The Faithful: Saying Goodbye India, for now

Wow! Here is an India recap/debrief: I (Alicia) can’t believe our 2 months in India is finished and we are heading back to the States for some time. God taught each of us a lot during this time. It would be a lie to say that it was an easy time. I came with expectations and plans that didn’t happen (constantly learning not to have my own expectations). But I had some lessons to learn about giving up all my rights to the Lord of my life and living day by day in total trust. I got to do ministry with hula hoops a lot and received more clarity for how that will look in my future. We both got to teach in the church and in cell groups and spend time with local believers. Evan got to teach in the Bible College several time and really enjoyed working with the students. They had a lot of great things to say about him and his teachings. With so many speaking opportunities his preaching style has been developing and God has really strengthened this gift. He is full of wisdom. We prayed for many people and saw God move people with His love. Evan prayed for 4 people at the hospital one night, they were very sick and had been in the hospital for an extended time; 3 of them were released from the hospital the next day!

We also saw God’s continued faithfulness in providing in awesome ways for our time and travel here. Just being here for 2 months is such a miracle and testimony of His faithfulness and provision when we are following Him. About $1500 was provided in unexpected ways within a week to purchase our plane tickets home! We already miss our friends in Ranchi and look forward to the time we can return to invest in the people there.

There are many needs in India and more workers are needed. One of the biggest needs is training for believers and leaders. They need teaching and discipleship. Then the locals can reach many more than we can as foreigners.

We got to have some fun too enjoying the local field hockey team games, Evan went to an India/England cricket match (and now loves cricket), and went to a waterfall. We took an overnight train back to New Delhi and enjoyed seeing some sites including the India Gate, Hindu, and Sikh temples. You can check out more photos on Facebook but I’ll put a few here. Mixed emotions as we prepare to leave this crazy, beautiful nation and the wonderful people here; but looking forward to some comfort and friends in South Carolina and what we expect to be an amazing time in Kona. Thank you always for all your support and prayers!

Packed and ready for culture shock, Idk if our culture could be more opposite than here. Can you pray for us as we travel from New Delhi to Charleston? We leave India at 2:25 am Feb 5 (Mon 4:00 pm Eastern time) on an 8 hour flight to Austria. Then we have a 10.5 hour flight to DC before our short flight to Charleston where we should arrive Tue evening after nearly 30 hours of travel! How can we pray for you!? Write to us!