Anytime a person is in ministry you dream of having family visit your field of service.  This happened for Loren and I.  Devin, our son, and another Prakash Board member arranged for a TEAM of 17 people from all over CA to visit Prakash.  (This has been a highlight of our time of service in India for Loren and I—to be sure.)  With the arrival of Devin and two of our grandchildren it makes four generations of family to have visited Prakash PTL!!!!

With out a doubt, Prakash students know how to put out the WELCOME MAT.  They outdid themselves with the arrival of the TEAM. Weeks and weeks before their arrival, there was a mammoth amount of work that went on, but the day the TEAM walk on campus it all went off without a hitch.

Smoke bombs,

sparklers, and confetti blowers—the boys didn’t think about the amount of clean up those would require, ha, ha! —

and dances all preceded the TEAM onto the campus.  There were rose petals thrown by the girls,

garlands, and (what the staff called) an Informal Welcome program.  After which there was a  “DO NOT DO” instruction time and room assignments for the TEAM.

Lunch was served,

after which, there were just a FEW minutes to get settled before an All Staff and Family Tea. 

The TEAM had 8 teenagers and somehow they found the only basketball I have ever seen at Prakash and started playing on the basketball court—formally it had ONLY been used for big gatherings and meals—to my knowledge. What a great experience of interaction between our Prakash boys and the TEAM.  We simply moved the tea tables under the trees, where it was cooler anyway, and watched the fun.  The girls all clustered under the trees and had a great “girl talk time” with the females from the TEAM.  Thousands of questions bantered back and forth between every one at the celebration.

After a quick teatime clean up, we were off to the RGI auditorium for the Worship Service and Formal Welcome of the guests.  The TEAM teenagers were so excited to engaged in this part of the agenda that they were over to the auditorium and set up with their guitars, drums, and ready to sing, in advance of half the Indian adults arrival. 

They had a great “jam-time.” These teenagers had jumped right in already teaching our students a great English action song before the official start of the program.  I was the PROUDEST grandmother to see Connor up on stage with his guitar leading the group,

and Sabrina singing…no shyness in these offspring.

All the teenagers were on the platform doing a great job of performing.  All the TEAM enjoyed more garlands, songs, student presentations and just plain old fun.

Then off to the volleyball court for a USA vs. India.  India was doing so well that they finally decided to make it mixed teams.  No matter was the score; the cheering section was all hoop and hollers.                                   

The whole purpose of the TEAM’S coming was to interact with students, presentation of the EvangeCube, (an evangelism tool for everyone to Simply Share Jesus,)

hear testimonies of Transformed Lives and see the workings of the ministry of Prakash for India up close and personal. Amazingly, they were meeting their purpose within a few hours of being on campus.

After the Worship Service, and mingling, the TEAM was off to several “staff homes” for dinner.  This was an incredible time for all.

A very tired TEAM was not ready to call it a day when the vehicles arrived to pick them up for the return trip to Prakash. They simply did not want this day to end.

MORE STORIES OF THE TEAMS’S ADVENTURES TO COME

AND MANY MORE PICTURES.

During the time that Bob has been here at Prakash we have tried to give him the full experiences of India.  Some have been fun and others….well…not so fun.

On Sundays we either attended a House church,

Student’s church or listened to Andy’s DVD’s.  Each has had it’s own unique flavor and gave Bob insight into our worship environments.

One of student’s sang a solo during the Student’s service and actually if was very good.  After the service we asked to talk with the young man and found he had a most unusual story. He honestly told us, “I ran away twice after coming to Prakash.”  “Why?” was our question.  He explained that he was totally unprepared to have any discipline in his life.  Being a semi-orphan and pampered like most Indian young men—even though the family was EXTREMELY poor—meant he was downright lazy.  When he became a student at Prakash and had to: wash his own clothes, study, keep timings, clean his room and the campus. He was shocked with the realities of life.  Luckily, his guardian sent him back each time to Prakash and in the midst of all the chaos he found that he could sing and do it quite well.  His relationship with the Lord has grown and he now LOVES the discipline.

Due to the fact that the monkeys have been in scarce supply while Bob has been here, we planned a surprise outing Sunday afternoon to RamTek.  This is a Hindu Temple over run with monkeys. 

The street vendors have made the most of the worshippers’ and tourists’ desire to FEED the monkeys.

The temple sits on the top of a hill and there are 700 steps to the top.  We didn’t make Bob walk the stairway, but graciously drove him to the top. LOL  (I wouldn’t have climbed the stairs either.)  I did have to take off my shoes…ugg…but had plenty of Clorox wipes to clean my feet after leaving the Temple area.

Shopping, shopping, shopping takes an enormous amount of our time.  It may take six or seven stops just to get the items you could buy in one store in the US.  Bob has enjoyed all the trips to town just to “people watch” if nothing else.  While shopping for gifts for friends he told Loren, “It is dangerous to go with Sylvia.  She knows where all the really GOOD stuff is.”

Ramki is a 25-year-old young man totally uneducated.  He lives in the jungle and started grazing others’ animals at the age of nine because of unfathomable poverty in his family.

Five years ago Ramki attended a free veterinary medical camp and immediately caught the attention of the Dr. Suresh. Ramki was such a simple poor village boy that it reminded the doctor of his own youth.  Taking time out of his busy schedule—feeling the spirit of God leading him—Dr. Suresh invited Ramki to attend Vet-Med’s self-reliant training program.

Dr Suresh says,  “It was very strange and surprising to him as every training needed some kind of qualification. But when I proved my seriousness he was very happy to have such kind of training.  He didn’t know how to read or write, but it was a real challenge for me to make him understand:  management care, diagnosis of disease, fodder management, marketing and Christian belief.  I should give credit to Ramki for passing his oral exam with a very good grade.”

In 2011 Ramki was married to Suni a 24-year-old beautiful village girl.  Now needing to provide for a wife he has continually phoned Dr. Suresh to help him find a job in the city.  Without any education or skills, it was an impossible request to fulfill.

“But as I given the opportunity to gift two cows I thought to gift it to Ramki to start a dairy business of his own,” said Dr. Suresh. “When I shared this with him he was the happiest person on earth.”

These cows daily give eighteen to twenty liters of milk. It sells for twenty rupees per liter. Four hundred rupees a day, which is a very good start for Ramki.  His wife is sincerely happy with this special gift.  Both of them give thanks to those who helped them.  We all trust this gift will bring joy in this new family and make them self-reliant.

“As a head of this Vet-Med ministry,” states Dr. Suresh,  “I just want to say this is an awesome and very kind gift to this young man.  Now he can stand on his own.  This will surely bring financial revolution in their lives and help them to get protein in their diet.  May our Lord bless you because you have been a channel for others to have a blessed life.  God bless you.   Today Suni, wife of Ramki served me village tea. I was quite surprised to see her cleanliness.”

 
There are some stories to come about the gift of chickens.  Dr. Suresh has been very busy in the ESL classes.