Still surviving... kinda

The Delhi-belly has hit... even though we're not in Delhi, it has followed us to Dehra Dun. Averil, Mark, Mike, Kevin, Ruth and Caroline have all been unwell, to varying degrees and are all much better aquainted with their bathrooms than one might normally be. Our adventures have even included calling out a young, dashing Indian doctor at 1 in the morning!

For most people it is only a 24-hour sickness, followed by a cautious diet of toast and tea. In some cases I think it has been a bug or food poisoning, for some it is probably just a change in diet - we have been eating some fantastic and delicious food, but it is often quite rich.

Yesterday (Monday) we spent the morning with Sunny and his leadership interns - who are either serving in the city or village church. We worshipped using Hindi and English songs, sung with passion and the unique Indian rhythm, and then looked at a Bible passage and prayed for each other. It was a really good time, and quite humbling for us English. Sunny has 5 or so interns and they all want to church plant into other cities or nations. Given that this is a nation where being a Christian isn't easy and starting a church is potentially dangerous, we English were all tremendously impressed and challenged by their selfless commitment. One guy is from the village and is part of a snake charming community, people who keep vipers and cobras and come into city to hold the snakes and beg for money. The snake is revered in Hindusim, as it seems are most animals, so people give money as an offering. On Wednesday we will be visiting the community and have the opportunity to hold the snakes! His vision is to plant a church that reaches out to these people.

Many of Sunny's church are first-generation Christians from Hindu families, and we heard many stories of new Christians being thrown out of their families for becoming a Christian.

In the afternoon we split into a boys and girls group. Us boys went off with a couple of guys from the church to buy materials for the children's activities we will be doing in the village on Wednesday. They are expecting over 100 children, who we need to entertain for a couple of hours! Pray for Kevin and Ben as they plan the activities.

The girls went shopping with Vika. They were looking for some traditional Indian clothes - and they took somewhere in the region of 5- hours to shop. It was nice for us boys as we were able to get a break and sit down in a nice coffee shop for a break from the heat and bustle of the crowds.

We are seeing lots of poverty and affluence side-by-side, but the poverty stands out. It will be worse in Delhi where there are more rich Western tourists, but even here we will get little children, perhaps as young as 3-years old, begging for money from us. They are dirty, grime-covered, with matted hair and torn clothes... yet they are so beautiful as well. They have great smiles. I have been carrying around a pack of biscuits to give them... they are usually a little disappointed to not get money, but any money would probably go to a grown up around the corner.

On Monday evening I went to the church's monthly planning meeting and then afterwards the team all met me at Sunny and Vika's home. We ate take-away pizza (our non-western food period lasted... 2 days! But it was needed for all the delicate stomachs!) and Sunny described the history of the Dehra Dun Vineyard. It was totally unplanned, but it seems a divinde coincidence that our visit is 10-years, to the very week, since the Bob McKenzie came with the first team from Exeter Vineyard to India. It was on that trip that the team visited Dehra Dun and Sunny and Vika met Bob and felt God call them to join the Vineyard family and started the journey that resulted in the Dehra Dun Vineyard church starting.

We listened to the whole story, heard the vision of the church and saw the impact they have already had... including church plants all over India and into Nepal. It was a really wonderful evening and very emotional to know that God had done so much and used the realtionship between our church in Exeter and this church in North India to do so much. We finished by praying for Sunny and Vika. The team went home to bed and I stayed on to use Sunny's computer for a video chat with Sarah and Oscar - how great to be able to see them! I don't want to wish away my time here, but I am looking forward to seeing them both again!