For the first part of the trip the team will be working with partners from Delhi who run Asha (which means hope) Projects.  The projects address the basic needs in their communities through aid and income generating projects.  They are working with our partners Bright Hope World, who have partnerships in more than 20 countries and directly impacting over 5,000 families each year.

Previously we have funded a sewing centre for women.  The one pictured is in Lucknow where the team will be visiting.  This has been very successful at providing job skills training so women can pursue meaningful employment and help provide for their families.

On this visit we are looking to set up a local computer training centre also in Lucknow which is used to train students and the youth of the community in computer skills.

The second half of the trip will be in Kolkata working alongside Kerry and Annie Hilton, who run Freeset, a business that employs women trapped in the sex trade and gives them new skills to bring them dignity and economic freedom.  We have funded some projects with Freeset, including a revolving credit fund and some renovation projects to extend the business.

While we are in Kolkata, the team plans to also meet with people who work with streetkids at the Howrah railway station and with the International Justice Mission.  Howrah Station has twenty-one platforms that handle over three hundred trains and serve more than one a million passengers every day.  It is home to huge numbers of streetkids – a small proportion of the estimated 11 million streetkids in India.

We are planning a number of fundraising events before we leave, including a quiz night at 7pm on February 17^th and an evening cooking class with Sarah Searancke in March.  If you would like more information or would like to support the team please email them on india@theanchorchurch.org.nz

The first person was a wealthy philanthropist. This man was deserving of the king‘s honour because of his great humanitarian efforts. He had given much of his wealth to the poor, building orphanages, schools and hospitals throughout the land.

The second was a celebrated physician. This outstanding doctor was deserving of honour for rendering his faithful and dedicated service to the sick for many years and discovering medicines that saved many lives.

The third was a distinguished judge. He was noted for his wisdom, his fairness and many a brilliant decision. 

The last person presented before the king was an elderly woman. Her manner was quite humble, as was her dress. She hardly looked the part of someone who would be honoured as the greatest subject in the kingdom. What chance could she possibly have, when compared to the other

Let‘s serve the Lord by sowing unselfishly into the lives of the people he‘s put in our path — so that they may become great in God‘s Kingdom!

We have touched down in a very cold Wellington. The team is happy and healthy, but I think ready for bed. We will no doubt have lots to share with you all about our experience over the next few weeks. Thank you for all your support in making this possible for the 14 of us to go.

God bless,
Brad

Hope You havn fun in the cold weather down in good old NZ, today i have to say would of been one of the HOTEST days  we have had yet.

Today we painted the water tank! yay fun stuff, it was very hot work but it was so much fun, we all got covered in paint … shows we were working really hard:)It was awesome to see  the whole team working together so well. It was my job (Laura) to design one wall and the side i got was the main one! i got help from others and we had great fun doing that in the end we did a flower type thing and it was back, purple and white !  it looks mint, im sure you will see some cool picz when we get back! after we had almost finished  we got called to a lovely lunch, we didnt know that we were going to be getting presents/gifts from them  which was so nice of them, again we will show you when we get back just how amazinthey look. we gave them 2 really big bags full of diffrent things including clothes and some balls! kai kai was really good!

(Jess)

Then we Relaxed under a tree for aout ten minutes, before we started the final touches on the tank paint. Erica was really good at painting!! we then wrote a bible verse in bislamic on the tank and took heaps of photos with all the kids and Sam and Emilie, and Wade, Erica and Dave. it was really sad having to leave Laura cried which made me cry a bit too.  when we drove down the road from Eratap, the kids thew leaves into our truck and we threw lollies back. It was really scary because some lollies landed in front of the truck and a kid named Jeremy ran out in front of it. he was ok though . when we got back toEfalfal, most of us swam or walked along the beach. Our dinner was COLD !!! it was great… Anyway, overall today was really fun and really exciting but sad too. and now we are sitting on Johns bed.

later fellas

Jess and Laura.

xx

So thats me say HI TO MUM AND DAD FOR ME XXX

PEACE YO!!!!!!!!!!

Antony’s account

Today I went to Eratap village and started to help with the building.  Me and Faye helped Sam (the builder) to put up the guttering on the church so that water can flow into the water tank.  Meanwhile everyone else sat there in the shade organising things. (Totally unfair if you ask me).  A little bit after that wade (YWA dude) got me, jordan and meg to go with him to pray for a woman.  So we went up to this house lead by my home dog karlo (a ni-van I have befriended).  He asked the people at the house if we could come in and then left.  Then a young ish woman (probably in her late teens) came and welcomed us in to her home. We sat down on these mat things. and then I saw this elderly woman make her way the mats from outside.  She was quite large and very frail.  Her husband then explained that she had had a stroke.  We  lay hands on her and prayed for a good ten min.  It was really sweet.  Had to have be my God moment for the day. Then we painted one of the walls.  Thats all we really did so yeah we should finish the tank by tomorrow possibly.

Antony

Alex, Anchor Youth Team

Well some of us have just arrived back at the camp from an awesome Church down the road.

Josh’s input-All the people there were so loving they welcome you so sweetly and are all ways going to be welcome at this place

Me again- So today was a day of rest (being Sunday and all), we woke up late to the most stunningly blue skies; looking out across the coconut trees to see the soft rolling waves lapping at the shore is a sight which I don’t think I will ever get over. It’s an incredible thing to experience the islands in this way, being surrounded by beautiful land, locals and dogs and roosters. We had late devotionals and breakfast and then headed down the road to Sam’s Church which is Petecostal, and boy from the moment you walk in you know it! Everybody greeted us with a handshake and there was a lot of shouting Hallelujah and Amen during the preaching as well. This service was AMAZING! We were singing and dancing and clapping and cheering and even though some of the service was in Bislama and we couldn’t understand it all it just felt like a family. It was absolutely BOILING but that’s ok because the people, the music and the feeling of God’s presence more than made up for it! Brad had to take Jeremy out though because he was sick and a few of our number are still feeling under the weather so we would really appreciate you keeping us all in your prayers.

After Church we all went to Sam’s house for lunch, all 17 of us were invited to have lunch in a house which only just fitted us all sitting down to eat-Sam’s generosity is truly overhwelming and we were treated like royalty with jiuce being brought around, a FEAST prepared, and leaves and flowers laid out on the floor for us to put our plates on (we ate sitting on the ground). We presented Sam and his family with a small gift when we left but please keep him and his family in your prayers, they have such a heart for the people in this area and are really seeking to show God’s love in practical ways but lack the funds to do as much as they would like.

We had a relaxing day together just chilling at the base, did a bit of planning for religious studies which some of our group will be running this week and practised for the musical item which we did at the evening service. About five of us went to the evening service which was similar to the morning one only with fewer people and more dancing praise God! Brad also did a mini sermonette (they had about five people doing short sermons) which was short and sweet and made us proud:) Before the service it was great fun just jammin with the band as well, the local people are very friendly and we taught them a couple of songs which was fun:) The songs they did at this service were AWESOME! one of them involves running around, jumping up and down and dancing-such a great way to praise God! It was amazing to feel the Holy Spirit in that little Church, through the songs, the preaching and the friendly attitude of the attendees, we were really warmly welcomed and some of the older children walked us back to camp afterward also:)

A relaxing evening ensued as we had to rest up for a full on week-o and now it’s Monday morning and we;re rushing off to a day’s work.

Love to you all!!!

Ruth and the team:)