Skip to main content
Missions101 is part of the Adventures In Missions network.

Ongole, India

Safety

Feb. 2013

A racer set their wallet on the stand of a traveling fabric salesman and walked away. Later the salesman could not be found and the wallet was not recovered. Never set your wallet down, and before leaving an area where money is exchanged double check to make sure you have yoru wallet.

April 2013

A team was robbed by school boys.  Eventually they got their stuff back after going to the schools where the boys were.  Keep your stuff safe and secure where locals can’t access it. 

  • Ongole is generally safe. But the men might make the ladies feel uncomfortable. They stare and can seem creepy because they are not used to seeing western women who do not remember to not make eye contact with them. 
  • Ladies, don’t smile at them men. 
  • But smile at the women. They usually light up because a stranger is recognizing them.Watch where you step because there is a lot of cow poop.
  • Everything shuts down at 11 pm.
  • Make sure not to leave someone alone an paying for an auto. Stay together and don’t leave people alone.
  • Obey the dress code to stay safe.  Lock up everything. 
  • Don’t give anyone money.
  • Make sure to stay in groups especially after dark.
  • And always lock your doors.

Safety in Ongole, 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. We felt safe in our apartment while working with a pastor from ICM. We stayed by his church above ICM’s ministry Operation Pink. Initially we were told to stay in our group since we were all females and avoid side streets because the men can be aggressive. We followed this rule but were still harassed by a man one day. After that incident, we were not allowed to go anywhere without our host, his wife, or someone they’d send for us. I would recommend taking tuk tuks and not walking and staying in bigger groups. I’d also say try to not go out at night if possible unless you’re with your host.
  2. At the ICM compound we all felt very safe. There was a man guarding or on watch every night. We weren’t allowed to leave the compound without a staff member or our ministry host there. While we were staying there, there was a break in one night. The man was not in his right mind but the staff took care of it. We didn’t even know it had happened until the next morning. Nothing was stolen, and the police came and took him away. So, I personally felt very safe being there and it helped knowing that the staff was there to take care of us all. In general, I don’t think anyone from Our squad got anything taken even on the streets or at ministry.
  3. The area around the ICM compound where we stayed is not the safest, but we never felt unsafe, Our hosts made sure to look out for us and tell us what was safe and not safe. We were very well taken care of.
  4. We spent our month in Ongole and the surrounding villages. When we were not in the villages doing ministry, we stayed at the ICM compound. We were not allowed to leave the compound unless one of the staff was with us. This made our off days hard because it was their off day as well; we did not want to inconvenience them. We had amazing hosts though, Bahskar and Jeevon, who treated us like princesses. When we went to the villages, we were able to lock our packs in a room at the compound (that we had to pay for). We never had any problems with our stuff getting stolen or messed with. Basically, just always have someone on staff with you at all times.
  5. We spent our month in Ongole partnering with ICM! We all felt that Ongole was a safe place to be and also had our translator with us the entire time. ICM gave us a lock and key for our room so we locked it up when we left the compound and felt safe.
  6. Ongole was great, we partnered with ICM! We all felt safe, we put our own lock on the door because the locks that were provided, we couldn’t get the keys to work. We did have a watchman that was working around the clock. Be sure to drink alot of water, you can easily sweat out more than you put in. If you are staying in the building beside Covenant Church, and are trying to get back, tell the Tuk Tuk driver to take you to “Ongole Public School” and just tell him when you see the road that you live on. The typical prices for Tuk Tuks are 10 rupees.Don’t go anywhere alone after dark. We didn’t have any problems, but just safety in general. We didn’t have any issues at all.
  7. Ongole, India with ICM was our all squad month. All though it was hot, we all felt pretty safe. They hired watchmen for the month that we were there and keep really good tabs on when and who left the property and would acknowledge and make note of when we would return and how many of us left/came back. We didn’t have any problems with tuk tuk drivers or any other problems with thieves. The food that was given to us in the villages made a lot of the squad sick with upset stomachs (diarrhea) and throwing up. Some got heat rash.
  8. One of the girls on my team was harassed/groped by a tuk tuk driver while she was sitting in the front with him. When taking tuk tuks, only sit in the back, if possible. Tuk tuks are usually only 10 rupees per rider, so just find another tuk tuk if there isn’t room.
  9. We had two all girls teams staying at the Peace House this month. We all felt safe in Ongole. There were some protests while we were there and we still felt safe but we avoided the protest areas. The contact suggested that we take autos everywhere which worked out great for us; they are cheap and easy to get.

Ministry Summary

If you are looking for specific ministry information, please click on the link under the Ministry Partner Info section to visit that page.

Ministry Summary in Ongole, 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. We worked with Pastor K through ICM at his church and in surrounding villages. Our ministry consisted of sharing testimonies, preaching, and participating in house visits (including praying for people). We often started evenings with house visits with locals, at orphanages or village churches. It would then turn into a service including worship, testimonies, preaching, and being fed late after the meeting. We had a lot of downtime and had to stay in our apartment for safety reasons. You may not see a lot of the fruit of your work in this ministry but if you go in wholeheartedly, it can be a lot of fun and very rewarding. Be prepared for times to change frequently.
  2. Rescue Pink – my favorite ministry on the race!! We worked out of the ICM office in Ongole with the two Rescue Pink staff doing house visits, supporting the after-school program for girls (ages 4-16), putting on a nutrition clinic, and supporting a medical clinic. The women that live in this community are warriors that receive zero respect, and learning about their lives is heartbreaking but so life changing. It was a fairly restful schedule with lots of down time for the Lord so use it wisely!
  3. Partnering with ICM is typically more restful than other months on the race. We only did ministry about 3-4 days a week since we constantly had to have a staff with us. Normally those ministry days were no more than 5 hours. When we went to the villages (we went to 3 in total), we would do house to house ministry… praying for CCDC kids and their family and we would do children’s ministry with the CCDC kids once they got out of school. Our normal day would be praying house to house in the morning, lunch, then rest for a few hours, then possibly do a little more praying, then spend a few hours with the kids doing bible stories, songs, and playing games.
  4. Our ministry was Church planting. We worked with Pastor K. We would leave around 4 Monday-Friday and go to a different village every night. As soon as we got to the village, we would usually sit down in front of the church in the village and talk with the pastor/drink sodas/play with kids. We then would walk house-to-house and pray for people. Most of the time it was praying for healing of some sort. After walking around for about an hour, we would head back to the church. They would sing a couple songs in Telegu, then we would start the church service. We sang 2-3 songs, two people would give testimonies, then one person would preach a sermon. Try to make it last around an hour for the whole thing, but if it didn’t last that long, it wasn’t a big deal. After the church service, they asked us to pray for every person in the church individually. Get ready to pray a lot! After we prayed for everyone, we then would eat dinner with the pastor. It was almost always chapati, chicken, rice, and curry. Sometimes the chicken was a little spicy, but not too bad. Overall, this ministry was very rewarding and we got to see God do some amazing things here in India.
  5. Our Ministry was with CCDC (Covenant Children Development Center). Our contact was Uncle Jonathan and Bhasker. They took such great care of us. We traveled ALOT to a bunch of surrounding villages and would stay over night, then after 3-4 would come back to ICM’s main building in Ongole. Spent about 2-3 hours in the eening with the kids after school and then would do a VBS type thing for an hour, teaching them songs and doing bible stories. Went to CCDC kids homes and interviewed them and their families. We had to collect media content, so there was alot of work involved, even on our off days- uploading pictures and videos. Be prepared to eat so much food. Everyone is so hospitable and love to give!
  6. Ministry was AWESOME! We partnered with ICM’s Church Planting ministry. Our ministry contact was supposed to be Brother Israel, but He wasn’t there so Mounibab, our translator was our point of contact. Everyday we left at 4pm to head to a different village for ministry. We would spend a few hours going through out the village praying for the people and then we would head to the church for children’s action songs, 2-3 worship songs, and then someone would preach a sermon. Be prepared for lots of soda, tiffins, and lots of chapatti and curry! Every village’s pastor was super hospitable!
  7. We worked with CCDC (Covenant Children Development Centers). Our ministry contact was Jonathan and Bhasker. Everyday we went to a different village, spent about an hour with the kids basically a small VBS, went to each student’s home and prayed with the families, and then ate dinner at a church or a student’s home.
  8. ICM- James Rebbavarpu and Johnson (ministries coordinator)Rating: 3Just because of the heat during August and the sickness that overcame our squad from the heat and food. But we all loved our ministries and I would say that it is my favorite month overall so far!!! I would say to go back during their “cooler” months to avoid the heat exhaustion and rash problems. Energy ran low because it was so hot it was pretty draining.
  9. All squad Month with India Christian Mission. What an immense vision to bring the Kingdom to Ongole! We served in a wide variety of outreach to include: special needs orphans at Sarah’s Covenant Home, pastor conference, sharing testimonies and preaching in village churches, walking house to house praying for church members, visiting boys homes with special needs, preach at an Indian wedding, visiting a deaf and mute school, construction projects at the Cross building where we all stayed. The goal is to plant 22,000 churches by year 2020 and they are well on their way. Extensive outreach and heartfelt ministry. Embrace these opportunities to preach, pray and sing in public.

Lodging

Lodging in Ongole, 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. We stayed above the Rescue Pink offices in an apartment by Pastor K’s church. It was very nice. We had running water, western toilets, and very simple but working showers. Sometimes the water would stop working for awhile. We also had running electricity including ceiling fans. There were 3 bedrooms containing cot-style beds and large cabinets for our items. We also had a large living space with a couple of couches and a dining table. There was also a kitchen but we didn’t really use it except to wash dishes and store snacks. Our host had set up preparation for food – so the ladies with Rescue Pink cooked us breakfast and lunch every day and would bring it up for us. Then we were typically fed at ministry in the evenings after meetings.
  2. We stayed for our month at the ICM office/compound. It was very nice. They cooked all of our meals, and we had running water. There was space to spread out, and they had been working on building a guest house which someOf us got to stay in. We used our tents as bug nets and slept on our sleeping pads. Overall, a wonderful experience. Maybe $3, but that could change.
  3. We were spoiled when we were at the ICM compound. All 7 of us girls lived in one room with AC and wifi. We all shared a shower (with a shower head) and western toilet that was in our bathroom. The ICM building is a huge concrete palace that we had all to ourselves. When we were in the villages, we stayed at the local church on the floor with our sleeping pads. Fans were our AC, but the power would go out often so we prayed for a cool night. Overall, you will be taken really good care of – the pastors and their families are great.
  4. We stayed at ICM’s headquarters in Ongole. Super great accommodations and India was our first month of the race! We stayed on the first floor in one of their rooms, which had two single beds, a few couches, and then plenty floor space for sleeping pads. They have a flushable toilet and normal shower as well. We had plenty of room for team time outside on the couches and the second and third floor our beautiful. A few of us worked out in the mornings and ran on the second and third floor.*Important info: There is an older man who lives at ICM’s compound and his name is Booleetata. He knows very little english, but likes to try and talk to you. He lingered around our team a lot and at times would get handsy and make inappropriate gestures towards our team so be careful how you talk and interact with him.
  5. We stayed at Covenant Church office. We were there along with 2 other teams. No A/C on the 3rd floor (yet, suppose to be an upcoming project). A/C is on the 4th floor though. If you get bit by mosquitoes, be sure to have plenty of bug repellent. You can buy Odomos at the local pharmacies. Bucket showers, trash is throw across the street. Electricity goes out often, make sure you know where your headlamp is. Water on 1st & 4th floor. The rooftop is great and perfect for team parties!If you go to the main street and turn left, in the first set of shops is a place called “Vijaya Boutik”. Myself and another teammate spent alot of time with her just loving on her. She speaks good English and does GREAT work if you need punjabis, sarees, or just need clothing repaired. If you are in Ongole, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go and continue the relationship that we have started. She is not a Christian and basically “took on” her husbands religion, but seems pretty curious. If you see her, tell her “Erin and Lacey said hello! We love her and miss her!”
  6. Johnson Brother coordinated our stay at the Cross Building. Three open rooms for girls with two bathrooms in the room – sink, mirror, western toilet and shower. We alternated shower days. Guys had two bunk rooms, squatty potties and showers down the hall. Ceiling fans are a must in the hot, dry climate. Steady breeze and cool mineral water available. Security guards present. Ladies available to hand wash your clothes once a week for approx 150 rupees.
  7. Lodging at SCH costs $5 per person per day.

Food / Meals

Food / Meals in Ongole, 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 traditional Indian food every day for every meal. The ladies with Rescue Pink cooked us breakfast and lunch every day and would bring it upstairs to our apartment and drop it off. They would usually come back a couple to few hours later (sometimes the next day) to clean up the serving dishes. Since we were at ministry in the evenings, whichever house or church hosted the meeting often fed us dinner. Typical meals consisted of rice, chapati, curried chicken, curried potatoes, biryani, and more. The meals brought to our apartment were usually not too spicy (may have a kick every once in awhile). We learned in the evenings to let the people who love spicy food try everything first and then kind of rank it for others who cannot handle spicy food as well. Also remember that feeding in Indian culture is a huge sign of hospitality! They will feed you a lot of food – decline only if necessary and even then do so very politely. We did experience a couple of instances in which we were full and a couple people were sick and it offended the hosts and servers.
  2. Rescue Pink – Traditional Indian food was homemade for us every meal by our aaymmas, but they made it not spicy for us Westerners. It was delicious!! In our apartment we also had a refrigerator and gas stove so we were able to keep snacks and other food items.
  3. Our staple foods while at ICM were oatmeal, PB&Js, dry corn flakes, and ramen. As you can see, we had to cook for ourselves this month. They provide you with a couple of pots and a gas burner. Be as creative as possible. When we were in the villages, the church members would cook us all our meals. Be ready to eat chicken curry, rice, and chipati
  4. All of our meals were provided for us through ministry and where we stayed. Be prepared for rice and curry for every meal! On our off day we went to a French bakery and they had great pizza. Highly recommend. I got a medium sized pizza, soda, and doughnut for 100 rupees. Definitely a good deal!
  5. We had all our food provided for us while staying at villages but when we were on our own on off days in Ongole, we went to a nearby supermarket and got breakfast food. PB&J for days.Most importantly….you need to know this: GO TO IBACOO…AMAZING ICE CREAM.
  6. We bought oatmeal, fruit, and eggs for breakfast at a local grocery store and then fruit from the street. This was super cheap and helped give us more money for lunch and dinner. We went to the hotel next door to ICM’s compound every day for lunch and it cost around 30-40 rupees. However, go further down the street to the little food stand/shop across from the engineering college and visit Esther! She has the most beautiful smile and is so joyful and a believer! We went there our last day and wished we had gone sooner…delicious dolce and chapatti!! The pastor’s in each village made us dinner and we payed them about 60 rupees each for the meal.
  7. We were provided 3 meals a day for really cheap. The food was good. If you decide to not eat there, just let them know ahead of time so they do not order or cook food for you.Resturants in the area:– Ibacco – ICECREAM – Cafe Caramel – AMAZING Pizza (Be sure to have one of ICM staff tell the tuk tuk driver where it is or have their phone number to give directions.– Ramya Hotel – great food for great prices– OFC – If you’re craving something “western” fried chicken and french fries!
  8. Tuk Tuk Drive from ICM Building:-ibacco Icecream (close to OFC and More Mart; just over a street)-More Mart Grocery Store (there’s about 4 all around town, peanut butter and toilet paper are scarce)
  9. At India Christian mission in the Cross Building they fed us breakfast at 8:30 and lunch at 12:30. Meals consisted of rice, chapati, lentils or dal, chicken, banana, hard boiled eggs, toast and the occasional coca cola drink. If you’re doing village outreach they will feed you chapati, rice, samba (veg soup), bony chicken, curd (salt w rice, sugar if plain) and fruit. Observe your translators and dive in to mixing flavors and eating with your right hand.
  10. Ramya Residency Hotel. There is air conditioning and the food is LEGIT! Try the Chicken Lollipop you won’t regret it.
  11. Our team ate the street food the whole time and no one got sick. For American food, go to OFC. There is a smoothie stand near RK, their smoothies are delicious. None of our team got sick from them even though they wash the blender in potentially sketchy water before making your smoothie.
  12. Ate street food the whole time. There is a noodle stand right accross the street from ICM and we ate there all the time it was SO cheap. Also there is Chillax and Caramel if you want some American food.Everything is super cheap
  13. the street food didn’t make any of P Squad sick and it’s really cheap and pretty delicious.
  14. Cooked for ourselves in the apartment. A lot of street vendors by apartment.Check out.Caramel Cafe, Hotel Central Park, and Ismail Biryani.

Transportation

  • You can expect to pay 10 -15 rupees for each auto ride depending on the distance.
  • The cost per person for the autos started at $.25 and buses were $.34
  • Buses from Hyderabad to Ongole and back only run at night time.
  • Autos are your best bet for transportation. Most places only cost about 10 rupees per person but cost goes up depending on distance.

Transportation in Ongole, 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. We flew into India from Nepal. We took a large bus set up for us by Maria with the AIM base from the airport to CSOW in Hyderabad for orientation before heading to our ministry sites. After orientation, Maria assisted us in setting up a bus to head to Ongole from Hyderabad. It ran overnight, had A/C, and regular seats and was within budget. Once we arrived in Ongole. Thomas met us at the airport to pick us up in a small van to take us to our apartment. During our time in Ongole, we would ride in tuk-tuks for getting around in the city. If ministry was in our neighborhood, we would walk. If we were heading to other villages, Thomas and Pastor K would pick us up in a suburban and would drive us to our site. On our way back to Hyderabad for debriefing, we took a sleeper bus (we chose to pay a little out of pocket to have actual beds to lie down). While in Hyderabad, we used tuk-tuks or we would use Uber.
  2. There are tuk tuks and autos to take, but my team ended up using our driver for everything, even going places outside of ministries for free days. He’s not a Christian, but he’s driven for our hosts before, so he’s heard the message. We were intentional in connecting with him as a team, and we would invite him to do everything with us, not just drive us. We felt this was a good was to minister to him; not just use him to our benefit, or push the gospel on him-because he’s heard it- but to actually care about him as a friend. If this is something you could do, I would highly recommend it. It’s a way to do ministry outside of your ministry.
  3. When we went into town, we rode tuk tuks. But when we went into the villages, which were usually farther away, ICM arranged for a truck to take us.
  4. ICM hired someone to drive us to each village and anywhere we needed to go before ministry during the day or on our off days too. So we payed 1400 rupees for all 7 teammates to travel to each village and told the driver that the 1400 rupees covered travel to the villages at night and any travel during the days too.

Medical

  • Sanghamitra Hospital in Ongole.
  • An auto to get there is about 20 rupees one-way.
  • They charge a consulting fee of 100 rupees, and then medicine can cost anywhere from 100-200 rupees depending on what you need.
  • It’s helpful to have a translator to get through reception and actually see a doctor, so we had that set up through ICM.

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

People’s Opinions

  1. We had a generally healthy month as a team. Someone had a cold at the beginning of the month and one person had shingles. Since we had a couple of medical professionals on our team, we did not go to any clinics or doctors. There are several pharmacies within walking distance of our apartment – so we got medications from them. There were a lot of mosquitoes as well but we used bug spray and tried to sleep with bug nets as well.
  2. My teammate and I went to the local clinic that our ministry host recommended. Our host initially called the doctor to our compound and once the doctor suggested we go to his med center/clinic, that is what we did. We were given medicine and they attempted to give me glucose through an iv but it did not go well. The doctor then recommended we go to a hospital 20 minutes from our compound. We went there and the conditions were not clean and my teammate and I decided to leave without treatment.
  3. My teammate and I went to the local clinic that our ministry host recommended. Our host initially called the doctor to our compound and once the doctor suggested we go to his med center/clinic, that is what we did. We were given medicine and they attempted to give me glucose through an iv but it did not go well. The doctor then recommended we go to a hospital 20 minutes from our compound. We went there and the conditions were not clean and my teammate and I decided to leave without treatment.
  4. Be prepared for an insane amount of bugs. With it being September there were small black beetles everywhere and they were awful. Bug spray will be a life savor!I got strep throat while in Ongole so a ministry host took me to the government hospital. We hardly waited around before I was checked out and given antibiotics. No one spoke English at the hospital but the medicine they gave me worked wonders and I was feeling better within a day. The cost for everything, including transportation, was 530 rupees.While a lot of people got a stomach bug on my squad, the medical help was very nice. We never felt deprived or anything like that.
  5. BRING LOTS OF BUG SPRAY!!! we bought a Mosquito repel cream forma local store and it was great!One of our girls got a kidney stone and went to a nearby hospital. Our translator took great care of us and was always a phone call away. The hospital she went to was more of like a nursing home but they took great care of her. She spent about 3,000 rubees.
  6. MOSQUITOS are really really bad here. Every teammate had around 30+ bites on a weekly base. Make sure to bring lots of bug spray. Other than that no one had stomach issues! Make sure to not drink the tap water though.
  7. Mosquitoes are rough. Buy Odomos at the local pharmacy. (We didn’t have to take malaria meds though)Diarrhea is normal…. FOR EVERYONE!
  8. Be sure to drink lots of water and bring your water bottle with you. Several of our team members dealt with dehydration. Our ministry days were really long so if we didn’t have our water bottles, there wasn’t much of a chance to get water.
  9. If you are going to Sanghamitra Hospital, do not go between 1-6:30pm. All of the doctors are ‘taking lunch’ during that time.One of our girls had some stomach issues, we went to Mythri Multi Specialty Hospital. The cost was 120 rupees to be seen and 180 rupees for 4 prescriptions. It was very fast and the doctor spoke English clearly.
  10. The medical care in Ongole was surprising good. The hospital was very nice and clean. The doctor saw me quickly and it was not expensive. I paid 100 rupees for the visit and then 160 rupees for medicine. If in Ongole I would not worry about going to the hospital.

Communication

Communication in Ongole, 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. I often struggle with cell reception. However, our host made certain that we had wifi in our apartment. It generally worked really well. We actually traded SIM cards while we were at orientation in Hyderabad from Maria with AIM. A squad had recently left and so she passed them along to us. We also left our SIM cards with her at the end of our month.
  2. We had pretty decent wifi at the ICM compound. It was in our room and in the living room area. I mean of course, some days it was better than others, but it was a nice blessing to have. When we went to the villages, we were off the grid for 3-4 days.
  3. There was wifi at the compound but we were on all squad month so it was pretty slow and sometimes not worth it. Sim cards are difficult to get here, so not worth it really. There are a few places to get wifi on your off days, but can be a little difficult to find.
  4. We had wifi at our ICM compound. it wasnt too bad, some days better than others. If you are with CCDC, you will be off the grid for 3-4 days while out at villages, but team leader will have an emergency phone to connect with coaches and mentors and translator.
  5. An Indian SIM card was provided to us once we got to ICM by one of the office men. We payed them for it and then gave them money for it. There is wifi at the compound, but it is really slow and unreliable. We headed into town twice to a hotel for food and wifi on our off days.
  6. We stayed at Covenant Church Office, there is wifi there, because it is their offices. Just be respectful about not using it all the time so that it does not stop them from using it for their work.
  7. SIM cards are difficult to get as foreigners. Doug helped us get SIM cards when we arrived in Hyderabad.

Financial

Financial in Ongole, 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 host would take us to ATMs whenever we needed it. They were usually about a five minute walk away from our apartment.
  2. There are ATMs everywhere. Being able to get money will be no issue. Most ATMs hav transaction fees but if you have Charles Schwab, you will get refunded those transaction fees
  3. Our ministry host/ translator took us to the ATM about once every other week to get rupees out for our stay at ICM, they are everywhere so stopping wasn’t a big deal at all.
  4. Our translator would take us to an ATM a couple times a week to get money out. There are ATMs about 10 minutes into town from ICM.

Translators

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

People’s Opinions

  1. Our translator was our host Pastor K. His English was fairly good. There were a couple of distinct instances where we knew things were not translated correctly at ministry because of some of the questions that he asked after ministry; however, it all worked out fine and made us laugh.
  2. Our translators were staff from ICM. We spent most of our days with Bahskar and Jeevon. They are great. They did ministry with us in the villages and took us out on the town (i.e. grocery shopping, getting ice cream, resturants, etc.).
  3. Our translators name was Pastor K., his English was fairly good so it wasn’t too difficult to understand. He was extremely hospitable and often took us to his house for chai or a snack before ministry and was extremely flexible when we needed to stop at an ATM or grocery store.
  4. Our translator was Sam, (Uncle Jonathan’s nephew) and he was great! Very involved, English wasnt super great but enough to get by. He brought his friend, Marti with him and they stayed with us in the villages and went with us on our Adventure day to the beach. We had fun getting to know them.
  5. Mounibab and her husband Babland were our translators for the month. Mounibab knows good english and did a wonderful job translating for us. Just know some things will get lost in translation so be patient and flexible. We had a great time with Mounibab and getting to know her. Babland speaks very little English and is on his phone a lot, so Mounibab should be your point of contact.*Disclaimer: Mounibab expected us to bless her by buying all of her meals and icecream on top of the translator budget. We had to make it very clear with her that it wasn’t in our budget to pay for her meals, so on an occasion when we went out to a nice meal we would ask her to come and tell her we would pay for her meal. We ended up blessing her at the end of the month with gifts and not monetary gifts since we had such a hard time with making it clear that her translator budget included meals.
  6. Cathy (with ICM, Johnson’s Niece) was wonderful to work with, spoke incredible English, and loved coming along to the villages to help out when needed!

Off Days / Fun Activities

Off Days / Fun Activities in Ongole, 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 mainly stayed in town due to some things not working out with our host. We enjoyed going to Ibaco (great ice cream!) during off time. We would mainly hang out at our apartment. We had extra days off at the end of the month and traveled back to Hyderabad. From there, several people planned trips to either New Delhi to see the Taj Mahal or to Hampi to see the ruins.
  2. -Beach! The beach is about an hour away and does not have many people. Beautiful at every time of day!-Ice cream is a must in the hotness of India! There is a shop called “Ibaco” they have awesome ice cream and free water that is super cold.-If you are looking for authentic Indian food mention the “Hotel Restaurant” it is a good price and awesome for naan and other authentic food choices.-If you are in the ICM compound we built a volleyball court so get your game on with your squad or ask the host people to play!
  3. Our adventure days looked different than expected. We went to The Bay of Bengal one day with some village kids. It was a blast. Be ready to swim in your kurta and leggings. Our other adventure days consisted of getting ice cream in town and hanging out at the compound.
  4. We went to a very quiet beach about an hour away, it was so fun! It was on the Bay of Bengal. After we spent hours at the beach we had lunch at a nearby CCDC church.
  5. BEACH! Our translator took us to the beach which was about an hour away from ICM’s compound. It was SO FUN and there weren’t any other people on the beach.
  6. -BEACH, BEACH, BEACH.-Ask if you can ride a fishing boat (400 rupees, only for a few minute but cool.)-shopping(If you go to the main street and turn left, in the first set of shops is a place called “Vijaya Boutik”. Myself and another teammate spent alot of time with her just loving on her. She speaks good English and does GREAT work if you need punjabis, sarees, or just need clothing repaired. If you are in Ongole, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go and continue the relationship that we have started. She is not a Christian and basically “took on” her husbands religion, but seems pretty curious. If you see her, tell her “Erin and Lacey said hello! We love her and miss her!”)
  7. -ICM: Go to the beach on off days! Maybe plan a whole squad putting. We had bonfire and fireworks-Go get Sari’s or Punjabi’s made (Debra-Johnson’s wife, or Cathy- Johnson’s niece would love to take the girls out to do this)
  8. Coordinate with ICM staff (Johnson’s wife Deborah) to get mehendi henna art on your arms and feet. This is a traditional Hindu art form and not as popular amongst village Christians, but they understand you’re experiencing culture and it doesn’t have religious meaning. Most women get mehendi for special occasions such as weddings. Approx 150 rupees per arm and 100 for a foot. Dries in an hour and lasts two weeks. Consists of natural flowers, roots and mud to stain your skin with a beautiful floral design.
  9. Coordinate with ICM staff (Johnson’s wife Deborah) to get mehendi henna art on your arms and feet. This is a traditional Hindu art form and not as popular amongst village Christians, but they understand you’re experiencing culture and it doesn’t have religious meaning. Most women get mehendi for special occasions such as weddings. Approx 150 rupees per arm and 100 for a foot. Dries in an hour and lasts two weeks. Consists of natural flowers, roots and mud to stain your skin with a beautiful floral design.
  10. Punjabi’s should cost you around 400 rupees and Sari’s (all 3 pieces) around 700 rupees. Tailoring is between 200-300 rupees a piece. We used the Tailor at Sarah’s Covenant House, make sure you tell her to make it “American Loose”
  11. Joyalukkas Jewelry is where you want to go for pearls! We got some beautiful pearls (white, pink and black) for under 500 rupees a pair. A lot of other girls got anklets, like the women in the village wear. These are pure silver and gold, so that depending on what you get it will cost you around $50 USD. Go.
  12. Set up a trip to the beach. It is about a 40 minutes drive and very few people were there when we went.

Other Important Contacts

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

People’s Opinions

  1. Ladies! if you are with CCDC and traveling to various villages, be mindful of what you are wearing. Your kurtas should no have a low cut slit at the chest. Wear either a shirt under your Kurta or safety pin it. Also, be ready to not have any privacy, you will sleep on church floors and people will be in and out. ALSO: TAKE TOILET PAPER WITH YOU TO VILLAGES.
  2. Doug from ICM was our main point of contact. He was extremely helpful with setting up transportation from Hyderabad to Ongole and then from Ongole to Dehli. His email is doug@indiachristianministries.org

Tips

  • Don’t eat with left hand, only right hand.
  • No exposed shoulders or ankles.
  • They open closed doors without knocking, so lock the door or hang clothes over the door.
  • Women: buy and wear punjabis and sarees.
  • People LOVE prayer and anointing oil.

People’s Opinions

  1. If you go to the main street and turn left, in the first set of shops is a place called “Vijaya Boutik”. Myself and another teammate spent alot of time with her just loving on her. She speaks good English and does GREAT work if you need punjabis, sarees, or just need clothing repaired. If you are in Ongole, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go and continue the relationship that we have started. She is not a Christian and basically “took on” her husbands religion, but seems pretty curious. If you see her, tell her “Erin and Lacey said hello! We love her and miss her!”
  2. – You may be asked to name a baby at church– Always be prepared to share the hope inside you and the lessons God is showing you– ALWAYS cover your head in prayer and church with a scarf or sari shawl– the streets are your trash can– NO skin right clothing, you will feel out of place. Women dress very traditionally here. Men wear jeans and collared shirt.– Play cricket with ICM staff if you get a chance. Volleyball is also very popular.

Additional Info

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

People’s Opinions

  1. Lots of spiritual warfare. We had to anoint our room because people could not sleep due to terrible dreams. Some villages were super dark, you could feel it when you got out of the auto. Kids are treated poorly in some villages and it is hard to watch but dont be afraid to let pastors know of what is uncomfortable and not ok. Many people will come in and out of the churches you are sleeping at (If you are with CCDC) and ask for prayer after prayer. We spend 3 hours one night praying for over 50 people. It was super overwhelming. Talk it over with your team about how you want to be lead by the holy spirit in prayer and how to help the people but not get over worked or forced to do stuff and loose track of time. FIGHT FOR TEAM TIME. Also, everyone wants healing and praying for healing can look different for everyone. Dont get discouraged and also, prepare your heart and mind before.
  2. We experienced a lot of spiritual warfare and darkness in many of the villages that we visited. The hindu culture is evident in the villages and their spirit and mask things bring darkness to the homes we visited. We found praying before we headed out to ministry and praying before we got back to our room at the compound really helped protect our hearts through out the entire ministry month.
  3. If you must use DHL in India the closest one to Ongole is a few hours away in Guntur. Do not use other ones because they might not send your receipts for a few weeks…DHL Express (i) Pvt Ltd.D No:6-29-36/ASri Sai SadanOpp Water tank,lakshmipuramGunturPin Code: 522002Phone: 0863-2333223 / 24E-mail: expressgun@dhl.com