The countdown begins...

Plane tickets...check.

Passports...check.

Visa applications submitted...check.

Long list of vaccines needed...time to start working on those!

With only 5 weeks left until we leave for India, we are starting to shift into high gear as we prepare.  I won't lie, the checklists are a little overwhelming at this point!  We have both been on mission trips before, but nothing like this.   And while we have heard a little from friends who have been to India, there are still a lot of unknowns.  Will the villages we visit be open to us and our message?  How will they receive us?  Will this be the first time they have heard the Gospel?  And then there are the practical things.  Just exactly how hot and humid will it be?  Will the food make us sick?  These are just a few of the many thoughts that have been swirling around in my head.  It is a curious mixture of excitement and anxiety at this point and I expect that will only increase in the weeks ahead!

Despite all of this, we are really excited to see what God has planned for us and the rest of team!  We learned at our last team meeting that the exact location where we will be ministering is still up in the air.  Apparently the district that last year's team visited and where we were originally planning to go has encountered some opposition lately.  As a result, it looks like we will be going to a different district which is an hour further by train.  This new district has over 100,000 people in more than 50 villages with only 35-40 Christians.  Most of these Christians are new believers and the handful of leaders there told our contact that they have been praying for 2 years for some outside help and encouragement.  This honestly blew my mind.  To imagine these precious believers crying out to God for help and encouragement, and that God could potentially use our team as an answer to their prayers.  It is humbling and sobering, and makes me fall on my face before God.  We simply want to be willing and obedient vessels that God can use!

Over the next few weeks, we will be practicing with some of the materials that we will have in the field.  This includes the e3 evangecube (you can read more about it here), as well as some health related tools for HIV and malaria.  Please be praying for us as we practice and learn how to use these tools!

God has been so faithful to provide the funds needed for our trip!  This has been a real faith walk for us and we have been reminded once again of God's goodness.  He always provides in His perfect timing...not any sooner and not any later!  He has really strengthened our faith in this area and we are so grateful for all of you that have partnered with us!!  We still need another $500 or so to help cover the costs of our vaccines.  If you would like to make a donation, you can do that here.

Please be praying for all the preparations that need to be done in the next few weeks.  We will continue to keep you updated as the trip grows closer.

Called and ready to GO!
Chris & Jennifer

{for more information on our trip, click on the "India" tab at the top of this blog
and for current prayer needs, click the "Prayer Requests" tab}

The Gift of Water

Clean water.

Safe water.

We don't even think about it when we turn on the faucet.

We expect the water to be safe and clean.

We don't worry about possible illness or parasites with every sip of water.

But for 884 million people in the world,

clean and safe water is not accessible.

As a result, 1.4 million children die every year from water-borne illnesses.

That is one child every 20 seconds!

In India, it is estimated that 23% of communicable diseases

are related to unsafe water.

But we can make a difference!

As we prepare for our trip to India this summer, our desire is to bring the gift of clean water to the villages that we visit. For a mere $60, we can buy a water filter and bucket that can provide clean and safe water for a family for 10+ years. You can read more about the water filter here.

We hope to hand deliver as many of these filters as possible during our visit. If you would like to donate one (or more) water filter sets, you can drop us a check or you can send us money via paypal here .

All money designated for this will go 100% towards providing

water filters for the people of India.

**We will do our best to get a picture of each Indian family that receives one of these donated water filters. If you are able to donate a filter, we hope to send you a picture of the family that receives your filter so that you can pray for them.

Thank you for being a part of this mission!
Chris and Jennifer

Working those faith muscles...

Everything about this trip has been a faith test so far. How in the world can we raise that kind of money? Should we be gone away from our two young boys for that long? Should we BOTH go? Can we afford two weeks off work when we run our own business? And on and on it goes...

At the beginning of the year, I prayed for God to give me a word for 2012: a sense of direction for what He had in store. I have never been good at new years resolutions. I always get hit with the bug to make some resolutions, but actually seeing them through is a different story! So I loved the idea of having a "word" for the year. It was about mid-January when I felt God really showed me my word for 2012 and it was "surrender". Surrendering my dreams, my hopes, my pride, my fears. Really laying it all down and letting God do what He wanted to do in my life. I knew it was going to be painful at times {and to be honest I did have some discussions with God about the possibility of a different word!}, but at the same time I was excited about the transformation He could work if I would truly take the word to heart and surrender. It wasn't long after He gave me the word that Chris and I felt called to go on this trip to India. And the test of surrender began in full force! I can't say He didn't warn me.

The biggest test up to now has been the finances. The simple truth is that mission trips cost money. Airfare, lodging, food, supplies...it all adds up. There is a part of me that wishes Chris and I were at a place where we could simply pay for it and not have to raise the money. It would make it so much easier! But easy doesn't strengthen my faith. Easy doesn't force me to surrender my pride and give it to God. Easy doesn't give others the opportunity to be a part of this mission by supporting us through prayer and finances. Easy doesn't find me running to God and clinging to Him knowing that He is the only one that can make this happen! If I truly want to live a life of surrender, I have a feeling "easy" won't be the norm!

As we feel our faith muscles being stretched, it has been incredible to see God working in regards to the trip finances.

Just this week, we had donations totaling 33%
of our total trip cost!
GOD IS GOOD!!

We are now almost to the half-way point with our finances and it has definitely boosted our faith. If you would like to view our fundraising page, you can see it at http://www.e3partners.org/adamsfamily.

We know that there will be many more opportunities for surrender and faith building in the weeks and months ahead, but we are so excited to see what God has in store not only for us but for the people of India!

Called to Surrender...
Jennifer

{for more information on our trip, click on the "India" tab at the top of this blog
and for current prayer needs, click the "Prayer Requests" tab}

Let the Adventure Begin...

In a mere 14 weeks, we will hopefully be on a plane to India! It is still hard to believe, but the excitement is definitely building. We had our first team meeting on Sunday and that really helped to make it seem a little more real. We have seven people from our church that are going, and our team leader went on this same trip to India last summer. Although we had heard a little about what the trip will involve, it was great to get some more details about what our days will look like.

One thing we talked about was the translators that will be working with us. We will each have our own personal translator while we are there, but what I didn't realize was that they are on a mission trip themselves! We will be ministering to remote villages in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which is in northern India. Our translators will actually be Indian Christians from large cities in southern India. They are taking time off so they can travel to northern India and work with us. I love the idea that we will be ministering alongside native Indians to reach their own people...both of us leaving our comfort zones to spread the Good News of the Gospel!

Our team from church will be joining a larger team from e3 partners. Our e3 leader told us that simply being there opens up great doors for the local Indian Christians and pastors. The village people will be more receptive because we are with them. So I don't have to be a skilled communicator or have all the answers, I simply have to be obedient and available and GO! Isn't that all God asks of us anyway?

Ready and willing to go...
Jennifer

{for more information on our trip, click on the "India" tab at the top of this blog
and for current prayer needs, click the "Prayer Requests" tab}