(Tuesday, November 9, 2010)
Dear Family and Friends:
We hope you are still with us in the reports. Last night Paulson did not get back with the car in time, so we went to the meeting by Auto Rickshaw. It works well but the ride is even more bumpy and you wonder if it stalls in one of the large mud puddles they go through, whether you will be wading into the meeting with shoes less than suitable. (Not to mention the suit).
We didn’t get to send the previous emails via Jun’s computer (he is the Korean Volunteer here) because his lease had run out and he will have to go to Hyderabad to renew the service at $20 for another month. But, we hear, there is an Internet outlet near here and if their computers are able to use Microsoft Word we can send the emails by transferring them from our Mac computer to their PC and copy them into the email rather than trying to type all this at the site. If necessary we can just save them until we get home and do it all at once. But it would lack the immediacy of what is happening to us here as we go.
The meeting started late again last night because of the “Moslem quiet time request” and the busses getting there later. It had rained during the day and that complicates things considerably. The mats that many of the people must sit on get wet and even the chairs have to be wiped dry as do the tables we use for video projector and computer. Thankfully, the table for the computer has changed back to a flat one rather than the slanted one that dumped our computer.
There was some extra excitement in last night’s meeting. Usually something happens when we go to present the Sabbath. If it weren’t so serious it would be entertaining to see what Satan will do each time to interrupt. Last night a lady had some kind of a spell. We could see it off to one side with the pastors gathered around her, but Glenn kept right on preaching trying to hold the attention of the audience on the topic we intended. At the end of the meeting the pastors brought her to us for prayer. She was not demon possessed because she did not cry out and writhe as often happens and is pictured in the Bible. She was from one of the villages.
Today we went to the village of Vadlam to see another baptism. It is an older congregation but they had drifted away because of no leadership supervision until recently. A church building was erected in 2006 and it still looks very nice. No chairs except the plastic ones they brought for us to sit on during the ceremony of baptismal preparation. Glenn was asked to speak to them and encourage them to be faithful and recognize their joy in being baptized. We also presented Bibles to the newly baptized in the same building when they returned from the baptism.
The beautiful lake for baptizing was some distance away and so the car that takes us places was used to haul the candidates first. They managed to cram about 20 into it. There were only 12 when we were in it later. Weather was just right and good for photography so we documented it well. They expected a larger group of maybe 30 but only 8 were ready for today. It seems that Hindus have objected to Christians getting equal help with schooling etc and have persuaded the higher powers to reclassify the Christians as higher caste (which they really do become through the power of Jesus) and are therefore not eligible for the government help in various ways. So it is a major decision for them to make. They reclassify the village also as Christian and even the non-SDA are penalized. So you can see the pressure that puts upon those who are baptized. They are blamed for the losses.
We inquired of our translator about all the jewelry they are still wearing. He said that the pastors work with them on that over time. It is too much all at once to demand them to take it all off right away. It involves dowry and family heritage as well as “show”. When we read Acts 8 we doubt that the Ethiopian had to remove his likely expensive jewelry before baptism. We can only trust that the Lord works with them and leads to growth through ensuing days.
It was so scenic to walk over the rough road after getting out of the car and on to the large lake. When the ladies were baptized in their beautiful saris, we noticed that they washed them in the lake before returning home. They had brought a change for when they came out of the water. It is such a delightful experience and reminiscent of the Jordan and Jesus’ baptism. If any think that the large baptisms are just herd instinct, they should come over and see some of the struggles the new believers face in making that decision. It seems that India is so ready to accept Jesus. Hearts are tender and not satisfied with what they have had all these years.
We received the sad news from Paulson when he came this morning that an email had informed him that Dorothy Watts had died. Before we left we had read her letter that was done earlier than their usual Christmas letter because she must have realized her days were numbered and might not stretch to Christmas. We had a good visit by phone with her earlier and sent her a card before flying here. We fully expect to see her in Heaven to receive the reward of all that she has done to bless India. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. She had planned to write two more devotional books, but that didn’t happen. She had already written nearly 30 others.
On the way back to our room for our food (We couldn’t safely eat what was prepared for the pastors in that village) we saw two ladies in the harvest field with their sickles and asked our driver to stop. We photographed them and then borrowed a sickle and had photos of us taken using it to harvest rice. We need to get in practice in case we run out of money and have to work like that to earn our way back to USA.
Glenn gave each lady10 rupies for their trouble and we also photographed the husband of one with their little girl. It is back breaking work to stoop like that all day in the hot sun and then have to do a lot more to preserve what they do get. One pastor who was with us learned that they are coming to our meetings and enjoying them. They plan to bring others tonight also.
Today we learned more about Jun, our Korean friend. He had told us how strong he was and that he could sleep out on the porch if necessary and didn’t bother about mosquitoes. But he shared today that when he first came to India he drank their water and got very sick. And, three months ago he was bit by an ant as he called it, and the wound has not healed in spite of all the medications he has tried. He even tried charcoal but it didn’t help. We are giving him some triple antibiotic we have along and will see if it does anything good. Also we shared a special way of applying the charcoal to draw longer. He was glad for the band-aids we had given.
We plan to photograph each of the workers (34) who helped prepare the 12 villages for our meetings and are attending each night. We want to get a print for each as a little thank-you. We have to do it early enough to be able to get the prints to hand out before we leave. There is a digital photo store in this village so it should work. With the extra time involved today in the baptism we may have to postpone that until tomorrow because of preparation for tonight’s meeting.
So goes another day in our lives here in India. We plan to phone Ron Watts tonight and give our sympathy in his loss of Dorothy. We can at least leave a message. He would not appreciate hearing from us right now at 4 a.m. where he is in Washington, D.C. area.
With our love,
Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma, Glenn and Mary Alice
P.S. We did reach Ron Watts by phone before going to meeting. It was 7 a.m. when he got the call and was very appreciative of our prayer support and pleasant memories of working together. Glenn prayed for him, as so many others are, and it was a special moment. What a privilege to minister to one who has ministered to so many! In case any of you do not know Ron and Dorothy, we were workers together in the Michigan Conference Office and they later became President of the Southern Asia Division where we are now working.