Hello dear readers, followers, prayer-warriors and friends of friends just checking us out,
On paper, today would've been considered a "light" day and while the ratio of minutes off to minutes on seemed to be leaning towards "minutes off", today was extraordinarily eventful. We began the day at another school (the Spartan school) - and this one was amazing. We led a program for over 1500 students, all ages/grades, and it was so much fun. This was an English speaking school and we were able to lead and have them join with us in all of our singing. We did the Daniel skit again, (classic...we're ready to take it on the road. Wait...), John gave the message, Tim did his illusion (I'm telling you folks, it's the Christian equivalent of sawing a woman in half - he really does a fantastic job with it and the kids are awed every time) and this school had a band! Like, a real rock band. Guitars, drums, bass...I felt pretty inadequate getting up there with a single acoustic guitar, but halfway through Father Abraham, I hear a low, rhythmic rumbling sound. I look over and there is Johnathon slamming away on bass.
I should probably take a second and introduce Johnathon since none of you know who he is and he's been David's right-hand man in this whole mission. David has known Johnathon since he was a boy (John, that is - Johnathon is 33), Indian, speaks great English, a brilliant musician/singer and is up on all the worship songs, old and new. He's like me, only Indian. With talent. And better hair. The team loves him and we can't wait to get him over to the states. I personally have become a huge fan of him and we've really had a ball worshiping together. But I digress.
So, Johnathon jumps in and we start rocking Father Abraham. Father Abraham has never rocked so hard. Then, this 4 year old prodigy (ok, maybe he was 10-12) jumps on the drums and starts banging out some rock licks. It wasn't The 8:30 Band, but man, it was so much fun. The team has really gotten great at these things. Pros.
After the program at the school, we headed out for a little break - grabbed an early morning dessert (yes, it is worth it to fly all the way to India for Black Forest cake) and swung by a grocery store for "lots of things" (that's the polite way of saying we bought up all of the toilet paper in the store). We also picked up the Indian version of the Moon-Pie. Tastes just like ours. All ten of them. We checked. Then it was back to David's condo for some lunch and some rest.
The rest time really was by God's provision. Tomorrow is shaping up to be a huge day, so we had a few hours off to nap/rest, thinking it would be helpful for the events of tomorrow. However, we found out, in God's perfect plan, that the rest we got today...we needed for today.
We spent the evening at a new church dedication and we actually arrived early (who knew it was possible to do this in India?) so we headed out to a street corner to drum up attention by taking the guitar and just singing some songs together. We pulled together a huge group, it was blessed. But here was the problem, it was hot and humid - really draining on the team. We are kind of used to this at this point, but the difference was the issue of water. Here in India, you can't drink anything but bottled water if you're not from here. David so graciously picked us up 100+ HUGE bottles of water. He did not realize, however, that Americans are greedy camels who will drink 3-4 bottles a day. Needless to say, we depleted that stock without much effort. So, David ordered some to be delivered yesterday. They were not delivered yesterday. In fact, they were not delivered until this evening - AFTER we had left for the night. So, we had about 2-3 bottles of water to share amongst the group. This ended up resulting in a few of the ladies getting pretty ill on the way home. Heat exhaustion/dehydration = no fun. Fortunately, they seem to be feeling a little better and we're hoping a good night's sleep will revive them. Please keep Katie and Christi in your prayers tonight.
While the conditions were a little rough, it was an awesome evening. We helped dedicate the new church space and then participated in their worship. It is always a beautiful thing to worship with our brothers and sisters, even across the language barriers. Just like Heaven. Pastor Shuresh (he was the pastor who we introduced yesterday on the Skype feed at church) got up to preach and, we may not speak a lick of Tamil, but homeboy can really preach. It's amazing how God works though...first, there were sound issues - and the Lord was good and Shuresh kept preaching through it until it was fixed. Then, as is normal in India, the power goes out. Completely. What's remarkable is that the lights go out, the sound shuts off and without missing a beat, Pastor Shuresh just keeps continuing on. And I am 100% convinced that his voice actually got louder AFTER the power went out. It was amazing. It just goes to show how all of the trappings of "Church", when they're taken away, God's Word still goes out, convicts and changes lives. It was awesome to be witness to that.
While we had plenty of experiences tonight, not all of them were great...or even good. This last experience should give you insight into the area, culture and persecution that the India Church faces. As Katie Salley was walking back to the van, two girls came up and grabbed her hands to walk with her. All of the sudden, another woman comes and attacks one of the girls, punching her in the head and face. Katie tried to intervene and the pastor's wife had to come over to deal with the issue. Turns out, the woman who attacked was the victim's mother. She was mad that her daughter 1) danced to Father Abraham and 2) was holding hands with a white woman. I don't think I included this in yesterday's blog (an oversight), but yesterday, we also witnessed some persecution. After worship on Sunday, a Muslim man was hanging outside the church walls, leaning over and trying to get us to talk to him. David indicated to us that this guy was a habitual trouble maker for the church (vandalism, harassment) and that, when the time came to leave, we needed to do so quickly. Our bus driver pulled up close to the wall, just enough to open the door so we could get in. Lee was our frontline and stood between the door and the wall to block the man who was trying to enter our van. Once we were all on, the man would not let go of the door and kept insisting that he get on. The Lord was good to us and we were able to get out of that situation, but our hearts have been breaking over the fact that, while we were able to get out of that situation, that type of persecution is a daily reality for the Christians in India. No pun at all intended, but this is completely foreign to us as Americans. We have zero idea what persecution really is. Which leads me to the prayer requests, which may be a little different tonight:
1. Please offer a praise to God for the arrival of the water. This may seem small, but we are so dependent upon this.
2. Please ask God for healing and strength for the team. Each day, the exhaustion increases.
3. Please ask God to bless the three events of tomorrow (2 school programs and a church dedication)
4. Please pray for the persecuted Church in India.
5. Please pray for the girl who was beat up by her mother that she would find healing and peace.
6. Please pray for her mother that she would receive conviction and accept Christ.
I'm sorry to end tonight's blog on a bit of a downer, but that was the reality of what's going on here in India. But we know that God is still good and that He is able to do incredible, incredible things. Thanks again for your support and your prayers. We feel them. Don't let up.
-Jeff
Monday, June 21, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
It's Been One Week Since You Looked At Me
Hey Gang-
So, if you were fortunate enough to be in the 11 a.m. service today, you know that you got a surprise visit from...YOUR INDIA 2010 TEAM...courtesy of Skype. Isn't technology wonderful (except when it will eventually become smarter than us and take over the world)? We are now at the halfway point - one week down, one more week to go. Today was a beautiful day of worship. And God's provision was all around us. First, while technology is indeed wonderful, the ladies have not yet mastered the skills necessary to work an alarm clock. Our "call time" (time that is set for the team to get together first thing for devotions) was 8:15. Due to "faulty alarm clocks" (wink wink) the ladies didn't rouse from their slumber until 8 a.m. (men, on the other hand, up at 6:30) - however, David told us that due to some unforeseen circumstances, our departure time was pushed back an hour - score one for God.
I know that I tend towards the dramatic/embellishments, but I'm not sure how to more clearly communicate he fact that nothing in India...and I mean, NOTHING...goes according to plan. But the spontaneity and the skill of flexibility have produced some of the most meaningful times on our trip. As I've noted previously, Sandra has been feeling pretty ill. We felt that seeing a doctor might be a good idea, but we didn't want to wait until the afternoon to have her see a doctor. So, with 5 minutes to go before departure, David takes Sandra to the doctor a few blocks away. It is amazing how God works this out. First, to His glory, Sandra is feeling much better and has been able to participate in the events again - thank you for your prayers for her healing. Then, as we all sat around basically missing our worship service, the remaining team members broke out into a spontaneous time of worship that lasted the entire time we were waiting - it was beautiful and holy and just what the team needed.
David and Sandra returned and we were all able to head out to the worship service in a village church. We arrived towards the end and were able to lead the church in some songs, skits, prayer and scripture. While we missed participating in the full time of worship, it was a blessing from God that all of it worked out the way it did. It was extraordinarily hot in the church and a few team members had some moments that caused concern in terms of really feeling pretty ill. So, while we were able to participate, we also made it through together and were able to experience our own time of worship. God is so good.
In our sharing time tonight, we all recounted what we witnessed at that church. First, the church had no A/C. Now, I know Faith was without A/C for one Sunday. Now, imagine being without A/C in India. In the middle of the day. In June. Every. Single. Week. And here's the kicker...we got there for the last hour and almost had some heat strokes (no exaggeration) - yet these believers had been there for 3.5 hours worshiping in that church BEFORE we ever showed up. And they sang and danced and praised as if they were just getting started. It was so beautiful and humbling. Seeing these things have really given a new perspective to some of the way we "do Church". This has been a very eye-opening trip - not just to what God is doing on mission in India, but what God is doing in the lives of His Church through the Holy Spirit in India. Our lives are being changed whether we like it or not. But, we like it. It's incredible.
Our night ended at a vegetarian restaurant - that's right, vegetarian, as in...not even chicken. But...it was absolutely amazing food and hands down the COLDEST building in Chennai currently open for business. It was like a meat locker, which is ironic considering the fact that it was vegetarian - but man, did it feel amazing. AMAZING. And then, to close out, we got to spend a few minutes Skyping with our church family. What a blessing it was to share with you guys for a few minutes and touch base with you. We know you love us - we love you guys so much and can't wait to be back with you.
Tomorrow, we have an early day again - heading out by 8 a.m. to go do a school program for an English speaking school and then we will be participating in the evening in one of the four New Church Dedications we will be involved in this week - we are so excited about this. Please keep us in your prayers for:
1. The arrival of the 11 cases of water (this may sound trivial, but we are completely out of bottled water and today's delivery has not shown up yet - this is a huge request and we covet your prayers on this)
2. Opportunities for Evangelistic conversations
3. Help processing all of the lessons we're learning and how we can bring home all that we are learning and seeing and applying it to our lives
4. Health for the team - more and more of the team members are having some health issues - nothing serious, but the heat is really starting to take its toll.
Thank you guys, again, so much for your encouragement as we journey together through this. But, I would just like to clarify, for those who attended the 11 a.m. worship...Pops said that I called him at 7 a.m. to talk about Skype and that I did not wish him a Happy Father's Day. For the record, I called him on the 20th - OUR CHENNAI 20th to wish him a Happy Father's Day and I told him I loved him in front of the whole team. It was sick. So, I did indeed wish him a Happy Father's Day. However, I'm taking it back for throwing me under the bus like that.
Love you guys,
-Jeff
So, if you were fortunate enough to be in the 11 a.m. service today, you know that you got a surprise visit from...YOUR INDIA 2010 TEAM...courtesy of Skype. Isn't technology wonderful (except when it will eventually become smarter than us and take over the world)? We are now at the halfway point - one week down, one more week to go. Today was a beautiful day of worship. And God's provision was all around us. First, while technology is indeed wonderful, the ladies have not yet mastered the skills necessary to work an alarm clock. Our "call time" (time that is set for the team to get together first thing for devotions) was 8:15. Due to "faulty alarm clocks" (wink wink) the ladies didn't rouse from their slumber until 8 a.m. (men, on the other hand, up at 6:30) - however, David told us that due to some unforeseen circumstances, our departure time was pushed back an hour - score one for God.
I know that I tend towards the dramatic/embellishments, but I'm not sure how to more clearly communicate he fact that nothing in India...and I mean, NOTHING...goes according to plan. But the spontaneity and the skill of flexibility have produced some of the most meaningful times on our trip. As I've noted previously, Sandra has been feeling pretty ill. We felt that seeing a doctor might be a good idea, but we didn't want to wait until the afternoon to have her see a doctor. So, with 5 minutes to go before departure, David takes Sandra to the doctor a few blocks away. It is amazing how God works this out. First, to His glory, Sandra is feeling much better and has been able to participate in the events again - thank you for your prayers for her healing. Then, as we all sat around basically missing our worship service, the remaining team members broke out into a spontaneous time of worship that lasted the entire time we were waiting - it was beautiful and holy and just what the team needed.
David and Sandra returned and we were all able to head out to the worship service in a village church. We arrived towards the end and were able to lead the church in some songs, skits, prayer and scripture. While we missed participating in the full time of worship, it was a blessing from God that all of it worked out the way it did. It was extraordinarily hot in the church and a few team members had some moments that caused concern in terms of really feeling pretty ill. So, while we were able to participate, we also made it through together and were able to experience our own time of worship. God is so good.
In our sharing time tonight, we all recounted what we witnessed at that church. First, the church had no A/C. Now, I know Faith was without A/C for one Sunday. Now, imagine being without A/C in India. In the middle of the day. In June. Every. Single. Week. And here's the kicker...we got there for the last hour and almost had some heat strokes (no exaggeration) - yet these believers had been there for 3.5 hours worshiping in that church BEFORE we ever showed up. And they sang and danced and praised as if they were just getting started. It was so beautiful and humbling. Seeing these things have really given a new perspective to some of the way we "do Church". This has been a very eye-opening trip - not just to what God is doing on mission in India, but what God is doing in the lives of His Church through the Holy Spirit in India. Our lives are being changed whether we like it or not. But, we like it. It's incredible.
Our night ended at a vegetarian restaurant - that's right, vegetarian, as in...not even chicken. But...it was absolutely amazing food and hands down the COLDEST building in Chennai currently open for business. It was like a meat locker, which is ironic considering the fact that it was vegetarian - but man, did it feel amazing. AMAZING. And then, to close out, we got to spend a few minutes Skyping with our church family. What a blessing it was to share with you guys for a few minutes and touch base with you. We know you love us - we love you guys so much and can't wait to be back with you.
Tomorrow, we have an early day again - heading out by 8 a.m. to go do a school program for an English speaking school and then we will be participating in the evening in one of the four New Church Dedications we will be involved in this week - we are so excited about this. Please keep us in your prayers for:
1. The arrival of the 11 cases of water (this may sound trivial, but we are completely out of bottled water and today's delivery has not shown up yet - this is a huge request and we covet your prayers on this)
2. Opportunities for Evangelistic conversations
3. Help processing all of the lessons we're learning and how we can bring home all that we are learning and seeing and applying it to our lives
4. Health for the team - more and more of the team members are having some health issues - nothing serious, but the heat is really starting to take its toll.
Thank you guys, again, so much for your encouragement as we journey together through this. But, I would just like to clarify, for those who attended the 11 a.m. worship...Pops said that I called him at 7 a.m. to talk about Skype and that I did not wish him a Happy Father's Day. For the record, I called him on the 20th - OUR CHENNAI 20th to wish him a Happy Father's Day and I told him I loved him in front of the whole team. It was sick. So, I did indeed wish him a Happy Father's Day. However, I'm taking it back for throwing me under the bus like that.
Love you guys,
-Jeff
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Riddle of the Day: What does a briarpatch, toilet frogs, and the "No kissing..." slogan have in common?
Answer: They all have something to do with Betty Jo's India bathroom adventures....
....and there is no way I'm about to explain that here. You'll have to ask her personally. It will be very rewarding, I promise.
....and there is no way I'm about to explain that here. You'll have to ask her personally. It will be very rewarding, I promise.
Current Indian Nephew Count: 100
Greetings from the most exhausting day thus far on the trip - and will definitely be in the running at the end of the week for Overall Most Exhausting Day. However, apparently, on mission in India, their is a direct correlation between exhaustion and exhilaration. Today was amazing. Absolutely the best time ever.
Today we had only one event - one 12-hour event (including travel...which was an "event"). We had the awesome opportunity to go out to David's Mission Center/School - a 2-hour drive (left at 8:30) way out in a remote village. Upon arrival, we were met at the gate by all of the students, former students, parents, teachers and pastors who were lined up with roses for each of us. As we made our way down the line, we were so touched by the hospitality of the people of India. As Americans, we have a whole lot to learn - I mean...a WHOLE lot. We prayed outside together and raised the Christian flag up the pole and then moved into the absolutely beautiful Mission Center for a time of worship and celebration. They sang and danced for us and then we sang and did "hand motions" (ie: Baptist dancing) and some of our skits. Tim did his illusion again (I'm telling you, he loves this illusion and really wants to do it for you, so please ask) and I'm starting to figure out how he does it. The kids certainly love it. One of the best things that happened today...David asked us, on the fly, to present the "Evangecube" to the whole group. I have mentioned the Evangecube before, but it has occurred to me you may not know what this is. The Evangecube is one of the coolest, easiest and most engaging ways of presenting the Gospel message - it's a literal cube that folds out into 7 "panels", each one depicting an element of the Gospel (Our separation from God, God's judgment, Jesus' payment on the Cross, His resurrection, His bridging the gap between us and God, the promise of Heaven/eternal life and what we must do as we accept Christ to be our Savior). It's a beautiful picture. Just so happens, we put together the "Big Cube" yesterday and brought it along today. So, when David asked, I looked at the team and said, "Anyone want to take this?" Katie Salley jumped up, grabbed the 'Cube and headed to the front and presented the Gospel message (which was translated by Pastor Yaman into Tamil) to the entire group. It was awesome.
The program was followed by lunch (again, incredible) and then we had "free time" to just hang out with the kids, which was one of the best experiences on the trip. We all took off, found some kids and then just ministered. We've come to realize that one of our primary ministries here in India is the encouragement of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ here - and at the same time, we always feel that we come away far more blessed than any blessing we passed on. But that doesn't mean we haven't had the opportunity for evangelism. Today, during the free session, Sandra had the opportunity to use the Big 'Cube to share Christ with two men. They were not at a place of making a decision, but she was faithful in presenting the Gospel and it was a beautiful thing. In the meantime, after we played a rousing game of "Chicken Chicken Goat" (= "Duck Duck Goose" in India...at least, it does now) in which every conceivable "DDG" or "CCG" rule was broken, we spent time making balloon animals (interestingly, most requested item: a Cross), sharing the Gospel with the regular size Kid 'Cubes and making Salvation bracelets. Today, the Gospel of Christ was presented at least 2-3 times per person and His love was communicated through fellowship and encouragement.
An interesting story I just have to share: when I went out for free time, a handful of the older teen boys got around me and started stabbing me with their balloon swords and asking me if I watch WWF on TV and screaming "JOHN CENA! JOHN CENA" (Professional wrestler/terrible actor). Totally honest...I thought I was going to get beat up. But then one of the boys saw my tattoo and asked what it meant. I said, "Worshipper". So beautiful...they all started repeating "Worshipper...worshipper" (they spoke about 5% English, if that). Then one of the boys stepped forward, took a pen from his brother, and proceeded to take my left hand and in extremely artistic block letters - and in absolutely perfect English lettering wrote, "JESUS" and then drew an artistic cross through the center of it. It was absolutely beautiful. I went to show off what Ya. Ms. B. did (that's what he told me to call him because apparently I would get his full name wrong...so, we stuck to initials). Everyone I took him to, he repeated the beautiful act. So amazing how God works through and across the cultural differences - Jesus transcends everything.
It is impossible to communicate all our team has been experiencing and processing these days. We have seen Christians in utter poverty shouting for joy because of God's provision - yet their worship seems so much more passionate than ours and we have the benefits of excessive blessings. We have been humbled by the hospitality and the sheer desire to serve our every need. Just walking to the car today, the boys ripped our gear out of our hands to carry it for us - even though the car was 10 feet away. To be honest, it's really been tough to process what we're to do with this new appreciation and awareness of the blessings of God. We talked tonight in our sharing time how the people of India really prioritize passion over perfection - they don't care how they sound, all they care about is how passionately (and how loudly) they can sing it. Yet, so often, as American Christians, we focus on getting everything exactly right - everything has to look and sound perfect...but perfection doesn't mask the absence of passion. I'm starting to ramble (and I think you can make the connection), but our passions are being stirred here and we wish you could all be with us to experience this - though, we might have to rent another bus if you were ALL to be here with us, but we would certainly love that.
Tomorrow seems like it should be a bit more restful - I say "seems" because, while that is the plan, we have learned that in India, there are no such things as concrete plans. There are reasonable ideas of what can happen and what will happen and you just have to learn to improvise and think on your feet. But, even that has been a blessing as our most spontaneous moments have been the best memories so far. However, the only thing on the books is worship with a village church tomorrow. We will be out there for a few hours sharing in their worship time and then once they have finished, we will do about a 45 minute program (music/skits). I do think David has kept our evening clear tomorrow so we can have a special Father's Day dinner. David has really been the absolute greatest, most generous host and we're so thankful for him. Speaking of Father's Day...ignoring the fact that most of the team are not fathers, we all love our families very much and the whole team misses you guys.
Thank you for your prayers. We have felt them and see them at work all around us. We have been in the middle of India, in the middle of the day, and the weather has not only been bearable, it has been beautiful. A few weeks ago, record heat. But this week, so far, God has been generous with the good weather. Thank you for your faithful prayers. Please continue to be in prayer for:
1. Holy energy for the team (exhaustion mixed with the heat is hitting us hard)
2. A great day of worship and rest tomorrow
3. More opportunities to share the Gospel of Christ
4. The men who were witnessed to today, that God would convict them of their need for Him
Also, please be in prayer specifically for Sandra Kelley. She has now been running a fever for 3 days and while she doesn't seem to think more attention beyond rest is required, she has spoken to someone in the medical field regarding the possibility of getting evaluated. Please, please, please pray for her healing that God would work a miracle and make it so no other attention is needed and that she would be able to participate in the work of the Lord. She has proven to be a vital member of the team and her heart for evangelism is so encouraging. Also, thanks for your prayers regarding my voice. I'm still really hoarse (can't talk much about a whisper), but I can feel it improving - please lift that up as well. Thank you so much.
In our sharing time tonight, please know that we discussed that you all are in our thoughts and prayers as you prepare to worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Even though we'll be doing it about 9.5 hours ahead of you, halfway across the world, know that we are worshiping alongside you. God bless you guys. Talk to you tomorrow.
-Jeff
P.S. Upon completion of this blog, I realized I never explained the title of this blog. Apparently, in India, once children feel comfortable with you, they start referring to you as "Uncle" (which is convenient for them as they then don't have to learn your names...we don't have that luxury). So, now, my current Indian Nephew count is up to 100. We'll keep a tally throughout the week.
-Uncle Jeff
Today we had only one event - one 12-hour event (including travel...which was an "event"). We had the awesome opportunity to go out to David's Mission Center/School - a 2-hour drive (left at 8:30) way out in a remote village. Upon arrival, we were met at the gate by all of the students, former students, parents, teachers and pastors who were lined up with roses for each of us. As we made our way down the line, we were so touched by the hospitality of the people of India. As Americans, we have a whole lot to learn - I mean...a WHOLE lot. We prayed outside together and raised the Christian flag up the pole and then moved into the absolutely beautiful Mission Center for a time of worship and celebration. They sang and danced for us and then we sang and did "hand motions" (ie: Baptist dancing) and some of our skits. Tim did his illusion again (I'm telling you, he loves this illusion and really wants to do it for you, so please ask) and I'm starting to figure out how he does it. The kids certainly love it. One of the best things that happened today...David asked us, on the fly, to present the "Evangecube" to the whole group. I have mentioned the Evangecube before, but it has occurred to me you may not know what this is. The Evangecube is one of the coolest, easiest and most engaging ways of presenting the Gospel message - it's a literal cube that folds out into 7 "panels", each one depicting an element of the Gospel (Our separation from God, God's judgment, Jesus' payment on the Cross, His resurrection, His bridging the gap between us and God, the promise of Heaven/eternal life and what we must do as we accept Christ to be our Savior). It's a beautiful picture. Just so happens, we put together the "Big Cube" yesterday and brought it along today. So, when David asked, I looked at the team and said, "Anyone want to take this?" Katie Salley jumped up, grabbed the 'Cube and headed to the front and presented the Gospel message (which was translated by Pastor Yaman into Tamil) to the entire group. It was awesome.
The program was followed by lunch (again, incredible) and then we had "free time" to just hang out with the kids, which was one of the best experiences on the trip. We all took off, found some kids and then just ministered. We've come to realize that one of our primary ministries here in India is the encouragement of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ here - and at the same time, we always feel that we come away far more blessed than any blessing we passed on. But that doesn't mean we haven't had the opportunity for evangelism. Today, during the free session, Sandra had the opportunity to use the Big 'Cube to share Christ with two men. They were not at a place of making a decision, but she was faithful in presenting the Gospel and it was a beautiful thing. In the meantime, after we played a rousing game of "Chicken Chicken Goat" (= "Duck Duck Goose" in India...at least, it does now) in which every conceivable "DDG" or "CCG" rule was broken, we spent time making balloon animals (interestingly, most requested item: a Cross), sharing the Gospel with the regular size Kid 'Cubes and making Salvation bracelets. Today, the Gospel of Christ was presented at least 2-3 times per person and His love was communicated through fellowship and encouragement.
An interesting story I just have to share: when I went out for free time, a handful of the older teen boys got around me and started stabbing me with their balloon swords and asking me if I watch WWF on TV and screaming "JOHN CENA! JOHN CENA" (Professional wrestler/terrible actor). Totally honest...I thought I was going to get beat up. But then one of the boys saw my tattoo and asked what it meant. I said, "Worshipper". So beautiful...they all started repeating "Worshipper...worshipper" (they spoke about 5% English, if that). Then one of the boys stepped forward, took a pen from his brother, and proceeded to take my left hand and in extremely artistic block letters - and in absolutely perfect English lettering wrote, "JESUS" and then drew an artistic cross through the center of it. It was absolutely beautiful. I went to show off what Ya. Ms. B. did (that's what he told me to call him because apparently I would get his full name wrong...so, we stuck to initials). Everyone I took him to, he repeated the beautiful act. So amazing how God works through and across the cultural differences - Jesus transcends everything.
It is impossible to communicate all our team has been experiencing and processing these days. We have seen Christians in utter poverty shouting for joy because of God's provision - yet their worship seems so much more passionate than ours and we have the benefits of excessive blessings. We have been humbled by the hospitality and the sheer desire to serve our every need. Just walking to the car today, the boys ripped our gear out of our hands to carry it for us - even though the car was 10 feet away. To be honest, it's really been tough to process what we're to do with this new appreciation and awareness of the blessings of God. We talked tonight in our sharing time how the people of India really prioritize passion over perfection - they don't care how they sound, all they care about is how passionately (and how loudly) they can sing it. Yet, so often, as American Christians, we focus on getting everything exactly right - everything has to look and sound perfect...but perfection doesn't mask the absence of passion. I'm starting to ramble (and I think you can make the connection), but our passions are being stirred here and we wish you could all be with us to experience this - though, we might have to rent another bus if you were ALL to be here with us, but we would certainly love that.
Tomorrow seems like it should be a bit more restful - I say "seems" because, while that is the plan, we have learned that in India, there are no such things as concrete plans. There are reasonable ideas of what can happen and what will happen and you just have to learn to improvise and think on your feet. But, even that has been a blessing as our most spontaneous moments have been the best memories so far. However, the only thing on the books is worship with a village church tomorrow. We will be out there for a few hours sharing in their worship time and then once they have finished, we will do about a 45 minute program (music/skits). I do think David has kept our evening clear tomorrow so we can have a special Father's Day dinner. David has really been the absolute greatest, most generous host and we're so thankful for him. Speaking of Father's Day...ignoring the fact that most of the team are not fathers, we all love our families very much and the whole team misses you guys.
Thank you for your prayers. We have felt them and see them at work all around us. We have been in the middle of India, in the middle of the day, and the weather has not only been bearable, it has been beautiful. A few weeks ago, record heat. But this week, so far, God has been generous with the good weather. Thank you for your faithful prayers. Please continue to be in prayer for:
1. Holy energy for the team (exhaustion mixed with the heat is hitting us hard)
2. A great day of worship and rest tomorrow
3. More opportunities to share the Gospel of Christ
4. The men who were witnessed to today, that God would convict them of their need for Him
Also, please be in prayer specifically for Sandra Kelley. She has now been running a fever for 3 days and while she doesn't seem to think more attention beyond rest is required, she has spoken to someone in the medical field regarding the possibility of getting evaluated. Please, please, please pray for her healing that God would work a miracle and make it so no other attention is needed and that she would be able to participate in the work of the Lord. She has proven to be a vital member of the team and her heart for evangelism is so encouraging. Also, thanks for your prayers regarding my voice. I'm still really hoarse (can't talk much about a whisper), but I can feel it improving - please lift that up as well. Thank you so much.
In our sharing time tonight, please know that we discussed that you all are in our thoughts and prayers as you prepare to worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Even though we'll be doing it about 9.5 hours ahead of you, halfway across the world, know that we are worshiping alongside you. God bless you guys. Talk to you tomorrow.
-Jeff
P.S. Upon completion of this blog, I realized I never explained the title of this blog. Apparently, in India, once children feel comfortable with you, they start referring to you as "Uncle" (which is convenient for them as they then don't have to learn your names...we don't have that luxury). So, now, my current Indian Nephew count is up to 100. We'll keep a tally throughout the week.
-Uncle Jeff
Friday, June 18, 2010
We All Have Fevers
Ok, before you send out a mass prayer chain email/phone call to pray for our team's healing...we are all ok. In fact, none of us (well, one does, which I will get to) have fevers. Instead, this is a reference to pretty much the funniest thing that has happened to us on this trip so far. Today was a "late" day, meaning we got to sleep in until 7 a.m., met for devotions and headed out to another school for an hour-long program. This school was unlike any of the other experiences we've had so far - it was a solid Christian school consisting of 1st-5th graders. Oh yeah...and the room in which we met with them was open-air. 10:30 a.m. In India. Just thinking about it is making me start to sweat.
We stepped out of the van and immediately were drenched, head to toe, in our own glorious perspiration. But God gave us the ability to work in spite of our grossness and we had the kids up and dancing, clapping, learning new songs in English (they were primarily Tamil speaking), Tim did a brief talk that was translated into their language, we did a skit and then had the opportunity to hang out with the children for almost an hour afterwards, just sitting and sharing the love of Christ with them. But here's the thing. It was, like, 200 degrees outside, we were dancing, performing - we've not sweated this much since we've gotten here. But the kids? Dry as could be. And they were wearing uniforms. Not a single one broke a sweat. So, and here's the hysterical part, more than one kid approached some of our team members to ask, "You're sweating - do you have a fever?" Maybe you had to be there (probably not, though) but the difference between us and them, perspiration wise, was ridiculously funny.
Following this time with the kids, we visited the home of Pastor Sharesh, who is a good friend of David Rajan's and is the pastor of the school we worked at today. We walked through some pretty dirty alleyways and into this very small one room apartment that had a refrigerator, stove, a tv and a single bed - all in this one very small room. And the reaction of Sharesh and his family? Gratitude that we would come and visit them. We have been so moved by the humility of these people, their generosity, their love...I'm being extremely serious when I say that the people of India have already ministered more to us than we'll ever be able to do for them.. To
On our way home, we stopped off at the local mall for some authentic Indian cuisine from Pizza Hut (I swear we really have eaten some Indian food...David is just trying to introduce it slowly to our tame American stomachs). This was not a shopping trip, yet somehow Betty Jo was able to come away with a new shirt that would be helpful in the heat. She can get away with that because she's Betty Jo.
But the big story tonight was the final event of the day. We loaded up into our bus and traveled about an hour/hour-and-a-half to a new village church that has just been recently planted. David shared that, when he plants churches, they are given tents/huts for one year to see if they can become established before building a new, permanent facility. We went there, as instructed, with a plan for about an hour-long program, yet as we are daily finding out...nothing...NOTHING will ever go as we've planned on mission in India. But this is a good thing because all that God is doing that is blowing our minds wasn't even in our "plans". We step off the bus expecting to do some songs, some skits and a brief message, only to find out that there were two new converts of Hinduism (Immanuel and Sarah - their new "Christian" names they took on upon conversion) who wanted to be baptized at the river where we were. David asked Tim to do the baptisms and Tim had the honor of taking these two new brothers and sisters into the water and we watched them share in the baptism of Jesus together. It was beautiful.
So then, thinking we were going to move into the program, David informs us that not only is this church brand new, but it hadn't even been dedicated yet and we were there to take part in that dedication. With everyone gathered around this brand new hut/tent, Bob and Lee had the privilege of blessing and dedicating the new church in the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Totally unplanned. Totally unexpected. A totally beautiful night. And THEN we got to a few songs and a skit. It was an amazing night of fellowship, celebration and ministry.
So, we're back at David's condo, all about ready to crash. But we wanted to share with you, our partners in this, the ministry doors that God is opening. We are so excited about tomorrow. Tomorrow, for the first time, we will be heading into the villages to spend an extended amount of time with the village churches and the villagers themselves. We will also be spending some time in the Ministry Center that David runs and we're looking forward to that as well. Tomorrow, along with some of our regular "program" routine, we'll be having one-on-one/group time with some village children and their families. David said the spiritual makeup is about 50/50 - so we are praying for many evangelistic contacts. We'll be making use of the Evange-cubes and salvation bracelets - resources completely sponsored by the financial gifts you've given to this mission. Again, thank you.
Before wrapping out with the prayer needs, I have two specific requests that we need you to join with us in prayer about. First, and most importantly, Sandra Kelley has been running a bit of a fever since we've gotten into Chennai, but it hasn't stopped her from giving her very best and being used by God. However, tonight, she was not able to participate because she's not been able to shake this thing that's causing her pain. Would you please take a moment (or more) and lift up some prayers for healing? Along those lines, I ask that you would pray for me in a similar way. I had been fighting congestion since our departure on Monday, but it has now rendered me entirely voice-less. I can hardly whisper enough to communicate. I appreciate God 1) providing other people who can cover for my lack of singing and leading the singing and 2) allowing me to still participate in worship by playing the guitar. But, while this may sound like Heaven to most of you (me not speaking), it really has been pretty frustrating/heart-breaking for me today as I tried to interact with the children. So many came up today to ask my name or begin a conversation and had to whisper my answer as loud as could, which resulted in a number of "Weirdo" looks followed by the kids walking away. So, if you don't mind, please lift up this request. Currently I'm in no pain at all - I just have this stupid junk on my throat and I can't talk at all. I appreciate your encouragement and support so much and I look forward to God allowing this to be gone.
With that, onto the prayer requests. Please pray with us:
1. A prayer of praise for the amazing opportunities He's giving to us
2. For continued energy and enthusiasm. The long days and oppressive heat/humidity is draining all of us, and we're only heading into Day Four of Twelve.
3. For sensitivity to know who needs a personal touch tomorrow in the villages and who needs to hear the Gospel of Christ
4. BOLDLY for some lives to be changed by Jesus tomorrow.
We miss all of you and again, thank you so much for your support. Looking forward to another day of God's blessings! See you tomorrow, Bloggiverse.
Not sweating it,
-Jeff
We stepped out of the van and immediately were drenched, head to toe, in our own glorious perspiration. But God gave us the ability to work in spite of our grossness and we had the kids up and dancing, clapping, learning new songs in English (they were primarily Tamil speaking), Tim did a brief talk that was translated into their language, we did a skit and then had the opportunity to hang out with the children for almost an hour afterwards, just sitting and sharing the love of Christ with them. But here's the thing. It was, like, 200 degrees outside, we were dancing, performing - we've not sweated this much since we've gotten here. But the kids? Dry as could be. And they were wearing uniforms. Not a single one broke a sweat. So, and here's the hysterical part, more than one kid approached some of our team members to ask, "You're sweating - do you have a fever?" Maybe you had to be there (probably not, though) but the difference between us and them, perspiration wise, was ridiculously funny.
Following this time with the kids, we visited the home of Pastor Sharesh, who is a good friend of David Rajan's and is the pastor of the school we worked at today. We walked through some pretty dirty alleyways and into this very small one room apartment that had a refrigerator, stove, a tv and a single bed - all in this one very small room. And the reaction of Sharesh and his family? Gratitude that we would come and visit them. We have been so moved by the humility of these people, their generosity, their love...I'm being extremely serious when I say that the people of India have already ministered more to us than we'll ever be able to do for them.. To
On our way home, we stopped off at the local mall for some authentic Indian cuisine from Pizza Hut (I swear we really have eaten some Indian food...David is just trying to introduce it slowly to our tame American stomachs). This was not a shopping trip, yet somehow Betty Jo was able to come away with a new shirt that would be helpful in the heat. She can get away with that because she's Betty Jo.
But the big story tonight was the final event of the day. We loaded up into our bus and traveled about an hour/hour-and-a-half to a new village church that has just been recently planted. David shared that, when he plants churches, they are given tents/huts for one year to see if they can become established before building a new, permanent facility. We went there, as instructed, with a plan for about an hour-long program, yet as we are daily finding out...nothing...NOTHING will ever go as we've planned on mission in India. But this is a good thing because all that God is doing that is blowing our minds wasn't even in our "plans". We step off the bus expecting to do some songs, some skits and a brief message, only to find out that there were two new converts of Hinduism (Immanuel and Sarah - their new "Christian" names they took on upon conversion) who wanted to be baptized at the river where we were. David asked Tim to do the baptisms and Tim had the honor of taking these two new brothers and sisters into the water and we watched them share in the baptism of Jesus together. It was beautiful.
So then, thinking we were going to move into the program, David informs us that not only is this church brand new, but it hadn't even been dedicated yet and we were there to take part in that dedication. With everyone gathered around this brand new hut/tent, Bob and Lee had the privilege of blessing and dedicating the new church in the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Totally unplanned. Totally unexpected. A totally beautiful night. And THEN we got to a few songs and a skit. It was an amazing night of fellowship, celebration and ministry.
So, we're back at David's condo, all about ready to crash. But we wanted to share with you, our partners in this, the ministry doors that God is opening. We are so excited about tomorrow. Tomorrow, for the first time, we will be heading into the villages to spend an extended amount of time with the village churches and the villagers themselves. We will also be spending some time in the Ministry Center that David runs and we're looking forward to that as well. Tomorrow, along with some of our regular "program" routine, we'll be having one-on-one/group time with some village children and their families. David said the spiritual makeup is about 50/50 - so we are praying for many evangelistic contacts. We'll be making use of the Evange-cubes and salvation bracelets - resources completely sponsored by the financial gifts you've given to this mission. Again, thank you.
Before wrapping out with the prayer needs, I have two specific requests that we need you to join with us in prayer about. First, and most importantly, Sandra Kelley has been running a bit of a fever since we've gotten into Chennai, but it hasn't stopped her from giving her very best and being used by God. However, tonight, she was not able to participate because she's not been able to shake this thing that's causing her pain. Would you please take a moment (or more) and lift up some prayers for healing? Along those lines, I ask that you would pray for me in a similar way. I had been fighting congestion since our departure on Monday, but it has now rendered me entirely voice-less. I can hardly whisper enough to communicate. I appreciate God 1) providing other people who can cover for my lack of singing and leading the singing and 2) allowing me to still participate in worship by playing the guitar. But, while this may sound like Heaven to most of you (me not speaking), it really has been pretty frustrating/heart-breaking for me today as I tried to interact with the children. So many came up today to ask my name or begin a conversation and had to whisper my answer as loud as could, which resulted in a number of "Weirdo" looks followed by the kids walking away. So, if you don't mind, please lift up this request. Currently I'm in no pain at all - I just have this stupid junk on my throat and I can't talk at all. I appreciate your encouragement and support so much and I look forward to God allowing this to be gone.
With that, onto the prayer requests. Please pray with us:
1. A prayer of praise for the amazing opportunities He's giving to us
2. For continued energy and enthusiasm. The long days and oppressive heat/humidity is draining all of us, and we're only heading into Day Four of Twelve.
3. For sensitivity to know who needs a personal touch tomorrow in the villages and who needs to hear the Gospel of Christ
4. BOLDLY for some lives to be changed by Jesus tomorrow.
We miss all of you and again, thank you so much for your support. Looking forward to another day of God's blessings! See you tomorrow, Bloggiverse.
Not sweating it,
-Jeff
Thursday, June 17, 2010
SlumChurch Millionaires
I'll explain the title in a second, but Day Two was amazing: amazingly long, amazingly busy and amazingly holy. This update is actually being done at the start of Day Three because, at least for the guys, Day Two started around 5:00 a.m. and ended around 12:30 a.m.this morning. That's like, a lot of hours of being awake. But God has blessed us with supernatural, holy energy that has kept us going in spite of utter exhaustion and jetlag - but even more, He has given us so many incredible opportunities.
Day Two started with an hour-long program at St. Matthias school where we did an outdoor rally/assembly for hundreds of Indian children from 1st grade to 12th grade. We led some songs (and the kids sang so loud, it was incredible), the team danced around like crazy, holy fools, we performed our Daniel and the Lion's Den skit and Tim gave a great message about living our life with Christ. He even performed an "illusion" that the kids really loved. Tim also really loves that illusion and he has requested that every time you see him, please ask to do the "red ball" illusion.
Following a snack at a local Indian deli called "McDonalds" and lunch back at David's condo, we went to another school, all-boys this time, for a similar hour-long program with music, skits and Tim's message. What is amazing, though, is that these children were SO thrilled to get to hang out with us. As soon as the programs ended, we were mobbed by the kids wanting handshakes, hugs and even autographs. The autograph requests were really strange at first, but we were able to use those opportunities as we were writing "Jesus Loves You" messages to just share the love of Christ with the kids. And Lee Salley was a huge hit with the boys following his portrayal of "Satan" in one of our skits - they thought The Incredible Lee was the strongest man on the planet. Oh, and the kids were such an encouragement to me as so many came up and told me they like the mohawk and all wanted to touch it. Though, they could've been making fun...and it earned the nickname "Rooster Boy".
Our evening concluded with a 2-hour worship service at a Slum Church and going into it, we had no idea what to expect, so consider our surprise when we walked inbetween two buildings and came across a table, chairs and a PA System just sitting in the middle of this tiny alley. But we found out, apparently the Holy Spirit hangs out in alleys in India. As soon as we got there, these beautiful children sang and danced to some of their worship songs which prompted our team to jump into the circle and teach them some of our children's worship songs. It was beautiful to see and hear these children sing along to "Jesus Loves Me" and "I've Got the Joy" in English within minutes of our arrival.
Then, the church service kicked in. On a side note, I'm happy to report that apparently the Holy Spirit likes it REALLY loud (and we were BEHIND the speakers), so The 8:30 Band is good to go. The two pastors led songs, prayers and gave an impassioned message on Psalm 32. We could understand about 3 words (Alleluia, Jesus and Psalm 32), but the Spirit in that tiny little alley was moving in force. Every team member was blown away by the deep level of worship these incredibly poor Christians were engaged in - so much so that we all recognized so many of our inadequacies in how, despite our blessings and wealth (far beyond what these Indian believers have), we rarely experience the level of joy and worship that they do. It was a life-changing moment that we will never forget.
We're about to head down to the Common room for a time of prayer and devotion and then it's off to another school this morning. This evening, a whole new experience waits for us - we will be heading into a village to be with a church for worship. While our experiences in town have been amazing, we have all been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to be in the villages and share the love of Christ there. More than any other experience we've had so far, we will be up against a huge language barrier - but our prayer is that we will be able to communicate the love of Christ beyond this. To that end, we need our prayers.
Today, please be in prayer for:
1. Renewed strength and energy following a very tiring Day Two
2. Opportunities to share the love of Christ with the children in the school
3. Leading of the Holy Spirit to know how to prepare for the ministries ahead that we don't know about yet
4. The ability to transcend the language hurdle with the love of Christ
5. Evangelistic opportunities and guidance by the Holy Spirit to know who and how to speak
I really cannot express to you all enough how much your prayers and encouragement mean to us. Knowing that you're there reading this, lifting us up in prayer and following God's working in India means so much to us. Thank you for being a blessing to us. We can't wait to update this thing with a great report from tonight.
-Jeff
Day Two started with an hour-long program at St. Matthias school where we did an outdoor rally/assembly for hundreds of Indian children from 1st grade to 12th grade. We led some songs (and the kids sang so loud, it was incredible), the team danced around like crazy, holy fools, we performed our Daniel and the Lion's Den skit and Tim gave a great message about living our life with Christ. He even performed an "illusion" that the kids really loved. Tim also really loves that illusion and he has requested that every time you see him, please ask to do the "red ball" illusion.
Following a snack at a local Indian deli called "McDonalds" and lunch back at David's condo, we went to another school, all-boys this time, for a similar hour-long program with music, skits and Tim's message. What is amazing, though, is that these children were SO thrilled to get to hang out with us. As soon as the programs ended, we were mobbed by the kids wanting handshakes, hugs and even autographs. The autograph requests were really strange at first, but we were able to use those opportunities as we were writing "Jesus Loves You" messages to just share the love of Christ with the kids. And Lee Salley was a huge hit with the boys following his portrayal of "Satan" in one of our skits - they thought The Incredible Lee was the strongest man on the planet. Oh, and the kids were such an encouragement to me as so many came up and told me they like the mohawk and all wanted to touch it. Though, they could've been making fun...and it earned the nickname "Rooster Boy".
Our evening concluded with a 2-hour worship service at a Slum Church and going into it, we had no idea what to expect, so consider our surprise when we walked inbetween two buildings and came across a table, chairs and a PA System just sitting in the middle of this tiny alley. But we found out, apparently the Holy Spirit hangs out in alleys in India. As soon as we got there, these beautiful children sang and danced to some of their worship songs which prompted our team to jump into the circle and teach them some of our children's worship songs. It was beautiful to see and hear these children sing along to "Jesus Loves Me" and "I've Got the Joy" in English within minutes of our arrival.
Then, the church service kicked in. On a side note, I'm happy to report that apparently the Holy Spirit likes it REALLY loud (and we were BEHIND the speakers), so The 8:30 Band is good to go. The two pastors led songs, prayers and gave an impassioned message on Psalm 32. We could understand about 3 words (Alleluia, Jesus and Psalm 32), but the Spirit in that tiny little alley was moving in force. Every team member was blown away by the deep level of worship these incredibly poor Christians were engaged in - so much so that we all recognized so many of our inadequacies in how, despite our blessings and wealth (far beyond what these Indian believers have), we rarely experience the level of joy and worship that they do. It was a life-changing moment that we will never forget.
We're about to head down to the Common room for a time of prayer and devotion and then it's off to another school this morning. This evening, a whole new experience waits for us - we will be heading into a village to be with a church for worship. While our experiences in town have been amazing, we have all been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to be in the villages and share the love of Christ there. More than any other experience we've had so far, we will be up against a huge language barrier - but our prayer is that we will be able to communicate the love of Christ beyond this. To that end, we need our prayers.
Today, please be in prayer for:
1. Renewed strength and energy following a very tiring Day Two
2. Opportunities to share the love of Christ with the children in the school
3. Leading of the Holy Spirit to know how to prepare for the ministries ahead that we don't know about yet
4. The ability to transcend the language hurdle with the love of Christ
5. Evangelistic opportunities and guidance by the Holy Spirit to know who and how to speak
I really cannot express to you all enough how much your prayers and encouragement mean to us. Knowing that you're there reading this, lifting us up in prayer and following God's working in India means so much to us. Thank you for being a blessing to us. We can't wait to update this thing with a great report from tonight.
-Jeff
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
We're All Gonna Get Super Fat
Day 1 in Chennai is in the history books - and what an incredible day it was.
Once we all returned from the walk around David's community and taste some cultural treats (fried bananas, chocolate ice cream, chocolate cake, sweet Indian fudge), we took the opportunity to rest up before lunch, which consisted of dumplings, noodles, rice, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and a whole bunch of other stuff (I told you we are all gonna get super fat). If you haven't guessed yet, the food is incredible.
We had an opportunity today to go out and gather some ministry supplies. Final purchases: 2 guitars, a guitar/keyboard/vocal amp, mics, cables, power strips...and all for less than half the price of what you would pay in America. Ridiculously awesome. And little did we anticipate how wonderful those purchases would be immediately.
Tonight was one of those awesome God moments that only the Holy Spirit could've come up with. The plan was to have dinner with 6 village pastors (and their wives) - and we did - but we did so much more than that. After meeting in the new living space upstairs, we had the opportunity to hear from David and the pastors about their testimonies and then we shared ours as well, followed by the team's rendition of "Daniel and the Lion's Den" (now a comedy). Then, beauty happened. The village pastors blessed us with one of their praise songs in Tamil. I have no idea what they were saying, but "Hallelujah" was repeated...and it was beautiful. David then asked us to share a song as well. Your India 2010 Team belted out a beautiful version of "How Great is Our God", accompanied by the two new guitars. Once we finished that, David asked if we knew "There is Power in the Blood" - which we did - and we started playing and singing in English. Then, David motioned for us to stop singing (we weren't THAT bad) but to continue playing and the pastors and their families took over singing the same song in their language. I think you can see where this is going...at one point, we all started singing "There is Power in the Blood" in our own language at the same time. It was beautiful and holy and LOUD. Amazing. That pretty much kicked off a spontaneous time of worship that included, "Amazing Grace", "How Great Thou Art", "Jesus Name Above All Names", "Blessed Assurance" and "He Reigns" (and about 20 others). Both churches had a worship leader who passed off leading songs from the two guitars. Both churches, together, two different languages, worshiping our One God. And forget 14 + 6 pastors - there were at least 45-50 people in that room.
It was a great moment of fellowship and worship to kick off this great week of missions and ministry. We wish all of you could've been with us.
Tomorrow, we have an early morning as we will be leading an hour-long program at a public school for 500+ kids, and it will include some skits, some lively songs and a message from Pastor Tim. We'll follow up with another program, at a different school, in the afternoon. Our evening will conclude with a program and an evangelistic ministry opportunity at a slum church.
With all of this, we need prayer. Please pray:
1. For strength and energy for the team
2. An ability to communicate with the children in a way that will be fun and meaningful for them
3. Creativity in preparing these different ministry outreaches
4. The Slum Church outreach - that many will come to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior
Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement. Fun fact: If you want to know what time it is here in Chennai, take your local time (as long as it's Eastern Standard), subtract 2.5 hours and then change the a.m. to p.m. (or p.m. to a.m.). Love you guys - check in with you tomorrow.
-Jeff
Once we all returned from the walk around David's community and taste some cultural treats (fried bananas, chocolate ice cream, chocolate cake, sweet Indian fudge), we took the opportunity to rest up before lunch, which consisted of dumplings, noodles, rice, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and a whole bunch of other stuff (I told you we are all gonna get super fat). If you haven't guessed yet, the food is incredible.
We had an opportunity today to go out and gather some ministry supplies. Final purchases: 2 guitars, a guitar/keyboard/vocal amp, mics, cables, power strips...and all for less than half the price of what you would pay in America. Ridiculously awesome. And little did we anticipate how wonderful those purchases would be immediately.
Tonight was one of those awesome God moments that only the Holy Spirit could've come up with. The plan was to have dinner with 6 village pastors (and their wives) - and we did - but we did so much more than that. After meeting in the new living space upstairs, we had the opportunity to hear from David and the pastors about their testimonies and then we shared ours as well, followed by the team's rendition of "Daniel and the Lion's Den" (now a comedy). Then, beauty happened. The village pastors blessed us with one of their praise songs in Tamil. I have no idea what they were saying, but "Hallelujah" was repeated...and it was beautiful. David then asked us to share a song as well. Your India 2010 Team belted out a beautiful version of "How Great is Our God", accompanied by the two new guitars. Once we finished that, David asked if we knew "There is Power in the Blood" - which we did - and we started playing and singing in English. Then, David motioned for us to stop singing (we weren't THAT bad) but to continue playing and the pastors and their families took over singing the same song in their language. I think you can see where this is going...at one point, we all started singing "There is Power in the Blood" in our own language at the same time. It was beautiful and holy and LOUD. Amazing. That pretty much kicked off a spontaneous time of worship that included, "Amazing Grace", "How Great Thou Art", "Jesus Name Above All Names", "Blessed Assurance" and "He Reigns" (and about 20 others). Both churches had a worship leader who passed off leading songs from the two guitars. Both churches, together, two different languages, worshiping our One God. And forget 14 + 6 pastors - there were at least 45-50 people in that room.
It was a great moment of fellowship and worship to kick off this great week of missions and ministry. We wish all of you could've been with us.
Tomorrow, we have an early morning as we will be leading an hour-long program at a public school for 500+ kids, and it will include some skits, some lively songs and a message from Pastor Tim. We'll follow up with another program, at a different school, in the afternoon. Our evening will conclude with a program and an evangelistic ministry opportunity at a slum church.
With all of this, we need prayer. Please pray:
1. For strength and energy for the team
2. An ability to communicate with the children in a way that will be fun and meaningful for them
3. Creativity in preparing these different ministry outreaches
4. The Slum Church outreach - that many will come to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior
Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement. Fun fact: If you want to know what time it is here in Chennai, take your local time (as long as it's Eastern Standard), subtract 2.5 hours and then change the a.m. to p.m. (or p.m. to a.m.). Love you guys - check in with you tomorrow.
-Jeff
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