A group of students eating lunch at their school. Adams said instead of a cafeteria, the students sit on the ground to eat.
LEXINGTON, Neb. – After previous church missionary trips to Mexico and Madagascar, Pastor Rex Adams is no stranger to voyaging to far-off lands to spread the good news of the Gospels. But it seems after each trip; Adams is filled with new stories to tell and a greater understanding of the importance of sharing the message of God to other souls. Last month, Adams, pastor of Calvary Assembly of God Church in Lexington, and Al Copper returned from a 14-day missionary trip to India, where they stayed in Chennai, in the southeast corner of the country. Adams shared some insights and experiences from his trip with the Lexington Clipper-Herald. “We worked with local pastors from two different churches primarily. We went to find out how Nebraska churches could partner with churches in India to help the local people. We visited with people in five different local churches, two schools, an orphanage, and a water treatment facility,” Adams said about the purpose of the India trip. “We were primarily there to see what we could do to help them out down the road. We spoke at a conference one day, visited a wedding reception with 800 people in attendance visited an orphanage for children orphaned by the Tsunami in 2004,” Adams said. One small and easy way to spread joy and love to children of India was to give them treats, “we took tons of candy to give to kids in the area, they love American candy,” Adams said. As if often the case when journeying in a foreign country, safety scares find a way of popping up, as was the case in India. “We did have a pretty scary moment once while walking down the road we ran across a four-five foot cobra in the road with us. Creepy,” Adams said. The missionary trip was full of learning experiences in many different ways, Adams said. “I learned a lot about Indian culture, and I really came to appreciate the people there. So much of what you see in the movies about India is negative – dirty, crowded, etc- but in reality the people are very warm, hospitable, and kind,” he said. Meeting Indian children and trying Indian food were too fun highlights of the trip for Adams, he said. “The food was amazing and amazingly spicy, but I think the kids were my favorite. They were very curious about white people and a lot of fun to get to know,” he said. Asked how the India trip compared to other trips he’s taken, Adams said the India trip went smoother and was more comfortable for him. “It was a little easier than some of the other trips I’ve been on because there was so much English in Chennai. English is spoken in much of India as a second language, so it was a little easier to get around,” he said. “It didn’t feel like a totally alien culture, so I felt a little more comfortable. It was an amazing place.”