Farewell to Our Friends in the Villages

Our last meeting was bitter sweet. We have grown to love the people deeply. We were sad to leave them, and shed many tears as we said goodbye. but we are also joyful to know that someday we will all meet in heaven. It was a completely packed site, and they buried us in garlands! On a scale of one to ten, we all agree this trip was at least a nine! India Mission Trip 2012 is over, but the memories will last forever!

Other Cool Stuff!

Here's some other cool stuff we've experienced in the last 2 weeks! Passed out Matchbox cars and toothbrushes at our schools in Nuzvid and Ibrahimpatnam . Watched the three poor school boys we bought necessities for show off their new uniforms and shoes. Took a boat to Bhavani Island in the Krishna River and had ice cream. Got to see Sunita, the Johnson's sponsored boy's mother who had the brain tumor, now well and active. Harry also was able to get a good study Bible for the Bible teacher at Ibrahimpatnam who only had a small modern translation. Imagine! The man lives in a small room with a bed and a rope to hang his clothes on--nothing else! We have so much in America, it is really humbling to see how much of the world lives without much of anything at all!

Bible Worker Homes

We had the privilege of dedicating six Bible worker homes that were built in villages we had held evangelistic meetings and revivals in in the last 8 years. They were funded by our NNEC folks. Three are finished, and three are in the final stages of completion. They are very small, simple structures--one small room, a "kitchen" (a tiny closet with a few shelves), and a "bathroom" out back (a squat pot in another small closet). The SDA workers who will live in them are thrilled, however, as presently they must rent a home on their meager salary of about $600 a year. Two were dedicated to the memory of two of our young men, who worked at Camp Lawroweld, and died untimely accidental deaths--Nate Stoll and Andrew Johnson. We miss them a lot, and are happy their memory will live on in these houses provided for the underpaid, dedicated Bible workers who labor year round in our villages.