Hello again, all my prayer warriors and supporters!
I cannot believe I have about a week left here in the country of India! The time has surely passed and this last week here is sure to fly by also. I have soaked in the culture, enjoyed the people, and seen a beautiful growth in the body of Christ here in this dark place. India is recorded to have only 2% of its population followers of Christ, and yet after I have visited these churches, it seems as if the people here do not take notice of the fact. They worship regardless of persecution, of the fact that they are in such a dark nation, that the devil is attacking with all he has, for they know truly who the one true King is, and they know that The Lord will take their nation back.
I was reading the book of Revelation yesterday and I had a -wait for it- revelation while reading it. I read through the end times and the coming back of our Savior and the righteous justice he will bring. I read of the wrath and justice of The Lord almighty, and I could only think of India while reading. This place is dark, yes, and a direct result of the fall, but justice will be upon the rebelling flesh of man and the deception and desolation of Satan. Of course this is not happening tomorrow- so I would assume- but just reading about the Lord in such a way made me remember that all is not lost and that the Lord will come back. That those who are persecuted here and worship in fear will soon be welcomed at the gates of splendor and will see that their strife and hardship was not in vain. Every tear will be wiped, every pain comforted, for the Lord is good and will take his church back. Hallelujah!
So that was a bit of a explosion of feelings…
So, Garrett, you’ve been on the race for a month now… what have you learned or taken away from it?
Good question! So far it has been a little hard just because we are locked up here in this compound of an area, which is nice and all, but it is hard to feel missionary-ish when most of the day is spent inside. Ministry, while I am gone from around 4-11pm, is quite the experience as I have said already. I have spoken to many, heard many, and prayed for many, and with every day that passes, I grow closer and closer to the Lord. Not only have I been seeking his Truth and mind, but also his Heart, that which is visible and findable through his church, through my prayer, and through the true dwelling on his Word. I strive to not just know what is love is, but to fully experience his love so that I may love him more, along with the Church. So I strive for a greater personal relationship with The Lord, but also a strong desire to edify the church as Paul so strongly pushes for when talking to the Corinthians. What good are any of my actions if they do not bring edification to the church and give glory to God on High? So I treat my ministry as the church, and I treat my own team/tribe as the church, for we are to build each other up and pursue Christ with our heart, mind, and strength, for this will bring expansion of the Word of God as our fruits of the Spirit bring a light to those in the dark. I hope that answers the question.
Hey Garrett, where are you exactly, why can’t you be more specific?
Another great question! I do not remember if I answered this in another blog, but I will reiterate for clarification. I really cannot mention what city I am in specifically, for the big dogs of the country would not appreciate if they knew evangelism was happening, so I must refrain from saying specifics for the time being.
One more question Garrett!
Yes the food is AMAZING!
But I didn’t even ask the quest-
I can say with FULL certainty that I am truly in love with garlic naan bread! We finally went to a real Indian restaurant and a few cuisine places and, oh my, I love it all. The spice, the bread, the weird onion-lemon-salt combination that is quite amazing. Indians really know what good food is and it might… just might surpass my love of Italian food…which is quite unfathomable!
I will post maybe two more blogs while in the country of India, and with those two blogs hopefully I can get all my photos organized and figured and get videos on youtube and stuff, and then you will get a small vision of what life is like here and on the field!
Oh and before I finish the post… we went to the beach three days ago and I experienced the warmest ocean water ever and the biggest and baddest waves ever! My body surfing game was on point and my everything tasted like salt for the rest of the day. Now I can say I have been in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean! So the beach was quite the fantastical time!
Of course I ask again for prayers of support and the issues I mentioned in my last blog, as things are getting better, but prayer is so important, along with words of encouragement which I so greatly appreciate! Feel free to send me personal messages too through Facebook, as I will most likely respond to those faster than ones on my blog….
So now I will finish out the week, strong hopefully, and thank you so much for reading through my journey.
God Bless, Garrett Stoecker
“I knew that with time, mountains would move for me.” -Norman McLean
