SERVE India

Hello dear e-pray friends!
First, please put the SERVE India Appreciation Dinner on your calendars for Sunday, May 1st at 4-6pm at Faith Community Church in Hudson… We LOVE this opportunity to appreciate you and your care and prayer for us and all of the ministries of SERVE India! We will serve a delicious Indian meal (other food, too, in case you are not a fan of Indian food) and the team will share pictures and stories from our trip this past January. Please come if you can! Please RSVP so we will know how much food we will need by replying to this email. Thanks!
I just talked to John last night, it is heating up there! It was 10am and already 90O!
Here are some prayer requests and then another team member’s thoughts from our trip:

Please pray that the papers John submits today or tomorrow for the Teacher Training School will be accepted with time before he leaves to set some things in motion so they can be worked on while he is gone.

Continue to pray for the families who are at this time planning to work for the Teacher Training School as managers and administrators as they make plans to move to the area… the timing is challenging!

Please pray that the Lord’s plan will be clear in how He wants us (especially me) to be involved with
1) the International Students at UWRF (this semester there are 15 students from all over India!!!)
2) the possible partnering with UWRF in bringing US students to India to teach in an Conversational English or Business English 3-week program that we could run in our city there.
Please pray for the many international students who heard the gospel for the first time this past Easter Sunday when they were invited by their host families to attend church, yay!!

Please continue to pray for our 200 Pastors and all their congregations, for the widows, children, and those in the leprosy communities, for protection and the provision for any needs they have, and for them to be growing vibrantly in their faith and making more disciples!

Please pray for the preparation of all we want to share at our SERVE India Appreciation Dinner coming up Sunday, May 1st, 4-6pm at FCC…

Hope you can all come! Thank you SO much for your faithful prayer!!!!
His joy, Much love,
The Nanda’s J

Thoughts from Rick:
The first thought that I think of with my 12th year of going to India is Relationships. It is so wonderful to return each year and see a lot of the same people wherever we go. The Pastors, the lepers, the orphans. What really made me realize the importance of these relationships was the last day in Visak we were going to fly out later in the afternoon. With the big group we had we would have had to make a couple trips with the van to go and see the widows at the widow’s home. Brad and I thought we would not go so the newer people would have a chance to visit them, and to make one trip instead of two as to save time preparing to get to the airport on time. Upon their return from the widow’s home, John told us the first thing widows asked was ‘Where are Rick & Brad?’ Then I felt bad for not going. I put up a different agenda before the widows. It made me realize the importance of these relationships.

Another highlight: At the Pastor’s conference, one of Pastor Tim’s messages was from Ephesians 2:1-13, on the attribute of Grace. Grace teaches us to do good works, to serve in love to others. Our acts are a response to God’s Grace on us. On a 2 hour train ride, I ended up in a compartment with Indian people, Hindus and Muslims, and none of my team mates. My first thoughts were that it was going to be a long boring ride with no one to talk to. As it turned out the Indians spoke broken English. I shared my photo book with them. They loved the sweet and spicy trail mix. The time went by so fast. I ended up having great conversations with them. 2 of them were Muslims traveling with a group of 13 Muslims travelling together. I told them about what we do as a group and we do this because of what Jesus did, because of Grace. He puts it on our hearts to do this. They listened and acknowledged what I was saying. It was cool because we listened to each other and understood each other for who we are. No media to sway us a certain way. We had a great time together.

So I think of all the small conversations, the non verbal acts of love and caring, that all of us do there. I often think of what or where these conversations go with these people? Sometimes I feel what I do there seems insignificant. Then I know that we go and do what God calls us to do, and his Grace will take care of the rest.

Please continue to pray for the people in India, John and the Pastors, and the people in this story. Thank you for all the prayers while we were there.