Saturday

• All of us went to the market Saturday morning, putting clothes in the laundry, getting dry-goods for the duration of our stay, and going to the “Pigpo” meat market for some meats.
• We had late lunch with Sunny’s family.
• Robert experienced the mind-boggling traffic, going to and from Sunny’s.
• On the way home we stopped at Lajpat Nagar market and got a cell phone so that all of us can be in touch with our families.
• For dinner, we had peanut butter/jelly toast and fruit.

Sunday

• On Sunday, those who were there early started singing. At Sunny’s request, I led some songs they were not familiar with.
• Nirmal Malik, one of the young unmarried men, taught the Bible class (Acts 9), and his father (one of the elders) translated. It was obvious that Nirmal had done extensive preparation for the class.
• I introduced Robert to the church and then he spoke during the worship hour, and Nelson David translated.
• After meeting everyone, following the worship, a good number stayed behind to address and stamp the Hindi magazine. We were glad that Robert was able to take part in this fellowship and work, followed by a typical Indian meal shared by all who were there.
• At two-thirty, Sunny took Robert and me to meet with the East Indian congregation, where Robert spoke at both the Bible class and worship time.
• Betty’s computer was not starting up right so a computer service man came to check it in the evening.
• We had a light dinner and went to bed early, feeling the change in timing from the US to India. It is rather on the cold side, with a wind off the Himalayas where they have had blizzards and avalanches that killed more than 60 people.

Monday

• Gary Walker, along with some other brothers, was in town at the Vickram Hotel. They invited us to have lunch with them before their departure to the States in the late afternoon.
• We went to the bank in downtown Delhi, passing the Parliament buildings (the seat of the central government of India) along the way. Connaught Place is in an upheaval, much of the parking area around the circle being dug up in the making of an underground Metro system. Many changes and improvements are planned for the center of the city, but right now there is chaos. Sunny finally found a spot to park his car, side-by-side, end-to-end with all the other cars. The system is that the car is left in neutral (sometimes the keys are left with the attendant), so that when someone needs to get out, the car can be rolled forward or backward or however, to accommodate. It is unbelievable, but it works! Surely one part of the planned change will be multi-story parking. There is certainly a critical need.
• We walked several blocks to the American Express money changer, then carefully walked back, knowing how easy it would be for an observant thief to grab the bag containing the rupees.
• In the evening Francis took us to his home for dinner.

Tuesday

• Betty and Robert went to Jan Path, so Robert could see a tourist-type market, with religious and other stuff from Nepal, Tibet, and parts of India. They came home by Lajpat Nagar, to shop a little in a typical Indian market.
• Francis had made rice and curry for lunch. Afterwards, Betty cooked “train food” for our trip to Kakinada, which began at 8:15 that evening. The cooking and last minute packing were interspersed with visits with various ones who came by to see us off.
• Our air conditioned car on the train was almost empty, not surprising in the very cool weather we were having. We visited with Sunny and Francis until departure time, then had our dinner, spread our blankets and sheets and went to bed. The trip takes about 40 hours, so there was ample time to sleep, rest, read, watch India passing by, and to talk.

Kakinada

Before reaching Kakinada at noon on Tuesday, the temperature had warmed up, but I was already having the beginnings of one of those dreaded Indian colds! Joshua Gootam, the Telugu radio and TV speaker, met us at the station in Samalkot and took us to his home. By Thursday I was feeling absolutely awful from my cold, so Robert got the opportunity to speak to the congregation that evening. He spoke again on Sunday, and seemed an old hand at having his lessons translated. Joshua took him to other nearby congregations, which gave him an introduction to some of the more rural work. Several were baptized at one place where they were having two days of all-day meetings.

Though none in the congregation at Kakinada were affected by the tsunami, and no members of the church in the state of Andhra Pradesh were killed (as far as we know), some did suffer losses. One preaching brother brought an elderly Christian from his congregation whose two buffaloes and cart were washed away, which was his “truck”, his means of making a living. He also brought a picture of a 35-year-old woman of the village (not yet a Christian) whose husband was working on the Andaman Islands and was killed. She has five young children, and was in dire straits as to how to take care of her family. The congregation had supplied some relief, in the form of food and other immediate needs.

Discussing the situations among ourselves and with Joshua (and prayerful that good decisions would be made), we gave the brother money to replace his bullocks and cart. We also gave enough money to help the widow build a small village house so that she will have a permanent place to live, and promised a monthly sum for two years.

Jerry Bryan, from the church in Trenton, Michigan, had sent $2750 from the congregation to be given to a brother Rao, a preacher they support, for Christian fishermen in his area who had suffered losses. We met with brother Rao, giving him the designated amount along with additional funds to buy fishing nets, ropes, clothes, food, and to help in the repair of their fishing boats.

Another preacher, known to Joshua, brought a man from his congregation whose son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren had been killed on the Andaman Islands. We asked for some background to brother Reddy’s story. His first wife (the mother of his son) had died. He had married again and has a fourteen-year-old daughter from this marriage. The second wife died while the baby was small, so he and relatives have raised her. Then he had lost the sight in one eye and couldn’t see well enough to continue his coolie-labor work. Two years ago his daughter left school to work in the fields to help support the two of them, and the son had been sending a monthly stipend from his small wage as a laborer. We promised a monthly sum for two years, on the basis that the daughter would return to school so that she can hope for a better life as an adult. When Joshua translated what we would do, brother Reddy broke down in deep sobs. We couldn’t keep back the tears, either, knowing how much grief he had suffered, and what a struggle his life had been, even before the heartbreaking deaths of his son’s entire family.

Other preachers were contacting Joshua about losses in congregations in their areas, so we left funds with him to help with some of the more critical needs. We stressed, and told him to be sure to stress to brethren, that these funds have been given by Christians in the US because of their love and concern for the Indian church.

From here we will be going to the state of Tamil Nadu, where most of the damage was done on the mainland. Some of the affected people there are Christians, but most are not. What has been heart-warming here in Andhra Pradesh is that the funds could be used to help Christians who are hurting.

We will keep you informed about events as they transpire in Tamil Nadu and then in Sri Lanka. Pray for us. This is going to be a heart-wrenching month of hearing one sad story after the next. The happy side is that American Christians can make a real difference to these people who have lost so much and are living in such deep grief. We cannot thank you enough for that, but God knows, and He will reward every giver in His own special way.

A second positive thing about these tragedies is that many doors are being opened to the Gospel. As people see the concern of Christians, they are more interested in hearing the message behind the gift. Already, a number have been converted through follow-up teaching efforts, both here and in Tamil Nadu. To help in the spiritual side of the work, we have authorized the printing of a number of tracts dealing with the “Why?” that is in so many hearts. We are also printing 20,000 copies of volume 4 of The Voice of Truth International in Telugu, and reprinting 10,000 copies of volume 1. In Tamil, we are printing 20,000 copies of volume 2. These will be used for further teaching among tsunami victims as well as people in general.

In Winona, volume 45 of The Voice of Truth International has come from the press, and is being sent to many people throughout the world.

We are grateful to Eulene, Barbara, and Michal for keeping things running at home. Without their help, we could not be on this side of the world with peace in our hearts regarding those responsibilities. Oh, yes, I’m sure you are wondering how Robert is seeing all of these things and reacting to new experiences. He is proving to be a “natural”, with a very willing heart to try whatever is asked of him. We are so thankful that God has brought him and Michal into the team, and we look forward to working together in the years ahead. We know that you are praying for us, and we are thankful for that. God bless each one of you.