The gospel message at its core holds out the promise of an eternal home for all who love God and who follow his lovely son our Lord. Being welcomed into a family, the household of God, is front and centre in preaching in India and in the work that WCF supports. Having a roof over your head is a basic human necessity and Hyderabad is in the middle of a huge house building boom. Advertising for these new housing developments enjoys a light touch with reality.

In case you’re in need of a cheer up with some animal antic stories today, I can help. You’ve come to the right place. A small cookery school for Indian sisters, to teach cake and biscuit making, was proposed as something I could fairly harmlessly run. The idea was to invite a number of ladies who had asked for advice on how to make a living for their families by baking and selling their wares.

Jesus asks his beloved disciples to take care of the women who have followed him and to bring them to their homes. This concept of belonging is at the heart of the gospel message. We all want to belong - psychologists say this is the number one desire of the human race.

WCF donations support nutrition and education and scholarships at Rainbow Home - a small project for 90 orphan girls who live in a school cum hostel deep in the labyrinthine warren that is the old city of Hyderabad. Their address is Begum Bazaar and finding their entrance gate is a challenge worthy of contestants on a TV show. It is in the very heart of the maze of ancient city alleyways; a tall double gate set into a high wall just beyond one of the few remaining arches from the era of the Nizams who ruled this state for centuries.

The Christadelphian Shunem Home is a delightful place, cool and shady in a hot and dusty land. It is home to 60+ schoolgirls and 15+ elders. I feel as if the elders who live at Shunem are my communal aunts and uncles. I have so much affection for them. When we lived in the city for a few years I would spend a lot of my afternoons in their company, on the shady verandah, drinking tea and catching up with their news.

I'm pretty sure when Jesus went out into the wilderness it was to escape from endless noise. The chatter, the marketplace clamor, dogs barking, small children wailing, rent collectors banging on the front door and pharisees making self-serving loud prayers. The same could describe a regular day here in Hyderabad. Walking down the stairs from the rooftop laundry back to our apartment I'm right there with our Lord in the pages of the New Testament.

Writing about our visits to the leprosy colonies and the leprosy street projects is tricky. How to not sound all humble bumble with the good works of going round visiting and trying to find out all the ways in which folk need help. I imagine it was a trial for Mother Teresa.... When we were reviewing and editing all the video footage that was to go into the final cut of a short film, there was classic minute of me sitting hunkered down on the ground talking with an elderly lady.

So, a rat ate my coconut chips. I walked into our room and switched on the light and there he was on the floor by the bed, munching. We stared at each other for a second before he shot like a dart into a hole at the bottom of the wardrobe. I was left with the shreds of tinfoil from the wrapper that he had chewed off and a half eaten bag of desiccated fruit.

Here in the grounds of the leper colony at Darsarapalli a recent structural addition is a large covered verandah where residents can sit outside in the shade. The temperatures soar up into the high 40s here in the high hills and the summers are pretty intense. A small team looks after the patients and ensures that everyone stays as well as possible. Hyderabad ecclesia supports Darsarapalli with regular visits and Sunday breaking of bread meetings. 

Talking about the terrible traffic in Indian cities is the cue for an eye roll, inevitable cliches and stale stories. But honestly! The urge to regale friends with tales from the streets is irresistible. So I'm sorry, but buckle up! Transport is a thrill. The city roads are more Grand Theft Auto than Driving Miss Daisy. The taxi in front has a decal that reads 'my cab is safe' - says who? Not his passengers I’m guessing as he hurtles recklessly by.

Missionaries have been coming to India since Thomas - he of doubting fame - alighted from the sailboat when it docked way down south on the coast in Kerala. Singlehandedly he came, bringing the gospel message at a sprightly step up the beach to reach the masses in AD 52.