The prayers of the BMS Action Team in Kolkata were answered as they praised Jesus' name on the tough streets of that city - and ministered to a man with HIV who'd been rejected by their community.
Jamie Walker, from the Action Team, shared how his team struggled with the poverty during their six months in India - but how God turned into an opportunity to praising him.
"As a team we wondered how we could meet the need. We knew what Jesus said about the rich man and Lazarus - and we had tens of families living on the streets outside our guesthouse.
"We prayed for one street family with whom we could share something of our lives. Our prayers were answered when, walking along the street near the guesthouse, we struck up a friendship with a man who had asked about my guitar.
Evan
"We found out that this man, Evan, was a keen guitarist and used to teach guitar to others. He was also HIV-positive, and though he'd been involved in a church, he and his family had been rejected from his community and ended up on the street.
"We got to know him, his family and his son David especially well. One of the most memorable moments was when I borrowed a guitar for him and suggested we play some worship songs together on the street.
"It was a pretty mad, pretty crazy thing to do. But it seemed the right thing to do too. So Evan and the Kolkata Action Team took to the streets. It ended up with around 150 hearing us praise God over the course of the afternoon.
"It really opened up the street for us - children who use to harass us for money and more now came and sang 'Telephone to Jesus' to us instead!
The Kolkata Action Team were one of nine BMS Action Teams with countless stories as they returned to the International Mission Centre (IMC) to begin the process of reflection and debriefing, prior to training for an eight-week tour of the UK.
It's been an incredible six months for everyone. All have, in many different ways, stepped out in faith and relied on God's provision and protection in ways that they've never needed to before their overseas placements.
Kirsty Scott from the Bangladesh Action Team shared: "The buses in Dhaka were terrifying but we took them every day. One day I saw a bus on fire on our way home. All the buses were crowded, overheated and overused and I knew that could have been ours.
"I thought I couldn't travel back to our schools programme on the buses again but I did - the next morning. I knew I was there to do God's work and I knew I had to step out in faith."
Courage
Katie Walford and Sarah Lyall, from the Thailand Action Team, shared further experiences of stepping out in faith. Katie spoke of how each week the staff at the school would share a devotion time. She said, "The hardest time was when I had to lead, but I did it and God was there with me giving me the confidence".
Sarah also spoke of a Thai teacher, Siriporn, who often translated for the team. However, it was only midway through their experiences that they discovered she had never done this before!
Sarah reflected that, "Siriporn too had to rely on God to help us communicate with our Karen and Thai colleagues and pupils. She was invaluable, but only because she found the courage to step forward."
All nine Action Teams have many more stories of faith and hope, challenge and frustration. To hear more of their experiences and be inspired by the opportunities that world mission brings, hear them on tour - click here to find out more.