India day 11

Today we had a small pastor's meeting in Sithalapakkam ( i hope i spelled that right), which is near the grounds of our big crusades in Chennai. It was held in pastor Rajendran's church, since he was the main pastor who was instrumental in bringing the other pastors together for the crusade.

There were several churches represented at the meeting. Each of these pastor's had their churches pounding the streets for weeks getting the word out about the crusades, and also they worked very hard to transform the field into a place where we could hold the meetings. They had to knock down a lot of weeds, then bring in a machine to level the field off, then treat it with some disinfectant and begin setting up the stage, sound, lighting and seating area. This took a lot of time and significant effort.
We had a specific message we wanted to get across to the pastors, which was that they should continue to join forces even after the crusades to reach the community. These men were to be given information of those who respond to the gospel at the meetings, depending upon where the person lived in the area, and were to be responsible for follow up and discipleship.
One of the great things we were able to experience here is to have communion with these men of God. It was really special.

That evening, we held a small crusade in the slums of Chennai. Our original plan only included holding the three big nights of crusades, but at the last moment, Josh called me and asked if we had an extra $400. He said he could throw together some smaller crusades with just a small amount of money, so I said, "Lets do it!"
This was one of those meetings. When we arrived, I was pretty nervous. This place was a real dump and looked dangerous. I was especially nervous because we had needed to convert some dollars to rupees, and I had about ten years worth of the average person's wages in my duffle bag!
About 300 people turned out for our "small" crusade, and after many people responded to the altar call, we came down from the stage and layed hands on everyone who came forward for prayer. The setting was in a 30' wide alleyway between two tall, 4 or 5 story apartment buildings. People were hanging out of windows and balconies to listen. The street was packed full of chairs and people standing on the sides. Once we were in there, we weren't getting out until it was over. Josh laughed at me when I told him i made me nervous. What if these people didnt like what four americans had to say? We stuck out like sore thumbs.
But, it was a very fruitful crusade, and many souls were added to the kingdom of God. We were constantly surrounded by children who for some reason kept calling me "Stone Cold!" Wrestling is apparently very popular in India.

Keep the fire burning for Jesus wherever you may be!
See you on the streets!

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India, Day 10

After settling into Josh's home in Chennai, we had some wonderful ministry plans for the next week straight. Both Dr Kumar and Josh and his family were absolutely fantastic in the way they treated us and made room for us in their homes. I think we in the U.S. could learn some free lessons on hospitality from the Indian people. As guests in their homes, we were given preference in all things. The best room, the best food, you name it, we were given first dibs. Not only that, but they actually insisted that we take the best room and eat before them, etc. They wouldn't even allow us to argue. Very hospitable people. Roll over Hilton Hotel, I know where I'll be staying from now on.

So the first day of ministry was to hold an all-day pastors meeting with the young, emerging Christian leaders in Chennai. The place we rented out was a beautiful resort on the Indian Ocean about a half hour down the coastline south of Chennai. We had a full day of teaching, worship, games, food, and fellowship all planned out.

The reason for this is that so often the pastors will go to a pastor's meeting and receive a lot of good teaching, but will not get an opportunity to get to know each other. So we wanted to spend the whole day together with a light teaching schedule. This way, they would be able to build lasting relationships for the future of ministry together in Chennai.

The main theme of the entire day was that these young men need to include their wives in their ministry. In India, the women are not respected at all. In fact, many pastors will prioritize God first, ministry second, and family third. Often the wives get left out of the equation entirely. So, in order to change that dynamic, we met with the young emerging leaders and gave them practical, biblical instruction in this area. The teaching was very well received by them all, and we had great feedback(especially from the women lol).

We played several games with them, each one specifically chosen because they required the husband and wife to work together to achieve the goal. It was a great way to put the teaching into practice right off the bat.

We really enjoyed spending quality time with the pastors and their wives, getting to know them and seeing them foster good relationships that God will use to spread the gospel in this great city. As I write this, it has only been a few months since we left, and already they are planning to hold monthly mini-crusades together, going from one pastor's area to the next, month by month.

This was a special day because everything we had hoped to accomplish with the conference was a success. We left the place praising God for pouring out his blessing on our humble efforts.

Praise the Lord!

In local news, a small 3-man team was pounding the pavement on Sunday afternoon down at the boat races. In a few hours, we handed out almost 2,000 tracts and got into several great conversations with people. They tried to kick us out once, but we just moved down the beach about 400 yards and started over. haha It sure was hot, but God strengthened us and gave us good attitudes. Please consider joining us next time we hit it!

then I will see you on the streets!

India 2010, Day 8

Our last day of ministry in Rajahmundry in India is a Sunday, so our schedule brings us first to a small, outdoor church service partly off and partly in the middle of the roadside in a downtown sidestreet.

This place was very special to me personally because a lot of the attendees are people who had come to Christ through the cellphone preaching. Before the service began, Kumar told me that these believers all knew me and were anxious to see me in person because he had conducted the cell-phone preaching at this place a number of times. So at the end of the meeting, I asked him to address the crowd and ask how many of them had become Christians through the cellphone meetings. I was a bit overwhelmed when most of the people there raised their hands. It was a real encouragement to continue the work of the cellphone ministry.

Trevor delivered the main message and we laid hands on a prayed for every person there. the children were giddy and having a wonderful time. We were wondering why the security was so tight and why they looked so nervous. As we left, Kumar explained that just six months ago, the pastor was threatened by Hindu radicals to stop preaching the gospel. After he refused, he was attacked from behind in the middle of a Sunday morning service by a man with a machete, and had his head cut off in front of the whole crowd. We were both shocked and humbled because persecution became very real and also because it was an honor to preach from the pulpit of such a brave brother in Christ, who stood his ground in the face of death.

The evening crusade was in a familiar place. It was just a few kilometers away from our baptism site. As we were weaving our way through the alleyways and streets of the village, Kumar received a phone call and he instructed the driver to stop and shut off the lights. A group of Hindus were at the crusade causing a disturbance and threatening violence. We didnt know if we should be nervous or not. This wasnt the first time on this trip that the hindus were trying to obstruct the work of God. But, soon, the phone rang and we were on our way again. Apparently, there was some sort of deal struck, and we shut off a few of the loudspeakers in order for them to leave us alone.

Our stage was set in the middle of the roadway, and the chairs were lined up the street as far as we could see. The music was so loud. We chuckled together as we surmised what it would have been like if we hadnt shut off half the speakers. Kumar was still upset and said he wanted it to be like"thunder from heaven" upon the entire village. When the speaking began, we could not see how far the crowd went back into the street. There was row upon row of people coming out to hear the gospel. I preached about the fruit in our lives demonstrating what we really are, no matter what we may claim to be, and what it looks like to be a child of God. Then I shared the good news of the gospel with them and offered them an opportunity to come to Christ publicly. The altar filled up rapidly and after praying with them to receive the Lord, we laid hands on them and prayed for every person.

We headed back to Kumar's place, knowing that this was the last day of ministry in this dark city. The need for the gospel is so great in Rajahmundry. We all openly expressed our desire to come back and plant more seeds on this fertile soil.

Monday was a day that was burnt up in travel back to Chennai, so the next blog will begin on our first day of ministry in the city of Chennai, India.

In local news, me, the wife and the kids went down to Columbia Park for the 4th of July festivities last night and handed out over 800 tracts before we settled into a comfortable spot to watch the fireworks. I was pleasantly surprised by my kids as they handed out hundreds of tracts alongside their dad. I'm training up more evangelists!

See you on the streets!

India, Day 6, 7

Day 6 Saturday, March 13

Today was a very special day. First on our agenda was to head down to the river and baptize 60 new believers. The Godavari River is the 2nd most holy river in India, and is revered greatly by the Hindu faithful. There are magnificent temples built along its shores where people come and offer sacrifice to their gods.

The place Kumar chose to hold the baptisms is just below a gigantic dam, probably one of the largest I have seen. We went to a place where the river was about waste deep. It was extremely hot out, and we were down in the middle of a massive sandbar, so there was absolutely no shade to protect us from the sun. The water was warm and offered little relief. There were so many people coming to be baptized, 60 in all, and we were humbled by their desire to have us do it. The four of us, me, Richard, Trevor, and Rick, lined up and did them four at a time. It didn’t take very long, but we got lots of great pictures and I recorded the whole thing. It was an honor to take their first step of obedience to Christ with them.

We went home for showers and went to the mission hospital for a tour of the ministry there. As we arrived outside the building, we were greeted with garlands and a warm welcome. There were approximately fifty or so people waiting in line to be seen by a doctor. Kumar gave us the full tour, showing us every room and every piece of equipment. It was eye-opening to see the kind of medical treatment people receive in a third world country. We were able to pray for a lot of people, everyone, in fact, including a woman who was in recovery after a hysterectomy. Before we left, Kumar took the time to see a few patients and give them treatment. It is truly wonderful to see a man of God operating within the gifts he has been given. The mission hospital is also used to house the some of the orphans. The orphanage is only a block away, and is too small for the boys and girls to stay in one place, so at night, after school and dinner, the girls come over to the hospital where they have been assigned sleeping areas.
The only reason Kumar has the room for them is because when the economy in the US dried up, so did a lot of the support that the mission hospital relies on to continue most of the work. He has gone from 2-3 surgeries a day to maybe one per week. The need is still there and very real, but the resources are not. But extra space will never go to waste in a place like India, and Kumar and his team have utilized the extra room by giving the girls a safe place to sleep at night. Last time I was there, he told me how sometimes at night the Hindus would come and just simply take girls from the orphanage. It is important for them to have security even at night to protect the children.

After we finished laying hands on and praying for those who were still waiting for treatment, we headed to the orphanage to spend time with the children. Richard really got into teaching a couple of good lessons to the children, and played games with them that gave a picture of what the lesson was about. It was great to see him operating within his element. As I said before, it is wonderful to see a man of God using the gifts he has been given.
The Indian children are so beautiful. Their eyes are so full of life and hope. After being on the streets, looking into the years of hard living in the faces of so many people, it was refreshing to see the bright, youthful faces of the children. It is a hard thing to do, sitting there, looking at a bunch of kids who have lost their parents. Kids who do their studies every day, eat their dinner every night, and lie down on a cold floor with no family around. As I looked at them, I wondered what went through their minds in the stillness of the night, what memories they cherished, and how their little hearts must break. Then I thought about India and the hardness of the life they were faced with. They will never enjoy some of the simple pleasures that you and I take for granted every day. You have no idea how hard it was to maintain a smile for them, while I wept inside. All you want to do is take them up in your arms and make everything alright for them, but you know it isnt something you are capable of. But there is One who can. The best thing we could do for them is show them and tell them about the marvelous future we have in Jesus Christ. To tell them that there is a Father in heaven who knows their names and loves them deeply, who will never leave them or forsake them, and who has paid the ultimate price so that they will be able to enjoy endless fellowship with Him in paradise. What an incredible ministry, to come and offer hope to the hopeless, to offer love to the unloved, to show them that when they follow Christ, they become part of the family of God.

Our crusade was in a remote village about an hour from Rajahmundry. As we pulled into the narrow streets of the village, there was a demonstration going on at the Hindu temple in the middle of the village. They had a very loud amplifier and were getting excited. I hid my nervousness from the rest of the team. The crusade grounds were small, with seating for about 300, but only about 150-200 came to the meeting. I preached about finding your security and identity in Christ, and many souls were added to the kingdom for the glory of God. We laid hands on people and prayed for them afterward, and we also spent a few moments at the village pastor's church. It was a tent, maybe 15'x15' and he said he was currently having about 40 people there per Sunday. His home was attached to the church area, and was about half the size. He was so very happy with the success of the crusade because he has been laboring in the village for years and now they are coming to Christ. Praise the Lord!

Brothers and sisters, it has been a bit since the last blog went out. Many of you have been asking what the deal is. Things have been busy in the household, especially after the months of preparation for this trip, and then being gone for over two weeks from my precious family. I hope to have you fully updated soon, because there are some things developing that I am going to be excited to share with you very soon. I'll keep you posted...
See you on the streets!