NORTHSIDE BIBLE CHAPEL

"That in all things, He might have the pre-eminence. Colossians 1:18
In our worship, prayer, teaching, fellowship and evangelism

RUSSELL IN INDIA

 

Updates from India now available - follow this link.....  

See other pictures here....

 

Sunday April 29th, 2007

Update from Russell - Life in India

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all at Northside who have helped spiritually and financially to make this Mission trip to India possible.

I've just been quite busy so far and mostly just embracing India.  Its ten thousand hot and we eat rice at least twice a day but everything that’s going on here is awesome enough for me to pass those things by.  The first few days were just for rest and recuperation and since then we’ve been doing lots of work. 

 We’ve gone to a couple of different childcare places to play with the kids.
Today we visited and encouraged workers at a suicide prevention facility, yesterday we climbed up St. Thomas mount where he was martyred, and we’ve been constantly praying over the city.  We’ve done plenty of worship and prayer walks as well as other ministry and street evangelism.  Yesterday I was able to do a short speaking for a weekly community Christian gathering and that went extremely well. 

 Today I washed my clothes in a bucket and tomorrow I think there’s some sort of feast for the base that we’re staying at.  Hopefully they will have meat, as I haven’t seen a whole lot of it since getting here.  The work we’re doing is pretty exhausting but it’s plenty enjoyable.  God is using every one of us and we're really excited to see what He's going to do through us for the next month and a half.

As the daily temperatures climb well into the 90's, our lives are settling into a bit of a routine.  That is, if routine involves riding through crazy traffic including cars, busses, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, people, ox-carts, cows, and the occasional elephant.  Well, we've only encountered 1 elephant in the streets so far, but it was memorable.  There are pictures on the Youth with a Mission Orlando if anyone would like to see them.
Things we have done this week include: prayer walks, ministering in church cell groups, lots of children’s ministry, packing bandages for a leprosy ministry, and training for a Vacation Bible School.  Tomorrow the plan is to do 1 drama in two different church services (at the same church).  Each service will have over 1000 people in it.  This church has 11 Sunday services, with the attendance for each service between 1500 - 2500.
In spite of the heat, the attitude of the team is great.  One afternoon we were having a team worship time and the electricity went out.  Without the ceiling fans moving the air, sweat began to pour out of us (meaning more than usual).  No one stopped singing.  Daniel pulled a flashlight out of his pocket so Tommy could read the music he was playing.  In the midst of that heat and darkness we all pressed on without any exhortation.  God honoured that sweat and met with us in a special way.
It is ironic that our group is the Winter DTS.  It certainly doesn't feel like winter here.  Currently everyone is healthy.  One of our guys did visit the pharmacist to purchase something to take away the pressure/bloating he was feeling in his stomach.  He thought he was purchasing something like Gas-X.  After being stuck near the bathroom all afternoon he realized he had taken a laxative.  Thankfully Tommy (whoops, did I say his name?) has a good sense of humour and was able to laugh with the rest of us about the situation.
Members of our team have been involved in seeing 2 people make commitments to Jesus.  Next week we are going to help staff a Vacation Bible School.  The church is expecting over 200 participants.
An added blessing of the VBS is the fact that the church has air-conditioning.  This, however, has led to two people on our team getting colds!  Other than that and some occasional, umm, intestinal issues, we are very healthy.  We have passed the halfway point of our time in India!   With some changes in team structure and location coming up, we expect the second half of our trip to go by even quicker than the first half.
At the beginning of May our group of 24 (soon to be 26 with the pending arrival of 2 more staff) will be dividing in to 3 groups. 
One group will be going to the northern border of Andra Pradesh (the state above Tamil Nadu - the one we are in right now. They will begin their ~20 hour train ride on May 2.
Another group will be going to another city in Tamil Nadu called Madurai. I will be in that group.  We will begin their 9 hour bus ride on May 1.
The rest will be moving to a different YWAM Ministry in Chennai. They will be doing some local ministry.  After a week they will divide in to 2 groups with one group continuing to do local ministry and the other helping the YWAM base with a youth/young adult missions program called Mission Possible. 
Please keep us in your prayers!.

Blessings

Russell

Russell arrived back home Canada on May 26th.