This one is personal...

In most of my posts I've tried to speak for the team & just keep everyone updated regarding what we've been up to. This one is personal...

I have made a very special connection with a little girl in the village over the last few years of coming here. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure I've thought of this little girl every day since I met her on December 29th of 2010. She holds my heart in the palm of her tiny little hand... I fell in love with Sandia the moment I laid eyes on her, but it took her a while to warm up to me. Yesterday as we got off of the bus in Kalavai I felt an unspeakable amount of joy as she ran across the yard & literally lept into my arms.

I know that it is time for us to leave this village. There are other places that we have been called to go. And I'm confident that these people are capable of having better lives and they don't need us anymore. Truth is, they never really did. They needed to know about Christ's love & that they matter enough that they no longer need to be referred to as "the people of darkness". They know that now... I get that... but it sure doesn't make goodbye any easier.

I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be a part of this story. To some people its just a tiny insignificant village half a world away. But for me, this has been the place where I allowed God into the deepest parts of my heart and was able to allow God to use me to transform lives. I have formed my deepest friendships right here in this tiny village, and not just with the villagers but I have also gotten to know some really amazing people from church & formed feiendships that I will cherrish for the rest of my life. All of that while being in the middle of SIGNIFICANT change for the Kingdom of Christ. There was 1 Christ follower in this village of about 150 people. Now there are around 60. And I would have to say that those who haven't given their lives to Christ at least know that their lives matter.

And to me, when I look into the eyes of this little girl that I love so much, every bit of what I feel about this place is embodied in those coal black eyes & sparkling white smile. I see Sandia & I see joy. I see love. But most of all I see hope...

jenarcher

A Day of Rest

The team is all checked into the hotel for a well deserved day of rest.  Yesterday we worked on the 2 homes a little more & in the evening we did some more activities with the kids teaching them about health & hygiene as the group that worked with the adults helped cook a HUGE community meal. At the end of the night we all sat down for the feast & spent sometime talking with the locals. Melinda, Lea, and I spent our time talking with some of the college aged girls about what we eat in America & just getting to know eaxh other. Good times. I'm ready for a little down time and even more ready to see my friends in Kalavai tomorrow.

Be blessed...
jenarcher

building homes and learning names

Hey everyone!
This trip has been a whirlwind so far and its only day 2 in Koti. We have spent our mornings constructing two homes in the village. One home we're putting the finishing touches of paint on and the other we have seen go up from the broken brick foundation to the corregated rooftop. Its impressive what can be done in two days in this place :)
Last evening was our first evening of hygiene training with the kids! We divided into teams and spent two hours teaching them about the purposes of proper hand washing and nutrition. The kids are so fun and extremely smart!!! :) We're currently setting up for round two of an express tour of hygiene and nutrition... this time our focus is going to be on wearing shoes and understanding why its important to wear shoes :) the evening will conclude with a skit that the kids will preform in front of their parents on how germs are spread!  A big shout out to Jay and  the rest of the D east springhill team!!! We're using a LUNCH TIME SKIT! WHAT!? Haha
Keep up the prayers friends!
-Allison

Quick Update

It's Tuesday morning & the team is off to do more construction on the two homes we are helping to build. Yesterday was a busy but fruitful day as the team spent the morning helping move bricks for the masons that are working on one home & we also white washed the second home that we are helping with. In the evening we did the health & hygeine programming for the adults & kids. All of it seemed to go very well. Continued prayers for the team appreciated. Thanks & God bless!

jenarcher

A Day in Koti

Today we had the honor of spending the morning at one of Pastor Anbuvanan's churches. It is always very humbling for me witness the way the Indian people worship. Every team member was presented with a beautiful shaul as a token of the village's appreciation for our visit. Then each of us got up and shared a short story about our lives and a Bible verse that relatedo to our story. With some of theses people being illiterate, hearing the gospel through stories they can relate to may be rhe ONLY way they hear the Word. I'm sure I speak for the whole team when I say it was a privelage to be able to do this... and very humbling.  We were then also, able to edify Pastor Anbuvanan during our testimonies.
After church we walked the village, spent some time with the people, were able to see the completed homes from the last team's trip & the homes that we will be doing constriction on over the next 2 days. What a great opportunity to be the hands & feet of Christ!

Humbly yours,
jenarcher

Ready to go!

Hey all! I'm sure most of you have seen our individual Facebook posts but just wanted to check in on here. We landed safe in Chennai early this morning & will be headed to Koti tomorrow morning to give our testimonies before a church there & will spend the afternoon/evening getting to know our new friends.  I'm ready for this new adventure to start. Thanks for all of your prayers! Keep 'em coming!

Be blessed
jenarcher

July India Team 2013

This is Jeanna Tarwacki, Project Manager for the Life Mission Department here at Granger Community Church....I am not on my way to India but the following 8 individuals are:
1.  Jack Magruder
2.  Gene Ort
3.  Jen Archer
4.  Melinda Chisholm
5.  Sandra Morris
6.  Lea Madaras
7.  Allison Zandarski
8.  Seth Lohr
Please keep them in your prayers as they come alongside our friends in India, to continue to bring God's Kingdom to Earth with everyone they come into contact with...

It's going to be an incredible journey!!

They'll be landing in Chennai in a couple of hours and will post new pictures and information in the coming days.

Safe at Home

Well... 31 hours after leaving our hotel, Jenn & I are safe at home.  Another great trip to Kalavai in the books...  Can't wait to share the stories.  Thanks for all the prayers everyone...

jenarcher

Back in Chennai

Well, Jenn & I have made it safely back to Chennai.  We are "taking rest" in the hotel, will have lunch & dinner then in 12 hours we'll head to the airport to start the trek back to the US.  It was an overall good trip.  Good-byes were a little different knowing that I'm coming back soon.  Can't wait to share stories with my friends.  :-)

jenarcher

Yesterday we finished up talking with all of the people in the village and found ways to be productive with our down time... then off to dinner at Lachmi's house where we had some good conversation.  Pastor Isaac was our translator & he was very entertaining.  Then we were treated to the customary Indian village talent show (which Jenn & I both joined in on) and finished the evening off with a round of "Hokey Pokey".  It was another good day.

On a more personal note, my heart is melting at the fact that the little girl who stole my heart the first time I was in this village is growing up before my very eyes.  Sandia was just a baby when I came here the first time and was afraid of me (because she'd never seen a white person before).  Last trip she warmed up to me quite a bit... but this trip, she can actually talk.  She's telling me all kinds of things...  I have no idea what she's saying... but I'm loving every minute of it.  :-)  She hasn't learned to say "Jennifer" yet (that's the goal for the July trip) but for now, she has taken to calling me "pastor"...  I'll take it.  :-)  How can you not love a face like this?  Yes... it was a very good day.  :-)

jenarcher 

Dinner with Silvi & Sekar

Today was another great day of gathering information in the village.  We were able to speak with many of the people that live on the outskirts of the colony today.  Based on what they had to say and what we observed with our own eyes, I am confident that there has been great spiritual growth in this village over the past few years.  It was good to be able to speak with those who haven't received homes built by GCC and still see that they are thankful for what has happened in the village.  Beyond the things that they have benefited from because of GCC's presence, many of them appear to have some sort of relationship with Jeyan & Jency (the missionary couple in the village) and I feel that I am seeing proof of spiritual growth here.  Not all are Christ followers, but then again, not everyone in the US are Christ followers either.  They definitely know more of Christ because of what He has done in this village...  After all, it's all about what God is doing, not what we have done.

Jenn & I ended the night having dinner in the home of Slivi & Sekar.  Their daughter, Devani (who has captured the hearts of many that have visited the village) and their son Pathyban also joined us.  We had a very good conversation before dinner.  I have had a LOT of interaction with Devani but little interaction with Silvi (her mother) and no interaction with Sekar (her father).  Sekar was very willing to open up about how Jeyan and Jency have been so helpful to them and to the people in the village, particularly the children.  It was another great Indian meal with great friends.  Thanking God for this opportunity to have up close and personal experiences with these people.  He is so, so good.

jenarcher

Dinner with Lattha and Vingadesh

Yesterday was a great day in Kalavai. Jenn and I spent the day observing the people of the village and gathering some useful information. We were able to see some evidence that some of the people in the village are showing initiative to think “outside of the box” to improve their lives. We also spent some time hanging out with the children in the village, which is the is my favorite way in the world to pass time. :-) Our evening was well worth the wait, as we were able to join Lattha and Vingadesh for dinner in their home. Before the dinner we sat for about an hour talking with them about how what GCC has been doing in the village has affected their lives. We were trying to get information on things that they see that have worked, things that haven’t, how people in the village are interacting with each other and all sorts of personal information that they would never have dreamed of sharing with us a few years ago (based on the Indian culture). Lattha even admitted during the conversation that when GCC first came, she would tell them what she thought would make them happy, rather than telling the truth, but she was no longer doing this because God had changed her heart. This was a great talk followed by a tasty dinner that I will remember for the rest of my life. Lattha has been a key person that I would say most GCC team members have connected with. It was an honor to be able to sit and talk with her on such a personal level. God is good.

jenarcher

BRUCE - an interview

This post comes from Raj's son, Bruce. He has served as the media director and as a translator on many trips. His perspective is surely unique, so we hope you enjoy it.

Q: How many trips have you joined? What number is this for you?
A: This is the 15th team.

Q: How do you keep the trips separate in your mind?
A: Each team is very unique. The people that come are different each time, and every team has been so unique. After spending a week with them, each team holds special experiences.

Q: Which day of this trip stands out to you the most, and why?
A: There are two experiences. First, when doing the interviews with the villagers on the last day, I was able to hear their stories. Indian men do not typically show emotion, but some of them cried that day, and all the women cried. They said that even their own families didn't help them build a house, but Christians from so far away did. One word kept coming up was "acharyana" which means a happy "shocked" or "surprised".

Second, when the team prayed for the two boys (mentioned in an earlier blog post), I was very encouraged.

Q: What will you remember about this team, and this trip?
A: In the five days they had, they got to know the families very well. Beyond learning names, they heard their stories. In many cases, they learned more in five days than I have in several years.

Thank you, Bruce.

Preetin's story

This is a blog post from Abby - another story:

Preetin is a beautiful 19-year-old. She served as my interpreter in our small group time with the children. She is the children's Sunday school teacher, so she had a great way with them, and they really listen to her. When I first got to the Village, Preetin and I connected right away. That made me want to hear her story, and when I asked she eagerly shared.

She was born to a very young woman after her mom already had two miscarriages. When she was born, she did not eat or cry for three days. Her mom took her to the church and laid her on the floor and cried out to God. "If this baby is from you and the answer to my plea for children. Please have her cry and feed!" Preetin said at that moment, she started crying! She called herself a "miracle baby!"

As she grew up, Preetin only went to church because her mom made her – she hated it and sometimes fell asleep! When she was about 12, her grades went from being the best in the class to the worst even though she was trying her hardest. It was then that she thought there must be a higher power to be causing this. So she decided to try "the Jesus Way" for a year to see what would happen. During that year she decided to follow Jesus forever.

At 15 years of age, she was asked to teach Sunday school. At 17 years of age, she went to a prayer meeting at the church during the New Year's celebration. It was then that she became filled with the Holy Spirit, and she started speaking in tongues. She stated that was a monumental event in her life and It changed her life forever!

As she is telling me her story, she was truly happy and excited about what Jesus did her life. At one point her family was so poor that they lived with Pastor Anbuvanan, her uncle. And after praying to Jesus, her father's business flourished and now they live in a two-story house – and she has her own room! Most people in India only have two rooms in their whole house! She says all the blessings in her life are from the Lord. Her joy and enthusiasm is contagious.

She wants to be a professor, but she also knows she has a high calling from the Lord. I see her as a great leader now and I believe God is going to continue to use her to lead her community for Christ!

No chance encounters...

Jenn & I landed safely in Chennai this morning and got to the hotel around 7 a.m.  We've spent the whole day hanging out with the team that has spent the last week in the new village that GCC will be going to in the future.  They've got some really good stories that haven't been blogged about so I can't wait for them to get the chance to tell them first-hand to those that they love.  So my story for the day comes from our second leg of our journey yesterday.  This was a reminder to me that there are no chance encounters when God is involved.  On the "short" flight (4 hours) I was seated next to a couple that were on their way to a wedding in Chennai.  She was from Chicago but had grown up in Palestine and was dating a man from Atlanta who had grown up as the son of a preacher.  I'm pretty sure she was the most fun stranger that I've ever set next to on a plane.  We had so much fun that she, Jenn & I snapped some pics while waiting in the customs line and exchanged e-mail addresses.  As we were waiting to taxi down the runway (which was quite some time), she struck up a conversation with me.  She asked where we were from and what we were heading to Chennai for.  I explained to her that we were on our way to a small village in southern India where our church has been doing missions work for a few years.  She explained to me that she was Muslim (but not practicing) and that she and her boyfriend were considering moving to California and she had expressed to him that when they do, she would like to get plugged into a church.  She had some hesitations though because she had seen church as a place full of judgmental people who are too worried about keeping rules and less worried about the people around them.  Well... this is where I know there are no chance encounters.  Of course, I took this opportunity to explain to her that not all church's are that way and she should definitely seek out a place that she feels comfortable with.  I went on to tell her about my own relationship with God.  I told her that it was sad that some people view God or religion as a place of judgment and legalism, but God is really about love, compassion and serving others.  I told her that I am very active in my church, but it makes me cringe anytime someone refers to me as "religious" because my life is more about a personal relationship with Christ than religion.  She shared a story with me about how when she was 15 and living in Palestine, her father took her to Bethlehem.  The experience seemed to have left a mark on her (as well it should).  God works in mysterious ways...  and I love conversations that are obviously so well orchestrated by Him.  I'm also thankful that I'm not fearful of expressing my faith & talking to people in moments like these anymore.  Yes, God sent us on a mission trip to do some work in India.  But you never know what He's expecting you to do on the way.  Life is a mission... LIVE IT!

jenarcher

Time to go - tough to leave

We are about to head to the airport right now so I don't have much time but I wanted to give you a few pictures from today. It was tough leaving pastor Anbuvanan and his family - we have been so blessed by them!! Andrew and others wanted to chug a coconut - so we did that as well!!

We headed into Chennai to do some shopping at Spencer Plaza. Prema joined us, and I could tell Raj was very happy to see her being herself again - back to 100%! We also met up with the J2 team - dynamic duo!!

After the familiar Pizza Hut and time of shopping/bartering, the women got some henna work done on their hands by Clarinda (Raj's daughter), and the men went out to get our faces shaved!!

Finally, for our last Indian meal, we went out to eat to tackle the biggest dosa I had ever seen (food in picture)!

Thanks again for being on this journey with us, please pray for safe travels, and I will try and keep writing a few more posts - see you soon!!!

Ted

Beauty parlor!

This blog post was written by Penny:

Pastor Anbuvanan's wife, Ponita, and her helper, Violet Ruby, have served us well - always with a servant's heart and smile! Think about cooking 3 meals a day and cleaning for 20 adult guests (including translators, helpers, Raj, and Bruce) to stay in your house for a week!!! Incredibly, the light of Jesus continues to emanate from their faces. It has been difficult for us to communicate our gratitude for all they have done to welcome and serve us.

During mid-day breaks, Ponita will sometimes come to our hut and lie on the bare concrete to rest. It also seems this
is her time to spend community with us - though she understands and speaks almost no English. I believe we were all very grateful yesterday while the men were resting their hut, Ponita approached me and asked for a "French braid?". It seems all of the Indian women are fascinated by this hairstyle. It was an opportunity to serve women the women who had served us all week so well.

Dawn quickly met Ponita's request and as the women sat in the circle, we began a sort of community fellowship - with LOTS of laughter, pictures and word exchanges from Tamil to English and vice versa. It continues to amaze me how community can develop here with the language barriers present - all with the love of Christ . . . Even in a makeshift beauty parlor in India!!

Spiritual Healing

Another post from Rick:

I knew someone would break down emotionally this week. Someone always does on these mission trips. I just didn't expect it to be me. I've been in this region before and have seen the needs of the lost and hurting.

But this time I found myself questioning God for the first time in my life. I know He can heal instantly. I know He can! I've seen it with my own eyes. And I am reminded of Acts 14 when we are told God confirms His grace with healings and great miracles. He could do so much to advance His kingdom by confirming his grace and His power and His love so why wouldn't He hear our prayers to heal these two beautiful brothers born deaf and mute and barely able to stand, crawling around in the filth on their hands and feet.

But Jay and Abby helped me to remember that God is most interested in spiritual healing rather than physical. God sent His son to seek what was lost. He wants them back! And Abby pointed out that we don't know what went on on the hearts and minds of the people we prayed for and those that were watching. And Ted later added that it would be so much more beneficial to the kingdom if they were healed by Pastor Anbuvanan after we left so the Glory would more go to Christ instead of us Americans and for the edification of the Village pastor.

Of course, we don't know "why" He did not heal them on the spot, but His ways are far above our ways - remember! God always has something up His sleeve. And it's always for the good of His church (that's you and me). I can have faith I'm that.

What a day!!

So, worked out in 100 degrees for nearly 12 hours today, finished building 3 homes, painted two of them, rode an Ox cart, had 5 cups of Chai Tea, ate fresh watermelon from a man in the village who had once insisted on everyone being Hindu - until his one and only son became a Christian through Anbuvanan's church, shot hours worth of video footage, climbed a water tower, sang a song in the language of Tamil, watched kids and students quote a lot of scripture from memory and do traditional Tamil dancing for nearly an hour, danced the "interlude". . . Twice, laughed so hard I cried, and cried after only knowing these kids for 4 days, rode a rickshaw, drank a limco, heard more stories of miraculous healings, participated in a Tamil prayer meeting, saw once again the amazing love in a mothers eyes for her two youth who were mentally and physically challenged, ran around with children teaching them more about Jesus . . . NONE of which could have been done - if only I had depended on myself and my own "good" ideas. NO!! All these things were made possible today because of Gods work already happening here. we simply could not be happier!! Those relationships and bonding, where the ONLY thing in common is Christ, were happening all over this week - simply amazing.

Make no mistake, God is doing something amazing in Kotthiampakkum. We understand that this is only chapter 1, and there is so much more for God to write - come and join with us, and see what God can do!! Your journey can start by sitting down with a team member over coffee and asking them intentionally about this trip - there is just so much to share!!

More to come later!!

Ted

So you say you have a story?

Have you ever struggled with "witness envy?" - you know . . . When you feel like your faith journey story just isn't as "cool" or impressive as someone else's. This condition might be to the point that you don't even want to share it - afraid you might hear "that's it??" Of course, as a result of your lack of story that person will fall completely away from their faith and it will be all your fault!

Hi, my name is Ted . . . and I suffer from witness envy from time to time. . . It is a condition on our team as well as many other Christians that I know. Feeling a bit ashamed of their "story".

Today has begun to change that for many of us. We were able to speak more with the older kids (10th - college) tonight and exchange testimonies. After our large group time, Liz, Jay, Tim, and Rick did an heroic job of leading all the other kids on massive group games in the schoolyard of a nearby school. These times of sharing were amazing for various reasons. First, the boys (seen in the picture with Andrew and our translator names "Dos"), had never even been to the church building - in fact we were told by a younger kid later that those were some of the bad kids! Very ironic that our main group story tonight was that of Zacchaeus - a notorious sinner. . . Hmmmm, it's as if someone already knew what the night would hold!

Second, the girls all gathered in a circle inside the building and really dove into it in detail!! Most of these girls actually serve as Sunday School teachers - and they have amazing stories. You will hear much more posts on this later, but it is after midnight, and so trying to make this "short."

The night programming ended by us surprising Rick with a birthday cake (he turned 50 today), and all 100 kids singing to him Happy Birthday!! They love Rick!

Back at the "ranch" - pastor Anbuvanan's house - we had a late dinner and then Andrew taught us the "interlude" dance (feel free to google it - or just go down to the 4th and 5th grade room the next time you are at GCC - Granger campus). This is so we can have a "cultural" dance to perform at the celebration event tomorrow night . . . Yes, we had fun!!

Oh. . . One more word for the "witness envy" sufferers - remember that your story often shows others a God that is faithful and true, steadfast and consistent. It gives insight to another (as we heard today) that they don't have to first be "bad" in order to get "saved." Finally, your story might just be the hope that dawns in the mind of another kid that for the first time says "wow, I didn't know anyone ever made it" You know getting through your schooling, college, and 20s without "falling off the wagon!" Don't misunderstand me, I know my sin put nails through Jesus. . . Just maybe though, if you are willing to share your story, as we did today, you might hear and see the reward of someone now saying "I know now that I can 'make it' too with God's help." Hope is a truly beautiful thing!

Keep praying!!!

Ted