Anytime a person is in ministry you dream of having family visit your field of service. This happened for Loren and I. Devin, our son, and another Prakash Board member arranged for a TEAM of 17 people from all over CA to visit Prakash. (This has been a highlight of our time of service in India for Loren and I—to be sure.) With the arrival of Devin and two of our grandchildren it makes four generations of family to have visited Prakash PTL!!!!
With out a doubt, Prakash students know how to put out the WELCOME MAT. They outdid themselves with the arrival of the TEAM. Weeks and weeks before their arrival, there was a mammoth amount of work that went on, but the day the TEAM walk on campus it all went off without a hitch.
Smoke bombs,
sparklers, and confetti blowers—the boys didn’t think about the amount of clean up those would require, ha, ha! —
and dances all preceded the TEAM onto the campus. There were rose petals thrown by the girls,
garlands, and (what the staff called) an Informal Welcome program. After which there was a “DO NOT DO” instruction time and room assignments for the TEAM.
Lunch was served,
after which, there were just a FEW minutes to get settled before an All Staff and Family Tea. 
The TEAM had 8 teenagers and somehow they found the only basketball I have ever seen at Prakash and started playing on the basketball court—formally it had ONLY been used for big gatherings and meals—to my knowledge. What a great experience of interaction between our Prakash boys and the TEAM. We simply moved the tea tables under the trees, where it was cooler anyway, and watched the fun. The girls all clustered under the trees and had a great “girl talk time” with the females from the TEAM. Thousands of questions bantered back and forth between every one at the celebration.
After a quick teatime clean up, we were off to the RGI auditorium for the Worship Service and Formal Welcome of the guests. The TEAM teenagers were so excited to engaged in this part of the agenda that they were over to the auditorium and set up with their guitars, drums, and ready to sing, in advance of half the Indian adults arrival. 
They had a great “jam-time.” These teenagers had jumped right in already teaching our students a great English action song before the official start of the program. I was the PROUDEST grandmother to see Connor up on stage with his guitar leading the group,
and Sabrina singing…no shyness in these offspring.
All the teenagers were on the platform doing a great job of performing. All the TEAM enjoyed more garlands, songs, student presentations and just plain old fun.
Then off to the volleyball court for a USA vs. India. India was doing so well that they finally decided to make it mixed teams. No matter was the score; the cheering section was all hoop and hollers.
The whole purpose of the TEAM’S coming was to interact with students, presentation of the EvangeCube, (an evangelism tool for everyone to Simply Share Jesus,)
hear testimonies of Transformed Lives and see the workings of the ministry of Prakash for India up close and personal. Amazingly, they were meeting their purpose within a few hours of being on campus.
After the Worship Service, and mingling, the TEAM was off to several “staff homes” for dinner. This was an incredible time for all.
A very tired TEAM was not ready to call it a day when the vehicles arrived to pick them up for the return trip to Prakash. They simply did not want this day to end.
MORE STORIES OF THE TEAMS’S ADVENTURES TO COME
AND MANY MORE PICTURES.
