Latest text from team

hello everyone

the problems with the blog and the internet continue, perhaps this tells us something of life in India?!

the team have texted to say...

"Sophie and Pete and team [they have taken Katie and Martha who both wanted to visit Martin and Beena] arrived ok.  Went to meet some of the sunflower women in their homes in a slum then to a rich mall which was really hard for team.  Had great small group time.  God really breaking down walls and people starting to look at how they can live differently in light of what they have seen and heard.  Exciting times."

I am already excited about how they may live differently upon their return - Ian

Update from team on Friday 29 July

Hi all

Ian here again.  The team are still awaiting a working blog and internet.  The good news is Eleanor and Jordan have been able to text me (there is also a problem with calling) the following...

"Team asking some good questions. God working in them lots and hearts are changing.  Some hard but good challenges for them, they are doing fab.  We have nearly finished painting the dormitory in the younger boys home (Nb from Ian, this is a large room).  Have done interactive Bible studies with kids and games and leading devotions.

Jordan has a grazed eyeball due to a broom in the eye and is on eye drops every hour.  Should be okay by tomorrow.  Luckily the broom was hollow so no damage to pupil!"

Soph and Pete will have arrived overnight when the team awake in the morning (Saturday).

Ian

short update from Ian

Hello everyone

I have received a very brief text from Jordan - the blog and Internet are still down at the India end!

He says

"We are all well, God doing great things with team."

Hopefully a fuller update will follow shortly

Ian

Update from team

this message received from team on 26 July and posted by Ian Tilley...

We have arrived safely! 10 hours on a plane and we are still friends! We were blessed with a smooth journey and a huge smile from Martin at the airport, and challenged with a powercut that lasted until lunch time. Everyone is well and in one piece - although we are a little jet lagged! Some have attempted a shower whilst others are decided whether to go for a bucket or the duck-under-the-tap technique. We are meeting some of the kids this afternoon so prayer for that would be great! As we embark on a fortnight of curry eating, prayer for good health and a good nights sleep would also be appreciated. Thank you for all your encouragement and support so far, it has really motivated and reassured us :) 

Thank you! 

The Team & Project

The team this year is made up of ten youth and two leaders.  They introduce themselves over on their own posts... just select a name to find out a little more about them.

We will be heading out to Bethesda Life Centre  (BLC) to serve alongside them in the great work they are already doing.  BLC is a charity run by Martin & Beena Philip in Goa, India, working with women and children from many different and difficult backgrounds. They run three main projects, Rising Star (a school), Childrens Homes, & The Sunflower Project (A microfinance scheme). For more about the work they do, visit their website.  We will mostly be working in the Children's homes and the Rising Star School.

While we are there we will be getting involved with some practical work, some after school clubs and evening devotions in some of the children's homes.  

Going out to visit our friends out in Goa, transforms the lives of those who go, and opens up their hearts and minds to all God is doing in His world.  It shows them a different culture, lifestyle and challenges their way of thinking.  We hope that our team this year will grow in faith as they embark on this journey. 

Keep checking back for updates.  We hope to post at least once a day. 

Eleanor

Hi I'm Eleanor!

I grew up in Woking and was a part of the Re:route/root youth until I moved away to study Social Work. I've been living in Sheffield now for 8 years working with vulnerable young people as a project worker and also within the creative/design/retail industry.

I've been to India 3 times before to serve on the summer mission team and I am so excited to be going back for a 4th time leading a fantastic group of young people with my husband Jordan. It's been 5 years since I was last there and I'm super looking forward to returning to Bethesda Life Centre and seeing all that God is doing there.

Having served on the team before, I know just how valuable and life-changing being part of BLC's work is, and I can't wait to see how God is going to grow each one of us and teach us more about what it means to follow Him.

It's so encouraging to know that people back home are thinking about us and praying for us, please pray that God will protect us and give us strength and joy. Pray that we will recognise all He is doing and saying, and that everything we do will be for His glory.

Dan

Hey all!

I have been fortunate enough to volunteer in India once before with the youth mission team 2 years ago. With only 2 days to go until this years mission trip I cannot wait. I'm so excited to see what God has in store for the team and whatever it is, I'm pretty sure its going to be amazing.

I'd say the thing I'm most looking forward to is teaching but also learning more about my faith from the older boys. (will probably learn more than I can give because these kids are so amazing!) Personally I'd ask for people to pray that I would be able to rely on God, rather than trying to do everything myself as that's never going to work!

Bye for now, Dan

Josh

Hi I'm Josh, I'm 15 and this will be my first mission trip. My decision to go on mission came after what can only be described as 'God at Work', after months of prayer and God given me similar visions (mainly of children in areas of Asia and Africa) Sophie, without knowing about the visions, talked to me about applying for this mission trip, and here I am about to go of to India. God is great.

This trip wasn't going to come without problems that needed to be sorted through, one of them being my attendance of boarding school, but again God was there and I have been able to find ways of fundraising while I've been at school.

Looking forward to India next week, which I am very exited about, it only seems right to talk about prayer requests. Over the training weekend we thought about where our 'weaknesses' may be and what we need prayer for, for me those weaknesses can be found in my anxiousness, and I ask that if you can, please pray about this as this is one of the few things that I believe could ruin the trip for me. Please also pray for self-control, not just for myself but for the whole team; that we may be able to hold our tongue where it needs to be held and to try and be positive as much as we can.

Jack

<Insert Post about Jack>

Chris (is cool)

Hey there.... Turns out there was a blog! Well I'm in India right now and it's awesomeeeeee ,love the curry and the peeps here. My job on mission is to sing as much as I can until people get angry with me and to keep spirits high , see u soon !!!!

Pete K

<Insert Post about Pete K>

Sam

Hey guys, I'm really looking forward to summer missions this year as I firmly believe it is such a great opportunity not only to strengthen my own faith but also get alongside the kids and have fun with them. 2 years ago I was amazed at how something as simple as football could break down language and cultural barriers between a group of teenage boys so hopefully we will not only be able to do that again but also look for other ways to connect. This year is slightly different than the last time I went. In 2014, I was young and probably very out of my depth, however this year I look forward to being a bit more involved with the team and hopefully building new and strengthening existing relationships there. I don't feel too worried about anything in particular but I think I would like prayer for being culturally aware and knowing my boundaries.

Jordan

Hi Everyone,

I'm Jordan, I'm originally from the Midlands, born and bred in Walsall near Birmingham. I moved up to Sheffield to go to University when I was 18 and met my beautiful wife Eleanor through the church we both went to.

This is my first time going to India and ever since I have met Eleanor she has always told me about how great Goa is and the amazing work of Bethesda Life Centre where we are going to serve. Over the years we have felt God calling us to be a part of this together and I am excited to be serving Gods Kingdom in this way. I am most looking forward to seeing what God is doing with his people in India, what we can learn from that and the relationships we will build whilst there.

I know God is going to do new things with all of us as a team, and I am reminded of the verse in Ephesians which says 'He is able to do immeasurably more than all we can expect or imagine'. This is definitely a time when we will be changed by Him and I am excited to see what God does with each and every one of the team.

Please pray that we are open to what the Lord has for us, that we go with a humble attitude to learn and serve and that He would protect us from harm.

Most importantly... I can't wait for the Curry!

Olivia

Hi, I’m Olivia. I’m 18 and this will be my first time going to India. As someone who has never done anything like this before, I am both very excited and a little anxious about my time at BLC (but mostly excited!). I cannot wait to meet all the kids and do our Father’s work through serving them and I’m really eager to get out there and see all that God is doing for everyone at BLC. I’m definitely a little apprehensive about being overwhelmed by the difference in cultures and getting enough sleep in the hot and humid weather, so prayer for peace of mind and being able to adapt to the new environment will be gratefully received! I really hope you enjoy reading all about God’s work at BLC and our time serving in India over the next couple of weeks!

Robyn

Hi everyone! I'm Robyn! I'm 18 and this is the very beginning of my post-college gap year. 3 days... 3 days until we arrvie in Goa, 3 days until I experience the totally different culture for the first time, 3 days until I meet lots. of new people and 3 days until I start eating a whole lot of curry! I can't wait to meet all the amazing people at BLC - it's probably the thing I'm most looking forward to! Having never stepped into anywhere like India before, I'd say being apprehensive about the trip is an understatement so prayer for peace of mind would be much appreciated. I can't wait to see what God is going to do in me during our time in India and I pray that my faith with become stronger, especially if/when it is tested. That's about it for now - here's to the start of a whole new journey with our Father!

Anna

Hi,

I'm Anna and I'm 18. This is my 4th time going to BLC and I'm so excited about going back and see all the kids again. I'm also really looking forward to hearing and seeing about how BLC has developed and how the children have grown over the past 2 years. I would really appreciate prayer for good health while we are out in India and a sense of peace in every situation.

Becky

Hi, I'm Becky, I'm 18, I've just finished college and this will be my first time going to India. With less than a week to go before we set off on this journey, so many thoughts are rushing through my head. Firstly, "oh my gosh, I'm going to India" is quite a prominent one! For someone who has never travelled out of Europe before, the idea of India is, I suppose you could say, exotic! Secondly, "oh my gosh, I'm going to India?" (said in a slightly more high pitched tone with emphasis on the question mark at the end) pretty much sums up how the past few days have felt as the realisation slowly dawns upon me that we are actually going and it is no longer just small talk about how much you've raised or general questions about how you're feeling but the truth is you haven't really thought about it, cause life and in all honesty it feels like it's a thousand years away. And thirdly, "OH MY GOSH, I'M GOING TO INDIA!!!!!!!" (said in a slowish pace with the excitement building throughout- and yes all those exclamation marks are necessary) amongst everything else, all I feel is just pure excitement at the thought of two and a half weeks becoming a family with the team, growing in faith, meeting new people and serving for God's glory. I am slightly concerned about the heat and humidity, as what with England's most recent mini heatwave, I've kinda noticed that I, to put it nicely, wilt! So prayer for coping with the change in temperature and atmosphere would be greatly appreciated. Also just the whole concept of change is becoming a struggle with me and I know that after a few days of settling down, everything will feel somewhat 'normal', whatever normal is (it's a topic for another day, I know that much) so just prayer for settling in and getting adjusted to the change would also be fantastic! Anyways, that's all for now! I hope you enjoy reading the updates on this blog :)