Itinerary

Itinerary

Youth Venture India, June 18 – July 3 2016

Saturday 18 June: Arrive in Minneapolis by Noon. Today will be spent having some discussion and time to get to know one another. We'll do this while serving at Growing Hope Farms, eating some good food, exploring the Twin Cities - with a movie and popcorn to end the night. Our orientation discussion topics (and the movie) will include the topics of social stratification, poverty, what it means to engage in healthy cross-cultural interaction, and will prepare us to engage together in further conversation in India. Overnight, the girls will stay with host families near John & Denay’s house.

Sunday 19 June: Second part of orientation in Minneapolis, similar to day one: We will continue our orientation discussions in fun places - you’ll love the Twin Cities when we’re done! Sunday evening we’ll attend the Worship Service at Third Way [Mennonite] Church, then head to the airport to catch our flight which departs after 10.

Monday 20 June: Today will literally fly by, we’ll lose 10 1/2 hours on our two flights to Delhi, arriving after midnight early Tuesday morning.

Tuesday 21 June: Arrive 01:30 into Delhi, through customs and to hotel hopefully by 03:00 - Sleep, sleep hard.

*The first few days are designed as a kind of in-country orientation. Each place we visit in Delhi, Agra, and Hyderabad holds significant religious or historical cultural importance. As we adjust to the beautiful (yet often overwhelming) sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of India, along with the ever-present jet lag, we’ll be building a foundation for how we more intentionally engage with the communities in Chiluvuru at Menno-Clinic, India and in Pune at Union Biblical Seminary.

Ok, back to Tuesday... After a late breakfast, as late as we can eat at the hotel, pack bags and see some things around Delhi - potentially to include the Lotus Temple and a Slum Walk. This will be a tough day after a short night, but Tuesday and Wednesday are crucial to stay awake and adjust to the time zone. In the evening we’ll make the drive to Agra and stay at a hotel there. Again, sleep, hard.

Wednesday 22 June: An exciting day in Agra! This will include a few hours at the Taj Majal and likely the Tomb of I’tmad-ud-Daulah, maybe a few other locations depending on our timeframe, then drive back to the airport in Delhi to catch our flight to Hyderabad - we’ll spend Wednesday and Thursday nights in the same hotel in Hyderabad.

Thursday 23 June: Another full day of learning and visiting religious and historical sites in Hyderabad, schedule is flexible depending on groups’ energy level, but likely to include Birla Temple (non-negotiable), Charminar, Golconda Fort, eating Biryani (yes, important), and a handicrafts store. Off to bed to catch our early morning train.

Friday 24 June: We’ll take the 07:10 train from Secundrabad Station to Guntur, arriving before noon, to Chiluvuru and Menno-Clinic, India before 13:00 for lunch. Afternoon resting, reading, journaling, afternoon tea, evening walk around the village and intro to the clinic. Supper, bed. I love this part of the trip.

Saturday 25 through Monday 27 June: A very relaxed time in Chiluvuru for us to visit with people, see and experience how God is at work there, to get a feel for rural Indian life, and begin to process our trip after a necessary whirlwind start. This is where we begin to start taking our learning of history, religion, and culture and let it inform our interactions with those around us. It’ll be hot, so most things outside will happen in the mornings and evenings, but will include walks around the village, meeting people from the church and clinic, visiting local farms, playing some cricket with local children, observing the clinic (if you’re interested in healthcare), really, our time will be very loosely scheduled.

Participation in the church in Chiluvuru will look like this: you are welcome to be a part of staff devotions (every morning but Sunday) at approximately 09:00 after breakfast. On Sunday morning we will be a part of the Sunday School service for children around 10:00, bring coloring pages, pictures from your youth group or primary department, etc. Sunday evening is the church service at 19:00, pastor Gopau Rao could go long :)

Tuesday 28 June: We have a comfortable late-morning flight out of the nearby Vijayawada airport, with a layover, arriving in Pune around 15:30. With about an hour’s drive to the school we should arrive in time to settle in before dinner.

Wednesday 29 June through Friday 01 July: We will be spending this time at the Union Biblical Seminary and K-10 school in Pune. They are structuring this time but it will likely involve some work around the grounds, working with students, and possibly serving in some of their neighborhood outreaches. Our specific day-to-day activities won’t be known until we arrive, but I do know they are very excited to have us on campus serving with them.

Saturday 02 July: This is at the moment, an open day - we will begin it in Pune and end it in Mumbai, but the in-between will be decided after a few days in Pune :)

Sunday 03 July: The longest day of the trip. Our flight leaves at 02:30 from the Mumbai airport, so we will likely head there around 22:00 or 23:00 Saturday night in order to give us plenty of time to clean up before our return trip. 

We’ll arrive in Minneapolis at 12:30 CST, gaining the 10 1/2 hours back, making for the longest Sunday morning than you’ve ever had in your life! Everyone will catch their returning flights back home.