Namaste from a weary traveler. Today has been so incredible and so full, that I'm not really sure words can do it justice. But you know I'm going to try.

We began our morning early, meeting for breakfast before 7:00 a.m. Unfortunately, they didn't start serving until 7, so we got a little bit later start than we had originally planned. But we ended up leaving the hotel around 7:30 in three vans with several members of the church. Our first stop was Baptist Church Hyderabad (BCH) to pick up Pastor Samuel and another elder whose name is escaping me at the moment but who is absolutely adorable and celebrated his 71st birthday today. The plan for the day was to take us around to several of the satellite churches, including the ones that Brentwood Baptist has sponsored.

The first one we went to was actually just a plot of land that is waiting on construction. What's so intriguing about this church is that the pastor is married to one of the girls who grew up in Baptist Church Hyderabad's orphanage. She is the first one to graduate and also have a post-graduate degree, and she has a job as a lecturer. She and her husband are pictured here on the right. Pastor Samuel is in the middle and the birthday elder (I think he's the president of the executive committee) is on the left next to Kim.
We were able to pray over this land and this couple who are awaiting their church building. The way they build churches here is to get the outside pillars and a roof erected so that they can begin meeting in the church. The rest can come later. This church is just waiting in line to get things started.

Outreach David (there are three Davids we're working with, so we have to have identifiers) was telling us all about the way this process works, so I'm going to try and briefly summarize. Basically a pastor moves into a village area and begins telling the people about Christ. As soon as he has one or two believers, they begin having church in the pastor's home. Then they begin praying for the land to build a church, and eventually they are able to do so. BCH will support the church until they have enough funds to become autonomous, and then they are on their own. So the 19,000 members of BCH include these 120-some remote church congregations.

Our next stop was to a church called Pratapsingaram. There were ladies and children meeting in the church when we arrived, and they came out to greet us. The children are so beautiful, and some are very extroverted, but most of them look at us like they can't figure us out, and this little boy in his mother's arms ended up screaming in tears when we spoke to him.

We also had a great time of fellowship with this pastor and his family. It's such a privilege to pray over them and for the work that God is doing there. They are so grateful that we have come. It is incredibly humbling.

Dick Cathey is an absolute joy to have on this trip. He LOVES these people and they move him to tears constantly. He has such a heart for Jesus and sharing His love with others. Here he is telling these little girls how pretty they are, as he has done countless times today. The Indian people really take to him as well. I'm just enjoying him so much.

I'm not sure the name of the next church we went to, but after we had been there a few minutes, these two gentlemen walked up. We learned that they are two of three brothers who helped found this church. In fact, when they first tried to build, some of the Hindus were very hostile to the pastor and his efforts, and these brothers stepped in and were very instrumental in getting the church built. Their names are Abraham and Matthew. They were awe-struck to have Pastor Samuel there. Traveling with him to these churches is like being with a rock star. He is so loved by his people. It is amazing to see.

Our next stop was to a church that Brentwood has given the funds to build. It's in the stage where there are only pillars and a roof. These beautiful people were waiting on us when we got there. As soon as we were seated in the front, they began singing for us. I have video, so maybe when I get home I'll figure out how to put a little clip on here. They sounded so beautiful and they were so happy to sing for us.

At this church, Pastor Samuel asked if one of us would speak to the people. Since there were small children and mothers there, Kim asked me if I would say something. I felt like I was stumbling around, but I told them that I had three children, too. I told them how wonderful it was that they were raising their kids to know about Jesus, because they have their whole lives ahead of them to love and serve Him. Then I pulled the mom card and passed around my little picture album. One of the guys on our team had mentioned that bringing pictures of your family is a great conversation starter because it sets common ground. The women seemed to love getting to see the pics. So stumbling around with my words or not, at least the pictures were a hit.

After I said what I did, Dick asked if he could say something. Choking back tears, as usual, he told the people how we are all the same. He made a joke about being old and fat, but that not mattering in the kingdom because we are all equal. And then he looked at them and said how much he was looking forward to seeing them in Heaven one day. I was so struck by this, and thankful for this God moment. (Did I mention how much I love having Dick on this trip?)

After we left this church we went back to BCH to drop off Pastor Samuel and the other elder. Then we took off heading for another remote church. We had no idea, but it was going to be about a three-hour journey. About an hour into it, we stopped at a restaurant. All of our local guys ate the Indian food, but we got out our lunch stuff and had sandwiches. We did try a couple of their soft drinks, though.

After lunch we piled back in the vans and were off. Ashley and I were talking about how there is no way we can accurately describe the driving today. Unless you were there, you truly could not believe it. The driving in the city is scary, but the driving in the country is unimaginable. We were playing chicken all day long, and it wasn't just against other vehicles our size. We were barreling down the road 65 miles an hours towards a gigantic truck or bus, and we would literally squeeze over at the last possible minute with inches to spare. There were several times where I thought I actually might meet Jesus today. We kept comforting ourselves by comparing ourselves to the Israelites in the wilderness saying, "Surely God wouldn't have brought us all the way to India to kill us in a car crash!"

Fortunately we made it to our destination. Thank you, Lord! The funny thing is that Solomon, one of the guys in my van, put in a John Denver CD. It's hard to be completely anxious when you're listening to "Country Roads." By the end of the trip, the CD had played through five times. So I will never again hear John Denver without being instantly transported back to this day. And I can't wait for the first time that happens.

By the time we got there, it was about 4:00 in the afternoon. The folks at this church had been told we'd be there at noon, and had been waiting on us since that time. This church is in a gypsy village, so these folks are in the lowest class. They truly are outcasts in society.

When we sat down in the church, the pastor got up and prayed and they sang another song for us. Pastor David (Sarah's brother) told us that many of them are not believers yet, and encouraged us to share the gospel. Kim asked Nelson if he would give his testimony. This was my favorite moment of the day.

Nelson shared with the people through an interpreter that Jesus had knocked on his door, and that He was knocking on theirs as well (this is an extremely abbreviated version, but it's getting really late). He told them that if they know Him already, to live for Him and make Him part of their every moment. But he told them if they don't know Him, they can. It was amazing to watch them hang on his every word. I was almost overcome by the magnitude of the moment. I could feel the Spirit working in that room and it was so powerful.

After Nelson spoke, Outreach David preached from the 23rd Psalm. The people were so responsive and would answer with "Hallelujah!" and "Amen!" It was incredible knowing that many of them are not followers of Christ yet, but that they were learning to be.

My camera battery died at this point, so I don't have pics of what happened next, but I will get some. After the service, we went outside and the gypsies did a circle dance for us. Well, of course they wanted us in the goose pot. So three of us were in the middle, and some of the others were dancing around with the gypsies. I'll never forget the image of Kim dancing with those women. It was just fabulous.

Right after the service, one of the older women came up to Laura crying. Laura asked for an interpreter, and it turned out the woman wanted to be prayed for for healing. Laura did this, and it was like a floodgate opened up. All the women were in line waiting to be prayed for, pointing at various parts of their bodies. They truly believed if we prayed for them that it would help. I pray that it did.

The way the people are drawn to us, Kim drew the analogy of the early Christians. Peter and the gang drew some pretty hefty crowds when they were healing, and today I got a clear visual image of what they might have been like for them.

Pastor David won't let us hang out anywhere very long, because he doesn't want the crowds to get too big. He told Kim that he also was intentionally vague with our estimated times of arrival for these folks, and had asked the pastors not to make it wide-spread knowledge that we were coming. Since the churches are right on the edge of the villages, they are also rushing us out of places fairly quickly. He said it's because he doesn't want the villagers to rush back home and bring lots more folks. He's worried about the crowd control. There is some hostility towards Christianity in certain areas, and they are extremely concerned with keeping us safe and happy and comfortable. At times it has been frustrating to have to leave so quickly, but we will do whatever we are asked to do.

The drive back into the city was just as long, but the danger level got kicked up a notch as night fell. Headlights are apparently not mandatory, and I just couldn't watch most of the time. Thank you, Jesus, for keeping us safe. It sounds funny, but I truly covet your prayers over our safety when we are driving in the vans. I've never seen anything like it.

The highlight of the car trip, however, was when Singing David asked me who my favorite worship leader was. At first I couldn't figure out what he meant, because I didn't think the name Dennis Worley would mean anything to him. Then he started mentioning Hillsong and Michael W. Smith. So I started naming some worship songs, and he said, "Sing them now." I told him I would if he would sing with me. So for the next 30 minutes or so our van turned into a praise and music service, and the songs have never sounded so sweet. How incredible that we live on opposite sides of the earth, and yet we worship the Lord with the same songs and the same passion. How small the world must look to the Father.

Please pray for these remote churches today: Pratapsingaram, Venkatapuram, Peerjadiguda, and Choudariguda. One of the things I forgot to mention about the gypsy church is that the gypsies built it themselves. It was a thatched shack, but it was truly one of the most beautiful churches I've ever seen.

Tomorrow's schedule is basically the same as today's, but who knows what the day will bring? All I know is I'm looking forward to it. The Lord is at work here. These folks do not take their faith lightly. Christianity is not casual for them. I pray that my walk with Christ will never be so taken for granted again, and that He will constantly remind me of those who give up everything to follow Him.