I arrived with all my luggage on Saturday evening, very worn out but also very thankful to God for answering so many prayers for my trip to SE Asia and India. I have had only one week to recover from that trip, wrap things up from the previous trip to Haiti, move out of my previous place of residence, move into a new temporary place, look for a future place to rent, prepare for a 5-weeek deputation trip that begins tomorrow, and do a multitude of other things. So, it’s been difficult to find time to update my blog. But I’ve finally been able to carve out a few minutes, even in spite of being down with the flu all day on Wednesday! I posted some pictures on Facebook, so you should be able to access them with the following link, even if you don’t use FB: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=156751&id=613716245&l=68de4be780.
Thank you for praying for me and my luggage to arrive safely and on time. All those prayers were answered! And the Lord gave me good health throughout the trip! Though the sleeping conditions were not always ideal (the Muslim call to prayer woke me up almost every morning in India), I still felt strengthened enough to tackle the next day.
I’ve already told you about my 9 days in the first country (SE Asia), so I won’t repeat that information. But I will add that the Lord really did a soul searching work in my heart during that time, and I trust that I will be able to build upon that experience. My heart was greatly touched by the children in the children’s home and also by being with our coordinator.
My 9 days in northeast India were equally rewarding. I joined 16 other expatriates , and met the dedicated staff of the BI India Society as well as a few of our translation teams. I spent most of my time observing the literacy, linguistics, and formatting workshops that were taking place. It was a joy to see our people working so well with the Indians.
I spent some time getting to know our only full-time consultant in India. We have exchanged numerous emails already, but had never met. As you well know, emails are best received when they are taken in the context of a warm, friendly relationship, and such a relationship can happen only by spending much face-to-face time together. We finally got to do that on this trip and saw the Lord knit our hearts together. I praise the Lord for blessing us in such an important matter.
I’m thankful for the many informal occasions to spend with our translators. Since my room was just down the hallway from their “dormitory,” we ate together and enjoyed many “light” moments. And, though I had only a limited time, I got to spend some very productive hours with our only senior consultant in India. We were able to work through many important matters.
I praise the Lord for how He helped me to preach three times at a local church, a Bible college, and a Christian school youth hostel. The latter occasion had a significant impact upon me. I was especially moved by the man who oversees the 30-40 boys. His love for them in their difficult situation was touchingly evident.
The Lord used my Dad’s trip to India 23 years ago to draw Dad to Himself. Now I know why: Seeing the believers’ joy in the Lord in the midst of their great poverty cannot but have an impact upon you. Thank you for your prayers that enabled me to experience this joy and to join these dedicated believers in the work of the Lord!
Now I am preparing for 5 weeks of deputation that will take me to IL, WV, VA, PA, and NC.
