Final Day in Chennai

So this is our last day.



The Lord has blessed us with this opportunity to serve him with friends in India who are working feverishly to expand His kingdom. What a privilege to be co-laborers with them.


Today we went to St. Thomas Mount, the presumed burial ground of the disciple, Thomas. We then visited an Indian craft store and then a restaurant.

Our plans are to travel to London early Sunday morning and then on to Houston by Monday afternoon.

It is now 9:30 PM Saturday night and Matt is still over at the IT department working with the IT folks. Melissa, we promise not to leave without him.

Thanks for your prayers. One more though: safe, uneventful journey back home.

Sorry, all our technology stuff put away so pics later.

ps: Happy Birthday Nathan Hermond (March 20).

Friday: Last Day of HBI Activities

Thursday evening the ladies went to an orphanage to do skits and pray with the girls there. They were able to sit with the girls and interact with them. The girls rewarded them by dancing to the music of Slumdog Millionaire.



So Friday was our last day of activities at HBI. Steve and J.J. returned from K-Kota, a mere 12-hr train and bus ride away, after teaching youth leaders and pastors. They got in at 3:00 AM this morning and stayed up all day. With their arrival we were finally able to get a picture with the entire group. Here we are.

We also got shots of Matt and Doug teaching. Here is a shot of Matt with the IT guys. They were eager to learn about improving HBI's networking capabilities.


This afternoon we were treated to an authentic South Indian meal, called Chicken Biriyani, served on banana leaves. This was a special meal for special occasions such as weddings. We had to eat it with our right hand - actually fingers - no utensils.

Wednesday Activities

Wednesday Activities

On Tuesday, Avalyn, Joelle, Elizabeth and Donna went to a medical clinic some three hours away to help provide health care and to pray for those being served. They were very excited about accomplishing this.

Today, Wednesday, they went to two schools to do skits. They also enjoyed this challenge and were instant celebrities at one of the schools.

Matt and Doug continued their teaching duties at HBI. They should get out tomorrow to see parts of Chennai. JJ and Steve are still "dark" but should arrive back in Chennai early Friday morning.

It is hot and humid in Chennai so we have to drink lots of water, but that has not been much of a hindrance so far.

The pics above show the view of Chennai from the campus of HBI, There are also some shots of the drama team visiting schools.

Day 1 in India

The second half of our team arrived safely this morning, although some of their luggage stayed behind.

Today, Monday, was a busy day in that we had a briefing session in the morning in which we were acquainted with Hindustan Bible Institute.

In the afternoon Avalyn, Joelle and Elizabeth went to an old folks home and did some singing and visiting. Matt started his teaching to four of the IT folks about networking, and Doug started with his group on cultural research.

Our day ended with a debrief in which we shared our views of the first day and our impressions of Chennai.

ShortlyJ.J. and Steve leave by train to another city to conduct their training - some 8 hrs away by train and 2 hrs by car. They will be back on Thursday.

The pictures show our debriefing and some areas around the HBI campus.

Arrival in India: Team 1a

(Pics of Avalyn and Joelle in the store selecting their dresses)

Hi Folks:

Letting you know of our flight to India:
1. Friday, March 12: At the Houston airport we learned that only the Hermonds and Elizabeth Dunn had a seat on the plane as they had overbooked. They had several student groups on that flight. So Steve, J.J., Matt and Donna had their flight rescheduled for Saturday.

2. Saturday, March 13: Our plane had left IAH late and arrived in Frankfurt quite late. When we arrived in Frankfurt Saturday morning (after 10 am Frankfurt time) or connecting flight to Chennai was closed so we had to reschedule.

3. Sunday, March 14: The Hermond/Dunn team arrived in Chennai early Sunday Morning (around 11:00 AM). We freshened up, had lunch and set out to the store to purchase sari chamisses for Avalyn, Elizabeth and Joelle.

4. Sunday, March 14: By late afternoon the group crashed. Everybody still asleep, as we await the arrival of Steve, J.J., Matt and Donna.

Preparing for Trip

This afternoon the ladies prepared the props for the skits they will be performing while in India. They are (from left to right) Avalyn Hermond, Joelle Hermond, Elizabeth Dunn and Donna Hodges.

The other trip members are: Matt Nevill, JJ Jones, Steve Norris and Douglas Hermond.

Welcome...

Thanks for visiting the CBC India2010 Team Blog spot. Our intention is to update you on our trip. The huge assumption here is that we'll have access to a computer and Internet to update this regularly. So, if you don't see any additional posts, don't panic.

First, some housekeeping details...
1. We plan to leave for Chennai, India on Friday, March 12 - we fly from Houston to Frankfurt, Germany, and then from Frankfurt to Chennai.
2. Chennai, formerly Madras, is on the southeastern coast of India, on the Bay of Bengal.
3. Prayer needs:
- safe journey
- unity among team members (we are pretty pumped right now, let's keep it that way)
- flexibility to deal with the situation on the ground
- God would work among us, through us, and with us
- family members here in the US will be assured of our well being.

Blessings to all.