FINAL REFLECTIONS ON THE TRIP

The final post on the blog is the thoughts of each member of the team of the trip

Sharmaine

In my role as team leader I could not have been blessed with a better team. They encouraged each other, comforted when it was required and all had their own role. Brian was the childminder and the children adored him. Brian also brought wisdom and discernment.
Ishbel was the prayer intercessor
John had the responsibility of updating the blog and gave words of encouragement to the staff at the Purnata Bhaven project. He also made us laugh.
David, along with John worked on the blog and saw to the travel arrangements.
Sandra, she came alongside the children in the each of the projects and church.
Finally, myself Sharmaine.
I prayed for my team bonding and for the projects and many other things.
Therefore, I feel I had many blessings from my first trip.
However, one thing will stand out and that was the humbleness of the people and their thirst for God. I do not think I could convey the privilege and honour it was for me to be able to pray over the people God put in front of us. I came away finding that my faith in God has been taken to a new level because of the Indian people’s lack of Western needs and love for God and desire to serve and honour Him.
Adam & Jo’s warm hospitality and thoughtfulness made this truly a memorable stay. God’s hand from start to finish was amazing and we could not have achieved any of it without his Holy Spirit direction and prompting.




David

The whole trip has been superb. The team have got on really well and kept healthy whilst God has used us to His glory, as we have been able to listen and to pray with folks that we have met. Adam & Jo have been such a pleasure to be with as we have been taken about and also whilst we have been at their home. I’m sure all the team would say that this trip has been an unbelievable , humbling and life changingexperience and one that they will never forget.





Sandra

The whole trip has been a great experience for me. I have loved every minute. God is good. He has used “my eyes to see how others” live, which I hope and pray He will continue to guide me through my life and use this wonderful time to bless others in the future. I have taken this as a learning curve for me.
I have enjoyed so much spending time with Adam & Jo and the children it has been such a pleasure I will never forget them. They will always be with me in my prayers and blessings.





Ishbel

What an experience on this India trip. Adam & Jo’s hospitality was absolutely superb. I have seen God move in a miraculous way in a Hindi speaking church and even though we could not understand the language, the presence of the Holy Spirit was very tangible. There are too many amazing things that I have seen to enhance my experience but the Lord has also worked in me personally and I know I will be coming home a changed person. The team were all incredible and we all bonded really well.




Brian

The time in India went nothing like I thought it would. Jo and Adam never went out themselves (editor – in spite of many requests to do so!) – enjoying our company too much they said. Saw God move miraculously in a Hindi speaking church. Got a more hands on physical overview of Adam’s work, which was great. All in all a blessing.





John

Visiting Adam, Jo and the kids in India has been absolutely fantastic. It was brilliant to be so at home with them in this foreign land. I have been truly overwhelmed by the work Adam and Jo are involved in within the local Hindi speaking population. God is the central focus of all the projects visited in which His love is so apparent and His presence so tangible. So humbling, deeply emotional and character building stuff. I want God to help me bless others through all these experiences, now and in the future. Can’t wait to see you Adam, Jo and co again. Thank you to God for taking the six of us to India to witness your Kingdom at work and calling us to be part of it. Amazing and unforgettable

FUNNY SIDE OF LIFE

It is almost inevitable that you when you get four men together there will be a certain amount of mucking about. It seemed that on the trip Adam & John were usually to be found at the centre of such events.

I maybe wrong here but Adam came out just on top in the silliness stakes.
John did lose at the game of "mercy" however he did manage to throw a small ball of paper into Adam's mouth from a distance of four feet. Adam was however complaining that John closed his mouth when a prior throw seemed certain to go in. The loser had to pick up all the pieces on the floor which Adam did not like doing but I guess was better than a verbal volley from Jo!

Here are some pictures of the more silly events on the trip





One for the ladies!!

These are eggs are being carried!

Ishbel striking a very scary pose here

I thought Jesus was a carpenter not a tyre distributor

Adam is driving the motorbike whilst taking this picture! Since John has no dependents(other than his cat he adds he does not have the helmet)

Don' t worry Adam did not close his mouth on the cricket

Thursday

This was a planned rest day as we had to pack up and then we went to Thane’s main shopping area for a final shop.

After some tea we said our goodbyes to Adam and Jo and then we travelled back to the airport (largely uneventful from a traffic view for a change!) for our Friday 2:40am flight to Heathrow and subsequent connection back to Glasgow.

Wednesday

Today we visited where Adam spends most of his time at Jeevan Sahara Kendra(JSK). This project caters for people who are positive with HIV and require medical treatment. We first had a time of praise and worship and then we all shared about how God had brought us to the place to where we are at either in Glasgow or Thane)

Adam then gave us a presentation about the work of JSK and how during treatment they seek to show God’s love to these people through practical help and also to take the opportunity to pray with them. They also put them in touch with a local church who is then about to come alongside them and are an ongoing source of support.

After some lunch we returned to the JSK offices where we took the opportunity to pray for different members about the work that they do and also any prayer requests that they may have.

Adam then took us to Lok Hospital (run by Bethany Trust) where we were able to see a hospital that funds care to people who have no money to pay for their treatment with those that can. It trades on the fact that its staff provide that best treatment in the area without the fear of having to bribe the doctor or pay for treatment that is not necessarily needed that, it is alleged, may be the case in the state sector.
We saw the labour ward where Freya (Adam’s youngest child) was born and also where Ishbel had a CT scan!

Our final activity of the day was to go to a house where we were able to have a cup of chai (milky tea). This was quite an experience in that the house was in an “official” slum and was no more than 10ft square. To get there took us through the slums and avoid children, dogs and pigs in the road. The house had no running water but had electricity and small gas cooking facility. It was heartbreaking to see that just after David presented the two children (who have nothing) with a bag of sweets containing four lollipops, the boy took one of them out and gave it to his best friend. A humbling experience indeed.