60 Days Until India

I've been pretty bad during the last couple of months about writing here. Outside of the holidays there has been very little to talk about. Things had slowed down pretty significantly both at home and at work, so that days have been mostly a blur through December.

But as of today, we're looking at 60 days until I leave for India. This is going to be my second trip to southern India with GCC. The first was back in the summer of 2005, when I traveled with a small group of people to help establish the reputations of some of the church planters we supported throughout Tamil Nadu, India. The trip was ten days, just like my upcoming trip in March. This time, however, we will be getting our hands dirty and taking care of some much needed upgrades to the village of Kalavai.

Home need rebuilt after the government poorly constructed housing for the the Irula / Dalit people of Kalavai. The bare minimum of mortar was used to construct these government supplied houses to the poor there, and they are crumbling in on the families who occupy them. We will build a more sound structure and also help provide them drinkable water sources, through filtration systems and by digging additional wells.

Other sanitation projects will also be taking shape. This includes the digging and construction of latrine trenches, so that the people can effectively take care of "their business" without it potentially mixing with their drinking water. This is a huge issue for the people of Kalavai and we plan to take care of it on this trip.

GCC's team will also continue the construction and development of the Kalavai Community Center. This building will provide community members a place to receive teachings in conversational English, health care education, community support, and the overwhelming physical love of Jesus Christ through those who are going to be running the facility. The first phase has already been completed and I'm excited to see what we can add during our time there.

I am just about half way to raising the financial support needed to be a part of this mission to India. The price tag (if you want to call it that) is $3,000 to help pay for my plane tickets, daily expenses while on the ground, and training. All of my support must be in by the end of February, and I could use you help in raising the remaining half of what is needed.

Would you consider in helping me raise the remaining money needed to get me to India?

If you think you could help (EVEN THE SMALLEST AMOUNT GETS ME CLOSER) please click on the following link and create a support account through Granger Community Church's website. You will need to indicate that your gift goes towards my personal fund raising ...

http://www.gccwired.com/defaultStory.asp?storyid=1174

I look forward to continuing to write about my upcoming mission to India. There is much more to do in both preparation and the telling of stories about my last trip in 2005. Please check out all the links within this post and pray for the team heading there in March.

God Bless,

J Aquila