These are my friends....
Jeff and Camille Hornbeck. They have been in India for several weeks. Out side of being a joy, they have been our resident experts in India. Jeff is an old Air Force flyer who is practical and discerning. Camille notices everything and can communicate it well.
Dick and Olivia Eudaly. Olivia is the happiest and joyful person on the trip. Her laugh fills the air. I don't think there is anyone she doesn't make friends with. Dick is a third generation farmer who is as wise as the day is long. They have become good freinds.
Don Snyder is not pictured because he has avoided the camera. I will get him yet. Don is discerning and directed. He loves Jesus and has been at two hospitals looking to work with the eye care centers.
The preacher is Michael Dean, my pastor at Travis. He is genuine and earnest. He also has a proclivity to find the ice cream shop on the street. I watched him in action at the revival and with the pastor's conference. I am proud he is a friend and our leader.
If you look for those who older and heroes, these come with my recommendations. I have included my favorite pictures of the trip of each one. Hopefully they reflect their personalities. Especially the one of Camille taking pictures of people....Got ya!

The Palace of Mysore was impressive. We went to the city to prayer walk for people and see the palace. We had a guide and I got to share Jesus with him. He was great, pray that God still works on him. I told him about how Jesus doesn't have a caste system but loves everyone the same. He said he hated the caste system where you see the rich feed the dogs and refuse to kill mosquitoes but will let the lower castes starve outside their doors. I told him with Christ, those who have more are charged to take care of the poor. It was a great situation.
On the way, we visited a pastor who had been in this village for seven years. For the first several years, the villagers beat him up, broke his windows but he out lasted them. Now they call him "father" at 28.

What can a person carry on their head...I've seen everything from fruit, to sugar cane stalks, to hedite conrete blocks (60Lbs) all on women. The men can do this as well. I tried it, it is not easy. At the hospital, where they are building a second floor, the women carry out the rubble in baskets and cinder block back in. And the bikes...a major source of trucking.

I am always amazed at countries like this. The level of skill in making things out of whatever is around is astounding. I found some craftsmen at work. This is for you, Mike.

I declare nuisance! I think I found some of the best signs in all the world. One on the side of a busy road, "Follow Traffic Rules, Avoid Blood Pools." Sponsored by the government. Remember, no nuisance!!

Today after church I went exploring and took about 200 pictures. It was crazy fun...I had my ipod and you just can't beat beautiful day by U2 and God's creating being experienceed together. Enjoy!

Church was great. Rebekah Naylor helped dedicate this church from Travis a few years back. She also delivered the pastors son. Rebekah, thanks for the good work here...they speak of you as a saint. This church started as a house church from those helped by the Bangalore Baptist hospital and three of the young women are going to the Naylor Nursing School after they complete their HS courses.
This church was as friendly as any I've ever been to. I gave my testimony and Michael spoke. One lady kept on giving us the music book turned to the page they were singing. I couldn't tell her we didn't have a clue how to pronounce anything...they have so many vowels in each word. They appreciate the effort, however. It givees a whole new meaning to making a joyful noise as opposed to understandable words.
The best scene was the little girl. Her dad was the bongo player for the worship team. The team consisted of three bongo drums and one mini casio piano with the small keys. He gave her a small set of bongos and she played as we sang. Crazy hard not to worship with one of the cutest kids playing at your feet. I found I didn't care so much about the pronunciations anymore...

Let's talk transportation in India. There are so many forms of, or levels of, or what kind of risk do you want to take with your life....please don't share this with my insurance, they won't think it is funny.
Today, as we left for church, I was asked if I would like to ride the back of the moped since the pastor and Don Snyder weree in the motor rickshaw. I don't know if it is because I am 1) adventurous or 2) expendable :) There were two times my legs touched a car beside us on the mile ride to church. On the way back I got to sit in front with the driver of the rickshaw. Half of me is in the rickshaw and half of me is outside the rick.
After sitting that close to the driver on the single seat, I think we may be culturally family now and I must raise his children should he perish on the rickshaw. Tim, Jonathan, and Caroline better make room.
At one corner, for no apparent reason, there are camels...another ride I'd like to take. After church they were all mystereiously gone (insert spooky music here).

While we were gone, they did our laundry and ironed the clothes. A wooden, hand-pulled cart pulls up and they do all the laundry there. The iron as hot coals in it and the sprinkle water on the clothes then apply the 1930's iron.
The other picture is of the scaffolding they use. It is just wood poles lashed together. Evidently worker's comp. hasn't hit here yet.

OK, today was they best day here in India. I met Pastor Moses and Shardomincanakaeemmm...something the other day. I asked if on Saturday I could go to their church and orphanage. They ask if I wanted to come see the seminary as well.
First, the seminary. It is in the middle of no where and Pastor Moses got a personal loan to build it. 12 students are theree for an accredited Bachelor's degree in Bible. They stay all in the same room 12 X 15 in bunk beds with mosquito nets. It costs $400 a year for them to go there and that includees all the expenses. The go 6 days a weeeek to classes, make their own food, and do a Practical Ministry class on Saturday afternoon in area villages. All of them expect to be church planters after the four year program. I visited with the leaders and then they invited me to speak to the class. It was profound...not me...but the experience. They all were official, but they loosened up and then we had "friendship."
Next I went to a 45 person orphanage run by...get this...Pastor "Moses." He and his family of four live in one room, 30 boys live in 3 story bunks in another and the girls sleep on the floor. Pastor Moses' family lives with all their belongings in a room smaller than my office, the boys smaller than Monica's and the girls in one the size of David's. They sang some songs for us and then I sang some for them. I taught them "Deep Down" with all the motions. They loved it and it was great fun. I ate lunch with them too. We had a huge plate of rice, a small glass of water, and (no) curry chicken. They eat so much curry instead of blood in the veins they course with curry. At the most uncomfortable point, I was asked what we eat in the US each meal. This as we are eating with our fingers, with the orphans, in his bedroom/living/family////room. God has a way of reminding you of the extreme provision I/we have. It takes $800 to feed, clothe, house, staff, and educate all 50 each month. How do they do it you ask...they meet once a month on Monday night at 9PM and begin to pray/fast over every ministry need until 9AM Tuesday. One month after praying, a truck pulled up after finding the phone number and gave them 5000 ready made curry meals where all they had to do was heat them up, cut them open, and eat. Another month a man from Daifur came by with a bus, loaded up the children, and bought them every thing they needed. Crazy what prayer and need will move God toward.
In every field they are playing cricket. I watched for about an hour and I swear I can't figure it out....not unlike the heart of some of the people I met today. Something about a few of God's servants and their depth of spirit is amazingly humbling to be around.
India is safe, profound, and humbling.

Tonight Michael, our pastor, spoke at a revival. They had a children's choir sing and they were fantastic. After that, a band took over and we sang English type music. Have you ever been somewhere they didn't really know the music but they tried really hard? It was fun singing familiar songs with totally different notes.
Michael does a great job with an interpreter. You never quite know how they interpret what you say. They both did a great job and when the invitation came, fifteen people stood the WALKED down to the front to pray to accept Jesus. Incredible! We had heard that the Indian people do not convert easy, but I gues when God moves, he moves.
The best part was when the band told me they were going to tour the US and maybe they could come do a concert for us...

Today was the airport...at 5AM in the morning. Everyone here understands some English, but hardly anyone understands enough English. I was directed to three diffeerent terminals, baggage claim area, and the international luggage scanning area. I finally found the office up three flights of stairs and about five hundred yards away. Seven suitcases at 50 pounds....
After getting two guys to help, I found they could hardly lift the suitcases...I think they weighed less than the suitcases. It was good to change clothes today.
Mike led a leadership conference for the India Baptist Society today. We had a great meal, of which, a cross between a burrito and stir fry with chicken was served. They said it was not spicy, but it was very spicy. I cannot imagine the hot stuff here.
I went into town to survey the downtown area. My taxi cab driver had five teeth and spoke no English. It was cool we made it and back. I even negotiated several purchases of cokes and coffee. They have a Indian Starbucks named Coffee Day. You must sit to order and they have a server for every two tables. Evereyone here has a helper. The guy taking the parking fare has a guy who brings it to him and directs your parking. In every store there are seven salespeople in an area half the size of a 7-11. Their was a fruit stand with everything you can imagine. So much so, the guy wass blocked in the middle of the stand. Quite the incentive to sell some produce...
The other picture is of the line up of mopeds, cars, moto-rickshaws as they get ready to kil you. It is a bit like the running of the bulls. You can go anytime if you can make it regardless of the light for your side. I actually went into the street and then reconsidered once at this intersection. The%2

We tried on some of the traditional formal wear. Dig the guy in the poster next to Mike. The best part is, I played Volleyball with the nationals (pretty fun), and I was 1) wearing the same t-shirt since Texas (lost luggage) and 2) I sweat like a fat man and 3) they guy had to touch it....sweet retail job!
By the way...they are silk, hand stiched, custom made, and around $200 each.

These are the Swiss Alps...quite the bonus after flying 22 hours. The meeal on the other hand is interesting. I won't tell you what it is because I don't remember. I think it was served to break us down....it worked. Remember, no meat clues.

Well, the trip to India is probably the least fun of the whole trip. We were late out of Dallas and they held the plane to Paris out of Cinncinati for us. The passengers on that plane were thrilled with us! Three hours in the air from Dallas and then to Paris for 8 hours. The movies didn't work and all they could show was the flight map...praise Jesus (and Steven Jobs) for the I-Pod! Wee arrived late in Paris and were met by a van which rushed us to the next plane to Bangalore. Felt like rock stars, until we figured our luggage would not make it. It didn't. The cool thing is we flew over the Alps...super cool pictures. While flying Air France, I got two whole seats to myself....Jesus loves me!
The Bangalore airport is definately a developing airport. One runway, two baggage claims, and several hundred people. Lucky for us, we got to fill out paperwork without an interpreter and hopefully we will get that luggage on Friday. (I was voted lucky enough to go get it at 5:15AM tomorrow.
We met several people who work the South Asia corridor. Several work with the Hindu populations and a couple work with the Muslim people. They all are interested with/in our young people coming. They want them, but we have to work out the details. One, pastor Jacob is about five feet nothing, grey hair, firery spirit, manages all the church planters in this area. He was an ace. I am going on Saturday to eat with two of the church planters, one of which runs an orphanage we can work at.
Tonight, we went to eat pizza (surprise!) where they do not serve beef or pork...chicken and lamb pepperoni, yes, lamb (baaaaaaa) pepperoni. Not bad...it smelled of curry. All things in India smell of curry but they do have the coolest name for their money...the rupie.
Also, tonight as the ladies are buying silk scarves, I tried on some of the traditional Indian formal wear. The best part is I also talked Michael Dean into it....heehehehehehehehehe
The traffic here is funny. Crazy honking and driving. My favorite government drive safely program is, "Obey the Road Rules, Avoid Blood Pools." Excellent. We did see a moped hit a pothole right besidee us and flip....nuts.