Mike 23/02/2006
Well, things have been so busy that we have forgotten to blog!

The second week has looked quite like the first week, only blurrier. Oh yeah, and without the vomiting. I've been sleeping the same length, but it doesn't seem to have quite the same effect. 4-day teaching blocks, 9-6 each day, is sustainable over two weeks, but I think I'd be dead by the third week. Sooooooo tired. I have now got an increased respect for my old lecturers at Youthworks College and the constant effort they put into teaching us.

I have had a change in translators this week. The first week I had Augustine, who was energetic and bubbly and loud and full of life. All his actions were larger than life, and he filled the room with his energy. This week I have Prem Kumar, who is a quiet, studious academic man of clear intelligence. His movements are small and refined, and his sense of humor is quiet and dry. Both are an absolute joy to work with, but the difference has been interesting to observe.

The past couple of days have been eat-teach-eat-teach-eat-sleep-repeat. Tomorrow is the final day of lecturing and the final exam, and I am really looking forward to having a bit of a rest in the afternoon while the students toil and sweat over a 2 hour exam. Heh heh.

Bek 23/02/2006
Well, our time is drawing to a close. It has been a fun, full, challenging two weeks. My role has largely been leading a small group: fortunately Mike has done the up-front talks, with a review small group afterwards. They really learnt more, and many have said that they will be taking the course back to their churches.

Kath and I were transferred to the New Testament group after women unexpectedly enrolled in this course. Although we hadn't done any preparation for this, it worked out quite well. In the first week, the women were quite new to studying the bible, so they were happy to hear a simplified review of what was said in the lectures. In the second week, my group was bit more experienced, so I has to create some more challenging questions.

One of the themes for both weeks was encouraging the women to find the answers for themselves in the Bible. The "discussion group' concept is quite foreign to Indian women. They are used to directive teaching, and just accepting what the person up the front says. Initially they found it a bit strange that I would ask a question when I already knew the answer. I had to be persistent in making them work out what the passage said, even when they begged me to just tell them.

The people have been so keen to learn more. Whenever we ask them if they would like a break or keep going, they say "keep on going, we want to learn more". On the second day, one of the women told me that she had been up until midnight the night before, reading the notes and teaching her husband.

I have been surprised that people are the same wherever you are in the world. Leading a small group in India is a lot like leading in Australia. The kids who live just outside our door are also just like Australian kids " they love to play thumb wars and the boys are really cheeky! The kids also seem really happy. The orphanage doesn't have a lot of teaching resources, books and toys etc, but they still love and look after the kids.

With the exception of myself, everyone will be flying to Singapore tonight. Please pray that this goes smoothly. I will be staying in Channai for another couple of days.

Stuart 25/02/06
A delightful day where we visited another community centre run by Helen, one of the Indian ladies who participated in both the Old and New Testament courses.  Today it was filled with very small children taking lessons, while their parents work in the nearby magnesium mine.  We were greeted with flowers at the door.  Inside the children performed songs and demonstrated their amazing memories by reciting several memory verses.

The girls then took this opportunity to shop, visiting a sari shop in downtown Salem, while the guys enjoyed the air conditioning.

On Sunday we will attend another local church service. We have been asked to sing to the congregation, give testimonies and a sermon.

After that, all we have is a six hour bus trip back to Chennai airport.  No seatbelts, no child restraints, no airbags in some of the craziest traffic I've ever witnessed.

Pray for our safe return" please.

Daniel 27/2/06
I can't believe that we have finished! It has been an incredible two weeks in India, seeing God at work here. Today we drive back to Chennai to catch our plane home tonight. Teaching the pastors has been a challenge, but a very rewarding one. Their eagerness to learn has been an amazing encouragement, though learning to communicate through a translator was difficult.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to attend the Thomas Chapel for a Sunday service. There were a number of trainee nurses who were graduating, and 19 young men from tsunami ravaged areas who had come to receive vocational training. We were asked to pray over them. There was also a ceremony to present a number of disabled children in the surrounding villages with wheelchairs that had been provided for them. We were able to take part in that presentation. It was a difficult presentation " I struggled to hold back tears " but it was also wonderful to talk to the young men and women.

David 1/03/2006
As I look back on the two weeks that our team spent in Salem there are so many wonderful memories that flood through my mind. These include the lovely sound of children doing their early morning chores, playing together and also reciting their school lessons. It also includes all those who by the end of two weeks were confident to come up to me and call me "uncle" and then ask me to "take one more picture", then "one more picture please" and "just one more picture please". They simply wanted to see a picture of themselves on the camera and I was happy to oblige, as were other team members who also had digital cameras. There are more than 300 children being looked after in the orphanage run by the India Gospel League at Sharon Gardens. There is also a school for the children and it was a delight to see them marching off to school each morning in their beautiful uniforms.

Our visit to the Sharon Cancer Centre and General hospital was also impressive in terms of the obvious care and love being shown to those in very real need. Perhaps one of the most abiding memories of the hospital was seeing a very recently born baby. Rebekah had the privilege of holding that little treasure for a short while.

We were also shown many other aspects of the work in and around the Sharon complex including the block making factory which manufactures cement blocks for IGL projects and also gives them away to those in need, and the dairy which supplies the complex.

But we did not go to Salem as tourists. We went to help the India Gospel League in their training of pastors and key leaders, by teaching them some of the basic Moore College Preliminary Theological Certificate subjects " so that they, in turn, can teach others in India (2 Tim 2:2).

During the two week period the team taught New Testament 1 to seventy eight men and women and Old Testament 1 to seventy five men and women. It was a great team effort with every member of the team contributing in a very significant manner.

Some indication of the impact of the training can be gleaned from comments made to different team members about how the Bible had been brought alive for them and their keenness to apply what they had heard in their own teaching programs. One pastor's comment at our feedback time at the end of the first course really affected me and several others who heard it. He was a youngish man of about 35 who came up to me, took my hands and said as best I remember “thank you for the teaching. I have been to training in the seminary, but I have never heard the Bible explained the way you did it. It was very clear and I know it is true, thank you”.

Others also made very positive comments about all aspects of both courses and, in particular about the excellent teaching by Mike Southon. Those comments really lifted the spirits of the team despite our tiredness. If ever we were in any doubt as to why we went to India we now know!!

All in all it was a very rewarding experience and quite a few team members have indicated that they will consider another visit. While the teams that have visited India over the last three years have begun a great work there is still much more to be done to fulfil the vision of those who first proposed the joint undertaking between Moore College and the IGL. Perhaps you dear reader might want to be involved this work in the future. If so may I suggest that you contact the Rev Ken Noakes at the following address:
kendnoakes@sydneyanglican.asn.au

I leave you with the quote which is writ large across the rear wall of the Thomas Chapel at Sharon Gardens:

“Where there is no vision the people perish.” " Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)