The big wow!

I'm not ashamed to admit this culture is a hard and difficult adjustment. We have been in India for 3 weeks now and I'm just starting to feel able to lower my guard. This culture is a great way of testing some of my fears as a traveler. When we arrived in Mumbai it was an immediate overwhelming sensation of confusion because of the amount people, vehicles and pollution. Congestion! To say the least, is absolutely the best way to describe the popular cities in India. In fact I was told whenever Indians visit Minnesota the place they feel most at home is the fair. India is one giant Great Minnesota get together! However, I really love the experience and do not regret one bit of it so far.

After about 5 days of doing the tourist thing in Mumbai we set foot on our first Indian train toward the city of Hyderabad. The train was so much fun because you get to stay in this small but comfortable coach and if scheduled correctly you can simply sleep all night and wake up at your destination. It's much better than being stuck on a plane with no leg room.

The week in Hyderabad was perfect because we were able to join in ministry right away along side Oasis world ministries. We participated daily in a pastor/leaders seminar, village evangelism ministry and ended every night with a outdoor crusade where about 10,000 local villagers heard the gospel of Jesus Christ for the first time. By the close of our week in Hyderabad we were considerably tired but the joy of successful ministry was more than enough to keep us focused.

There are all ready so many stories about our experience and the people we have meet but it would take much time to share. We are currently getting rest and spending time gathering our thoughts in Goa. It's has been wonderful to see the beautiful landscape here and take a small break. We are looking forward to meeting up with our friends Bradley and Mathew in one week and are also looking forward to the opputunities that are ahead of us in the state of Kerrela.