Travel:
[click here for the "Travel" photos]

Although I can't prove it at the moment, I've been told that India is the farthest place you can travel to in the world. It is on the other side of the globe from the US, and it is a painfully long journey. After a painful good-bye to my family, I jumped in the car with Dave Sloan and Larry & Lisa Shewfelt from Revolution. We headed up to LAX to meet the ROCKharbor team. We flew 15 or so hours to Taipei, Taiwan for a 1 hour layover. We then flew 6 hours to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a 12 hour layover at a hotel. Dave Sloan and I caught a taxi to a well-known outdoor mall where we ate lunch and did some shopping.

We boarded another plane for a 6 hour flight into Hydrabaad, India. From there, we took a 9 hour bus ride to Tenali where the Harvest India ministry center is located. It took approximately 56 hours to get from LAX to our hotel in Tenali, India. Planes, layovers, and bus rides. Little did we know, this was just the beginning.

The streets of India are crazy to say the least. Generally, you stay on the left side of the road, but that is the only rule of thumb. Cars, auto rickshaws, bikes, trucks, buses, people, goats, cows, water buffalo, and pigs are all intermingled in crazy ways. Samson - the best Harvest India driver - was out of control. He hit a water buffalo, woman's purse, motorcycle, and a large frog while I was in the vehicle - yikes! The scenery of India and the faces of the people were amazing. Hopefully, the photos will help you capture some of what I experienced.

Throughout our travel and team time, it was amazing to see a tight bond development among a group of strangers. Sure - a few of us knew each other, but for the most part, the relationships were brand new. By the end of the trip, we had laughed, screamed out of fear, and cried together numerous times. The laughter and jr. high craziness was out of control. (Of course, I was not leading the charge on any of it...the white cobra and white donkey will live on forever!)

As a side note, I took two of my favorite Vespa rides of all time in India. Vespas (and a knock-off named Bajaj) are everywhere. They are little scooters that can go about 60 mph through the crowded streets of India. On two occasions, I got the chance to ride a Vespa through the rural back roads of Narsipatnam, and it was a blast! (Let's not talk about running out of gas or hitting an auto rickshaw, okay?)

Harvest India:
[click here for the "Scenery" photos]

Harvest India is an amazing ministry organization headed by Suresh and Sudheer Kumar and founded by his late mother - Lalitha Kumari - 32 years ago. (Suresh is on the left with his lovely wife Christina. I'm the big white guy in the middle, and Sudheer is on the right.)

They oversee a network of over 900 churches and pastors with quarterly pastor's conferences. They also do ministry in the following ways:

- Water wells for villages in need.
- Medical camps in remote areas.
- HIV/AIDS ministry on a weekly basis (medical/food).
- Mercy ministry on a weekly basis (food).
- Orphanages with 150 children.
- Old aged homes with 50 plus men and women.
- Rice Paddies to support local pastors.
- Gospel crusades.
- 2 year Bible College with 100 students.

Suresh and Sudheer are amazing brothers and now considered friends. I was so impressed by their degree of strategic planning. They have a staff of 42 people - many who simply work for room and board. We were surrounded by drivers, bodyguards, and staff at all times. We felt very safe - sometimes too safe, but I guess that was for our own good. (One of us did sneak out of the hotel one night in Narsipatnam in the search for the elusive white donkey.)

Another side note - on New Year's Eve, we spent some time with the Bible College students and Harvest India staff. We shared what God had done in our lives and what we hoped 2005 will hold. We shared in Communion and enjoyed fireworks and dancing.

Ministry Experiences:
[click here for the "Ministry Experiences" photos]

Over the 2 weeks we were in India, we were bombarded with ministry experiences. Leading in worship, giving testimonies, sharing about Jesus, asking for people to join us in following Jesus, and praying for the sick. Each opportunity was stretching and powerful - for the people we were ministering to and for us.

Lalitha Kumari's Grave
During our first day in Tenali, we headed over to the Harvest India campus. As we arrived, we stopped at the grave of Suresh and Sudheer's mother who passed away just a few months ago. I was given the privilege of praying for our time together, and then each person tossed flowers on her grave. It was a powerful moment.

HIV/AIDS Ministry
Then, we toured a large orphanage under construction. ROCKharbor has donated $100,000 to build this facility to house 200 or more orphans by April. After the tour, we were warmly welcomed by 100 plus men and women with HIV/AIDS who had walked to the campus for a meal and free bag of rice and bananas. It was humbling to have a lei placed around my neck and welcomed with such celebration. We greeted them and quickly served a meal of rice and curry scooped on banana leaves. In India, everyone eats with their right hand - no utensils and no left hand.

New Life Bible College
We took a tour of the New Life Bible College and met 100 men and women who are in a 2 year program preparing for ministry. Many of these students (as young as 16) have walked away from their Hindu families to follow Jesus and a life of ministry. After their time of study, they will be sent out into villages to help existing churches or begin new ones. The men sleep on what is essentially a porch with bunk beds - no mattresses because they can't afford them. They girls sleep in two different rooms with no beds. (For $3,750, 25 bunks could be provided for their use.) It was powerful to see them passionately studying the Bible and how to minister in their unique context.

Old Aged Homes
We spent some time with a group of elderly women who live in a Harvest India Old Aged home. We led in worship, shared testimonies, and shared from the Scriptures.

Red Light District with the Prostitutes
During one afternoon ministry time, we headed to what they call the 'red light' district. Essentially, it is a slum area of town where a group of 100 or so prostitutes all live together under the control of their owner. (To the right, you can see a photo of me and their owner - dressed in red.) This man allows Harvest India to minister to the women, becuase they provide medical care on a regular basis. We led in worship, shared testimonies, and shared about Jesus. Over 100 women chose to follow Jesus. Then, we prayed for many of them and played with the kids. Harvest India is seeking funding to build a safehouse for the women and buy them out of prostitution.

Baptism
We participated in a night baptism as well. It was supposed to be a middle of the day baptism, but we were 6 hours late. Every single person who was to be baptized in a remote part of the Krishna River waited the entire time. It was a privilege to baptize over 50 people that night. With a car's headlights shining on us, we walked into waist high, pitch black water to baptize men and women. During the closing prayer, I felt stuff swirling around my feet, and I jumped out quickly!

Mercy Ministry
Every Saturday, Harvest India feeds the poor and needy a meal on the campus of the Bible College. On this particular Saturday, we fed 200+ men and women. As we were serving them, we went up and down the aisles laying hands on them and praying for them. These are the lowest of the low in Tenali - suffering from every known sickness...HIV/AIDS, cancer, blind, deaf, and even several with leprosy.

Medical Camp
We participated in several medical camps where Harvest India brings in doctors and nurses to remote villages. We were able to immunize children, provide shots for adults, and give medicine as needed.

Churches
On Sunday, three teams went to three different churches to lead in worship, give testimonies, and share an evangelistic message. Each church had invited many new people to the services, and many people chose to follow Jesus. Imagine taking your shoes off at the door, being ushered up to the front stage in a small church, and staring at the congregation the entire service. Then, toward the end of the service, you are handing a 'cool Pepsi' as an act of honor.

Village Outreach and Children's Ministry
At multiple villages, we stopped to rally a group of 250-500 people. We would gather the children to do crafts, sing songs, and hear about Jesus. The adults would often receive free food as well. At all of these stops, hundreds of people chose to follow Jesus.

Orphans
On our way out of town, we met up with 50 or so orphans that are currently under the care of Harvest India. It was a special time of playing with them and caring for them.

Your Money At Work:
[click here for the "Water Well and Bike" photos]

It was amazing to see Revolution effort and money at work. Here are two main ways that we made a difference on this trip.

Water Well Dedications
During our time, we participated in three water well dedications - one from ROCKharbor and two from Revolution. It was unbelievable to see firsthand the extreme need for fresh water. And, it was even more powerful to know that our $2,000 provided two wells with fresh water for those villages.

I'm blown away by how much $1,000 can change an entire village. I'm thinking about how many wells our church could pay for in the next 10 years. The well is only the beginning though. Every time a well is put in, it is strategically placed in a village that needs a new church. The well gives Harvest India a 'voice' in the culture.

Bikes for Pastors
Through the hard work of Dave Sloan and Larry & Lisa Shewfelt, over $6,500 was raised to purchase 100 bikes for Harvest India pastors. These pastors were chosen by Suresh based on their need, location, and seniority. A bike is a needed form of transportation for pastors for travel from village to village. Their faces were gleaming as they picked up their own bike. This bike will now be their one and only means of transportation.

Pastor's Conference:
[click here for the "Pastor's Conference" photos]

About 7 hours from Tenali, we spent a large portion of our ministry time in a small town called Narsipatnam. During the day, two teams would minister in villages and one team would be at the pastor's conference. (At night, we held the large scale crusades.)

The pastor's conference was attended by 500 or so pastors and Bible women (as they are called). They all pastor churches throughout the state of Andra Pradesh and are overseen by Harvest India. Several men would speak to the men and several women would speak to the women over the 3 day conference. I had the privilege of speaking to the men for about an hour one of the days. These pastors are deeply dedicated - often being physically persecuted for their role in their village.

At the end of the pastor's conference, one of the pastors and his wife brought up their 2 month old girl. They had not named the child, and they were anticipated our visit. They asked us to name the child for them - right on the spot.

'Peace and Healing' Crusade:
[click here for the "Crusade" photos]

Over the course of four nights, we held an open air crusade in a massive field. For months, the staff of Harvest India had been planning and preparing for the event - a huge staff, lighting, sound, promotion, and more.

The local Hindu militants did not want the event to be held. They tore down posters, filed petitions, and even broke the legs of two Harvest India staff members. Suresh and his team kept us locked up at the hotel during the four days without letting us out of their sight.

I preached the 2nd night of the crusade, and it was probably the most powerful speaking experience I've ever had. There were approximately 10,000 people their that night, and it was electric. After the New Life Bible College students sang, Suresh and Sudheer got up and spoke for a bit. They we led in worship, gave two testimonies, performed a drama, and two people speak. I was the 'closer' - given the opportunity to speak, call for a response, and pray for healing. Over 1,000 people responded that night to accept Jesus, and it was unbelievable.

After walking offstage, Sudheer pulled me aside to meet a man who had just accepted Jesus. He had been a Hindu his entire life, and his name was Ganesh - named after the Hindu elephant god. He informed Sudheer that he no longer wanted to be named after Ganesh, and he requested that I rename him on the spot. After a brief discussion, Sudheer and I renamed him Joshua. We referred him to a local church and pastor.

As I walked with the team to our vehicles, hundreds of people are approaching us for prayer. I'm stretching out my hands - laying them on people's heads. People are literally grabbing my hands to place them on their heads. Other people are shoving paper and pen in my face for an autograph. It was quite a scene.

Along the way, I stopped to pray for two Hindu women - one was holding a toddler. As I laid my hands on their heads, I prayed for God to heal, deliver, and bless them. The woman on the left immediately fell backward onto the ground. Her child fell with her and began trying to wake her mother up. The woman was being touched by God, and she was out for about 30 seconds. People were gathering around, and eventually, I helped her to her feet.

Each night of the crusade, the crowd grew in size (over 20,000 people on the last night) and so did the number of people who responded to follow Jesus (over 10,000 total).

Harvest India Staff Day:
[click here for the "Staff Day" photos]

After the crusades, we drove to a remote beach that had been hit by the tsunami but caused little damage. We hung out with all the Bible College students and Harvest India staff. Some of the guys - including Dave Sloan and Larry Shewfelt - jumped off a huge pier. I was wearing jeans and gladly used that as an excuse.

We also played a mean game of Kabadi. This is an ancient Indian game where you essentially get to pummel other men before the cross over a line.

Things I Learned:
Trying to capture what I learned is harder than capturing what I experienced. My learnings are personal, but I want to make them public. Part of 'going public' with a learning is just getting it out there for others to learn from but also to be honest.

Usually, the more honest I am about my learnings - the more likely I am to assimilate that learning into my life. It can be quite disappointing to feel like I've experienced something, learned from it, and then don't really use or apply what I've learned.

In moments of great learning, there comes a clarity like no other time. And, I hate the fact that this clarity will wear off. The intensity of my emotions and thoughts will wane with time, and my prayer is that I can remain soft and position myself for more transformation. I can't transform myself - only God can... [These learnings are in no particular order.]

1. I have seen the need, and I must respond.

I have never wanted to be part 'global missions', listen to missionaries, give to missions, or go on a mission. I was not interested on many levels. But on a deeper level, I knew that I couldn't handle seeing the need. When I see a need, I feel compelled to respond. So, if I don't want to respond, I avoid seeing the need.

I have seen the need, and I must respond. Going to Indian villages was like stepping back in time 1,000 years. Absolutely everything was handmade except for an occasional bike and water well. There is nothing wrong with living at such a primitive level, but many of these people don't have basic food, water, and medical care. The degree of sickness and disease was profound.

Beyond physical needs, the spiritual needs were overwhelming. We saw hundreds of Hindu temples set aside to worship over 1 million gods. I personally saw people worshipping trees, the monkey god, the elephant god, and the cobra god. The people are deeply lost and searching for truth, hope, and joy. This part of India may only be a small portion of the world, but I (we) can make a difference.

God has called me to think and act on a global level.


2. India is a spiritual nation; we are materialistic.

It was awesome to minister in an area that assumes that the spirit world is alive and real. This stood in stark contrast to our oppulent, materialistic world that focuses on what is seen (not the unseen). Trying to get our culture to be open to the spirit world is brutal. In India, it is an everyday part of life.

The natural reaction is to be thankful to God for blessing me and our nation in huge ways, yet other things came to mind.

As thousands of people chose to follow Jesus over the past 2 weeks, I found myself asking the question, "Are these people really giving up their other gods?"

Then, God asked me, "Are the Christians in America really giving up their gods?"

Our gods just look different. Hindus may worship trees, monkeys, elephants, and cobras. We worship money, sex, power, and entertainment.

God has called me to help people see their spiritual need.


3. The Bible is revelation - not information.

In the days leading up to the trip, I was told that I would probably be called upon to speak on multiple occassions because of my role as a pastor. These would be impromptu opportunities, and I needed to be ready.

Frankly, that really doesn't work for me. I am a planner. I like to have everything typed out, rehearsed, and ready to present. So, on the flight over, I wrote three simple messages that I could use in three different venues.

Once we arrived, I found myself asking God at each location, "God, what would you want me to share with these people if the opportunity arises?"

I would be drawn to a passage, prepare my heart, and be ready to share. Sometimes, I was called on and other times I wasn't. But something began to happen. I began to see the power of God's Word. It was "revelation" to these people - not just information. The Bible is revealing who God is, what He offers us, and what He desires from our lives.

I could list a lot of reasons why I believe this is the case, but I think the Bible has simply become information for most Christians. We don't experience it as powerful and life-changing because of the way we approach the text.

I fell in love with the Bible in India even more. It is powerful, life-changing, and has a greater impact than just my own words informed by biblical principles. The actual text of the Bible is key. I'm coming to realize more and more...if we don't know God's Word, we are missing out on something huge.

God has called me to know and share His Word to my family, my church, and my community.


4. Prayer, faith, and the supernatural are key to life and ministry.

In India, I was reminded over and over again that prayer, faith, and the supernatural are key to life and ministry. And, there is one reason for this...dependance on God. I saw Suresh and his team display a deep dependance on God the entire time we were there. Suresh kept saying, "We're believing God for..." Frankly, in that culture, they don't have much else to cling to. If God doesn't show up, you are in a mess.

When I arrived home, I picked up the latest issue of Charisma magazine. On the front cover is an article about how God is doing great things in India. Inside, one of the Indian evangelists is quoted as saying, "I'm amazed to see how much the American church as been able to accomplish without the Holy Spirit."

Prayer, faith, and room for the supernatural are all signals that I'm relying on God - living with a deep dependance. I just don't see this in my life or in our church right now.

God has called me to believe Him for big things - not through my talents, but through His power.


5. Love people, meet their needs, and share Jesus.

Although these aren't the words they use, this is definitely the practice of Harvest India. Not too complicated, is it?

Over and over, I just saw their ministry loving on broken and hurting people. I saw them meeting the needs of people through food, water, clothing, and medical care. And, I saw them passionately sharing Jesus.

Unfortunately, in our culture, meeting needs isn't so easy. Sure, some people need food, water, clothing, and medical care. But, the majority of our culture has their basic needs met. They have other needs, and if we're going to share Jesus, we must simultaneously meet their needs. I don't exactly know what that looks like, but something has to change.

God has called me to think critically about my strategy and approach to ministry and church.


6. I'm more committed than ever to evangelism.

In India, we would often walk through a village - gathering 250-500 people to share the Gospel in a central location. There was no hesitation to share the new life that Jesus offers, and people responded left and right.

In the States, I am (we are) timid, nervous, and politically correct. I'm not proposing that we do anything that is offensive or irrelevant. I don't see myself walking through my neighborhood trying to rally people to share Jesus. But, I am more committed than ever to sharing the new life that I have in Christ.

One of the biggest problems I think we have in this area is that "we can't give away what we don't have." I wonder if one of the biggest hurdles to sharing Jesus is that many of us who call ourselves Christians really don't have much of a faith at all. We are Christian in name only. We don't know Jesus, the Scriptures, have faith, and walk in dependance. We go to church...

God has called me to share Jesus authentically and passionately with others - flowing out of my own relationship with Him.


7. Relationships are like gold.

Over the course of my trip, I had several challenging conversations with a friend. He shared his take on life-long relationships and his desire to "accumulate friends" over time. He share how he intentionally connects with people on a daily basis and how he re-connects with people in his past regularly.

Frankly, I don't feel like I've ever been really good with relationships. Friendship doesn't come easy to me, and neither does trusting people. I've grown in huge ways over the past 13 years, but I feel like I have a long way to go.

Before going on this trip, all 32 of us met about 8 times for training and team-building. Since I was not in a leadership role, I found myself choosing not to connect or go deeper with the team during those times. I try to protect myself, and I don't want to let me guard down. After about 7 days in to the trip, I really felt like I started connecting with some great people. The only thing that was preventing me from connecting on a deeper level at an earlier point in time was myself. By the end of the trip, I was feeling the impending loss of the team environment, and I definitely am feeling lonely in the subsequent days.

If I had it to do over again, I would have chosen to connect at a deeper level even earlier. I would have asked more questions, revealed more, and cared more deeply.

God had called me to invest more and more in people (and less and less in projects).


8. Laughter, fun, and risk help build great relationships.

I believe the things that helped our team bond the most were laughter, fun, and risk. You would not believe the jr. high craziness that went on during this trip. White cobra, white donkey, white unicorn, lowering an un-named team member out of the 2nd floor balcony, super-ball fights, and more. The laughter and fun were at no one's expense, and it was a blast.

I also think multiple risks played a key role in bonding our team. We were risking ourselves as we did ministry in a new place. Many people were speaking, sharing, and serving in these ways for the very first time. We were at risk every time we drove somewhere. Samson, one of the Harvest India drivers, was out of control. We were flying in and out of traffic - honking the horn - during the entire trip. We had a million life-threatening close calls, and we actually hit several things. The screaming and the laughter were contagious and bonding.

God has called me to help people laugh, have fun, and take risks.


9. Ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they rely on God.

It was awesome to see everyday people doing amazing things. People that had never done this type of ministry were stepping up to speak in front of thousands, lead hundreds to Christ, teach kids songs, lead in worship, and the list goes on and on. All of this while relying on God!

I could not be more proud of Dave Sloan and Larry & Lisa Shewfelt. They stepped up time and time again to share, speak, encourage, listen, and serve. Great job!

God has called me to continually unleash others to do amazing ministry as we rely on God.


10. I must be a spiritual leader.

This is the greatest and most difficult learning of all. While I was in India, God spoke to me very clearly that I must step up and be a spiritual leader. Not that I haven't been doing that already, but this must be my focus.

For much of my ministry (including the last 2 years), I have been a planner, strategist, visionary, promoter, marketer, organizer, and rallier. All of those things are good, and I will still need to do many of those things.

But, I must lean in to who God has called me to be...a spiritual leader. You see, all those other things I can generally do with my own gifts and talents. I don't have to rely on God much. I need to rely on God more and more. Instead of reading "apart from Me, you can do nothing" - my actions have shown that "apart from Him, I can try to do alot."

I must follow Jesus closely, know God's Word, pray, have faith, believe God for big things, and point people in the direction of Jesus. We'll see how this realization plays out, but I know that things are changing.

God has called me to be a spiritual leader.


11. Other stuff that I need to do...

On the flight home, I thought about these learnings plus some other stuff that I just realize I need to do. Take 2 days off every week. Have more fun by myself, with friends, and with my family. Drink water. Fall more and more in love with Laura. Buy an iPod, load it with music, and worship Jesus. Listen to more sermons. Preach every message like it will be my last one. Remember who I am in Christ. Build a relationship with my teammates Shawn and Craig. Go back to India in August.