also drink that water.

We have seen some wild pigs and water buffalo today. Another elephant. The country is so beautiful with mountains and lush greenery, but the city is very different. The roads are really bad.

The doctors told us many facts from their experiences. Daughters being sold into slavery as prostitutes, as well as being sacrificed to appease the gods. 44,000 kids are missing every year and 11,000 never are found. They are all village kids that nobody really cares about.

Two girls in the Mercy Home didn’t have full Bibles, so we bought them; $8. I gave them pictures of my girls and they put them right on the wall. I told them that they are their sisters and they are now our daughters. They smiled.

Beds are very hard here. That is normal.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

We left our hotel and are on the way to the next Mercy Home about 2 hours away. After that we will be on the road for about 6 hours to get home. We went down to the beach to take some pictures and a young girl, about 4 or 5, came up to us begging. We were told that either her parents make her beg, or more likely, she is a street child who is forced to beg. If they refuse, they begin breaking limbs. She was very small. We gave her some money, but also some fruit. She grabbed it like she hadn’t eaten in days. Just heart breaking.

The poverty here is unreal. So many are malnurished. We saw a cof ouple girls, who were sisters in a Mercy Home. They were 9 and 14, but the same size. The growth was stunted due to malnurishment.

We saw a wedding yesterday. They actually parade down the street with a small band to the church. The singer sorta looked like Josh.

We visited another Mercy Home. 2 of the kids couldn’t afford to stay in computer class. The cost was about .20 per month, per kid. For the rest of the year it was about $4.00, we covered it. They just couldn't believe it. God answers another prayer. Danny got to play a ball game with the kids. They loved it! The kids always wanted to know about our families.

The rest of today was a travel day back to Cochin and Pastor Daniel’s home. It took about 12 hours to get back. We stopped at the Arabian Sea for lunch. It was amazing.

November 2, 2008

It is so cool. The ministry is now 8 years old and there are now stories of kids growing up in the homes and going to college. People are giving their lives to Christ in the villages because of what they see in the Mercy Homes. 2/3 of the homes are actually Indian sponsored.

We went to church this morning and it was amazing, They worshiped for about 45 minutes straight. Nobody sat down. The energy and passion was unreal. Loud. About 300 people. We both had the opportunity to share. It was so energizing. Mercy Home kids were there too. Afterward, every one was fed by the church. This was one of the highlights of the trip so far; to be worshiping Jesus Christ India with native Indians. They really love God and aren't afraid or embarrassed to express themselves.

We also went to an elephant park where their must have been 60 elephants. It really was amazing. This is great, we had EFC Ckicken today (European Fried Chicken).

That's it for now, peeps.....Love, Gary

November 1, 2008@6:15AM (Saturday)

Good Morning, although it is about 6:45 in the states. I wanted to get caught up to date in case I don't have a connection for awhile. Yesterday, we left our hotel at 6:30 and visited 3 Mercy Homes. The roads here are very poor. Lots of bouncing and jarring. It takes a long time because we have to drive slow. At the first home, they kept the kids home from school so that we could see them. They wanted to meet us very badly. The conditions in the homes vary, but all are worse than anything we could ever imagine in the states. Our worst housing is so much better. The kids again have a school uniform and another outfit, all kept in a very small carry on suitcase sized container.

When we asked the kids what they wanted to become, alot said the ministry. We asked them why and they said that they wanted to do for others as others have done for them. Many also wanted to become lawyers, doctors, engineers, policeman and mayors. They all had prepared songs for us. What a huge honor for us. When we asked them what they praid for, they said things like wisdom, pencils of their own, and one home didn't have a toilet. Now, we aren't talking about a western toilet, but a hole in the ground to a septic tank contained within a small brick shed. That way, they wouldn't have to go over the hill anymore in the rain to go in an open field. Cab u imagine? It broke our hearts. A stinkin bathroom is what they wanted. $500 us dollars. How could we say no. You should have seen and heard them. We have been asking God for a bathroom since June and He answered, He answered. They than began spontaneously praising God, shaking our hands. How do you not cry over that. How humbling is that. God used us as an answer to their prayers.

When we left the states, I felt that God wanted us here for reasons other than us just seeing the homes, but I didn't know why. Now I know one of the reasons. To provide a toilet!!!

At one of the homes, a pastor had 4 girls plus 3 of his own. There were 3 more girls, all sisters, who he had also taken in, but weren't part of the home. Just on his own, he couldn't leave them on the streets, so he took them in. He actually hid them from us. We are now trying to get them included in the home so that the pastor can get financial help. So many stories. All 3 had malnutrition. In one home, 6 boys slept on 2 twin mattresses put together. These kids were so proud of being able to go to school. Nobody had to motivate them. In one of the homes, they served us coconut juice straight from the nut. It was amazing!!!

These pastors and their wives are true heros. They give up themselves, spend themselves, to care for the orphans, yet nobody will ever know their names, but God. And that is enough for them. They are now seeking to put wells in or next to the mercy homes, so the whole village can have water without having to walk miles. The cost is $1,000. Another witnessing tool for the Gospel. In one of the homes, they had a water holding tank and they used the water, not only to drink, but also as a baptismal for the church.

The doctors from the UK have shared alot with us. Young girls being sold into prostitution is a big problem in India. Infant girls are also still being sacrificed to appease false gods. Can u believe that still happens?
44,000 kids are reported missing every year and 11,000 are never found, yet nobody cares because they are just poor village kids. They have no voice.

At the girls home, 2 of the girls didn't have complete Bibles, so we bought them at the cost of a whopping $8. I gave them the pictures I had of my girls and told them that they were now sisters. They took the photos and put them right on the wall. You should have seen their smiles.

So many thoughts swirling around my brain. Keep praying for us. Everyone is feeling well. No illnesses yet. They are running us like crazy, yet it is amazing. We are going this morning to another home and then back to the headquarters in Cochin.

We will be preaching in the church of 300 on Sunday and then again at a pastors meeting on Monday. On Tuesday, we are flying to central India to visit the rest of The Pursuit homes and then back on Friday. I will try to update if I have connections.....

Grace, Gary

Oct. 27-Oct. 31, 2008

Hey All,
How is everyone doing? I really miss everyone there! It has been an amazing trip so far. So much to tell. First, let me share with you that there has been a bombing, if you didn't know in India, but we are in the extreme South and the bombings were in the extreme North. So, we are safe. I do have friends in that area, so please be praying for that region.

I want to catch you up. We haven't had a connection to the internet until now, so that's why we haven't been on yet. The internet is different here and you never know when you can get connected.

On Wednesday, we arrived in Cochin, India. The flight was 29 hours total including layovers in the various airports; Denver, Frankfurt, Dubai, and then landing. What a mix of people we saw. $11 for a burger, fries and a drink in Germany, but that was all they had and we were hungry. A bottle of water was $3.50. I had been up since 5Am, so that made about 45 hours without any sleep. I can't sleep on airplanes, so we just dozed alot for a few minutes here and there (Danny snores). We just rested on the first day, but were gone at 5Am the next morning.

On Thursday, we drove 8 hours south to visit our first Mercy Home. They want to take us to every one that The Pursuit sponsors. Along the way, we saw beautiful green vegetation, rubber trees and even an elephant walking down the road like he owned it. We also saw wild Peacocks and even monkeys. We stopped to look at the Arabian Sea and even had a red banana. Driving here is, well shall we say different. We found ourselves praying alot. We met some UK doctors that are here working with the Mercy Homes, and they traveled with us. There were three different cultures all singing worship songs together. The Americans did their best to keep up. We also saw men working the old fashioned way with a team of oxen plowing a rice field. Really hard work! We arrived at our hotel. Lots of skeeters and other flying things that were unidentifyable. This was one of the nicer hotels. They did have western toilets (a huge deal).

We then went to a Mercy Home and met the kids. So many stories. On the wall of their home it said, "Purcute Mercy Home." The kids were so excited to see us, as we represented how they were now being cared for. The kids were so thankful. I mean, really thankful. The first words out of their mouths were, "Thank the Lord." Those were always their first words. The next were always thank you multiple times. That a church and people whom they had never met were praying for them and supporting them was overwhelming to them, and their response was overwhelming to us. And they know that we love them because of Jesus.

Most of the children had no fathers. Most had died of aids, or other illnesses, that were preventable. Some fathers just abandoned them. Some had both parents who had died and without the homes would also be dead. This home also served as the church for the village.

We went to a village meeting that night in that home and the litlle 10 by 10 room was packed with about 75 people. People brought in in wheelchairs, carried in, etc. Evidentally, they knew we were coming and were waiting for us to arrive. The smiles we received were amazing. They told us that they had been praying for The Pursuit daily. Their are 4 Mercy homes in this area and 9 church plants. Each church has about 25-40 members. Really in Acts 2 style. Lots of house churches, each with a pastor. These people were so passionate about God. Not embarassed, raisinf their hands, singing with all their heart; amens everywhere. All eyes were always completly focused on whoever was speaking. They just wantged to hear about Jesus. The 2 hours passed so quickly. And talk about prayer? These people knew the power of prayer. All they wanted to do was pray. After we shared encouragement from God's Word, I must have prayed with people for 30 minutes. They actually had to tell me it was time to go. Still, they wanted to pray more with the pastors from America. They couldn't believe that we would travel all that way to be with them. We had to really focus when sharing because Bugs, big ones, kept landing on our Bibles. I got dive bombed a couple of times by I don't know what!!! I prayed with one 28 year old woman who had just lost her husband to a heart attack 3 months ago. He was only 30. She was now alone with a child. Her name was Christina if you can believe that. Her future is so uncertain without a husband, but she has the church.

The home was so minimal. No real roof to speak of. No windows, only openings. The children and the pastor and his wife slept on the floor. They had smiles though. They were happy and content. They were materially poor, but spiritually wealthy. I wonder who needs more prayer. They are happy with food, a roof and some clothes. Most kids had a school uniform and another outfit.

Everyone was so hospitable, and of course they wanted us to eat (again we prayed alot for the food). They had said what a huge day in their lives it was to meet us. Wow....God is working and using The Pursuit in the lives of people.

More next time....Peace, Gary