We started the day with a flat tire, but that did not stop Pastor I from taking us north to Dehradun, Uttarakhand. This is located at the foothills of the mighty Himalayas.
The roads were very narrow and had to be shared by everyone. The culture and people in this part of India are completely different than what we have experienced to date. They are mountain tribal people and many are immigrating from Tibet, Nepal and China.
This drunk driver refused to move aside as lots of traffic backed up behind us.
Notice the rock cliff behind them? They are set up on the narrow road.
Narrow tunnel . . .
There is no better way to have a meeting. We were in Himalayan foothills as Sam and I began to unravel the past 7 years. We discussed the history of all the trips we have made together and how the this vision of reaching India started back in 2002. God has matured the two of us on parallel, yet separate paths. We then discussed each of the different places and people we met these past few weeks.
With our clear calling towards N. India we have many ideas and plans on how to successfully train pastors in the Word of God and successful discipleship. God has opened many doors and we are excited to see His plan come together. Today, I have written pages and pages of the many events and people that God has allowed us to interact with. He is changing lives in the impossible situations that India presents every day. We still have much to process in determining the future . . .
Sam and I took one last photo on the way down the mountain.
On the day before we leave, it was so nice to be in the higher elevations and enjoy the cool weather and relaxing views. Even this street dog agreed with me.
For dinner we joined with Pastor A and his family. Their neighbor, Sonya, stopped in and asked us to share with her. She is a Punjabi woman who experienced the love of Christ when a Christian pastor prayed for her when she was unable to conceive for the first 5 years of marriage. She said that several doctors told her she has no uterus and will never be able to have a child of her own. The next year her son was born.
But now she came because of the abuse she is regularly receiving from her alcoholic husband. You could see the marks on her face and arms. We had the privilege of counseling her for a couple hours. Deep down I wondered how big this kind of problem was in this neighborhood, let alone everywhere. With tears in her eyes, she thanked us and left home after prayer.
It seems that everytime we get excited and see great works of God, I am reminded of just how real the pain is throughout India. There is a lot of work to do in India.
Thanks for making a difference with us!
Comments