Well, just twenty days until I hit the skyways and bi-ways on the way to India. Speaking of which, this years route is a bit more circuitous than last years with more stops on the way there and a few layovers. The good news about this is that the dreadfully long non-stop flight monotony is broken up a bit with some shorter (though still long) flights. The bad news is that with time changes and layovers, I will be spending all of my time between Thursday at 9:00am and Saturday at 2:00pm in airport waiting areas, aboard planes, or on a bus. That's a lot of travel time without a bed.
Most of my personal stuff is taken care off. I have a couple immunizations to take care of and a few final things to track down, but with this being my second trip most of the things like a passport and visa are in place already. Now it's just a matter of getting my personal stuff together and packing it all up.
Thanks to support from friends and the sale of my motorcycle, at the time of this writing I'm only about $900.00 short of my total goal of $3750.00. There are still a couple weeks left so there is hope that additional funds will come in. If you'd still like to contribute support you can either drop an old fashioned check in the mail or give online by following the GIVE link at www.e3partners.org. Any support, no matter how small, is appreciated.
I've been participating in the training with the rest of the team. Some of the information is "old hat" to me, but still, it's good to get a feel for the rest of the team. George Cheek, Tom Parr, and I are the only ones on the team from last years group and the only ones that have traveled to India before. We will be working with many of the same Indian volunteers and pastors that we worked with last year, including Charles Golla, one of e3's India directors. I'm really looking forward to seeing Charles again. In addition to being an extremely dedicated man of God, he is also one of those infectious people that, within minutes of meeting him, you feel like you're an old friend.
That's about it for now. In the next week or so I'll be posting a prayer calendar here that you can download and stick on the fridge. It will include our itinerary and activities and prayer requests. Stay tuned and keep in touch!
I told you that I would get more information from Larry and post an update. The more info part has only sort of happened as Larry has been playing catch-up since his return and it seems like my schedule is always busy this time of year. We haven't had time to really sit down and talk in depth, but here are a few more details from his trip.
Larry (second from the left) during a break in the action on our trip last year.
Larry's trip was quite a bit different from the trip we took together last year and pretty similar to the one I'll be taking in just over a month. Last year we were with a doctor, an ophthalmologist, and a pharmacy, setting up one-day clinics in rural villages and giving spiritual counseling and sharing the gospel with patients. This year the trip was more about sharing God's word and spending more in-depth time with people. The team would split off into groups of two or three Americans and a translator and go to pre-arranged homes where they would meet with a group of people interested in hearing about Christ. They would share a story from the bible, take time to get to know the people, and arrange to meet a day or two later to discuss the story.
A day or two later they would meet at the same place and visit with the people about the story they heard on the previous visit. These bible studies were based mostly on the I Am Second method of studying. It's a great method as it really encourages participation from everyone, regardless of their comprehension level, spiritual maturity, or even whether they know Christ or not. After the discussion the gospel would be shared and an opportunity given for the participants to accept Christ as their savior.
One of the key aspects that Larry really enjoyed was being able to spend more time with the people he was working with. During our trip last year it wasn't unusual for each team member to visit and share with nearly a hundred people in the course of four or five hours. Other than our translators, drivers, and partners in the mission, there just wasn't time to really get to know the people we were dealing with. This is something I'm really looking forward to as well and it makes me even more excited to get on the plane and into the field.
Late this afternoon I got official word from e3 that Larry's team made it safely to Delhi. I believe that as I write this Larry is in a jet headed home. A jet is basically a metal tube, surrounded by combustible fuel and propelled at frightening speeds through a series of controlled explosions and then lifted to a few thousand feet above the earth. Allegedly this is a safer place than Larry was just 36 hours ago. I say we should keep praying.
Thanks so much for your response and prayers for the teams safety. I think it's a strong reminder that most of the world is not as blessed as we are here in the states.
I'll give Larry a week to decompress after the trip and then work on an interview so I can share his experiences with all of you.
NOTE: I started the following post this morning, planning to publish it on Larry's return. That, along with the title of the post, changed tonight for reasons you will read about below.
I wanted to give you a little update on my friend Larry. Larry went with me to India this last February and he was a great travel companion and roommate. He suffered a bit on the last trip with some stomach problems, a nasty spider bite, and, of course, having to be my roommate.
Larry had planned on coming with us in January of 2013, but it turned out that by the time our trip got scheduled, his number one employee, the one he counts on to keep his business going when he takes trips, had scheduled a Caribbean cruise with her husband. The husband is bigger than Larry so rather than try and fight him for her, he decided to go with another group. He just got back this week.
Larry's trip turned out to be a little more exciting than most. It started out with a series of airport delays and cancelled flights due to a winter storm, all of which combined to leave him without the rest of his group wandering the Delhi airport for several hours. Adding to the excitement is that Larry didn't really know where his team would be working in India. They purposefully kept the information from him so he wouldn't let it slip and endanger the team. The particular area they were working in has been hostile to those sharing the gospel and there have been arrests, beatings, and worse in the past.
Here's where the post changes.
Yesterday I recieved a two day old report that the teams in that region of India had so far shared the gospel with about 1000 people and nearly 300 had prayed to recieve Christ as their Savior.
At about 6:45 tonight, a call was recieved from Larry. His team was under immediate threat from a terrorist group. They were in the process of evacuating their hotel and fleeing to Delhi. Please pray for Larry and his team. If they can make it to Delhi they should be relatively safe. I am praying that the words of the 3rd Psalm would come to life for the team there.
A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
1 O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." "Selah" 3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. 4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. "Selah" 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. 6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. 7 Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8 From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. "Selah"
I blogged earlier about the new initiative that my church had the chance to support in India. In a nutshell, it became apparent that a vast majority of the over 1,500 people that we reached during our 2012 trip were illiterate. Even if bibles were available in their language, Assamese, it wouldn't do any good because they simply can't read. It also wasn't helpful for us to quote scripture as we talked to them because it was referring to a written word that they couldn't understand.
Since the dawn of civilization until a relatively short time ago, a vast majority of people passed on knowledge through the art of storytelling. In much of the underdeveloped world, this tradition still exists. The oral tradition is the way that nearly all knowledge, beliefs, history, and custom is passed between peoples and one generation and another. e3 has worked on techniques to use this tradition, one that the people we are trying to reach are comfortable with, in order to share the gospel. In addition to sharing the story of Christ in a way that is familiar to the people you are working with, the technique is also a safer method for the missionaries as it doesn't require the carrying of a bible or even an evangicube. In many regions of the world, including parts of India, having either of these items can create problems with authorities or militant believers of the native religions.
I found this approach interesting for a couple of reasons. First off, e3 took the time and effort to find out from the native pastors what tools they needed in the mission field. To often outsiders don't take the time to find out what is actually needed. When my church board approached me about finding a project in India to support financially, the original idea was to do something like dig a well for fresh water. Instead of pursuing that, I asked Charles Gulla, one of e3's Indian leaders, what his people needed. I did this because I remembered hearing a story about a multi-million dollar chicken processing plant that westerner's built in Afghanistan in order to "help" the local people. The problem was that there was no infrastructure to transport these beautifully cleaned and processed birds, no refrigerators in the homes of the people that would buy the processed poultry, and no money in their pockets to purchase the chickens if they wanted them. Westerners had spent tremendous resources to do something that the locals simply didn't need and failed to address the needs that actually existed.
Secondly, reading and researching this initiative made me realize just how much we have lost the ancient art of storytelling in our modern world. In this day of computers, televisions, texting, and video games, we even seem to have lost the simple skill of conversation. It's sad. I'm not that old really, but I remember my uncle's telling me stories of their youth and nights with family when a television wouldn't even be turned on. I'm just as bad about my reliance on technology to pass the time. On a recent trip to visit some very dear friends, it wasn't an hour after we were in their home that we were all centered around the front of a television. Even the first step of storytelling, simple conversation, seemed to elude us. That's something I'm definately going to work on.
Anyway, here is a video from e3 that tells about the power of storytelling as a tool to reach an oral people.
For more information about e3's storytelling initiative, you can check out their site here: http://www.e3partners.org/orality#/about
Well, I said goodbye to a friend this weekend. Anyone who knows me knows I love to ride my motorcycle. The problem was that I just wasn't getting enough time to ride. In the last 18 months I had only put about 2,500 miles on my bike. So starting about a month ago, I started listing the bike on several forums, websites, etc. in order to try and get it sold. I finally found a buyer and loaded it into the trailer for delivery, along with all the various assorted goodies one accumulates with a motorcycle. A swap of a title for cash, a couple signatures, and a handshake and the bike is gone from me forever.
So what's this doing in an India mission blog? Well, truth be told, my decision to sell wasn't solely about me not getting time to ride. It had more to do with priorities.
Here it is, a former friend of mine that gave
me a lot of smiles over the last 4 years.
About three months ago I was approached by my church board and asked to find a project in India that our church could give financial support to. It was then that Charles Gulla, e3's partner in India, contacted me about the training and equipping program I outlined in a previous post. Part of that program was the support of a native pastor for a year. The total cost of that support was put at $1,200.00.
That's right. $1,200.00 would cover his food, lodging, living expenses, traveling expenses, and ministry. As I walked around with that knowledge in my head, it became very difficult to walk by this blue and silver machine that I had really only used about 20 days over the last year. It gnawed on me. With the knowledge that an Indian pastor and his family can live off $1,200.00 for a whole year, could I really justify having something worth around $3,000.00 sitting around doing nothing for more than 90% of my time? I just couldn't. And so I put it and some of it's associated goodies on the market. The largest part of the proceeds from the sale will go to my mission trip, some will go to support other Indian missions, and some will take care of other expenses I have so that I can free up a little cash flow in preperation for the trip.
I did keep this little guy. He's been with me on one
motorcycle or another for about 20,000 miles.
Now lets get a couple of things straight here:
This doesn't in any way mean that I'm a more spiritual person than anyone else. Let's face it: if I was only using it a very little bit of the time, I obviously won't miss it much. Remember the story of the widow's mite. Her offering, as small as it was, was considered more worthy by Christ because for her, it was sacrificial. Given it's lack of use, my motorcycle is obviously not the equivelant of the widow's mite. I'll miss the bike being there when I want to take a spin, but it isn't going to be any sacrifice for me to be without it. All it really means is that I got a piece of knowledge (what an Indian pastor can survive on) and God used that knowlege to put a conviction in my heart.
I'm not telling you this in order to brag about what a great guy I am for giving something up. Read the above point. I'm also not trying to put a guilt trip on anyone about their own toys. I've still got lots of toys. I'm still very prone to the great ailment of the west, consumerism. (He says as he types on an iPad.) But I do wish that all of us, including myself, would think about our priorities more. If you're reading this it is most likely that you're an American. Even with the downturn in the economy, we're still the most blessed nation on earth. Even our poor have things like cel phones, cable television, computers, and running vehicles. Most of us are blessed enough to have all that plus much more. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. But I know that in my own case I often put my desire for these things above my support for ministry and God's work. It's something I struggle with daily.
I don't think I've ever mentioned or linked to a sermon from our Pastor, Eric Wait. While I do give him a lot of guff, my lack of reference to him isn't because of any lack of his effectiveness or lack of respect on my part. He does a good job with his sermons and sometimes he hits one out of the park. Well, he doesn't really. But we'll get to that.
Take the time to download this to your iPod, phone, mp3 player or whatever. You can also just play it on your computer. Take a listen, look at the outline, and then come back and read the rest of this post. Here's a link: SERMON
Got it? Done? Yeah, I didn't think so. You just skipped listening and went right on reading this post, didn't you? Oh well, I expected it. I'll give you the re-cap, though I think it still would do you good to take a listen. Eric does a better job than I do.
These lovely ladies didn't make up excuses to avoid coming to the
clinic we put on. They were already Christian and you could just feel
the spirit hope in their lives.
The text for the sermon is from Exodus 5:22-6:12, although the sermon actually referred to some of the background for this exchange between God and Moses. In a nutshell, Moses has spent some time trying to get out of what God wants him to do, namely go to Egypt and convince Pharaoh to free the Israelites. God finally gets fed up and says "Listen up, chump. You're going and I'm sending you. Don't worry, I'll provide the skills and tools to get the job done. I'm going to lay down the smack on the Egyptians and in the process show you, the Israelites, and the Egyptians that I am God. I'm going to make it happen and you're the one I'm going to use to do it. I'll take care of Pharaoh and I'll free the Egyptians. Just go."
OK, he didn't really say it like that. I think that's from the BOP (Bob's Obvious Paraphrase) translation of the bible. Go ahead, look it up.
Like many people, I've read this before....probably many times before. One of the amazing things about scripture is the way that different people can get different lessons from the same piece of it. Heck, even the same person can get different lessons from the same portion of scripture. I've always read the above portion pretty dryly, that is, as if it was just reporting an order of events. In contrast, Eric was able to extrapolate a lot of lessons out this portion of the word. In this case I think the lessons that Eric points out were particularly important for me to hear as I prepare for this trip.
EXCUSES: We all make them and just prior to this exchange, Moses tries to use every one he can think of including his own weakness, his lack of certain skills, the timing, etc. In the end it all boiled down to the fact that Moses just plain didn't want to do it. I know I do the same thing all the time. And, as always happens, God finally has his way. He sweeps away my excuses, countering each one by giving me the time, energy, tools, money........whatever I need, to do what He want's me to do. The point is, if He wants us there and doing what He wants us to do, He'll make it happen.
GOD DOES IT: As Eric pointed out in his sermon, if he were to ask the average person who led the Israelites out of Egypt, a vast majority of them would answer "Moses." But it's really God that does it and He makes that clear in this exchange. As He is describing what is going to take place, He uses the personal pronoun "I" almost exclusively. HE hears the cries of the Israelites, HE deals with Pharaoh. HE delivers the people out of Egypt. God uses Moses to do these things, but Moses is just a tool, much like a carpenter uses a hammer to complete a job.
These are all great things to hear and be reminded of as I prepare for this trip. I can think of a lot of excuses not to go, but in the end there really isn't a good one. I can and do worry about whether I'll be able to raise the funds, but if God wants me there, He will provide what I need to get there. Finally, while God used Moses to deliver the Israelites from slavery, it was God that actually did it. He can use me to do the work on the ground in India and He can use you to support me in doing that work, but ultimately it is God who is doing the work and lending the support.
Wow. I didn’t realize
how long it’s been since I posted to this blog.
My lack of updates doesn’t mean that nothing is happening. In fact, when it comes to India
and, more specifically, when it comes to the region of India
I went to and the people we worked with, there has been a flood of
activity. I’ve just not gotten around to
writing about it.
If you’ve been following this blog you might remember that
during the 2012 trip over 1500 people received medical treatment at the clinics
we put on. Of that number, nearly 500 of
them became new believers and professed faith in Jesus Christ. These numbers exceeded any expectations. I think they point to a couple of things: the
overwhelming poverty in the region that in turn spurred people to seek free
medical care, and the desperate need for true hope and spiritual nourishment among
these people.
There were a couple of things that we didn’t
anticipate. In collecting the data it
was surprising how far people traveled to get to the clinics. This made it difficult for follow up to be
done with these new believers. The
follow up workers are largely volunteers from local churches. They work regular jobs and it’s worth noting
that the average yearly income in this region of India
is about $700.00. In addition to taking
time from their regular jobs and families, the issue of paying for traveling
expenses was a difficult one for most of the workers to deal with.
Secondly, in follow up visits it also became clear that a
vast majority of the people we came in contact with are illiterate, unable to
read or write even their native tongue, Assamese. This presents a unique challenge for
continuing the spiritual growth of new believers. With literate people it is pretty standard
practice to leave them with a bible, ask them to read a few chapters, and
return in a week to talk about and help them study and understand what they
read. You can’t do that with someone who
can’t read.
Working with Indian pastors and field workers, e3 Partners
came up with a plan to address these issues.
Due to the generosity of New Hope
church, funding was secured to do the following:
Host a
two day training seminar for follow up workers to teach them the art of
story telling. This training will
help them present the word of God to an illiterate culture where the
sharing of information is based in the oral tradition, much the same way
that the gospel was shared with the poor and uneducated in Christ’s time.
Purchase
100 Audio-Bibles and fund the translation and programming of the devices in
the Assamese language. Audio-Bibles
are solar powered MP3 players with built in speakers. In the place of print bibles, follow up
workers will be able to leave these with new believers and, for instance,
say “Listen to the first two stories.
I’ll be back in a week and we’ll discuss and study what you’ve
heard.”
Provide
some financial support to help offset traveling expenses for ten follow up
workers for a six month period.
Provide
total financial support for a District Leader. He will coordinate and oversee all the
volunteers within the district.
This is a picture I took last year and for some reason
it haunts me. I think it's a matter of contrast. One
child is smiling and the other two have expressions
that speak of lives with little joy and no hope.
This is all incredibly exciting to me. Even without the tools, training, and support
I’ve outlined above, the nearly 500 new believers from last years mission trip
have started eight house churches and added to the congregations of four
existing churches in the area. Imagine
the possibilities now that the leaders will have the tools, training, and
support they need.
I know this is a longish post and I hope you’ve stuck
through it to the end because here is the really important thing you need to
know: None of the above would have
happened if YOU hadn’t supported the mission through your prayers and financial support
last year. It was YOU who made all of
this happen. YOU provided medical
treatment that gave these people immediate relief. YOU provided them with the opportunity to hear about the eternal hope that
they so desperately need. YOU are
providing the support needed so that these new believers can grow in their
faith and share that hope with others.
Lord willing I will be returning to India
this coming January. Today I start the
process of raising support in earnest. In
addition to raising support, I’m also recruiting. Here is a link to information that details
the trip. I’m asking you to add the
possibility of going to India
to your daily prayers. I promise you
that if you go along you will not only change the lives of the people you come
in contact with, but your own life will be changed as well.
If you’ve followed along with this blog you have read about Munna, a young man that our team stumbled upon in the country whose leg was swollen to the size of a basketball. It was obvious that he needed more treatment than our simple clinic could provide so we arranged for him to be treated at the hospital in Tezpur. You can read about the beginning of Munna’s journey by clicking HERE.
Since our team first arranged for the treatment of Munna many things have happened. The growth on his leg turned out to be bone cancer. We arranged for further treatment and Munna’s leg had to be amputated as the cancer had deteriorated the bone to a point that simple surgery would not have repaired it. In the following months Munna was fitted with a prosthetic limb and it seemed that he was recovering.
During the course of his treatment Munna came to faith in Christ and was baptized just about a month ago. His family continued to be amazed that strangers from half way around the world would care so much for their son. It was our testimony to them that it was not us, but He who is within us that cares. While the family praised our God, most have not come to faith in Him and a few have.
A few weeks ago I received word that the cancer was back, this time in Munna’s lungs. It was an extremely fast growing cancer and by the time it was discovered, it was already too late. On Tuesday of this week Munna succumbed to cancer and went to be with his Lord. Munna had accepted Christ as his savior and was baptized about a month ago. He will be put to rest in a Christian service administered by our follow-up workers there.
I’m taking this news rather hard and it perplexes me. I only met this young man once, and very briefly at that. Yet I’m feeling more sorrow than I often do when I hear of the passing of friends that I’ve known for years. Perhaps it is because of the investment our team made in Munna, spiritually, financially, and physically. It could be because of the knowledge I have about how hard life already is for his family, Indian peasants who struggle just to find basic sustenance.
Pictured is Charles Gulla, our national team leader, and Munna.
This visit was during Munna's first day at the hospital and the
only time I met this brave young man.
My friend Mark is someone I often turn to when I have biblical questions. A few weeks ago he answered one of my queries by reminding me to keep an eternal perspective on events. We are all simple shells of flesh and bone and our time here is limited and that makes it impossible for us to truly have an eternal perspective. Our minds simply can’t grasp eternity. But we can try. Munna’s story seems so pointless and tragic in our temporal existence and while we are here on earth we may never know what difference Munna and his story will have in eternity.
I can only take solace in the hope provided by the promise that “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
I am convinced that Munna's story has an eternal impact on his family, our team, and, I hope, my readers. I know it will stick with me until I die. And beyond.
We are getting ready to start the final planning stages of our next trip to India. I’m going to end this post with a sales pitch and ask you to consider participating in the trip by going with us. I am convinced that the work you can do there truly does have an eternal impact. I’ll have all the trip details posted here soon so keep tuned.
It has been far too long since I’ve updated this page. It’s funny, sad, and sinful how time slips
by. Most likely I should phrase that
“how I let time slip by” as it is mostly my poor skills at scheduling and
organization that have allowed it to do so.
I’ve been meaning to post this video up for some time. George Cheek, one of our team members and
the Director of Maranatha Bible Camp put this together. It shows some of the work we did in India
and has interviews with members of the Berean Fellowship who went on the
trip. It concludes with yours truly,
and despite the fact you’ll have to see homely me in a goofy hat, my statements
are extremely heartfelt.
So now you’ve seen the recruitment video. Dates have been tentatively set for the end
of January 2013 for another trip to the same region. I would encourage you to prayerfully consider joining us on this
trip. If you’ve read this blog from the
beginning then you know what an incredible experience it is. Details of the trip aren’t posted on the e3
Partners Ministry website yet, but when they are I will post the link here.
Special thanks to Danielle for helping this newbie
blogger get a video up.
It has been quite a while since I’ve posted and some of you
would think “Well, the trip is over.No
wonder.”But I really can’t say that the
trip is over.I think that this trip will
be with me until the day I die.I can
honestly say that there hasn’t been one day in the month since my return that I
haven’t thought of India , it’s people, their suffering, and their beauty.I would add that there are some days when I
believe not an hour goes by without my mind drifting to India
Perhaps the toughest thing to wrap my head around has been
the suffering that I witnessed.On the
suggestion of one of my team mates, Doc, I picked up a great book called The
City Of Joy.The book follows a monk
whose order’s call is to live among the poor.He takes up residence in the poorest slum in India’s poorest city,
Calcutta.It’s a great read and if you
want some true insight into the mindset and culture of India, I highly
recommend it.I won’t spoil it for you
too much, but the main character (or perhaps I should say the character’s
creator) has the most amazing way of seeing the beauty of Christ through the
poorest of Hindus, Muslims, and Christians that he encounters.He sees Christ through their suffering and it’s
a bit hard for me to explain so I won’t try.
What I will tell you is that today I received further word
about Munna and his family.Munna is the
young man I wrote about who’s leg was so severely swollen that we worried he
would lose it.We arranged for him to be
taken to a hospital and we were able to arrange payment for the first portion
of his treatment.Initially we had
assumed (and hoped) that it was an infection from a broken bone.We’ve recently received word that the
swelling is actually a fast growing cancerous tumor.Munna will start chemotherapy and treatment
soon, but the chances are he will most likely lose his leg after all.This is a terrible blow to a family living in
a largely agrarian remote area where mobility is key to a productive life.
Charles Gulla (standing) and Munna at the Baptist Hospital in Tezpur.
Towards the tail end of the email with this news, the
following was reported by Charles Golla, our partner in India.Keep in mind that English is Charles second
language so some of the wording may be stilted to our ears.
Munna's parents have
asked Uttam to do water baptism. They believe that God has visited their house
and from nowhere Munna is getting help for his treatment. Munna's father was
testifying that it is useless to serve his gods and goddesses and they were of no
help and from now on I want to follow JESUS. Uttam has been going continuously
doing bible studies at their house. Munna's sister-in-law has put her trust in
JESUS.
The immediate thought that came to my mind was the first few
verses of John, the third chapter: As he
(Jesus) passed by he saw a man blind from birth.And his disciples asked him “Rabbi, who has
sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of
God might be displayed in him.”
I hate the fact that Munna will have to go through difficult
treatment and, more than likely, lose his leg.But after reading Charles’ email I’m not sure whether the tears in my
eyes are because of Munna’s pain, seeing the beauty of the scriptures coming
alive, or a combination of both.
As a final note, the cost of Munna’s treatment will be in
the neighborhood of $2,000 US dollars.If you are interested in helping support this cause, please contact me
for information on how to donate.Your donation
will be handled by e3 Ministries and will be tax deductible.
NOTE: This Sunday, February the 26th, Matt, Carlie, Larry, and I will be hosting a soup lunch after the regular service at New Hope. We'll start serving at about 12:00 and each give presentations about the mission trip as well as be available for questions. You don't have to be a member of New Hope to attend and I hope to see you there.
I wanted to take time to get a little more in depth about one of my team mates.
Tara wore traditional Indian garb for this mission.
Tara is a sweet young college student from California.She’s studying to be a physical therapist
and will no doubt be a good one.I
joked once that she is the softest rock I have ever met.Her voice is very soft and she is fairly
quiet, but she is incredibly resilient and steadfast.
In what is her first mission of this spring, she worked as
our pharmacist.She actually worked
more hours than most of the team as after the clinic was over and we were back
in our rooms to rest, she had to restock the pharmacy for the next days
outing.Each of us would see perhaps a
total of 350 people in the course of the mission.She would meet each and every of the 2053 that we ministered to.
I said that this was her first mission of the spring.She is actually spending three months in a
couple of continents doing mission and service work.We left her in Delhi on Sunday where she will wait five days
until her next mission in India, this time in the Punjab region ministering to
Afghan refugees.Of course, not one to
sit around waiting for the next mission, she spent the five days in Delhi
between e3 assignments by volunteering at a rescue mission for street girls in
Delhi.
Tara (shown with Carlie) served as our chief pharmacist.
Her journey will then take her to Kathmandu to work at a
rehabilitation center.This is actually
part of her schooling so in addition to ministry she will be working on her
studies while she is there.From there
she will go to Nigeria to visit and help a friend who is a missionary
there.Then it’s a short stop in London
before returning home.
She has been a delight to get to know.From hearing her on the phone I first had
the impression of a wide-eyed and naïve schoolgirl with a lot to learn about
life.Instead, I met a courageous young
lady with a deep commitment to following God and an incredible desire to serve
others.I know for a fact that I wasn’t
anywhere near that put together when I was twenty years old.Sometimes I’m not sure I am now at more than
double that age.
Yesterday we all recieved the final data from our four days of clinics. A basic rundown is as follows:
Patients Seen: 2057
Gospel Presentations: 1414
Professions of Faith: 482
Tom and Charles giving a pep talk to some of the young men
who will follow up with 221 "seekers" and the 482 people who professed
faith in Jesus Christ after hearing the gospel during our mission.
There were a total of 221 people that we determined were "Seekers." Those are folks who expressed a strong interest. These people, as well as all the people that made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, will be followed up with by believers in their area.
Munna, shown here with Charles. We were able to visit him
once in the hospital before we left Tezpur. His diagnosis isn't
completely known at this point.
We also recieved an update on Munna, the young man whose knee we believed was infected and who our team arranged to have placed in a hospital. It turns out that there is the possibility that it could be cancer. A biopsy has been taken and we are awaiting results. The fees for phase one of his treatment have been taken care of. We'll find out more about additional costs once we know the diagnosis. To read about the story of how God put Munna in our path, you can click here: Munna
And a bit of randomness I meant to include in my last post. If you read my post called Echolocation, then you have a description of the hazards of travel on Indian roads and the use of sonar while driving. The whole experience of traveling on Indian roadways caused us to chuckle at this sign in front of our hotel in Tezpur.
Right. Like parking is the dangerous part of traveling in India.
Here are some random thoughts and images from our trip.They’re in no particular order and there isn’t really a rhyme or reason to this post.
The front entrance of the classiest hotel in Tezpur is at the red
signs you see in the upper right corner. Nice trash heap, eh?
We stayed in what is considered the classiest hotel in Tezpur.The rooms were clean and serviceable, but the American equivalent would be a lower class Super 8.The staff was excellent and their attention to service is amazing.Still, it is interesting what surrounds the hotel.A trash heaps is just 15 yards from the front entrance and on the same corner there is a rickshaw stand where people use the wall of the hotel as a restroom.
The typical Indian cookshack.
When we were in the field the team ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a few bananas for lunch.Our translators and the Nationals we worked with had their own food.On the day that we set up two clinics, we stopped midway between the clinics for our translators to have their lunch.I was able to get some pictures inside the average kitchen of the rural farmhouse.It was fascinating to watch all of these people prepare food over a wood fire using the unique earth and brick “stovetop” and I couldn’t believe the cooks were able to stand the smoke of the fires.
A view from the roof of the hotel.
Traffic circles abound in India.One of my favorite pastimes was to go to the roof of the hotel and watch the traffic and street people of Tezpur.A policeman stands at the kiosk in the center of the circle and tries to bring order to the chaos.The variety of vehicles used in India is amazing.Everything from trucks to handcarts to motorcycles and three-wheeled taxi’s go through the town.Cattle and goats roam the streets freely.Eventually you get used to the constant racket of horns, voices, and engines.
The crowds in the markets are
overwhelming to most Westerners
There are markets everywhere.As I mentioned in a previous post, it’s hard to drive more than a quarter of a mile without seeing some shack or another selling something.We would be in the middle of nowhere and there would stand a shack selling chips, candy, and cel. phone service.Other places would have a collection of these shacks and open-air markets for produce and other foods.It wasn’t uncommon to see a half-butchered hog on top of a table by the roadside.Walk up, tell them what cut you want, and the butcher knife will accommodate.
I can't imagine the daily grind,
pain, and monotony of sorting
and piling stones by hand.
We passed through a road construction site on our travels.In America we’re used to seeing heavy equipment everywhere, hauling gravel, cleaning areas in preparation for overlay, and leveling roadbeds.In India there is no shortage of manual labor.This image of a woman sorting stones is a great reminder of how hard life is for most Indians.I can’t imagine the toil of squatting for hours, sorting stones and placing them just so, in order that the roadbed has the correct slope.It has to be grueling.No unions, evidently.
On our last day we were able to explore a little bit more of Tezpur. This included a trip to a Lutheran church site near the river. It was a beautiful spot with a great view. Just behind the church there are ruins from an ancient Hindu temple. Shown in this picture is our main Indian partner, Charles Golla. He's explaining to us that the image carved in stone here is of a god ripping apart a child. Mark and I decided that when the earthquake destroyed the temple, God was basically saying "That's enough of that."
I’ve been writing about various God Sightings on this trip.God Sightings are those times when you see God at work through circumstance, people, or events.These things happen every day and with every one of us.Most of us, myself included, don’t notice them nearly as often as they happen.Sometimes we don’t notice them until years later.These are a few of the less noticeable God Sightings that happened within the members of the team.
Carly being a good girl and writing in
her journal at Guwaharti Airport.
The first day or two were great struggles for Matt and Carly.There was a huge culture shock, the food didn’t agree with them, and other issues.Add to this an event on the home front that was difficult for his wife, and Matt was pretty shook up.As luck would have it, Matt was teamed up with Mark as a roommate.Well, I say luck.It was actually a God thing.Mark is an excellent counselor, a great shoulder to lean on, and a rock of a friend when you’re in need.By the time we actually hit the mission field, Matt and Carly were unstoppable and a huge encouragement to the rest of the team.It was clear that no matter the difficulties, God was going to use the Waitley family in India.It was also clear that God had put Mark and Matt together as roommates because Mark was the man Matt would need during those difficult first days.
Doc endorses the french fries at the hotel.
Matt and Carly lived off fries and the seemingly
endless supply of rice krispy treats they brought from home.
I am the team member that is most prone to health issues.Due to a medication I’m on, I basically have no immune system.I also have to watch my diet a bit in order to avoid cramping and ahem, other issues, to put it politely.Now whether this is a God thing or simply luck of the draw, I don’t know.But I was one of only three team members that didn’t have any health or digestive issues the entire ten days.Luck?Well maybe. But I know that my health was a major part of my wife’s prayers for me. It always seems that I’m “luckier” when prayer is involved.
Dr. Aneel, our eye doctor. Because of language barriers he
doesn't talk much, but when he does it counts....big time!
Matt, Larry, and I had been talking about a few things we would like to accomplish when we get home.In my “luck of the draw” bible readings (the ones where I just open to a random passage to see what God has for me that day), I came upon a passage in scripture that I felt was really applicable to the situation.I went across the hall to Matt’s room and read it to him.Matt said, “That’s from II Timothy, Chapter 2.I’ve been reading it because Aneel (our eye doctor) came to me this morning and said he felt God leading him to tell me to study the second chapter of II Timothy.”Some would call it coincidence.Others would call it freaky.We call it a God Thing.
Charles, Larry, Mark and Carly take a break.
My journey with Mark is remarkeable to me.
I'm always glad God knows his plans for me.
As I said, sometimes we don’t really notice God Sightings until years after they happen.On our last full day in India I couldn’t help but look back at my history with Mark.My relationship with Mark started about twenty years ago.I was a confirmed agnostic and single at the time.It was my habit in those days to go to Hoke’s for coffee and breakfast several times a week.One morning Mark showed up by his lonesome and, knowing me only in passing from my job at the music store, asked if he could join me for breakfast.That simple cup of coffee led to a friendship that has spanned two decades, his leading me to Christ, my membership in the Berean Church (now New Hope) and now, a mission trip to India.It’s been awe inspiring for me to see God’s hand in what was, at the time, a seemingly chance meeting over a cup of coffee.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Note:I’m actually writing this from the comforts of home.Most of the team arrived home safely on Sunday the 12th.Tom stayed behind for a few more days to finish up work on this mission and to do some detail work for his next trip.Tara stayed behind and here future travels this spring and summer includes another mission in India, some time in Nepal, and a trip to Africa.Joel and George stayed behind for a trip to Calcutta where Joel will visit the orphanage he was adopted from when he was just six month old.
Following are some various “God Sightings” from the mission trip.They aren’t necessarily in any given order and there are many more than I can chronicle here.
Matt leads the children in a prayer of salvation.
One morning we arrived at the school we were to set up our clinic in only to find the classrooms locked up.There were school children hanging around.Technically, they had the day off from school, but they came to see what was going on.Matt saw the kids, about 40 of them ranging in age from around five to ten years old, grabbed Hemanta and said, “Let’s get warmed up on these kids!”Matt then proceeded to share the gospel with the kids, using a giant Evangecube.He led them all in prayer when he was done and they all prayed to receive Jesus Christ.Matt and the kids then proceeded to play Simon Say’s and In-Out.To watch Matt with the kids of India is a truly beautiful thing.
Matt continued to interact with the kids, playing In-Out with them.
Matt was a kid magnet no matter where we went.
On the second day I had a man of about 50 accept Christ.I think he was about 50 but it’s hard to tell age here.Life is so difficult and back breaking for them that there are many times that you think you are talking to someone in their 60’s and later you find out that they are only 40.It’s the miles, not the years.Anyway, we finished prayer and as we shook hands and parted ways he kept repeating, over and over in broken English, “I am filled with joy, I am filled with joy.”I can hear his voice as clearly now as I did that day.
George sharing the gospel in the home
of our bus driver's extended family.
On our last day in the field we were invited to our bus driver’s family home for tea.This is a great honor and they were incredibly hospitable, something we Americans can learn from.God put us in the home of these Hindu’s, and George shared the Gospel with them using the giant Evangecube.George was able to do it in such a way that it was non-offensive to our hosts.We may never know how many of the extended family actually accepted Christ, but they all prayed as George led the Sinner’s prayer.The opportunity to plant seeds in this way is the whole reason to come to India.
People registering for the clinic at
our final site for this trip.
We worked with a large number of translators during our four days in the field.Sometimes you might have the same translator all day, but usually you would work with three or four different translators.On our final day I worked with four different translators, including a young man of about 20 years old.He is a nurse at the Baptist hospital in Tezpur.We were sharing the gospel with another young man of about the same age and at the end of the presentation the young man spoke to my translator for several minutes.My translator relayed to me, “He knows about Jesus and would like to follow him, but he is afraid of his family.”The two young men talked for a few more minutes.They then both got out their cel. phones and traded information and my translator said “I will help him.If his family kicks him out, he will live with me.He wants to pray now to receive Jesus.”We prayed together and then my translator and the new believer went off and visited privately for about 20 minutes.That I happened to have a translator willing to open his home to a complete stranger and that, as it turned out, these two would live and work in areas where this would be geographically feasible, was definitely a God thing and touched me very deeply.
We have now ended our fourth and final day in the mission field.I’m hoping to add final totals in a future post, but I can tell you that 2053 people that were ministered to both physically and spiritually.I know that we had several hundred professions of faith and all of the people received a clear presentation of the gospel.
I’ve given you a basic day-by-day schedule and I’ve written about the impact the first day had on me.Rather than give you a rundown of each day, I thought I would highlight some of the many “God-sightings” that occurred on this trip.This will take several posts as there were many, many God-sightings.This first one will take this entire post and it is about God putting us where He needs us to be.
The courtyard of our second impromptu location.
Our second day’s clinic didn’t have much of a crowd.By about noon there were no other people waiting to see the doctor.We had seen about 250 people by that time.One of the Nationals (mission jargon for in-country believers that provide support) said that he knew of another place we could set up our clinic.It was at the home of a Hindu who, although quite poor, is a bit of a leader in his village.He is what e3 Partners calls a Person Of Peace: someone who may or may not be a Christian, but is influential in their community and friendly to Christians.
Doc, Charles, and Tom returning from a hike across the rice fields to see the boy.
After a bit of a drive that included having to make a lengthy detour because of a questionable bridge, we arrived at the home of this person.We were able to set up the clinic using his courtyard, one bedroom, and his back yard.People soon showed up in droves as the word got out and we served another couple of hundred people.At the end of the clinic someone Doctor Lynn (hereafter referred to as “Doc”) with news about a boy that was bedridden about two kilometers away.Doc, Charles, and Tom hiked across the rice fields and when they arrived at the home they found a delightful young man who had gotten surgery on his knee following an accident.The knee had become infected and unless the boy got to a hospital within a day or two, Doc was sure that he would loose the leg.Doc did the best he could and left the family with some heavy-duty antibiotics and advice to get the boy to a hospital as soon as possible.
The next morning Charles woke from his bed with one thought on his mind: Get the boy to the hospital.He prayed that somehow we could make it happen by the end of the day.
After our clinic today Doc left the rest of the team to go back to Tezpur early so he could meet with a surgeon at the main hospital there.Doc was able to arrange for the boy to be admitted and treated.The hospital agreed that the only cost would be that of medications.
It amazes me to think about the fact that we were where God needed us at the time God needed us.Take a look at all the “ifs” that could have gotten in the way and resulted in this young man loosing his leg.
IF ten American’s had not felt a calling to India and
IF that calling hadn’t included a clinic at that particular spot in India and
IF we would have had a large crowd for our only scheduled clinic of the day and
IF someone wouldn’t have told us about another possible location for a clinic and
IF our team leaders would not have been flexible enough to change our plans and
IF there wasn’t a Person of Peace in the village that was willing to host us and
IF there wasn’t an alternate route to the village that bypassed the rickety bridge and
IF someone hadn’t come to the makeshift clinic to tell Doc about the boy and
IF Doc and the other’s hadn’t been willing to hike several kilometers in rice fields and
IF Charles hadn’t woke up the next morning with nothing but that boy on his mind and
IF Doc would have been delayed not gotten back to Tezpur in time talk to a surgeon and
IF the hospital couldn’t admit him and agree to waive much of the fee…..
That boy would have lost his leg and possibly his life.
There are a lot of skeptics that would call all of this coincidence.I used to be one.I remember my friend Mark and I having this discussion once and he said, “It may all be coincidence, but I find that coincidences sure happen a lot more often if I pray about it and get God involved.”
It feels awfully good to be in a place that God wants you to be when He wants you to be there.I need to try it more often.
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