There is a small weaving operation in the leper colony. It’s a little source of income, but relatively speaking, still not much. The weavers create beautiful blankets which the Joshua Tree Mercy Center hopes to use in a fair trade operation. Bringing the blankets to the states will allow the leper’s to receive better wages.

The below write-up is from the blog of our team and first appeared at bvcfmissions.net.

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August 5, 2011

I’m not sure what salutation to use here, so I won’t be fancy.

So, hi!

Mike asked Team A…or B (I’m not sure of our classification) to write up a synopsis of our experience this past week in Faridadbad. As some of you might know, the original team of six split up for the first week. (We’re still in anticipation of Angela and Jeremy’s arrival and Shay gets in next week.) The team that traveled south into Faridabad was made up of me, Cliff White, Mat Bunnell, and Jenna McAvoy.

And from here I won’t overload you. I contemplated writing a linear and chronological summary of our time there, but I know the attention span of the average American nowadays. The memories of goldfish rival the interest of our computer-savy culture.

To begin, I was warned about India from the beginning. There is a phrase that Mike Townsend uses: T.I.I. This is India. It has become the refrain of my time here. The second you enter the country, you understand the significance of that phrase.

Large cows wander the streets amidst the chaos of four door sedans, bicycle taxis, rickshaws, and packs of dogs. Traffic rules are more of a suggestion. I am not even sure why the government bothered painting lines on the roadways. Phone numbers are a billion numbers long. Bathrooms are available at any moment in the bushes or large open fields. Men stare unabashedly at you, even more so if you are a woman. Skinny jeans are a common style along with the more traditional saris. New high-rises line the horizon but upon closer inspection you find slum camps next door. The bus stop where well-dressed businessmen wait is also home to a family that has erected a small tent next door.  The definition of a building is far looser than what we expect in the states. If it has three walls it’s a building. No roof required. Small children, toddlers even, run around unmonitored. Grown men hold hands. Heaps of trash line the road. The only thing that outnumbers the people is the flies.

And while some of these things might offend our refined Western standard of living, let me remind you. This is India.

Again. This is India. Everywhere, the plants are green. At every block sits a shrine to a strangely colored Hindu god; wreathes of flowers lay among the old altars and also adorn the necks of welcomed guests. (You won’t believe how many flowers I received this week.) Here, hospitality is an art and cultural law. Even if you have just met a family, you are invited back for dinner. Whenever you are given food, you are expected to take thirds, not just seconds. Each meal is an experience, flooding over with spices like curry, ginger, or garlic. Even the air smells like day-old curry. The availability of American toilets is on the rise. Peacocks roam free though the fields. Monkeys hang about the road to Delhi. Women walk around in elaborate saris of vibrant colors and intricate embroidery: gold flowers against deep blues, bright yellow stars against lively reds. And every day the street floods with hard-working people, busy about their job.  It is a smorgasbord for the eyes, overwhelming in its contrasts and intoxicating by its foreignness.

It was in this environment that my team was led around by Joseph of Joshua Tree Ministries for the past several days. He took us to every place God has called him. We visited a slum village where he hopes to begin a school. Later, we stopped at a VBS he had set up with hundreds of children in attendance. We met the kids and did a skit of the story of Esther. We were taken to the brickmaker’s village where he had begun his first school and to the leper colony in which he and his wife both worked. We were invited to attend and help lead a church service in a poverty stricken village inhabited primarily by Hindus. After that service, we prayed individually for over fifty people. We made house calls to people he works with and ministers too and encouraged pastors he considered partners and friends. It was a whirlwind of an experience. (At one point we squeezed in a visit to the Taj Mahal at Agra, but that is for a later story.)

In my opinion, India is a country in turmoil, whether religious between Muslims, Hindus and/or Christians, or cultural as the youth hunger for a more Western existence. In this mess of social development, people are being ignored and forgotten. The gap between the wealthy and poor looks more like a canyon. (And I thought America was bad.) Joseph sees Christ there. And I don’t know how to be more spiritual than that.

Joseph’s desire is for us to return to the states with the stories, photographs, video and experiences that we have collected and just share. We can now testify to the passion of Joseph, his family, and subordinate pastors. We can tell you in greater detail of the needs each ministry:  A pastor and his family need a roof now right has the rainy season is starting. A blind leper needs a little more to survive monthly with his daughter as they are confined to the leper colony. The kids need school rooms and supplies. The list goes on and on.

But the future looks promising. Cliff and Joseph share a special bond; Cliff claiming Joseph has a son, and Joseph calling Cliff dad. And they have big dreams for the Joshua Tree. It is looking more and more like a fair trade store with funds being sent directly to Joseph and the children and lepers he serves. In theory, it would be a sustainable resource for Joshua Tree Ministries with products like hand-woven blankets from the leper colony, hand-embroidered shirts, scarves of 100% silk and true pashmina, and so much more.

And I’ll stop here because this is getting too long for one read, especially on a computer. Eye-strain is no fun. But thank you to everyone who helped us get here. We have a lot to bring back. And I have already over two thousand pictures in this first week. The photographs will be very helpful for spreading the story and work of Joshua Tree. So thank you for enabling me to be a blessing.

You’re all wonderful.

And if you ever go to India, bring the aloe wipes for your face. It was Meredith’s idea and one of the best things I did in preparing for this trip.

Grace and peace,

Britt

P.S. Next week we will be in Shillong where Mike has said the temperature is reaching the high sixties. If this turns out to not be true, I am going to cry. I brought a sweater and I darn well plan to use it.