We arrived in Glasgow last night about 7pm after a 19 hour journey. We were all very tired but happy to be welcomed by family and friends at the airport. Lindsey’s children even had a banner!! 

The entire trip was such a fantastic experience. There was great team spirit and we were all kept safe and healthy in the very different environment and culture.

We carried out 14 separate clinics and saw approximately 1000 people in total. Many people were so grateful for relief from pain and treatment that they would, otherwise, have found almost impossible to get. The nurses who worked with us were invaluable and we were so sad when we had to say goodbye to them. They became our friends.

The Youth conference was dynamic and eventful and it was a blessing  to see young people respond to the preaching and witness over 70 of them baptised in the Krishna River.

We have all grown and learned so much from the Indian people we met. Emmanuel and Dee Rebba and their family are an absolute inspiration and example to us all. We will never forget the last 2 weeks!!

The work continues and we should continue to pray for it!!

Yesterday was a great day as we worshipped in the Repalle church with the local congregation. The church was packed full! The U.K. and USA team even sang a song!! The women all wore beautiful saris and, for once, added to the vibrant colours of India. 

In the afternoon we returned to the Krishna River where about 20 more people were baptised.

In the evening, we joined in with the girls’ devotions and Jason and Gordon did an entertaining talk about trust. The girls loved it!!

Today we visited Pedalanka CDC and did a clinic for over 60 children. We ate curry from banana leaves before participating in a gospel meeting for the local villagers.

There are so many experiences in one day here. The people are tireless, committed and an example to us all!! 

Pray for us as we do one more clinic tomorrow in the orphanage for the college boys and begin to pack up equipment. We are already tearful at the thought of leaving some of the children and young people we have connected with….especially the nurses we work with every day!! 

We arrived safely in Repalle to hundreds of children and young people greeting us with petals, garlands and fireworks. Their  smiling faces and chorus of ‘Welcome to India’ made the long journey seem so worthwhile. 

After a night’s sleep we set up the clinic and saw the youngest class. The children were treated for minor ailments and had some dentistry done (sometimes a bit traumatic!!) but for their long term good.

This afternoon we will have a tour of the IREF compound and work before the first evangelical meeting tonight.

Pray for the meetings that the young people will respond to the message. Pray for the USA pastors who will preach for the first time.

Pray for the clinic tomorrow….especially for a new steriliser as the one we have broke this morning!! 

The excitement in today’s clinic;  Jason and I met our new sponsor girl…….I was showing a group of girls her photo asking if they knew her and she was in the group!! So thrilled to meet her. Her name is Kavya and IREF is looking after her because her mother died  recently and her father is disabled and can’t take care of her.

We also saw the girl sponsored by the Murphy family , Prathima, and she was beaming when we told her how much Katie prays for her!

This afternoon’s excitement was a trip to the Krishna River where we saw over 50 young people baptised. It was such a privilege to witness this! They have enormous faith.

This evening’s excitement was when Lindsey Clark took to the stage and gave her testimony to hundreds of people. She was calm, clear and spoke in a moving way about God’s work in her life. Dee also explained to the audience how Lindsey had stepped out of her comfort zone and how God has used her. She encouraged the Indian kids to trust God as Lindsey had.

Pray for children like Kavya and Prathima. Every child has a story and IREF provides all their basic physical needs and teaches them of the love of Jesus.

Pray that all the young people baptised today will be strengthened in faith and continue on the journey.

Pray for Emmanuel and Dee Rebba and their family as they beat the huge responsibility of the work of IREF. We are so inspired by their love and commitment to this ministry. 

We worked in the clinic this morning treating 7th and 8th class. (119 patients came through the clinic!) There was not so much dental treatment as these kids are older and taking care of their teeth a bit more. The nurses being trained in the IREF nursing school are assisting us and it’s humbling to witness their work ethic, respect and care for their peers. They are a wonderful group of young women. 

After a late lunch, Dee Rebba very kindly took us to ‘Downtown Repalle’ for shopping. The women all bought saris to wear to church on Sunday. We spent hours admiring all the vibrant colours! A girl’s dream shop! It was good for us to see Repalle centre and sense the life of people here. IREF is literally an oasis and sanctuary for so many in this region.

The evening meeting included drama, which was making the hundreds of young people laugh in the audience….wish we could understand Telagu!! The choir provided fantastic music and the word was preached very powerfully. Many young people committed their lives to God and we will have the privilege of seeing most of them baptised tomorrow in the river.

Keep praying for the clinics and for energy for the team. We are all quite tired. Pray for the children who have received treatment: that they will be experiencing relief.

Pray for the pastors as they preach through a translator :that their words will be clear and used by God.

Pray for peace for those who will be baptised tomorrow.

We did a full day in the clinic today and have now seen over 200 children. We have seen huge smiles and relief when children are relieved of toothache or receive glasses from the optician and can see clearly for the first time! We’ve really bonded as a team already and we’re having great fun amidst the hard work. One laugh today was a wee boy (quite a character) who tutted at Jason when he instructed him to sit down!! So funny!   

The youth conference last night saw many young people come to know Jesus. Many are from Hindu backgrounds and will face great opposition as a result! They need prayer as IREF pastors encourage them to continue in their faith.

Please continue to pray for health and energy for the team, a smooth running clinic and that the message will be received well at the gospel meetings.

We arrived safely in Repalle to hundreds of children and young people greeting us with petals, garlands and fireworks. Their smiling faces and chorus of ‘Welcome to India’ made the long journey seem so worthwhile.

After a night’s sleep we set up the clinic and saw the youngest class. The children were treated for minor ailments and had some dentistry done (sometimes a bit traumatic!!) but for their long term good. Continue reading “Arrival in Repalle”

Well we arrived safely in Chennai and all our luggage and equipment arrived too! We rested a little before lunch then Lindsey and I took a very wild (but fun) tuk tuk ride into the city and back while Jason visited an eye clinic and gave a talk in another town. We had dinner (our 2nd spicy curry of the day!) and are heading for an early night as we are all very tired. The American team is due to arrive during the night and we will meet them in the morning before we go for the train, just after lunch, to take us to Repalle.

Thank God for safe arrival. Pray for safe arrival of the Americans and smooth travel tomorrow. Pray also that we bond quickly as a team.We are excited about getting to Repalle to start the work!!

This year sees another trip by teams from the UK and USA to IREF in India to provide medical and preaching support to those who stay there.  The trip will run from Friday 8 – Thursday 21 January.

Jason, Lynn and Lindsey are on the team this year and will be posting updates on this website throughout the trip.  You can view all the updates here.

In addition to website updates we’ll also be posting a daily prayer request on our Facebook page.  These are all taken from the prayer diary that has been prepared for the trip.

Please support those who are travelling to India in prayer.