| Chibai, nuom ung Jesu Christa! Welcome, praise be to Jesus Christ! |
On Feb.20th, 2006 I left Pittsburgh Pa. for Churachandpur, Manipur India flying non-stop to New Delhi (18½ hrs.) a lay over of 1 day and another day of flying just to reach Imphal, the capital of Manipur. My contact was not at the airport to meet me with my protected area permit so I was loaded on a bus and hauled downtown to the immigration office and held till my brother, Pastor Stephen was able to come from Zomi Colony, Churachandpur (a 2 hr drive away) and pick me up. Finally after 3 days of travel I had reached the home where I would be living during my stay in India.
This trip was for the ground breaking of a new border mission center. This was also a fact-finding trip for our church to gain first hand knowledge as to the customs, lifestyles, and needs of the people we are hoping to reach through this mission center. Through our partnership with Pastor Stephen Chinzathang and the Zou Presbyterian Synod, Haran Mission was founded in Feb. 2006 with the purchase of a building and property in Moreh, Manipur India. Moreh is a trade center on the border of India and Myanmar (Burma).
I was blessed to stay in the home of Pastor Stephen Chinzathang and his family at Zomi colony Churachandpur. The Zou are of Chinese decent, they are a people of great heart and great faith. Churachandpur is in the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range; here the Zou people struggle to exist by growing rice and vegetables on the steep slopes, harvesting fruit, cutting bamboo from the jungle, weaving baskets, and making hand woven blankets and textiles.
The people groups of this area survive on very little. Many live at or below the poverty level, are uneducated and have very little access to health care. There are some schools that teach English but most can’t afford to attend for lack of money or their village is remote making it too far to travel to school.
Every day we would walk 1-2 hours up into the mountains to remote villages and visit in their homes. I had the blessings of preaching in many of their churches. I also attended cultural events put on in my honor during my stay. Through this interaction I have gained a great insight into the lives and needs of the people. Healthcare, education and church planting are among the needs I saw on my mission trip. Other groups have been to Manipur before us and started work there with good intentions but did not or were not able to follow through with their commitments. This is why there is still so much that needs done there.
I pray that Haran Mission is able to fulfill the needs we have been called to meet and I pray for partners to join with us in this great opportunity.
