Hello to all! We have, by the favor of our Father, successfully landed in Nepal and have begun our ministry here on top of the world. Yet, I find myself reflecting much about what I learned during my mission to India. And what has almost imperceptibly imprinted me is the lifestyle me and my team lived through during our weeks of village evangelism. We literally were a step above homelessness. And I say that not to demean or denegrate the conditions of true homeless persons, nor to say that what our Father led us through was bitter for me while I was going through it, nor am I bitter now or unthankful for what YHVH taught me during this month. On the contrary, I am profoundly blessed to go through the purifying furnace that came to be India. As the spear throwing Spartans used to say, "He who goes through the severest school is most prepared".
What I went through was humbling and reducing. And by reducing I mean taking away all the slag and "stuff" that has come to fill my life and consume my time and mind with things that aren't immediately before me. Such slag is multiple electronic devices that suck my attention away from real people who have real souls, and the endless games that divert my concentration from the epic battles that are being waged for eternal consequences.
These things were eliminated because of our location, living conditions, and ministry in India. My team slept in sweat and sat in sweat ALL DAY. Our village evangelism began in mid-afternoon and lasted till 11:00 at night and while we were "resting" at the churches we slept, before ministry we would be cooped up in an unelectrified room in 90% humidity and 90 degree heat sweating all day. Either reading our bibles or conversating with one another, and it was poignantly purifying. The temptation to murmer, bicker, and complain constantly was always there for me and my team, as was the option to call it quits and get on an air conditioned plane ride back home to air conditioned cars and air conditioned houses, yet my team held their spirits up and took these conditions in stride never forgetting the one reason we flew across the world—for the glory of YHVH.
I hope this blog is encouraging to you in some way. India has been a very unique ministry month for me in many ways. May YHVH continue to bless you as you live for him!
Brother in Christ,
Matthew
