Day 7 - plans were in place for approximately 80 people and more than 100 came today! Praise God for allowing so many to join us as we shared a lot on evangelism, family training, and discipleship.
We were privileged to hold the conference on the grounds of a boys' orphanage. What an amazing experience it was to interact with these children, who were obviously exposed to great love and care from the director and his staff. There are 80 boys, through age 16, at this center and how they were loved was so evident in the way they loved God and each other.
We had four sessions today mixed with wonderful times of worship! What a joy it was to see these brothers and sisters-in-Christ worship without any inhibitions to our Lord.
As always seems to be the case, we planned for certain things and God led us in different directions as He guided us in areas that appeared to meet the needs of those in attendance. Two of our sessions were strictly on evangelism and we loved seeing everyone soak in scripture and principles on living the mission.
The other two sessions for the day involved demonstrating Christ-likeness through how we love our families. This is a topic that is huge in this culture as wives are sometimes viewed in less than high standards. It should have been clear how the men of the church, especially the pastors, should love and honor their wives as Christ loves the church.
There was very good feedback during and after the sessions as men and women gathered around to discuss things related to ministry! We finished the day with a sweet time of corporate worship. It has been a long day since arriving early this morning, conducting four training sessions, and then an evening time of worship but it has been a glorious day of serving and being served!
Day 8 - we had four more sessions today and then prepared for the journey back to our base city. Again we felt God leading and guiding as we continued with evangelism and family training.
It was beautiful to see how God orchestrated everything as our team presented the material and Brother Subba Rao, India Baptist Society (IBS) Director, explained and expanded on things in order to have them relate to the culture. Everything that has been said about this dear brother cannot capture His heart and love for God and those far from God. We are blessed as a church to have such gifted partners here and around the world!
One of the great experiences on the mission field is to see how our guests are willing to sit and soak up every bit of information they can receive to impact lostness. It makes our commitment seem so small in comparison to the blessings we receive as we seek ways to be more effective in reaching the nations for Christ!
The day began when several men joined us on the porch for an impromptu, early morning session. It was a very special time for us as we heard their questions and comments regarding difficulties they were experiencing in reaching their communities for Christ. We discovered that 6-8 of these young men had been led to The Lord by another young man sitting alongside them! They were so enthusiastic about the things of God and how they could use their great sense of urgency to make a difference in their country.
It is always hard to leave such a place where God has brought us to serve. Saying goodbye to pastors, husbands, wives, children, and the orphans was SO difficult. When our car was leaving the compound, the orphan boys lined up on two sides to wave and say goodbye! Our hearts were touched by this beautiful display of respect and love.
Day 9 - much of the day was spent resting from our overnight trip back to the city and preparing to leave early the next day. However, there were two very special events that took place as we looked to our return home.
First, we had the pleasure to spend a little time with Rebecca Naylor. Rebecca came to Bangalore many years earlier and helped build Bangalore Baptist Hospital into a well-known healthcare facility. This facility has served the needs of the community as well as been a beacon of light in a very dark place. Praise God for what He has done through Rebecca to enhance and enlarge the Kingdom!
We finished our day, and this trip, with one last stop at a children's home. This is one of three facilities that Brother Subba Rao and IBS are currently supporting.
In a country where children are generally reluctant to interact quickly to outsiders, we were overwhelmed with the warmth and love exhibited from these children. Many of them are just throw-aways. Not loved or cared for by anyone but God and this wonderful couple who work so hard to provide a home for, "the VERY least of these!"
We sang, played games, and (embarrassing as it was) danced the night away with these beautiful, loving children! We will NEVER forget these faces and pray that God will allow us the opportunity to see and serve them again.
As with every mission journey, we continue to be
transformed by God's love for His creation and His plan to allow us the
privilege of serving in this journey, for His glory!
