INDIA

Part I:

Dear Boyz -

In the weeks just prior to our trip, the enemy launched his attack at our most vulnerable spot - he attacked our wives. Because they are such mature women of God they saw if for what it was and pressed in to the only source of hope - Jesus Christ. They decided that in spite of the giants in the land they were going to release each of us to India. At our packing party Suellen prayed a prophetic word over each of us and by the time we got on the plane each of the situations we were dealing with had been resolved. Each man felt fully released to get on the plane unhindered.

We left late Friday evening and arrived in Calcutta only a few hours behind the scheduled time. The trip from the airport to our hotel was a weird, surreal experience. We saw billboards advertising Gucci and the like while immediately below the signs were homeless men and women looking through the debris for something of value. My first impression was almost an overwhelming sense of crushing poverty and so many people! No matter where you look there is a steady stream of humanity.

After a few hours of rest we headed downtown to meet with the out-of-work rickshaw pullers. We walked into a small rented hall and were greeted by over a hundred street kids from 4 schools run by a pastor who is fully sponsored by Mission India. They welcomed us, and then sang songs of praise to Jesus. Each of us spoke a word of greeting and spent a few minutes with the kids. The kids left and the rickshaw pullers arrived. I had the privilege of talking to them about a God who knew their names and loved them so much that He had provided them a way out of their hopeless future and was building them a home in eternity. Each man had a lifetime of struggle, poverty, and hardship written all over their faces. But they also had this undeniable hope there too.

After we prayed together they took us outside and showed us a rickshaw. I climbed in one and one of the men lifted the handles as if he were taking me somewhere. I felt the need to get out of that cart - it just didn't feel right. We went back inside and while the men were enjoying a feast that the Waterboyz for Jesus provided, the pastor talked with the team about the dreams of these 35 men - dreams of transition to other means of earning an income since rickshaw pulling has been outlawed. For a cost of about $50-60 each of these men has the potential of doubling their income without having to endure the physical demands. Rajendra will be meeting with the pastor in the next few days to sort out the process for accountability and start-up. The Waterboyz for Jesus have already committed the funds to seed this start-up and look forward to hearing stories of how God uses this initiative to His glory!

The next day we experienced the first of four Dream Center visits. These Dream Centers are part of a network of eighteen locations that provides a residential living place for 1,800 orphans. Every orphanage is run by a pastor who views his job as providing each child with the tools he or she needs to have a future. The most important of these is to have a life-changing personal relationship with Jesus. As we pulled up to the Center we were greeted by several drummers and dancers who led us into the Center with great fanfare. After getting a tour of the facilities we were treated to a program put on by the kids. Each Dream Center has it owns personality and flavor but the recurring theme is a celebration of the radical transformation in the children’s lives because of who Jesus is and what He has done. They sang praises to their friend Jesus with enthusiasm, energy, and passion. The dancing and routines were unbelievably involved and beautiful. The kids worshipped with their whole being and we were undone!

Our second stop was at the Barakati Dream Center where we helped dedicate the new wing that the Waterboyz for Jesus had funded. It was an overwhelming experience to see just how much a few men making small sacrifices could accomplish for the Kingdom. I had the privilege of unveiling the plaque honoring the gift of the Boyz and quoting John 7:37,38 claiming the promise that if we accept the living water of Jesus Christ it will become a groundswell of water flowing out of each of us. As I looked into each child’s eyes, I knew I was seeing these words of Jesus come to life. We then celebrated together with the children performing well-practiced dancing routines, all the kids singing praise songs, and a few men of God speaking the gospel to hundreds of people from the surrounding community. Seeds were planted that will bear fruit in the coming months and years. God was honored and lives were changed. I can say this with confidence because I know five men (the team) who will never be the same! We were speechless and overwhelmed!

Late that afternoon we journeyed back deep into the interior to visit with 100 lepers. Somehow they had heard we were coming and had gathered. They are outcasts from their villages and rejected by family, neighbors and the government. The rest of their lives are doomed to being beaten and chased away whenever they get too close. As we walked up to where they all were, they began to sing a song of praise to Jesus. A man wearing a wool cap stood and sang and sang. I looked around and could not grasp what I was seeing - these wretched men and women who are racked with profound pain praising God. We all wept. I don't know what to do with this - many of the women had a child or two. Little kids born into a life of rejection and a high risk of getting the death sentence themselves. We each talked for a few minutes about the reality of our God and His heart. A heart for the least of these - a heart for them!

Good News India, our host, provided blankets and a snack for each person. We handed out the blankets and placed our hands on each person’s head in blessing. I will always remember the men and women hobbling off into the surrounding fields with a blanket clutched under their arms, or in some cases stumps of arms. They have no shelter and in most cases no possessions, only the clothes on their backs. On the way back Dr. Rahman showed us where a leper compound could be build that would allow these 100-150 rejected souls a place of peace and care. Please God - in your infinite love let this come to pass!

Tuesday we visited a Dream Center built by a couple who had lost their 21 year old son in a tragic accident. Rather then living in the past and in their pain they choose to invest in a future. They realized that the best way to honor their son’s life was to provide a future for hundreds of boys and girls. The kids had gotten up at 5am to practice their program one more time before the guests arrived. They were SO excited to perform for us. After the program we had breakfast with the pastor and his wife who run the orphanage. As we were talking he shared a dream about a play area for the kids which would draw the community in as well. He talked about the opportunity this would provide to speak the name of Jesus in a place were speaking that Name has the potential for being beaten, jailed, or worse. A few of the team members bought 3 swing sets for their playground on the spot!

We then headed to the site of the future Lodha Dream Center. Many members of the Lotha tribe are fugitives from the law, wanted for multiple murders and other crimes. Through a miracle connection, a couple from our area - Don & Makiko Harrison - completely funded the building of a facility that will house 350 Lotha orphans. There is already a day care being held for several hours a day and by mid-January the residential program will be in full swing. When the staff arrived most of the kids were naked and had never had a haircut. As they learn about Jesus and their worth, a transformation begins immediately. When we arrived we were greeted by several Lodha men dressed in matching shirts with peacock headbands and with bells fastened around their waists and legs. As the drummers played they danced us into the compound and to the place of honor prepared for us. Another program of kids dancing, the audience praising God, and preaching of the Gospel to many who had never heard the story before. Again seeds were planted and Jesus was lifted up in a way that will provide fruit in the Kingdom!

We reached to last Dream Center late afternoon to another greeting. After a quick meal we again were provided a program. This stop was my personal highlight of the trip so far - watching 171 kids praising God with their whole bodies. When the pastor prayed, the kids began to pray. I watched them as this happened and they were praying to a God who was there - close – personal. I felt the wings of the angels brush my face. My heart raced as the Holy Spirit thundered into the place. We all were swept up and began to dance, and sing, and praise Him. I watched kids raise their hands and voices and oh how they worshipped! I will never forget the sweet presence of God in that place! We concluded the evening with our team performing the Good Samaritan story with a skit. The kids LOVED IT! Thank you Jeannie for all the AWESOME material for the kids - we have used all of it.

We still have a trip to an 'at-risk' orphanage for girls tomorrow and a visit with those who we have already helped start micro-businesses in Calcutta. We have seen God in such a clear and powerful way. We will need time to unpack all that we have seen and experienced. We have been changed - our view of Eternity is SO clear right now. We are in the middle of a God adventure that we pray will never end - let this be a beginning!

Part II:

Dear Boyz,

When I sent my ‘Part I’ update on our trip to India we had just finished a whirlwind trip to some remote villages in West Bengal where we dedicated a new wing at the orphanage (the 18 orphanages are all called Dream Center’s) the Waterboyz for Jesus funded, celebrated the beginning of the construction at another Dream Center for the head-hunting Lodha tribe, visited two other existing dream center’s for a ‘hug fest’, and brought blankets to about 100 lepers who materialized out of their various hiding places to minister to us in a profound way. We truly had seen that ‘the least of these’ is the place we could experience Jesus’ heart in a way we had never seen before. As the lepers walked away carrying their blankets and little bag of food to nowhere we all wept and prayed that God would take care of them somehow/someway…………..

After getting back to Good News India’s headquarters in Calcutta we spent the afternoon emailing family, getting some laundry done (it was the first time I’ve ever had my underwear ironed, but that’s another story……….), and getting ready for the next phase of our trip. We were off to visit the ‘at-risk’ girls Dream Center in the Himalaya mountains. About 9pm we got into a couple of cars and headed to the downtown Calcutta train station. Although it was after rush hour the place was a mob scene. On any given day over 1 million people pass through this station in one continuous stream of humanity. Rajendra kept reminding us to watch our wallets as we made our way down the boarding platform and onto the train. We found our compartment and after getting a .13 cent (I paid him a handsome tip) shoe shine from a 9 year old boy (at around 10pm at night) the train got underway. The ride was so smooth that it didn’t take long for all of us to find our sleeping places and quickly we all drifted off to sleep. (Except for Greg Lueck who had a big bump right in the middle of his bed). Early the next morning we woke up and after enjoying a cup of tea we had the first official Waterboyz 10MEN table in India. We read and SOAP’d 1 John 4 together. With the experiences of the past few days we felt the truth of God’s word when He tells us that as we experience His love we can’t help but love each other as well as those around us.

After a long bumpy ride up into the mountains we finally arrived at the Kalimpong Dream Center. The 30+ ‘at risk’ girls met us with beautiful smiles. Because of space and funding limitations the current facility can only handle a small fraction of the ‘at risk’ girls in this region. We ate a delicious meal with the girls and then headed to the top of the mountain to meet & play with the girls at a little park with a couple of swings. I’ll never forget seeing 25 or so little girls pile into a small SUV truck at the dream center (talk about a clown car!) for the 15-20 minute ride to the park. After spending a few hours with them we headed back down the mountain to the local church where their pastor/director was waiting for us. As the children practiced their program one more time, we headed to the construction site of the new facility being built to replace the existing Dream Center. The pastor/director after reading a passage in Deuteronomy about using part of family property for the Lord’s work along with his family had taken out a personal loan, by faith, to build a building on their family property. This new facility cost about $40,000 and is the most beautiful building you could imagine. In typical God-fashion funds began to come in from here and there and by the time the building was built $38000 had miraculously shown up. This is the middle of a God-story since they need another $12000 to finish the building and another $15000 to buy a bus to transport the girls to and from school and church. They explained that during the construction they had spend 30 days digging a big boulder out of the ground they had to excavate in a terrace fashion to create a flat building site. BY HAND! They somehow created a flat building site using sticks and shovels – I can’t even imagine the kind of dedication that would drive this pastor and his wife! Well I actually can! When you think that they will be able to immediately double the number of girls who won’t be tied to a bed and raped daily, day after day provides motivation enough. 1 John 4 – God is love – we will love in a God-like way since we were first loved. It inspires us to protect unprotected children so they can grow up emotionally healthy and impact the world around them.

We prayed over that site and asked God to continue the good work He had already started in Kalimpong. We drove to the church and were treated to another awesome program of smiles, songs, and dancing. We didn’t want it to end! It occurred to me that 30+ girls were in a church, praising God, dancing for His glory (and just for the fun of it), and what a different outcome their lives would have. Many of them are dreaming about becoming doctors, teachers, or nurses. Because God loved us so much He inconveniently gave of Himself so how could we being so thoroughly loved do anything else for these precious little girls. I thought often of my daughters and how much I love them and want to protect them from harm. How I want them to have lives full of promise, dreams, and Kingdom stories. On our last day on earth each of us will have to answer THE question – Did you care enough to love the unlovable and forgotten?

We spent a night in a local hotel where the temperature hovered somewhere between 35-40 degrees. Since there is no heat in the rooms we all dove under the covers and curled up to conserve as much body heat as possible. It was a long night………….. Since we arrived around mid-night and were exhausted only Greg Lueck got up at 3am to drive to the vantage place to see Mt Everest at sunrise. When he returned we headed back down the mountain to catch our plane ride back to Calcutta. We stopped for breakfast at a roadside restaurant (no heat) and had just put in our orders when our driver came in and whispered something to Dr Rahman. He immediately said we needed to leave in 10 minutes! It turned out that a local political group had declared a procession (political protest) that was starting in about a half hour. These sometimes shut down entire regions for hours, sometimes full days. We hurriedly ate and got on our way. We passed the preparations a few miles later and missed this potential delay by less than half-hour. God was looking out for us – Big Time! When we arrived at the airport we learned that Greg Lueck (there is a pattern developing here, do you see it?) didn’t have a ticket. God again provided and before long we were headed back to Calcutta.

Saturday morning we all got up and decided that before our day got started we were going to have one more 10MEN table together in India. We SOAP’d 1 John 3 and shared what God was doing in each of us through this trip. It was an anointed time together and we didn’t want it to end. We prayed that our last day in India would be fully used by God! A prayer that God answered in the way He always does – YES – YES – YES! Before long our ride arrived and we were off to visit with the 45 ladies who had been launched into micro-businesses by Damascus Road Community Church and the Waterboyz for Jesus. When we arrived we learned that this group had grown to 76 women (Praise God!) so the place was packed. When Rajendra arrived he reminded me I was giving the message. I had totally forgotten this assignment so I immediately began to pray that God would give me ‘a word’. Immediately I thought of the Phoenician women whose daughter was dying with no hope and of the lady caught in adultery and judged worthy of death by stoning. I continued to pray and God gave me the theme these women needed to hear – God is a God of second chances. After explaining that even though there were 3 Paul’s in our group of 5 men not every man in America is named Paul I began to preach about second chances. It felt like the women really connected with the message – Praise God – in our weakness He is strong!

After the service the 5 group leaders for the micro business we help start, showed us the goods that the entire group had been making. We, of course, all bought many of the items and talked with the ladies about how they were developing new ideas for products and finding markets to sell their wares. When we were finished Rajendra asked us to meet with a young girl (maybe 18-19 or so). He told us that soon after an arranged marriage and getting pregnant her husband had abandoned her. This left her homeless which led to her getting TB in her spine. She lived in agony, with a little baby on the streets of Calcutta with no hope and no future. Pastor Raju somehow learned about her and got her medical attention (a REAL miracle). Rajendra explained that she was now a house keeper and getting paid in meals. So even though she was getting something to eat she was forced to sleep on the sidewalk outside the gate of the home she was cleaning. He told us that she would learn if the treatment for her TB was helping in a few days. We asked how we could help – and he told us that for $100 she could rent a food booth and would be able to make enough income to get a place to stay. We prayed over her and I anointed her with oil. As we prayed she had the most beautiful smile on her face – it made no sense! As if we were one man, we all reached for our wallets. Four men dug into their souvenir money and before we left, Punjab had a future. One more for Jesus – just one more! Pray for her and all the other “Punjab’s” living on the mean streets around the world.

Pastor Raju (a local Calcutta pastor that DRCC fully sponsors) asked if we would pray over his home before we left. We were honored to be asked, so off we went; walking down alley’s and through little open courtyards. We arrived at a room of about 10X10 mostly made up of a queen sized bed. I asked if this was where he, his wife, and daughter lived. “No” he said, this is where his family and 11 other people lived – he pointed up to a second floor he had built out of some scrap lumber. 14 people live in a 200 sq foot home (his mother and other family members). When I had asked him earlier in our trip what we could do to help him all he said was – “Brother pray that God will bless my work here. Just pray!” God had impressed a brother to give me $1000 Spirit money before I left on the trip so earlier in the week I had asked Rajendra – “what else can we do for this man of God?” He explained that if he had a motorcycle he would save hundreds of hours a year in getting around the city. I asked him how much it would cost to buy a motorbike - $1000 he said! So after praying a blessing over Pastor Raju’s home we went to the local Honda dealership (a small shop with two bikes in the display room) and handed this dear man the keys to a brand-new Honda. The smile on that man’s face lit up the room! Praise God.

God answered our prayers in real and tangible ways every day while we were in India – even that last day in India. Each of us has been changed forever. This Sunday our kids will be able to participate with us in changing 100 kids lives forever. We will have a Christmas tree with 100 angels hanging as decoration. If you and your child decide to give up one present this year ($25) you can provide a child with a new outfit of clothes for Christmas, a small metal box to keep his few belongings in, and a years worth of shots to prevent many of the common diseases that are prevalent in this area. I don’t know what He’ll ask of us next, but I do know ‘the best is yet to come!” We are praying that God will show us what the next step is in MISSION: INDIA – pray with us won’t you?

In HIM,
Paul

	A group of "At Risk" Girls Praising the Lord
	These are some of the Micro-Business Managers displaying some of the products they make and sell
Pastor Raju with Paul Foss transferring the title for a NEW Motorcycle
Pogent Girl goes from Homeless to Micro Business
	The Construction of the NEW Dream Center for "At Risk" Girls

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