A Day of Rest

We took a day off from clinic work today to support several local churches in Bhubaneswar. Some attended the Union Baptist Church and a small group attended a home church called Calvary Grace Fellowship in a village near our hotel. The Union Baptist Church was started by the father of Dr. Ide Trotter (or Gandhi as we like to call him), when he and his wife Lena lived in Bhubaneswar in the 1960s. Today this church is a hub for some of the mission work supported in this region. The CGF church currently meets in a home ministering to the immediately community around them and several slum areas that are nearby. They have purchased property and are raising the funds necessary to construct a church building. Dr. Barry Creamer spoke at CGF church and also administered the ordinance of the Lord's Supper.

The rest of the afternoon offered many options including resting, shopping or touring the many temples of this city. Bhubaneswar has more temples than any other city within India and Orissa also makes this claim among the states. This evening most of the team visited the home of Dr. Patra for a time of fellowship and dinner. The Patra clan were gracious hosts. They served an authentic Orissan meal and we enjoyed their hospitality. We have a few team members that are suffering from sore throats, congestion and mild flu symptoms so please keep them in your prayers. We will also reshuffle the teams a bit this week as Dr. Ravi Vallabhan and his wife Sheryl will be visiting family for a few days in Mumbai, pray for their journey. They will rejoin us in Bangalore.
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Below is a picture archive of today:
http://flickr.com/photos/94059942@N00/sets/72157594465170648
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The link below will take you to the video updates for Joy India team (requires Quicktime): http://www.firstdallas.org/Missions/