Chris's final thoughts

It's hard to believe that it's Sunday early morning, and Bekah and I are once again home in Conestoga, PA! Wow, what a wonderful 3 weeks this has been! (You will be receiving Bekah's reflections once she wakes up!)

As we left the rest of the team and our Indian friends on Tuesday, there were certainly "teary" good-bye's. Our time in India was a "leg" of our journey that Bekah was most apprehensive about, because of talk of uprisings, needed security, etc. However, our hosts provided for us in so many special ways. Rather than apprehension, we felt safe, secure and much love. These wonderful friends went out of their way to make our stay delightful and fruitful. It's amazing how connected one becomes after just one week of crossing paths, spending time together, etc. even when there is a language barrier. Bekah shared her "i-pod" with some of her new friends, which was quite a hit! We found much joy in the simple things of life that we certainly take for granted here in North America.
You will receive another wonderful perspective of the India portion of our trip from Ken H's blog at: http://www.kohconsulting.blogspot.com/


Our flight to London was uneventful, and when landing at Hethrow, we traveled the "tube" to our destination. We met Val at a station north of Central London. We got our exercise for the day as we maneuvered our luggage up and down steps, changing trains, etc. We reached our hotel after being en route for well over 24 hours. We had a short time to freshen up, and then went meet with our London team. The team had prepared a wonderful lunch for us, and we spent the afternoon together catching up, talking "shop", etc. We spent some time in the city Wed. evening with Carmen and Val, which was a delight. The city is beginning to look alot like Christmas! (The 50+ degree temperature drop to this part of the world was quite a shock to our systems!)

I met with each of our team members spanning the next 2 days, intermixed with time in the city. We made amazingly efficient use of our time, using every moment to capture what we could building relationships with team members, and spending a bit of time in the city. London is a wonderful place! We literally only had 1 full day and 2 partial days in this great city with so much to accomplish. I was thinking I would take Bekah to the Tower Bridge on Thursday eve., as it is a beautiful sight at night. However, Carmen and Val were planning to attend a Christian/Muslim debate regarding "Who is Jesus?" ---Bekah was very interested in this, and chose the debate over a "night on the town"! She was engaged, taking notes, and formulating her own "comebacks" as we witnessed this great event. We turned in for the night at about 1 am.

We did think of the rest of our team in India often each day, praying that they were enjoying the final leg of their journey together. It was neat to see Bekah sharing pics of our Thai and India adventures with members of the London team. I could see the "thread" of love, relationship, and passion flowing and the receptivity of our "Londoners" to hear these wonderful stories of others, with whom they share a broader vision and passion.

What a perspective we were able to gain, engaging in these 3 very different locations in a matter of 3 weeks! I am in awe of God's wonderful design of humanity, culture, nature, and love. Each location was very different, yet, we quickly found ourselves emmersed in fantastic cultures, customs, and personalities. It has been a privelege to connect with you as we've traveled and engaged at this awesome locations. I pray that there will be amazing eternal fruit in abundance in each of these strategic nations.

With thanks,
Chris

London & Home at Last!

On wednesday morining, after a 12 hour wait in dehli, and a 9 and a half hour plane ride we arrived in London. After grabbing our bags, and getting through security we headed to the tube (same thing as a subway). After about a 40 minute ride, we drug our bags up about 3 or 4 flights of steps and met Val at the corner of a street. We walked about ten minutes to our hotel. We had enough time to grab a quick shower and then we had to go the the London team meeting. It sure was nice to eat some good American food for once! After the meeting, mom had a seprate meeting with Jay and Judy, and then with Chad and Beth. I hung out with Val and Carmen and watched Jesse (chad and beths son) After all the meetings were over, we had a night on the town with Carmen and Val.

On Thursday, mom had a meeting with Jay early that morning. I decided to stay back at the hotel and sleep. At around 2pm, we headed out and went to covent gardens to do some shopping at the market. At around five we met Carmen for dinner, and then went to a debate between a muslum and a christian guy. It was about "is Jesus a prophet or the divine Son of God? The muslum man was not very convincing. I could have debated him myself!

On Friday, we got up and met Val to go see Big Ben and have lunch. Before we knew it, it was around 1:30 and time to go back to the hotel, and then to the airport. After an 8 hour flight, we were finally in America again! We met dad and were on our way home. We arrived at our house around 130 am on Saturday morning.

It was such a great exprericance to see all of these countries, and to live like they do for a few weeks. But its good to me home! You will receive another interesting perspective of the India portion of our trip from Ken H's blog at: http://www.kohconsulting.blogspot.com/

Thanks for you prayers and thoughts about us. God really protected us on this trip.

~bekah

tuesday- leaving india

today we got up and had breakfast a Bijoy's house. we said our goodbyes to cossa and went to the silver store. then everyone on the team plus Duna, Bijoy and Manju took us to the airport. we checked our backs, got our boarding passes, and said our goodbyes to everyone. then we had to catch a flight from orissa to delhi. when we arrived at delhi airport (around 430 pm) we had nothing to do but sit around until 330 am when our flight left. wow, talk about boring! when the flight finally left we had about 9 and a half hours until london.

~bekah

west bangal_ saturday-sunday-monday

on saturday we drove from orissa to west bangal. it was a four hour drive and we squished 9 people in our car with barely any AC! wow i have no idea how i survived that one but i did. we got to our hotel and got settled in. we got there around 5:30ish and didnt have anything planned for the day so we walked down to the sea and took some pictures, some of us splashed around in the water a little bit. indian people dont eat dinner until atleast 8:30, normally around 9 or 9:30, so my mom and i went back to our room and i fell asleep on the very hard bed we had (i think i'd rather sleep on carpet than this) then there was dinner and we did some shopping on the so called "boardwalk" of this area sunday morning we got up and drove two hours on exptremely bumpy roads to a church in one of the villages in west bangal. We had to drive down a very long dirt road (about 6 km), and when we arrived people were there waiting, dancing and singing on the road just for us!! we walked down this long path and then we got to the meeting area. they had set up a whole stand and mic system just for us. there was a big service (FOUR messages!) and lunch. After lunch, we were watching the women and men do a tribal dance, and then they pulled us in to try it! We took some pictures and then we we left. that was basically it for the day. -- pictures to follow, when we have better internet capabilities. on monday we got up and had breakfast and then got on our way back to orissa, we stopped on the way back for some lunch and some shopping and then came back to the guest house in orissa. then we had dinner. cossa (our cook/house keeper) is a beautition and has a friend who does henna. so we decided that were all going to get henna tattos. they are all georgeouse. this guy is amazing all the ladies did it accept my mom we leave for london tomorrow and then for home in a few days, thanks for all your prayers and thoughts ~bekah

Cuttack-Thursday-Friday

Hi Everyone! In Cuttack right now, and we are not permitted to go out and about at all. We're riding in a jeep with blackened windows, and we are staying in an undisclosed location. Ken H. said this is the first time he's been in India that he hasn't been given a full set of keys to the building we're staying in. We're pad-locked in! There is still violence around, but as long as we follow the rules, we're safe. One of the workers wanted to take Bekah on her motorbike, but could not, as a white face in sight would not be good for us or our indian friends. We are safe, but we must be very careful ! We're having a much scaled down "prayer meeting" to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Orissa church. (they're allowed to have a "prayer meeting", but can't call it a service or celebration!!) We gathered all day yesterday, and we'll gather again today to "celebrate". There are about 50 pastors and church leaders present during the day for meetings and teaching. (A large gathering like was originally planned for the celebration would have attracted too much attention, as they were hoping to have at least 1,000 present) Last night (Thurs) and tonight, there is a cultural program, with singing, preaching, and drama that is used as an evangelistic tool in the villages. We are hearing that it's highly effective, and used throughout the villages here in Orissa. Our BIC churches here in Orissa are effective at evangelism and church planting in an amazing way! They courageously present the gospel, and people are coming to Christ. The cost is high, but they continue to spread the Word of God. Tomorrow (Saturday) we will travel to Balasor, which is north of here (a few hours drive by jeep). This area should be a bit safer, and hopefully we can be in public! The following day, we will cross over into the state of West Bengal to visit churches and will be in Kakrajeet for a service there on Sunday. The girls hostel that was destroyed here in Orissa is in despirate need of being re-built. Everything was lost. The girls are being housed with relatives, but they are despirate to begin their studies once again. WE heard a testimony last night from a man who partners with his wife as the leaders at the hostel. His story of what happened the day the hostel was attacked was heart gripping. It's staggering to hear these stories face-to-face! WE look forward to our gatherings today, as we connent, encourage and bless those around us. They have all been an incredible inspiriation to us! Thanks for your partnership and prayers, Chris and Bekah

India at Last!

Hello family and friends!

TUESDAY, Nov 4th--Wow, after a restful afternoon at the "Novetel" (airport hotel in Bangkok), we headed back to Bangkok airport to board our flight. We arrived in Dehli at about 11 pm; our good friend Ken Hoke was there waiting for us. (His dear wife Carol was waiting for us to arrive that morning, as they never got the message that our flight was cancelled!!--I think I owe Carol a BIG chocolate sundae or something--she waited a long time for our flight that never arrived)

Ken is very versed in the Hindi language, so had a driver waiting to take us to our hotel, where the rest of the Pastor's Vision Trip Team was--all tucked in bed for the night. We got there at about 12:30 am, and we discovered that they didn't have a reservation for us and the hotel was FULL! So, we bunked with Carol--now I owe her 2 sundae's--and Ken moved in with another guy on the team.
Rule #1 on a mission's trip--flexability is key
Rule #2-change is expected!
Rule #3--Follow Rules 1 & 2!!!

On Wed am --Nov 5th-- we as a group of 7, traveled back to Dehli airport to fly to Bhubaneswar, and then an hour drive to Cuttack, where some of our BIC churches are located. As you may know, this is the window in our trip where there has been much violence in previous weeks. We are safe here in Cuttack, staying with friends, but we must be careful what we do. We can ride in jeeps with blackened windows, and stay inside the building where we're residing. We are not able to walk around outdoors at all. This is best for our safety and for those around us.

Last night, we went to a program at the Zion Boy's Hostel here in Cuttack. This is a hostel that houses 65 boys, grades 8, 9, 10. They put on a program of singing and drama for us--we had a great time! Unfortunately I don't have access to my computer to post pics, but I will hope to add those in a few days. We were also privilaged to hand out "Christmas" gifts to the boys....You should have seen their faces---so delighted to receive a new pair of jeans and a tee shirt! Amazing!

Over night, Bekah, Carol and I were startled from sleep from a very large crash outside our window. We were a bit tense, from all the talk of needing to stay safe, etc. We found out this morning that some locals had dumped a load of bricks right outside our window ---why they needed to do that at 4 am, I'm not sure!!! WE've had a good laugh over that today.

Today (thursday the 6th), we attended a service where I was able to share some words of encouragement to many pastors and church leaders. Tonight and tomorrow we will also attend gatherings here.

Bekah is once again adapting very well to her surroundings--I know this is an answer to your prayers. She was very blessed at the hostel program--being able to interact with the students and helping to hand out their Christmas presents. When we were ready to leave the hostel for the evening, every boy shook our hands, kissed their hand and touched our feet. This is a sign of honor and respect. What a humbling thing! We will see the boys again tomorrow night as part of our program.

We will be in several locations in India over the next days, and then on the 12th
(3 am), Bekah and I will fly to London. We'll be spending a couple of days with our London team. We return to Dulles Airport in DC in the evening of the 14th.

Pray for strength, rest and endurance, as we've been on the road for 2 weeks now. God is sustaining us very well, but I can tell that the travel, heat, and emotion of our days is adding up. We've seen much, have interacted with many, and are enjoying every minute of it, though some of the conditions we see are very difficult. I'm so thankful for this experience for Bekah and I to experience together.

I'm grateful for the time I'm able to spend with our teams and individuals who are serving with BICWM. WE are blessed with an amazing and gifted group of leaders, pastors and teachers. I'm humbled to serve with them.

As I said, pictures to follow as we have access to technology to do so.

Many blessings to each of you--thank you for tracking with us, and for your thoughts and prayers...
until next time!

Chris and Bekah

november 4_ our flight was cancelled!

well today we were supposed to fly out to india, but that didnt happen. we got to the airport at around 4 am when we tried to check in the lady said our flight was cancelled and they booked us for the next flight out tomorrow morning. but we have a flight out of delhi tomorrow morning! so they booked us for a flight tonight. after we got everything figured out we went to see lynn and amy off. be sure to keep them in your prayers as they travel home. after this we found out we got a free room and free breakfast and lunch at a very expensive hotel. as of right now were just relaxing in the hotel waiting for time to pass. we fly into india at around 10 pm.
~bekah