Gap Year Interns Visit Hyderabad, India

Trip Dates:  17th-24th March, 2013

Drop Inn Ministries has recently implemented a new element of outreach to their existing ministry efforts--a Gap Year Internship/Discipleship Program.  The term 'gap year' simply refers to the year between the completion of secondary school (known as high school in the States) and university.  The program was created to target young men and women in their late teens to early twenties, although special consideration is given to every program applicant, regardless of age.  Although the Gap Year Internship Program is in the development stages, it was designed with the intention of ministering to individuals from various nations through multiple avenues of discipleship.  The program aims to provide Biblical teaching, Biblical leadership and demonstration of Church life, community involvement and ministry outreach, development of responsibility and work ethic through daily activity in the charity shops, as well as cross-culture awareness through mission trip participation.  As part of the Gap Year Program, the participants are given the opportunity to go on two short-term mission trips to visit an existing ministry partner of Drop Inn Ministries, to provide the opportunity to experience a new culture, to see God's love for other peoples and nations, to see His work amongst other peoples and to introduce and cultivate a love and obedience for the Great Commission.



Just recently, the Gap Year interns visited Hyderabad, India, after first, a 14 hour layover in Abu Dahbi, the capital city of United Arab Emirates (UAE).  Wikipedia tells us that UAE is an Arab country in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south, as well as sharing sea borders with Qatar and Iran.  Naturally, Islam is the official religion here.  To learn more about this nation, please check out the UAE Country Profile of Operation World by following this link:  http://www.operationworld.org/unae.





Drop Inn Gap Year Interns Take on Abu Dahbi, March 2013



Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is the final resting place of the late President of United Arab Emirates, HH sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. It's the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates and the eighth largest mosque in the world.  the mosque site is equivalent to the size of five football fields approximately.

 

Upon arrival in Hyderabad, India, the team was greeted by a ministry contact there who runs his own discipleship training centre and program.  He took the team to his outreach centre, fed them breakfast and let them catch a few hours of sleep before diving into the first teaching session, which would cover the topic, How to Study the Holy Bible.  That evening, the team was broken into multiple groups of two and taken, with an interpreter, to the home of local believers for dinner and fellowship.  This proved to be a truly unique opportunity for each group, as they were given an up-close and personal insight into Indian culture over dinner and conversation with local believers.

The team was also given the opportunity to travel to a 'nearby' village, approximately three hours away, to learn more about the efforts underway in reaching those individuals living in that particular village, as well as the those living in the approximate 800 'nearby' villages without a church presence.  Drop Inn's primary ministry contact in India works alongside the individuals who run this village outreach centre, as they pray and work toward the development of a sustainable discipleship program to raise up new believers in order to send them out indefinitely (permanently) to the surrounding 800 villages.  Please pray
with us to support their efforts in reaching those without knowledge of the Living God in these remote, unreached areas.

After leaving the village outreach centre, the short-term team met up with another member of this ministry team who runs an orphanage for approximately 40 children.  Although he is in his early 30's with a wife and daughter, this particular partner has been caring for homeless, street children for the last 10 years, respectively.  The Gap Year Interns enjoyed interacting with the children, as well as an afternoon session on the importance of missional living.  The interns were encouraged to contemplate the most common misconceptions, world-views and hesitations normally associated with living intentionally and with a mission mind. 

The last group activity scheduled with local believers, was a youth meeting at the private home of area residents.  The Interns truly enjoyed this intimate time of fellowship and worship with locals close in age.  Both groups, those travelling from Northern Ireland, as well as those from Hyderabad, briefly shared about themselves and their current walk with the Lord.  In those few hours, the group experienced the unity that comes from sharing the same God, loving the same Lord, despite thousands of miles of separation and hundreds of cultural differences.  The interns were able to see firsthand, what it means to have brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Prior to leaving India, the interns were given the opportunity to become 'tourists' during a day's excursion into the city with our primary ministry contact.  The group toured Hyderabad's largest Hindu temple and visited area slums.  It was there that they were able to pray with and for numerous families enduring extreme living conditions, poor health and severe need. 

Overall, the time India was such a blessing.  Generally speaking, when one plans for a mission trip, he or she prepares to minister to others while travelling.  However, the group from Northern Ireland certainly felt that they were the ones ministered to.  The believers that the short-term team spent time with in Hyderabad know their Maker.  They live with passion, desire and what seems to be a burning hunger to serve Him.  They enjoy daily feedings on the Word, through Church family and life, through missional/intentional living and by trusting Him for provision along the way. 

The travelling team was left wondering, "Do we have what they have"?  Do you?

Upon reflection of the trip, some participants noted the fact that they were challenged in this area and left feeling as though they were failures when in came to their relationship with the Lord, with their daily devotion to Him, as well as their passion for living missionally and intentionally.  But hopefully we all can say that!  The reality is that no matter what level of hunger, desperation, desire or longing we have for the Lord, we can always have more!  He is infinitely worthy of more. 

Let us not get bogged down with our own limitations, 'failures' or shortcomings, but rather, let's celebrate the love and mercy of our perfect Father for His imperfect children.  Let us remember Hebrews 12: 1-2, which says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Please pray with us for the nation of India.  http://prayercast.com/india

To learn more about Drop Inn Ministries' Gap Year Internship Program, or short-term trip opportunities please contact info@dropinn.net.