I'm excited... and a lot of other emotions too

So Carie McDonough and I leave for the country of India on May 10th. But why would we go to India? Why would we want to spend 2 months in temperatures above 118 degrees during monsoon season? Why? Because India is a nation of more than a billion people, and 800 million of these people are Hindus! Also, there are also more than 100 million muslims in India, making it the country with the highest muslim population in the world. Only about 2% of the people in India are blessed to know Jesus as we do. That's why we are going to India.

For several months we have been studying the culture, the religion, and the language (most people speak English but Hindi is another main language in India so we have studied some basics in that language), but I know we are nowhere near prepared enough to do anything on our own. Our prayer is that our feeble efforts will be turned into amazing results by the Almighty God we serve. We cling to the passage in 2 Corinthians that tells us God's power is made perfect in our weakness.

So what exactly will we be doing? I'm glad you asked because I actually found out today myself. We are working with a missions organization that is completely run by Indian people. So, during our two month stay, we may be the only Americans working with that organization. This organization plants countless churches, builds numerous children's homes, and trains Indian preachers to be able to spread the Gospel in India. Carie and I will be working at the main campus in Nagpur, India (dead center of the country). This part we already knew, but new information came today.

I received a call from the founder of this missions organization today about a special project. His name is Saji Lukos, and Brother Lukos today asked Carie and I to help him produce two more books as fund-raising literature for the ministry there in India. While in India, Carie will be collecting 50 stories about children in the Indian children's homes and I will be collecting 50 stories about the lives of Indian missionaries I will interview. Each of these two projects will result in a book that will be produced and sold to raise money for the missions organization and to raise awareness about the ministry in India. I look forward to being able to help in this way. We are going to hear some amazing stories about how these missionaries came to know Christ, and many times gave up everything to follow Him. The interviews alone will have immeasurable influence on our lives. Beyond that, I am thrilled to know that our efforts will both provide funds for future mission work and spark interest in the ministry in India for other people that might read these books.

Well, we are overwhelmed, excited, nervous, humbled, and ready to see what God's plan for us in India is. We beg you to pray for us and pray that God will reach the lost of India through whatever means necessary.