What's in a name?

Approximately 70,000 babies are born every day in India. Many of these babies will wait for six months before they are given names. For months the babies go by nicknames like “sweety” or “cutie” or some variation typically given by a parent or close relative. Once the baby is six months old a naming ceremony is held. With close relatives and friends gathered, the child is given solid food for the first time, boiled rice mixed with sugar, and a sip of water. After this the name is given.

Kishore and I have a special brotherhood that has deepened tremendously over these last few years as I have spent increasingly more time in India. I was here the day Kishore brought Kezia, the woman he wanted to marry, to meet Suresh and Christina, completely going outside the norms of tradition and arranged marriages. I sat at the table as Kezia was interviewed to make sure that she and Kishore had core values that aligned, before approval could be given for their desired marriage. I arrived just a month after their fall wedding and visited their home as a newlywed couple. I was there the day Kishore found out Kezia was pregnant, just 2 months after their wedding day, and the day that Kishore found out it was twins. I was there the day Kezia went into the hospital and was blessed to visit their two beautiful baby girls just days after they brought them home.

And even after all these moments that I had been present for in these two young lives, nothing could have prepared me for the moment that occurred just days ago. Sitting at the dining table in Suresh’s home, Kishore arrived anxious with something he was excited to share. He sat down and we began chatting about his family and how everyone has been. He reminded me that his daughters’ six month naming ceremony was fast approaching and that I was requested to come and share in the joyous celebration. I was honored and assured Kishore that I would definitely be there. He said it was the following evening at 6pm. No problem my schedule was clear. Then he proceeded to share that he had a special request to ask of me… he asked me to choose the names his daughters would be given at the ceremony. I was overwhelmed; I am still overwhelmed.

Kishore’s parents, Prakasham and Premavathi both passed away just two and a half years ago and to celebrate their lives through Kishore’s children he and Kezia had decided that both of their daughters would be given names that began with the letter “P.” Thankful that the scope of names had been narrowed dramatically I began to pray and brainstorm names. After 20+ hours of prayer God began to shape two beautiful names for two beautiful girls.

Providence Grace

Providence: the foreseeing care and guidance of God over of the earth; in the management of resources and economy
Grace: a manifestation of favor; mercy, pardon

I pray that this beautiful one would seek provident guidance from God as she discovers the greatness of all that God has uniquely created for her to accomplish.

Patience Jewel

Patience: quiet, steady perseverance; diligence
Jewel: a precious possession

I pray that God would keep you blameless as he teaches you each of the spiritual gifts he has entrusted to you, and that He will remind you always that His promises are true and He is faithful to accomplish that which he has promised.

Meet Providence Grace (In Kezia's arms) and Patience Jewel (with her Daddy)!

2012, A Year of Ambiguity?

Certain that there is much to be determined for what 2012 holds for me, I sit in my little place in South India and I reminisce on the certain journey that has brought me here. It hasn’t all been flower petals and dancing, although both have been a very beautiful part of this experience. In the journey, amidst frustrations, disappointment, missed timelines and miscommunication there has been constant peace and through it all magnified in times of great joy, miracles of healing and multiplication of resources, God’s very presence has been near and active. While this season may very well be ambiguous, God’s promises certainly never have been. I wrote myself a letter the other day, it will be mailed to my home in Aliso Viejo in six months. The contents of the letter were primarily an encouragement from my present self to the self I foresee being in six months from now. I did this same exercise at the two week marker of my very first trip to India, in an even more ambiguous season in my life. I came across the contents of that very first letter the other day and it was almost a pleading from my then present state to a future state of my own self. I apparently felt then, with great conviction, I would be waning, walking from where I was in that moment into somewhere I had already been before. Perhaps because I was fearful of how I would handle the ambiguity or perhaps because I knew the historical record of choices I had made in the past. Either way there was doubt in the reassuring style in which I wrote a letter of encouragement and gentle, wisely worded rebuking to my future self. I’m truly thankful that between that letter and the ways God has pursued me over these last two years specifically I found the path in which I now sit. I’ve been asked from time to time what I think would happen if the John Brokenshire of today met the John Brokenshire of 2008… I’m certain that they would be intrigued by the processes in which the other justifies ideas and forms thought, but in the end both would walk away from their encounter feeling as though they were right and the other was well-intentioned, a “good person” but misguided.

The idea has got me thinking about these two very specific versions on me. The 2008 former me shows up to said meeting positive, well dressed, super self absorbed, an entrepreneur who feels the world is his oyster. He’s a bit concerned that God may have crossed some wires when piecing him together in his mother’s womb but he’s confident in God’s love him and he’s feeling almost no convictions about the lifestyle he’s pursued. You would only see the surface, it’s flashy and attention-grabbing and what’s going on inside is not public record. He’s honest and he’ll share with you if you ask him but he’s not likely to volunteer anything. When you look closely there is heartbreak behind his eyes and if something doesn’t pan out soon it will likely turn to bitterness. Jesus is the glue holding it all together but there is distance in their relationship.

And then I show up, also positive and equally well dressed. I immediately see through the whole show, I can see the heartbreak and extend compassion. I’ve been there, but Jesus has taken that to the cross for me, I’m healed now. I have so much more life experience to draw from but it doesn’t come across prideful. For a moment I want to evangelize but then I remember that doesn’t work the way I’m talking about. There’s no relationship yet, no common ground has been built. After 10 minutes of banter, I’d go for the jugular and ask some big questions. The most effective thing I could do is raise question to the very foundation my former self seems to be standing on so confidently. It’s gentle but serious. What do I have to lose? We have a long conversation going back and forth. Every once in a while a statement catches 2008 off guard and he sits with the words for a few extra moments before rejoining the conversation, I’m planting seeds. I would walk away from the meeting confidently praying, knowing that God is going to meet that young man in some very specific ways.

Jesus is always, for me, the glue holding it all together but the distance in our relationship is gone. Repentance has replaced my desire for control. Fear of the unknown has become the very freedom by which I travel, work and live. I am healed, whole and in the beautiful pursuit of others who are in their brokenness finding hope, purpose, and a future full of plans to prosper them. In this there is no ambiguity. Welcome 2012!

Round Four

One things for sure, the trip from CA to India does not feel any shorter the more times I make the fight. After some extreme hurdles at LAX where my entire reservation magically disappeared from the computer system and a one hour conversation with a representative who made it very clear that it was not her mistake nor her problem, I managed to get a seat on a very crowded plane and to my surprise had an empty seat in between myself and Vicky, a very nice lady who now has India on her radar as she heads off to see her daughter in London. :)

I arrived in London on standby due to the error with my reservation and an overselling of tickets on the British Airways fight. Thankfully my travel agent had done some work for me with the airline while I was en-route and by the time I arrived at the ticketing counter I not only had a seat but I had been upgraded to economy plus. Double the legroom and a wider seat is like a first class upgrade when you’re only half way to your final destination and you just got off an 8.5 hour flight. God is so good!

I arrive in Hyderabad, make it through customs with a few questions about why I travel to India so much (I think I need to get some new stamps in that passport of mine just to throw them off my trail) and found my luggage (always a sigh of relief). Outside the airport Yasu Padam was waiting for me and after hello’s and family updates were exchanged (Indian tradition haha) we were off again. Seven and a half hours later I was home.

The ROCKHARBOR 2011-2012 short term mission team is here now and in the middle of VBS for 1,000 of my favorite little faces in the whole world. It’s going to be an amazing few weeks as the 38 of them make new memories and many experience the amazing work of Harvest India for the first time. It’s wonderful to be back… let the fourth chapter in this saga begin!

A Good Laugh

We went to the movies yesterday to see the "Tollywood" (Telegu Films) blockbuster Dookudu in celebration of David's 16th Birthday! We paid "extra" and drove to the "nice" theatre in town with stadium seating and A/C... sort of.



Real story:: We sat in VIP with recirculating air. Thanks God, I needed a good laugh!

Lookout for leather... God's got this

First read the post on the Harvest India Blog and then continue on...

It truly has been a wonderful time making new friends and developing a partnership with 31 Bits, to bring sustainability to women who are struggling to provide for their children and families in India. The model behind 31 Bits is making a lasting mark in the lives of the women that they are already serving in Uganda.

As the weeks went on we were able to build connections with vendors working in each raw material needed for our 2012 venture... except we were still looking to find a leather factory that would be able to supply us with leather for finishings. We had done the research, phoned in our findings to Premanandam, a friend that Suresh had in Chennai, and thoroughly searched Tenali and Vijayawada for any and all leads on leather in the area. We found absolutely nothing an our leads were getting us nowhere. Our last shot was finding something in Chennai and because of the huge Hindu festivals at the end of the September we could only get train tickets to arrive in Chennai 12 hours before Kallie had to catch her flight. We knew our odds were not looking good. Our train was delayed and we arrived in Chennai starving and a bit exhausted. We grabbed a quick bite and started walking to our first stop that Premanadam had found for us. (Not a good sign since all leather factories are quite some distance outside the city) Half way to our destination it became clear that our connection in Chennnai had no idea what we were looking for as we passed shop after shop of leather belts, purses, wallets, shoes, you name it. We re-explained that what we wanted to see was a leather factory for the purchase of raw leather. Something seemed to click but Kallie and I had already lost hope of anything working out in our limited time. We jumped in Premanandam's car and headed out of the city, a much better sign. We arrived one hour later in Chrompet at the building site of the church Premanandam had planted in 1996. We laughed as we completely lost hope and gave in that our leather factory hunt was turning into another ministry tour. Just as we were mentally about to throw in the towel, I was reminded of all the times in my journey in India I have been completely taken aback at the ways the Harvest India network is able to accomplish almost any task because of the magnitude of people in our vast network. As we sat down to have a cold drink, a man approached the church. It turns out that Chrompet is one of the largest producers of leather in ALL OF INDIA... AND the man approaching us, Bani Patrick, is a church member and works one of the machines in one of the bigger factories in the town. He immediately went to his factory and got permission for us to visit the factory. They approved permission for us to visit and within 10 minutes we were on our way to the leather factory! We were greeted by George, the sweetest man you could ever meet, who processes all of the orders for the factory. He personally toured us through the entire factory, showing us each and every step of the process, answering all of our questions and introducing us to all of the staff. AMAZING! We were then escorted to his office where he let us hand choose samples and place a small sample order on the spot that will be ready for pick up in just 15 days!

In utter shock, Kallie and I sat in amazement as we recognized the most unlikely course of events that God had chosen to lead us to the exact place he wanted us to be... fully recognizing that HE IS TOTALLY IN CONTROL and He's got this all under control. Hysterical, humbled and having just had our minds blown Kallie and I headed back to the hotel... In tow... new friends, a leather factory partner, and deepened faith in Christ's leading as we move forward in this Kingdom advancing work.

IN SHORT::
Because Premanadam responded when he was called by Christ Jesus to plant a church in Chrompet in 1996 Bani Patrick came to know Christ's love in his life. Bani Patrick got a job working in a leather factorry and used his influennce to get us a meeting with George. George is the exact person 31 Bits needed to meet before they left India on October 2nd at 5:30AM and at 7:30PM on October 1st Kallie and I sat at George's dest sipping chai and building a partnership... ALL OF WHICH IS BECAUSE JESUS IS WONDERFUL!

Hand Block Printing Factory, New Friends, Peddapuram and Waiting on the Bride!

During IPP's recent visit we spent time launching their expansion of 30 women, ransomed out of prostitution, and given HOPE, DIGNITY and FREEDOM in both our Ashraya and Freedom Centers. In preparation for their fall line of Punjammies we got to visit the block printing factory where the organic Kalnkari [Call-N-Car-E] fabric is skillfully transformed from a boring cream color into detailed paterns in vibrant colors and shades. The process is exquisite to watch as trained craftsman carve wood blocks, mix colorful dies and then hand press the dipped blocks onto the cloth, revealing a pattern that takes hours to complete.
Often the fabric is multiple shades requiring that the worker wait for the preceding color to fully dry before applying the remaining colors in the design. We had the opportunity to spend some time watching the craftsmen at work, poke around the factory and even take home some cool Kalnkari creations.

Later in the week we traveled to Peddapuram to check in with our ministry projects, love on a new group of men and women afflicted with leprosy and encourage some of our church planters. While we were there we met some of the kids in the area. In the morning, before school, a few boys would come to the gate of the house and wave, staring in amazement at the "white people," but by day three we were all friends... they would bring their classmates over during lunch break, I would pray over them and ask them questions about their studies and their families and then they would be back off to school.



We rounded out the week at the union of Anand and Sirisha. Both are foster children of Suresh and Christina and they have both been with Harvest India for quite some time. I have had the opportunity to get to know both of them over the last few years and can say with confidence that they are equally yoked in their love for Jesus and ministry. I was thrilled to be a part of their big day! The wedding was schedule for 10:30am, but when we arrived at the Harvest India campus to collect Suresh and Christina we were told that there would be a delay (Indian time) and the wedding was being pushed to noon. At noon we got a call that the cultural traditions surrounding marriage had run long and the bride had still not left her village to travel to the wedding location. We arrived at the ceremony at 4:30pm and neither the bride or groom were ready. We laughed that weddings rarely start on time but this was getting ridiculous. Many of the guests had been waiting at the church since 9:00am. At about 6:00pm the couple arrived. The pastor conducting the ceremony and everyone who spoke at the service joked about the delay of the marriage and by about 7:00pm it was official. The longest wedding day I've ever experienced, but hey you only get one so I suppose they made the most out of it!

Thanks for all your continued prayers!

Southern California to Southern India

Well I've made it! After 30+ hours of traveling by plane, train, and automobile I've arrived safely back to the place that has captured my heart. As I exited the plane in Chennai the thick stench of Indian air filled my nose and as I started to gag, I laughed smiled and thought, "I'm home." After an overnight in Chennai's finest Royal Paris Hotel,(HAHA) we were off to the train station for a six hour extravaganza of screaming babies and hot rail cars. When we arrived in Tenali I was overwhelmed to see 12 of my favorite faces. Greeted by the bulk of the amazing staff I am privileged to work with, I was welcomed by floral lays and a 3 pound floral bouquet... it was unnecessary but AWESOME nonetheless! Everyone here thinks I look fat; well it's actually just their way of saying that I look good, and healthy but you can't beat the verbiage on that cultural discrepancy. :)! Kick starting my 10 weeks on the ground, we are currently wrapping up a mission trip with Revolution Church, visiting us from Long Beach. Yesterday, we attended VBS with the team and today we are headed to Church service at Harvest India's newest Church building, right in the heart of downtown Tenali.

Thank you for your continued prayers! I love you all