Dear India Mission Team Supporters,

Here is a short report from each team member. They will tell you about this trip from their perspective.

The theme of the 2010 India mission trip was “letting go.” That is what we had to do upon our arrival at India Customs. We had to let go of our 10,000 plus pairs of glasses as the authorities did not want to release those to us. They wanted to charge us a huge duty. We had not had this problem before this trip. We spent seven hours in Customs and finally had to leave the glasses there trusting that God would work it out. (Customs has now agreed to release those glasses if we pay $1,100 fine which we will do. This means we will have a bank of glasses to draw upon in India). We had planned on seeing five thousand people through the eye care clinics and to do personal witnessing and ministry. We did proclaim Jesus’ name to 5,000 people, it just wasn’t through eye care clinics. I was impressed by our team’s ability to make quick adjustments in plans. Both teams had the overcoming attitude to say, “We will not be defeated by the act of an Indian Custom Official.” Both teams remembered that eye care was a strategy but the purpose was to glorify God by sharing about the greatness of God. Both teams decided that they would glorify God by creating other ministries without much preparation time. Both teams should be given the “Semper Gumby” award (always flexible).

Read through the enclosed reports and you will hear how our two teams adjusted and what they did. We made some new people connections on this trip. We met local government leaders who were highly pleased that we were willing to come to their area to do eye care clinics. They all indicated they would write letters to the Department of Finance to ask that future glasses be exempt from any duty. We also trained some new people to do eye refracting (determining the strength of glasses needed). We made connections with a Medical training school who has agreed to partner with us in the future to do eye care and other medical clinics. I am excited about the future of our ministry in India. We will work with the Non Governmental Organization to make certain that we will not have any future problems bringing glasses into India.

Was the trip a success? We think so. If our purpose was to glorify God’s name and to love people in Jesus’ name then we certainly did that. Thank you for your prayer response, your financial support and your words of encouragement. Serving Together . . . . Jesse Liles

In the short time we have been going to India it is just amazing to witness the change in the atmosphere. We know that the only meaningful change happens when the Holy Spirit arrives. When we visited a new sewing center/church in Sept. 2009 consisting of displaced Hindus and Muslims we did not sense that we were welcomed. The young pastor there has had his hands full with this new ministry. When we returned in January nearly all of them have accepted Him as their Savior. The welcome was totally different. They rushed up demanding prayer! This trip was beyond our expectations. The Holy Spirit strengthened & stretched us once again. Please pray for India. More than a billion souls wait for a witness . . . . Dan and Teri

Our plan when we went to India was to provide eye care. We were not prepared to present children's programs. However, several times we found ourselves standing in a small, hot, packed room of children ranging in ages from toddlers to adolescents. Their parents and village leaders looking to us to bring a program. We did...we played games, sang songs, acted out the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and taught Bible verses. I think the kids were so happy to have some crazy people in strange blue outfits (our scrubs) loving, smiling at them, taking their photos and giving them stickers and hugs. We may never see the tangible outcome of our time with the children but we can rest in the truth that God loves each one of them. He has a plan for them. It is a plan for hope and restoration to Him. We can rest knowing that He used us in that plan to put action to His word and as Isaiah 55:11 says, “His word does not return void.” . . . . Robin

I am very thankful to have gotten to go to India! The people of India are God's children and are eager to hear about the love of Jesus. Their smiles and joy expressed upon learning of Jesus was so heartwarming and exciting. They were so appreciative to learn we came all that way to share the good news of what Jesus did for them and us! Obeying God and going to the ends of the earth was rewarding in so many ways! . . . . Kim

My trip to India is definitely something that I will never forget. Once customs detained our glasses, it was difficult to keep our chins up and figure out what plan B was going to be. In the end we used the 10 days to represent Jesus. We had plans to have a party with the lepers. But what we found was terrible. These people lacked any human touch in their lives. We learned that the nurse that cares for them is afraid of catching leprosy, so she gives them their wound care supplies and they are forced to bandage themselves. It must be a daunting task without fingers. We decided to buy soap and bandages and give them the day off. We washed their hands and feet and bandaged them. In the end, we realized that the best thing that we could give them was just a handshake and a smile. It's funny, I felt a little closer to Jesus knowing that He would have been right there with us, “touching the untouchables.” . . . . Charity

The first word I have learned is shar-loo, meaning enough. The hospitality is so good that I have to keep saying no more…please! Hot spicy food. Colors...radiant colors the saris and punjamis on the women look so bright against their darker skin. The houses have bright colors. Always on every trip I see designs—symmetrical like snow flakes yet most can only dream of snow flakes as they have lived and died in the same block they were born in. Smiles...radiant smiles. Darkness...Terrible Darkness — the truth hidden by Satan the deceiver. Temples to idols and altars in so many homes. Folks devotedly worshipping and paying homage to false gods. Everywhere ignorant worship of false gods. Lostness...Only one way to get to Heaven. Jesus is the only way. So many lost. So many are receptive to God's word when they hear it. Such a shortage of laborers...a hundred dollars a month would support a pastor and his family. Such a bargain—not to be dismissed lightly. God is good. Always very good. I rejoice in the opportunity to serve. Thank you! . . . . Bob

I went to India expecting to offer free eye glasses. But God had other plans for us. When the glasses got taken away we were all frustrated and devastated. When I felt hopeless God sent His peace and helped the team come up with alternative plans. We got to work with hundreds of school children and their families. We also traveled to various villages and shared the gospel and taught Bible stories and songs. We prayed with the sick and saw many surrender their lives to Jesus. The activity that made me the happiest was working with the teen aged boys and girls from the slum areas. I know that if it wasn't for the ministry we do among them (paying for their education and after school assistance), a lot of the girls would be forced into prostitution as a source of income for the family and the boys would have to find jobs at local eateries or newspaper stands. Their childhood would be taken away from them. This entire experience was very humbling. In hindsight, I am glad we did not get the eyeglasses. If we had gotten them we would not have been able to minister to the people like we did. . . . Deepa

I am sitting at the hotel in Bangalore watching children who 2 weeks ago were complete strangers and have now become close family. The mission trip was beyond anything I could have imagined or predicted. The mantra "expect the unexpected" was a clear understatement for our 2 weeks in South India. We came with the mission to deliver eye care to people and due to circumstances out of our control ended up changing plans several times. I was welcomed into a wonderful family, invited to conduct children's programs, help facilitate eye care clinics and work doing wound care with lepers. Every day was a struggle and a blessing. I leave this experience a better person in faith. The flexibility of my team and help from people in the community came together to create a unique mission trip experience. I leave blessed. . . . Katie

This trip was full of last minute changes. It totally confirmed to me once again the central importance of prayer in Christian life and work. I saw the awesome power of the heart-felt spoken word to our God to bring results. It truly felt like with flexibility and prayer, God could use us no matter what. Thank you for the prayers from all over the world for this mission trip. . . . CarolBeth

“Behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous thing among these people.” Isaiah 29:14