Tue, 17 Aug 2004 08:18:59 -0600

Hello greetings from Melissa, back from India

I just first wanted to say thank you everyone for your encourgaging words, and prayers while I was gone with the team to India. I wanted to share a short bit about the trip and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!!

as most should know, i was in india for the last ten days. we were going to villages around Bangalore India with is one of the southern states in India. Bangalore is a city that is very interesting. There are lots of people who ride on motorbikes, like mopeds, and bicycles. Also there are small cars, and trucks even with three wheels ocassionally we saw. Everyone drives on the left side of the road so that was interesting to actually be in a car like that. We had two vans taking us everywhere. There was 9 team members, an interpretor for each of us; ravi, who was in charge over there, as well as others that came to each village, or church we went to.

I was very humbled to be in India, first because God choose me to go. He knows my heart is for people less fourtuate then myself, and I love children too, but the impact that was made in my heart I pray will never leave. I was part of the children's mininstry in the villages. We went to small villages teaching people about JESUS. we had a medical clinic for the people, anyone who wanted to come was welcome to see the doctor. We had children's ministry to teach them the good news, and others went out to meet the people. At the medical clinic I observed that many of the people were given simple things to relive pain. I saw as the doctor prescribe antacids, asparin, and vitamins to a lot of people. They do not have the conveniences of these items so that is what was mostly given, because people were not well nourished and had pains in their bodies. We also gave them more serious meds if needed but that was my observation.

For childrens ministies my interpretor and myself would go and teach the children about JESUS. we had a bag that changed colors and we taught them about heaven, sin, Jesus died for us, he cleansed us, we grow in him, and we are baptized. We used jelly beans, bracelets, balloon animals, disapperaing ink, and puppets to share the good news. It was amazing that the children never had jelly beans and so some thought it was medicine. In one village I actually ate the jelly beans while sharing with the chidlren to show them that they were safe. I had the chance to speak to children very young from 3 years old to about 13 on some days. I was very blessed to have great interepretors who loved the Lord, and who's passion showed when teaching the children as well.

We spoke at churches on some of the nights. We visited children at the orphange, and at student centers. We saw a boy who had surgury on his leg to repair his growing bones. He was a 13 year old boy name Monjue (i believe that is how to spell it). We prayed with him. he is from a family of 9 children and his mom was there, but she doesnt remember the birthdays of the children, which is pretty common for India. That to me is crazy, never knowing the day you were born, so you really do not know how old you are!

My heart was saddened when i saw some of the houses. we went to slum villages, and these houses are concrete, but they had one small room, that 5,or 6 people would live in. This room is very small, I used to complain that my bedroom was very small, but to know that people live in a house that small, is unbelievable. this wasn't just in one or two houses, the whole village was like this.

India has a cast system where there are people who are "better than others"; they have a better education, make more money, and have better homes all because of the family they were born from. From my understanding it comes from if their mom and dad were from two different cast systems, one being working class and one being a servant type of class. The child would be put into the servant class because it would be the lower of the two. these cast systems show what jobs they will do, and howmuch education they will get.

We fed children in the village the one day, we also prayed alot with families. most people were very receptive of learning about Jesus. see we went to hindu family homes, where they worship idols, gods, but they do not have peace in their hearts. God opened their hearts up and they were able to see the love of JESUS. It was truely amazing. There was one women I spoke with who said she felt immedate peace when she prayed to recieve JESUS. We got to see how God would immedately raise up leaders in these communities for JESUS.

Our interpertors were blessings from the LORD, most were young and full of energy, but the love of JESUS was so apparent in their lives. Two of them are college students who gave a week up of school to be with us. Others are full time missonaries, and do village ministries everyday. I have great respect for what they all do. Please continue to pray for the people the people in the villages, the missonaries and for our team as we adjust back to home. God showed us some wonderful, and some very hard situations, and he wants us to be effective in our communities for HIM. Thanks again for your prayers, have a blessed day.

LOVE IN CHRIST MELISSA