A Christ-Centered Reconciliation Movement Committed

to Spiritual and Social Freedom for India's Oppressed

9625 Mission Gorge Road, Ste. B2-385

Santee, CA 92071
619-596-0636 (o)

CHANGE THE WORLD…

ONE FOOT AT A TIME

TRUTHSEEKERS’
FOOTWASHING-RALLIES
OUTREACH

MARCH 5 – 13, 2011

The Problem
India is a country of both shining accomplishments and acute
suffering. While it is experiencing unprecedented growth, the lower
castes, Dalits (untouchables) and other tribal groups have labored
under ―divinely‖ sanctioned slavery for over 3,000 years.

The Cause
The key to the millennia of inequity and suffering in India is the caste
system—a social order that alleges the poverty, oppression and
discrimination experienced by the Other Backward Castes (OBCs),
Dalits (formerly known as Untouchables) and aboriginal tribal groups is
their divine fate, governed by the Hindu system of almost endless
reincarnation. In India, you are born into your station in life—even if
that station is child prostitution or slave labor.

3% Brahmin/Priest - Government

3% Kshatriya/Warrior -
Military
3% Baniya/Merchant - Business

52%
Shudra/Other
Backward Caste
(OBC)

6% 16% Dalit/Untouchable 17% Muslim, Sikh,

Tribals Jain, Christian,
Buddhist, Pharsii
The Challenge
While Christian outreach has ministered admirably in India, the bulk of
its efforts have been toward the Dalits, Tribals, and to a lesser degree,
the upper (Priest, Military, and Merchant) castes. The largest single
group in India—the nearly 700 million members of the Other Backward
Castes (OBCs)—has been considered unreachable, so locked into the
caste system that they are beyond help.

The Remedy
Sunil Sardar, founder of the modern-day Truthseekers International,
believes that God has already made Himself known to the OBCs, much
as God made Himself known to the Athenians to whom the Apostle
Paul preached in Acts 17. A native of central India, a Dalit, and a
third-generation Christian, Sunil--after decades of pastoral, church-
planting, and social-activist ministry--has discovered monotheistic,
pre-Christian, and even Christian roots within OBC beliefs and
traditions. He has taken up the mantle of 19th-century Indian
reformer Mahatma Jotirao Phule. Phule, known as the Martin Luther of
India, founded the original Truthseekers Society in the late 1800s to
push for spiritual and social reform in India.

Phule sought nothing less than spiritual, mental, social, economic,

educational, and physical freedom for India’s slaves—the OBCs, Dalits,
and tribals. In addition, Phule called upon Indians to abandon the
polytheistic system of oppression that had been imposed on them and
embrace Mahadeva, the most high God—Jesus Christ. Sunil
re-established Truthseekers to complete what Phule started. This
involves challenging the current caste system and facilitating caste
reconciliation through what is being called a Christward People
Movement.
 How You Can Help: Footwashing Rallies
Several years ago, Sunil and his Truthseekers team discovered that
holding public rallies where the message of Christ is not just
proclaimed, but demonstrated by Westerners kneeling and washing
the feet of India’s oppressed men, women, and children, is a powerful
tool for spreading the message of spiritual and social freedom in
Christ. We currently organize and lead two such trips each year; our
first 2011 trip is scheduled for March 5 – 13, 2011.

What Happens on these Trips?

Over the course of a week, at least three programs are held where
lower-caste and outcaste Indians can tangibly experience the love of
Christ through the footwashing outreach. These are public programs,
including stages, sound, music, spoken messages (from Sunil, local
leaders, and volunteers from our group), all culminating in our
kneeling down and washing the feet of people who are accustomed to
being ―touched‖ by upper-caste persons only when they are struck or
pushed aside.

These programs are held in communities where Truthseekers has been

at work for some time, and are enthusiastically welcomed by the
community. Be prepared for smiles, cheers, hugs, and even requests
for autographs!

Via the Internet, you can access two videos where you can see the
footwashing-rallies experience for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5fTsscMGtU (three-minute video

from November 2008)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LrIn_KINjc (four-minute video

from March 2010)

Do I Need any Special Skills or Language Abilities?

The beauty of the footwashing rallies is that no special skills or
language aptitude are required. If you are open to engaging with and
learning from other cultures, willing to treat people with respect and
courtesy, and eager to demonstrate the love of Christ through the
simple washing of feet, you will be a tremendous benefit to
Truthseekers’ outreach to India’s lower castes.
What Does a Typical Schedule Look Like?
As an example, here is our schedule from the March 2010 trip:

Day 1: (morning) Begin travel from U.S.

Day 2: (evening) Arrive New Delhi, India

Airport pickup by Truthseekers staff, transport
to housing, check-in, settle in for the night

Day 3: 9:00 am Breakfast at Truthseekers Center

Meet the Truthseekers staff
Introductions & getting acquainted
10:30am Tea break
11:00am Overview of Truthseekers ministry
Overview of footwashing rallies
Distribute and discuss schedule
1:00pm Lunch at Truthseekers Center
Describe and discuss footwashing programs
Footwashing service (TS staff and volunteers)
and debrief
3:00pm Tea break
3:30pm Housekeeping: Change money, purchase
Indian-appropriate clothing at FabIndia
7:00pm Dinner at Truthseekers Center
8:30pm Back to housing, sleep well!

Day 4: 9:00am Breakfast

10:00am Orientation for footwashing program in NW
Delhi (outreach to slum children)
11:00am Board bus
12:00pm Arrive program site, NW Delhi
12:30pm Lunch
2:00pm Footwashing program
4:00pm Board buses
5:00pm Return to Truthseekers Center
5:30pm Debrief
6:00pm Dinner
7:00pm Further debrief, discussion & prayer
8:30pm Back to housing, sleep well!

Day 5: 6:00am Depart for train station

7:00am Board train for Gwalior (3 hours SE from Delhi;
breakfast provided on train)
 10:00am Arrive Gwalior, pickup by local staff, reception
and introductions
11:00am Board vehicles for drive to program site
12:30pm Arrive program site; lunch
2:00pm Footwashing program
4:00pm Board vehicles for return to Gwalior
6:00pm Board train for Agra (dinner provided on train)
8:00pm Arrive Agra; transport to tourist hotel; check-in
and settle in for the night

Day 6: 8:00am Breakfast

9:00am Meet with guide; distribute tickets; walk (10
min) to Taj Mahal
9:30am Taj Mahal tour
11:30am Board vehicles; drive to restaurant
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Board vehicles; drive to Agra Fort
1:30pm Agra Fort tour
3:30pm Board vehicles; drive to train station
5:30pm Board train for Delhi (dinner provided on train)
8:00pm Arrive Delhi; transport to housing, sleep well!

Day 7: 9:00am Breakfast

9:30am Orientation for footwashing program in
Ochandi neighborhood of Delhi
10:30am Board bus
11:30am Arrive Ochandi
12:00pm Footwashing program
2:00pm Lunch
3:00pm Board bus
4:00pm Return to Truthseekers Center
4:30pm Debrief, discussion, prayer
5:30pm Break
7:00pm Dinner
8:30pm Return to housing, sleep well!

Day 8: 9:00am Breakfast

9:30am Debrief & evaluation of week @ Truthseekers
Center
11:00am Board bus
12:00pm Arrive at neighborhood school for visit &
orientation
1:00pm Board bus
1:30pm Arrive Dilli Haat – lunch, souvenir shopping
 3:30pm Board bus
4:00pm Return to housing; pack for departure
6:00pm Celebration dinner @ Truthseekers Center
8:30pm Depart for airport

Day 9: Early am Flights depart for US; arrival in US same day

What Does a Footwashing Trip Cost?

Here are how the costs break down:

$1,395 to Truthseekers
This price includes upgraded guest-house lodging, food, in-country
travel, program, and your Day 6 excursion to the Taj Mahal. Your fees
also help to cover the costs of the footwashing rallies and support the
ongoing work of the Truthseekers team in India.

Airfare: $1,500 (est.)

Airfares can vary; $1,500 is a mid-range estimate.

Visa: $73 ($60 visa fee + $13 consular fee)

All US citizens are required to purchase a basic Tourist visa to enter
India. We will provide you with all of the information and links you will
need to secure your visa.

Indian-appropriate clothing: $50 (est.)

It is mandatory for women, and recommended for men, to purchase
Indian-appropriate clothing to wear at our programs. Costs can vary,
but $50 per person should be more than enough to provide you with
plenty of appropriate (and attractive!) clothing.

Personal funds: $100 (est.)

This is up to you—personal funds for souvenir shopping, purchasing
snacks along the way, etc.

Total estimated maximum cost:

Fee to TS $1,395
Airfare (est.) 1,500
Visa 73
Clothing (est.) 50
Personal (est.) 100

Total $3,118
What is My Next Step?

You can secure your place with a non-refundable deposit of $100. You
can send your deposit via mail to:
Truthseekers
9625 Mission Gorge Road Suite B2 – 385
Santee, CA 92071

You can also register online:

http://www.truthseekersna.org/l2.cfm?pg=7 will take you to
Truthseekers’ Donate page, and you can then utilize the PayPal
option.

You can also contact us for more information:

Noel and Kyle Becchetti

619-596-0636
noelpb@gmail.com
kyle.becchetti@gmail.com
www.truthseekersna.org

We look forward to serving together with you in India!

God bless,

Noel Becchetti, Executive Director

Kyle Becchetti, Director of Operations