News Release
 |
India Missions Team |
Dated: Dec-28-2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Connie Wragge, Ministry Team Leader & President
+1 610-793-2389 - Office
PHOTOMISSION MISSIONS TEAM FOLLOWS GOD'S CALLING
Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, USA - Cardiff, Wales, UK - Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India - A missions team comprised of six Christian photographers has returned home from northeast India where cross-cultural experiences led to many moments of sacred opportunity. What began as a willingness to go to a distant country ended with a greater appreciation that in this life, the walk of faith is best demonstrated by obedience.
Traveling to three remote Indian villages, a school, three churches and three private homes, God took the team to places where only a few Christians from outside the area had ministered before them. The agenda included rigorous trekking of mountainsides and long hours on the road. It was a time to offer Christ's followers in India encouragement to remain spiritually strong until Jesus comes again to Earth.
"Our greatest privilege was to be salt and light," noted Ian Homer. "The high points of the trip were the high places in altitude, and they can also be compared with some of the high points in scripture."
In answer to the team's prayer requests, God provided translators when they were needed - once to a group of 35 children who gathered on a cement porch and again, at an outdoor worship service in a village of 1,700 people. At other times, the language differences required no translator - for example when Lyosha Nazarenko, a team member from Kiev, shared the plan of salvation with a fellow hiker. Lyosha said, "...I share with one young man from one of the villages in Meghalaya. He understood English little, and I asked God that He by Himself would put the words in this guy's heart and change it."
The team who came together did so early in 2004, agreeing to trust God for His Plan to unfold. In advance of their November departure to Kolkata, the photographers chose four different days to pray and fast collectively in their respective countries of India, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Ukraine and the United States. Throughout the year, fellow Christian photographers, the PhotoMission prayer support team, churches from around the world, and their families and friends prayed with them.
Over time, Adrian Baillie-Stewart (South Africa), Lyosha Nazarenko (Ukraine), Jason Powers (United States), Ghani Zaman (India), Ian Homer (United Kingdom), and Connie Wragge (United States) saw God raise up the funds that were needed to cover their travel expenses. They made plane reservations with only $275 USD on hand and rejoiced when, a month ahead of the payment deadline, a check for the full amount of the airfare was mailed to the travel agent.
"The biggest thing about this whole trip was seeing how things would fall into place," said Jason Powers. "We sometimes got impatient and wanted to move right along, then we ended up praying about it and God gave us the opportunities."
At one of the private residences, the PhotoMission team joined with the family living there to sing songs of praise before sharing a meal together. At the school, a seventh photographer, Father George Hess, participated with the team, and a skit by Jason and Adrian Baillie-Stewart was presented to the students. Traveling to India was Jason's, Adrian's and Lyosha's first cross-cultural experience.
"Village community life has clearly opened my eyes that we were designed by our Maker to be an active member of the greater community in which we live, i.e., on our street, in our neighborhood, our church, our town, our faith-based groupings and lastly, our membership in the human race," said Adrian who lives in Cape Town. "I have no doubt that we can see many a potential scenario in our western world where this principal could be successfully applied."
"God opened my eyes to a new dimension of teamwork," observed Ghani Zaman. "In the village where the team was asked to lead the worship service, God so clearly demonstrated His ability to erase cultural differences for His Higher Purposes," concluded Connie Wragge. "I will always remember singing 'Holy, Holy, Holy' from a hymnal that was printed in a language that was new to me."