Zac's India Mission

This past week has been a really great week. Three guys from the church I intern at, CCV, came to help train the studio team how to use Mac computers and media production programs for Mac. Early in the week they held training sessions about different topics in media production such as photoshop, final cut pro, etc. 

Wednesday morning four guys from the studio and the four of us from CCV went to a wildlife sanctuary about 5 hours drive from Damoh. We left a little early so that we could take our time as we traveled in order to take pictures of people in villages along the way. We arrived Wednesday evening and had a training session before we had dinner. 

Thursday morning at 5am we woke up and prepared for the safari. The park we were at has the highest density of tigers per square mile. We had to be at the gate at 6 because that is when the park opened. About 10 minutes after entering the park a jeep spotted a tiger. When we got to where they were there were several other jeeps huddled together with everyone standing up looking into the jungle to catch a glimpse of the tiger. We saw it about 200 yards away and for a brief second. We then went to the center of the park and got our number for the tiger show. 

 A tiger show is when a park ranger spots a tiger and then everyone goes to that location. As long as the tiger is acting safe then about 5 elephants with drivers come to that location. They give rides of four people/elephant to see the tiger. The CCV guys and myself were the last people to see the tiger for this particular show. Our elephant ride was very long and we were able to see the tiger fairly good, well better than the first one but the elephant ride was crazy awesome. 

In between safari sessions the guys got together and had a short teaching session. We had also had lunch and rested a little. We went back out at 3:30 for our second session. About 2 hours into our safari we came to this clearing in the jungle and saw a mother tiger roaming around. We shut the jeep off and sat and watched her walk around for about 30 minutes. It was very cool because she was so far off and Cameron and I shouted up a prayer that she would come closer, not knowing that either of us were doing that. The tiger turned around and came right by us. She crossed the road behind us about 15  yards away. I got some really good pictures and some good video. 

Right before the park closed up we found out that the largest tiger in the park was spotted. We flew over to where the tiger was and when we reached there were a ton of jeeps lined up along the river watching the tiger. It was incredible. The tiger was so huge and at one time it began clawing a tree to mark its territory. I was able to capture that on video. 

This trip was amazing and it was definitely great to see such amazing creation that God put on the earth. The tiger is such a beautiful animal. The fellowship and the memories made with the guys was awesome too. What a blessed day we had today. Thank you Lord for life and your creation. Be sure to check out the pictures in the picture album. 

Hello everyone,

This week has been a week of preparation for the next three weeks. This week I was in communication with the CCV team that is coming. Giving them last minute preparation details before they left. I also finished up a lot of projects that I have been working on. I finalized the web content for both the Mid India website and also the majority of the content for the Media Production website. I also wrote an article on the Christian Fair I attended last weekend. David's brother Ajai is planning on sending it in to Christian Standard or another magazine to be published. I guess I will see if it will be published or not later. I also worked on a paper that I am writing about the movement. I still have several pages left to write but I will have it done in the next few days. I made final my final touches on the poster I created for the Oasis of Love school. I will hopefully have it printed this week so that I am able to give it to them next week. But that was the gist of what I have done throughout the week at the studio.

Wednesday evening I attended a rally that David took me to for the movement. The rally was in celebration of a Guru Ravidas Jayanti birthday which is actually tomorrow. Ravidas is a well-known and respected guru of the 14 century. Many of the Chamar caste study his teachings. The funny thing is that though many people have studied Ravidas' teachings they don't act or follow the teachings. Ravidas taught that the caste system was not right and that all people are equal and should have equal rights. He also believed that idol worship was wrong and that there is only one omnipresent and  omnipotent god. 

David was able to print about 2,000 copies of the religious books of the Chamar caste that Ravidas read and followed. He gave out about 40 copies of this book to people at this rally and read a few passages from the book and how the Chamar people need to read their own religious books and follow what it says instead of just reading it and not acting on it. It was good to be able to experience this rally. David told me that prior to the rally that many people didn't come to the rally because many people of the near village were saying not to attend this meeting because the Christians are heading it up. The village leaders didn't want the people to start separating themselves from the rest of the village people. The few that showed up were really excited that they had printed off their holy book and was teaching from it. Now these people will go back to the village and tell the others that it wasn't the Christians preaching the bible. When the next rally takes place there will be more people that come and hear what the leaders have to say. 

Thursday was the actually birthday of Ravidas and there was a bigger rally that took plac e with over 2,000 people. David had me stay home because he didn't know how safe it would be since it would be in the middle of town. He then later called and said that there may be a chance you can drive by the rally and see for yourself what it looks like. Makson, Manee, and myself went to see if we could drive by and see it but David called when we almost arrived and said that there was no way to drive by cause there were road blocks on that street. So we went to Jabalpur and I was able to do some shopping. I bought two “cortes” which are a type of Indian shirt for males.

Today I was thinking that I have less than three weeks left here.  It was sad to think that I am going to leave all these people that I have become such good friends with. Yeah I want to get back home to see my friends and family but it will be hard leaving this behind. I will definitely have to return and see everyone.

That has been my week. Thank you all so much for your comments and for your prayers. I would ask your prayers for the three guys from CCV that will be here tomorrow. We will be doing a lot traveling and a lot of teaching of media production and web design. Pray that it would be a productive week and that the guys will adjust well and stay healthy while they are here. Thanks you and have a wonderful week. 

This week was filled with many great memories and events. On Tuesday I celebrated my 24 birthday in India. It doesn't seem that crazy having a birthday but a birthday in India is not just a birthday, its a big party. Its a good thing that David and Sheela didn't know that my birthday was Tuesday until morning devotions when Manee told everyone that it was my birthday today. I looked at Sheela and she had this surprised look on her face. As soon as we left from devotions Sheela began planning my party for lunch time. When all was said and done lunched was served for over 50 people at the studio, the cake was made, and had a present to open. I can't even imagine what it would have been like if they would have had several days to prepare for it. 

Wednesday I spent the morning playing and being with the kids at Oasis of Love. I got the idea to make a poster for the school with all the kid's and teachers faces making the outline of a cross. So I had to go and take the pictures of the children to start making the poster. I had a great time with the kids playing cricket and then also teaching them a few songs to sing. I taught them Jesus Loves Me. 

Thursday I went and finished taking pictures of some of the kids that were not at school the day before. Then I had to pack up my things before leaving on the train for Bilaspur where the Christian Fair took place. The train was delayed about a two hours and we finally boarded at about 9pm. We arrived to Bilaspur at about 5am and I was wiped out. We went to Sheela's brothers house and that is where we stayed for the weekend. About 9am we left to go to the fair which was about a 45 min drive. The place where the fair is held is an island that is created by two rivers. There are no bridges that go to the island but the water in some places is about knee deep so people can walk across. Other ways of making it across are canoe (with about 20 people crowded on it) or a water buffalo cart. The first time across we took the canoe because we were with David's brother Ajai who was the main speaker at the fair. He had special privileges so we were able to only have 6 people in the canoe so that it would not flip over. The second time across, which was at 10pm, David and I took the water buffalo cart across. It was pretty crazy  because we could not see where we were going and we thought for sure we would end up soaked in nasty water. 

A little side note before going on: This Christian Fair is held ever year and this year was the centennial. Before going there was projected to be about 80,000 people attending. After the weekend I heard that there was over 100,000 people on the island over the weekend. Picture no bathroom facilities for 100,000 people for a week. HAHA!! The river, the forest, the sandy beach, the walking paths, pretty much everywhere became the bathroom for 100,000 people. For that reason and many others is why some people won't step foot in the water, but for the majority of the people the river was not only the bathroom but also a swimming pool, laundry room, drinking water supply, and fishing hole.  

For this weekend this island is transformed into a village. People bring their tents for various businesses, tents to sleep in, tents for restaurants, and etc. Anything that you would find in a normal city you would find on this island for this weekend only. Luckily I was with the right people for the fair and the Lall family was given a special tent with a few beds, some chairs to sit on, and a fan which was very much appreciated. Because during the long sessions of preaching and singing competitions all in Hindi I spent a lot of my time in that tent sleeping, reading, and taking pictures of the incoming crowd across the river.  

Now a little information about the fair. The atmosphere of the fair was more like a state fair in the U.S. Many people walking around shopping for things, meeting old friends, and watching events and competitions. The difference was that it was a Christian gathering of all denominations from all over India. I have been thinking and I could not think of a single Christian event that would compare to this. I'm not what it would have been like back in the day when their were big tent revivals in the US but I think that it was like that but multiplied 100x because of 100,000 people. David, Sheela, and grandma Pushpa (David's mother) received special awards for lifetime Christian service. The last two evenings there was a special guest, a famous singer/actor, by the name of Vijai Benedict who in the last 10 years has became a Christian. He was there to sing a few songs each night. Many other pastors/evangelists of India were there and were recognized for their service for the kingdom. Now that I have experienced this weekends event Ajai wants me to write up my thoughts and experience to send to Christian Standard or to the Horizon to be published.

That was my crazy week and this week will begin the busiest of my time here. Next weekend the CCV team comes to help teach the guys at the studio how to operate some of the new equipment that they have recently received. So I am looking forward to seeing the three guys this next weekend. Well thank you all so much for your continued prayers. It doesn't even seem possible that I have been here over a month now. One prayer request that I have is that I wouldn't grow complacent now that I have been here for this long and just wait for the time to be over, but that God will continue to challenge me and teach me whatever lessons he has for me to learn. 

Thank you so much and tune in next week to see what happens to Zac in India. Make sure  you take a look at the pictures I have added in my photo album. 

Wow, I can't believe I have started my 5th week in India. It seems as each week keeps flying by faster and faster. Well this week was a little on the down side in terms of excitement and crazy experiences. I did a lot of work in the studio the first few days of the week. I finished up the 2nd draft of the web content that will go on the Mid India website and then finished the first draft of the content for the Mid India Productions website. 

Tuesday night I began to feel sick again. My stomach hurt like crazy and I had diarrhea for most of the day on Wednesday. Early that morning I also found out that one of the guys that I am closely working with, Manee, also had the same symptoms so that it wasn't just me being a weak American with stomach problems in a foreign country. So Wednesday my day consisted of sleeping, watching a movie, reading , and sitting on the pot. 

Friday was a day of fun and excitement. I was able to attend a picnic with the Oasis of Love kids, which are kids with physical and mental handicaps. I rode out with the kids to the missions church camp site. That is where we had our picnic. It didn't take long after the kids filed of the bus that I was playing cricket with some of the older boys, which I have a bad tendency to swing the cricket paddle like a baseball bat, imagine that. We ate lunch together, by the way was probably one of the more spicy meals I've had, and then we played more games. I won a game of lotto which was more like BINGO, but I think the main teacher rigged the game so that I would win after she saw the last number that I needed in order to win. When that was over with I busted out my camera and began taking photos of all the kids. It is hard to explain but they enjoy that more than anything. Its a good thing that we have digital cameras where we are able to see the pictures after they are taken. So I would take a picture of the kids and show it to them. They would point out themselves and start smiling and laughing. But only one picture would not do, so I ended up taking many pictures of kids as they made different poses or did a cartwheel or a pushup or a funny hand gesture behind someone else's head, you know the typical kid behavior when a camera shows up. 

Tonight I went and played some cricket with a bunch of kids. It was fun to play with some non-Christian kids. Even though I had no idea what they might had said to me. But they seemed to be having  fun watching a white boy play cricket for only the second time ever. By the way if anyone is interested today I weighed myself on a scale and I have gained 5 pounds since I have been here, which may seem good for some of you to know that I am eating well but I am eating to well. Before leaving for India I was hoping to lose about 5 pounds, now when I get back I will have the job of loosing 10 pounds before I get married. But anyways, thought you might want to know that. 

Well that has been my week so far. Next week will be the same for the first few days but then Thursday will be traveling to a Christian gathering for the weekend. 

This week was my third week in India. Thursday marked exactly three weeks in India and two weeks in Damoh. After returning to Damoh from Bhopal last weekend I didn't feel very well starting Monday afternoon through Wednesday. My stomach was bothering me and took Tuesday off to just relax and rest so that I would get better sooner. Wednesday and Thursday were normal days working at the studio. I thought that I probably should get some good work in at the studio since I am not sure what will happen the next several weeks, if I will be traveling or be in Damoh for a while. 

Friday morning I left early to go and visit a good friend of mine from college, Katie Guthrie, who has been in Kulpahar since last June. It was about a 5 hour drive which seemed like forever because my driver didn't speak English and I don't know any Hindi to talk to him. So most of the trip there I was able to listen to my ipod. I arrived at Kulpahar around 1pm which was right in time for lunch. It was really great to see Katie. She gave me a tour of the place after I ate and was able to me some of the girls that live at the children's home. Before evening Katie and the older girls taught me how to play a game called “depot” (I think that's the name). It was a fun game to play and something to do to meet some of the girls that Katie has been living with for the last 8 months. 

Saturday I was able to share with Katie the entire crazy story of my engagement to Mercedes. She was excited to hear the story since she had heard from other people about it. After lunch the boys organized a game of cricket for after school. I went and learned how to play and had a lot of fun playing. My team lost but I didn't play to bad for the first time ever playing. It was similar to playing baseball in some aspects so it was easy to get  use to it. Saturday night I was able to meet some of the younger girls at a prayer time. And then this morning we went to church and I helped Katie transfer some pictures from one computer to another because I had a fashdrive that could do it quickly. And then I made the 5 hour journey back to Damoh and arrived back at around 6:00pm. 

Anyways it was very special to see Katie, especially for her to see me, because she hadn't had anyone her age that she could have a relationship with to talk to. So we were able to talk about a lot of things that she was experiencing and listen to some of her stories. I was able to tell her some of my crazy stories and share what I have been learning. I think this visit was very timely for her because I think she was beginning to wear down and so I was able to encourage her in some form. I have so much respect for Katie because it must be so hard to have been gone from family and friends for nearly a year while being pretty much alone in terms of relationships. 

The trip was good for me too because I was able to get her thoughts on some cultural issues which are hard to talk with people who have been here for a long time or with others who are not here. We both agreed that it is probably is more difficult to go on a mission trip alone because you have no one you can share the trip with. With a team you have the other people that you can talk with not only on the trip but also after the trip and there will always be that bond or connection with those people. Anyways it was definitely a very good trip. 

Please pray that I will continue to be healthy for the rest of the trip. Traveling seems to be very brutal on the body, especially driving on Indian roads. Pray also that I would be wise with my time remaining in India. The weeks are flying by and I don't want to miss out on an opportunity that God has placed before me. Thanks and hope you all have a wonderful week. 

I'm sorry for not getting the blog update earlier. I have had problems uploading the content to the blog. 

This week has been an incredible week. So much has happened that I'm sure that I am going to miss out on something important. The week began when David and I went to Jabalpur to pick up three guys from the Indianapolis area that were visiting David. Their churches are supporting churches of MICM for many years. We left on Monday night in order to go and meet with some of the guys from the movement. There were about 20 guys who were their to meet together. Later that night we went out to the slum area where some of these guys live. They wanted us to come to their house to pray and worship together. I'm pretty sure that this was one of the most incredible experiences that I have had in my life. These men who have nothing except for the hope and love of Jesus praying and worshipping the Creator of the Universe. We sat on plastic cement bags that was laid out on the floor of a palm leaf roofed hut. These men have been enslaved because of the Hindu caste system for years and now they are coming to Jesus and are leaving Hinduism and the caste system. All I kept thinking was that I am experiencing the same type of innocent and pure worship and prayer as was seen in the 1st century after Jesus has raised into heaven.

The next morning we went to pick up these guys flying in from Delhi. After we picked them up we went and and visited several churches that have been started in Jabapore. They were the traditional style churches and were nice. But after we saw two of them David wanted to show these guys a gathering of the men from the movement. It was the same experience that I had witnessed the night before but this time I remembered my camera and got some good pictures and video so that I could capture the experience. There were over 30 men and women that met again. There was a man who was there for the first time. He saw a bunch of guys walking to the meeting and asked where they were going. They told him and he joined them. By the end of the prayer meeting he was praising the name of Jesus and playing the drum. 

When we left that meeting we drove back to Damoh but we stopped at a village that David has been trying to witness to for over 10 years. I think it was six months ago he went and presented the gospel in the same manner as this movement has come about and the whole village has now come to Christ. We stopped in at the place where they gather for worship and prayer unannounced and there were over a hundred people their to welcome us and worship with us. 

The next few days David and I showed the guys from Indiana around Damoh and all the aspects of MICM. It was good because some of the places I had not seen yet. Thursday we went to another village where we met this man, Bugot Gi, David has converted through the movement who is around 80 years old. In 1940 he started worshipping only one god. He was introduced to Jesus in 1960 but didn't get the connection. David gave him a Bible a year ago and read it cover to cover. He told David, “this is the God I have been looking for since 1940.” Bugot Gi has a following over over 30,000 people who have bought into his beliefs over the past 60 years. Now he is preaching that Jesus is the one true God. We all were amazed at his prayers and worship when we met with him. The guys from Indian left Friday afternoon to head to Delhi to fly home.

Saturday was a national holiday for India, so no one had to work. I attended a flag raising ceremony early this morning. Then David and I left around 2pm to go to the state capital Bhopal to attend a district rally of the “potters caste.” The leader of this caste is a Christian and is presenting the ideas of this movement to the group meeting. There are over 60 million people in this caste throughout India. So the rally was another step for this movement with the potential of 60 million to come to Christ. Praise God and keep praying for this movement. It is incredible and I thank God everyday for allowing me to see this first hand. If you can pray for David and Sheela as they keep reaching out to people in this movement. And pray that God will continue to reveal to me why He has brought me to India during this incredible time for His Kingdom. Thanks for the prayers. 

Hello everyone,

I think what I have decided to do is every Sunday and Wednesday night I will update my blog so you don't have to check it every day thinking i'm going to update it. Anyways hope this suits you better so that you know whats going on. 

The last several days have been pretty relaxing. David and I talked and figured out a game plan as to what he would like for me to work on while I am here. I am going to focus more on rewriting and editing the content of three of the websites for the ministry. I will be able to meet with many different believers and find out exactly what is going on in their areas of ministry. We wish to have this completed by the end of February so that when the team from CCV comes they can teach and help to design and organize the websites. 

So my days during the week will consist of working at the studio working on this project. But this seems easier said than done. Everyday there are two power cuts from 8:30-10:30am and then from 1:00-3:00pm. So we can't hurry to much because we don't have power to run the computers. Luckily for me I have my laptop so I can work on typing up the content. 

This weekend David went to a nearby city to pick up Sheela from the airport as she has been in Atlanta, Georgia since last weekend. I was able to hang out with my new friend Manee and his family. Saturday afternoon he showed me around Damoh a little more and then we went out to his family farm and we shot pellet guns with his brother and uncle. It was relaxing and beautiful to see the country side. They had me over for dinner and then retired for the night. 

This morning I attended church with David's mom Pushpaw. It was a traditional westernized church service but only in Hindi instead of English. It was great to see the church and the different Sunday School classes going on in the morning. 

I was also able to call a friend from college Katie Guthrie, who has been in India since last June. The place where she is at is only 3 or 4 hours away from here. I think I am going to try and visit her the first weekend of February. It will be a treat to see her and hear all about what she has been doing for the past 7 months.

I have one request of you all. I ask that you pray that God would help me figure out why exactly he has brought me to India. It is very strange how God works sometimes and I know that He will reveal to me in time why I am here. Thank you all for your prayers thus far and for future prayers too. May you have a blessed week living for our Lord Jesus Christ. 

January 15, 2008

The past few days I have been in Bombay again. We have been waiting around until today for the Christian Media Awards, in which David is receiving an award. For those who need some perspective of this awards ceremony this awards ceremony is in the same category as the Christian Dove Awards. So this is going to be such an honor for David and his team for doing such a great job for many years. As we have talked about this award David has been so humble in reverting his success to God and His blessings upon David throughout the years. I will be taking picture for David so that he can cherish this big day for the service and work he has done for God’s Kingdom.

I believe that tomorrow will be the day we catch the train to go to Damoh, where David and Sheila have their home. I will finally get a chance to settle down and feel at ease because we have been in the big city since I have been here. I am looking forward to getting to see the smaller towns of India. 

Yesterday I was able to meet some incredible brothers and sisters in Christ. I climbed part way up a coconut tree and ate my first Indian meal with only my hands. It was definitely a great day of firsts and I am learning a ton about the Indian culture. Each day there are new things to be learned. Last night I was able to sleep very hard through most of the night, but I have been taking sleeping pills to aid in staying asleep. Hopefully whenever I get to Damoh I will be adjusted to the time zone and able to sleep and operate normally.

As for prayer requests I ask that you pray for our safety as we travel to Damoh tomorrow. It is about a 19 hour train ride from Bombay to Damoh. Wow! I think this may put to shame the 15 hour plane ride on the way over here. I hope that my battery in my ipod and computer stay charged for 19 hours. No, it will be ok. We will be traveling throughout the night so I will be able to sleep most of the way. Anyways keep us in your prayers tomorrow as we travel. Whenever I get to Damoh I will try to upload some pictures so that you can see what I have been doing.

Love 

Zachary