South Dakota: Days 1-5

Day 1 - challenging first day of travel as we were delayed in Chicago due to a weather front moving through. Finally arrived at Foothills Community Baptist Church, in Piedmont, S.D., at 10 p.m. local time, or midnight Norfolk time.
       Even though it was a long day, the team remained composed and at peace that God was in control. The accommodations at this local SBC church were nice and we thank Pastor Bob Hower and the church family for their generous hospitality!

Day 2 - what a wonderful opportunity to worship this morning with this young church plant! The spirit of The Lord was greatly felt and experienced through songs and the message presented by Pastor Doug Hixson! It was also exciting to see how many young people and couples who were part of this ministry.

       After a shopping trip to Wal-Mart for our week's supplies, we headed back to our base in Piedmont for rest and preparation for the week's activities.

Day 3 - we began with a devotion and orientation at Connection Church's office in downtown Spearfish. After receiving instructions, we divided up into teams to deliver invitations to every house in the town of Sturgis. There are approximately 6,600 residents here so there would be around 2,000 homes to visit in three days!

       There are two objectives to providing block parties in this town, known primarily for hosting the largest, annual motorcycle rally in the world. They expect almost one million visitors during this year's rally, their 75th celebration.
      One objective is to connect with residents who are immediately looking for a church home. Spearfish is only about 15 miles away so it is close enough for folks to attend services with Connection Church there.
      The second objective would be to connect folks with a small group that is currently meeting in Sturgis. There has been identified a church planter for a new Connection church plant in the near future and it is important for him to connect with as many people in Sturgis as possible.
      Over 800 invitations were delivered through morning and afternoon visits. It was so encouraging, for the two teams who had traveled to S.D. on mission, to be greeted so warmly by the residents of Sturgis!
      The weather didn't cooperate well with the plans for the block party as it rained most of the day. However, it stopped for the two hours of the block party and we knew that even these details did not escape the mind of Christ. Those whom Christ wanted to be there came and were ministered to in a way that could not been accomplished had there been a large crowd.

Day 4 - after our daily devotions together, over 1,000 invitations were delivered through the two sessions of walking the streets of this community. Again it was so encouraging to see the receptivity of the residents and the many who accepted an invitation to pray for them, for many reasons.

      The weather was much better today even though there had been a high likelihood of rain for most of the day. As a result, we registered 322 people! Connection Church Spearfish and the local small group leaders made many meaningful contacts and fun was had by everyone!
       It was a joy to have to return to the nearest store twice to purchase more items for the party. We have been so blessed to have served with the wonderful folks from First Baptist Gruver, Texas, and all the folks associated with Connection Church!

Day 5 - another great start of the day as we had our daily devotion in our church group and then a large group devotion at the park where the block parties are being held. It was encouraging and inspiring to hear the testimonies of team members of divine appointments that God had provided to speak into the lives of those who are far from Him.

     Not sure how many invites were passed out today as we were trying to be sure all the homes had been visited. It has been a beautiful picture of the body of Christ as multiple churches have come together for Kingdom purposes!

India 2: Updates 4-6

Update 4:
Monday evening we went to the second fellowship and spent a few hours getting to know the translators and others from that group. A few non-followers also attended, and C2C along with many personal stories were shared. 

Tuesday we met with the fellowship leader and translators for lunch and discussed the history of the two slum areas where we would be going. Jacob, Candace, and the local m joined some local partners and shared with 30-40 women. They heard C2C as well as personal stories. Hannah, Megan, and I went with the other nationals to a different location and shared C2C and personal stories, and one of the girls who had been recently trained by our local m shared the story of Lazarus along with her story. There were 30-40 women there as well. 

Everyone had been jumping in and out of stomach sickness. Some had just gotten over last week's stuff, while others had recently acquired it or were still pushing forward with it since early on in the trip. Everyone had been careful to drink a lot of water, avoid unsafe foods, and make the most of our time. Our group has been solid; I couldn't ask for anything more. Tuesday night I ate something that disagreed with me, and I had a couple bouts of vomiting Wednesday. I decided I wasn't going to benefit the group for either sharing or translation that afternoon. So, during lunch with the translators I headed back to our hotel. 

Update 5:

The group came back Wednesday early evening and reported sharing many different stories with two slum communities. We went out again one last times Thursday and shared in three more houses using stories like the bleeding woman, the woman at the well, the paralytic, C2C, and personal stories. Some believers were among the people who heard, and after sharing we were encouraged to see how He had called them and how they have been growing. We prayed for the leaders of that group that evening, asking for increased faith, boldness, influence in their community, and provision to keep the work going strong. 

Friday, we shopped in the morning, debriefed in the afternoon, and the four of them were on a jet plane back to the homeland in the late evening. 

We thank the Lord that these two weeks have been filled with endurance to make it through long days, little sleep, health after sickness, protection, divine inspiration, many opportunities to share, fellowship with national followers, and invitations in homes of the lost. May these four carry what they have seen and done back with them, and may I use my final week to strengthen the fellowship here. 

Update 6:

The group was sent back, and I heard of their arrival to the states a few hours ago.

Immediately after dropping them off at the airport, I grabbed a taxi to the home where I was staying that night. My driver, Prav, was very helpful getting me situated, and we began an easy-going conversation about ourselves. For the first time, I was asked if I am from Afghanistan. Somewhere between the beard and speaking Hindi there was some confusion. Having cleared that up, we continued discussing life. Amongst some topics, Prav happened to mention a very short comment about God (a common comment I've heard from the locals). Since the door was open, I decided to walk right on in. 

I asked who he followed, and he said that I'm probably aware that there are many different deities here. He, however, believes there is truly only one. I found this interesting and asked if I could share a story with him. He politely and cheerfully gave me permission, and so I proceeded to share the most detailed of my testimony I've yet to convey to any Indian in Hindi. As I explained sin I formerly had in my life, one in particular seemed to strike a chord with him. Immediately, his demeanor changed, and I became concerned this might not go in the direction I desired. I continued, explaining the feeling of being trapped in sinful things and without strength to remove them from my life. I felt like a slave and desperate. I talked about JC's role in changing my heart, being one who hears my cry for help and listens, and the one who is patient and forgives.

Prav turned to me and said he was going to tell me something he hadn't told anyone else before. During the next few minutes I heard how he has struggled to be clean from a variety of wrong in his life. He said he prays every morning to God to stay away from these things, but afterward he proceeds to do them anyway. He asked if I would pray for him. I explained the good news and why JC came. I shared that my life change, freedom, and peace were not from myself but through JC Himself. I told him JC can give him new life that lasts forever, all he needs to do is believe, turn away from his acknowledged wrong, and commit to His way. Prav gave me his number and asked me to meet him again before I leave the country. He also asked me to intercede for him, which I did before we departed. He said before I left that he had so much happiness in talking with me. He'll probably never know how much happiness I had in talking with him. 

Please lift up Prav. He seems very close to knowing JC. The Father has clearly been opening His eyes. I seek to introduce him to one of my friends in town who could begin walking this wonderful journey with him.  

Praise Him for the amazing things He is doing among these people, all of which are far beyond my expectations.

 

 

India 2: Updates 1-3

Update 1:

The first two days were awesome. Tuesday we had a few hours of orientation, discussing culturally acceptable things to do, emergency plans, foods not to eat, etc. Afterward we went shopping for the girls to have culturally appropriate clothing. 

Wednesday we heard the story of a local believer who had massive life change through encountering Jesus. He shared about various times God provided for Him and his family despite hardship. It was beyond encouraging to see first hand what He has been doing in the lives of locals and specifically how He has been calling them to himself. This same man gave us a tour of some temples in town and explained some things about each one. 

We saw some things in the city during the afternoon, and that evening we went to the first Fellowship where we will be teaching for the remainder of this week. It's exciting to see their group. They are a great bunch of 20-30 year olds, and I can tell they're looking forward to both the training and getting into their communities. 

Thursday we had 30 minutes of worship in Hindi before starting the first training. Our teaching for the morning was on the good news itself, explained through a creation to JC (C2C) story format. Later we went into their communities and shared in homes with their neighbors. 

Update 2:

Friday was remarkable. We did the first lesson which Megan and I led. We allotted them time to practice with each other, and it turned out to be a great part of the day. While some worked through their understanding of Creation to JC (C2C), others came up and asked us questions they felt Hindus would ask them while they would be sharing. Their questions were really good, and it was exciting to see them thinking on their own and being so engaged in the training.

We broke up into 3 groups and went to 5 homes and 1 school between all of us. Hannah and I were in a group together. The local believers were hesitant to initiate conversation in the home, but after some assistance from us the convo got going, we asked some spiritual questions, and drew the national believers in to share. One girl and one guy shared the C2C story, and another guy shared a testimony of how his parents encountered JC and believed. I also shared my story, and we clearly explained that everyone has a choice after they hear about Him. We had made the choice to believe and follow Him, and the people who hosted us had the choice as well. 

We asked her what she thought about C2C and the testimonies she heard, and she said that these were important things that she will think on and consider for herself. She was very polite and listened intently, and I feel confident that she has a heart willing to consider this as truth. We mentioned the relationship that we have with the Father through JC's death and new life, and I think that was a new concept she is pondering. 

The nationals who went with us were encouraged and excited to have been faithful to share so many different things with her. Great stories came from the other groups as well, and we feel this is just the beginning of what the He will do for both this Fellowship and their community. A small number of the believers in this Fellowship struggle to communicate in English and need a translator. The woman which Hannah and my group talked to only spoke Hindi. The Father has been equipping me with what I need to share. He is so faithful.

Update 3:

Candace and Hannah did a great job teaching Friday. The lesson was solid, and we could see their personal stories getting refined as they practiced sharing with each other and telling those stories to the people who hosted us in homes. There was still hesitation for a good portion of the young adults to initiate conversation and share, but we saw improvement from the first day. One thing we noticed that day was many of the young adults felt the locals who were hosting us wanted to hear our stories, not theirs. It seemed they felt disabled to share because of this. Our team discussed this, and with honesty and love we addressed it in the next training day. 

Saturday, Jacob taught the paralytic story and showed how to use it to explain the good news. He did a good job ensuring they heard all the important elements of the story and showed how we relate to the paralyzed man. They practiced sharing the story after the lesson, and in this final day of training we saw they had found the groove of reviewing the old lesson, hearing the new lesson, and practicing to apply it. Many of them shared this story out in homes that day, and others include the C2C and personal stories from the other lessons. 

That evening after returning from the homes we had a party to celebrate the week. After playing some games, we all shared what was impactful or eye opening from the training. About 5 of them shared that they had never had a youth camp or training session like this. They said it was fun, but more importantly it was a series of lessons they remembered and used. One girl shared that we were different than all of the other people who had come to teach because we invested in their lives. By spending a lot of time with them, learning about them, and going out into the community with them, they wanted to learn what we had come to teach. We went over our anticipated departure time that evening by about an hour or so, but that particular time to hear them debrief the week was, as someone said, "The best way to spend too much time." 

Yesterday we got about 3-4 hours of sleep to head early to the Taj Mahal. It was a really great trip, which included a guide, great photos, and shopping. We had enough time before leaving to visit Agra Fort as well, another major landmark of the area. 

Today, we rest. It has been a long week. Between teaching, translators, sickness, late nights, and little sleep, we need to recover and regroup. Tonight we meet the next bunch of people from a new fellowship in town. This week will be very different than the one before. A good number of the young adults spoke English in our last location. In addition, we had about 6 hours with them every day between training and hanging out before going into homes. This week there is no training since the Ms who are hosting us completed the training a few weeks back. There is also no down time in the afternoon to spend with the majority of this fellowship. Lastly, we expect none of them to speak English apart from the translators. We will have lunch each day with those translators and then meet anyone who will join us before going into slum communities to share with houses of peace (Luke 10). Our goal last week was to equip and encourage the locals to share and assist when they had difficulty. Our goal this week is to be the ones to share through our translators.  

Please pray we stay strong from temptation, healthy from sickness, rested from fatigue, united as a team, and seeking what He wants from this week. Please pray for the translators to be wise and identify situations that are safe and those that are not in these slum areas. Pray they are empowered and encouraged to share as well. Lastly, pray those who host us will hear, receive, turn, and follow with great faith. May the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).