India Day January 30 and January 31 (all jumbled together)
 
A big bang, souting, and loud voices interrupted my sound sleep (again!). I looked at my travel alarm: 4:00 AM. So what is going on? I had to know. My second floor hotel room with large windows overlooks a very busy street – so I stumbled out of bed. About 20 young men were standing in the middle of the road, a car had run into into the cement center divider and knocked it down, more cars and motorcycles were stopping. And then in about 5 minutes everyone dispersed. The driver drove away, so evidently he was not hurt badly. Thank goodness.
 
Earlier in the evening I had been using the computer cable connection (they never did get the wireless connection working correctly) in the front office and I had seen the sign that a police/security unity had an office in the front portion of the garage underneath the hotel, and when I came in tonight two of the security guards came to talk to me and said they were hired to be here 24/7. So I was glad that I knew if there was a big problem, either they or God and probably both would be taking care of it.
 
And now Sunday morning, January 31, at 5:00 AM I cannot go back to sleep. IT IS OUR LAST DAY IN INDIA. My mind is racing with what I have seen and heard, people we have met, things we want and need to do to help the ministries and friends we are leaving behind. What we would do differently next time, etc. etc. I am afraid that if I don’t get time for some journaling and note-taking soon, everything will become jumbled together in my mind.
 
Saturday morning we visited briefly with Aneesh and Shanti Daniel and their two young sons. They brought us a package of Lotus Leaves – part of the wedding ceremony that also become plates you eat off of for a very big function. They are beautiful and fragile, so I am letting Lauren take them in her suitcase. She is the big Veg Indian food lover and has bought dozens of specialty India spices to carry home with her. We learned that Shanti’s father had actually been stung by more than 1000 bees, but thanks to your prayers, he is recovering faster than the doctor’s had anticipated. He is now able to be up and walking around.
 
At 12:45 PM our driver came and we picked up Nicole and Sumeet for our last day together. We had a wonderful India buffet lunch (both veg and nonveg, which I learned from Nicole you can tell which is which by whether the food dish name is written in green ink or red ink on the description card).
 
Sumeet’s prayer Friday night (in Hindi) for the boys at Ayusha Nilayam was a very touching commitment of the boys to God for His protection and provision for the orphanage and each of the boys, Arun told me tonight. He also said that the boys got up saying they loved “progressive parties” and wanted to do it again!
 
Nicole, Sumeet, Lauren, Junior and I went to the Exhibition -- a huge type of flee market/fair which comes to Hyderabad every January -- to mingle with and prayer walk through the thousands and thousands of vendors and India people shopping. I tried my hand one more time and bargaining for a few trinkets to take home (my weakness is purses, bags, and mobile phone cases, also their beautiful table runners and cloths). Of course since I am the obvious blonde American, and respected grandma of the group, we always draw a crowd of people wanting to practice their English and asking: “where are you from, mam?”
 
My India cell phone rang all afternoon from friends wanting to know when we would be free so they could come by and say their goodbyes. I guess that is all we will be doing between 3:30-9:30 pm Sunday (today) before we load up to head for the airport.
 
Arun came to our hotel room from 8:30-10:30 pm Saturday night to discuss his visions and plans for his “Bridge of Hope” – (1) the boys home/ Ayusha Nilayam, (2) for his work with the boy’s sisters in supporting their education, (3) and in caring for the widow mothers, many of whom are HIV positive. I was delighted to be able to give him the $2,500 dollars that have been given for the boys. However, it is but a drop in the bucket towards what is needed to care for 19 boys. It costs an average of $50 a month to support each child and cover the expenses of food, shelter, education, clothes, etc. We are starting a fundraising campaign and asking God (Jehovah Jirah) to provide funds for both a large minivan type auto and a larger house. Arun said that I was the first American he met and WIN India through Island Church is the ONLY American group to offer consistent support for the children. There are some India groups that offer some help throughout the year with clothes, some meals, etc.
 
Today, Sunday, was our long drive out to Olive Church 1 – the church we helped to build and dedicate. About 75-100 were there, many traveling long distances to attend this village church. Again I could not contain the tears and move of the Spirit when we all sang and praised God with a song I am even learning in Telegu: “Allelujah! Allelujah! Allelujah!” Their heartfelt melodies of praise, accompanied only by 1 electric guitar, 1 tamborine, and 1 set of bongo drums can outdo any worship team that tries to prove worship by fancy guitars, basses, and keyboards. The poor Christian people of India certainly know more than we do about laying up their treasure in heaven – and how God inhabits the praises of his people. It was also communion Sunday – the first one we have shared here in India. What a treat as everyone kneels to receive the bread and the cup and as one family in Christ, we all wait and partake together.
 
It is now kneels to receive the bread and the cup and as one family in Christ, we all wait and partake together.
 
It is now 4:30 pm Sunday in Hyderabad. We are almost all packed. We will take one more shower, and then start receiving guests to say goodbye. At 9:30 pm we leave for the airport (approximately 1 hour outside the city).  Our Lufthansa flight leaves at 2:10 am to Frankfurt. (yikes, I saw on CNN that they are having a snowstorm. Please pray that the airport runways will be open and cleared so we can land and take off.  Then we will part ways as Lauren and Junior head for their Miami flight which leaves approximately 20 minutes before mine leaves for Seattle.
 
It has been an amazing trip. We have only been able to give you the tip of the stories that we have seen and heard about – so if you’re not bored, stay tuned. There will undoubtedly be a few more emails as we remember all that we have experienced on this journey to be God’s hands and feet.
 
Thanks so much for all you have done to make it possible.
 
A very happy, humbled, and tired servant,
Elaine Wright Colvin

India Last Day, February 1, 2010
 
Onboard Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Seattle (after two 9-hour plus flights, delays at both airports because of security lines (over an hour in Frankfurt) needing to completely de-ice the plane due to the following snow – I am so ready to get off this plane and take a hot shower.
 
Sorry about the delay in sending the previous email to you. There was no internet connection to Internet Explorer either on Saturday night or all day Sunday at our hotel, and even the Internet station we always use at the new Hyderabad airport was down – so thus it was all out of our control.
 
We barely made it through Sunday – Lauren was at the edge of her endurance with severe leg pains; Junior is still fighting a bad cold and allergies, and I am just tired from lack of sleep and so much more that I would have liked to do, but there simply weren’t enough hours in our day.
 
Sam and Stella came to the hotel and brought me a beautiful saree and we got to share a good couple of hours about how God is leading their family ministry with Stella’s mom and Stella’s brother and sister in law.  This is a very talented and committed family sold out to making a difference in India. Pray for Stella as she completes her first CD of original worship songs; also as she leads neighborhood children in weekly Bible studies and Christian character sessions. Sam has a very influential new government job as a consultant advising Christian NGOs in navigating all the rules and regulations to work in India.  And on top of that is their weekly training of Village Pastors who travel many hours to come in from the villages to Bible Study and Prayer meeting.
 
They left in time for us to close our suitcase and get them ready for the hotel boys to start taking downstairs – then Aneesh and Shanti and their 2 boys arrived; shortly after Nicole and Sumeet arrived having returned from their evening church service.  And there were the farewell “Have a Happy Journey” phone calls from Arun and also from Pastor Dhanraj.
 
Moshin, our driver and Aneesh loaded the Toyota minivan (that has served us very well for the past 3 days on our long journeys). Yep, the turned up the back bench seat and got in the 7 large suitcases and 4 carry-ons – no small feat. We left for the airport at 10 pm – and Moshin wanted to know how soon we would be back. In typical India hotel fashion, all of the desk and hotel boys, the doorman, the men who are the parking attendants and the security guards all lined up at the bottom of the steps along the driveway to shake our hands and tell us goodbye. Our room made let us know that she is a Christian and asked for a small Bible. Unfortunately, we did not have any to give away this time – but we did give her other Christian gifts and a generous tip. Next time we will know that even in this Hindu hotel, God has his light that is shining.
 
I try to forget the unpleasantries of airports, pat down security checks, long long lines at radar machines, long-distance flying – 2 days in the air with many many many crying babies, the horrendous smells and other things, If I thought too long about them, I’d probably never want to travel again.
 
In India, every major store and restaurant has security patrol and a metal detector to walk through. Many have the additional body wand scan, and some road stops have bomb sniffing dogs that circle the car and smell the pants legs of the person sitting beside every door.
 
They are just serving lunch – 1 hour before we are to land in Seattle. But if I look at one more meal concocted with any kind of chicken, I may become one. It is easy for me to pass on this meal and wait for Bob to take me out for a hamburger on the way to the ferry.
 
What did we learn and accomplish on this trip? I haven’t had time to process it all and sort everything out yet. I do know:
1.        We have wonderful Christian friends and ministry partners in India.
2.        The needs are huge – and we can only meet one need at a time as God allows.
3.        Programs and Projects come and go, but God’s purposes will prevail.
4.        There will never be enough time or money to do it all.
5.        We must choose carefully our alliances and not spread ourselves so thin as to become ineffective.
6.        We must do more to understand India culture and their ways of thinking and ministry. We do not live in a “one size fits all” world.
7.        We must be diligent stewards of God’s money – there will never be enough, but when he puts an obvious need in our path, we must not just turn our heads and walk away. There are way too many scriptural admonitions to take care of the orphans, the widows, and the poor among us.
8.        Indian Christians often have a lot more teach us than we do to teach them. But God promises His Word will accomplish the purposes for which he has sent it. And we often saw where biblical truth told in new and fresh stories often brought and “ah ha” moment to seeking pastors and congregations.
9.        The apostles teach us the importance of being encouragers of the faith – to become a Barnabas to someone feeling completely alone in work and ministry. This I realize we can do – even when we can’t go to India. The all love email and facebook. If you want to be an email friend to one of our India partners, let me know which area you’re most interested in and I’ll see how I can connect you to be an encourager by sending scriptures and prayers and an encouraging word through emails.
10.        The old hymn “Little is much when God is in it” –nothing we do for the Lord is wasted or in vain.
 
There will probably be at least one more India email – as I recount praises and prayer requests. It was awesome and wonderful to go, but it is also very exciting to be coming home again.
 
I must warn you – when our next group goes to India, there are noises from many of our partners to come and stay in a Christian guest house for a month – so we can spend time going to the villages, putting on a writers workshop, a nurses conference, and a pastor’s conference. Start praying now as to what God would have your part be in helping WIN India spread Jesus love in the Hyderabad/Secunderabad areas of Andrah Pradesh.
 
And of course we have Sumeet and Nicole’s invitation to join them and Banyan Tree Counseling in what God is having them begin up north in the New Delhi area – that opens up a whole new world of possibilities and opportunities.
 
Where does God want you to make a difference?
 
Much love and thanks for the prayers,
 
Elaine Wright Colvin
 
ps. almost forgot to tell you my "divine appointment" story. on the last leg of the flight home from frankfurt to seattle, my seatmate was an indian gal, born and raised in vancouver, canada. she is Hindu but has been feeling strongly she wants to go to India in october or november to work at an orphanage or school with the children. she owns a spa here in seattle and had been to egypt on holiday. she promised to email or call and keep in touch. hmmm so the india mission field continues in my own back yard. pray for shae.