Back in the beginning of October, I was making the hour-long vikram ride to my storying group in the outskirts of my city. I had been on vacation and hadn't seen my people for a while, so I was excited to reconnect and get back in the groove of meeting with them. When we got to our destination, to our disappointment, the door was locked and remained so, even after much knocking. I called my boss to find out that group had been cancelled due to an unknown holiday and that we wouldn't be able to meet for at least another week, possibly two. I was sad that I couldn't see my people and frustrated that I had gottten up so early and travelled so far for nothing! Just as I got off the phone with my boss, Adam, Eve, and their baby came up to the center. They hadn't heard that the meeting was cancelled either, so we sat down and talked for a while. I was curious to see how they liked the storying method and whether they thought it worked for them. I asked them, “How can I help you?” Adam replied, “You can give people food, shelter, and money, but they still won't be saved. The most important thing is for people to be saved, so we just want to know God better and tell others about Him too.” Here is a man whose house leaks because he doesn't have enough money to finish it and whose wife almost died in childbirth because they didn't have enough money for proper healthcare. And yet he has the amount of faith it takes to say, “God is more important.” He could have asked me for anything, “but only one thing is necessary, and [Adam] has chosen what is better” (Luke 10:42). Praise Jesus for Adam's incredible faith and desire to know God!!! Thank you God for what you have done in Adam's life so far by saving him and growing him and we thank you for what you will do in the future! Pray for Adam, Eve, and all the members of my group that God would continue to stir up in their hearts an unquenchable love forJesus, that God would reveal more and more of Himself to them, and that they would have an unending supply of the Holy Spirit's power to do whatever God calls them to do!
This past month, one of my college friends came and visited me for about 3 weeks!! She had been teaching in Korea for the past year and decided to stop by and see me on her way home. Our first stop was Kerala, which is the southern-most state in India. There we went to a beautiful beach and took a boatride through the famous “backwaters” of Alleppey. After a few days there, we flew back up to Northern India to see the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort, and from there we headed to Nepal, as I needed to renew my visa out of the country. In Nepal, we took a little tourist plane to see the Annapurna range of the Himalayas and just enjoyed the cooler weather and the magnificent beauty of the foothills! It was an amazing trip, full of fun, adventure, relaxation, and catching up with my friend!
While I was on vacation, Celeste and Emily made their move to Agra! They have been there about a month now, and, thanks to Jesus, met a pastor's wife who offered to help translate for them at least some of the time and gave them at least one storying group opportunity!! This is a huge answer to prayer, as when they arrived in Agra, they hardly knew anyone who spoke Braj, their target group language. So thank you God for answering our prayers!!! They are working on getting settled. Pray that their landlord will give them a lease soon so that they can get Internet! Pray for wisdom and discernment on how to set boundaries with their landlord, as he comes over to their place almost everyday, invites himself over for dinner, and demands that they cook him goat meat!
In the middle of October, Lindsey, Jessica, and I got to do another training for a group of about 20 men and women from villages who are looking to be spiritual leaders in their communities! We were part of another pastor's larger 3-week training, so Jess and Lindsey told the stories of Jacob and Joseph. I got to explain the why and how of storying. This Tuesday, we are headed off to another training in Bangladesh! Jess, Lindsey, and I will be there for a week, so pray for safety, that God would do His work through us, and that the people who come would be open to whatever God has for them.
This month, we have also been spending a lot of time at the Children's Home. Most of them had midterms recently, so we helped them study. This past Thursday, we spent one of the biggest Indian holidays, Diwali, with them! Diwali is “the festival of lights,” which basically means that people set off firecrackers at all hours for three days straight!! We had a great time with the kids, playing games, watching a movie, eating cookies, and just talking. We spent the night there, which we had never done before, and went to a park the next day. It was good to see what their daily life is like, rather than just spending two hours here and there with them. On the storying front, we reached the New Testament with them. I told the story of the birth of John the Baptist and Lindsey just recently told the birth of Jesus.
We are praising God for the opportunities He has given us and for the work He is doing here in Northern India!! Pray that we would be good stewards of our time and rescources! “You are our Lord; we have no good apart from you. You are our chosen portion and our cup. Indeed, we have a beautiful inheritance” (Psalm 16:2,5-6).
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