INDIA
Kamundi
It was in Kenya in 2002, where an old man named Kamundi, pointed his boney finger in Gregg's face and charged him with a responsibility from 'Ngai' (God) to not forget the people of India. The next year entailed discerning how to get to the country and who to get connected with.
Yona Babu
A short trip in 2004 is what introduced our organization to the people of India. On that trip we met Yona Babu, a friendly man from the south who moved his family to northern India "to serve the Lard" (Lord). He was our host to the country, introducing us to their culture and practices.
Cultural Sensitivity
Babu would require of us culturally appropriate clothing and table etiquette, as he would bring us to some very remote places in the country, where "no foreigner have been."
Often we were the first "foreigners" for many of the people to ever see. The Hindi word for foreigner is "Hippie." Our approach had to be very sensitive as to not offend.
Teams from 2004 to 2011 served in the states of New Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Orrisa, Jarkhan, Bihar, Rajahstan, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. They performed medical clinics, health care and educational seminars, children's activities, and taught in the schools.
All of this moving about the country was done by way of the general class train on the world's largest railroad system. This has been perhaps the greatest education for the team, as they have often been the subject of a lot of looks, and much conversation, being the only foreigners packed into the train. Lots of good conversations and information was transferred on those long train rides.
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