Hi All,

Thank you so much for all your prayers!   We could feel them the whole 2 weeks.  And it was an amazing 2 weeks!  Apparently all of the "challenges" were at the start, because the rest of the time flowed smoothly (well, as smoothly as things flow in India).   :)   We decided that it was about the best trip ever, and one filled with little and big miracles.  It is difficult to sum up all that we experienced.  And, in fact, it was so busy that we have trouble remembering each individual day.  In a nutshell, we:

 

--Played with hundreds of children and shook hands until we were sore   :)

--Rode over hundreds of miles on rough roads and encountered traffic that would blow your mind

--Encouraged dozens of pastors in rural areas that have so many problems

--Were excited to see how many of those rural churches had grown

--Greeted many people in the rural churches, some who even remembered our names

--Conducted worship services in at least a dozen churches, once in the dark with our flashlights

--Helped dedicate two sewing centers in villages which will give skills to women to help them and their families

--Went to a new slum school where the kids invited us next door to their "tent" homes (tears were shed on the way back to our hotel)

--Saw the children in the Alpha home (orphanage); several who we have known for 10 years and are now in college- - kids from the slums who are changed forever

--Ate Indian food until our mouths burned (and no one got sick once!)

--Were strengthened anew each day by His spirit, to do things we couldn't possibly do, when we were tired and depleted