Eyes On the Ground...

Crew! I just spoke with our friend Immanuel Iyasewa in India (Immanuel works for The Bible League and often handles lots of the logistics for our teams... he's a great guy... can't wait for you all to meet him!), who recently travelled to Pondicherry with Mr. Samuel Peter (from Habitat) to check out the site and accomodations. Here's what he told me about the anticipated schedule:

Initial Notes:
* We will be staying at a retreat center currently operated by Trans World Radio. The retreat center is large (it can accomodate up to 1,400 individuals) and will serve our needs well.
* The retreat center is approximately 40 minutes drive from the work site. This is actually not uncommon (it took us 30 min to get to the work site from our retreat center when we did the Nov/Dec trip), and in this instance, actually is easier and cheaper than staying in Pondicherry proper.
* We will be joined by 17 or so TBL church planters and staff for the build. This will be a phenomenal opportunity for them to see what is possible through the partnerships with HFH and other like organizations, and will help us to get a good feel for how collaborative teams function. The TBL crews are a riot! They are some of the most incredible people you'll ever meet, so having them there will be a blast!
* The cuisine at the center will be primarily Indian, though for breakfast, they will throw in some Western components like bread and jam, etc.
* I double-checked with Immanuel and... well... yes, it will be hot! Very hot. However, he said that they've been getting a lot of rain recently, so there may be periods of cool. If you've ever spent time in the jungle, however, you know that basically also means that when the "period of cool" passes, the humidity is amplified substantially in the heat. All to say "please make sure you are preparing adequately for the heat" in your packing.

Tentative Schedule In-Country:

3/22 - Arrive in-country, stay at YWCA or other interim facility for a couple of hours to sleep and freshen up, then travel to Pondicherry, visit work-site and orientation, stay at TWR Retreat Center
3/23 - 29 - Construction
* 2 of the houses we are working on will be built "from scratch"
* The others are in various stages of construction
3/30 - Leave Pondicherry to return to Chennai, day for shopping, relaxing, good food, fun

* Spencer plaza

* Bamboo House

* St. Thomas Mount

* Dinner at the Meridian (or something like that)
3/31 - Leave to return home early a.m.