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