Hyderabad (i/ˈhaɪdərəbæd/) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies 650 square kilometres (250 sq mi) on the banks of the Musi River on the Deccan Plateau in southern India. The population of the city is 6.8 million and that of its metropolitan area is 7.75 million, making it India’s fourth most populous city and sixth most populous urban agglomeration. The Hyderabad Municipal Corporation was expanded in 2007 to form the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. As a growing metropolitan city in a developing country, Hyderabad experiences substantial pollution and other logistical and socio-economic problems. – Wikipedia,
Walked this street yesterday. It was packed with people and vehicles.
Update: Don’t drink the local water and don’t let it get in your eyes or nose. Everything but bathing is done with bottled water. Parasites are nasty things. So far I’m healthy and no sickness from the food. Last night we went a second time to the home of non-Christians and taught them about the urgency of obeying the Gospel from the examples in the book of Acts. Donald Underwood taught on the conversions at Ephesus and I taught on the Eunuch, Lydia, and the Philippian Jailer. We had more attending the night before but some function kept them away last night. Bro. B. Isaac told me more than once that these others did not attend because of a “bodily function” and I thought that must be serious. I asked him again and he spelled it: “NO, no, B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y function”. How Birthday and Bodily comes out sounding the same I will never know. He laughed very hard when he heard what I thought he was saying.




December 30 2012 Evening
second night in India. Both Bro. Don and I preached a lesson both nights.)
January 1 2013
Happy New Year’s Day….We heard the loud popping outside on the streets last night as Indians welcomes in the New Year. A young wife responded to the Gospel today. She has been worshipping in the church for a while but she finally responded this morning and started off her year as a brand new Christian. We went down to the river where the young girls are washing laundry, where tractors and ambulances are washing off, and where water buffalo wade by. Praise the Lord for the salvation in Jesus Christ. Her husband helped to baptize her in the river as it took three people to hold the young woman down due to the strong current. The preacher baptized the woman and is the good preacher where she attends.
Yesterday we taped two lessons for the local Christian program that’s promoted by the Nandigama church of Christ. In the afternoon we visited a village called Cheruvumadhavaram. After preaching, an elderly couple with no ties to the church who are former Catholics were baptized in the local river there. See photo.
I ate fried eggs and a bowl of cereal with hot milk just moments ago. I hope it stays down. The milk has to be boiled as it is unpasteurized over here. So far I feel good. I just hope it stays down. M said the milk will actually help to slow things down inside – if you know what I mean.
12/31/12 . Cheruvumadhavaram, India)
We had two baptisms yesterday. The elderly Catholic couple (pictured above) and a young married woman today finally obeyed after she’s been encouraged to for quite some time by Bro M. He was so glad to see her finally obeyed. Her husband isn’t a Christian but is very supportive.
We got up early this morning as the churches over here always do a special service of preaching and praying on New Years. Many people were in the building. Don and I both preached this morning. Then we had to find water at a river down the road (doesn’t always have water) where girls were bringing laundry for washing, where workers were bringing their tractors to wash, where water buffaloes were walking through. Quite a busy place is anyplace with water.
This afternoon Bro M is taking us somewhere but he’s not telling us where. Tonight we preach in a village. Tomorrow we leave for Cumbum and that is about 6 hours away by car. It’s next to the Cumbum Forest Range in Andra Pradesh. It’s higher altitude and very rural. No the big city like Nandigama. We have some exciting times ahead of us there.
Us Americans are very odd to the people over here. Not many come through here. So if we stand around for very long, people will come up to us and shake our hands and want a picture. I have a video I took minutes ago. I heard loud drums in the street and I dashed out of the door and went down to the street with my camera. I started videotaping this parade of sorts with loud drums which was accompanied by many young people. Well, me standing there by the road, across the street, caused them all to stop from their path and cross the street. The entire group swarmed me with outstretched hands. I momentarily had a fear my wallet was about to disappear but actually there was no worry. Some of them wanted a picture and they really played their drums for me. It was fun.
Keep praying for me. Send me an email. I might be able to read it. Or send a message to Facebook if you can. I like knowing you are reading the reports. God bless you all. Dan
January 1 2013 Baptism
Here’s some sights from the last day. Bro. B. I. is a great guy, working hard establishing congregations and taking on lots of personal sacrifice to do so. He left behind his law degree to preach. Purchased the building and house behind it with his own money. When he came to Cumbum in 2005, there were no Christians here. Now there are 7 total congregations in the area. He’s worked so hard to invite many people to the meetings we have been having. Pray for Bro. B I and his wife H.
Want to let you know that I began my antibiotic. 3 pills, 3 days. The stomach churning continues. Otherwise, no slowing me down.
Don and I preached tonight at a local village and we preached today at the Cumbum (COME BUM) to an audience of church of Christ preachers and denominational ones. 18 in the morning and 16 in the afternoon.
Have you heard of “India Time”? We had an evening meeting at 7pm and at 8:30 we still had not left the house. So funny. It’s just the way it is here.
This is Sister, H, I’s wife. I followed her around this morning learning how to make her tea and Indian coffee.Very tasty.
Since houses don’t usually have running water as the costs are so high, concrete barrels are in the house and kept full. This is what bathing is done with and water for flushing the toilet is taken from this.
Brother B. I. is preacher at the congregation he established in 2005. He established 6 more in the area and he converted the men who are now preaching in them. Bro. I. is trained as a Lawyer but he left that behind for what he loved more, preaching Christ. He’s very protective of Don and me to make sure we are safe at all times.
Here we see the group of preachers who attended yesterday and today’s A.M. and P.M. meetings. These brothers don’t drive. Some don’t even have bicycles. One came 70km to be here. We taught yesterday on 3 Dispensations of the Bible and today we taught the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The men were all very cordial. And there were several pictures taken.
Don doesn’t know Telegu. He thinks everything has to do with kisses.
These are primary school children. Beautiful little ones who each stepped forward to show us their English skills. One of the little girls said, “God is good, God is great,….” but in America kids couldn’t learn such heresy.
As you drive across the country, here the typical town. Most businesses are smaller than garages. Each one beside the next. Everyone is busy and trying to feed their family. Do you see the idol hanging from the rearview mirror?
Sister H’s school. We met all of the staff and then we drove to the school administration office and met the equivalent to a school board President. He chatted with us for a while and then had pictures taken. The newspaper reporter was present and took our photos with him. He showed us pictures of great Indians in history who helped shape the country by fighting the British, writing the Constitution, and such. It was very interesting. They served us coffee and then we left. We may be in the paper. 🙂
I was asked about the weather and the communication issues. The weather is very comfortable at night, very refreshing. In the daytime, the temps have been high 80’s and low 90’s. I’ve been sweaty and a little sticky by the end of the day but it’s really something I’ve learned to work with without fretting. Now if the temps were, say, in the 100’s, then I would be ducking for shade all of the time. But it’s been agreeable to me. About the communication issues. Most Indians do not speak English. For sure, the children are learning English, but the adults do not. Our two translators, Bro. M. and Bro. B. I., do very well keeping up with us. For preaching, we have to measure our words so as to pause and give the translator time to do his part. He really has the tough job. Because as Bro. Don speaks and then I follow, we may speak for a period of 30 minutes. The translator is speaking double what each of us are. And he has to work very carefully to convey the message we are preaching. It’s amazing how it works. Tonight was fun. Don spoke on the new birth and I spoke on God’s appeal for men to be saved. By the way, I’ve been 24 hours without an upset stomach. The antibiotic is working. The prayers are working.
After worship and lunch, we took the short trip to the Cumbum Reservoir. It was built 400 or so years ago by a King and his wife, she having the idea to store water this way. We enjoyed the outing and saw a Hindu temple and a ant hill turned into a Cobra den. No snakes came out to greet us. That would have been very exciting.
The railroad crossing watchman let me take a picture. We couldn’t share the same language but he was kind. The crossing rams are lowered by hand crank which you see behind him. We had to wait for the train to come for five minutes or so.
Check this out. The man was working for hours at this location. I gather that many who live on the street are bringing their clothes to him and so he worked in this location for some time. And look, no electric cords to mess with. The white bad under the cart is filled with charcoal which goes inside the iron. Stays hot and very effective.
The Markapur village congregation you see below is fairly new, one of the 7 that Bro. B. I. established in the area. The preacher is supporting his parents, his wife’s parents, his children and on very little money. Sometimes he does Masonry work.
The gathering you see below is in the village Donakonda where a husband and wife are the only Christians. But they invited people to come and we counted about 90 men, women, and children. We preached evangelistic sermons to teach these how to be New Testament Christians. Br. B. I. is driving to this village about 3 times a month to study with and encourage the couple and to teach the ones coming to his study. Pray this becomes a congregation in the new future.
Here is another photo (below) of the Donakonda village that showed up for the preaching. Many more entered after I snapped this photo. The families entire courtyard was filled. We even had a dog and a chicken join us.That boy in the middle needed some discipline as he was quite disruptive. I had to personally stop preaching and hold my finger to my mouth, looking at the boys, and held it until things quieted down. Bro. B. I. thought it went very well. Another railroad crossing that I thought was too good to not share.
I had to preach most of my lesson at Donakonda village without lights as the electricity went out. Preaching in the dark is interesting. And I wish that was my excuse, but my lesson was supposed to be 30 minutes but I went 60! Good grief. All I can say is I was in a zone.
We preached in two villages in the evening. This photo was taken in low light. I thought it looked interesting. In this village of Pusalapadu, there are 15 Christians and about 55 non-Christians came. They don’t have a building so they meet outside on the ground. I kept my lesson to 30 minutes this time. Donald did a very strong lesson on Hebrews 8:1,2.
I have other things to post at a later time. I may post some tomorrow. But we are finished preaching in Cumbum and the surrounding district. Tomorrow we head back to Hyderabad. We will have a long drive and the next day may do a bit of shopping for a scarf or two. I heard from Don there’s a place to buy nice button up shirts for $5. I’ll check that out. I hope you have enjoyed the trip as much as I have. Thanks for all of your prayers and encouragement. It’s been a rewarding trip. Bro. Don and the Ministers in India have kept up a busy schedule for us so that we have preached a combined 47 lessons as of this evening. We witnessed four baptisms. We preached to many non-Christians including denominational pastors (one was present at the last meeting tonight.
Pray for us to have a safe flight on Wednesday. I love you all. Dan Mayfield
Additional Photos….
If it has a motor, it’s going to be driven….
From the village Pusalapadu, about 13 Christians worship. This night there were 70 or so present along with a denominational preacher. After the meeting, the denominational preacher was asking that a collection be taken. The three faithful preachers of the church said no. The following day, 2 women from this village who have been studying responded to the Gospel call and were baptized into Christ. Acts 22:16 shows what they did and what God did.
The two men here are Christians. I am sorry that I don’t remember the brother’s name on the left, but he’s very helpful to those in the Nandigama church of Christ. He’s the television guy. The smiling man on the left is Nani, brother to M. and brother N. is the best driver I’ve ever known. He can drive down the wrong side of the road and miss everything come at him. 🙂 Super nice young man.
In India, the motorcycle is the modern equivalent to the horse. They outnumber cars I’m sure. And this four passenger motorcycle is quite a gas saver. Yes, there’s a child squeezed between mommy and daddy! And see how the women ride? Motorcycles are fitted with a side footrest.
Bro B I. and Hulda are building a house. This is the first level and two more to be built. You can see the living quarters room near front, the middle is the kitchen, the rear is the bath area. The second and third floors will be entered from outside stairs. The second level he will rent out. The third level he will have for when visitors come to stay and help him . Bro. B I. is a strong spiritual leader. Trained as a Lawyer and registered with the Bar in Andhra Pradesh, he only does volunteer free work because he’s committed to spreading the Gospel. He’s established 8 congregations in his area, including the one he preaches for. The other congregations in surrounding villages (which I’ve been posting photos of) have preachers who he taught the Gospel to. He has started a 2 year Bible School with ten students. Nine of the students are preachers. He’s ensuring they are grounded in the faith. After two years he will enroll more students. He wants his former students to rise to be teachers in the school. He inspired me. Pictured below is Sister H. as she is spraying the newly layed bricks down. Apparently the mortar or cement requires 15 days of keeping wet, perhaps to keep it from cracking during the curing.
Here is the view from our Hotel lobby where we are staying until our departure for home tomorrow morning. The silhouetted figure is Bro. I.
When you go to McDonald’s, what do you expect to get? A burger, right? Well there are no hamburgers at this McDonald’s. Closest items to what you would find back home are the fries and the McChicken. It was very good.
Ox carts are popular here. This model is common to see. The man paused for a minute that I might get a picture. The people are so very friendly here.