I haven't posted in a while for a number of reasons. The main reason being that I haven't had wifi for 10 days and counting. Those closest to me have likely pronounced me dead as I have unwillingly neglected to respond to their messages. Please know that we are safe and healthy. There is no emergency. We have run into a vexing situation with our Indian family and the set of expectations they had for our stay here as they do not mirror our own.
I won't berate a group of generous and faithful people on the Internet. I especially won't do that when it will be seen by people they don't know in a setting where they can't defend themselves. I'm not that kind of a person and it is unfair to them. We have a host family of Indian nationality as I've mentioned before. They are an incredible group of believers with vision unlike any family I've ever seen. When we fell in their laps back in January, we had a purpose given to us both by God and by our American supervisors in the company. Those purposes are, although ministry related, very different from this family's own purposes. We now see that a series of misfires in communication between our company and this family, has left our schedule in the hands of Indians who arrange it under false pretenses. This is very dangerous for two young men who have clear goals in mind and not a lot of time to see them through. We need to be efficient and effective. It is challenging to be either when we are being pulled in different directions in a culture that is resistant to the idea of planning.
On Valentine's Day we awoke with news from the father telling us that we were going to the village he is from. We knew of the plan to take this trip the first week of March and were wondering why he was telling us something we already knew. He then added that the trip has been moved up indefinitely and that we were leaving that day. We ended up leaving in the afternoon and spent four hours on the road with just enough time to eat dinner and drive right back home to Bangalore that night. Later that week, after we regained stability and control over our time, news reached us that we were taking a week-long trip to the same village. This wouldn't have been a problem aside from the fact that all of our savings were surrendered to fund the trip, our Indian phones were out of money and useless and our wifi wasn't working and there would be none in the village. I was completely broke, taking a trip into the middle of nowhere, with no clear purpose explained. My parents had no clue where I was or what I was doing. I speak for both me and my teammate when I say that we hit our lowest point that week. We were starting to come into our own in our college ministry. We had good contacts and leads coming our way as we sought out a new fellowship to start inviting our Indian friends to. Everything was piecing together again. Hours before we knew about our impromptu trip, we had a student admit that he needed Christ in his life. We were soaring that evening until our wings were clipped with this news that our ministry must be paused for a week. The mother claimed that strike day (a couple of days each year in which all stores and public transportation services do nothing) is very hazardous and that riots happen as the city becomes dangerous. Although that wasn't the full truth (because we drove through the city and everything was normal), we knew we couldn't refuse the family's request. We lost control. We were mad.
We hoped the village would provide good opportunities for ministry so the trip wouldn't be a complete lost cause but there were no English speakers to teach or translators to work with. There was no work for us to do there. We would frequently ask what we could do to help. There was never a task that needed our assistance. We were supposed to rest on this compound built around a mountain range with no civilization for miles. There is a Christian school in its last stages of construction with a dedication coming soon. We wanted to help with building work but they gave us the job of removing specks of paint from the desks for one hour for a couple days. It wasn't difficult as much as it was aggravating. Aggravating int he sense that we knew we could have been painting or laying brick but they insisted that we not work and go rest. There was literally nothing to do but seek God. Our options were to seek Him, sleep, or stare blankly at a wall for a week. I'll let you guess which one we chose.
Our "house" sat at the foot of a hill/mountain. I had only seen its silhouette set against a starry sky on our previous trip as we rode back in the night. We would ascend the mountain twice every day to do our alone time with God. We climbed to reach the highest parts of the rocky hill that gave us a view of the entire village and all the surrounding ones miles away. Some of the mountains and valleys looked like the places I see in my mind's eye as I read Bible stories. I felt like I was thrown back thousands of years into the past. Stones and sand met water and vegetation across a rural landscape. Monkeys and bats sheepishly come out of their caves as we leave every night. That hill means a lot to me. As it turns out, the parents of the family have quite a history up there as well. They have gone up before us for years to pray and fast. God has audibly spoken to the father up there and called him to ministry on that hill. His father before him had a similar experience and they claim that all the prayers they pray up there have been answered and that God provides on the mountain. This affirmed what we had been feeling all week. Perhaps our time up on the mountain was the reason behind this unexpected and inconvenient excursion.
The more time we spent up there, the better we felt. God really put us at ease and spoke clearly about who we are to Him. We felt assurance that we are on the right track and that He is pleased with our work. He wants us to continue to preach with boldness and love and let salvation be the work of the Spirit. He saves people. We don't have that power. The Story of the Lamb is greater than any little tactic I learned during training week. I trust in that Story. He told me not to be afraid of failure in a "numbers-driven" community waiting for us back home. I remembered to trust His faithfulness again. He came through before and we saw good things occasionally. He won't neglect our crying out for fruit and for opportunity. We love this city and its people and He knows that. We pray according to His will. We are learning that our fervent intercession for our friends here in Asia and back home is something that pleases God. I found joy in that discipline. I learned that Jesus' teaching of seed scattering is pointing to the truth that I need to develop His patience in my life. I may not see the purpose or fruit or vision behind what happens here (both in the village and Bangalore) for years. God plans to do so much more that I could ever think up on my own or schedule out in a few months. His work is ongoing and powerful. We could come back with no disciples and not come back failures. That's what He told me. He told me ministry is a calling that I've been given. It may take me back to the field. It might be India or it might not. I may never come back to the field. I may only do short-term stuff. The point is that He loves the fire and hunger we have to find the lost and show them Jesus. We hate days when we don't get to share. We take our work very seriously and we labor hard in the field. Our supervisor and family are constantly trying to make us take a break. They want us to have fun days for ourselves sometimes. We won't give ourselves that until we feel like we've earned it. We have so much work to do and too much time has been wasted as it is. We have urgency and drive that is alarming some of our peers and superiors. We just hate seeing a nation yearn for the divine so sincerely and earnestly without ever seeing the Truth. I hate that Satan is running amok with billions buying into his lies. I can't rest with that on the doorstep. That (among other things) was what I learned on the mountain. My purpose is clear. I wanted to go back to Bangalore.
We did eventually get back and on our way out the door to leave we were told we needed to come back again in a few days. We respectfully refused to do so. We have so much to do and the clock is ticking. Our prayer is that the family will come to grips with the reality that we are not here to rest. They are under the impression that we are simply wanting to experience culture, take a holiday and see the world. They also have a culture that treats 21 year old men as boys. To them we aren't even close to adults and you aren't seen as independent until you are 30 or so. You live with your parents until then in India and sometimes married couples stay with the parents. They see us in the same light as their middle school sons because we are unmarried. They don't know that I moved away from my parents and worked to make money all while going to school three years ago. We consider 18 year olds to be more independent and adult-like with mature responsibilities in America. We gave them the benefit of the doubt out of respect and understanding the cultural barrier. Communication between them and the company has been poor and dug us into a hole. We are lab rats for this company and are trying something new for them. We are mapping the city's hot spots for ministry and telling them what is working and where it's working. Village trips with no planning or purpose are a real hindrance to that vision and we are making changes to loosen the bonds we have with them. They are terrific and we have nothing but respect for their ministry. It's just not why we are here.
So, as usual, I will end with prayer requests. We just came out on the other end of an extremely rough time of wrestling with God and with our circumstances. God has spoken and given grace and we are back home with something of a fresh start. Pray for the family to be open-minded as we slowly divorce ourselves from their ministry. Pray for the plow we intend to lay our hand to as we move onward. We have more leads and contacts that we know what to do with and could really get a lot done in a couple months time. Pray for the hearts of the people here to be convicted of their sin so they can see a need for Christ in their lives. Pray that we are given opportunities to follow through with people. Sharing is easy. Discipleship is hard as the culture is comprised of flaky individuals who struggle to keep their word. We are fine. We are healthy and are back on track. Your prayers Helped get us through the hardest week so far. God's strength will get us back to you in one piece. May God do whatever He needs to to make sure fruit comes. Even if it means we don't come back in one piece. We'll do anything. Whatever it takes.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Kingdom Culture
We set aside 16 weeks from 2013 and came to India. We're 4 weeks in.
I'm giving storytelling a rest for a while. My previous entries may seem to contradict themselves as we are constantly falling in and out of plans and relationships. We meet people and arrange meetings. They don't follow through and it's back to the drawing board. After our fortunate encounter with the young men at the slums last week, there have been others we have met in different colleges all over town. Prayers are being answered and The Lord is giving us more than we can manage right now! He truly has seen the work through. But you all know these stories. What now?
Discipleship.
We are a quarter of the way done and have a small contingent of benign men of peace. We don't need anything more. People want to know the vision. From the business industry all the way to ministry, in America, people like hearing the big picture explained. They want to know where we are going and want to trust that we'll get there safely. What is our vision? I may have done a poor job of articulating this early on and left some of you thinking this was an arbitrary expedition to Asia for a bored college student. Vision has never been something we have lacked.
We want this cluster of nations and people groups to know Jesus and we understand that this must first happen through discipleship.
There are many differences between Americans and Indians and I've already exhausted you with the details. The approach is different. There is a Western way of doing things and there's an Eastern way of doing things. There is also a Kingdom way of doing things. As men come to faith, their ways and our ways don't clash as much because we trudge a more narrow path together and leave our old paths behind. We aren't Indians or Americans anymore. We are Christians. I belong to that Kingdom just as much as I belong to Louisville, KY.
There is a right way of living and our Savior knows that way. Who cares if they eat with their right hand and wipe with their left? That isn't a custom I need to work them away from. Most American women wear next to nothing and we celebrate sexuality and promiscuity like no other culture has before. Lets drop the charade that one culture has it right and embrace a Kingdom culture that has no flaw and is eternal. Ushering them into that and discovering it with them will accomplish the big vision we want. Not changing certain habits that Asian people have developed over the centuries. That's trite and a waste of my time. We aren't imperialists.
So in God's Kingdom we see discipleship. Walking with a man and showing him Christ and teaching him how to be crucified as Jesus was. It is allowing leading him to repentance and watching as he interacts with the Spirit. It's showing him the truth of God's Word and lavishing its riches on him daily. Its investing time, money, effort, and love into the stock that yields a certain fruit. Will that man turn around and show Christ to another man and understand his purpose as living for the glory of God? The glory of God through discipleship is the goal. That's a global vision. I did the same exact work in America.
This is what we need prayer for. As we coax men into our fold, some reconfiguring of the heart must happen. I powerless to do that. Only God molds hearts. Prayers must be for them. Pray they can have boldness to try something different from their parents. As similar as discipleship is, they do have some factors that we don't. The cultural acceptance of Christianity isn't quite the same. But if the desire for Christ is there, discipleship is going to happen. From this pray that churches are planted and that they reach their communities in ways I never could. I can only communicate so much to this country as I am limited by language and my nationality. They are going to be better at this than I am. We just have to knock over the first few dominoes. Pray.
I'm giving storytelling a rest for a while. My previous entries may seem to contradict themselves as we are constantly falling in and out of plans and relationships. We meet people and arrange meetings. They don't follow through and it's back to the drawing board. After our fortunate encounter with the young men at the slums last week, there have been others we have met in different colleges all over town. Prayers are being answered and The Lord is giving us more than we can manage right now! He truly has seen the work through. But you all know these stories. What now?
Discipleship.
We are a quarter of the way done and have a small contingent of benign men of peace. We don't need anything more. People want to know the vision. From the business industry all the way to ministry, in America, people like hearing the big picture explained. They want to know where we are going and want to trust that we'll get there safely. What is our vision? I may have done a poor job of articulating this early on and left some of you thinking this was an arbitrary expedition to Asia for a bored college student. Vision has never been something we have lacked.
We want this cluster of nations and people groups to know Jesus and we understand that this must first happen through discipleship.
There are many differences between Americans and Indians and I've already exhausted you with the details. The approach is different. There is a Western way of doing things and there's an Eastern way of doing things. There is also a Kingdom way of doing things. As men come to faith, their ways and our ways don't clash as much because we trudge a more narrow path together and leave our old paths behind. We aren't Indians or Americans anymore. We are Christians. I belong to that Kingdom just as much as I belong to Louisville, KY.
There is a right way of living and our Savior knows that way. Who cares if they eat with their right hand and wipe with their left? That isn't a custom I need to work them away from. Most American women wear next to nothing and we celebrate sexuality and promiscuity like no other culture has before. Lets drop the charade that one culture has it right and embrace a Kingdom culture that has no flaw and is eternal. Ushering them into that and discovering it with them will accomplish the big vision we want. Not changing certain habits that Asian people have developed over the centuries. That's trite and a waste of my time. We aren't imperialists.
So in God's Kingdom we see discipleship. Walking with a man and showing him Christ and teaching him how to be crucified as Jesus was. It is allowing leading him to repentance and watching as he interacts with the Spirit. It's showing him the truth of God's Word and lavishing its riches on him daily. Its investing time, money, effort, and love into the stock that yields a certain fruit. Will that man turn around and show Christ to another man and understand his purpose as living for the glory of God? The glory of God through discipleship is the goal. That's a global vision. I did the same exact work in America.
This is what we need prayer for. As we coax men into our fold, some reconfiguring of the heart must happen. I powerless to do that. Only God molds hearts. Prayers must be for them. Pray they can have boldness to try something different from their parents. As similar as discipleship is, they do have some factors that we don't. The cultural acceptance of Christianity isn't quite the same. But if the desire for Christ is there, discipleship is going to happen. From this pray that churches are planted and that they reach their communities in ways I never could. I can only communicate so much to this country as I am limited by language and my nationality. They are going to be better at this than I am. We just have to knock over the first few dominoes. Pray.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Jehovah-Jireh
This is easily my longest post yet but the most important thus far. If you read it, read it all.
There is power in prayer. I know a few thoughts are brewing and stirring for you as a reader.
-You are growing tired of getting Facebook notifications (don't lie...it's true).
-You are reading stories that are rolling together in your minds and seem redundant.
-You may even assume incredible things happen daily and it's like the book of Acts all over again.
Let me clear up a few things before launching into the story from today (January 31st).
-There will come a time when the stream of posts trickles off and my entries will be few and far between.
-Most of these stories are similar because we have set up a routine for ourselves to structure and monitor our schedules. God doesn't necessarily desire that for us all the time.
-More often than not, we wake up and share without immediate fruit. We are often frustrated and confused. People here are not seeking Jesus. The warm interactions and men of peace (see Luke 10) are a dime a dozen. Even in Acts we are looking at a long span of time and seeing the highlights. There is life that happens between the "mind-blowing" moments.
I didn't say all of that to depress you and make you think our labor is somber and uneventful. Quite the opposite! I want to invite you into the deep recesses of my mind and give you the opportunity to empathize with us here. You cannot fathom the heights we feel without first grasping the depths we see and experience as well. Regarding our victories thus far, there have been flashes in the pan and I have been quick to type them up and send them your way. I do not embellish or stretch these stories to give you a higher respect for me. I am, through much conviction, devoted to telling you about my adventure with God as it really is. I owe everyone that courtesy. We have shared the good news about 20 or so different times to something close to 30 people. That estimate that is probably low, it may have been more. Of all of those people, probably 10 of them received it well and acknowledged that what we were saying was different and interested them. None of them met us again despite making contact with us and promising a second meeting. Although its still early, we only anticipate 5 or so will actually see us again. Those are the facts after three weeks of being in India.
I went to bed every night with a balanced scale of encouraged and discouraged emotion. It seems contradictory but its how I felt. We were scattering the seed of life and all of these people heard the Gospel where they wouldn't have ordinarily. But no one was actively seeking us out to meet again and appeared hungry for more. My partner and I have extensive discussion about it. We share what we feel God is telling us and are constantly trying new approaches. The lack of logic in this culture was killing us and we fell into that pitfall every time. We had no options. I went to the roof of our house with a chair as I do every morning and looked out at the city. What are we missing? What can we do different? I needed answers to these questions. I read a little bit and prayed a lot.
Please have mercy in them God! Show them Yourself. Forgive them of their sin. Show them that they are sinful and need help. Do a miracle!
I prayed this all day long. We had no choice! All of our tactics and efforts were ineffective and powerless. We admitted that we had nothing left in the arsenal to try other than this. Simple and sincere prayer went a long way. We assumed that God would answer our prayer weeks from now in the form of a man of peace coming to Him through us. We went out for a little bit today looking for him. The man of peace was nowhere to be found.
We went to the slums as we always do on Thursdays to teach. I had a rough outing with the children that night and I can provide specifics if you really want over a message or when I get back. It was bad. I was teaching a group of 4th grade girls to read when the pastor of the slum tapped me on the shoulder and pointed down. He doesn't speak English so I just had to guess what he wanted. I assumed he wanted my teammate and I to go downstairs because it was time to go home. I said my goodbyes to the kids and followed him. He stopped off of the second floor of the building and pointed into a room. We didn't know why but went in. In that room stood 6 young men around our age with big smiles on their faces. What's all this about? No one this old ever comes around the church in the slum. We were told through a translator that these boys are really questioning Hinduism and want to know truth. They like Jesus but have many questions and struggles and need men their age to help them along. They want to follow Him but have no guidance. They asked if we could meet with them every Friday at 6:30 to help them.
This is the work of Jehovah-Jireh. He is the God who provides.
I almost cried. I shared with them and they applauded the story of Jesus in my life. There is literally no way I could ever begin to take credit for this. I didn't do anything. God literally answered the prayers of you and me and plopped these guys in our lap out of nowhere. These kids knew what this building in the slum was. Everyone does. We knew that since we weren't leading anyone to Christ on our own, we had to be the ones who stand in the gap for this nation. Someone had to step up and fight off Satan from these people because they surely aren't doing it. They're inviting him in. It was as simple as prayer.
But there is power in prayer.
We begged God for this and decided there was nothing more for us to do. Prayer was my Alamo that day. It was my last resort. My back was completely against the wall and needed God to do all of the heavy lifting. He did it. I don't know why I was so surprised. I have a book in my room that tells of nearly every instance in which He has been faithful for the first few thousand years of life. Why would I expect any different? It amazed me because I was just sitting in the valley hours before it happened. It desert made me appreciate the oasis all the more. This is why you need to know how bad it was and how desperate we were. All sorts of doubts and insecurities about ourselves and this place invaded and consumed us. It was the most vexing week of my life. God redeemed it as He does all things. He redeems neighborhoods, cities, nations, and hearts. He smiled down on a couple hopeless servants today and gave them reason to hold on a bit longer.
So I ask you to hold on as well. Don't give up on this trip just yet. We have seen dark days here but God is a Father who gives light. Nothing is guaranteed and we still have a lot of praying left to do. Our work is cut out for us and its a messy job. We don't know them. They could be faking to get American friends. They could be faking to take advantage of us financially. They don't speak a word of English. They aren't true believers right now. They work 13 hours a day and have limited availability. But on Fridays they want to meet and hear about Jesus because they see something in him. Lets get on our knees and beg God for a miracle in these hearts. It could yield a harvest of millions of hearts years down the road. God works well with a few people that have the Spirit. Look what 12 men did after Jesus left.
There is power in prayer. I know a few thoughts are brewing and stirring for you as a reader.
-You are growing tired of getting Facebook notifications (don't lie...it's true).
-You are reading stories that are rolling together in your minds and seem redundant.
-You may even assume incredible things happen daily and it's like the book of Acts all over again.
Let me clear up a few things before launching into the story from today (January 31st).
-There will come a time when the stream of posts trickles off and my entries will be few and far between.
-Most of these stories are similar because we have set up a routine for ourselves to structure and monitor our schedules. God doesn't necessarily desire that for us all the time.
-More often than not, we wake up and share without immediate fruit. We are often frustrated and confused. People here are not seeking Jesus. The warm interactions and men of peace (see Luke 10) are a dime a dozen. Even in Acts we are looking at a long span of time and seeing the highlights. There is life that happens between the "mind-blowing" moments.
I didn't say all of that to depress you and make you think our labor is somber and uneventful. Quite the opposite! I want to invite you into the deep recesses of my mind and give you the opportunity to empathize with us here. You cannot fathom the heights we feel without first grasping the depths we see and experience as well. Regarding our victories thus far, there have been flashes in the pan and I have been quick to type them up and send them your way. I do not embellish or stretch these stories to give you a higher respect for me. I am, through much conviction, devoted to telling you about my adventure with God as it really is. I owe everyone that courtesy. We have shared the good news about 20 or so different times to something close to 30 people. That estimate that is probably low, it may have been more. Of all of those people, probably 10 of them received it well and acknowledged that what we were saying was different and interested them. None of them met us again despite making contact with us and promising a second meeting. Although its still early, we only anticipate 5 or so will actually see us again. Those are the facts after three weeks of being in India.
I went to bed every night with a balanced scale of encouraged and discouraged emotion. It seems contradictory but its how I felt. We were scattering the seed of life and all of these people heard the Gospel where they wouldn't have ordinarily. But no one was actively seeking us out to meet again and appeared hungry for more. My partner and I have extensive discussion about it. We share what we feel God is telling us and are constantly trying new approaches. The lack of logic in this culture was killing us and we fell into that pitfall every time. We had no options. I went to the roof of our house with a chair as I do every morning and looked out at the city. What are we missing? What can we do different? I needed answers to these questions. I read a little bit and prayed a lot.
Please have mercy in them God! Show them Yourself. Forgive them of their sin. Show them that they are sinful and need help. Do a miracle!
I prayed this all day long. We had no choice! All of our tactics and efforts were ineffective and powerless. We admitted that we had nothing left in the arsenal to try other than this. Simple and sincere prayer went a long way. We assumed that God would answer our prayer weeks from now in the form of a man of peace coming to Him through us. We went out for a little bit today looking for him. The man of peace was nowhere to be found.
We went to the slums as we always do on Thursdays to teach. I had a rough outing with the children that night and I can provide specifics if you really want over a message or when I get back. It was bad. I was teaching a group of 4th grade girls to read when the pastor of the slum tapped me on the shoulder and pointed down. He doesn't speak English so I just had to guess what he wanted. I assumed he wanted my teammate and I to go downstairs because it was time to go home. I said my goodbyes to the kids and followed him. He stopped off of the second floor of the building and pointed into a room. We didn't know why but went in. In that room stood 6 young men around our age with big smiles on their faces. What's all this about? No one this old ever comes around the church in the slum. We were told through a translator that these boys are really questioning Hinduism and want to know truth. They like Jesus but have many questions and struggles and need men their age to help them along. They want to follow Him but have no guidance. They asked if we could meet with them every Friday at 6:30 to help them.
This is the work of Jehovah-Jireh. He is the God who provides.
I almost cried. I shared with them and they applauded the story of Jesus in my life. There is literally no way I could ever begin to take credit for this. I didn't do anything. God literally answered the prayers of you and me and plopped these guys in our lap out of nowhere. These kids knew what this building in the slum was. Everyone does. We knew that since we weren't leading anyone to Christ on our own, we had to be the ones who stand in the gap for this nation. Someone had to step up and fight off Satan from these people because they surely aren't doing it. They're inviting him in. It was as simple as prayer.
But there is power in prayer.
We begged God for this and decided there was nothing more for us to do. Prayer was my Alamo that day. It was my last resort. My back was completely against the wall and needed God to do all of the heavy lifting. He did it. I don't know why I was so surprised. I have a book in my room that tells of nearly every instance in which He has been faithful for the first few thousand years of life. Why would I expect any different? It amazed me because I was just sitting in the valley hours before it happened. It desert made me appreciate the oasis all the more. This is why you need to know how bad it was and how desperate we were. All sorts of doubts and insecurities about ourselves and this place invaded and consumed us. It was the most vexing week of my life. God redeemed it as He does all things. He redeems neighborhoods, cities, nations, and hearts. He smiled down on a couple hopeless servants today and gave them reason to hold on a bit longer.
So I ask you to hold on as well. Don't give up on this trip just yet. We have seen dark days here but God is a Father who gives light. Nothing is guaranteed and we still have a lot of praying left to do. Our work is cut out for us and its a messy job. We don't know them. They could be faking to get American friends. They could be faking to take advantage of us financially. They don't speak a word of English. They aren't true believers right now. They work 13 hours a day and have limited availability. But on Fridays they want to meet and hear about Jesus because they see something in him. Lets get on our knees and beg God for a miracle in these hearts. It could yield a harvest of millions of hearts years down the road. God works well with a few people that have the Spirit. Look what 12 men did after Jesus left.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
He's Opening Doors
Evangelism has been pretty cold work lately. We have been spending a lot of time finding the places where college kids hang out and dropping pins on our mental map of Bangalore. We know the theoretical "hot spots" to reach the youth that is so eager to rebel from their traditional heritage. When we engage, however, we are finding that most people aren't too interested in knowing Jesus. This really takes an emotional and spiritual toll on you at first. We obviously know that we aren't going to win every person we encounter to Christ, but we also grow impatient. I think God wanted to teach us patience this week.
The feeling of reward for our work in the slums comes with a certain immediacy that evangelism is lacking. We are using too much logic to argue for Jesus. American atheists would be fascinated by this fact. The South Asians just don't care about all of that. It has more to do with culture and society for them. Show me why I should follow Jesus. I came to a realization that I simply wasn't spending enough time on my knees asking for the lost. I don't know the Father's heart like I should. My head is getting in the way and interrupting the Spirit when it tries to speak and lead. I found myself frustrated with the Indian people and avoiding conversation with them. Satan swept right in and capitalized on my lack of faith. All of this happened in a span of two days or so. I just wanted to stay in the slums where ministry was easy. It makes zero sense to anyone who isn't here, but it's true.
After the night with the widows and some serious prayer, God provided the heart change I needed. I have found Him to be quite the heart surgeon in my time here. He has mended me in every way in the most opportune time as He sees it. We visited another mall in central Bangalore. After many failed attempts in another mall days earlier, I had no reason to be excited. I was excited. God was just speaking peace over the day and I felt good things ahead. I could sense that God was going to set up a fruitful appointment and right at the end of the day He did.
We were in the food court eating ice cream and I was looking for common ground to work from with these people. First I looked for students and found pockets of them scattered. I needed an entry way, some kind of reason to approach them. Then I saw a guitar with three students. Here we go. I went up and asked if they played. All three of them had guitars and had just bought them in hopes of learning. I told them I know some chords and would love to teach them. I also shared Jesus and they were interested as they had never heard someone tell Jesus' story as I did. They didn't know Jesus claimed to be the Son of God but they claimed to be Catholics. I said I would love to hang out again. They were ecstatic and exchanged contact information with me. God came through. We just needed patience.
Later that night I called back home to my little brother and his classmates after dinner. They were still in school and my partner and I got to tell how faithful God had been. It felt good just to brag on Jesus to someone who cared about him for a little bit. Most people here take it with a grain of salt but nothing beats sharing with some passionate brothers. Any stories we tell have to come back to Jesus or they just aren't worth telling. We were running on empty just a couple days ago but have new energy after these past couple days. We love it here. Pray that God has our scattered seed fall on rich soil.
The feeling of reward for our work in the slums comes with a certain immediacy that evangelism is lacking. We are using too much logic to argue for Jesus. American atheists would be fascinated by this fact. The South Asians just don't care about all of that. It has more to do with culture and society for them. Show me why I should follow Jesus. I came to a realization that I simply wasn't spending enough time on my knees asking for the lost. I don't know the Father's heart like I should. My head is getting in the way and interrupting the Spirit when it tries to speak and lead. I found myself frustrated with the Indian people and avoiding conversation with them. Satan swept right in and capitalized on my lack of faith. All of this happened in a span of two days or so. I just wanted to stay in the slums where ministry was easy. It makes zero sense to anyone who isn't here, but it's true.
After the night with the widows and some serious prayer, God provided the heart change I needed. I have found Him to be quite the heart surgeon in my time here. He has mended me in every way in the most opportune time as He sees it. We visited another mall in central Bangalore. After many failed attempts in another mall days earlier, I had no reason to be excited. I was excited. God was just speaking peace over the day and I felt good things ahead. I could sense that God was going to set up a fruitful appointment and right at the end of the day He did.
We were in the food court eating ice cream and I was looking for common ground to work from with these people. First I looked for students and found pockets of them scattered. I needed an entry way, some kind of reason to approach them. Then I saw a guitar with three students. Here we go. I went up and asked if they played. All three of them had guitars and had just bought them in hopes of learning. I told them I know some chords and would love to teach them. I also shared Jesus and they were interested as they had never heard someone tell Jesus' story as I did. They didn't know Jesus claimed to be the Son of God but they claimed to be Catholics. I said I would love to hang out again. They were ecstatic and exchanged contact information with me. God came through. We just needed patience.
Later that night I called back home to my little brother and his classmates after dinner. They were still in school and my partner and I got to tell how faithful God had been. It felt good just to brag on Jesus to someone who cared about him for a little bit. Most people here take it with a grain of salt but nothing beats sharing with some passionate brothers. Any stories we tell have to come back to Jesus or they just aren't worth telling. We were running on empty just a couple days ago but have new energy after these past couple days. We love it here. Pray that God has our scattered seed fall on rich soil.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Blind Faith
Now that we feel comfort (or something close to it), we want to know what the next step is. It's only natural. Blind faith brought this far and isn't a principle that terrifies me as it did three weeks ago. But it is also wise to plan with God. Not to be confused with making plans that He destroys later on to teach you a lesson. We need to get on board with what He wants to do early on. What will these next three months look like?
As I've mentioned before, we work both in college and slum ministry. We are finding that our job description is subject to change at any time and it does so almost daily. We have one slum that we work with almost exclusively and see the same children. Those children also go to our church and we teach them there as well. We used to think those slum days were predictable. This was until a group of widows filled the upper room of this building after the children left the other night. There was hardly any room for all of us in there. Shoulder to shoulder from wall to wall we stood with these widows. They wanted to hear Bible stories too. This curveball thrown by The Lord our God was as delightful as it was puzzling. What are we doing here? Who are we ministering to?
Everyone.
God is putting us everywhere so that we can be a light to everyone. We have a purpose no more specific than this: Glorify God. It doesn't need anymore specificity. That will be fleshed out in all sorts of different ways this semester. One week it has been arranged for us to go to a village and preach. At one point, short-term teams will visit and learn under us about Bangalore and reaching people here. A group from California is supposedly coming to help here and will be contacting us in late April. We have waves of structure and relief in the midst of chaos. How could we ever grow bored? We wake up and walk out the door with no earthly idea of what will happen or who we will meet.
Today we met a team of people who specialize in reaching college students in this city. Sounds right up our alley. We drove out to their secluded campus out of town. Our supervisor knows a few people in leadership and wants to have us partner with them. They are a very cautious people and are hesitant to involve outsiders. If they associate with the wrong people it could compromise what they are doing. We learned their methods and processes today. They alternate seasons of evangelism and follow up. We have caught them in a follow up season. We want to help any way we can and have them help us find people. They won't pass the baton of their labor that carelessly and we must understand that. We are trying to gain their trust in hopes of a partnership that will be fruitful. Pray that we can work alongside these people and not be a liability for them. We leave soon. They are here forever.
This would be a step in the right direction. Things are in a constant state of chaos in South Asia as I have said before. When I look at the calendar I see three months which seems like too much time. When I look at the weeks individually I see that we have so little time to accomplish all we need to. Pray that we can make a dent in the most condensed region of lost people on the face of the earth in some manor this semester.
As I've mentioned before, we work both in college and slum ministry. We are finding that our job description is subject to change at any time and it does so almost daily. We have one slum that we work with almost exclusively and see the same children. Those children also go to our church and we teach them there as well. We used to think those slum days were predictable. This was until a group of widows filled the upper room of this building after the children left the other night. There was hardly any room for all of us in there. Shoulder to shoulder from wall to wall we stood with these widows. They wanted to hear Bible stories too. This curveball thrown by The Lord our God was as delightful as it was puzzling. What are we doing here? Who are we ministering to?
Everyone.
God is putting us everywhere so that we can be a light to everyone. We have a purpose no more specific than this: Glorify God. It doesn't need anymore specificity. That will be fleshed out in all sorts of different ways this semester. One week it has been arranged for us to go to a village and preach. At one point, short-term teams will visit and learn under us about Bangalore and reaching people here. A group from California is supposedly coming to help here and will be contacting us in late April. We have waves of structure and relief in the midst of chaos. How could we ever grow bored? We wake up and walk out the door with no earthly idea of what will happen or who we will meet.
Today we met a team of people who specialize in reaching college students in this city. Sounds right up our alley. We drove out to their secluded campus out of town. Our supervisor knows a few people in leadership and wants to have us partner with them. They are a very cautious people and are hesitant to involve outsiders. If they associate with the wrong people it could compromise what they are doing. We learned their methods and processes today. They alternate seasons of evangelism and follow up. We have caught them in a follow up season. We want to help any way we can and have them help us find people. They won't pass the baton of their labor that carelessly and we must understand that. We are trying to gain their trust in hopes of a partnership that will be fruitful. Pray that we can work alongside these people and not be a liability for them. We leave soon. They are here forever.
This would be a step in the right direction. Things are in a constant state of chaos in South Asia as I have said before. When I look at the calendar I see three months which seems like too much time. When I look at the weeks individually I see that we have so little time to accomplish all we need to. Pray that we can make a dent in the most condensed region of lost people on the face of the earth in some manor this semester.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Nieces and Nephews
The family we are staying with is unbelievable. I can't share too much information about them but just know that they are a generous and loving group of people. A kind mother, lovely children, and a father who is an incredible visionary.
I mentioned before that Bangalore is great but it's not perfect. We are starting to see the filth. But we can't throw the baby out with the bath water. We must fight for those who are faithful to Jesus. Corruption is a disease that those in power carry here in India. Bribery is commonplace and money is stolen from residents in all sorts of underhanded ways and it goes completely unpunished. Husbands who don't want to be with their wives anymore do not divorce them. That is too shameful. They think it more sensible to poison her and pay off authorities to look the other way. We found out there is a brothel not far from where we live. Trafficking is a problem here. There are families who take infants they don't want and put them in a pot and cook them to death to feed them to the dogs. We live with a 3 year old who was saved from a home like that. Hardly paradise, right?
My teammate and I take two days out of the week to go to those lowly places and spread the love of Jesus. We take the first half of those days as a sabbath and rest in God. This is not what we would think of in the States. We remain in prayer, worship and the Word until it is time to go to the slums. Then we pour ourselves out for people that are unloved. There are 6,000 people in this slum. 300 of them are Christians.
We go to a fellowship for Christians there to teach English and stories about Jesus. On our left is a Hindu temple and on our right is a mosque. A stretch of pavement that is about the length of a football field holds these places of worship. This is spiritual warfare that is in our face. Pray that Jesus is praised in that place! These people need to understand that the love of God is for them too. Jesus changed my heart and life and it can happen to anyone. They are groping for God in the darkness and looking in all of the wrong places. By grace, we have seen the light and can't help but talk about it. Pray that they receive the Truth.
There is a name that the children both in our house and in the slums call me by that warms my heart every time. Everytime I walk into a room of children who don't know me I'm greeted with a unified hello and I'm asked to say my name. I've learned to just go by "Cam" here and the children all yell, "Hi, Cam uncle!". Most times the students will just run up beside me and tug on my pant leg saying, "Uncle! Uncle!" trying to get my attention. It is like this in the home too. The family has very playful and sweet kids who all call me and my teammate uncle. It's something that makes my heart leap. We really feel like we are apart of a great family here and that we are helping take care of dozens of fabulous children.
We are not trained teachers or trusted babysitters. We came here to preach Christ to college kids. God has managed to set aside a few hours every week to remind me of a passion and vision I've carried for a while now. This upcoming generation must know Jesus, both in the U.S. and abroad. Loving boys and girls who are "untouchable" is helping them know Jesus. Youth ministry is a joy of mine but here it's not that simple. There is no true youth program. It's as it is in Acts. They see a widowed mother who is poor and has kids she's unable to fend for. The Body must rise up and love them like Christ. They need Him more than they need my partner and I. I look forward to those days. I love my nieces and nephews.
R*ch
I mentioned before that Bangalore is great but it's not perfect. We are starting to see the filth. But we can't throw the baby out with the bath water. We must fight for those who are faithful to Jesus. Corruption is a disease that those in power carry here in India. Bribery is commonplace and money is stolen from residents in all sorts of underhanded ways and it goes completely unpunished. Husbands who don't want to be with their wives anymore do not divorce them. That is too shameful. They think it more sensible to poison her and pay off authorities to look the other way. We found out there is a brothel not far from where we live. Trafficking is a problem here. There are families who take infants they don't want and put them in a pot and cook them to death to feed them to the dogs. We live with a 3 year old who was saved from a home like that. Hardly paradise, right?
My teammate and I take two days out of the week to go to those lowly places and spread the love of Jesus. We take the first half of those days as a sabbath and rest in God. This is not what we would think of in the States. We remain in prayer, worship and the Word until it is time to go to the slums. Then we pour ourselves out for people that are unloved. There are 6,000 people in this slum. 300 of them are Christians.
We go to a fellowship for Christians there to teach English and stories about Jesus. On our left is a Hindu temple and on our right is a mosque. A stretch of pavement that is about the length of a football field holds these places of worship. This is spiritual warfare that is in our face. Pray that Jesus is praised in that place! These people need to understand that the love of God is for them too. Jesus changed my heart and life and it can happen to anyone. They are groping for God in the darkness and looking in all of the wrong places. By grace, we have seen the light and can't help but talk about it. Pray that they receive the Truth.
There is a name that the children both in our house and in the slums call me by that warms my heart every time. Everytime I walk into a room of children who don't know me I'm greeted with a unified hello and I'm asked to say my name. I've learned to just go by "Cam" here and the children all yell, "Hi, Cam uncle!". Most times the students will just run up beside me and tug on my pant leg saying, "Uncle! Uncle!" trying to get my attention. It is like this in the home too. The family has very playful and sweet kids who all call me and my teammate uncle. It's something that makes my heart leap. We really feel like we are apart of a great family here and that we are helping take care of dozens of fabulous children.
We are not trained teachers or trusted babysitters. We came here to preach Christ to college kids. God has managed to set aside a few hours every week to remind me of a passion and vision I've carried for a while now. This upcoming generation must know Jesus, both in the U.S. and abroad. Loving boys and girls who are "untouchable" is helping them know Jesus. Youth ministry is a joy of mine but here it's not that simple. There is no true youth program. It's as it is in Acts. They see a widowed mother who is poor and has kids she's unable to fend for. The Body must rise up and love them like Christ. They need Him more than they need my partner and I. I look forward to those days. I love my nieces and nephews.
R*ch
White Fields
This blog is finally true to its name. I write to you from Bangalore. We survived training week and hopelessly fell victim to the infamous "Delhi Belly". We did all that was asked of us and learned a tremendous amount. It was a fantastic week and we grew close to loving, passionate people. But now it's over. Training week felt like a summer camp in a metropolitan playground. Now it's time to work.
We had a saying in Delhi whenever a shortcoming or inconvenience came our way, "It'll be better in Bangalore." Little did we know how true that would be. Bangalore is in a state called Karnataka. This is the California of India and Bangalore is the state's largest city. It is much different from Delhi which I now understand to be a blue collar city. Bangalore is an educational hub. Residents up north claim that when they visit Bangalore they miss India. It is cleaner, warmer, and more westernized. To the Indian eye, it would be too American. Let me tell you (having lived in both places) that it is still very much Indian and has a lot of needs. Wild animals roam the streets. Slums can be found in every district. It still smells like dirt, fire and curry. It's still India.
Bangalore is predominantly Hindu as expected. Muslim comes in at second place and there is surprisingly large demographic of Roman Catholics. This is no doubt the work of the British influence throughout the years but it is not Catholicism as we know it. This Catholicism is more similar to Hinduism than it is Christianity in that it is idol-focused. It has muddled and confusing practices and views. There are also some Baptist and Christian ministries making it a large melting pot of beliefs. Jesus is as misunderstood here as he was up in Delhi.
Dozens of colleges are here in Bangalore and make the youth easy to find and spend time with. We have just swung by most of these places familiarizing ourselves with the layout of the city. There are several districts and they each have their own cultures on display. We are looking for young adults.
We arrived around noon and were picked up by one of our supervisors. Palm trees were everywhere and it felt like paradise compared to Delhi. My partner and I had been fighting off all kinds of attacks from Satan just before and right after our flight here. Sickness and finances are good distractions that the enemy can put in our way to stop us from being effective. My teammate has been battling a fever, back injury, and acid reflux. I am allergy prone enough as it is back home and the potency of the allergens here are giving me more than I can handle. Luckily for us, God has seen our needs and come through swiftly. All sorts of lies from the enemy creep in on a daily basis. We have to fight with truth.
We decided to christen our stay here with a prayer walk through the streets. It was night and we did not know anything about the area we were in. We made a couple of turns and started down a main road. We both were praying to ourselves and asking God to come fill this place. I asked him where He wanted to send us. I felt Him say, "the fields are white for the harvest". This made sense because Jesus said it in John 4 but I wanted to know specifically where these white fields are. I asked Him to show me. I then looked up and saw a traffic sign that said, "White Field" that was pointing at two young men. I can't make this stuff up. We went and shared with them and they wanted to know more about Jesus and meet us again. We exchanged contact information and hope to see them again. The fields are white indeed. God set the tone on night one.
R*ch
We had a saying in Delhi whenever a shortcoming or inconvenience came our way, "It'll be better in Bangalore." Little did we know how true that would be. Bangalore is in a state called Karnataka. This is the California of India and Bangalore is the state's largest city. It is much different from Delhi which I now understand to be a blue collar city. Bangalore is an educational hub. Residents up north claim that when they visit Bangalore they miss India. It is cleaner, warmer, and more westernized. To the Indian eye, it would be too American. Let me tell you (having lived in both places) that it is still very much Indian and has a lot of needs. Wild animals roam the streets. Slums can be found in every district. It still smells like dirt, fire and curry. It's still India.
Bangalore is predominantly Hindu as expected. Muslim comes in at second place and there is surprisingly large demographic of Roman Catholics. This is no doubt the work of the British influence throughout the years but it is not Catholicism as we know it. This Catholicism is more similar to Hinduism than it is Christianity in that it is idol-focused. It has muddled and confusing practices and views. There are also some Baptist and Christian ministries making it a large melting pot of beliefs. Jesus is as misunderstood here as he was up in Delhi.
Dozens of colleges are here in Bangalore and make the youth easy to find and spend time with. We have just swung by most of these places familiarizing ourselves with the layout of the city. There are several districts and they each have their own cultures on display. We are looking for young adults.
We arrived around noon and were picked up by one of our supervisors. Palm trees were everywhere and it felt like paradise compared to Delhi. My partner and I had been fighting off all kinds of attacks from Satan just before and right after our flight here. Sickness and finances are good distractions that the enemy can put in our way to stop us from being effective. My teammate has been battling a fever, back injury, and acid reflux. I am allergy prone enough as it is back home and the potency of the allergens here are giving me more than I can handle. Luckily for us, God has seen our needs and come through swiftly. All sorts of lies from the enemy creep in on a daily basis. We have to fight with truth.
We decided to christen our stay here with a prayer walk through the streets. It was night and we did not know anything about the area we were in. We made a couple of turns and started down a main road. We both were praying to ourselves and asking God to come fill this place. I asked him where He wanted to send us. I felt Him say, "the fields are white for the harvest". This made sense because Jesus said it in John 4 but I wanted to know specifically where these white fields are. I asked Him to show me. I then looked up and saw a traffic sign that said, "White Field" that was pointing at two young men. I can't make this stuff up. We went and shared with them and they wanted to know more about Jesus and meet us again. We exchanged contact information and hope to see them again. The fields are white indeed. God set the tone on night one.
R*ch
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