It is very hard to summarize the past week, or ten days, or however long it’s been since arriving on India’s eastern side because it truly feels like we have been here for months. While part of the reason it feels so long is because of looking at doing this for 10 more months seems very daunting to say the lease, an even bigger part is because of all the incredible things God has done over these few days. When we arrived in the east, the place we were staying is an orphanage. That has been amazingly rewarding and humbling because of two reasons. The person running this building has such a love for living God’s Word in how he has chosen to forego some of his worldly desires and aspirations to sacrifice his resources and provide a place to so many beautiful children they would otherwise not have. Secondly, once we arrived and every day since, the children have such an incredible joy about them and it is so uplifting to be a small part of that. It makes me think of when Jesus speaks of coming into the kingdom of God as a small child I am reminded the joy in the hearts of those children is the joy we should all have as believers in our inheritance.
Aside from playing with the children of the orphanage, we have also met up with other local pastors in the area whose passion is taking God’s Word to the surrounding villages. The first night our team went with the local pastors to a Church they had planted and it was such a beautiful scene. We drove up and it was essentially a small room with a handful of locals and numerous children from the village. After singing songs with them, we then moved inside due to the rain and had the service. The power went out and the rain was falling outside, but it did not dampen the Spirit of God that was present. At that moment I realized even though we were all so far from America, it still felt so familiar because the same Spirit of God that was working in the United States was alive and present in India. The following nights, the rain cleared and we were able to bring the Word into the streets. It was amazing how many people came, some of which to hear the message, the other part was curiosity to see Caucasians in that area. Either way, the message is being brought and received throughout.
A few nights ago, we attended an all night prayer service at another of the local pastor’s Church and I am happy to let this blog serve as a witness to God’s power. A lady who had been muted for some time was able to speak and sing for joy, another who had pain associated with kidney stones for over 10 years was healed, and another lady who had debilitating knee pain and problems who could barely walk was healed and jumping for joy. How amazing the opportunity to speak these truths and serve as a witness to a living God who cares about His people and is powerful and able to meet their needs!
Lastly, the past two days we went into the mountains to take the Gospel to alpine villages. The beauty of this for me is, of course, I love backpacking, but also knowing these places aren’t accessible by car makes the hike that much more special. As we were walking through the maze of rice fields I found myself realizing how wonderful an opportunity to speak the love and salvation of Christ to these areas. When we arrived at the main village, a local pastor had arranged our stay in the local Church. The service was wonderful and it was once again so encouraging to find God’s love and Spirit in such remote areas. After the sermons were delivered, the locals prepared a lovely dinner, which has been the case every night from the Churches we have visited, and we were treated so well by these remarkable people. While it is certainly a joy for them to receive us, I truly hope they know their faith and joy is such an encouragement to me and it is truly an honor to be amongst them. The following day we ventured back down the mountain, this time by a different route, and we stopped along other villages the pastor was trying to reach. While we prayed for the people, not all received the Word this time; however, as in the Parable of the Sower, seeds were planted. Let us all just pray for God to have keep preparing their hearts and to have mercy on those who hear His call and turn away. As always to everyone back home, I send my love and well wishes from India and know the stories I share are our stories, because none of this would be possible without your help and God’s Grace. Thanks for all of your prayers and support and continue to pray for our team as we serve the people of this wonderful land.
