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And so the journey has begun. I packed my bags last night and left home for the last time before the team flies out. Here are some of the things that are going on.
1. Visas
2. Training
3. Malaria Medication
4. Support
1. We have all applied for our Visas and should be going in to pick them up soon... very soon. I don't know if there's any need to be nervous about them at this point. Hopefully everything will work out fine. Peter, one of our team leaders, is South Korean and as a result his Visa may take longer to process. If that's the case he is going to need to apply for an emergency Visa later this week so that he can enter the country with the rest of the team. Pray for the Visas, and especially for Peter's.
2. The team training days are this coming Monday and Tuesday! We'll be using this time to prepare some of the programs we need to have in India as well as go over some last minute information. Pray that these days are impactful, and that we can absorb and retain all the information we need to.
3. Two of us will begin our Malaria medication on Monday. This is a weekly medication that has been known to have some side effects. As exciting as vivid dreams may sound to some, please pray that we don't succumb to any of these adverse effects. The rest of the team will start their medication when we arrive in India with a different set of potential side effects.
4. Thank you all so much for your prayers! With only 6 days until we leave I can really feel their effects, especially as things fall into place. Financial support is doing well but I'm not quite there yet. If you're able to provide financial support it's not too late, and you can continue to contribute after we've left. The address for those of you who are able to provide some financial support is:
Dave Roberts
25 Ballyconnor Court
Toronto, Ontario
M2M 4B3
Cheques can be made out to "Tyndale University" with a memo reading 'India Team - Joel'
Thank you for your continued support and I'll try to update with stories from the road!
Sorry that it's been a while since my last update. Here's what has been going on!
1 - Our flights are booked!
2 - We got our shots!
3 - We have our directive!
4 - Spring Arts Festival
1 - We are leaving on May 6th and flying via Brussels (a 2 hour stopover) and then Delhi (a 12 hour stopover) before we arrive in Kolkata. I'm super excited! On the way back it's only a 9 hour stopover in Delhi and we'll arrive home on the 29th. Our team leader Peter will be leaving India the day before we are and flying home to Korea.
2 - So we went to the Missionary Health Institute on Thursday of last week and subjected our arms to the various jabs that associate themselves with global missions. I only needed a couple shots, which I was quite thankful for. Afterwards we had a team dinner at an Indian Style Chinese Restaurant. The best part of the meal was definitely the 2.50 Fried Banana and Ice Cream Dessert which was absolutely amazing.
3 - I just received an e-mail forwarded from Monique Shaw who we will be partnering with in Kolkata. Here's what she had to say:
As I have been praying and asking God what the priority should be while you are here, I felt like the focus should be on our street kids and youth from the red-light area. We have been able to rent a room in the area for 10 days from 3:00-6:00pm daily. During that time we would like to do a kids klub with the kids for the ten days and also teach English to the youth. The ages vary with half of them in the 8-12 year range and the other half 13-18 years so it will be challenging to figure out how to do something for all of them in the same room but I will work on that.
4 - We were able to set up a booth at Tyndale's Spring Arts Festival this year! We had a great time hanging out, telling people about our trip, and selling samosas. We brought in just over $100 which we are using to buy groceries for our team retreat at Chloe's house in Haliburton from the 24th to the 25th of April!
Things are shaping up! We leave in 24 days!
Here are some prayer requests.
A) Preparation - As we get songs ready for the Kids Club, prepare skits, and continue in prayer and fasting
B) Team Unity - I'm excited about our upcoming retreat, especially after the amazing time we had over dinner the other night. Pray that we can use that time to really get to know one another and understand how to work as a team to accomplish something amazing by God's grace while we are in Kolkata.
C) Finances - As we continue to fundraise I only know the status of my own personal account. Out of the 3500 I need by the end of the month I currently have $1535. I am trusting that God will continue to provide, though some days that's a little harder than others. Pray that I can continue to trust in God's providence. Pray about whether or not you can support the team. Every little bit helps, whether it's $10 or $1000.
D) India - Continue to pray for India while we are preparing, and long after we leave. There is a lot of brokenness and despair there. Conversely there is also a lot of joy. Pray for systemic change that will free the oppressed and assist the downtrodden.
