India....the experience. final part.

Now that we've been airlifted to one side of the globe and back, what are we to make of all this?  Why do we do this? Why would we ever want to go back? Our roots have been established here in the Midwest, with no indication of moving overseas in the foreseeable future. Of course, that could change. Meanwhile, why even bother temporarily uprooting, spending the money, leaving our kiddos in the hands of others, taking vacation time from work, etc?

First, all I can say on God's behalf is:

Isaiah 55:

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

What it is He does in our hearts that compels us to go lest we disobey Him is not something I can fully articulate.  I do know that I have obeyed such prompts in the past, that His will has been confirmed and there have been no regrets.  I cannot in good conscience know that I will face Him one day and tell Him that I did not do what He was asking of me because of other people's pressure  or expectations or my own fears or my own sense of what is wise in my own eyes.  I'm sure I'll have plenty of disobedience to answer for in that regard anyway, right?!  But that cannot hinder me from doing what I know to be right at this time.  Both Jim and I have sensed a calling into an invitation from God to come alongside His work in southeastern Asia.  Not full time.  Not permanently.  But, on an ad hoc basis for now.  Those in our lives who know us best, who pray regularly, and those in leadership over us, all concur that our involvement in that region of the world is God-appointed.

Ok, so how does one reconcile God's current activity here and abroad, when living HERE but keenly aware of how He is active THERE?  It is the same God, but His activity appears different in the India part of the world.  

I think to answer this type of question would require some extra time of sitting over coffee (maybe wine) and just sort of thinking out loud to sort it out. While there are so many things that are the same about people in the US and people in different countries, there certainly are cultural differences, spiritual-experience differences, skin tone differences, food differences, etc.   What IS the same is God's heart and character, while having the perfect right as Creator to express and reveal Himself in a variety of ways.  Ways that never contradict His character or His Word, but can be as varied as the differences between trees and people - both of which He made!  If I understand His creativity correctly, nothing about what He brings into being is monochromatic.  Look at the varieties and color differences among same species - animate and inanimate alike!  And then just try to itemize everything He has made.  It seems everything has a shade of change from one thing to the next.  All that to say, I've come to realize that the only thing I need to know to "reconcile" my experience in India with the life I live here is that things ARE different.  And that helps expand my understanding of how wide, high and deep HE is, that the environments He is working in across the globe vary, and so then do some of the ways He brings people of any nation to Himself.  It is overwhelming, knowing my own unworthiness, that in welcoming Jim and I to witness Him at work in other places we get a more intimate glimpse into His heart.  Always we ask,  who are WE?  Nothing!  I think anyone obeying whatever God calls them to do feels this. Whether within their home, within a 1-mile radius of home, or farther and farther out from that, His invitation to trust and obey Him is always an invitation into knowing more of His heart.  And that is a privilege granted only by the finished work of forgiveness through Jesus, they tenderheartedness of our Father and the power of His Spirit.  

And so it goes.  In our lives today.  Whatever He asks me obey Him in - regarding my role as wife, mother, daughter, friend, neighbor, etc - it is a call to deepen intimacy with Him by trusting and obeying.  In my home, cul de sac, neighborhood, school communities, church, and beyond.  It is NOT more true in India than it is here.  He is not more powerful or active there.  The environments and hearts toward Him (or against Him)  fluctuate in each geographic location, so too will the appearance of His work in people's hearts.  HE does not change - He just has a wide breadth of options to choose from to express Himself from one place another.

To close then, though there are so many other thoughts swirling around in me, for now I will continue to tighten down what is loosey-goosey in my private and spiritual disciplines, make better quality space and quiet to continue to listen through His Word and Spirit, and seek to love, trust and obey Him.  Even if it seems crazy by my "safe-prone" standards.  Even if I need time to wrestle it out with God to allow Him to tame my wild selfishness.  Even if I'm rolling my eyes, shaking my head and huffing because what He's nudging me toward is inconvenient,  I will do it.  His Word is life.  LIFE.  I want life.  I wish on my own terms I could bring about lasting satisfaction.  But I can't.  Never really has.  And so, God help me, I'll try to listen, love, obey each day - here or wherever He invites me join Him to draw more to His heart and eternal family.  That's my main "take away" from our trip at present. 

Thanks for praying.  Seriously.  Powerful stuff happens in cosmic places that affect our daily movements when we pray.  Thanks for praying for my daughter who was struggling with illness before we left.  I sensed God telling me to trust that would extend healing to her within my obedience to go India.  Indeed, from the time we left til our return, she rarely coughed and her asthmatic lungs cleared up. I'm so grateful. 

Please pray for us, our church, our own nation, as well as God's movement in hearts in India.

Many thanks!

India...the experience. part 5

How I wish I could share pictures of our missionaries, regional leaders and the house churches we visited.  The government in India is heightening their awareness of Christian activity and in different areas of the country, the persecution of Christians is intensifying.  The government is leaning toward pushing out any religion that does not match the current majority (you can easily look up what that is).  There is chatter among locals there that the next election in 2019 may stir up the kind of violence between competing religions that they saw in 1947. Scroll down to "India and Pakistan" to see what I'm referring to: http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1947.html

The region we visited is not quite as affected by this...yet.   While there, we met, by chance, a man from the U.S. also there to support God's work in the nation who has experienced being followed and looked into.   All that to say, I need to be somewhat cryptic in the terms I share in writing and I cannot post the pictures I have showing certain faces,  but am happy to share them in person any time.

The three of us were able to visit four house churches.  At the first, we looked into the eyes of about 8 women and 3 men. Their religious background was mixed.  Jim asked many questions about their journey toward following Jesus, how life has changed with that decision, what they are currently studying in the Bible, etc.  The man of the house we were meeting at also showed us the disease in his leg which the doctor recently made two incisions into to relieve the pressure of extreme swelling, but those incisions were not stitched. His mother, also in attendance, had a stroke a few months back.  She was completely incapacitated.  Their house church had prayed and had witnessed miraculous recovery.  She was sitting there with us, although one arm was still experiencing pain and limited mobility.    Another more elderly man was there with a cast on his leg due to a fracture that would not heal.  The cast had already been changed twice - he's been injured and out of work for three months.  Life is hard.  This group, though, was caring for each other as best as possible, and comforted by their community together as Christ-followers.  They were encouraged by our visit and eagerly wanted a message from the Word from us.  Much to my surprise, they wanted this message from me.  Though a bit on the spot, I was so glad to have just taught on Priscilla, so this is what I shared in a briefer version.   Afterward we prayed for the three who were sick and enjoyed some tea and snack together.  How generous they were.  We bid them farewell and set out for another house church.

It was getting dark by the time we squeezed into the main room of a host family's home.  This family's background was from the 2nd largest, yet still minority religion of the nation.  They all sat together on the bed while we were seated in chairs they set out for us.    Once again, we learned of their journey to know Jesus, heard a story of the miraculous healing of their 13 year old who'd almost died due to gastrointestinal illness, showing us the scars of several surgeries.  We prayed for the stomach pains of a three year old there and his aunt, also having similar pain.  To hear them speak of the questions they had about Jesus prior to faith in Him, and how they embraced this faith highlighted to me that God will not miss reaching anyone whose heart is open toward Him.  He is good, He is faithful, He sees all hearts.  Each, as His own creation, is precious to Him and He longs for them to reach for Him. No matter where they are, how rich or poor, rural or urban or suburban.  He will hear and they will be found by Him.   This family also shared the difficulties of persecution they've faced.  They'd had rocks thrown at them and at the door of their home, among other things. At this time, they were considering moving to different place where they could enter already as Christians.  This status is more easily accepted than that of a family formerly known for their previous religion who then converts to the Way of Jesus.  Again we were asked to share His Word to encourage them during the difficulties they were facing.  And once more, all eyes were on me.  Knowing the cultural norms and attitudes toward women in this culture, it felt a bit awkward, but I read the Word of God through James, offering comfort and hope to those being persecuted.  Their reward in heaven will be all the more sweet because of what they have persevered through.  We parted ways after sharing tea, but I have their faces captured on my camera to remind me to pray for them. 

The next day, we set out in the morning for a long, bumpy car ride to an area more remote.  Our escorts, one of which also a regional leader, had not yet been to visit these people.  Joining us, was a house church leader who had been responsible for sharing Jesus with a member of the house church we were going to visit.  Along the road we travelled, we saw the vast tea gardens of this northern area.  And in them, the workers picking tea.  Hard work.  Tea pickers have a bag slung on their back they put and press the leaves into.   They get about $2 for a full 26 kilo bag (approx 57 lbs!) of picked leaves.  We also saw signs saying "Elephant Crossing", but unfortunately saw no elephants. 

Arriving to the next - just recently established - house church, we came to find that what was remarkable about these folks is that prior to following Jesus, they were essentially animists - worshipping several different objects of nature.  This village is more tribal, not living in the mainstream.  So to know Jesus had come to them through one of their very young men who'd been on a train and met another house church leader (the one who travelled with us this day) and struck up conversation was incredible.  That house church leader was invited by the young man to come visit the family, and not long later, they are all followers of the Way.  They are one of 10 families in this tribe (approx 80 people total). We will pray with them that the whole tribe comes to know God.  We walked over to the home of a relative who'd been paralyzed due to a fall.  We prayed with them for his healing.  He did not experience spontaneous healing but the family will continue to seek God for it daily.  After enjoying some fresh picked pineapple together (served with salt...which I actually really liked), we went our way with full hearts. 

But our day was not yet over. ☺

Traditional Bengali food consists of white rice, dal (a lentil soup of sorts), chicken and roasted vegetables (usually cauliflower, green beans and/or carrot).  We'd eaten this several times during our trip, and it was just as tasty at the home of our primary host/escort/translator, also a regional leader, whose wife and 6 year old son were generously hospitable.  An hour and a half later, after some neighbors and fellow Jesus followers dropped by, we were on our way to our final house church visit. 

I had plenty of road dust on my feet by the time we arrived to this house. We were offered seats of honour while the family and neighbors who gather for this house church sat huddled on a mat in front of us.  One outstanding detail we all remember was being introduced to a man they claimed was 125 years old!  He did look very old indeed, but we still wonder if there may have been something lost in translation.  Nonetheless, two of his daughters and a son was present.  Surprisingly, they reported that this man had not yet received the truth of Christ.  His wife had, several years ago.  She had just died 10 days before our visit.  The father has rejected the message, and the son had too until his mother died.  When he saw her peace in the face of death, he then believed Jesus for himself.  Much of our time there was listening to his testimony, interspersed with stories from his sisters.   This group had recently resettled to this location due to the persecution faced in their hometown.  They had settled in well and have no trouble with neighbors.  Among them also was a new neighbor.  She had moved there very recently from Assam, a different district that was largely tribal and with its own language.  The faith leaders we know there had mentioned in a previous conversation that they had no plan to spread into this area due to language barrier.  And now here this woman sits...apparently not yet a baptised believer, but accepted in this group and learning more about Jesus with an obviously open heart.  Her faith in Him will follow suit quite soon I believe.  And perhaps through this woman a door for the Gospel may be opening to another distant area.  Who knows?

Of all the house churches we visited, this one felt most familiar to my experience in Bangladesh.  Their mannerisms, the way the women interacted with me and walked with me as our group made its way back to the car as it was getting dark made me not miss BD as much.  I do miss our friends there and am sad to not be able to visit them. 

Driving away, our two day's experiences left us with a lot to mentally/emotionally/spiritually digest.  Not before one more traditional Indian meal at a diner-type, quick serve restaurant, though.  ☺  The funnest part being that we got to take a motorized rickshaw ride there and back!

The day over, we were full to overflowing in our hearts and minds.  We packed up the next morning, waited 3 hours longer than expected for our domestic flight back to the city we'd done the earlier week's training in, and let our thoughts and musings settle a little.  

While our presence is welcomed by our brothers and sisters there for God's purposes, they also appreciate us participating in their culture and seeing their sites.  On our final day we saw mother Teresa's home and final resting place, we visited a church established by missionary William Carey back in the late 1800's, we took a stroll along the Ganges River (by chance witnessing a final cleansing ceremony in a religious funeral), and saw the local train.  Only a few hours later did we board a plane ✈ to take us home and drop us back into the familiar, with many days and weeks ahead to contemplate and discover all God has for us to learn and act upon based on our time in India.

Next (final) post:  closing thoughts

India...the experience. part 4

You're wondering:  How many parts of this experience will there be??

Not sure.

5? 6?

It just seemed better to offer shorter segments than one long one.  Easier for readers to read whatever they have time for.    One experience presented in separate parts.

Ok?  ☺

So...

Once the 2 days of training were completed, Jim and Ned and I set off on a little adventure north to visit a few house churches and explore if there would be any ways taking small teams would be actually helpful.  After visiting a few house churches and discussions with the leaders who escorted us everywhere,  an initial game plan was born that we will continue to pray into and formulate and, with the Spirit's confirmation, implement in 2018.  We'll share more details later, but for now we can tell you that our plan, laid out by the indigenous leaders there, will be to help future internal missionaries gain favor in new villages which then will facilitate their work of sewing Gospel seeds that take root, grow and spread.

I don't want to overlook, however, the tremendous impact that visiting the house churches themselves has had on the three of us. 

The idea of a central church building is not foreign in India (they were colonized by the British for so many years, after all), however, we have observed that setting up churches in homes and allowing any believer who leads another Christ to baptize them, is most effective for quicker spread of the Gospel.  The initial house church leader meets monthly with a regional leader to discuss pertinent issues, but also receives and practices teaching a Biblical curriculum, provided to them.  They are taught a Discovery Bible Study method which helps them identify what God is communicating in the Bible passage and held accountable to apply it. The leader then takes this back to his home church to teach and house church members are accountable to each other for obedience to God's Word. 

When I think of house churches, I picture in my mind an aerial view of the country, and the growing network of house churches appearing like white Christmas lights among the darkness, shining and twinkling with joy.  God is adding new, brightly shiny shining bulbs quite regularly. 

Our little team visited 4 house churches.  The invitation to visit and sit among them has been so humbling.  Their way of life seems so different, yet their experiences and concerns are similar.  Fathers working hard to provide.  Mothers raising kids and tending to the household, sometimes working too plus taking care of elderly family.  Each house hold part of a community they hope to be accepted in and contribute to.  Sometimes that community acceptance is compromised when they chose to follow the Way of Jesus.  Yet, they press on. 

Next post:  the actual house church visits.

India...the experience. part 2

The second full day in Kolkata began with a teaching segment with just women.  On the previous day, another gal travelling with her father who we met up with  there - a man we've had the privilege to know in recent years, and who has been led by the Spirit for many years to shepherd, with wisdom and effectiveness, the spread of the Gospel and subsequent disciple making in the form of house churches - had taught the women,  encouraging them with the faith, love and loyalty of the Old Testament's Ruth.  The women loved the teaching and personal nature of a session planned specifically for them.  So, when it was my turn the following morning, I was met with the smiles and eyes of women eager to learn more.  We read verses from Acts 18 about Priscilla.  Other verses later in the New Testament add dimension to who she was, but we stuck simply with Acts 18.  Please read it for yourself and see what you learn from her.  From this ancient sister's life we learned three main things that are true of women who follow Jesus at any place in the world, any time in history. 

1.  Every woman has something, probably several things, that they do well.  As a disciple of Jesus, and knowing from His Word that He has created us "in Christ Jesus to do good works He created in advance for us to do", (Ephesians 2:10), anything we do well is something He can use as leverage in who we come in contact with, which provides opportunities to communicate who Jesus is.  This was true of Priscilla as a tentmaker.

2.  Priscilla regularly offered hospitality.  She opened her home not just for a few hours occasionally, but even to the point of welcoming the apostle Paul to live with her and her husband for quite a while.  Inviting followers of Jesus (and probably others) to a place of welcome and refuge in their home facilitated those disciples to live up to what God called them to.  They did not have the added stress of wondering where they would stay, what to eat, or where they could safely share their hearts.  In Priscilla's home and company those things were cared for.  God's love was alive and well there.  Any woman has the ability to be hospitable.  If she can't cook, she surely can make tea or coffee and offer a listening ear and find other ways to offer good food.  Inviting others in refreshes them to go back out, either with a faith they will continue to minister from, or with thoughts and questions that can lead them to pursuing a new faith journey with the God of the Bible after experiencing a taste of His love in the home of a Jesus-loving woman. Discipleship often happens in this venue as well.  Hospitality can be a key component in living out the Great Commission, though it is rarely spoken of as such.

3.  Lastly, Priscilla was a continuous learner and teacher of Scripture.  She lived what she learned and could teach others intelligently.  Her love for Jesus and God's very Word allowed her to be a resource from which others could learn and mature in their faith.  Knowing God's Word, and living it obediently makes any woman an important asset in God's family.

Next post: 2nd 1/2 of 2nd day

India...the experience. part 3

On that second day, after morning teaching, the group of 147 met all together to celebrate how God has been at work among and through them.

After lunch, we met with 13 men who had committed last March to sharing their faith in various places in W. Bengal.  One day earlier these men stood , stationed at different places around the large meeting room, and explained how sharing their faith had spread to others who then shared their faith.  We can easily say that in the past 8 months, more than 1000 new Christ followers have been established, who themselves now share their faith and help others learn, love God, and obey God's Word.    Following that up on this day, we asked the 13 specific questions to drill down to their first days as regional missionaries.  They were asked to answer:

     Name
     How long they'd been following Jesus.
     What area they were sent to.
     The name of the first person they baptized.
     What that person's profession is.
     Which previous religion was their background.
     Describe the circumstances of meeting that person and the sequence of events that led up to their baptism. 

In summary, each of these missionaries had been living according to faith in Jesus for 2 years or less.  The average time between the first initiated conversation about Jesus and baptism of that person was about 5 months.  These experiences were peppered with stories of healing prayed for and experienced, of one baptism leading to a whole family's baptism, and other answered prayer as witness to God's love.

 

It was SO humbling to watch and hear these men.  God is moving and drawing many to Himself in India.

Next post: adventure North

India...the experience

Arrived Saturday evening (Nov 4).
Sunday and Monday were spent with 147 men and women who are only 12-24 months into walking along their Christian faith journey in the midst of a culture that is heavily religious, following other gods.  Yet, these people have embraced the teachings of Jesus and biblical Scripture despite years of family culture and community pressure.  These brothers and sisters are faithfully sharing the teachings of the Gospel and Jesus with others and have come alongside those who've  chosen to follow Jesus too.

On Sunday, a guest speaker was in to teach these faith leaders.  He was born in India and raised in a home that was BOTH Christian and Hindu.  His parents were Christian, but all extended family was Hindu and they all lived together.  This is just one of the ways God uniquely prepared him to intelligently compel many who are influential in the Brahman (upper) class to consider and follow Jesus.  In a country where the government is demonstrating even less tolerance of Christianity, God has granted him favor with influential politicians and even some in the Bollywood scene.  He is able to speak in venues that fill their multi-thousand seats, and preach Christ.
When he spoke with this small group of Christians in Kolkata, he encouraged them from the Word to keep sharing the Gospel message.  It's not fully clear to me all the ways our brothers and sisters were built up and encouraged - though I know they were, having one of their own so committed to Jesus and obeying His commands - but I do know what has stuck with me.

First, he challenged the brethren to not just be a believer in Jesus, but be a disciple.  Do not seek to share the Gospel message to simply leave a trail of believers in Jesus in their wake, but seek to make/invest-in disciples who are walking in the steps of Jesus and in tune with His Spirit.  A believer attends church, prays, and perhaps has some culturally "Christian" values incorporated into their lives.  A disciple, per Jesus' own words, obeys everything God has commanded (Matthew 28:18-20), then invites & teaches others to do the same.  I was likewise challenged to examine my own life and allow God to shine the light of His own words into it.  AM I living as a faithful disciple, hanging on God's every word, and earnestly living to please Him in the way I live His words out in my life?!?  Clearly, our Indian brothers and sisters were already living this out more faithfully than I do, so the guest's message was perhaps just a friendly reminder and encouragement to keep steadfast.

Secondly I felt encouraged about where God has placed our family.  Our guest brother lives and preaches Jesus among the privileged in India....not focusing on the poor.  Yet, the power of the Spirit in his life is obvious, and by impacting the influence of those who make decisions in government and Bollywood and higher classes in society, he demonstrates that God's heart is for everyone to know Him and be His child through Jesus. And this also will ripple effect into the poor communities as well, authenticating what God is doing among his beloved there.  There is no level of society that God is not interested in breaking through to.  And the impact of the example of those more publically seen cannot be underestimated when indeed some make very visible shifts in their lives to follow Jesus.  God is so wise.  Admittedly, this brother has a little bit of a "rock star" aura about him.  Yet his consistent humility, his great love for following Jesus and surrendering his own personality, education and even keen knowledge of Scripture to God to be used as God pleases is inspiring.  So, as I go home to a community that is wealthy, I am still aware of my need to love the poor, yet I am also refreshed in my understanding that I have a place in the community I live in, and God intends to employ how He has made me in the place where I live.  I must seek His heart, slow down enough to hear His voice and follow His lead to boldly love and invite people to follow Jesus and to know His forgiveness of sin that frees our souls.  And then walk alongside them to help them learn the joy of obeying all He has commanded.  I feel both inspired and intimidated by this, honestly.  In my own strength, I am not up to living out this calling.  If it were up to what I "felt", living as a believer is way more comfortable than living as a disciple.  And I like to be comfortable.  I like to nestle into a lifestyle of foodie-ness (new word?☺), my own bed and pillow, plenty of introverted time alone,  serving when it is most convenient, praying based on circumstance rather than practiced discipline, etc etc.  Alas, even these tendencies of my personality can be surrendered to Jesus and transformed into leverage for expanding His eternal family.  I must continue to dig deep in persevering in the faith He has granted me, be tenacious to make time for His Word and His Spirit, listening intently with determination to trust and obey.

Lastly, our brother reminded me that memorizing Scripture is not just a good, Christian thing to check off of our list of faith obligations.  Instead it is like a DNA altering infusion, where who God actually is becomes His DNA within me.  DNA identifies not only who we are, but whose we are.  May His DNA in me identify me as His.