I apologize for my post being so late but here it is.
* To help keep the Identity of our hosts a secret I will refer to them as Samuel and Rachel in this post.
1. Our Hosts
Our hosts in india, Rachel & Samuel are some of the coolest missionaries I have ever met. They were so kind and their passion for serving the Lord was astonishing. Samuel is the lead on church planting in their district. He has planted over 140 churches so far and has plans to plant 140 more. He has also raised up and discipled over 67 pastors making him part of one of the largest Christian groups in that area of India. It was such an honor to serve along side him and his family this past month. I pray that God Blesses him and his family for all the work they have put forth for the kingdom of God.
2. Our Food
Curry, Curry, Curry… The amount of curry my squad and I ate the past month was unbelievable. Almost every meal consisted of some kind of rice with a little curry and just about every night after ministry we would be invited in to one of the homes in the village where we would preach and they would serve us the spiciest curry you could possible eat. Me being from Southeast Texas, I have always enjoyed the overflow of cajan food out of South Louisiana but it was still pretty tough for even me to get past. The taste was still very enjoyed though. Curry can now be added to my list of top favorite foods.
3. Our ministry
Our ministry in India was my favorite. Every night my team and I would travel out to a remote village and join a church out in the bush (A church that Samuel most likely started). Some were house churches and some were in organized buildings. Regardless, they were all preaching the word of God and it was such an amazing experience to come along side them and encourage them in their faith and preach Jesus’ name with them and to them. The evidence of God working in and through those people was uncanny.
4. Pray for India
Currently, India is a closed country, meaning preaching/evangelizing of Jesus’s name is illegal outside a church building. This being the current law in india christianity is highly oppressed by the RSS group which is the more radical hindu nationalist. It is not uncommon for members of this organization to beat or even kill the christian pastors in the southern regions of India. Samuel himself has been beat many times because of his faith in Christ but he never lets that deter him from sharing Jesus.
Every night durning our our ministries I would bring my guitar and we would lead the church in a few worship songs. The song “Break Every Chain” by United Pursuit was one of the songs on our list of music we would play. And in that song there is a chorus that states “there is an army rising up” and I could not help but picture these churches regardless of their oppression still growing, rising up and preaching Jesus to their nation. They are the armies rising up to fight for God’s kingdom. Samuel even confirmed this one night by telling one of the team that radical RSS groups thinks they are in control but they really have no idea how fast the church is growing right under their noses.
To put the icing on the cake, in May of next year the current president of India’s 5 year term is ending. The next president they are wanting to elect is a Christian woman and if she get elected india will no longer be a closed country and the whole nation will be free to hear the gospel of Jesus.
