"Chicken" you say?

This post is written by Dawn Payne:

I would like to personally thank Raj for feeding me, as he called it, "chicken". And about the time I swallowed it, he then laughed and told me it was really rat!!! I am beginning to see how much of a jokester Raj is and I love that side of him!!

On our trip to Kalavai, I was reminded of the fellow GCC people that forged before us, and so thankful that they listened to God's call on their life because I was able to reap the benefits of their dedication to Jesus. I am inspired by these people of Kalavai. They are not "happy"; they are JOYFUL! Wow, what a difference in those two words!

It is so amazing that thousands of miles away from home, Jesus can connect the hearts of people in such a powerful way! I love these people and I am so excited to see what God has in store for them!!

Thanks for your prayers!!

[photo was moment that Dawn discovered the truth about the "chicken". . . She wasn't very still - sorry for the blurring picture!]

Rest day and Kalavai!!

In the middle of the week, we took a bit of a rest day from the construction and kids programming. We were able to go to a nice hotel just a 12 minute rickshaw ride away from pastor's home.

This was a delightful day where we were able to swim a bit and enjoy a few western food items like pancakes, but there was no syrup :-). Several of the team members took advantage of the wifi as well! After lunch we started to trek to Kalavai (over 2 hours), and stopped at the "placenta tree" - you can ask a team member why it is called that when they get home!

A few of the team members are not feeling the best (Abby - throat - no more voice, Rick cut open his hand when it accidentally hit a fan, and Frank is having some stomach issues) - please join with us in praying for them.

Kalavai was amazing and it was so great to see all the progress that has been made since I was personally here in the beginning of 2011. The new KC3, playground, and gardens looked great. The villagers were so welcoming to us, and the kids ran up to us with HUGE hugs of love and excitement!! They also put on a bit of a dance show for us. We toured the village and many of the first time members on our team were inspired by how many homes had the GCC plaques on them - we are truly standing on the shoulders of those that have gone before us!

It was raining while we were there a bit, but that did not stop Jay, Frank, Bruce, and I from getting a little cricket in (a game similar to baseball).

The local missionaries to Kalavai (Jayen and Jencie seen with Raj) are also doing well!!

I can say confidently that Raj is back to 100% - as he did his whole "live rat in his hand as He shook someone else's hand" trick . . . Yep, it worked on Andrew. The end of that rat's story will be told in the next post by Dawn Payne.

As if that was not enough, Raj put a big lizard on the back of Jay (and then later on Andrew), that was later to become dinner for a local family. Raj told me this was just a "baby" because they can get up to 6ft long!! Traditionally he said that builders would tie a rope onto their back leg and then throw them up to a higher story floor of a building. The lizard's talons are so strong that the builder would then climb the rope to that higher floor as the lizard held onto the bricks with its talons . . . Yes, . . . That's AWESOME, and jay and I wanted to try it!! - couldn't though - this one too small.

More will be coming soon as stories are starting to come out from some villagers.

Please continue to pray for us to finish strong - we are soooo grateful.

Ted

A moment of clarity

This post is being brought to you by the one and only Liz Taylor:

Yesterday during the children's program, my group of five and six-year-olds was joined by a small crowd of older women. I invited them to sit and join us - some painted with the kids but others wanted just to talk.

One woman in particular was asking me lots of questions. She wanted to know about my profession, how old I am, about my husband and son. Then she asked me where I came from? "America", I told her. Her eyes got large and she got a huge smile on her face. She then said "you all come all the way from America to love my children? We will miss you when you go!"

She and the other woman then stayed close as we played a game and shared the gospel with the kids.

She understood we came because we care about them and she was able to hear how much God loves her and them. I love watching God tear down the language barriers between us!

Thanks for being on this journey with us!!

God is already at work

This blog post is written by Rick Immel:

Missionaries don't bring God to the lost and hurting, God brings the missionaries. And mark my word, the body of Christ showed up in Kottiambakkum this week in total God fashion - from the edification of Pastor Anbuvanan, to the construction of much needed housing, to the kid's ministry work.

People ask what we can possibly do in ten days. But we are standing on the shoulders of those who came before us and setting the foundation for those who come after us to stand on ours. Again, people ask what can we possibly accomplish in such a short period of time?? Those questions wouldn't be asked if everyone could look into the joy-filled face of a child born into a desperate situation. Have you ever sat on the receiving end of a question from a child about why we have come so far to this village? To see the eyes light up and the smile in the face of a boy named "Hajay" when I tell him I came to see him, that Jesus sent me because he is special to Jesus, and Jesus wanted me to tell him that. Those who question haven't looked into the face of a brother or sister in Christ tearfully questioning their adequacy to be a part of God's mission only to see them transformed in the next moment when God shows up through us to honor their family.

When Peter was called to the house of Cornelius it wasn't just for the benefit of Cornelius, it was for Peter too. So we shouldn't ask what can be done in ten days. It's not about what we can or can't do. It's about what God can do. And He is already at work in Kottiambakkum. I am honored to be allowed to share in that with Him!

Thanks for your prayers and support!!

Rick

The return of kids!

Tonight was once again. . . AMAZING - the kids all returned, and we moved into more songs and the Bible story of Jesus letting the children come to him.

We had coloring activities that tied in last night's story and they were amazing artists! We also introduced the Gospel tonight - just wonderful!

Pastor Anbuvanan's family continues to show us amazing hospitality - here they are making a food called "pooty". . . Honestly, a bit awkward to say. . . Like, "I really want more Pooty please" - yeah, that's just not right. . .

We are saying goodbye to Nate tonight - he is heading to the Holy Land. God is doing something amazing through him, and we prayed for him before he left.

We had a few cuts and wounds today, and so we brought out Jack Magruder's new "ambulance on a back", and put it to good use!

Ted

Let the stories begin!

Today's midday update comes to you from Jay Taylor. We had a great morning working in the village. We started on India time, but got straight to work moving building supplies and unloading trucks. The villagers were in high spirits and the construction has progressed rapidly. Barbara and Penny learned how to carry bricks on their heads, while the rest of the team found creative ways to throw and catch the bricks.

A great addition to today's projects was the sharing of stories during break time. We heard of God's work in the lives of Isaac and Danny, and were encouraged by the miraculous works of God in their lives, both to save and transform .

It seems like an important time to highlight the helpers behind the scenes. Das, Isaac, and Danny are our three interpreters. Bruce (pictured) has also been an invaluable resource the whole time. His videos and photos inspire, and his interpreting has come to the rescue many times.

The last pictures are of the team during the break, before hearing the stories from Danny and Isaac, and the children we prayed over before leaving for lunch. The mother had tears in her eyes as we laid hands on her boys who were mute and lame and prayed for God's healing in their hearts and lives.

In an hour and a half we will be gathering all the children from the village for another night of Jesus and fun. Several of the kids from last night approached our team today and expressed how excited they were for another round!!

Miraculous time of Kids ministry

Raj is feeling much better now. How can you tell you say? . . . He is back to his first love - bananas!!

Jay, Liz, and I added some final tweaks on the programming, and then we guessed at how many kids might show up tonight considering there were only about 35 at the Sunday service?? Liz guessed 30 (growing from there throughout the week), I guessed 43, and Jay guessed 120! Read below to see what happened-

We then started prepping the small group materials, and talking more about the plan of the afternoon. We started the programming "late" - whatever that means in India with already about 85 kids!!

Needless to say after some fun songs and Bible story teaching, we had over 120 for the evening!!! Jay gets a cookie!!

It was an amazing evening, and I can't wait to see what He does with this foundation in the coming days!