Getting ready for church

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Well yesterday was certainly a busy day! It seems like it started in Chennai with a night train ride to Coimbatore. Sleeping was difficult for some reason and we had all our luggage (including giftbags) to keep an eye on. I think I got about three hours of sleep in total on the train. Immediately on arrival we were greeted by a few memorable friends, Rosario and Anand. They were so happy! Along with Albert who wrote yesterday, and Felix and Smiley, we carried all twenty suitcases through the train station (up and down many stairs) to the van. There we were finally able to say goodbye to our gift bags! Felix expressed such gratitude for our gifts from the last visit. All the books we sent were translated into Tamil and Malayalam and used to teach many classes and studies at many churches. It was amazing to see such appreciation for a two year old present! We got to the Heritage Hotel, where we stayed last time, ate breakfast and put our things away and quickly departed again. We went into the streets of Coimbatore individually with an Indian brother/sister to invite people to the anniversary service. The response was amazing! It was cold contact in the streets with invitations and people were very warm and open. Now with everyone owning a cell phone, they are actually quite eager to give you their number. I was with Albert and he was able to get twelve phone numbers for follow up. We walked back to the hotel and wrote on the blog. Thank you all for your encouraging words to the Indian Churches. After lunch we went to the village where the potter lives. We all got to try our hand at pottery again and Ericka was even given the opportunity to make a large pot with no help, "Whatever comes to your mind." It was amazing to see how we could completely mess up the clay and the master potter would swoop in and quickly make it perfectly smooth and right again. A great reminder of God's hand in our life. We went to his house and sat for awhile with his wife (a disciple) and son. After dinner we were taken out by rickshaw to do follow up with potential visitors. We will all have great stories to share about that since we all went in different directions and got to experience completely different people and places. Needless to say, upon our return, we could barely stay awake. Today is church and we are very excited about meeting everybody. I can't wait to see old friends and show them the pictures I brought of Ev and Jen. I am preaching and Damon is doing the lesson at a leader's meeting afterwords. There should be a baptism today as well and hopefully we will meet in the park for some volleyball this afternoon. I would like to boast about the faith, strength, and perseverance of the mission team members. Everyone is giving 110% and there are absolutely no problems. It's very easy to lead a smaller group like this where everyone has such a pure missions-focused heart. Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Toledo should be very proud of their missionaries and their contribution to this experience. It's almost time for breakfast and I have printed out the latest comments to be read while we're eating. Also, thanks for writing such encouraging words to the Indian churches, I will read them during the service today! I miss and love all of you and hopefully everyone will get a chance to write this afternoon. Jen, I love you and please give Ev a hundred kisses for me! Also, be sure to wish Matt a happy birthday!
Love,
Ben

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Comments

[JenW]

Nice blog
HI Hon and Group- Ben, this was a great blog! I love hearing details. Did you bring your cord or whatever so that you can attach photos?? I want to see pictures so bad! Ev is doing well. His new word is "Yowie!" He says it all the time. It also sounds like he's saying "Baby" or "Debbie" alot. Plus he's been calling for you! I keep telling him you're in India and will be back in a couple weeks. I love you! -Jen

[Mary Beljan]

Wish I were there again
Reading all the comments on the blog is bringing back so many wonderful memories. Please say hi to Rosario, Helen, Jhancy, Xavier, Suresh, Smiley, Felix...and everyone else in Coimbatore from 2 years ago. I am sorry I have not been better about writing, but I think of everyone many times. I would like to tell everyone there about what the Lansing Church is doing. I have organized a walking program for the summer called Miles for Missions, Kerala Walkabout 2007 - Walking with God. I calculated the mileage from Chennai to Coimbatore to Cochi to Trivandrum back to Chennai, which came out to 857 miles. As a church we are trying to collectively walk that distance over the summer. Each week members give me a card with the miles they walked during the week and I add them up. After the second week we have already walked over 200 miles. During poor contribution each Sunday, Joel or I get up and talk about our experiences in India. Some members are also getting pledges for their miles to raise money for special contribution which will be sent to the churches in India. So we are walking in spirit with all of you there. When I think about the Coimbatore Church I immediately remember your hearts to serve us while we were there. I think it was Helen and a couple of other sisters who came over to the hotel on Sunday and helped all the sisters put on their sari's. I have actually worn my sari and I didn't do to bad of a job with all the folds and pleats. I was also blown away by your zeal for evangalism and sharing your faith. I remember thinking that if most Americans were a quarter as zealous...our churches would be growing by leaps and bounds. On a personal note...please share a couple of updates for me. I went back to school and finished my nursing degree and passed my examination to be a Registered Nurse. I became a grandmother for the first time last year and have a beautiful 9 month old grandson, Sullivan Michael. And, last but not least...I learned to ride a motorcycle - actually a Honda Reflux scooter. Love to everyone on the team and all my brothers and sisters in India - Mary