Why hello there people in rainy England (at least we're guessing so)... We hope you're all doing well. Now, how to summarise the past few days...

The flight was, in a word, tiring, but to add more words, the plane was plain swanky (see what I did there?) and for some, inflight entertainment was far more appealing than sleep, especially for those fuelled by Mountain Dew.

We arrived, piled into a bus (luggage balanced precariously on the roof) and got to the house. Yellow from the outside, yellow from the inside, basic but it's got everything we need: beds (with traditional rugs for sheets), showers/buckets plus jug, a kitchen and an eating/chilling room with lots of chairs.

On Sunday, post a much-needed night's rest, we went to church. The location was splendiferous: riverside, with a corrugated iron roof, equipped with fans. I was a definite fan (see what I did again? I promise I'll stop at some point....). Martin, who with his wife Beena set up BLC, spoke and his sermon was inspiring and relevant to both our stay and life in general. The worship, led by Dipak, was awesome, if a bit loud. Next we paid a visit to the girls' home, which was brief as they were cleaning, but it was our first taste of the kids' homes as they stand in 2014. Wonderful and humbling, these places are full of joy. Finally, we went to the beach, which was surprisingly British-like, despite the palm trees and slightly heavier rain than we're used to (so don't you be complaining).

A quick note about the food: it's good. Very tasty, sometimes spicy, and always colourful. Most evenings Beena cooks for us and we spend lunches at the small boys' home...which leads nicely into Monday.

So, we woke up, and got off to a flying start at the boys' home. A few people helped in the Rising Star school, which is part of the home and for the youngest kids, and those who struggle the most. This was rewarding, touching and constantly entertaining. The rest of the team prepped the dining room for painting on Tuesday, sanding and scrubbing all the walls, which was hot, sticky work but we're sure it'll be worth it. We came back to the house for a nap and then went back to the home to run an after-school kids group, where we sang songs and Pete and Niall did a great job with the puppets. The boys then introduced to a new game called 7up which shortly lost its appeal although they were adamant they'd teach us Hindi numbers. Finally the team split - guys and girls went to the older boys' home and the girls' home respectively. We had more worship, and shared devotion time with them, which was a great opportunity to bond with them.

Finally, today (which is Tuesday, for those who have lost their calendar), so far we have gone to the little boys' home again and the team this time was split in two. We took it in turns to play with the kids, as they have no school today because of the public holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan. The other part of the team started to paint the dining room, before we shared lunch with the kids. Currently, we are sitting writing this at the house, while the sweet sound of the teams outstanding ukulele playing subscrobially wafts into our (somewhat grimy) ears.... You see, we're doing this instead of having a shower. Gross.

Yours sincerely,

The SMGoa team

Needles, Foreign Food and other Phobias

For many years I have looked up to those who have gone on summer missions with Christchurch Woking to either India or Kenya however it was not till recently that I seriously considered going on mission myself. Two years ago I felt that I wasn’t prepared to go to India as I didn’t feel mature enough but as soon as I heard there was going to be a summer mission in 2014 I knew that I wanted to go. Many of the things which I associate with mission scare me yet I still feel that I have a calling from God to go and help the less privileged in India. 

Coming from South Africa, a country with such polar extremes when it comes to wealth and standard of living, I have always been aware of the suffering there is around the world. This is why I feel that it is necessary for me to go to India on mission so that I can help people first hand and not just by giving money so others can do the work for me.

Frankly there are many aspects of the mission that scare me; first and foremost there is the injection issue. I have a phobia of needles. Because of this I have, in the last few years, avoided more than 15 stitches by on a number of occasions just bandaging up a gash in the side of my leg and hoping for the best. Some may say that that is a stupid thing to do but I would honestly rather risk catching many diseases in India than get the injections for them and be safe unfortunately I will not be allowed to go on the mission unless I get my injections… Secondly there is the food issue… Although I have no problem with Indian food itself I have possible one of the worst track records possible food wise (I have in the past even given myself food poisoning by eating partly cooked bacon).  Also I have heard the horror stories of people becoming very ill due to the foreign cuisine (normally because of the rice). These are hurdles that I will have to overcome either before the mission or during it however I know that God’s strength will help me through the roughest of times.

When I was on team at Soul Survivor last summer I was able to serve others, I felt a calling from god to find joy in even the most menial of tasks I found this a very rewarding experience as it helped me to form stronger relationships with those who were around me and also with the rest of the youth. I look forward to further re-enforcing my relationships with those who will be going to India as part of the Christchurch team. I am also looking forward to helping the children who are at the orphanage because I love to make a difference to the loves of others, I feel going on mission this summer will be eye opening and it will benefit me spiritually. I am very much looking forward to the adventure, India here I come!!!

David