D-Day -7

So here we are, just seven days to go. Not really much to report here except we've got a new, updated prayer calendar. I also wanted to make sure that the update to Blogsy that I installed yesterday didn't screw anything up.

I think I've pretty much got everything together. I'll spend the next six days making sure everything is squared away at the shop and at home. Speaking of home, make sure and add Shannon to your prayers. Having me gone not only means extra work for her at home and the music store, but she worries about me and my safety, as she should. Pray for her strength and that God would give her comfort.

Well, that's it. Most likely you won't see a post here until I'm actually in a foriegn land. Until then, thank you for your support in prayer and financially. Talk to you soon!

 

 

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Redirected

On December 23rd Bodo seperatists attacked two Adavasi villages in norther Assam. In the attacks and the police actions that followed, 78 people lost their lives and dozens more were injured. This type of violence and the dispute behind it go back over 40 years. In short, the Bodo want to create their own state north of the Brahmaputra river.

I'm a fairly nerdy guy when it comes to India and I read the Times Of India at least four or five times a week so I was aware of these incidents. I also did some pretty deep research and they appeared to be isolated incidents, well away from the areas we go to in Assam. The BJP led federal government of India was promising a tough crackdown on the militants. It was with this in mind that I was confident we wouldn't have any problems in Assam. I also didn't mention any of this in my fundraising letters or in my last blog post as I didn't want people to worry about something that I was sure would blow over by the time we got there.

Then this last Friday we got an email from Uttam, the pastor we work with in Assam, asking us not to come. It is simply too dangerous, not only for us, but also for his team of volunteers and the churches we would be working with. Twelve Americans traveling around and working with believers would simply draw too much attention. Not only that, but a "bandh" had been called for. This is basically a work stoppage, the type of protest made famous by Gandhi. No buses, no hotels, no restaurants, no services. None of the things that a bunch of Westerners would need for a ten day visit in Assam.

Not to be discouraged, I floated the idea of the rest of the team doing something else in India and just the three of us from Ogallala going to Assam. Nope. Not going to happen. Even a lower profile visit of three Americans is just too much. Like Paul in Acts 16, we are being redirected.

It's fortunate to get the news that Assam is not going to happen this early. e3 has a great network in India and Charles Golla, the India coordinator for e3, is incredibly resourceful and works tirelessly. He had previously been training a team of local believers and volunteers in the state of Bihar and while it is earlier than they expected, we'll be joining them.

To be honest, I don't have as much of the ease of acceptance that Paul showed when his way to Asia was blocked. I'm bummed that I don't get to see the friends that I've made in Assam. From a more official standpoint, I'm disappointed that no one from Uttam's sole supporting church, New Hope, is going to be able to be on the ground in Assam. Now, if I let the more spiritual side of me take control, and I should, I realize that there are about 1.19 billion non-believers in India and not all of them are in Assam. I'm glad to still be going to India and even if it isn't in the district where I've invested a huge part of my heart, I will serve with 100% of my heart wherever God sends me. This time He is sending me to Bihar.

 

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30 Days

(NOTE: This post is in many ways just rambling and me making sure that all is still working with the blog on the iPad. It's also a bit of me trying to get back into the habit of blogging again. Thanks for indulging me.)

In just thirty days I'll be on a plane, headed back to the place I love best. Did I really just type that? Not the "thirty days" bit, but the "place I love best" part? I guess so. In some ways I wonder if it's true or some sort of Freudian slip, maybe in reverse.

I actually don't know. When I'm here at home I don't think there's a day that goes by when I don't think about India in general and Assam in particular. When I'm there, of course, I think of home, and in particular, my loved ones, all the time. I'm of two minds and hearts, evidently. All I really know is that I'm excited to be going back. It's been two years and it seems so much longer.

The training has gone well and this is an almost entirely new team for me. It's been interesting to hear and learn different approaches from our team leaders. I'll be traveling with Matt Waitley again and I have a huge amount of respect for him in his willingness to go to India again. His first trip was truly an adventure for him. In addition to not really caring for the food and experiencing a good deal of culture shock, Matt's family had trials while he was gone and that weighed on his soul pretty heavily. That he would take this adventure again speaks volumes to his love of people and the ministry.

Jeff Lutz will also be going with us and this is his first mission trip. He took a huge leap of faith by signing up for this trip and it will be interesting to see his reaction to being immersed in a completely foriegn culture and people. His enthusiasm and openness is a bit contagious and I'm sure will be a blessing to all of us.

The fundraising has gone well and I want to thank all of you that have contributed. Last night we had dear friends over for dinner and even though they a have been going through their own trials and are soon to be going through more with some major life changes, they donated a sizeable sum to the trip. It stunned me and truly touched my heart that they would do that. Beyond that, I know that they will be praying daily for the trip and all of us on it and that is such an essential part of the ministry. A huge thanks to all of you that will be doing the same.

I'll most likely post again before we take off and hopefully we'll have some decent internet during our travels so I can post daily during the trip and keep you updated. Thanks again for traveling and taking part in this mission with me.

Mission diary/travelogue

This morning I'll head out to the Berean convention, held at Camp Maranatha this year.  I was given about a little more than a days notice that they wanted me to speak about India missions.  I still haven't been given any guideline as to the points they want me to touch on.  Oh, well.  I'm not too bad at speaking off the cuff.

Anyway, as part of the presentation I thought it would be helpful for people considering a trip to India to have something that would give them an idea of what they might experience as a first time traveler to the country.  I went back to my 2012 trip and pulled some of my blog posts and put them in chronological order, printed a few out, and then put it on scribd so that anyone can download it.  I would just tell them "Go to my blog" but one of the issues with trying to tell an ongoing story on a blog is that the blog lists it in reverse order, that is, most recent post at the top.  This lets them read it in the order it happened.

Here's a link to the scribd document.  You can either read it on your screen or download the .pdf.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/175300927/India-Mission-Travelogue

We're in desperate need of more people to join the January 2014 trip.  If you're even thinking about it a little bit, get in contact with me for info.  The deadline has been extended until the first week of November so time is short.

Chai Times, Fall Issue

Time flies!  Here's the fall issue of Chai Times.  You may notice that August, 2013 is on the title page.  Yes, it is now September.  I've just been insanely busy with work and other projects.  Truth be told, this issue has actually been printed out for about two weeks and alternated space at the house between the kitchen table and the computer desk.  Today was finally a day I could address about 40 envelopes and stuff them.

One small change from this digital edition:  There has now been a trip code for the January trip and it has been added to e3 Partners website.  The way e3's website is set up prevents me from doing a direct link for this specific trip, but you can get there following these steps:
Click this link: http://www.e3partners.org/tripcalendarbycountry
Select "India"
Scroll down until you find the one titled "Assam, India" and led by Tom Parr
Select "More Information"

Make sure and read the field report from Tom Parr on the back page of this newsletter.  He and Charles led a very successful trip this last June, kicking off the Audio-Bible program in India.  Here is a link to the online edition of the newsletter: http://www.scribd.com/doc/166722525/Chai-Times-Fall-Issue

If you'd like added to the snail mail edition and get old fashioned paper edition, just drop me a line here and I'll get you added to my mailing list.  Of course, if you have any questions about the January trip and how you can participate, contact me as well.

Small stuff

I'll probably be bypassing a regular blog in favor of the quarterly newsletter I started a month or so ago.   Maybe that's not a good idea, but it seems to me that half the enjoyment that people have gotten out of this blog is because they're able to follow me live (sort of) as I'm actually in India.  When I'm stateside there often isn't much to report.

If you missed that newsletter launch, by the way, you can read about it and get your copy here: http://bobjosjor.blogspot.com/2013/05/chai-times.html

That said, I wanted to give you a couple updates.  First off, in June Tom and a team went to the same area of Assam that I was at for the last two years.  They followed up with the home bible study groups and house churches that were started during my visit.  Everything is going extremely well, for the most part, and Uttam and his team are doing an exceptional job of following up with these new believers.  His team visits 25 locations each week.  If you've seen the videos or photos that I've posted of the roads and the area, you'll appreciate that undertaking and admire their commitment in doing it each and every week.

Tom and his team also oversaw the distribution of the audio-bibles that New Hope sponsored.  These are incredible little gadgets and indispensable in teaching a largely illiterate people the stories of the Bible.  These are basically solar powered mp3 players with speakers built in.  We've paid for professional recordings of Bible stories in Assamese, complete with backing music.  They are real quality pieces and will have a great impact in the field

Finally, I received a request for funds in order to procure a couple of e3's national partners with cars.  One of these workers is Charles, one of my favorite brothers and, I think, perhaps the hardest working field missionary I've ever met.  He simply never takes a break and is constantly on the move, ministering to new believers and looking for opportunities to share the gospel with non-believers.

Rather than me going over the request, I'm simply going to copy and paste the request.  Please pray and consider providing for this need.  The smallest amount can mean a lot if we all do it.  Here is the request:

Our national leaders in India are incredible.  They work hard and serve sacrificially.  And God is moving powerfully as hundreds of churches are being planted each year.  They need our support right now.

Charles Golla, India National Director, has worked faithfully for e3 for seven years now.  He trains our national partners, coordinates our expeditions, oversees the follow up and manages all of the e3 affairs in India.  It is hard to believe, but Charles has been serving e3 all these years without owning a car.   Usually Charles has to use an auto-rickshaw (like a taxi) to get around and sometimes borrows his wife, Rohinee’s car while she teaches.  Many of our team members who have ridden in the vehicle will testify that he has done a good job at wearing out her car.  Charles and Rohinee have not complained or requested any help, but we see that Charles needs a good vehicle.  In addition to meeting some of their personal needs, a vehicle that can handle the rough dirt roads of India would be used by some of our expedition teams. Gireesh Nedungadi, Maharashtra State Coordinator, oversees a church planting movement in Kolhapur and is also energetically working to expand the movement into other areas.  Over 1500 people have attended his trainings this year and many coalitions of committed pastors have formed with the goal of planting churches in unreached villages. In order to move his trainers and leaders around he recently secured a loan and purchased a van.  But, at 16% interest, the payments are much too high.  It is critical that he is able to transport workers for outreach in villages and also to travel to other districts to conduct training events.  If we come together and raise the funds to pay for the vehicle there will be no debt and this important need will be met. As a committed Christian with a heart for India, please prayerfully consider donating to these two urgent needs.   The total cost for the two vehicles for Charles and Gireesh will be about $10,000.   If you would like to contribute, please follow the link below: http://www.e3partners.org/2013indiatransportationproject Loving India, Al Wilson e3 India Strategy Director P.S. We would love to present these vehicles as gifts to Charles and Gireesh by the end of the summer if at all possible.  So, we hope to hear from you soon!  Thank you and may God richly bless you!

Chai Times

I've made the promise to Shannon that I won't be returning to India in 2014.  That's the disappointing news.  The good news is that she and I am hoping that the two of us can go to India together in 2015.  That's a pretty exciting prospect to me and something to really look forward to.

But here's the thing:  I still want to be involved with the mission in Assam and I want to let the people who've prayed and supported my previous trips know what is going on there, even though I'm not there.  I'd also like to take some more time writing about the people and culture of Assam and, hopefully, maybe inspire some others to take the trip.  So I decided to write a little newsletter.  The plan is to do about four a year and I'm planning on doing the next one in August after I have an update from the people going to the region in July.  I've got some printed out on old fashioned paper and those will be mailed out to people on my regular list this week.  If you'd like to get on that list, drop me a line and I'll get you added to it.

On the other hand, you can save me a little bit of cash and time by click on the link here and getting the digital edition.

Chai Times, May 2013

A shout out to my friend Danielle for taking the time to edit this newsletter, all while grading a million student papers, packing up to move into a new home, training for a marathon, and enduring hours of training to be a foster parent.