Bittersweet Endings

Hey everyone -

It was our last full day here at CEM. That was a realization with some mixed feelings as we sat at breakfast this morning. Most of us are looking forward to coming home to be with family and friends, but we are not looking forward to saying goodbye to our friends here. Most of us are veterans of multiple trips and we have made lifelong friendships that are so hard to step back from. The few rookies that we had have made some marvelous friendships as well and have integrated so seamlessly into the rhythm of life here that there's no doubt that we will see them again.

Okay, here are a few highlights: Jake, the youngest of the team did a great job at the morning chapel sharing his story with the kids. Being adopted himself, it was great to see how he connected with them on a more personal level. It's amazing how our sad stories can connect us on such a deep level. Jake's steadiness as he told the story put him among the pros!

Probably the most exciting event of the day was making history at CEM with the pouring of the foundation of the first building on the hospital property. Yeah - Jim and I were looking pretty smooth in the suits that Jaya had made for us! Fittingly, the first piling that was poured was at the far corner of the property, reminiscent of Christ being the stone that the builders rejected becoming the "chief cornerstone". This is a new milestone of the six-year-old dream that is being realize here. Donors and benefactors have given thousands of dollars and prayed a lot of prayers for this day! It was great to be a part of it!

The rest of the day was spent in the crush of last minute tasks, playing with the kids, and steeling ourselves for the goodbye tomorrow, which will be hard for all of us - even the ones planning to return in February. As for me, it's looking like a year before I can hope to be back. I'll leave you now, 'cuz I want to go and get my last intoxicating drink of the love that those kids have to give.

I'm not sure what our internet capability will be going forward - it's going to be pretty frantic tomorrow morning with the tearful goodbyes and all of the packing for the first leg of our trip home. Perhaps I'll get something in as a capstone once we return. Thanks for your continued prayers!

Chris

What's up America!!

It was another good day here (a little hot but good). My favorite part of the day is the walk to school. We start out in a very long line 2 or 3 wide and walk about a mile or so through town to drop off the kids. We step in the middle of them and they all want you to hold their hands. They try to teach you Telugu (the local language) all the way there. Everything you pass they give you the translation. They even translate the word for poop (they get a kick out of that one). The best part is when all 100 or so of us get to cross a very busy street with no stop signs or anything. When we get there they each want you to come in and see their classroom. The rooms are open with a few benches for the kids to sit on and not much else. There are no desks, just long benches. After leaving the lower grades at the school we walked back towards the campus and stopped at the high school. Some of the classrooms here did not even have benches, the kids were just sitting on the floor. We were able to play hangman (sort of) with the kids on the chalkboard, they love that one. One of the classes wanted me to read to them out of their books. The story was David and Goliath. As I read the story the kids would say that I was doing a good job. It was pretty funny to hear them say "super" and "good" at my reading skills.

Back at campus we finished the name tags with the smallest kids that are about 3.5 to 4 years old. We started them last night and let the little ones put stickers on them. For the bigger kids we passed out coloring books and crayons and they loved it. They all had a picture to show you. When we would walk in a room all the kids would hold up the picture they were coloring and say "sister, sister look!" They were so proud of them. It was great to see them so excited about such a simple thing.

We had a small glimpse of the kitchen that cooks for all 200 kids and staff for each meal of the day. It was pretty cool to see. The pantry, if you will, is a small cement room with all foods separated and in piles on the floor or shelves built into the wall. Walk through another door and you have a cement area with a few logs for the stove. There are only about 3 women who do the cooking for all each day. They are actually cooking most of the day. Once breakfast is over they start cooking lunch and when lunch is done they start on dinner. It was all pretty amazing. No Kenmore appliances here!!

Renee, Holly, Sarah, Greg, and I took a tour of the clinic today. 2 rooms with 6 beds each, there is also an operating room. Not exactly Beaumont. We were able to sit with a 12 year old boy with a very serious illness, his heart is too weak for him to carry his books. He stays in the clinic during the day while the other kids are at school. His name is Srinivas. We had some crafts for him to make and made him some balloon animals. He wanted a pink dog which is good cause the only animal I know how to make is the dog. Renee sat with him for at least 2 hours playing games and coloring.

The kids have just come back from school and some of the gang is on top of the roof throwing water balloons down on them. When they see you up on the room throwing stuff off it is like the Beatles have just stepped on the stage. I'm sure you can hear them for miles. I am going to head down there and get in on the action.

Thanks for listening,

Jill

Another Great Day!

Hey everyone! Chris here.

It was another fantastic day here on the CEM Campus. The team is really in the groove now and are churning out all sorts of activities for the JEMS and the Grace Children's Home kids. It was water balloon day on campus and we had all kinds of fun teaching them the water balloon toss! Some got it right away, and some warmed up to it more slowly; but I wonder if we had more fun watching the kids than they did playing the games!

It was another banner day on the hospital worksite as the first ground was broken for pilings that will begin the foundation for the physical plant at the back of property. This will eventually house the generator and provide storage for the entire facility. We will begin pouring the foundation on Thursday!

Greg, Jim and I visited another church this afternoon. It was a longer drive to this little village - about an hour - and ground travel in India is just as thrilling (and terrifying!) as I remembered it. Try to imagine being on a roller coaster with oncoming coasters on the same track and you'll get the idea! Nonetheless, it was great to see another community of hope and love growing under the care and leadership of Pastor Satish. It was a long drive back in the waning light of the day, but well worth the effort. We drove up on the hospital property as the MTS students let a hand putting the corrugated metal roof on the concrete storage house. It seems like the activity never stops!

This took a little doing, but the team got the name of every child and had them printed on their own notepads. They were given out at chapel tonight and it was awesome to see their faces as they realized that we knew their names! That is an absolutely precious thing to them. In the sometimes impersonal environment of an orphanage; for them to know that someone knows their name and cares enough to think ahead and plan something like this was the highlight of our visit for many. It was also a reminder that there is a God who loves them and knows their name as well.

Thanks for your continued prayers!

Chris

What a Day!

Jim here. I was planning on waiting to do my blog update until the end of the trip but with what transpired today I changed my mind (or Chris changed it for me).
The mayor of Dowlaiswaram shaking hands with me? What is that about? What it is about is a display of God at work forming relationships and bridging any cultural or religious divides. A meeting was held today with not only the mayor, but the entire city council consisting of 20 members. The purpose of the meeting was to acquire full city approval of both the construction and operation of the CEM Hospital, which will provide free health care to the poor. After some tense moments, we were able to secure a letter signed by the mayor and the council granting full approval. Ask for more details!



Speaking of hospitals....this is the site! Today we saw the first activity toward construction as the engineer and masons marked out the foundation and setbacks to begin digging the holes for the pilings tomorrow. This is a very exciting time for us as will finally be able to see the fruits of the generosity of so many committed to this project. This hospital will serve the community's poor by offering free health care to those who cannot afford it. Praise God!


And now I hand it over to Greg........'cause i'm tired!

Hey, Everybody. He shouldn't be tired. He got a nice little nap after his adventures with the city council. And, by the way, while he was napping the rest of the team ventured out to a little neighborhood church pastored by Prabakar Rao, a graduate of the seminary school at C.E.M. He and his wife Susilla are bringing Jesus to a little enclave about twenty minutes from Dowlaiswaram. This church was the real deal. Raw Christianity. Everyday about thirty to forty members meet to love God and love others in what amounts to a glorified hut. It was a privilege to pray and worship with these loving people. Chris was on fire with an improvisational teaching. We got to pray over many members of the congregation before we left. It was encouraging to see yet another example of how C.E.M. is impacting the people of India.



Earlier in the day we got to work with the JEMS kids. Sarah, Jill, Renee, and Holly organized a whole slew of activities for these precious, little ones. Most popular thus far was the making of artsy name tags by each kid. They love nothing more than to show you their names and have you repeat them back. We're getting pretty good at enunciating some crazy, long Indian names.

Well, that's it for today folks. This is Greg signing off.

Peace

Perspective from the Rookies (Part 2)

Hey there - Sarah here.


After visiting the market and attending church, the team spent some time playing with the children. I have to say, one child with lots of energy is enough to make you tired. Add to that 199 more and you have CEM. We played games, sang songs and passed out basketballs and kick balls. That went over well! They were so excited! Chris even made bubbles. If you want to grab the attention of 200 children...bubbles will do the trick!


In between the market, church, and playing with the kids, Jim and Chris have been busy behind the scenes working on the new medical facility. I don't know the details, but I will tell you that I have seen the community and its need for the medical building. God has something great planned! I can't wait to see how He is going to use the medical facility and its doctors to reach people.


During the day, many members of the community asked the team to pray with them. I know Jill mentioned this, but I had to touch on it again because it was so powerful. Men, women, and children asked us to pray for them. Some had specific illnesses or pains. Others just wanted to be lifted up to God. There were many emotions that were felt by the team. On a personal note, I was uncomfortable at first. I mean really, you want me to pray out loud? I couldn't understand what most of the people were saying. Then Chris said, "God knows what they need. All you have to do is lift them up to Him." I have never felt so much love for people I didn't know. Look at the picture of Jill on the blog praying with an ill woman from the community. I think the picture says it all.


If I had to describe India and the CEM campus in one word, it would be love. I have been overwhelmed by India and the love they have shown the team. The children at the orphanage pay so much attention to the team and are quick to serve. For example: Renee was playing with a group of children and had a few bugs that were bothering her (it's India and 90 degrees, so bugs are expected : ) ). She began to swat them away and as soon as the children realized, they began to fan her with their hands. So instead of taking care of themselves, they took care of Renee. The children showed their love in the only way they knew how, by serving others. This may seem irrelevant, but this was an act of love. God was showing his love through a child. It was God's way of letting me know that He is in India. If a child can sacrifice their comfort for ours, then we can certainly do the same for God.


Well that is it for now. The team is exhausted and it is time to go to bed. Please keep the team in your prayers and while you pray for us, say a prayer for CEM and its children.

Perspective from the Rookies (Part 1)

Hey everyone! It was another fantastic day here in India. I thought about it and I can only imagine that you are getting pretty sick of hearing from me all the time (ha!), so I've enlisted Jill and Sarah to give us a fresh perspective on the day's doings. Before I go, I'll just ask you to pray for us as we get into the meat of our work tomorrow. The team will be teaching at JEMS, meeting with officials from the City Council and visiting one of the local churches that Jaya has helped plant!

You'll hear from Jill and her thoughts on the morning, and then Sarah will share her perspective on the day as well. Have at it, ladies! And may I just say that the dresses that the Sewing School made for you look fantastic!

After breakfast today we took a walk to the local open air market. There were so many vendors selling fruit, vegetables, and even some spices (I mean we are in India - there have to be spices, right?). It was pretty cool to see the look on most people’s faces as we walked through town. I guess they can tell we aren’t from around here. There was one local girl that was standing with her friend who was albino, as I passed she started to laugh pointing at her albino friend then at me. We then walked on to the future site of the clinic. Right now it is just a piece of land, but so was the orphanage a few years ago. I have personally seen what can happen with a little faith and the right people. This place is amazing!!!

We got our first taste of church in India today (some have been before so they are old pro’s now). There is a small space that filled up quickly, the overflow was on the steps outside. We all sat on the ground for about an hour and a half (my bum quickly went numb). They sang and prayed and talked about how we are all one family under God. After the service they lined up to ask us to pray for them. It didn’t matter to them that they didn’t understand us, they just wanted us to pray for them. Renee, Sarah and I took a tour of the sewing school where there were a dozen or so girls sitting around in a circle on the floor embroidering the same piece of material for one Sari. In another area there were 2 sewing machines where me and Sarah’s Salwar suits were being created. We couldn’t believe that they were sewing on the detail all by hand and making us cloths, I can’t wait to wear it. It has been an amazing time already and we have only been here about 24 hours. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the week will bring.

Jill

Safe at CEM!

Hey everyone -

It's 8 pm here in Rajahmundry and the evening call to pray from the local mosque has just rung through the languid air. Just wanted to drop you a short to let you know that we were all safe and have arrived at the CEM Campus.
Getting here was a little more complicated than we thought it would be. National elections are coming soon and a long time local political dignitary had flown in just before our plane did. Try to imagine what a pain getting around town can be when Air Force One flys into Detroit Metro and you'll have some idea of what we were dealing. This guy's plane was quite a bit smaller, but the crowds were truly enormous.

When the airport finally cleared of the crowds, we were informed that the crowds that had left were keeping our bus from reaching us. So, faced with waiting over an hour or walking perhaps ten minutes, we decided that this was one time it wasn't such a bad idea to follow the crowd!







When we finally arrived at the CEM campus, we were greeted with one of the funnest traditions of these mission trips: The CEM Greeting Gauntlet! Each team member walks through the crowd while being pelted with very well-place wads of flower petals. I swear these kids' ability to catch you with your mouth open gets better every time I come!



Nonetheless, it was great to see the kids; and after all the baggage was dropped off in the rooms, the team dove in to engaging with them! Pick up games of soccer, kickball, hokey-pokey, and any other game you can imagine were employed, but it didn't even put a dent in the kids' boundless energy. We were all spent by dinner time and are now settling in for a well-deserved evening of rest.

Have a great weekend and keep praying for us!

Thanks from a very tired team - Chris

Waiting in Hyderabad...

Chris here just checking in!
We flew into Hyderabad a few hours ago and all is well with the whole team. I am really struck by how things have changed over the past seven years. The new Rajiv Gandhi International Airport - just opened in March - is truly a crown jewel for India and is a testimony to her new found wealth. This massive structure of steel and glass has all sorts of amenities, including a Hard Rock Cafe (gotta get that t-shirt!) and layover lounges where you can relax and freshen up. So for the first time ever, I'll be coming into the CEM campus having showered and shaved! I gotta tell ya, this missions stuff is suuuuch a burden sometimes! (grin!)

Sleeping on the flights was a challenge for most of us, so we are running on adrenaline and strong coffee to get us through to when we will be greeted by the kids! More is coming soon!

Thanks!

The All-Important Prayer Calendar!

Hey Gang -

One more thing before we take off:

I wanted to leave you with a prayer calendar so that you have some idea of our plans and what you can specifically pray for:

Thursday the 6th:
- Team departs Detroit Metro at 7:00 p.m. with our first stop in Amsterdam.
- Pray for safe travel and good rest on the plane.
- Pray for Renee!

Friday the 7th:
- Pray for continued safe travel and for quick acclimation, as we begin to experience India and its many differences from our own culture.
- Remember that India is 10.5 hours ahead of Detroit Time.
- Pray for Chris!

Saturday the 8th:
- As you are getting ready for bed on Friday night, we’ll be boarding a plane for the last leg of our trip!
- We arrive in Rajahmundry around noon (10:30 PM EST) to be greeted by the children and staff of CEM. The kids are getting a half day off from school to greet us!
- Please pray that we will have a blessed time reuniting with Jaya, his family, orphans and staff and that we’ll get a good night’s rest!
- Pray also for Greg!

Sunday the 9th:
- Pray that as we worship God on this day with the Way of Life Church that He will strengthen us and prepare our hearts to do His work over the next few strenuous days.
- We'll spend a lot of time connecting with the GCH kids in the afternoon.
- Pray for the pastors who will make their way to the campus for a time of encouragement and learning.
- Pray for Holly!

Monday the 10th:
- Today the team will be working on several fronts, including JEMS and visiting the clinic.
- Some of us will be teaching, others will be connecting and building relationships with local community leaders
- Pray for the teachers as we teach across language and cultural barriers.
- Pray especially for Jake!

Tuesday the 11th:
- Today the team continues to work in all areas of CEM
- Pray for the JEMS, the Sewing School and for our sharing time with the orphans!
- Pray also for Jill!

Wednesday the 12th:
- Another day of working alongside the CEM staff in all areas of ministry.
- Pray for the Clinic and for the construction that will soon begin on a permanent medical facility!
- Pray for Jim!

Thursday the 13th:
- Our final full day with Jaya, the CEM ministry team, and the children!
- Pray for The Team as we finish our projects.
- Pray specifically for Sarah!

Friday the 14th:
- Today the team says their final goodbyes (that is the hardest part!) and gets on a plane for the first leg of our trip home.
- We'll play “tourist” for a few hours in Hyderabad.
- Pray for health, for rest, for joy and unity as a team, and for strength to begin the long flight home early Saturday morning.
- Pray for our families, who have supported us and are undoubtedly ready to get us back home!
- Also pray for an extra measure of grace as we say our goodbyes to the kids!

Saturday the 15th:
- Pray for continued protection and blessing as we complete the trip home, and that God will help us find the right words to express what He has done in and through us during this awesome trip!

Thanks so much for your support and prayers! You'll hear from us soon!

~ Chris for the Team

Meet the Team...

Hey everyone -

In 72 hours, your friends and family members will be checking in at the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport for the first leg of what will be a grueling travel itinerary: eight hours from Detroit to Amsterdam, nine hours from Amsterdam to Hyderabad with hours of layover in between. But for the first time, we will be foregoing the train or a bus from the Hyderabad airport to the CEM campus and flying to Rajamundry instead. I'll be interested to see how things go as we will be missing a lot of the grittiness of ground travel, which has both plusses and minuses - more on that later.

But for now, allow me to introduce the team:

Renee is a long-time friend of CEM. This will be her fifth visit. She is particularly passionate about the kids at the Jaya (meaning "victory") English Medium School - JEMS for short.




Greg is another "veteran" and brings a wealth of passion for the Grace Children's Home (GCH) kids and has made a lot of friends in the clinic as well.





Holly has been a part of every team since 2006! Previously a nail technician, her experience at the clinic in Rajamundry inspired her to go back to school and embark on a new career as a medical assistant.




Jake is Holly's son and this is his first time going to CEM. I can't wait to see what God is going to do to this young man's heart!






Jill is a newcomer to India, but certainly isn't new to world travel! God has taken her on trips to the wilds of the African bush, so I'm looking forward to seeing where she connects. She'll primarily be working with the kids of JEMS and GCH.




Jim is another great story - his first exposure to CEM was with the team's last foray in February, but you will never meet another heart that has been so radically changed! Once a contractor and finance business owner, he now serves CEM USA as its Executive Director. He'll be everywhere while we are there and also continuing the development of the medical facility we will be building.

Sarah is the last of our rookies. She's done domestic missions work in Tennesee and is ready for a new challenge of reaching all the way across the world! She'll also be working with the kids of JEMS and GCH.




Oh, yeah. And then there's me! I'm Chris and this will be my fourth time going to CEM. I'll be working with the Missionary Training School and developing our local relationships in Rajahmundry in preparation for the future medical facility.



That's all for now - there will be a prayer calendar for you in the next day or so. But in the mean time, pray for us all and for the hearts that will be changed in the next two weeks and beyond - ours included!

For the team -

Preparations!

Hey - Chris here

I'm starting this a few hours after our last team meeting and the frantic preparations are continuing. Suitcases full of crafts (and candy!) are being packed and weighed for the endlessly contracting airline regulations. We are each taking two bags that are stuffed mostly with things we are leaving behind in India!

This is my fourth trip and God has assembled a great team of seasoned veterans and a few passionate rookies for this first-time November trip. I still have to get a few photos of the team, so I'll wait until tomorrow to introduce them. I just wanted you to know that we will be posting entries as often as we can along with a few photos to give you a flavor for the trip and the marvelous people that God puts in our path.

There will be a lot of content in the next two weeks, so check us out often!

Thanks for plugging in!