Anakapalli
Anakapalli is not nearly as poor as Rajamundry seemed. It was evident a the train station and riding along the streets to the hotel. Compared to the other hotels, the hotel here seemed upscale, with a large lobby, elevator, European toilets and showers with hot water. The sheets and bedding looked clean as well. The upgrade was noticeable in the $8/day charge. Our train was late so we arrived at meeting later than expected. My dad preached for 1 hour and then ordained the Pastor. The church people were so sweet, honoring the Pastor with many floral garlands and seeking blessing from him by kneeling at his feet. The women were all so interested in my camera and asked that I take their picture. They were eager to shake my hand and speak. As has become customary, we had lunch at the a church member's home. An upset stomach stopped me from eating what looked and smelled like an incredible lunch. A few pieces of chipatti and Sprite was all I could handle. The Pastor's family also lived in a nice home. It seems that the families of the Pastor's do well financially compared to the surroundings. We went back to church and my father did a second 2-hour sermon. Afterwards, many came up again and asked for prayer. Elder Blunt, my mom, and dad prayed and I captured it on film. Again, the intrigue of my camera captured those near me. They wanted prints of the photos, so I think I will get them printed and sent to Uncle. I'm thinking of putting together a package of various things, including hard candy and the photo prints.
We went back to the room to rest before dinner. We took another rickshaw to the Pastor's home. dinner, luckily, was a repeat of lunch and now that my stomach settled I was able to enjoy the food. Chicken and chippati and fruit for dinner. To our great surprise and enjoyment, little Jessica who I met at church, and her brother and cousin gave their lives to Christ. What a joy! I hugged her afterward. It's amazing how the entire family lives under one roof. The brother in Malaysia lived upstairs. The sister (Jessica's family) lives in the bottom left side of the house. Pastor and his son (Pastor is widowed) live in the bottom right. Sisters and brothers and their families all living together. We prayed together in each home, for each family that lived there. It was a great time. Afterward we returned to the hotel and will getup at 5am to catch the train to Nellore. There we will be a part of the Bible College graduation. We will be in Chennai Thursday in order to fly to New Delhi. There I will convert about $500 to pay the schooling fees for 4 students to attend private school...my bit of good that I want to initiate while in country.
I spoke to Uncle on the train to Anakapalli. He further explained the lack of proper education at the public schools and the need for private education. I shared with him the ministry God has given me and my desire to help those in need. Tonight at the Pastor's home, we were able to get on the internet and show the church's website and the Graceblog. Uncle saw great interest as well as one of the wives. I gave Jessica my email and the Graceblog website. I hope to hear from her very soon. We have an early day tomorrow. Off to sleep.





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