Home, Sweet Home

Mission: Complete

As of Tuesday morning, we were back in Adelaide, feet planted firmly on the ground. After a stop over in Malaysia, we'd had a long flight and what felt like an even longer stop in customs. It was fantastic to be home again, even though we'd all had a fantastic trip.

In our last week we'd left Ikkadu, pleased with our success as painters. We'd completed the dining room, study hall, courtyard and kitchen in the boys hostel. A tearful good-bye with the boys running after the bus led to a bittersweet farewell. Our time there had been amazing; leaving, we really felt like we'd made a difference, if only a small one. Other than the painting, we'd made the kids so happy, just by spending time with them.

Once we'd made it back into Chennai we re-settled into the guest house. For the rest of the week we visited schools and hostels around Chennai, playing and singing with the kids and being treated as honoured guests. We saw a women's university and a number of kindergardens. Overall, the work that was being done was fantastic, especially with the limited funds and support available from the Dioscese.

Friday night was the wedding. It was less Indian that we had thought it would be; being a christian wedding meant that it was more wedding. For example, there was no dancing because it was seen as too frivolous. The bride still looked beautiful in her saree though and all of us girls were dressed up nicely too. Oh, and we mustn't forget josh and his wedding suit. Very suave.

Saturday was shopping day - yay! The day was spend in Spencer Plaza getting gifts for everyone back home, plys lots of little things for ourselves. Sunday morning we all split up and went to three different churches. Josh, Brad, Sarah and i went to the same service and saw it twice; once in english and then again in tamil. It was exactly the same! The best part was after the service. There was a family service and then a youth service, which was fnatastic. The guys started singing english songs which we knew! Hillsong and the like. It was so much fun just to sit and sing with these guys, despite the language barrier. Then they spoke about the ways they'd seen God that week and the things they said were not the cliques that some of us hear, but rather things that were actually meaningful.

Coming home was a relief in some ways as we could relac and we weren't constantly on show. However, in many more ways we wished we were staying. No matter how long we were there, there would always be something more that we could achieve. So it was with mixed feelings that we made it home.

On the whole, the trip was amazing. It was an experience that i'll never forget and i know that we all learnt more than we realise. Thanks to everyone back home that kept us in their thoughts and prayers. We'll see you at church on Sunday and tell you more then!

Annie

Day 12

Greetings all -this will show as being entered by Annabel but it is Andrew here.

We are still at the Mission Compound at Ikkadu and have finally managed to get some serious painting done. The majority of walls are painted in a 'whitewash' to which is added appropriate dye. They really go for decent colours here and we are doing the boys' hostel dining room in a bright green top two thirds in whitewash and the lower third in bright blue paint. We have a painter to assist us with the mixing (thank goodness) and he has been very helpful. Also 'helping' are a number of the boys from the hostel who are delighting in missing out on classwork because of their assistance. They are so willing to get into the painting that we often have to take a brush off them so that we can paint ourselves. They are great kids and great workers - will do absolutely anything to assist and just keep on going as long as we want them to - even the lad who fell off the ladder today and spilt his paint everywhere. When I say ladder I speak pretty loosely - none of us are game to climb it!!

We are all still keeping in pretty good health apart from a number with colds which are making them a bit miserable and a few with slight doses of diarrhoea which is again making them a bit flat. Yesterday a couple slept all morning and we had one again this morning. Sleep is a great cure!! Our only major casualty so far is Josh who managed to break a bone in his hand after an accident with a wall. He has his right hand in a cast for 4 weeks which is rather frustrating for him. Stuart tried to knock over a cement wall with his head but, apart from the bruise and lump, is okay.

Benji, Andrea and Helen went into Chennai today with Rev Immanuel to attend a Healing Worship seminar conducted by the Bishop of Carlisle and enjoyed the day.

Prayer points:

- For continuing good health and for Josh as he copes with one hand - For the local pastorate (parish) as it prepares for the confirmation of 265 people in a service on Sunday. The Bishop of the Diocese of Madras will be taking the service with the confirmees coming from the 12 churches in this pastorate. - For patience for the team members as our programme continues to change and as we prepare ourselves for a 2 and a half hour service on Sunday!! - For Rev Immanuel as he continues his ministry and leadership of his missionaries, catechists, bible women and congregations. He seems to get his first visit from one of the local people by about 7.30 in the morning and often has people queuing up still at 10.00 at night. - For Rev Immanuel's niece who is to be married next Friday (lucky us have been invited to the wedding and reception).

Thank you for your continuing prayers and support.

Andrew

CSI: Madras

Day 10

Hi all!

Last time we posted we were still in Ikkadu but at the moment we're back in Madras and we've got time for a quick update.

Back at Ikkadu we're half way through painting about four rooms in the boys hostel, which is quite an experience - they're very particular about how we're to paint and we're a little slow to catch on, what with the language barrier and all! But we're getting there and feel like we're making somewhat of a contribution.

On Saturday we drove back to Chennai - after getting up at 5!! Ouch. We were going to the CSI: Madras Dioscese Council Meetings, which went for four days (basically a Synod thing). There were lots of interesting things such as elections, general reports, and debates.

Between many items on the program, different churches presented dances, which were amazing. Some we traditional, others were tamil and some were 'modern'. The most hilarious was a dance to 50 Cent (although they called it 40 Cent :P), in which the girls were dressed traditionally and doing hip-hop. Very amusing - we've got video.

We're headed back to Ikkadu this afternoon and will be painting there for a few more days before heaing into Vellore to see the hospital. We'll post ASAP.

Love to everyone at home and thanks for commenting.

Annie

Day 5

IKKADU

We've been here 5 days now and only just found a computer so sorry to leave you all hanging! Thanks for all the comments guys, it's nice to know you're thinking of us. Love to everyone back home and especially to Margie. If you're interested, our plans have changed. We're in Ikkadu now and will be working there for the first two weeks instead of in Chennai.

I'll start at the beginning - on our day in KL we went into the city and saw the twin towers (which were closed so we couldn't go up them!) and then half of us jumped off the top of the KL tower! Attatched to giant flying foxes that is. We all conquered our fears and managed to have an awesome time - even though Benj and i crashed into each other an nearly knocked each other out!! Typical us.

After a long flight to India we made it through customs (and had out first toilet experience :P) before entering the sea of dark faces that was the outside world. We were met by Prof. Cornealius and had a hair-raising drive to the Cathedral. We settled in and crashed into our beds (yes, we actually had beds!).

In the morning, a few of us braved the streets and found a supermarket and saw the sights in the arvo - St. Thomas' cathedral and the beach. In the morning we drove an hour and a half to Ikkadu and got the grand tour. Everyone was incredibly hospitable and went to heaps of trouble.

Today, some of us worked with the children in the kindy and then we joined the others as they helped to restore one of the main buildings - we were scraping walls in the heat and were glad when lunch came. Foods been good, we're loving the spices (well, most of us are).

Now, we're in Nandri, visiting some of the other hostels and churches. We just visited the hospital and were amazed by the lack of technology and the way that people just dealt with what they had and don't complain.

We're off again now, visiting the old folks home and having tea, so i'm off. If we get a chance we'll write again soon.

Love to everyone at home.

Annabel

XX

Mission: Chennai '07

Malvern Mission

In less than two days, eleven members of the malvern congregation will be setting out for India. For the next three weeks we'll be working with orphans, the disabled and various others in an attempt to make even a small difference in their quality of life.

For us, the past few months has been full of fundraising, until we finally met our goal and could begin to think about what we would actually be doing when we left. For me, at least, things haven't quite sunk in yet and i'm sure that when i get to the airport i'm going to feel completely different about the trip than i do now.

We're starting this blog so that we can record our thoughts and activities while we're away and as a way to keep in touch with everyone back home. Hopefully, through it, you'll be able to understand a little bit more about what we're doing, how it's affecting us and how your support from home is just as important as our being there.

Wish us luck!

Annabel

Mission: Chennai '07

Eleven uniting church members. 28 days in India. Thousands of people. A culture apart. An aim to serve. Our story.