(Sabbath, November 6, 2010)
Dear Family and Friends:
This is Sabbath afternoon. We have a little time before meeting tonight so will try to get down some of the things that happened last. The meeting last night was good. The attendance was strong and the ground nearly dry. We got to the meeting early enough to rearrange the video projector and screen so that the projector is now behind the thin cloth and the image the audience sees is much brighter. But to do that we had to put the projector outside the back of the enclosed area and the cords connecting it to the computer were put to the stretch. If we come again sometime we had better bring a screen with us-- and longer cords.
Glenn’s sermon on The Good News of the Gospel ended with a call to come forward and the vast majority responded to the invitation to make Jesus their Savior and Lord. They understood the challenges and also the benefits of such a decision. Local pastors pray with them even after the general prayer by Glenn. There has been a lot of preparation done before our meetings and that makes such a difference.
They all want you to pray for them personally and bless them as Jesus blessed the children. It is touching to see the earnest look in the eyes of the mothers as they bring their children to have you put your hands on them and pray for them. So much here reminds us of Bible times. It was good to have the projector back of the screen giving more space for the people to come without endangering the equipment. We were glad for a second night of good sleep because the pastors had found a place they could also rent near here to accommodate them. We can keep the room in good conscience now.
This morning Glenn enjoyed listening to his I-Pod in preparation for the sermon for church in a village about 15 miles from here. He had Bible verses in mind but wanted to hear once again some background from EGW in Patriarchs and Prophets. So he first read it on the computer and then listened to it being read while he relaxed a little more in bed. Modern equipment makes it so much easier to keep in touch.
Jun, our Korean Volunteer, let us use his computer with a wireless email connection to send out and receive several emails. So you must have received those by now and are trying to figure out if you have time to wade through them. Jun learned that we have taught English in Korea and asked about our enjoyment of Korean food. Glenn told him he likes the Kim (Seaweed) and Jun insisted in sharing some with us. His family sent him a whole case of it and some friends are coming over soon and will bring more. So our diet is expanding in gourmet lines.
After the restful and quiet morning we went by car (Paulson went by motorcycle) to a village near here where Glenn preached. We arrived early and were taken by the pastor who serves there, to visit ALL the SDA families in that village. We had to have prayer for each home. That means so much to them. They want God’s blessing and help with their many needs. We met the man and his wife who first became SDA there about 5 years ago. Since then he has gone throughout the village systematically and shared his faith. Now we have about 150 believers there. All of them are coming to our meetings each night on the trucks we provide to bring them.
Like Abraham and Sarah, they enjoy many of the good things in life, but have no children. So our prayers were directed toward that need in their lives. They do much to help the church there in Murkanjal villagewhich has no building. We have photos and video to share when we are back home. Fortunately, Maranatha will build them a one-day-church since they are part of our present series of meetings. And they will get Bibles if they can read. We are so thankful for the gifts that are providing 1000 Bibles to those coming to our series. A Volunteer had worked that village also for 20 days prior to our coming—sharing Bible truth and encouraging growth. We feel we are a small part of a very big thing happening here now.
The church met in an outdoor sitting on some cloth on the ground. They greeted us with garlands of flowers (India custom) and songs of praise. Glenn played for them a song by the Heralds “More Love To Thee” on the I-Pod and small speakers we brought. They had electricity and a microphone that enlarged the sound even more. We took many photos of village life as it is and the people who live there. It is simple and complex at the same time.
After church they surrounded us with their well wishes and pleas for our prayers and insisted in giving us apples and bananas and a bottle of juice. Fortunately, we did not have to eat with them the food which may be cooked with unclean water. But they do have a well and pump in that village. Animals live very close to the people and do their part in making things less than clean.
It was a very rewarding experience for us. Traveling in both directions gave a closer look at the harvest being gathered, dried, and stored. We heard that the cyclone at the coast had devastated the rice harvest that was predicted to be the best ever. They had wondered how they would handle it all, but that worry is now gone. Now they wonder if there will be enough to sustain them for another year. We can learn so many things by observing life as it is lived in India. We thought of the Bible story of the man with the problem of barns too small for his huge harvest and chose a wrong solution—build bigger barns rather than share with the less fortunate.
While writing this, electric power went out but we could continue writing thanks to the computer battery. Now that this letter is done, the power came back on. We don’t always have water, but save it in buckets when it is available. So by planning ahead we have been able to keep things going even during the outages.
We expect to keep in touch via email because from here on out we should have places to do it. They are eagerly awaiting our coming in Mizoram and Tripura after our meetings here close. Life will be equally busy there with preaching and teaching and visiting old friends from former days.
In His love, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma, Glenn and Mary Alice