I expected ministry to look like visiting the slums, preaching, singing, and praying for people. And we did that this month.
I did not expect it to look like handing out flyers for English classes and Christmas Eve celebrations. I did not expect it to look like desk work, admin projects, and creating youtube lyric videos in a foreign language. I did not expect it to look like an hour of intercessory prayer almost every morning, that lead to prayer walks, that lead to parks, that lead to sitting . . . and feeling like I am doing nothing.
And we did that this month too.
I did not expect ministry to teach me that I really, truly do nothing, and God does everything.
I am a doer. I am a product of 100% Dutch work-hard, work-harder attitude. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Never ask for a handout. Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and . . . okay I never followed that last one – I looove sleeping in and staying up late.
So this month when I really had to practice my prayer muscle – it was tough. We are helping out at Covenant Worship this month. The ladies were a part of a team with Bekah (an American who comes here for months at a time to do full time ministry) and Madhu (an Indian who is full time ministry here). These ladies, along with the director Julie are trying to get Covenant Worship Women off of the ground. It is slow going, with ups and downs, but they are determined.
Women here are very little value. Their main goals and dreams are for their relatives to make them a marriage match and to have sons. Many live in abusive relationships and leaving that relationship leaves them with very, very few options.
But the women here are full of joy and color. Their smiles are beautiful and their eyes light up. Their anklets jingle when they walk. Their earrings dangle and sparkle. Their bangles, their scarf, their kurta (blouse), their leggings, and their shoes all color coordinate. All-day-every-day. They also find so much joy in the Lord. The woman truly see their love and light in Christianity and they cling to it with so much hope. Jesus and His love and salvation truly means the world to them.
Our team and some of our ministry family prepared a skit for Christmas eve. As I started to read my narrator lines and I looked at these ladies. These ladies of a different culture – one where engagements were serious, babies out of wedlock are a life changing shame, and old age with no son means devastation and possibly an abusive husband. I read a story where an old couple had a son, despite their old age. A gift from God, a promise from an angel. I read a story where a woman got pregnant out of wedlock, but her fiance was kind – and even though she went through scorn and shame she new that generations to come would call her blessed.
I looked out at these woman and saw the Christmas story through their eyes. Not only was this the birth of their savior, but it was a story filled with God loving women. A story of God honoring and blessing two women who would play the most important roles in all of history. Elizabeth and Mary.
So sometimes I look back on this month and feel like I did nothing. But we built relationships, encouraged women, and connected a few to the ladies at Covenant Worship. Our ministry hosts had encouraging words and appreciation for us. We prayed unceasingly for the Lord to find favor on this ministry. We asked God to take this out of our hands and show us what He wants to do. We worked hard, and prayed harder.
Okay – so here is pretty much two blogs in one. James wrote this for our December newsletter and I wanted to share it here too!!
Christmas caroling in India was unlike any other caroling experience I have ever had. We did a couple of the classics; Joy to the World, O Come O Come Emmanuel, etc., but for the most part the songs were in Telegu, the common language of Hyderabad. They were not the slow paced, tragically beautiful carols we normally sing. Carols here are upbeat, energetic, and usually inspire a dance party.
So the guys of our team all joined in. We shouted the words we figured out and we danced when they pulled us into their circles. Sometimes it was just a call and response instead of a song. “HAPPY HAPPY CHRISTMAS!” was answered back with “MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!”.
The songs were not the only part of the evening that was different for us. We did not go to church members homes, where people would welcome you in with cookies and pleasantries. We went out to the slums. The Covenant Worship Centers team is full of guys that spend most of their weeknights visiting different slums and building relationships with the people. Eventually those relationships turn into a church. They worship together, pray together, and learn about Jesus.
I was nervous at first. I pictured the night being very dark and depressing. How can we sing about praises and joy in such a sad place? How could these people really have joy this Christmas season?
But these people were joyful. Every slum we went to had more decorations for Christmas than much of Hyderabad. They were so excited to see all of us, so excited to hear songs and to listen to everything we spoke on. The families were full of hope, full of joy, and full of gratitude. The families we met with and prayed for had more hospitality then many families in the U.S. They shared what ever they could with us, usually some chai tea and biscuits. It was wonderful. It was contagious.
At one particular home, our song leader forgot the next verse of the song. After a short awkward pause, we all heard a loud voice start singing the verse acapella. An older gentleman, who could barely stand, started singing with all he had, and just like that the whole group picked back up and continued on. After another half hour of singing, a quick message on the Christmas story, and stories shared over food and drinks, the old man wanted more songs.
I was wrong to assume I would not find any joy in the slums. Of course our Father can pierce any darkness. He is the source of all the joy in this world. With the Love of God in our hearts, we can not help but be overcome by a joy and a peace that surpasses all understanding. The guys here with the CWC know this. They are working hard trying to spread that love, trying to bring joy and hope to all of India.
Choose joy this season. We have a mighty Father who is bigger than whatever you may be facing.
