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Medak, India

Safety

Safety in Medak, India
What do other Racers need to know in order to be safe? Current safety protocols/precautions in place? Any relevant issues/concerns? Any precautionary suggestions?

People’s Opinions

  1. team of missionaries in extremely risky for all of our Indian hosts as it is illegal for foreigners to be missionaries. This may be the reason why we were not allowed to leave the Rescue Pink office unless our host or her husband were with us (it has a big porch, so that natural light was a lifesaver for not going stir crazy). We didn’t feel it was unsafe at all, but we wanted to honor the host. My team traveled to Mumbai at the end of the month and she didn’t seem concerned about that.
  2. Safety here is the utmost importance to the host at Rescue Pink. We had to stay on the compound unless she and her husband were with us. At night and before they arrive in the morning, you must stay in the back of the house so as not to be seen. She does not like you to take pictures with others while you are out because people misuse the pictures and she could get in trouble with some members of the community for hosting Americans. She is cautious for your safety, Rescue Pink’s safety, and for her family’s safety. Please respect what she asks and roll with it when for safety purposes plans change in the spur of a moment. Whether you like it or not, you are a spectacle here so be aware. The monkeys are also mean, so don’t feed them, stay away from them and go inside when they are in the yard. They will come at you suddenly and without notice! But their antics are fun to watch from inside, so enjoy! Because of the precautions taken, we did not have any problems with safety, so do not live in fear, just follow your host’s instructions.

Ministry Summary

Ministry Summary in Medak, India
Breakthroughs? Suggestions? Concerns? On a scale of 1-4 (1 being not at all, 4 being absolutely) how strongly would you recommend another World Race team go to this ministry location & why?

People’s Opinions

  1. 4/4 would recommend coming back! Our ministry ranged from spreading awareness of human trafficking to teaching English to listening to the women entrepreneurs of RP. Once a month they have a nutrition program for Pregnant and Lactating mothers, which we were fortunate to be apart of as well!
  2. We partnered with OS — Operation Saturation which is an extension of ICM. Our ministry consisted of traveling to different churches, mostly in rural villages to preach the word of God and give our testimonies. It was spiritually challenging, requiring you to be prepared and spirit led with sermons. We also did a lot of intercessory prayers over congregations and individuals. I advise that you make Sabbath a priority and be intentional with letting the Lord fill you up in order to protect your spiritual health. It was an amazing experience! We witnessed church growth, healing, dileverance, and salvations. So even though it was challenging it was a great opportunity for growth! We travelled via tuk tuk which was a lot of fun! We got to see the winding, bumpy roads of the country. Sometimes our travel was 30 minutes long and other days it could be almost 2 hours. Bring a lot of water with you to keep yourself hydrated.
  3. Rescue Pink – 4 We were here for our month 8 and almost everyone on my team’s favorite month of ministry on the race so far. It’s different because the ministry is based on Acts of Love rather than explicit gospel sharing, but it was really cool to show people Jesus through more creative avenues. We had the chance to show the women and girls Jesus as we built relationships with them and it was super impactful.The ministry has a Women’s Entrepreneur Program where they teach vulnerable women business skills and help them launch their own small business. We met with the women and interviewed them both at the RP office or in their villages. These women have come from some hard situations and it was inspiring to hear how their lives have changed. 35 women graduated from the program while we were with RP and they received their savings since the start of their business. The graduation was one of the best ministry days for our team.Everyday from 4:30-6:30 we played and taught English to the girls in the afterschool program. The girls are 4-12 years old and several of their moms are in WEP. We sang songs, played Sally Walker all the time (they LOVED it), and taught basic English lessons. Many of the girls speak or understand enough English that you don’t need a translator.The other aspect of ministry is the Pregnant and Lactating Mothers Program. RP gives these women nutritious food to eat and feed their baby. This helps ease the perceived load of having a baby girl. We also got to interview these women and hear their stories. Press into them and slide some encouragement and love into every interview. It goes a super long way!For interviews of both groups of women, make sure to ask their surname, age, job or business, education level, what they used their loan for, income before and after RP trainings, how many kids they have, how old their kids are, etc. Ask Sangheetha to show you examples of stories before you interview anyone so you can be sure to get the information they need. Rarely is a question off limits, so don’t be afraid to dig deep. They will openly share the dynamics of their marriage, how it really is to be a woman in India, personal stories, etc. The women loved when we would just have fun with them, so be yourselves! Don’t be intimidated by the cultural differences.One thing to be aware of, they ask us to be cautious about talking about God because they don’t want to isolate any women who aren’t Christians. After building relationships, it’s okay to share the gospel if the situation is right. Use discernment. Although we couldn’t talk about Jesus as openly as we have in other countries, we felt this was our most impactful month on the race. The women know we’re Christians and the Lord definitely uses us to draw people near to him. Just be open to submitting to the requests of the host that may not make sense to you at the time.
  4. Rescue Pink – 4 Most mornings we went into the surrounding villages to visit mothers in the program and interview them using a translator. One suggestion: you can’t always ask to pray for them out loud but you can be praying for them silently. In the afternoons, girls ages 6-12 came to the compound for the after school program where we played games, sang songs and did an English lesson and they got to eat a nutritious snack. Great games: clump tag, jump ropes, sharks and minnows, follow the leader, ring toss.Great songs: peel the banana, oh lay lay.Suggestion: Conversational English has been a huge success and the teacher that comes every day has said they remember so much more. They usually get a lot of reading and writing in English at school so conversational English has been really helpful.Expect the kids around 4:30 and be done before it gets dark so they can eat their snack and walk home in the light. Be sure to divide your time evenly/wisely between games and songs and teaching. “I AM BEAUTIFUL, STRONG, AND BRAVE” – tell this to the girls every day. This is Rescue Pink’s motto for the school girls. Warning: You can’t talk about Jesus outright because they try not to make the programs affiliated to Christianity in order to help the most women & children.

Lodging

Lodging in Medak, India
Where did you stay? What were the accommodations (sleeping arrangements, toilets, showers, etc.)? Cost (per person per night in USD), Contact info.

People’s Opinions

  1. For Operation Saturation — we didn’t stay in Medak but stayed in a village about 45 minutes from there. It was nice because we ended up having two host families who loved us so well — Viktor our lead host who would meet us or pick us up for ministry and a Pastor and his family who we actually lived with. We were the first WR team to stay in this home. We had one room to share where we slept on our sleeping pads on the floor with one bathroom — Squatty potties are actually really nice. It’s minimal living but helped us to embrace the culture! Definitely would need sleeping pads though. There’s no WIFI but Viktor was able to get us a wireless WiFi router that worked well towards the end of our stay which was very helpful! The village we lived in was fairly rural. There’s a nice market place nearby that we got to visit for a little while with our translator. But, otherwise we were not allowed to walk in the neighborhood alone for safety reasons.
  2. We stayed at with the host, which was also the location of the office. We had a nice room to ourselves with 5 cots to sleep on for our team! We had a nice WESTERN toilet in our room as well. Showers were cold but we did have a heater to heat the water up in the cold mornings.
  3. We stayed at the RP office, which has a bedroom, bathroom with a squatty, kitchen, common area, and a porch. You will spend 90% of your time here but it wasn’t so bad. Sangeetha lives 5 minutes away. She asked us not to even go outside in the dirt yard when she was not here, so when I say we were in, we were IN the office. But don’t fear, we still had space to workout, dance, play cards, store our stuff, and hang out. Prepare to make some good mems!here are mattresses to put on the floor that are really comfy with a sleeping pad on top. There are fans in every room so you’ll stay cool. #blessBring bug spray because the mosquitos are intense! Don’t be surprised if you wake up with a face full of bites. Sangeetha said there isn’t malaria in the area, so don’t fear this either. None of us got any weird diseases so praise for THAT 🙂They have spoons and forks so you don’t have to eat with your hands when you’re at the office. If you want to, be free!There is a super sweet cleaning lady who will hand wash your laundry for about 250 rupees for the whole month. She will burn the trash everyday so the bathroom doesn’t get too funky. Make sure you bring enough toilet paper for the month. No one sells it in the area because locals don’t use it.
  4. We stayed in the Rescue Pink office building. The first WR team that was here bought mattresses that are super comfortable. We laid them in a line in the hallway and that seemed to work best. We kept our belongings in the room connected to the bathroom. The door locks and the host gave us a deadbolt for the door for when we left to do ministry. **Bring enough toilet paper for your entire team for the whole month!!** The toilet doesn’t flush well so just use the bucket of water. The host gave us a heater for the bucket shower water. It heats super fast, so be careful! There are workers that prepared every meal, chai time 3 times per day, and cleaned daily, so you don’t have to worry about any of that. The host doesn’t like you to be on the roof because of the monkeys. It’s a nice place, and the hospitality is absolutely spectacular.

Food / Meals

Food / Meals in Medak, India
What did you eat? Where did you get the food? Cost (per person per day in USD)? Contact info (if applicable).

People’s Opinions

  1. We ate 3 meals a day, usually at the compound. The woman who cleans prepared our food, which was mostly veg. Get excited for rice and dhal (a lentil soup/sauce) every day! They bought bananas for us to have whenever we wanted and they give you huge portions, but let you serve yourself. We drank chai in the morning and afternoon every day. It was so good! One of my teammates had allergies and was recovering from an ulcer and they accommodated her really well. They think it’s weird when we don’t eat massive amounts of food, so make sure to compliment and even ask to learn how to cook it he dishes. It means a lot to them! If you ever want to eat out on your off days, Biryani Hotel is so good! Be open to the foods, especially curry, because you will not have a meal without it.
  2. We weren’t allowed to leave the compound and there are two ladies who work (cook and clean) here so they prepared all our meals, 3x a day. Expect chai time 2-3x a day!! Be prepared for a TON of rice and curry at every meal and expect them to push food on your plate. So eat slower and they will give you less. They will eventually remember/learn to give the World Racers less food. You will most likely get sick because of the drastic change in the type of food (not because its unsafe). If you are sick and need a specific food or have a craving, don’t be afraid to ask!

Transportation

Transportation in Medak, India
What transportation did you use to enter the country? Where were you coming from? What transportation was used to move throughout the country? Be sure to include the cost per person in USD and contact info if applicable.

People’s Opinions

  1. Host will arrange all local transport and go with you everywhere. If you need to go to the store, she will probably take you on her scooter. The ride from Hyderabad was 3ish hours and we rode in a mid sized private bus.
  2. Host will arrange all local transport and go with you everywhere. If you need to go to the store, she will probably take you on her scooter. The ride from Hyderabad was 3ish hours and we rode in a mid sized private bus.

Medical

Medical in Medak, India
Information on local hospitals / doctors / pharmacies. Where would someone go in a medical emergency? (addresses and contact info).

People’s Opinions

  1. The hospital is actually more like a clinic and its right down the street. They can give you care but if there is an emergency you will have to go to Hyderabad. If you take selfies with the doctor you will get a discount! (for real though, we’re not kidding) **Make sure when you are not feeling well to tell your host! She cares and wants to know these things!

Communication

Communication in Medak, India
Did you have cell reception / Internet service? Where? Carrier / Provider, where did you get phones / SIM cards, cost? Country code?

People’s Opinions

  1. Our host was kind enough to provide us with wifi access all month. We were truly blessed.
  2. The adventures base helped us get a sim. They are extremely hard for foreigners to get, so we just had one on our team. There’s decent WiFi at the office, so we used that to communicate with our host on WhatsApp when she wasn’t with us.
  3. Our host took care of us getting SIM cards. There is wifi in the building as long as the power does not go out. No problems with cell service. The country code is +91

Financial

Financial in Medak, India
Location of banks or ATMs, notes about transaction fees, best places to exchange money, and other money related advice.

People’s Opinions

  1. Our treasurer got all of the money for the month in Hyderabad. We paid for all of the days we would eat host food and stay here, and we left out our adventure days because we decided to group them together and travel for those days. We paid everything to Maria at the adventures base in Hyderabad before we got to ministry.
  2. Because of the rupee crisis that was happening when we were here, we had to withdraw all our money in Hyderabad. So we didn’t have to use any ATMs around here.

Translators

Translators in Medak, India
List any local translators – name and contact information, languages spoken

People’s Opinions

  1. Sangeetha was our amazing host AND translator. Her 2 daughters also helped translate in the after school program for English and sometimes at church with our sermons and testimonies!
  2. We had great translators here! Mahima went with us to the villages and translated for us. We didn’t have a translator for the after school program, but we didn’t really need one. Sangeetha (host) won’t tell you this, but she can totally translate. Encourage her in her English and help her build more confidence. She’s an amazing lady! I’m sure you’ll love her.
  3. There is an amazing translator in her 70s that we call “aunty.” She has a crazy story so ask her about it! She is a prayer warrior and has the strongest faith I know! Take it slow for translation especially when preaching. She will say a paragraph for one of your sentences (but its okay because she’s including cultural context).

Off Days / Fun Activities

Off Days / Fun Activities in Medak, India
What activities did your team experience? Recommendations? List locations/contact info. Any locations to be avoided? Any extra safety tips for off days?

People’s Opinions

  1. We saved all of our adventure days and spent 4 days in Mumbai at the end of the month. We took rest days while at RP, but I would definitely recommend saving your adventure days and seeing more of India at the end of your month.
  2. The one off day we had we went to our ministry host’s house which was really nice.They also took us to a dam and an ancient fort nearby on Sundays. As well as the cathedral down the street.Save your adventure days til the end of your month if you can and use them in Hyderabad. We went to Delhi to see the Taj Mahal because we saved our adventure days.

Other Important Contacts

Other Important Contacts in Medak, India
Additional ministry opportunities, local pastors, etc. Relationship & follow up suggestions

People’s Opinions

  1. Rescue Pink’s founder Sherry is awesome! She made sure to set up a call with us before we left even though she’s all the way in Houston. She always shared our Instagram stories and loves getting photos of the girls and women. She uses them a lot for RP social media. She’s a great contact if you’re interested in this type of ministry or want to start your own nonprofit one day. She LOVES World Race and wants to help us anyway she can!
  2. Sherry Naron! She is the sweetest and will comment and like all your social media stuff related to Rescue Pink. She is very helpful in answering questions about Rescue Pink because she works for them in Houston. Use her!!!Email:mail.rescuepink.org

Tips

People’s Opinions

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Additional Info

Additional Info in Medak, India
Anything we’ve left out? Any additional suggestions to make travel easier for others?

People’s Opinions

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