India Trip, Day 7

Is there a chiropractor in the house??? The bumpy roads of India prompt the question. We drove 3.5 hours this morning over the bumpiest roads I believe I have ever traveled. I chose today to sit with the troublemakers in the back of the bus and found myself sitting over the rear axle, which by the way must be spring-loaded. We finally arrived a small church Leena started not long ago. These are very poor people whose limited income comes through picking out scraps from the trash heap to sell. ServeTrust provided rice, lentils, and vitamins for the children which we helped distribute.   The schedule for the week has been jam packed, usually rolling by 7:30 am and ending around 11 pm. Meals are optional in Leena's plan. There is just too much work to do!!!  We did, however decide to stop in a small village at a restaurant Leena thought safe for us to eat in. Bottled water...with sealed tops ( seems some like to reuse these bottles from time to time) is the only safe drinking water and food in the countryside cannot be trusted. Leena ordered what she thought to be safe for us and it was very good. As of 10:40 local time the team seems pretty healthy. Funny thing happened though when the brought our cokes to drink. They were already opened which seemed at first glance the hospitable thing to have done. Leena stopped us before a drink was taken; it seems a fairly common practice in the countryside to reuse the bottles. I suppose that's one way to recycle. One of our experienced world travelers said he noticed no carbonation, something I'll be looking for the rest of the trip.  

Surviving lunch, we headed to another of Leena's more recent ministries, near the edge of the forest.  It was not safe for us to go into the forest, so ServeTrust arranged for these folks to be bussed to a location close by.  We helped distribute soap and shampoo, rice and lentils to the children. These children were noticeably different from others we have seen. Their appearance was much more disheveled, and they sat expressionless for the most part. They have a very hard and dangerous existence and that burden seemed evident on their faces. They brightened considerably, however, when they were presented shoes. These wonderful gifts were adjustable, sandal-type shoes made specially to adjust as the children's feet grow.   One of our team members was moved to tears afterward speaking of the transformation in the children and the privilege he had to participate in it. They posed joyfully afterward, lifting their feet to the camera for pictures.

We then stopped on the way to another church to pray for the wife of one of Leena's pastors who has begun chemotherapy treatments. It was a moving moment of pastoral care as we prayed for her. A simple, directed moment of prayer, however, became a revival of sorts as people from the village heard we had come and surrounded our bus asking for prayer... Perhaps a glimpse of what happened to Jesus whenever he entered a village and was discovered by the people.

From there we traveled up a steep, cavernous (not too dramatic a term) road to a small village where we worshipped with the tribespeople. Their warmth and humble welcome was amazing. As we shared in prayer with them, they brought a man forward who told of being bitten by a cobra 4 days before. He showed the wound to his foot. The people had brought him to the church immediately and prayed through the night for him, and miraculously, he stood before us. 

The return to the hotel around 11 pm found weary but blessed travelers. What will tomorrow bring?

Jim Abernathy