Go, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves....

The preparations are nearly done. Copies of training manuals have been photocopied and bound, teaching cards laminated and packed.

Now piles of clothing and equipment litter the surfaces of the house. Julie and I are almost ready to set off in a couple of days to catch the flight to Hyderabad and then a train to Tenali in Andhra Pradesh.


Today I discovered that we can each take 30 kg of baggage so we are adding children's and baby clothes to our packing list. We do not want to waste a single kilo of free baggage allowance so these will be added to the pairs of sunglasses and eye masks donated by supporters in five churches.

We anticipate that this will be quite a tough mission trip. The message we are taking to the leaders of the leprosy affected communities will involve significant behaviour and attitude shifts and we have no way of knowing how receptive they will be to us coming in from the west and "telling them what to do". I thank God for Julie's long experience in Sudan and Nepal and for the past three or four years of my visits which have allowed me to get to know the people and hopefully to have built up some trust with them.

We step out in faith, knowing that many people are praying for us daily. Without these prayers to cover us our task would be impossible to do in our own strength. So thank you to all of you who have committed to pray for us. I will update the blog as and when I am able - but I do not yet know how easy internet access will be when we are out in the village.

The righteous care about justice for the poor. Proverbs 29:7