We finished the Bible study skills training – Just the Bible – with a class of 25 students. What a joy to see them discover so much for themselves as they learned basic Bible study skills. Hunger grew in their eyes each day and they begged for more. We will find a way to develop leaders up here to carry this forward on their own.
This part of India is so beautiful. Today is Good Friday which is celebrated in this small community of churches. We traveled for quite a while through fields of maize, rice and tea that bordered dense jungle where monkeys sat on branches as they watched us go by. We were told that we are in elephant country so I focused on the dense jungle. After leaving the highway we went further into the jungle on the single lane rough wet road. When we finally arrived to our destination, we were greeted by women in beautiful local dress dancing to the beat of a homemade drum. We were greeted with necklaces made of flowers and a special shawl of honor. The people were deeply intrigued with my Kenyan team member as they had never seen an African before.
The people sat on the tarp-covered ground as we sat in chairs. I was deeply thankful for the chairs. The church is currently being built and what was finished was well-constructed. As I looked out what would eventually be the door, there was a dog asleep on a mat and chickens wandered freely around it. I was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude as I sat experiencing what few from the US ever will. The worship began and the music was so different. It was definitely Indian and the people sang in unison, but the rhythm was different. The people swayed and clapped to one beat and the drums were beating to the off-beat – yet it felt so right. For you younger people, it had a bit of a Dave Matthews feel about it – so very beautiful. I don’t often share these details anymore as I worry that it will be of little interest to many of you readers. But, sometimes I just need to write it down and share.
Please pray for the church in North India – it is often persecuted in some areas. There are no western missionaries in this area as the government will not allow it. The church here needs our prayer.
Next week we will be conducting an evangelism training in a new location and I feel woefully inadequate. Please pray that there will be something of value I can bring to these people who face challenging daily circumstances that we will never have to face ourselves.