10 March 2014

Today we visited the Hope for Today Offices and met the staff. They are beautiful, caring, hospitable people with great hearts! It is little wonder that Hope for Today is successful in so many of its ministries.

We also visited two Alpha Schools. These schools are located in slum areas (their description) and they are giving education and a future to children in poverty, as well as grounding them in Scripture and the love of The Lord. The children were attentive and joyful as we visited with them. They sang for us with joy and listened attentively when Ginger and KellySue told them a Bible Story and when I prayed with/for/over them.These schools will change the trajectory of the lives of the children, and God must be exceedingly pleased with this work of compassion.

Finally, we visited the boys Alpha Home and had dinner there. We were greeted warmly and were surprised to find the girls from the girls Alpha Home were there as well. Our hearts were touched as the children sang for us, recited memory verses for us (often an entire Psalm or chapter) and smiled and waved and even danced for us! We shared two devotionals with them - one by KellySue and one by me. I prayed for the children and the homes and they served all of us a delicious dinner. We even got to try some of the soy milk that Hope for Today distributes both to the children of the Alpha Homes and to children on the streets.

Esther Pereira joined us for dinner and she was the star of the show! The children love her so much and she loves them with an amazing, God-given love. At the end of our time with the children Esther asked me to pray for the older children who have just finished/are finishing their basic education. One of them has graduated with an engineering degree and is looking for a job. We prayed that he and all of the graduating children would find jobs and enjoy the Lord's favor on their lives. We also presented the graduate who is looking for a job with a Bible that we brought along.

The Alpha Homes are no common orphanages. The children are treated with great love and respect and given every opportunity and encouragement to complete their education and succeed in life. God is using Peter and Esther to literally change the course of their lives. I believe they will go on to great things for God, perhaps even things that shake India and change the world!

We came away from our evening at the Alpha Home incredibly blessed and filled with joy. God has shown us deeply moving blessings on this trip to India. I am profoundly proud to be Pastor of a Church that partners in this important work for God's Kingdom!

Pastor Mike

10 March 2014

The faith of the Indian Christians is a living testimony of the presence of Jesus Christ. Many of them do not have a Bible. What they know of Scripture is taught to them by the pastors in telling them the stories of the Bible. As we are finding out in "The Story" at DUMC, there is power in God's story, and there is power in the stories of faithful men and women whom God uses for His glory.

Peter tells us that simple villagers in Bihar, which is a region of India that is hostile to Christianity, are hearing the story of Jesus and the stories of faith from the Bible and remembering them. They repeat those stories to their family and friends and God's Word is spread in that form. Others who hear them tell the stories come to faith.

Pastor Elwin, our guide while we were in Delhi, was telling us about a Pastor in one of the places in India where Christians are actively persecuted. The Pastor was imprisoned for seven years. He was made to lie on a bed of ice, and then burned with cigarettes all over his body to try to force him to deny his faith in Jesus Christ. God gave him courage and strength, and he remained faithful.

Many who come to Christ lose everything because they are shunned by their family and village and even have their property seized or destroyed. And yet with great joy they give themselves to Jesus who gives them hope. Being baptized in India is crossing a line of no return - and believers gladly receive it. Their witness is powerful and humbling to me. By comparison, our comfortable kind of American Christianity seems to be a shallow substitute for the living faith we see here in India.

Almighty God, please send an awakening in India that wins millions. Almighty God, please send an awakening in the US that transforms churches and believers with the same kind of living, courageous faith demonstrated in India! May it be so! Amen!

Worship in an Indian Church

An amazing worship service in a Church in India!

9 March 2014

Worship today was filled with God's presence and power. I was asked to preach at two Indian churches, and the experience was amazing. Mark came with me to these services and brought greetings in both of them. In addition, Peter Pereira preached at the church that hosted the children's ministry this week, and Ginger and KellySue accompanied him there. Worship there was also powerfully anointed.

Dozens of people in each service where I preached indicated they made a decision for Jesus Christ in response to the invitation to ask for God to fill us with His Spirit - the same Spirit that came upon Moses and the 70 elders in Numbers 11, and the same Spirit that was poured out on all God's people at Pentecost. After the first service almost everybody in the church came forward for individual prayer from Mark and me. How humbling and joyful it was to pray with these dear Indian Christian brothers and sisters! May God continue to pour out His Spirit upon the church in India and make them light in the darkness.

Only 4% of India's population is Christian. But if the graduates from the ILI Regional Conference we helped to lead have anything to do with it, that number will increase. The group received a crash course in Christian Leadership focused around ILI's eight Core Values: Intimacy with God, Passion for the Harvest, Visionary Leadership, Culturally Relevant Evangelism, Multiplication of Leaders, Family Priority, Faithful Stewardship and Integrity. They are now unleashed to evangelize, lead and multiply themselves by training other leaders!

After worship and lunch we made the trip back to Hyderabad. We will see Hope for Today's offices tomorrow and tour two of the Alpha Homes and the Alpha School in Hyderabad, hosted by HFT staff and Esther Pereira.

Already this has been an amazing trip. I am excited to see what God still has in store for us!

Pastor Mike

Spirit filled prayers

We went to church today with the children from children's ministry and their families. The service was beautiful. There were strong prayer warriors present. As the pastor prayed the congregation prayed with him and the room was filled with praises to God! The presence was so strong people began to cry out to God in worship. It was one of the most breath taking experiences of my life. 

Prayer is powerful. It is a conversation with our Lord, what else would it be? Yet, sometimes we tend to get in a prayer rut. The words are coming out of our mouths, but the passion is not there. We must keep our fire ablaze and speak to God with a passion deep within our souls. This may include crying, dancing, singing, shouting, or whatever the heart feels. Let us not hold back when we are speaking to our Lord. Let us be like the congregation I witnessed today praying to God with passionate tears, shouts, and lifted hands. 

• James 5:16b

  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
• Pray to God with passion today!! He is anxiously waiting. 

Love,

KellySue

Jesus loves the little children

Ginger and I have been helping with the children's ministry for the last couple of days! The children are full of life and such a blessing! Their songs and dances are a joy.

                                        

One girl came up and asked for prayer on Friday. She had a bad fever and could not walk without help. We prayed for her and on Saturday she came up to tell me she was healed!! Praise God!!! God is definitley at work. We continue to see amazing things.

Today we are going to go to church with the children. I cannot wait to see what God has in store. Please keep us in your prayers!

Love,

KellySue

How strong is your faith?

Wow! I am in awe of the measure of faith of the people here in India. On Thursday we met a former Muslim man.  Before he accepted Christ he was a wealthy, secretary at the mosque and a loan servicer. When loans were not repaid he would beat the people that owed. After he accepted Christ his house was taken and no one would repay their loans. Instead of doubting Gods presence he began to share his story with others to win others to Christ. He has since became a pastor and given 17 children a home. We were able to meet the children. The smiles on their faces brightened the whole room! One girl had the power of prayer. She prayed with more faith than most adults I know. It was a true blessing to witness her conversation with our Lord.

Today I had the joy of working and rooming with one of the female staff from the alpha school. Her faith in Christ is stronger than I have ever seen. She prays for miracles daily. Today she found out that a boy with aids that she was praying for was healed! Praise the Lord!! Later in our room we were visited by the pastor and his wife. Their son has a trisomy. My roommate prayed for healing for their son and the spirit of god was so strong that tears began to fall from my face. I could not understand the language being spoke, but I did know that the Holy Spirit was present in a huge way! I now believe with all my heart that God is going to heal their son.

Do you have enough faith to pray in confidence for something that to the world is impossible? Many of us would say no. Today I was reminded that everything is possible with God and we must have faith that He will move!! Pray for the impossible and wait to see God's mighty hand at work.

It is the same with faith. If it doesn't cause us to do something, it's dead. (James 2:17 NIRV)

Love,

KellySue