Catherine 18/2/2006
India is the most wonderful country - it is such a great privilege to be here.  It is difficult to express how touched I am by the warmth and generosity of our Indian friends. The enormous faith of our new friends and vision for growth of the gospel is exciting, a great encouragement, and humbling at the same time. 

In the last week Rebekah and I have enjoyed sharing and learning with women in the New Testament One course.  We all worked hard to further understand the Gospel of Mark by exploring bible verses and passages, and through discussion. This has been a different approach to learning for the women who are more used to a directive teaching style. It has been an exciting challenge and we have grown together by examining and discussing scripture to discover answers to questions. Praise the Lord! 

Bec and I feel we have made some very special friends through the course. The smiles, greetings, prayers, gifts of fruit, and excitement to learn have greatly warmed our hearts.

Today we went to a youth conference in a church about half an hour away. Stewart and Dan spoke from the bible, we sang and taught songs, did a drama act, and met in small groups to share testimonies. It was great fun and teenagers from different backgrounds and faiths were able to hear about Jesus and how to follow him. Our skit about the Prodigal Son, and particularly Stuart's animal mimes, provided much amusement! 

I have also been encouraged to see the plans for the future in so many ways here. For example, the building we are teaching in has steel posts extending from the top. This is clearly because IGL recognize that they will grow and need more space and will extend the building up a level at some point. So they see no reason to level the top in the meantime. It emphasized to me the enormous trust in God!!!

The many children in the orphanage here have also been a wonderful joy. They greet us with dark bright eyes, soft smiles, excited waves, and simply adore Joshua! Yesterday a group ran behind the bus and some tried to jump on the back whilst it was moving, in excitement at seeing us (really Josh)!  The children are such a blessing and light to us.
I wish I was an artist and could capture the wonderful sights, sounds, and tastes! An Indian friend said jokingly (I think) today that you can drive without brakes in India but not without a horn! The food and assortment of curries here have been amazing. Indeed, I am sure that I will not fly home - but roll instead.  We have been so cared for and blessed.

This has been a time of great reflection, praise, and encouragement! Please continue to pray for the growth of the gospel in India and that we will teach God's word faithfully.

Judy 23/02/2006

There have been many highlights for me here in India; God has been so generous.

These include"

During the first week of teaching I enjoyed greatly leading a women's discussion group with Jackie. We reviewed the OT teaching David had been leading us through. Our interpreter for the week, Jesse, was fantastic " delightful to get to know, knowledgeable in God's word and helpful to the women and me in facilitating the communication.

It is God's kindness that over the 4 days we spent together our group grew increasingly tight knit. It was sad to farewell them, with several saying they hoped to come back to Salem next year. Many returned more confident in the Bible material so they could share with friends back home. Jesse who is involved in women's ministry plans to teach this material in her local church context.

Another highlight was attending a youth meeting, with men and women, boys and girls from a village about 1 hr away. The village women meet to learn sewing in the local church and during this time gospel meetings are conducted. Many of the young women coming had the opportunity to be introduced to the gospel for the first time. Last Saturday most of the team members had a chance to share their testimonies and some to teach from God's word as well. This happened in small groups and the larger meeting itself. We praise God for what He has done and is doing through his word going out into this part of the world.

We are now more half way through week 2 of teaching NT/OT again, we have enjoyed the privilege of teaching very receptive students, who have many questions and are diligent in their exam preparation. Many of the students have traveled long distances to be with us this week and several have come as families, some with their children in tow as well.

It has been my pleasure to teach OT to a group of keen women this week, ably assisted by Jackie (on team) and my wonderful interpreter Pastor Balasingh. I feel especially blessed by the provision of Pastor Balasingh as he has been in ministry for a very long time and loves and knows God's word well and is extremely helpful to me whilst also making the women laugh as they learn!

As a group we have enjoyed spending long days together learning. The women are anxious to grow in understanding and spend lots of time in the evening going over their notes, well prepared for the next day. The style of exam is difficult for them because of their limited educational opportunities. It seems that often they know much more than they are able to express in short answer/essay questions.

Despite the language barriers we have all grown in friendship together as sisters-in-Christ. Again this week it will be hard to farewell the women. Pastor Balasingh plans to teach this course in his local area and is thrilled to have the notes and visuals to assist him.

It has been so encouraging to see our team work well together. Everyone has been super helpful, hard working and very adaptable to changes. We have enjoyed rich times of fellowship and prayer together. As always God has richly blessed his children. I am very thankful for the privilege of serving Him here amongst dear friends in India.