Tim’s India Blog
Monday 18th August
98% of disabled children in developing countries don’t receive an education so the team of six pioneers gather at Heathrow airport for the first-ever Integr8 International trip on a mission to serve and train teachers to include disabled children in education. Yikes!! Help us God.
8 hour flight to Mumbai lands late that night.
Tuesday 19th August
Change planes in Mumbai for 2 hour flight to Chennai then next flight to Hyderabad is delayed. One of our team-members, Abigail, is our young role model with personal experience of disability. She has Aspergers and unfortunately is visibly upset by not knowing when the plane might leave. Say a quick prayer for her. Soon she is ok again.
Plane touches down in Hyderabad and we’re greeted by a friendly face – Nirmal from the Polio centre, who I know from my recce last year. 5 hour minibus ride through torrential downpour to our destination in Khammam, rural south India. Rob is filming cows, people, cars, bikes, more cows – the whole experience.
Wednesday 20th August
Hotel accommodation is fine with much needed air-con but no toilet paper!! The Polio centre is catering for us by providing mild Indian food to protect our stomachs! Visit to local special and mainstream schools – a real eye-opener for some of the team.
Attend welcome ceremony with flower garlands for us and evening dinner with the Bishop!
Team prayer and planning meeting to finalise content for first training day tomorrow. We feel totally dependent on God as we don’t know how the training will be received!
Thursday 21st August
The first day of training dawns! Banana pancakes for breakfast! 55 primary teachers and leaders turn up (for the training, not the breakfast!)
Introductions are followed by Biblical teaching on disability plus a chance for teachers to voice their issues. After this we break the ice with some fully inclusive parachute games which the teachers love. The practical theme then continues with workshops in games, craft and music led by the UK team.
After lunch Abigail shares her personal experience of disability. The teachers get into groups to discuss problems and solutions and what action will happen next. Feedback is universally positive and many yellow post-it notes are returned with smiley faces on. Team are really pleased.
Friday 22nd August
After the highs of yesterday, the team feels a bit flat but God restores our strength with a good afternoon session. 48 secondary teachers from special and mainstream schools attend. Abigail’s talk is well received and teachers comment that they have been “inspired and challenged” by Abigail to meet the needs of disabled children. Teachers want to share training back at school with their colleagues and invite parents into school to discuss their disabled children’s needs – brilliant!
Some parents with disabled children visit the Polio centre. This gives Abigail the opportunity to lead some activities for the children, including one blind girl, aged 7, who came along. She was fortunate enough to attend school, however her mother said that she didn’t receive an education – the school just fed her a meal and then sent her home!
Saturday 23rd August
Good morning team prayer time – each of us praying for each member in turn.
Over 60 teachers and community workers attend the training – some attended previously and have come back for more! Suresh, a young boy with cerebral palsy who doesn’t attend school visits the centre with his mum, and we incorporate him in the parachute activities to demonstrate inclusion at work.
The team visit local shops to buy gifts and clothing then it’s back to the centre to hear the disabled children sing worship songs in the Telegu language – really joyful and powerful voices.
Looking back on the last 3 non-stop days we have a good sense of having made a difference. Have been bitten by insects on my feet which start to feel sore and receive a text from my wife who says my 4 year-old daughter is waking up in the night crying and wanting her daddy 
Looking forward to a more relaxing day tomorrow.
Sunday 24th August
More relaxing day doesn’t happen!
Early breakfast, then leave Khammam with suitcases for 1 hour minibus ride to join 8.30am church service with the Bishop in the cathedral at Dornakal. 2 ½ hour service then visit to the Diocesan projects – hostels and schools. Visit to deaf school where we have lunch then on to the small hospital where the Bishop’s daughter, Carol, is doing excellent work as the only Doctor there!!
Hottest day so far – in mid 30s and my feet are swelling up. Farewell evening dinner with the Bishop, his wife and daughter, then we catch the 10.30pm overnight train from Dornakal Junction for 400 mile journey to Chennai.
Monday 25th August
Loads of things going round my head so get only 3 hours sleep. Train arrives in Chennai on-time! E-mail problems meant I wasn’t able to confirm where we would meet our partner organisation but God’s perfect timing means that as I pull back the carriage curtain I can see Daniel, but he can’t see me and I lose him in the crowd for a few minutes.
Check-in to nice hotel (with toilet paper this time) for late breakfast then visit Daniel and his wife, Avitha’s ministry – Agape, an affiliate of Joni and Friends – located in the poorer area of the city, training young disabled people for jobs.
At last a chance to relax in the afternoon before team prayer, worship and planning.
Tuesday 26th August
16 representatives from 9 Christian disability ministries meet altogether for the first time for the training. Really good day with all organisations committing to meet again in November as a fellowship group with the aim to train pastors in disability issues. The Opportunity School for Learning Disabilities kindly offer their bus + driver + escort to accompany us on tomorrow’s final day’s excursions.
Wednesday 27th August
Final day in Chennai for touristy activities in scorching heat. Visit St Thomas’ mount with great view of the city then the Basilica which was built on the location where the apostle was originally buried. On to the shops for final gifts – a huge western-style complex uneasily contrasting with poverty and beggars close by.
For lunch I had to go for the Tandoori pizza in Pizza Hut!! Return to hotel in the little yellow, 3-wheeled auto-rickshaw.
Thursday 28th August
Early start for flight to Mumbai then finally land at Heathrow – almost 11 days after we started. Reflecting on the trip, if, as a result of our training, just 5 disabled children are helped by each of the 120 teachers, workers and leaders – and hopefully more will be – then we have helped 600 disabled children on the way to fulfilling their God-given potential!!
