First I want to apologize that it has taken so long to update our Blog but we have been so busy during the days & exhausted at night, we just got behind. This morning we are on a tour bus to the Taj Mahal & I'm typing on my Blackberry so the formatting may not be the best either.
Day #3 (Friday)
The second day attendance to Shana's Battle Gear conference was in excess of 330 ladies. With 11 ladies making the decision to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord & Savior.....Praise the Lord!
On this day I spoke at Jain University to 150-200 Graduate Students about U.S. Retailing. When asked, none of the students had ever visited America but when I asked for a show of hands of who wanted to visit America, 100% of them raised their hand. You could see in the eyes of these students they have a strong desire to succeed.
After the University, Ramesh & I drove to meet with an Apparel company that attended the conference, then back to the hotel lobby where we had 2 meetings with other manufacturers from the conference. After another long day I retired to the hotel room where Shana & I dined "quietly" on Peanut Butter & bread....this was our choice as Ramesh & Esther always were ready to feed us a HUGE Ding Experiance....
Day #4 (Saturday)
Today we traveled 3 hour's to visit the Widow's & Orphan's @ the Goldfield's. This is where Ramesh grew up. This area of India is where mining for Gold was common. In the Gold Mining process they would use Arsenic poison and due to exposure to this poison many of the men working in the mines would die leaving their wives & children as Widows & Orphans with no one to care for them. In the past there was no running water, so all water was delivered in on a tanker trailer once a week. Through the support of FBC Rogers there is now a Water Well in the Goldfield's giving them fresh water daily or as Ramesh says "the Living Water". We were told that this well provided clean/fresh water to over 3,000 people & it is also being used as a tool to share the gospel. Currently there are no toilets or showers in the Goldfields. The man in charge of managing the well is a converted Hindu Monk. We participated in a worship service where Shana shared the Gospel & 32 Widows Prayed to accept Christ....it was AWESOME! We also handed out monthly rations of Rice/Grain/Oil to 100 Widows and we also distributed 32 portable cooking burners (India's version of a very simple Coleman Camp Stove). The sad part is there are 800 widows not getting served due to a lack of funding.
The smiles on the faces of the children in the Goldfield's was contagious. They were so happy to meet 2 White Americans Christians....many of the young girls clung to Shana....asking her many questions, touching her hair, comparing their skin to her's, etc..... I shared my only entertainment act of allusion, "pulling my thumb off" and as always young children are surprised & want to see it over & over....LOL. We heard Indian Children singing Praise songs with hand motions just like you'd hear in Rogers. We also visited Ramesh's Childhood home where his mother still lives (she is such a Lady of God & a Light to this community). It was a true Blessing to spend the day there & was very hard to leave.
Day #5 (Sunday)
We packed up our suit cases & prepared to travel from Bangalore to New Delhi. While waiting for the cab in the hotel lobby we observed a "First Birthday Celebration" with a large group of family & friends gathering. It was a religious experience that I was interested in seeing. The families Religious leader said a prayer....I assumed was Hindu but to my surprise when I heard the prayer for this little girl it ended with "in the name of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, Amen".....WOW.....what a Sunday morning Blessing of encouragement!
We then had lunch at Ramesh & Ester's house where Esther's Mother (Ms. Joyce) prepared a wonderful lunch, joined by her Father (Pastor V.J.) & brother (Vivek).
Ramesh, Esther, Shana & I then flew to New Delhi where we met by two familiar faces; Bob & Loretta Erickson. Bob & Loretta work in India with Wal-Mart and were gracious enough to allow us to stay in their home....what a Blessing. After leaving the airport we ate dinner at the U.S. Embassy Club where we had an Italian Buffet like we'd have in the states.
Day #6 (Monday)
Shana & Esther had a full relaxing day which including a morning at the Spa & an afternoon of Shopping/Haggling at a local India Market.
Ramesh & I had meetings with a large Basmati Rice Company and then traveled 2 1/2 hour's each way in "India Traffic" to visit their Rice Mill. It was an exhausting but productive day. Once we got back to the Erickson's we had Fried Chicken, Fried Okra, Mashed Potato's & Gravy waiting for us....prepared by their Indian cook....this lady Totally understands & has mastered the art of Southern Cooking!!!! As we'd say @ home "it made your Tongue want to Slap your Brain"....in Northern terms....the meal was delicious.
Day #7 (Tuesday)
This morning we are traveling on a bus to the Taj Mahal....we'll update you later on today's Adventure!
Sorry for the length of this "Catch Up Blog" but this is only a small example of the experiences we've encountered on our stay in India.
Many Blessings!
Paul & Shana
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