We had a fabulous end to the venture on Friday night. As it typically goes, the majority of clients and consultants used every last minute during the day on Friday to put finishing touches on their scorecards and assignments and finalize each client’s presentation for Friday night.

With everything complete, the team headed over to the Breeze Hotel for prayer & worship prior to the Client Presentation evening. About 70 friends, family and rēp alumni came to support the clients and hear first-hand what God has done in & through our clients in the past 2 weeks.

Several clients mentioned that they had been reluctant to attend the venture or were facing obstacles. By that night, each gushed with how blessed they were by the experience and particularly by the sacrifice their well-qualified consultants made to serve them and their businesses. Highlights from the client presentations included:

· Ratnakar Paul commited to improve healthcare for the Indian people through Unlimited Innovations’ CERECONS product, a web-based, healthcare application developed by UIUS in order to more efficiently handle all aspects of patient care.

· Kishore Victor of Net Comp IT Solutions (networking solutions provider working predominantly with large schools and colleges) plans to set an example for clients & vendors by keeping to all of their commitments in an industry wrought with unfulfilled promises. He’s also the front man for a gospel band called Armageddon, so he gave us a very special treat of singing a song he wrote entitled, “Thank You.”

· Gigeo Sakkaryas of IMTP consultancy services (helping students choose overseas educational institutions) shared that he will be fighting poverty by channeling scholarship opportunities to needy and deserving students. And, he made a significant donation to the rēp community housing project as well!

· Thomas & Jeeja of Orkin Pest Solutions vowed to tackle corruption head-on by operating with complete integrity and transparency. Additionally, they plan to bring the Gospel to poor, rural villages by providing employment opportunities and thus financial stability.

· Ebenezer Joseph of FideTrainer.com (a web portal to facilitate professional chess training) introduced several of his ministry partners and promised to touch the lives of his students with the love and power of God and to use profits from his website to help the marginalized, especially widows and orphans.

The night was full of praise for the Lord for the work he has done! We finished with a wonderful and leisurely Indian dinner while we met new friends and connected with old ones. Thank you so much for your prayers & support over the past two weeks – they were felt and appreciated!

- Kim Wilson

We spent a wonderful morning at a Chinese Movie Theatre yesterday, in church. The Powerhouse Church is just as billed, a great worship team combined with solid teaching, all done in a new Chinese motif theatre. Dragons on the walls and a gold Buddha impression on the wings of the massive screen were no match for the Truth presented. Everywhere we have gone we’ve been very welcomed by local believers and the numerous ex-pats that we find in local churches and here was no exception. One ex-pat noticing the cultural diversity of our team noted that we must be from the corners of the globe. Not really we’re just from the West Coast. As we ended our time, we were hurried out of the establishment by an old woman carrying burning incense in a large iron caldron. The smoke spewed out of the hallway and shooed us all away.

Deciding to visit a local mall for much needed shopping opportunities we crammed into a cab: 4 in the back 3 in the front, including the driver. Alas our team has bonded, at least as far as the cabs are concerned. But we were missing a couple from our group, as sickness set in. We have had several team members sick or feeling sickly, but this weekend seemed to be a bit more severe for a couple of us.

Shopping was a treat, and the mall was packed. The City Center Mall was very Western with several trendy shops and a large food court, we took the opportunity to try some different foods than strictly Indian flavors. Young people, families and couples fill the isles and it seems much like home, except for the ride home. As we climb into the cab heading back to the Beverly we drive around the outside of the mall and pass literally hundreds and hundreds of motorcycles (two wheelers) that encircle the place, no SUVs here. It seems like a Harley convention only these bikes are much lighter. They say there are 2 million motorized vehicles in Chennai with over 1.5 million being two wheelers. The vastness of the parked bikes simply illustrates the large and growing population of youth that cover every block of this massive city, quite a sight to behold.

We spend the evening debriefing for the week and wolfing down some delivered Smokey Joes Pizza, (a prior clients establishment) we talk and pray for several hours, mostly talk, but realize in prayer what a special time we’re having and are expectant for the final week ahead.

Phil Curran

Don and Margie have been living in India now for almost a year, following a calling to come to this country to serve the widows and the poor. Don has been working with local people, including a pastor, to build houses. It was so amazing to get to see these houses and meet the people who are living in them. What an incredible blessing both Margie and Don have been to the people in this area! For information on how you can support the work they are doing, please go to: www.equipfoundation.org.

One of the highlights of the day was when a Hindu man in one of the villages gave his life to the Lord. Don makes a regular practice of laying hands and praying for the people he regularly encounters. This man was led in prayer by one of the clients from the venture, who was able to speak to him in their common language, Tamil.

I am so grateful for having the opportunity to visit the Cooks’ home, and getting the chance to see the houses they have built. I have been incredibly encouraged by their testimony of what it is to truly walk by faith. I thank God for Don and Margie, and for all they have taught me about marriage, family, God’s love, service, and so much more. May God continue to bless them and the work of their hands.

Stacie Nishimine

Holly recapped Presence and Product and gave an overview of Positioning and then Vijay presented the Quad Chart with an example of the Airline industry which was a practical tool for the clients to apply to their context.

After tea, the story of the unmerciful servant was enacted by Ebenezer and team so well explaining how we are positioned with God.

The session on giants needed more time, but all were challenged to think about our businesses impact on society.

Lunch was so tasty, the hotel staff was all out for us to have a hearty meal.

Post lunch we discussed the People P…very interesting…it is the most important P in God’s agenda too.  The concept of household was new to most of the clients and they mulled over the fact that they have a responsibility for their entire sphere of influence as it says in Acts 16:31 “They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

The movie clips from Beautiful Mind and Schinder’s list were very relevant and touching.  They made everybody cry.

B-E-L-T-S was very useful in helping us understand how we can bless others in our daily lives.

Margie did a great job illustrating that affirmations are must for life and the session was full of meaning.  Every face on each table lit up with the affirming words being spoken to them.

We are still behind in scorecarding, but the whole day’s agenda was was so well managed by Hollly and team.

The ugly shirt was passed from Joseph to Phil after a vote and the day ended with prayer.

Suneera

Many of the consultants spent the day working on the scorecards and deliverables that we present to the clients at the end of the venture.

I spent the morning at Bernard’s office. Bernard was a client of the first Chennai venture and has been involved with rep ever since. His company, Ibhar, has a very impressive space. When you walk in, Psalm 91 is printed between two sheets of glass and displayed upright at the reception desk. We discussed the amazing work God is doing in India and rep’s vision and place in what is happening here. Bernard also has a vision for how his company, Ibhar will be a part of that vision. He would like to use software to help rep transform societies; as he expands his reach into new territories, he would like to help the Lord expand His reach as well.

I returned to the Beverly Hotel and spent a couple of hours preparing for tomorrow. I am facilitating the day and will be presenting the principles: Positioning and People. I am both nervous and excited as People is my favorite “P”… God is in the People business.

My co-consultant, Abel picked me up at 5:00 to have dinner at his house with his wife, Lydia. I think the thing I love most about India is the importance of family. Most households stay together and when a couple gets married, the parents live with them. I got to meet Abel’s parents as well as his sister Yvette, her husband Bennett and their little boy, Yobel, who is 3 months old and just the cutest thing!!  Bennett and Yvette had been consultants on past ventures.

The food was really good and I greatly enjoyed the conversation as they taught me how to say a couple words in Tamil and I learned more about the history and culture in India. Both are as rich as the food!

Holly Pobiecke

Melissa’s and my client, Ebenezer Joseph, who runs a Chess Center for students, shared that he had a breakthrough of clarity in his Purpose statement to position fidetrainer.com as his business. Fidetrainer.com will be used to connect chess trainers to students all around the world. He also appreciated the accommodating nature of the consultants and patient listening to understand his struggle and to arrive at a clear kingdom purpose statement.

Joseph Bhaskaran

Stacey and I went shopping yesterday. Rathi Smauel took us in an auto. She has the same gift as Lyn Johnson. The gift of shopping! We had such fun, and both came back with a wonderful Indian outfit! It took some time and a lot of patience on Rathi’s behalf, but it was a very successful trip!

All of the consultants were off visiting their client sites during the day to get a better understanding of their businesses. At night Albert hosted the Alumni dinner in his family home. We were made to feel so welcomed. There was a good cross section of alumni, families with children, singles and others. Kim gave an excellent presentation and update on rēp and the vision for India. The floor was opened for testimonies. It took a while to start, and then it was difficult to stop the testimonies as people kept coming forward to speak. It was an encouraging time. An excellent meal of mutton biriyani )lamb), raitha (onion and curd), chicken tikka fry, brinjal (eggplant) curry and gajar ka halwa carrot desert) was served and we had good fellowship with the local alumni.

It was an exceptionally hot and humid day. Holly went home early from the dinner as she was feeling weak. On arriving back at the hotel she drank 2 liters of water! We do not realize how easy it is to get dehydrated in this climate!

The venture is going well and we are praising God for all that He is accomplishing in both our lives, the lives of the local consultants and clients and their families.

Margie Cook

This is how one of our clients described the day today. Each of our four clients has expressed experiencing a radically new understanding of their business and God’s purposes for them. They have been able to share from the heart with consultants on topics that they have not discussed even with close associates.

Meanwhile, we continue to pray that clients who had committed to attend the Venture will be able to make it. At least one client has encountered a crisis at his business that has kept him from being present today. A couple of other clients are expected to sign up on Wednesday as they are coming from other cities.

As for the consultants, the visitors are really living by the truth, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” They had a long day yesterday, which ended with having to miss dinner. And yet, they were up at the crack of dawn as they joined roommates to pray together. However, I now see discreet yawns taking over!

Elizabeth

We have arrived!!

(Currently in a lounge at the YWCA watching cricket. Roll America’s enthusiasm for basketball, baseball, and football into one sport and you begin to understand India’s obsession with cricket!)
Flying through Belgium , Dubai , Germany , and Singapore , we all made it safely to Chennai . God even increased our numbers! Less than a week before departure, Stacie Nishimine decided to join our team. Stacie is a great addition as she brings a lot of experience as this is her sixth rep venture. We are all excited she made the trip. Welcome Stacie!

In the morning, we joined a rep alumni, Prem Kurian Philip, at his church. It never ceases to amaze me how worship songs are the same halfway around the world. Definitely gives you a sense of unity that we are one body in Christ. Following church we headed to the Beverly Hotel (where we will be staying and working for the next two weeks) for lunch and introductions to the rep team from Chennai . Everyone is eager and excited to meet the clients in the morning.
As God would have it, my boss was speaking tonight at a church called New Life Assembly of God (NLAG) to businessmen and women concerning his faith and how it has impacted him during his career (see http://www.nvp.com/team/teamBio.aspx?StaffID=21 for his bio). NLAG is the 2nd largest church in Asia with over 30,000 people attending services over a weekend. Truly amazing to see Indian believers spilling out of the floors of the building, watching on TV monitors outside, and hearing the Word. Afterward, our networkers were out in full force talking with potential clients. One man we spoke with is going to join the venture and many others are considering joining on future ventures. It was a successful night. Thanks to Bernard and Holly for presenting rep to the audience. 

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Your continued support is much appreciated!

Steve McKee