Our January 15, 2009, Jerry, Martin Halberg and Jeff Lacey boarded a plan for Mumbai, India. We embarked on a 10-day trip with a plan of conducting three separate pastor's conferences in three different areas. Never in our previous trips to India have we attempted a schedule this rigorous. 

After a sixteen-hour flight, we landed in Mumbai late Friday evening. There we were joined by the 4th member of our ministry team, Dr. Babu Bediako, from Accra, Ghana.  This was the first time we included a team member who lived outside the United States on a ministry trip. Over the next 10-days, we watched as the India pastors connected with Badu as he spoke eloquently of the persecution he has faced in Africia. He was a huge blessing to us and everyone he came in contact with!

Our first conference started Saturday morning January 17th. Like on previous trips, it took almost the entire week to become acclimated to the local time zone. Throughout the week, Martin and Jeff woke between three and four in the morning but you wouldn't know it by the way they ministered during the day. The one constant in all our trips is the way God gives us supernatural strength and stamina. So despite the lack of sleep, the Saturday conference was a great time of teaching and personal ministry to the local Mumbai pastors. Although these leaders have not seen the level of persecution pastors in other parts of India have experienced, they have many struggles of their own. For example, Mumbai has over 13 million people including the largest slum in Asia where 1.5 milliion people live. The Mumbai pastors have planted many churches around the city but I know the shear scope of the work is daunting. The Lord used our small team to encourage and love them. We closed out our time in Mumbai by preaching in various churches that Sunday morning and visiting the site of a proposed orphanage.

On Monday afternoon, we boarded a plan and took a short flight to Bangalore. After a quick night's sleep, we conducted another one-day pastor's conference. Approximately 180 pastors attended the event and it was amazing to see God knit our hearts together with these heros of faith.

On Wednesday, we started the 5th annual three-day conference on the ALFA ministry campus in Yelahanka.  More than 200 pastors attended the conference. Our team taught from Wednesday through Saturday morning. To finish up the week, all four members of the team preached in various churches on Sunday morning before we boarded a plane to fly home!