July 4th

Although we missed celebrating the day with family and friends, we still got in the spirit.

I've heard once from Gera since he's been gone and some of the stories that he shared made me realize just how priviledged we truly are. Not only do we have freedom of speech and religion, but also "that all men are created equal".

This first week, they've spent most of their time in muslim neighborhoods. He said that the people are extremely friendly and hospitable. The food, although spicy, has been great, but he hasn't stopped sweating since he got off the airplane. When they are out on the streets, they have to wear the same clothing as the Indian people wear. He said that when he's all dressed up people mistake him for a national until he speaks:)

The team was divided into small groups and walked through the neighborhood passing out tracts and talking to the people. There had to be one male in each group. In India, a woman does not walk in the streets alone, follows the man that accompanies her and is not allowed to talk to men. He commented on how weird it was to walk through the streets and not being able to talk to his teammates because they had to walk behind him. In one of the groups, a man approached the male leader and offered to buy one of the girls!

On his birthday, they went to one of the largest mosques in India to eat with the people and pray for them. One thing that he was suprised to find out is that the Muslim people hold a deep respect for Jesus and believe that if a Christian prays for them, they will be blessed.

The thing that has been the most difficult for him so far is seeing how unequally people are treated, the dirtiness and strong smells in the air.

Starting Monday they will make their first train trip to the city of Lucknow where they will be divided into two teams. One team will be working in some small villages where the Tharu people live. The other team will be working in a school of 250 kids. When we last talked, he wasn't sure which team he was going to be put on. Please keep both in your prayers.

Prayer Requests:
*continued team unity
*remembering the cultural gender roles
*a heart for the people that they are reaching and be a shining light for Jesus
*safety in travling
*that God uses them to encourage the missionaries that are already there