Winding up the first week of Discovery SouthAsia 2014

This morning John and I were able to Skype together for the first time since his departure 8 days ago.  It was so great to share stories of our time apart...and now I am able to share some with you as well!

John says the team is doing very well;

here you can see them having one of their orientation sessions and....

 

.... playing the Pole Game (one of our favorite team building activities) 

Among their experiences so far they have: 

• observed a translation consultant working with a cluster project of five different languages
• Been taught about oral story-ing and are now in the process of crafting their own stories.
• Spent several hours at a leprosy village (see photos below) where they visited, prayed with and cleansed and changed dressings of some of the people who live there.  John said there were quite a few tears during their debriefing time that night.

John told me that he is always on the lookout for ways the SouthAsia culture he is experiencing is both similar and different to our African experiences: he said one of the big differences is the glaring absence of women out and about on the streets and in the markets.  He has been told that this place is known for being one of the worst places for women to live, that women are afraid to venture out and largely stay at home. When I asked him what was one of the most stretching things for him personally on this trip so far, he said it was the experience of leading an almost totally female team. 8-)

So far the team has been staying in one area in accommodations that are fairly western and quite comfortable; he says he expects this to change when they begin their anticipated 30 hour train ride to a new location this coming Friday evening (which will be Friday morning our time.)  As always, your prayers for us and the team are always longed for and appreciated!