And so, it ends.

And so it comes to an end. I'm sitting in my hotel room in Hyderabad having left Rajahmundry earlier today. It is really bizarre to be sitting in this room which is very Western in style having only a few hours ago been in the midst of the hustle and bustle and chaos which was Rajahmundry. I would have to say that the last 10 days or so have been revolutionary for me. I have fallen in love with a country I wouldn't even have considered visiting only a few months ago. Much of what scared me is strangely what I have loved - the food, the smells, the chaos, the language - all of the things which were so alien to me, have become so familiar and endearing. I sat in the car on the way to the airport today, relaxed as we overtook two vehicles (side by side) with a lorry overloaded to the extreme with hay coming the other way towards us and buffalo wandering around the road, and I sat back relaxed - thinking, "I'm so going to miss this madness!"

But I think the thing I will miss the most is the people. They hold such a warmth and joy in their lives, it challenges me to my core. As I sit in the UK, worrying about the 101 things that I worry about, they are struggling to put food on their tables. They work long hours for nothing but can few rupees. They aspire to more, work hard, get educated and then find that they cannot get a good job because they are a Dalit or another low caste. And yet, they do not seem to let it get them down. They remain full of joy, hope and optimism. They are always welcoming and hospitable. Even in the leper colony yesterday, they were overjoyed that we had come to see them and spend time with them and they really do have nothing.

Particularly, I am also thinking about Prasad and Suneetha and their family who we stayed with. They don't have a flashy home, but they opened it to us, made us not just welcome but part of their family and it was really really difficult leaving them this morning. I deliberately stayed in bed until the children had gone to school because I couldn't say goodbye to Evangeline, Angel, Alice and Cutie. They are so full of joy and are an inspiration to me. Whilst we got to see this one family close up, we know that their lives are mirrored across the network of pastors and leaders Prasad heads up, as well as beyond them to their churches and families.

I head back tomorrow to my own family who I have missed so much and love so dearly with a love for a country and some individuals in that country, which has so much to teach us about what it means to be truly human.

I've taught pastors, preached to thousands, played with school children whose parents can't afford to look after them, sat with lepers, spoke to people in city and rural communities, been guest of honour at a Hindu girl's coming of age ceremony, travelled for 5 hours into the deep hill country, ridden on the back of a motorbike through the crowded streets of the city, spoken to many people, shared the life of one family and watched as a city celebrated Diwali. I don't think I could've squeezed anything more into that time.

Thank you India. You have surprised me and enchanted me. I somehow think this won't be a final farewell...

A Festival Of Blessing

We've just finished two days of the Gateway Blessing Festivals. These amazing gatherings have brought together between 1,500 and 2,000 people each evening to be fed and then to have an evening of music, singing and preaching and prayer. It is amazing to be in the midst of these gatherings. They are chaotic but passionate, they are strange to our eyes and ears but yet so exciting for those coming. In the midst of all of this are six Brits who are seriously out of our depths and were sitting on the platform expected to bring God's Word to these people. What can you say? At the first night's meeting, I was the main speaker and I decided to take things back to basics and spoke about the love of God our Father from the story of the Lost Son (Luke 15). The crowd seemed to lap up everything that they heard and I had the privilege of helping about 17 people become new followers of Jesus Christ. That is so exciting. We were then able to have the privilege to pray for people who were sick and ask God to come in power and bring healing to their lives. They were so desperate for God to do something in their lives.

It is very difficult to explain all of the different experiences and feelings I am going through over the course of this mission. At the end of the second evening, I helped to "steward" the feeding area, where the 2,000 people who had come were all given a basic but wholesome meal. This was major chaos from a British point of view but these people were not just hungry for God, they were also seriously hungry physically.

I have never come face to face with so much poverty and all in a country with major resources (there are significant gas and oil reserves off the coast of Rajahmundry). But in the midst of all of this poverty, there is such a joy and contentment which challenges our western materialistic lifestyles to their very core. I can say that there have been many occasions where I have felt majorly uncomfortable in the face of such joy. The smiles on the faces of these people hide the amount of suffering many of them are in. Alongside this, the is nothing that they will not do for you and as a guest you are expected to do nothing and be waited in hand and foot. This really challenges our western individualism and self-centredness where we want to do things for ourselves. They genuinely want to serve us and the family we are staying with model biblical servanthood in a way I have rarely seen anywhere else.

So I've had my materialism challenged, my picture of service challenged and idea of real joy challenged and still I've loved every minute of it. Today was our day off (mainly due to the Diwali festival holiday) and so we went into the main market to do some shopping. It really isn't Queen Street, Cardiff on a Saturday afternoon. Then to top it off, in order to try and find something, I got to go on the back of Sagar's motorbike (no helmet and holding on) through the streets of the centre of Rajahmundry. This is such an adventure. Mind you, back to serious - we're off to the leper colony tomorrow - am I ready for another challenge!

The future starts here ...

OK, this post is going to be quite a tough one to write. As I write this tears are streaming down my face. This morning we visited the Gateway School, Children's Home and the Come Together compound. It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life and one that has left me, we'll ... Broken. The Come Together compound is home to the Gateway School and the Children's Home. 400 children come each day from 3 years old through to their mid-teens. The youngest can be in classes of 50-60 whilst some of the older ones are in classes of 10-15 as the school is only a few years old. When we asked them what they liked most about Gateway School, there was a resounding answer of 'studying!' There is a hunger to learn that is challenging to those of who sometimes struggle to persuade our children to get out of bed and go to school. But more than anything there is such a palpable sense of hope and optimism in the eyes of those beautiful little children.

These faces have smiles so wide they could swallow you. They probably come from families with virtually nothing by our Western standards (and by many Indian standards too - the gap between rich and poor in this country is staggering), but they have a love and a joy in their hearts and an optimism for life which children the world over have. One of the differences with Gateway School is that they are trying to build on that hope and with God's strength and power to help these amazing children to break free from their backgrounds and what their culture or caste may say they are going to become and to live free and full lives full of all the gifts, callings and potential that Creator God has put in them. It is therefore an unbelievable privilege to stand in the presence of Pastor Prasad and his wife Sunni (who is the Head Mistress) and all of the teachers and watch as they pour love and hope into these children. Those staff stood there this morning and wanted to honour us for all that we have done for the school and at that moment I really did not want to be there because it isn't me that has done anything, it is those staff and helpers who are, day in and day out, giving of themselves to help those children become all that God wants them to be.

There is a sign over the building with the name and details on it, which says "The future starts here" and I really cannot think of a better phrase to describe the work that is happening in this school.  Then, on top of this the Together compound is the children's home, which houses some of the children who are either full orphans or whose family cannot afford to keep them any more. It is heartbreaking to hear of some of the circumstances but an amazing joy that some of these children are able to find a new home in the compound - a home full of love and joy. There is much laughter in the compound and that is a wonderful sign of the atmosphere that has been created here.

I will go back to Cardiff next week a changed person not just because of the poverty that I have seen but because I have seen people, first hand, who are doing something about it and are making a difference in the lives of many, many children and this can only bless the heart of God so much.

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14 NET)

And finally, we're here and off!

Well, it took goodness knows how many hours and three flights but ... We made it to Rajahmundry. In many respects India is exactly as I expected it - the smells, the sights and the sounds - being driven along roads with cattle wandering everywhere, rickshaws driving madly. The sight of the fields and the houses (does anyone in India ever seem to finish their house?!). It really does mesmerise the senses and I suppose, at the moment, 12 hours after arriving in Rajahmundry, it's all still a bit overwhelming - there's just too much to take in and so much of it is so challenging to western standards and lifestyle.

So, we arrive at Pastor Prasad's house, eat and have a quick nap and then we're out to our first church visit, this evening. Don't ask me where we went, I have no idea other than it was a significant distance and took us about an hour over some of the most crazy roads ever. I'm never going to complain about the potholes in Cardiff again. The church was no more than four bare walls, a roof and some fans! The place was packed with 60-70 people who were all very excited to see us.

It was an amazing time as we shared and prayed for people. Their desperation for God to touch their lives was humbling. We'll I've got so much to process and don't quite know where to start, but I think the answer to that is ... Tomorrow!

Countdown to Take Off

Ok, so the countdown has begun. This time next week, I will have, finally, arrived in India for two weeks of working with Gateway Ministries with a gang of six of us from City Temple Church in Cardiff. I'm going to try and jot down some thoughts as I go through the two weeks. I can't promise it'll be every day but I'll try to do it as often as I can.

It has been almost exactly twenty years since I went on an international trip with church and so it was with a lot of trepidation that I said yes to this trip. About a year ago, Nigel, one of the pastoral team at City Temple Church spoke of a recent trip to India and of the desire of the church and Gateway Ministries, our partners in India, to run a conference for the almost 200 pastors in the Gateway network. Many of these wonderful men have had little or no training for the work they are doing, entirely by faith. It was as Nigel described this that I knew deep down that I needed to be on this trip whenever it happened. I looked at Ros and she looked at me and said, "you're going, aren't you." Only with her support has this been possible. I immediately spoke to Nigel as I knew that if I didn't I would find 101 reasons to back out. 

So, here we are, with less than a week to go. I know so deeply that this is the right thing to do and that it is what God wants me to do but does it scare me? AB-SO-LUTE-LY!! India seems to be an amazing country but it has never been top of my destination list. I'm not a huge fan of hot, spicy food, and as for creepy crawlies and the like, just ask my kids! The culture simply pushes me out of my comfort zone by a long way. I know that this will be immensely good for me, but it does make me anxious. I'm a bit more comfortable with the activities we'll be doing whilst out there but it is still very challenging to ensure that I work in God's strength rather than my own.

I have way too much to do before I leave and way too much to get my head around but I know that the team I'm going with are awesome and that the God I serve has never let me down.

As I think about the coming week, I'm drawn to those famous words in Matthew's gospel where Jesus issues a challenge but gives us the comfort of knowing He will be with us ...

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19, 20 NET - emphasis mine)

40 Days of Community - Possible Outreach Projects

HOMELESS OUTREACH

Date: Saturday 14th July

A 'pamper' evening of food, haircuts, shaving, foot washing, care packages for the homeless people of Cardiff.

Contact: Antonio Carvallo - 07792 062868

WOMEN'S REFUGE

Date: As advised

Distribution of clothing to women in the refuge, practical jobs in the refuge, gifts to women moving into own accommodation.

Contact: Tracey Pycroft - 07889 065 867 or Teresa Madden - 07909 963 734

ASYLUM SEEKERS

Date: At discretion of group - MULTIPLE GROUPS NEEDED

• Sports activities in a local park for up to 50 people
• BBQ or Picnic for up to 50 people
• Craft/cookery afternoon
• English conversation
• Specific support for single mums

Contact: Josh Gray - 07940 816 686

RIVERSIDE FESTIVAL

Date: Saturday 25th August - MULTIPLE GROUPS NEEDED

• Set up Team - 9.30am-12noon
• Stewarding Team - 11.30am-5.30pm
• Take Down Team - 5.30pm - 7.30pm
• Running a bouncy castle for kids - 11.30am - 5.30pm
• Cake Stall/Craft Stall - 11.30am - 5.30pm
• Opportunities for musical performance on outdoor stage

Contact: Nigel James - 07973 780 209

KIDS HOLIDAY CLUB

Dates: Monday 2nd - Thursday 5th July - Leafleting Area/ Sunday 22nd July - Decoration and preparation of room ready for the club

• Distribute invitation leaflets to streets in the vicinity of the church and Riverside area on evenings of Monday - Thursday 2nd - 5th July.
• Decorate the function room in preparation for the Holiday Club - Sunday 22nd - 1pm-3pm

Contact: Ann Redman - 07843 700 875

FOODANK

Dates: Friday 13th July (Cardiff Gate), Saturday 14th July (Western Avenue), Fiday 27th July & Saturday 28th July (St Mellons) - MULTIPLE GROUPS NEEDED

• Set up and collect at Asda Cardiff Gate on Friday 13th July from 8.15am-1pm
• Collect at Asda Cardiff Gate on Friday 13th July from 1pm-5pm and store at Warehouse till 7pm.
• Same as above two on Saturday 14th July at Tesco Western Avenue
• Same as top two on Friday 27th July at Tesco St Mellons
• Same as top two on Saturday 28th July at Tesco St Mellons

Contact: Ian Purcell - 07891 177 700

BEACON FAMILY FESTIVAL

Dates: 23rd July - 3rd August - MULTIPLE GROUPS NEEDED

More information available

Contact: Steve Harris - 07809 617 591

CITY TEMPLE NORTH - LLANISHEN

Dates: 9th - 21st July - MULTIPLE GROUPS NEEDED

More information available

Contact: Kathy Mathias - 07799 760 607