Last Post ...

We have gotten back from the trip and alas alack reality calls.  A couple of final thoughts:

1. Go to www.guthriegroup.com/laundromat to see the latest on the BAM project.  There are items you can donate and many areas where you can make a real difference in the lives of people.  We will update this page (listed above, not the blog) about once / month through the end of '2012.  Please pray for God to give our team wisdom, courage and grace.
2. Regardless if it's the neatly cut lawns that I commented on our first posts or the busy streets of India - without Him life is a vain pursuit.  The many idols in India remind me of Do vs. Done.  Whether it's a **checklist to go to the Ganga in the am ... and the pm to worship every day, or some **mental checklist that we keep in the hope that we will gain acceptance from God based on performance ... I'd encourage everyone reading to move over to the 'done' - and find your identify and future what He has done.   www.needhim.org
3. Get involved with a short term trip.  The people that are serving need the encouragement - almost as we need a wake-up call of life outside of our fish bowl.  Get involved - when we are poured out and emptied God can shape our faith

Special thanks to Lynn - I want to be like him when I grow up (really)

Special thanks to Amanda Joi - to go on a trip like this at (13) and smile like she did - what a great accomplishment & encouragement.  You go girl.

Special thanks to Rahul & Lorette - Too much for words - to my brother & sister - thank you.

Traffic ....

It wouldn't be much of a blog without showing you the traffic.  And I do stand corrected.  There are (3) stop signs here ... it's just that two of the three aren't working (lighted).

Enjoy!

Friends

Lynn & Philip at Sarath (Buddha's 1st Sermon) 

We took some time to visit with Philip & Gabriela on our trip as well.

We were able to visit Sarath and see some remains that pre-date Christ.

Lynn and Philip discussed the work there and it was good to have a traditional Indian meal and see the progress that they have made.

PHILIP & GABRIELA's House 

Interview

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road - It's a Fundamental Question

I resent the jokes.  My father resented the jokes.
My father's father resented the jokes.
The only thing that is worse than the 'road joke'
is the whole 'chicken and the egg' jokes.
It's just not funny

All these years - all these jokes - all this bipedal (downright) abuse.  It's just plain unfair to the chickens.  Think about this from their point of view.

Well this week - another first BTW - I have deeply felt and downright compassion for ... chickens.  Why?  Because when we cross the road here - trust me - you feel just like a, well, a chicken.

I know that some pessimists out there think that I'm exaggerating ... so after prayer and fasting between breakfast and lunch I decided to man up and get **a video** of this in-country experience (and trust me, this is an experience).  So sit back - embrace a nearby chicken and watch (actually a light traffic moment here).

SO - what's the conclusion of the matter?  THE CHICKEN WAS FRAMED - NO ONE WOULD WANT TO CROSS THIS ROAD ... not even a chicken.

Tune in next week when we'll take on the chicken & egg controversy - roll on as they say.

Rahul's (blasted) Spreadsheet

Rahul's Beloved Spreadsheet

Have you ever experienced someone that won't (be quiet) about something they are passionate about?  You know - almost to the level of 'please, I beg you, shut up?'

Well - that's Rahul when it comes to the subject of his spreadsheet.

He won't stop talking about the conditional formatting, the variable equations, the 'trace precedents' function with the pretty blue lines, or even the possibility of adding an advanced "Hlookup" function (he's moved well past the vlookups).

Business brain trust ---- in light of that,
please pray for God's grace, mercy, forgiveness ...
and don't forget the grace

Would someone **please** tell him to keep quiet about this spreadsheet?  We in the US just want something simple - like a basic calculator.  But not Rahul - he pushes for the complex so that he can impress all of his friends and loved ones.

Until then - we'll just have to stomach his heavy Yale-like accent, 'Zack, the numbers have no emotion.'

Dreams

Proposed Building

The proposed building location has received quite a lot of attention over the past (2) years of planning & dreaming.

This location is near the university, and in addition, very close to several large apartment complexes.

Starting from the ground - empty building

Renting office space in India includes negotiation with the landlord and also taking on the expense of making repairs / upgrades to the property.






The initial start up costs will be significant - from putting in tile floor, air conditioning, the ceiling and the equipment.

The property will require a backup power generator as power outages are very common here.

Paradise

Growing grass across the yard

Many pictures are in this blog post - and the title is paradise.  That's the only word that comes to mind as I think about what this 'care center' means to these children.

First I'll show you some pictures of heaven on earth - the care center.  And then I'll simply cross the wall and show you what's outside.

Here is the courtyard where the children play cricket, soccer, and run and play in this safe - walled - haven.  No one takes advantage of them, they aren't chased by the police, there are no drugs, and they can be safe.



They are taught to read.
They are taught to write.
They are taught math.
They are taught skills.
and they are given a glimpse of another world that is completely foreign to them.

God's love here is something tangible that they can depend on.  Something they can eat.  Something they can feel.  Something they can sing.

The family history of the children here will take your breath away.

Father dead.  Mother addicted.  Sibling in prison.  Other siblings with whereabouts unknown.

The value of these children is lower than many of the livestock and for our team it's a confirmation that the work that is being done here is critical.

Solicited - unapologetic - and with purpose.  Get involved.  Contact me and I'll put you in touch with someone at our church or in this ministry so that you can help this critical work that is going on here.  zguthrie@guthriegroup.com.  What can you do?  Pray.  Give a small $ 25 gift to purchase school supplies - buy a week of meals for the kids here.  Encourage the teachers.  Get involved.

Reading is protection here - they can defend
themselves by understanding proper prices, contracts,  etc. because
when people know they can't read they are taken advantage of

Coloring pictures

Loving the kids

I mentioned that this post would first show you a glimpse of heaven ... below are images just a few feet away. The railway station is just down the street and when you see the close proximity of this care center you'll understand why it's such an oasis & prized destination of these children.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Home

Right across the wall is a family that is staying here in the streets.  It's estimated that more than 300 million go to bed hungry here in India every day ~ the population of US.

As you read the blog I'd encourage you to post comments - let us know what you think about the trip, and add your experiences & thoughts.  We'd love your input.

Pastor Lynn walking & praying

These 'houses' by the rail station are very close to the care center.  Seeing where many of these people live are beyond words and the strain on the people is visible.

Success story

This man suffered a compound fracture and would have either died or faced amputation.

Rahul prayed for God's help and helped get him surgery on his leg.  Many people know Rahul by name and you can see the power of his ministry by seeing their faces light up.

This man was proud to pull up his pants and show you  the story of what he had overcome.  PTL.

Home

This is the home of one young girl that comes to the center.  They have been working with her for (6) years & she's now 12 years old.

She confided that her prayer every day is that 'no one lie beside her' at night.  We are working to get her a place to stay at night as the girls face more risks than the boys.

Home.  What a way to describe this place.

Busy, dirty, rail station

The railway station is extremely busy and many of the children live in / around this place.

It's very busy with many trains coming in every day and the place bustles with activity.

Cultivating Relationships

When a train arrives, many of the boys hurry on-board to gather empty water bottles and anything else that is left by the passengers.

They refill the water bottles and resell them to tourists.  Rahul has worked with many boys to stop this practice on the basis of honesty.  They encourage Biblical truth that will provide fruit in these boys lives. This boy comes irregularly to the care center and Rahul continues to love him unconditionally.




Last picture of the blog post - too many to show and several that I won't show

Pictures of those with leprosy
Pictures of those with polio


But here another boy lives on the streets.  Hopefully the ministry will continue to offer paradise to children that live in these streets.

May our church and our people get involved.  D.V.

More Bulls, More Idols, More of the Everyday

Sacred here - he goes where he wants, eats what he wants and if someone
showed any type of cruelty towards him ... there would likely be
consequences (not for the bull :-))

The cows/bulls are literally everywhere.  In the streets - in the alleys - in the city and in the country.

One of the guys from the US here that grew up on a ranch in Texas tell us that the attitude of these livestock is quite unique.  They 'know' that there is no danger - but further than that ... there is an arrogance about the animals.  We walk right beside them and treat them like they are just another pedestrian ... but it's just quite different to drive around them.  Just need to dodge the organics.

Idols are everywhere

Part of the sad thing is just that - the organics.  The smells and sanitation of the city are undoubtedly 'held' in place because of the place in the society that these animals hold.  I'm a business consultant that generally tries to 'improve' things ... so you can imagine what's going through my mind.

• Can't remove the cows - distribute small pooper scoopers (scratch that - large pooper scoopers)
• Can't control the traffic - introduce stop signs (wow, that's really really funny)
• The streets aren't wide enough - parts of the city are 1,000's of years old ... sacred ... and completely untouchable
• Too crowded - too many people.  Welcome to a country where the population exceeds 1 billion.

In McDonalds here the entire menu is free of beef / pork.  :-)  It looks like a menu in Chick-fil-a.

People stop to worship
(they are actively worshiped)

These from the old city are very old

This idol has been given clothes
to wear - look closely at his face

Part of the 'problem' with showing these pictures is that there's no real way for a reader in the states / elsewhere to really understand the sounds, the smells, and the culture that are here.  Bells resound all the time - waking up and calling the gods.  Yesterday we went to a town in the north and someone had put strings around a tree (indicating a holy site) and 30 - 40 people worshiped there with candles & small statues.  Most of them were women.

Deep tradition - deep beliefs

Here is a video of the Ganga - enjoy the clip.

Funeral procession to the river

When you drive the streets here you pass funeral processions that are headed for the river; this occurs many times each day.  This is a sacred tradition - being burned here provides an instant gateway to liberation from the cycle of births/re-births.  The mortal remains are consigned to flames with the prayers that the soul rest in eternal peace.  The hot ashes of the burnt bodies makes one remember the inevitable destruction of everything in the world.

There are (5) conditions when a body isn't cremated:

1. Children - they are seen as holy
2. Pregnant women - due to the unborn child
3. People with Chicken pox - it's thought to be sacred
4. Priests
5. People that have bitten by a snake

Wood for burning - one of
many many many stacks

When we passed this sacred site there was a white bull and a black bull standing on top of the area and it had an eerie and sobering impact on our group.  The process is steeped with rituals and rites with the belief that the river takes away the sins of those that are cremated here.

This single site works almost non-stop as evidenced by the wood that is stacked almost everywhere.  There are other sect traditions that I'll not repeat here on the blog - suffice to say the evidence of their beliefs are overwhelming. 

Washing - the purpose of the trip

VOC surveys
(voice of the customer)

Our focus here is starting a laundromat business so part of our BAM challenge is to understand the market.

We went on site to a local university and here the guys are doing some surveys.  We met over 60 people and got about 40 surveys completed and learned some important aspects of this new market.

The work is hard - but these guys
can actually earn a good wage

Just for the record: Rahul, I told you candy bars would work.  (I feel better)

What's difficult about this new business is that it's a ... new business.  I mean really new.  Let me explain.

One of the questions on our survey is 'have you ever used a laundromat before.'  Well > 80% of the respondents said 'no' and then we found ourselves explaining what a laundromat is - by saying 'have you ever seen one in the movies.'

Scouting the competition

Not a jab - honestly - but this business is very new and our team has to build the value proposition of why it's different and better than the current methods.  Some pictures here that our local BAM team will appreciate.  A quick shout-out to Frank, Jason, Ryan & Mike!

Don't forget the fun (baby)

From spending time at the care center with Rahul's kids, to the adventure of finding restaurants that we can eat at - we are having quite a lot of fun.

Our host family is **tremendous** and it's so encouraging to me that Christian values look the same regardless of where you are in the world.  The fruit of the Spirit is a hall-mark ... and there's plenty of evidence with Rahul & Lorette - may God bless them.

Martha & Amanda Joi - you go girls!

Pastor Lynn doing (one of the things) that he does best
Encourage

Quotables:

• 'Am I right'?
• 2.4 million people in the city - and without any exaggeration, guess how many stop signs there are?   Yep - 0
• (bobble)
• Mineral water?  Yes - we want mineral water
• Let me throw you a softball (of a question) response: "I don't play softball"
• Natives see you American's with $'s in your eyes

If you think these two girls are tough - with swords in hand - you should meet their attack canine BJ.  

In America he'd qualify more as a cat (oh boy oh boy am I going to regret this post when Lorette reads it), but I wish that financing the appetite of our 3 labs was like BJ's.

Mammoth attack dog pictured below.

Pray - please pray for God's blessings
on this beautiful family

Ganga - the world wide influence

The Ganges is a spiritual destination for many Hindu's and our team saw one group that had traveled here washing in the river.

The oldest **living city in the world that has many sections of the city that haven't changed (modernized / built over).  They believe that those people that die here will attain salvation and freedom from the cycle of birth and re-birth.  The Ganga river is believed to have power to wash away the sins of mortals.

Before sunrise leading worship at the river.  Ringing bells
(always bells) to wake the  gods

The city worships at the river ... every night of the week.  We went down and rented a boat on the river and when I looked back I did a little bit of a double take.  Behind us was a family that could have been my family.

The 'mom' of the family was wearing a traditional gown - the father was rejoicing with the ceremony and the entire family was watching the ceremony with excitement.  They leaned over their boat and all of the family put lighted candles in the water.  The thing that was sad to me is that they have to sacrifice over ... and over ... and over .. and over.  All the while hoping that they will be forgiven by these gods and rituals.  Back to the 'do' vs. 'done' post that we had earlier ... it made me appreciate God's word.

  "Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever."  Hebrews 7

My faith is in Christ.  My faith is that the price that was paid on the cross covered my sins once and forever.  My faith is that Christ's resurrection proves His power over death - superior to the man-made idols that are here ... and the faith that I will conquer death as well.  This life is definitely 'moving forward to a destination' and all of our faith will be tested soon.

Idols

Idol worship

 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

   “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us."

All my life as we've read this passage - and others like it - we've always had to make associations for idols with Western substitutions.  As I get more time on this side, we'll post video's that will honestly make you read this passage above with a new appreciation.

Here the Hindu's place tremendous influence on the Ganga river and the number of Gods that are worshiped daily reach into the millions.  In the picture above there is a small God in the red box that people put grain offerings, money, and say prayers as they circle this tree.  They wait in line to spend time at this idol and afterwards many paint their forehead as a note of their fulfilled obligation.  They are everywhere here and throughout the post we'll provide more pictures.

The application for us - I think - is that God should be first in everything.  Above all - in front of - with purpose, priority, and time and an abundance of evidence in our lives that this relationship is before all things.  I remember Pastor Don's sermon as if it was yesterday.  Do vs. Done.

Do - the checklist life.  I've got to do this ... and this ... and this ... and I can't do that, or that, or that.  And at the end as long as I'm a 'good' person having a proven performance based (and self-reliant) track record then heaven awaits.  It's unfortunate that this is completely an anti-Biblical teaching.

Done?  Yes, done.  No trips to the idols.  No baths in the Ganga.  No checklists, no penance - just grace.  When Christ died on the cross my payment was done.  Over.  el finito.  There is an oppression in religious duty here and I hope that we take heed of the lessons that are spelled out in Scripture.

Neatly Cut Lawns

When you arrive to any third world country the **smells** are a little bit - well, overwhelming.  100+ degree heat, urine & other garbage in the street, cows & pigs roam freely (holy here), and that's not even to mention the 2.5+ million people.

WalMart

Anyway - my immediate thought as a westerner was an immediate offense.  It's like an onion when you are cooking - or smoke in your eyes - there's a repulsion that takes place.  And naturally since we humans are a narrow hair above a Chameleon - immediately there is a 'them' and an 'us' that is naturally formed.  Meaning - I'm good, they are bad.

But the book says that sin is sin.  It says that "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live ... All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved" and then again - it's **by grace** that you have been saved.

Sin is sin.  And just as the physical smells are repulsive to me - so the sins of those in NC are equally as offensive to God.  Envy, self-reliance, lack of forgiveness, anger ... all in the context of neatly cut lawns.  Objects of wrath the text says.  So what's the conclusion?

Anyone seen the raspberry cappuccino?

I pray that God allows me to see these wonderful people as He sees them.  And when I fall into the sinful legalistic mode I pray that God will send a steaming organic reminder for my shoe as I walk these streets.  These people are precious in His sight ... and by His grace our team will see their need for a Savior in an equal light.

Into India

I

I've got to start by saying that **nothing in this post** is meant to be derogatory in any way.  So while we'll make sure to keep the discussion light, please excuse any phrase that appears as a dig as this isn't the intent of the blog (however, I can't speak for Pastor Lynn - he's been known to throw a chair or two (look at that face for example)).

This is the lobby of the Hilton that we are staying in.  Yesterday I went down stairs and asked for 'black coffee.'  He nodded his head side to side (think bobble) which in India means yes.  It looks a whole lot - seriously - like no, but after violently agreeing with someone on the street for four to five hours you finally realize that the side to side bobble - that looks like no ... is actually yes.  I digress.

Back to the coffee.  I said yes - I want black coffee.  No cream, no sugar.  His response - do you want it separated?  I said ... well, sure.  Outcome that was delivered to my room.  One pot of hot milk and another pot of hot tea.  I went downstairs and - bobbled my head - and said 'thank you for the coffee.'  Maybe he's spoken to my doctor and is interceding on my best behalf.

Wednesday - Thursday - Friday (whew!) TRAVEL OVERSEAS

Journal:

 

(Amanda Joi) Energy Level = HIGH

Our huge (3) man (oops - there is a woman too) team left GSO on Wednesday and began our long haul over to India.  Geography lessons take on a whole new meaning when you are flying from NC to .... India.  As you look at the 'plane route' in the back of the seat video screen it quickly becomes obvious ... Ireland, southern England, Iraq, Switzerland ... (add many countries here) and on over to India - many of which I can't pronounce.

Anyway - suffice to say it's a very long trip.  When we start our energy level is good.  As we progress, our energy levels change.

Pastor Lynn in deep prayer for the man seated in front
 (prayer flying as it's called)

Looks like the approach is working by the looks of the other passenger