Last Day In Chennai

The work is done. So much to tell but cannot right now. Off to St. Thomas Mount and a day in Chennai. Leave at midnight for London. Much to post later. Blessings!

Finally!!

Well we made it to Chennai about 24 hours later than planned. 2 of us had luggage that didn't make it so it will be here tomorrow morning . . . as I'm on the train up to K-Kota. Just can't seem to re-unite with my peanut butter!

One half of our team made it here about 12 hrs before us. All finally together and after a day of orientation ready to get to work. I'll travel tonight by train to the village and start teaching in the morning.

We've all learned the meaning of flexibily and waiting on Gods timing, so were glad to get to work now. I'll be "dark" electronically while in K-Kota but will be back on blog, Twitter, & FB when I get back to Chennai Friday morning.

Check out our teams blog as well at http://cbcindia2010team.blogspot.com

Pray for the work!

And Away We Go!

Well, it's here. I'm tired and excited and I didn't sleep well last night. I think my last supper at Del Pueblo didn't set well with my allergies. Or maybe it was just the cooler weather. All the same, it's probably better so I can sleep on the plane tonight.

In about 4 hours I will head to the airport to embark on my biggest adventure (well, not counting marriage . . . and parenthood . . . and youth ministry). About 2 am Houston time I will arrive in Frankfurt, scramble to catch the next 9 hour leg, and arrive in Chennai about midnight Sunday morning (11:30ish Saturday morning Houston time). Yep. Already lost a day.

So many people have graciously supported this chance in gifts and prayer, and I am deeply grateful to all of you who have invested in one way or another so I can have this opportunity. I look forward to what God is gonna do both in my own life and in the lives of the nationals we minister to in India.

This will be my last regular blog until I get back, unless-I have a machine I can update on in Chennai. We will have wifi so I can Twitter and Facebook, so periodically check my page out here and on FB to see if I've been able to have any activity. In the middle of the week I will not be able to have internet access but will be able to again when I get back to Chennai at the end of the week. The team in Chennai will have a blog of their own: cbcindia2010team.blogspot.com

Please pray for the many things we have talked about on this blog and in my prayer emails to you. Especially remember my family while I am gone.

I look forward to sharing with you everything that God does.

Peace of Christ.

The Crunch Is On

It's the last day before I leave and I'm scrambling trying to get everything done at TSMAC and home before I head out. I'm excited to see what God is going to do and how he is going to use me to help equip youth workers on the other side of the world.

Today's prayer focus is for the folks we are going to minister to and train. Part of our team will be out in local orphanages, schools, and hospitals ministering with drama, prayer, and service. Part of our team will be training leaders and educators at Hindustan Bible Institute in Chennai and working to update their network and training their tech guys as well. Another pastor and I will be travel to Kamavarapukota in the state of Andhra Pradesh to train pastors and youth workers. Pray for all these folks that we encounter to see the love of Christ if they do not know him. Pray for the folks at HBI that our help and training will be beneficial and equip them to good works for the body of Christ in India. Pray the same for the pastors and youth workers we will see upstate as well. Pray for our team to work and love each other as a team and we strive to be the hands and feet of Christ while we are there and for there to be no strife or division. Pray that we will be good witnesses everywhere we go. Pray for opportunities to share Christ to people we meet on the plane, in town, and during our travels.

Thank you all so much for sharing in this adventure with me! Talk to ya tomorrow!

Is It Time For Your Medication or Mine?

I took my first Malaria pill this morning. I hear that over time as you take them kinda mess with you, although the daily brand that I'm taking is a lot milder on your system than the weekly brand. I also just looked up Malaria on Wikipedia. Yeah, shouldn't have done that (don't look it up honey). I did read that India has done very well though at eradicating it more than alot of other countries. It's funny how this has been in the back of mind all morning instead of final prep work, to do lists, and work. The Enemy can get you side tracked and worried about nothing often.

So my prayer focus I'm asking you to join in today is for health issues. Not just protection from Malaria and other little mean parasites that prey on pasty white tourists, but other things that could be more damaging. Pray that my Diabetes stays regulated. Rice and chicken will be the staple where we are going, and rice is starchy and turns into glucose which can wreck havoc on a Diabetic system. Pray for some healthier alternatives if possible and for God to supernaturally oversee my circulatory system. Pray for sleep at night so I can stay healthy-it will be hard being 12 hours ahead on Houston time. Pray for protection from cold, sinus, and flu strains. Not good things to have in a foreign country unless you have an unhealthy obsession with quarantine.

I know I will be fine, God is going ahead of us on this trip and is in control. Continue to pray for peace of mind for Anna, Kelsey, and Ben while I am gone and for their safety in Houston as well. It's easy not to feel fully safe when Dad is gone. It will help having some family in for the week and good friends and neighbors right there.

I appreciate all the prayers-feelin' em! God is gracious!

JJ

You're Flying Over Where??!

That was my wife's reaction when I told her I traced out the flight pattern that we most likely will take this weekend when I fly to India. If I'm correct, it takes us over some of the more . . . interesting places in the Middle East and Asia. Houston to Frankfurt is a no-brainer. From Frankfurt, we should fly over such exotic ports o' call as Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Now I know we are in international airspace and will perfectly fine, but not much of a comfort to Anna until I get to Chennai and she hears from me. Add to that the fact that India is almost 12 hours ahead of Houston, and that makes it a long wait.

Which brings us to my prayer focus today: safety for our team. Pray for safe, uneventful flights to Chennai and on the way home as we stop-over in London. Pray for safety in Chennai for our team and in K-Kota where Steve Noris and I will be. Safety from harm, but also safety from fatigue, disease, sickness, pride, and attacks from the Enemy. Pray for peace of mind for our families and for them to feel God's goodness and presence during this time.

Thanks for all your prayers-I sure feel them!

Monday Before India

T-minus 4 days and counting until I leave for India. With a short week it's going to be hard to get everything done to take care of TSMAC and church stuff as well as family responsibilities before I go. Spending today getting last minute travel items as well as trying to enjoy at least part of the day as a Sabbath since it will be the last one for about 3 weeks. Still have to finish my last lesson for training as well.

Which brings us to todays prayer focus: Time. Pray that with time beginning to crunch I'll have enough to get everything done. That I'll be able to focus, prioritize and take care of things according to importance. It's really hitting me now that I really will be traveling all the way around the world into a vastly different culture than I've ever been in. Getting a little nervous and anxious. Starting tomorrow, 3 full days is not a of of time to get everything done, pack, and still spend generous amounts of time with Anna, Kels, and Ben. Pray that I will be able to make the most of these last 96 or so hours. And pray this for the other 7 members of the India team as well. Thanks.

Heading to the Far Side of the World

One week from tonight I will be arriving in Chennai, India on a mission trip to train Indian youth workers. I feel like a cross between Tully Mars in a Jimmy Buffett novel, Indiana Jones, and Hudson Taylor. (The latter being the only one non-ficticious.) But before I begin my trek to the Far Side of the World, I want to take the next few days to bring to mind some things to pray for as I get ready for this amazing adventure for which I am hugely grateful for to God and all of you who've helped me get this far.

Today the prayer focus is for the Bania people of the state of Andhra Pradesh. The Merchant Class of people. These are primarily the folks we will be ministering to in the area where I am going. Although we fly into Chennai, I will go with another pastor to a village in Andhra Pradesh to teach for the week at a local Bible Institute.

The Merchant Class run most of the business in India and is part of the Hindu and social caste system. The caste system include the very wealthy and prominent, the Brahman, all the way to the lowest, the Untouchables. Seldom does each caste class reach out to those in the caste systems below it. Merchants can become very self-sufficient and wealthy, money is their god. Their loyalty lies with the Hindu goddess who brings wealth.

Pray for the one true God to show the Merchant Class that only He can satisfy that longing of fulfillment they are trying to fill with wealth. Pray for the pastors and youth workers we will be training that they will have the skills and relationships they need to minister to the Bania.

My plan is to blog every day until I leave next Friday about a specific prayer need or fact of India. I am so excited to see what God is going to do. Check back here everyday through next Friday and please comment or shout out some prayers!