Today was similar to yesterday, in that our schedule was basically the same.
Billy and Barrett went to the pastor’s seminars for a morning and an afternoon session. On both days, we split the teaching time up evenly. We each taught for an hour in the morning session, and also in the evening, for both days. So we had a total of four hours each of teaching time. It was a real blessing to be able to speak to these men about issues surrounding ministry. It’s kind of intimidating to get in front of a large group of pastors, most of whom have been in ministry much longer than I have. There is a temptation to try to come up with some incredible new revelation for them, and blow their minds apart, but honestly, the more I look at the New Testament, the more I recognize patterns in practical instruction to leaders. There are things that we are prone to forget and things we are prone to fall into as leaders, and it is always a good thing to address these issues with men of God.
The rest of the team went to another gypsy camp to share the gospel and piles of American candy with them. Here in India, they don’t call candy ‘candy’, they call it ‘chocolate’, no matter whether it contains chocolate or not. Candy is referred to as ‘chocolate.’ So any time we pull out a bag of candy, all the children swarm around us hollering, “Chocolate! Chocolate!”
They had a much better reception today than they got yesterday. They had a little tent put up, and the team shared some Scripture with them and played some games with them.
Once the team met back at Kumar’s, we took off again to go visit one more sight where there is a church being threatened by a local landowner. He is trying to force them to sell the church to him, as he wants the land it sits on. We saw the church and handed out candy to the local children, who came out when they saw white people. First we gave them the gospel and then we shared candies with them.
Tonight was the last night of our big crusades in Rajahmundry. There were 5,000 chairs rented for the event, and they were all filled, as well as people sitting on the ground and standing around the perimeter. It was a great turnout.
Jami opened up with how the Lord had used the team to bless a sister and how he wants to have a relationship with each one of us. Zach then presented a short message from Acts 17, and Billy followed up with a thorough gospel presentation. When I am in India, I try to treat the situation as though I am talking to people who have never heard the gospel in their lives. So, I start form the beginning, (who is God? Does He know me? What does He require of me?) and work my way into the good news.
The response was amazing, as usual. The Indian people are so receptive to God’s love. Everyone there stood to their feet to pray and receive Christ. I don’t know how many were already Christians. If I had to guess I’d say that there were quite a few. But they are so sensitive to the Word and have such tender consciences, that they are ready and willing to call on the name of the Lord any chance they get. The way I see it, if someone is having a little doubt, then the way to clear it up is by submitting to and calling on the Lord. We counted it all joy to be able to minister to them, encourage them, and strengthen them in their faith.
After charging them to join a Christian church, get baptized, read their Bibles, pray, and share their new faith with others, we offered prayer to any who would like to come. It took 8 of us a full hour to lay hands on them all and pray for them. The response was overwhelming. These people are hungry for God. They crowd around the altar, pressing in upon one another to get close and receive prayers for their specific needs. We were honored and blessed to be able to serve them.
Praise God for all of your new brothers and sisters. We have had a wonderful time of reaping in the harvest. By your prayers and financial support, you have played an equal role in this ministry. Thank you for your dedication and faithfulness.
I will update you again soon.