June 19th

We are back in Mussoorie, awaiting our departure to our next villages. The past week was spent in the two villages: Sanji and Jordi. There, we all saw the amazing work that God is doing.
Half of the team hiked down into Jordi. The hour hike was absolutely breathtaking, rolling hills and greenery were all to be seen. We reached the village and set up camp in the schools classrooms. The next three days were spent playing with the children, teaching English, and begin building a fence by the school. On the first day, a small group went to see Sanoop’s family. For those who do not know, Sanoop was a Promise Child that Lutheran High supported. A few months ago, he died of an infection. Fortunately Sanoop was Christian and even was baptized. Although his mother was Hindu, we prayed for her and assured her that God is looking upon her in this difficult time. One older woman came to the school that told us she was having major issues with her leg. After we prayed for her, she rejected Hinduism and accepted Christ. In the second day, a group of adults and students went out into the village and preached the Gospel. It was there that four others were brought to Christ. Although it was sad saying goodbye to Jordi, our team was uplifted by the lives we touched there.
The second team drove two(ish) hours to the village of Sanji. One car was separated from the rest of the pack and ended up in a field in some part of the village. When they thought there were utterly lost, a crowd of children and the rest of the team flooded onto the field, rejoining them. The rest of the day there was spent playing with the children, teaching them Bible stories and various songs. The following day, a group went into a neighboring village were a group of four were invited to have tea in a small home. It was there they ministered to a man who had not been walking for a month. They shared the gospel and prayed him, and he was brought to Christ. The rest of the day was spent in a similar fashion. The last day in the village, another small group hiked up the mountain and ministered to a Promise Child’s family who are living in a tiny home that suffers damage from landslides. The team also ministered to the family, praying with them and sharing the Word.
As the two teams were brought together back in Mussoorie, the entire night was spent sharing stories of Gods work in the two villages. Yesterday was spent regrouping and planning for the following week of VBS in the villages. We also went to the market in Mussoorie, and we were able to fully experience the hectic and busy Indian streets. Today, we are going back into the villages and are excited to experience what God has in store. Unfortunately, some of the team is under the weather. Therefore, please continue to keep the team’s health and safety in your prayers.


This photo was taken in the school in Mussoorie that the men ministered to.


India 2011. No regrets.
-Katie Franklin

June 14

Namaste (hello)
Apologizes for this late post, the past couple days have been quite hectic. After 39(ish) hours of airplanes, buses, and taxis we finally made it to Mussoorie. The taxi ride was adventurous, swerving between cars and incessant honking as we sped up the Himalayas toward our destination. The afternoon we spent in a exhausted haze, forcing ourselves to stay awake till 8 (to adjust to the time). Today, however, we all awoke rejuvenated, excited about the days work. The girls and boys separated, the latter going to a school in Mussoorie. There, they enjoyed playing with the children and spreading the gospel. The girls trekked for an hour down a mountainous path into a rural village to have a womens conference. There we shared testimonies, painted nails, and sang praise songs in both Hindi and English. Tomorrow, the team will be splitting into two groups, one hiking to Jordi and the other driving to Sanji. There we will be doing light construction projects. Continue to keep the teams health and safety in your prayers. To be continued...

-Katie Franklin

India Trip 2011- An Introduction

Orange Lutheran Missions Program is excited to embark on an 17 day journey to India! Our program is partnering with Promise Child to help spread the Gospel to the people of Northern India. Promise Child was founded by Pastor Brent Kaser in 1999 in effort to spread the Word to children in third world countries. OLu Missions answered God's calling, and began to sponsor several children in India, via donations from each theology classroom. In planning for the summer trip of 2011, the program felt that Christ was calling us to serve in India. Beginning in the spring of 2010, a team of over 30 people began to train and prepare for this trip. The time has finally come, where students, staff, alumni, and parents come together in the name of God, and travel to India.


Trip Logistics
- June 11- June 28
-34 students, staff, alumni, parents, and friends of Orange Lutheran.
-There are 1.2 billion people in India, however only 2% are Christian
-Our team is "based" in Mussoorie, in Northern India, but will also travel to the villages of Sainji and Jordi, located outside the city.
- We will be evangelizing by putting on a Vacation Bible School, Bible studies, a youth conference, and conversing with people we may come across.


Please keep our team members and their families in your prayers, as well as our safety in traveling!

If you are interest in Promise Child, feel free to check out their website at www.promisechild.org

God Bless
-Katie Franklin