Official April Update Letter

Here is my official update letter for April. Even if you read every word on my blog, there's some new stuff in here.

Hello everyone,

This is an update on the events of my past month in Asia. About three weeks ago we left Kolkata to spend some time in Sri Lanka. We spent three weeks there working with Habitat for Humanity to help people rebuild homes after the tsunami. We just returned to India today and will spend a week in southern India before returning to Kolkata for another six weeks. I am past the halfway point of this trip, but I am sure that there is still a lot left for God to teach me.

Our time in Sri Lanka was spent in the city of Galle, in the southwest corner of the island. Word Made Flesh rented a house, which our team shared with seemingly ever changing residents. At the peak, there were a total of fourteen people sharing a modest sized house. We really didn't have any personal space. Some people were lucky enough to have beds, but not everyone. I slept on a mat in the living room, and had to put my bed away each morning when I woke up. Although it was crowded, it ended up being a wonderful time for all of us to grow closer together as a team. Nearly everything we did, we did as a team. We lived together, worked together, ate all of our meals together, and regularly prayed together. I wouldn't ever consider those experiences for personal space. The growth of relationship we experienced was just so valuable.

We were scheduled to work five days a week, taking off the weekend. If this had happened, then we would have worked 13 days. Unfortunately, a combination of poor weather, and Buddhist holidays cancelled four of those days. Still, I'm glad for the days that we were able to work. It was a privilege to be a small part of helping people recover from such an incredible disaster. Our team did everything from mixing concrete, to digging toilet holes, to painting walls.

Right now I feel somewhat apprehensive about being back in India, and particularly of returning to Kolkata. These stem from a variety of reasons. First, our community will lose some of the natural togetherness that we had in Sri Lanka. That doesn't mean that we will lose the closeness we gained, but a lot of the structure that helped us grow together so much won't be there. In addition to that, Kolkata is just a really hard city to live in. After getting away for a few weeks, I realize just how much the city had worn me down and how much I needed that break. For this six week stint in Kolkata, we will also be facing May, one of the most miserable months of the year. Our leader told us to expect temperatures consistently at or about 110 F, with high humidity.

Please be praying for us as we return. Pray that God would grow our hearts for the people of the city, and give us the strength to love them. Please pray for our community that we would continue to grow in love for each other and continue to challenge each other in our walk with Christ. Pray that we would not give up or give in to the overwhelming challenges of Kolkata.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers!
In Christ's love,
Philip