I've just returned from a 10 day mission trip to India. I met Pastor Deva at the Mighty Men's Conference in Perth this year, invited him to stay in our home, and God joined our hearts together. We'd originally planned to take a team of four but in the end only a friend, Steve Dennis, and I could make it.

All I can say is that it was an amazing experience. I was a mish kid for a few years and spent two years on the Doulos as a short term missionary and have been to India before, but this was entirely different to anything I have experienced. We ran a 2 day pastors conference and 5 nights of evangelism crusades. On the first evening outreach we saw a healing and conversion as we preached, before we'd made an altar call or prayed for anyone. God was up to something!

Deva works among the Dalits and in the sort of places that are rapidly becoming passe in mission circles. Certainly among people and in places popular speakers will never deign to venture. This opens up huge possibilities for pastors from smaller churches. Really, Steve and I are nobodies in the scheme of things. I'm a middling pastor in a small struggling church and Steve is unemployed! But God chose to use us, the people welcomed us like angels from God, and lives have been changed. Not least of all ours.

If you're thinking of doing something like this, just do it! We'll be going again in 12 months or so, and are looking to cultivate new partners in Australia (and internationally, God willing), so if this is something you might be interested in, I'd love to talk. Hey, if you just want a coffee and hear some great stories, give me a call (start with the comments below)!

You can also read more on my blog, which I'll be updating with stories over the next week or so. Audio of the report to my church will be up in a couple of days, I'll be posting on my blog when it's up.