Saturday, July 4th, 2009

Happy Independence Day! Our final day. Brett had arrived from Indonesia overnight and we started the morning with an 8am recap of the entire Blitz from the traveling consultants. Each of the six trips I’ve made to India has been so different. Prior to the trip, I knew God had BIG plans based on the traveling team He had gathered. All but one were experienced alums, all spiritually mature, all incredibly strong and capable leaders – many of whom have led or co-led teams in the past. Though the team was small, it was mighty in faith, perseverance and unity. Once again, God called the perfect team together – just the right combination of gifts, skills and dynamics for the task at hand.

Though not without challenges and attacks from the enemy, by God’s abundant grace and provision, both weeks of the Blitz ended on such a high note. Repurposing Business is a journey. We all know that it doesn’t happen overnight. Sometimes that is hard to keep in mind when the traveling team has such limited time in country. Two years ago in India, God gave me a verse that I now realize was a promise from Him. 1 Corinthians 3:6 – “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” He is so good! As each Blitz client presented how they plan to move forward, it was clear that each had continued their journey with God of repurposing their business. Their thinking had been renewed and so much personal growth has taken place. No longer were they speaking about what God would do in their own lives, but each had turned their attention outward to implementing throughout their company, discipling employees and mobilizing their companies toward community transformation. Praise God for His supreme faithfulness recorded in Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Our second week was spent with our precious group of volunteer rēp leaders in Chennai. It was an intense week that didn’t follow the original agenda AT ALL, but I think we ended in the best possible place. I thank God once again for the flexibility and ingenuity of the traveling team. The “revised” agenda allowed us to remove stumbling blocks and rubble and start afresh with a new, solid foundation. Past hurts and misunderstandings were reconciled. Trust was built between local team members and with the Home Office / traveling team. In the middle of the week, we talked about not moving forward with any decision without unity of spirit. Some of the team members believed that this would be impossible in India, “but with God all things are possible.” The local team had made ALL of their decisions in unity and their support for one another and the way forward was clear. By the end of the week, love, unity and respect for one another infiltrated the team. Only Christ in us can accomplish that among 12 people from various backgrounds, educations, experiences, genders, churches, castes, economic statuses and industries. Another leader shared that he KNOWS that God’s desire is to repurpose businesses in India because every time it looked like we hit an insurmountable roadblock, God intervened with the people, resources or breakthrough we needed. The Bible says in Isaiah 55:9, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Amen to that. Thank you, Lord, for an incredible two weeks in Chennai and Your way forward for the marketplace in Chennai.

We finished the two weeks with a day trip to Mahabalipuram to visit the rēp India housing project. On the way, the remaining team (Michelle, David, Debbie, Shirleen, Kim & Suma) had a great time singing worship songs off key and rhythm (neither intentional), sharing personal stories and hopes… Sure beats 99 bottles of beer on the wall!! Our visit to the villages wasn’t the same without Don & Margie to take us around and share recent stories, but Pastor Jayasheelan was a wonderful tour guide and did a great job introducing us to everyone. We had a chance to pray with the local villagers, share an abundance of candy, explore their new homes and appreciate the tremendous progress that has been made. It was so much fun to see the new factory fully functioning and see 5 houses worth of panels stacking up waiting for Don’s return!

On the way out, we drove by Butterball and the shore temple. We capped off the night with a scrumptious dinner at Sudhir and Aruna’s. We missed the rooftop dancing due to the monsoons, but it was fun to just relax, catch-up, and pray together. A perfect ending to a great two weeks!!

Kim Wilson

Day 13: Thursday, 2 July, 2009

Thanks Michelle for doing such a wonderful summation of the whole entire week.  As from my perspective, here is me at the