A small team from First Baptist Church and LifePark had a great opportunity and privilege to travel back to India!   Sensing God’s clear leading, Ron and Libby Dillon and Rick Higgins embarked on a journey to India to encourage and equip Indian pastors and their families.  Here is a brief synopsis of our trip:

Thursday, 24 April 2014 – We left Charleston an hour late and made our connecting flight in Newark. We took off in Newark after sunset and landed in New Delhi the following day after sunset. We checked in to our hotel Saket in New Delhi.

Saturday 26 April 2014 – We met one of Rick’s former students (Thilak) in New Delhi, it was a joyous reunion. Thilak invited us over to his home for lunch and we had a great time of fellowship. Thilak took us for a brief tour of the area and then back to Saket.  We went out to a Western-style mall that evening and had dinner at Geoffrey’s – I had a wonderful Indian dish for dinner.

Sunday 27 April 2014 – We caught the early morning train to Haridwar,  (Hindi: हरिद्वार) which is an ancient city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. The River Ganges flows through the city.  Haridwar is regarded as one of the seven holiest places of the Hindu religion.   We had an enjoyable ride to Haridwar and had some good discussions with  people on the train. Upon arrival we were greeted by some monkeys at the train station.  Our host, Wilson,  took us to the SRS Lakshya Hotel – nice accommodations.

We went to the market in the afternoon and then down to the Ganges river at sunset where we saw many religious pilgrims.  One man in uniform asked for my name and wanted money, but he finally gave up in frustration when I refused. We had some interesting conversations with some of the locals – there is much work to be done.  The words of Jesus in John 4:35 became evident,

“Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.”

We returned to the hotel sensing God’s protection in our return trip. We had a nice dinner at the hotel,where  I had Paneer Lababdar, which was delicious.

Monday 28 April 2014 – We started teaching this morning with a wide variety of ages including children.   Later in the afternoon our host had a special surprise for us as we went on a Safari through the Rajali Game preserve. It was an amazing experience seeing a wide variety of animals  including many elephants, deer, monkeys, and exotic birds. The preserve revealed many of the natural beauties of India as we journeyed on a 36 km trek through grasslands, foothills, and across wadis.  We enjoyed a late dinner with our host family and our co-worker Emmanuel joined us. It was a full and a fun day.

Tuesday 29 April 2014 – We had a good day of teaching and then in the late afternoon we traveled up to Rishikesh which is the Yoga capital of the world.  Rishikesh is located near the headwaters of the Ganges River and is a popular tourist destination for those seeking spiritual enlightenment. We saw many people dip their water bottles into the Ganges River and drink the water.  Rishikesh is where the Beatles came for spiritual enlightenment.  Chotiwala is a popular restaurant in the region and it is named after a rather colorful figure.

Wednesday 30 April 2014 – Our sessions went well and we’ve enjoyed working with the pastors and the children.  There were about twenty children attending from a local orphanage and it was refreshing to see their enthusiasm.  After our classes we took a brief tour around Haridwar and visited a local mall.   That evening we boarded the train to Delhi and had a nice, albeit crowded trip arriving around midnight. We took a taxi to the Suryaa hotel for a good nights sleep – which was a welcome relief after the long, hot, and crowded train ride.

Thursday, 1 May 2014 – After a good night sleep and a wonderful breakfast we went to Dilli Hatt for some shopping. The shop owners were quite eager to prey upon the tourists. The temperature in Delhi was 112 degrees – but it’s a dry heat.   We returned to the hotel and enjoyed a nice meal and then made our way to the airport for our 8,000+ mile journey back home.

Friday, 2 May 2014 – We left Delhi at 10:50 p.m.  and and landed at Newark at 4:30 a.m. – a 14 hour flight.  Our flight from Newark was delayed but we arrived back in Charleston late Friday afternoon – thankful for God’s provisions throughout the trip.

Have you been overseas recently?  India is a great country with many service opportunities.  Perhaps we can go together some day.

शुभ यात्रा (śubh yātrā) (Translation:  bon voyage)

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

Follow me on twitter:  rickhiggins5