just a few quick pics

young and old alike are being used to reach the children in India



Leper woman with her children

Homeward

Well we are finally on our way home - at least we hope so. Some of you may be surprised that we are not there already (though David might be this morning). Yesterday, Dubai was fogged in and so our plane was circling the airport for over 45 minutes. Nno big deal because we had 2 hours till our next flight. Oh, we are running out of fuel and we have to go to another airport - that could be a problem - yes, that is a problem. By the time we refueled, we were late for our next flights. I believe David got on another flight to London which is where he was to go through. The problem for Julie and me is that there were no more flights to US. So we got to spend the night in Dubai. We took a 4 hour bus tour through the city. It is an amazing place. Buildings are spectacular and the city is so clean. There is building going on everywhere. The money is obviously "new money" as they did not start exporting oil till 1969. We got to the airport early this morning and had a scare that our tickets were still dated as of yesterday and the flight is full. But alas, we do have our boarding passes and the sky is clear! So hopefully in the next hour we should be off.

Here are some highlights of the trip for Gary - more to come but I don't want to miss my flight! Will try to add some photos as well.
- The believers passion for Christ and to reach children is so amazing. It's who they are; it's their life.
- Going to the leper colony and worshiping with them, serving them a meal and just hanging out for a while was incredible! Everyone in the family is cast out - children are shunned at school. The crippling effects of the disease don't stop these people shining for the Lord!
- Pastor Jegan and how his heart has changed towards the Buddhists though they consistently persecute him and his family.
- Dependence on the Lord as I lost my notebook for the first day and my stomach for several days shortly after that.
- Meeting the child we sponsor through IGL


Thanks again for your support and prayers!
gary for the team

Hello from Sri Lanka! We have enjoyed our time here. The Sri Lankans are friendly, fun-loving people that smile, laugh and tease each other. They also have a big heart for the Lord. There are many young leaders that will be sharing the love of Jesus Christ with hundreds of children this summer. From the only redhead in the country, Julie

Sir Lanka has been a delightful experience. The people that we have trained have exhibited a wonderful passion for the Lord and His kingdom. The joy of the Lord is evident in their faces! Although the heat was quite intense, EVERYONE gave their best. These "trainers" will now take the skills they have aquired in our classes and teach approximately 1500 teachers! Only eternity will tell the full story of the impact of their ministry this summer. Please pray for these dear people as they continue to serve the Lord, often in difficult circumstances.

Thank you all for your prayers. We are looking forward to being home with family and our church communities.

May God bless you richly,

Daivd P
<')))><

My job is to try posting some pics - let's see how successful I can be!

The memorable time of feeding the lepers:


Celebrating David's birthday...


Julie with her "Grandmas" at the leper colony:


Gary meeting Gopalakannan, the 9 year old boy they sponsor through IGL:


The stories, the pictures can only begin to tell the amazing, yet difficult, things happening here in India and Sri Lanka. The people continue to give their all for their Jesus. Lessons learned - priceless.

Tomorrow is our last day - we meet the Indian team at 6:30 to go to the Children's Home for church and a program we will do for them. More to add to the memory bank!

God bless you all!
gary

WOW = two days in a row! Though it was a long day, it was a really good day. The participants are so excited to learn - what a joy to be with them. I would have to say the highlight for the three of us was having lunch with Pastor Jegan. He heads up IGL (Island Gospel League) here in Sri Lanka and is a pastor of a church south of here. He told us of the persecution they suffer from the Buddhists. God has changed his heart towards them and he prays for them everyday - several hours in the day. recently they burned his house down knowing they were at church. They were left with nothing. His oldest son is getting ready to graduate high school and he has to come up with all the papers needed for that to happen. I asked if his son was mad at God and he said absolutely not. He prays as well for them and asks the Lord to continue to soften his heart and to love them as Christ would. We know nothing of this kind of persecution. Jegan kows that if stopped having services, they would stop harassing him and his family - but he knows there is no way that he can - God gave them the church to worship Him.

I will post some pics of some of our highlights... or maybe not tonight. After trying to post them for 45 minutes, the internet cafe is closing for the night. I will try again tomorrow.

All are well! Thanks again for your continued prayers!! Good night - at least that is what it is here!

SriLanka

We have arrived in SirLanka after a wonderful time of ministry in India. Our team ministered in vijayawada and Salem. The people in both cities demonstrated deep passion for the Lord and an unwavering commitment to children's ministry. One of the highlights, for me (David) was time spent at a leper colony on Sunday. We attended church at the colony and served a meal to the villagers. It was both humbling and inspiring. These dear believers have been marginalized all of their lives by the larger society. True to the gospel, IGL has stepped in an built them a church and homes, as well as providing education for their children. I will post some pics as soon as possilble. Thanks, everyone, for your continued prayers.

David Pannabecker

Here we are in beautiful Sri Lanka. The peoples are more layed back than in India and the driving is a bit more sane. We trained this afternoon and all the Children's Leaders were attentive and willing participants. We look forward to the next 2 days with these leaders with a heart for children and a heart for Christ.
Julie Richards

The stories you hear about the Children's Gospel Clubs and the impact they have on families and the community is astounding. Just today we heard about one leader who is ministering to over 6000 children, another whose club started with 1, 2 or 3 children and then expanded to over 85. All these children have accepted Christ and are serving the Lord. Or the pastor who had children from a warring group who started attending his CGC and he then had to extend forgiveness and how God grabbed his heart for these children. One other pastor told the story of a drunk man covered in keosene who was trying to commit suicide. The drunk man's niece had been to a CGC and told him he should go see the pastor. He did and later that night he accepted Christ as his Savior and his family soon followed suit. The stories go on and on.

Please be in prayer for our team tomorrow (Friday) We go from 8am to 8pm - it's a long day and David and Julie are fighting colds. I, on the other hand, am feeling really good and grateful to not have my stomach doing roller coasters on me! Thanks for all your prayers! God is doing a good work - as if that should surprise us!

gary

Gary called today to share the HIGHLIGHTS of their trip. They have not been able to access the Internet for several days. Please continue your prayers for the team and how God can use them in His best way. I will do my best to capture the PURE JOY this team is experiencing by serving the Lord Jesus Christ.

Julie, David and Gary all shared that visiting the leper colony (2.5 hour drive from Salem) touched their hearts the most. They were able to enjoy a church service, meal and visiting time with this special community of families.

The people of this colony are ostracized like no other community in India. If it were not for the Christian church, they would be alone without any outside contact. Most everyone in the community has come to Christ.

Gary had hoped each person would be able to write their own highlights to you, but they will carry these in their hearts and be able to share personally with you soon.

Julie:

~The leper colony impacted Julie in a huge way. She was struck by the fact that these families have no out. There is nothing they can do to change the outcome of their life because they are complete outcasts. There is nothing that compares – our biggest complaints ‘here’ just can’t even come close to their plight.

~Julie was able to hold a 1 ½ year old baby and she could sense that the mother wanted her to take her child. This mom wants something better for her child than she is able to give.

~The enormous compassion of the leaders for this village of families touched Julie’s heart in a deep way.

~While at Sharon Gardens, the children put on a show for the team, which was delightful.

~Total awe for the IGL staff and their work ethic and how impactful they are for the kingdom with the most antiquated of tools & materials.

David:

~The leper colony was also his highlight for the reasons listed previously. In addition, it did not match the expectation he had. He found the colony and the people to be much cleaner than he at first thought it would be.

~No one but the church will help the lepers. The church (IGL) even built the road to the colony.

~David found it a complete honor to be able to serve a meal at the leper colony.

~At the IGL trainings, he has completely enjoyed the music and how they teach the songs to the children. He is also enjoying the songs they are learning. JOY

~Loves the unity of the team and the fellowship.

Gary:

~The leper colony was again his highlight. It especially reminds Gary that we do not deserve anything. He is always struck by the joy he sees in each person’s face just by being touched.

~Gary was able to meet the child he has been sponsoring. It was a brief encounter, but definitely a highlight.

~His heart swells just by observing how much people honor and bless one another.

~His total need to have full reliance on God. The Lord has given him strength when all is taken away. His health was not good for 3-4 days, his notebook was left in the Dubai airport and yet God has met Him in all the places he needed. He was reminded how much we depend on ‘things’ instead of Him.

~And he cherishes the fact that he gets to be with all the people who are completely sold out for Jesus.

Vijayawada

Though it has been a while since we have posted,it has been a blessing to be here. Some of the people have been to trainings before but many have not. The people are so eager to be used of the Lord and are sponges soaking up what we have to teach.

You may notice a new face to the team picture - Kimberle Fowle works with Kidzana Ministry whose purpose is to provide training and resources to those places in the world who cannot provide it for themselves. She brought a team over to lead the first two IGL trainings in Northwest India and assisted us here before heading to Chennai on Sunday. It has been great having her here with us. She has provided a lot of insight to the people and the trainings they need. The other picture shows the excitement the people bring to the activities we do. Julie was teaching the group some fun games to help children (young and old!) memorize verses. The feedback on the sessions have been very positive. The only adjustment is teaching in a sauna! By the end of the day you can just wring us out. We were in a room that barely held the 100+ people who have attended. And when the electricity goes out - which happens several times a day - and the fans are not working...I think you get the picture.

The ministry they do is amazing. One example is Nelson who leads a camp for 5000 children - which shows the enormity of the ministry that is happening here. Many have Gospel Clubs - like our VBS - for over 1000 children each week - and that is doing it without paid staff!

As on any mission trip - hard to know who is blessed more - us or them! We leave tonight physically tired,but spiritually high, on a 12 hour train ride to Salem. It will be a packed weekend and then training begins on Monday. Hopefully Julie and David can give some feedback on the next posting.

Oh I should mention about my first lesson. From our last post I mentioned that we only had a three hour flight left to get to India from Dubai. And I was boasting about my attention to detail and the luggages' weight - well I take it all back. That quality did not last long. As I was finishing that post,they came on the loud speakers saying they were doing final boarding for our flight - well it was 50minutes before departure and there were some guys yelling out for our flight but the three of us figured we had time. When they announced boarding, I quickly shut down the computer and put it into the carry on. The only thing was that I had previously been finishing up some power points and had my notebook out. Did you notice what I said that I got into the carry on - and what I did not put in?!! Yep,left my notebook sitting out. Noticed it when I got on the plane. Felt fotunate cause I could go out and get it - had 20 minutes before departure - should not be a problem.Of course there was one - I had gotten on the plane and you can't get off! They made a call to have someone look for it - but they did not find it. So all my notes and information for India is now sitting in a trash can somewhere in Dubai. The Lord immediately reminded me that I wanted to be lead by the Spirit -well that is definitely happening. Not sure how else God could have answered that prayer, but c'mon Lord - taking away all my notes?!! God is good - all the time!

We're Almost There!

Here we are in the beautiful airport in Dubai - on wireless no less!. Very clean - very efficient in how they do things. Did not even have to pick up our luggage - it is going straight through to Hyderabad. Yea! Julie got here caffeine fix at Starbucks. Life is good. The flight over was very uneventful once we took off - an hour late departing from Portland but it just meant waiting one less hour in San Fran. David should be arriving any time from London and we will take the last 3 hours together to India. Piece of cake from what we last did. Emirates airline was the way to travel - lots of leg room - like 100 movies to choose from - got to see two movies that are Oscar winners - save some for the ride back. Julie and I had lots of time to read, do more prep work and catch a few zzz's. Hopefully it will be as easy to get on in India as it is here - or maybe not! Hopefully we will chat with you soon! David just showed up - team is complete!

All Aboard!

Thought we would send one final note from the airport before the long journey to India. Everything has gone through. Gotta chuckle...our first flight is already delayed! Let the fun begin! For those that question Gary's attention to detail, his bags/tubs weighed in at 49.6, 49.8 and 50 pounds! Thanks for all your support and prayers. We will blog as often as we can. Our first stop is a city I have not been to before so not sure what to expect. When we get to Salem we should be able to connect with you then. Blessings! Gary & Julie (and David is leaving tonight from London and joining us in Dubai.)

Prayers & Itinerary

PRAYERS:
* That we would be Spirit lead and not just teach what we have prepared
* That we would see the individuals and their needs, not just the sea of people that we are teaching
* Spiritual protection over our families as the enemy will attack any way he can
* Physical strength and stamina
* We as a team will be unified
* That there are no problems going through customs (and that our luggage arrives)
* Aware of the needs of India Gospel League and specifically Danny Stephens as he begins leading the children's area of ministry

Here is the schedule of the travel and training dates as we know them now:
3/8 Gary and Julie depart form Portland (David left on 3/4 to do some workshops in London and we will travel together from Dubai into India)
3/10 Arrive in Hyderabad and travel 6 hours to Vijayawada
3/11 Training begins from 9am-8pm and continues on 3/12 from 10am-8pm
3/12 Travel overnight by train to Salem
3/13 Arrive at Sharon campus and possibly be involved in their feeding program for the leper community
3/14 Church in Nangavalli and children's program back at Sharon
3/15 Training in from 3pm-8pm
3/16 Training from 9am-8pm
3/17 Training from 9am-1pm; travel to airport in Trichy
3/18 Fly to Colombo, Sri Lanka and begin training from 4pm-8pm
3/19 Training from 9am-8pm
3/20 Training from 9am-1pm
3/21 Church and visit Puthalam Children's Home
3/22 Leave for USA: arrive in Portland at 7:13pm; arrive in South Bend at 11:04pm