Another day, another coke??? It's true, yesterday was a lovely day for Coca-Cola. We spent time with Pastor Joy, an ICM partner, and his family, and not only were we greeted with necklaces of fragrant sandalwood, but ice cold glasses of coke! It was an amazing day...not because of the familiar taste of soda, but thanks to the wonderful work God is doing here. It is evident in the joyful faces of the 40 girls in the orphanage as they danced and sang praise to Jesus for us...in the hopeful, tearful faces of the older women when they asked for prayer...and in the love that was shown for these children saved from death at the hands of their parents at only 1 day old. I am falling in love with the people of India. Their faith is enviable, and their commitment to service has stirred something inside of me....pushing me to a greater level of sacrifice. I wish you were here to see and experience the movement of Christ here. It would change your life. It certainly has mine.
~ Sterling

What a trip. The people of India have a great gentleness. The women are so beautiful. The women on our team (a high school teacher, a crisis pregnancy counselor, a radio celebrity (Sterling rocks!), two former nurses [currently in intriguing positions], and one lawyer) marvel at the beautiful sarees the women wear here, in the face of significant heat and humidity. Yards of silk, in the colors of the rainbow, to the ground in length. The faces- women, men and children- take one's breath away. The second most populated country in the world- riddled with poverty, malnutrition, child labor. If you could see what we see....

The pastor/leader with whom ICM works in one Indian state- who has 900 church plants already and whose churches house more than 900 orphans with stories as described by Sterling below, said yesterday "We need to find out what God is doing, and get under it." I've heard that truth before- from my pastor, back on the other side of the world. So often we say "God, this is what I want to do/want to have happen. Will you please bless it?" We should be saving, "God, what is on your heart? What do you want us to do for you?"

It is clear that God is up to great things in India and ICM has caught His vision in working here to build churches and orphanges. ICM is helping to bring the kingdom of God to this place, teeming with beautiful sons and daughters of the living God. We are honored to be witnesses to what God is doing here.

Where do I even begin? The last couple days have been a blur of curry, sweat, and the sweet presence of the Lord. To see what God is doing here in India is nothing short of incredible. We've been spending time with Pastor Daniel, an ICM partner here and visiting his Mercy Homes in Kerala. Mercy Home is a church where the Pastor who leads there and his wife take in 10 beautiful desperate children and raise them as part of their family. We met 2 young brothers yesterday at the Vellaparra Mercy Home who had watched their father crush their mother's head and then burn her alive. So, to see them in a home full of hope and healing, for them to be brought up with Jesus, in complete love was truly the work of God. It was an emotional day yesterday, I cried a lot...I worshipped...and I prayed. I am so grateful to have the ability and resources we do in America, and so determined to make sure everyone there knows what God is doing here in India, and how easy it is to be a part of it. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

I have no idea how God is going to use these restored children, but I KNOW he will and I'm excited for the chance to help. Thank you for your prayers for this team and please pray for God's work in India and the children He is raising up.

Love you, In His service~ Sterling

From Janice:
The last two days have been full of wonderful adventures seeing the God of hand at work.
We rise early and head out in our "cozy" bus (Americans are far too pampered with our individual SUV's and not quite used to piling it in--we can hope this is a wonderful team builder!)
The first partner we've traveled and met with exudes the joy of the Lord. His stories of God's faithfulness and the sacrifice of the believers are inspiring. What a blessing to be here!

Post from Sterling, Air One DJ:

Whew! I made it! I cant' believe I'm in India!! What a journey- 3 1/2 hours fro Sacramento to Houston then another 4 hours to Newark, to wait for a couple hours and finally hop aboard this massive plane-seriously, 3 rows of 3 seats wide-for the 15 hour jaunt to Mumbai. It was awesome- I had all 3 seats to myself. so how did I spend my time?

Well, I started and finished "The Shack" by Wm. Paul Young, munched some delicious Indian rice, stared at a cube of what looked like orange jello with coconut and seeds inside for probably 10 minutes before I decided -Nah, its not worth it, had my black gel pen explode all over my hand , spent some wonderful time with God in His Word, had eggs and a brownie and slept ALOT!!!

The next thing I know I'm walking outside the airport and into a whole new world. It's 10 pm but this city is happening! The streets are lined with shops and people, the occasional dog and cat and the smell of sandlewood incense. I'm greeted at the hotel with a tiny glass of what tastes like orange Fanta --i think I'm going to love this place!!!

Part of our team began their travels at 6am from California to meet up with everyone in Newark, New Jersey......planes were all on time and the skys were sunny. Spirits high! We departed from Newark at 8 pm for our 15 hour direct flight to Mumbai-everyone mangaged to sleep and a few tested the waters of "Bollywood" as their in-flight entertainment.

Already, there is a wonderful sense of expectation--looking forward to all that God has in store! Tomorrow we're off to the airport at 5:15 am for our flight to Cochin and the opportunity to visit our first church-orphanges.

Sterling has brought suitcases full of gifts for the children!!! We can't wait....

It's Sunday and we are off! Today, the ICM India Vision Trip team will meet face to face for the first time in Newark, New Jersey boarding our plane to Mumbai, India. Our team of 10 is made up of people from Nevada, California, Virginia, and North Carolina. The next 7 days will be spent in southern India visiting church-orphanges sponsored by ICM! What a joy to anticipate all that God has in store!