India Report #15 (November 14, 2010-Sunday)
Dear Family and Friends:
Phase two of our trip is about over. Last night was our last meeting here, but more is to come. Sabbath morning began by our going to a baptism of people from Pitlam. The car was not available so we walked mostly. They took Glenn part way by motorcycle to be there a bit earlier. Twelve were baptized. The video will show that some were uncertain of the water (they say it is cold even in the heat of the day) but managed to go under in one way or another.
We had our breakfast before that but some had not. So we returned to our room for a break before going to the site of our meetings for Sabbath School and Church. The newly baptized people came in from the villages at their own expense to be there. It was so touching to see between 300 and 400 people keeping their first Sabbath as a group even during harvest time.
Our translator, A. Kumar, presented the SS lesson and told about the SS Quarterly they will be getting as church members. We were stirred by the fact that two months ago there were only a few SDA in one of the villages near here, but now there are more than 300 first-fruits with many more to follow as a result of the preliminary work of the pastors and volunteers and our meetings. Their hope is to have a large church in Pitam (larger than the one-day churches that will be built in the villages via Maranatha) because this is a center for the area. We cannot help but think of how much it would mean if more resources in USA could be directed to places like this where the harvest is so ripe and ready to accept our message. It brings them such hope and fulfillment. If we could even redirect the cost of our unnecessary spending for things that don’t really mean that much, it could do great things here.
We still plan to stay by our practice of not asking for funds when there are so many other projects going that are also worthy of support. We are not committed to fundraising and have told them so here. But we will gladly tell our story anywhere and let the Lord impress those who have extra money to invest it for eternity. Glenn mentioned that we felt just a little of what Jesus felt when Scripture says “for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame.” (Hebrews 12:2). It was not hard to picture some of these dear people surrounding the Throne in heaven and then saying to us “if it were not for your meetings in Pitlam I might not have been here.” All the filth and noise and insect pests and fiery food and sleep deprivation are very small in comparison to that joy to be revealed. These mission trips redirect our thinking to what is most important in life.
Glenn had the sermon for “Divine service” and talked about the elements of growth in spiritual life as in natural life. Village people who are close to the earth can relate to that. He used 1 Peter 2:1,2 about the need of newborns to feed on the “milk of the Word”and there were illustrations in the group as several mothers were nursing their babies even as the sermon began. Glenn didn’t call attention to that.
Following the sermon they celebrated the Lord’s Supper and Glenn was included in the service by praying for the bread and participating in breaking chapatis that were done more than usual so as to be brittle. It may be that they were closer to what Jesus broke in the Upper Room than what we make in USA to represent it. Passing the grape juice was a challenge because there were more people than cups. So the solution was to refill them without benefit of washing and pass out more. Glenn had to drink from one of the “recycled” cups. It is a variation on the “common cup” used everywhere in the early days starting in the Upper Room. We recalled Glenn’s having to drink from the common cup in Ukraine after about 70 others had used it.
(Yes, Mission work requires some adjustments in our thinking and practice). The clean white coverings of the Communion Table were stained with the grape juice since a couple of men moved the makeshift table to another place and did it on uneven ground.
The foot washing service preceded, and Mary Alice with Glenn served each other in the men’s section on the uneven and somewhat muddy ground. It was challenging. We are not used to squatting as they do to get closer to the feet and didn’t want to kneel on that ground in full Sabbath dress. Finally they brought a chair for Glenn to sit in to bend closer to the feet. The sun was beating down in full strength and we were sweating through our Sabbath attire. Throughout the service Glenn was mopping his brow and trying to not get sweat into the elements of communion. Wearing a suit on such hot days is an occupational hazard. Glenn’s favorite way to get severe sunburn is outdoor baptisms and church services in the strong sun.
When the long service was completed (it included a special prayer for the pastors and Volunteers who had not yet been ordained) lunch was served to the entire group sitting in rows within the canopy that had been erected for just this occasion. It certainly was necessary. We thought of how Jesus had fed more than 5000 sitting out in the open air. The rice and curries and vegetable soup were cooked in huge kettles and served very efficiently as the video will show. The time was about 3:30 and they had nothing since their early breakfast, so the food was eaten with relish.
We came back to our room by car and some of the food followed us for our second meal at about 4. We combined it with eating bananas and other “heat subduers” because the food included full strength chilies and pepper balls. Glenn wonders if the fire eaters of the old circus got their inspiration from Indian food. So far we have not developed a taste for it. We do appreciate their efforts to make us feel at home. When they inquire about how we like it, we praise what we can and explain the rest by saying we are not used to such spices at home.
There was time for a little sleep in the afternoon and it is good that we made use of it before the evening meeting. When we were awake and waiting for the summons that the car was ready to take us to meeting, Mary Alice was reading to Glenn from the various books we use at home in family worship. Mary Alice had copied from all 3 books before we left home to save weight and space in our suitcases. Apparently Paulson tried to call us and even knocked gently on our door, but we did not hear and continued waiting. Finally Glenn asked if we were going to have a meeting since it was already 8 p.m. Then we learned of their earlier efforts.
On the way down to the car we met a group of young people who had come earlier and were waiting for us for several hours. It turned out that they had a burden that we help them get to USA and of course, we could not promise that. But they were glad to meet us and get our autograph while our driver was trying to close it off and get us to the meeting.
As it turned out, we really didn’t need to be there any earlier. The local pastors and professional singers were doing solos and group singing and the people were very content to wait. Several times Glenn started the video projector and computer to be ready for the sermon, but there was much more in their preliminaries. Finally he shut it all down and waited.
We learned that one of the professional musicians is a member of the CSI (Church of South India) who have been given a section of the country to evangelize. They want SDA to be contained in a certain area, but we cannot agree to that. The Gospel is to go to all parts of the world before Jesus comes. Glenn stressed that in some sermons without knowing of the arrangement. Well, after singing the solo just before the communion service Glenn noticed that he was weeping. Our translator said that the singer was touched by his song about Jesus hanging on the cross for our sins. This CSI member told Paulson that they want SDA to evangelize their area. They appreciate what is happening in SDA evangelism. We never know which will take root. Glenn had thought of this singing as competition for the time needed for the sermon and perhaps even a distraction because of its loudness, but it may lead to an even larger harvest. The Lord is in charge of it all and we are glad to be relieved of that responsibility. It is sufficient to do our little part and let the Lord work through whatever He chooses to accomplish His purposes.
The garlanding at the evening meeting was unreal. There were 1500 people in attendance and it seemed that most of them had brought garlands of flowers. They flowed onto the stage and almost buried us with at least 40 garlands each. We kept taking them off after they “reached the top and we could not see out” and sharing them with others.
We had completed the Jesus Video previously and Mary Alice shortened her health talk to quoting a few Bible verses, but Jun Il Kim had put together a video made from our slides and his (he aggressively copied from Mary Alice’s camera) and wanted to show that through the video projector. That involved his making an extra trip back to the room to get it on a “stick” (flash drive) that would transfer it to our computer via a USB port. Then Glenn had to move that into the sermon slides in order to get it to work. It was very nice and showed real creativity. Then he followed with another sermon under the guise of a children’s story and of course there was more music.
So, finally Glenn got up to preach at about 10:30 and tried to just summarize the sermon without the visuals thinking the people from the villages had already had a long day and needed to ride the trucks back home. But Paulson would not hear of that. He insisted that we boot up the computer again and the video projector and give the full sermon with visuals. Some did leave, but most stayed clear through. This was also preceded by an ordination of four pastors and some local volunteers with Glenn offering the dedicatory prayer.
So Glenn thought he was following Paul who “preached unto them past midnight”. For Paul there was travel the next day. So also for us. That was still not the end. There was gift giving of shawls to us and the translator and then the giving of our gift shawls to all the pastors. (Our planned $100 gift evolved into $200 to make that happen). But there was great joy throughout it all. This was truly a high day in their experience and they were loath to leave it.
Following the service Glenn tried to evade the personal “laying on of hands” on the heads and a short blessing for those who always come forward for such prayer and blessing. Glenn suggested that because it was so very late they could go home right away and we would pray for them as a group. That suggestion fell on deaf ears. They rushed to the front and insisted on “being blessed” while we were still in town. Most of them had already been blessed in that way by us and other pastors during each preceding meeting, but that didn’t count. Oh that we were as eager for the blessing of the Lord daily in our lives. Our rest came well after midnight, but the usual morning noise began at 5:30. Short night!
While Glenn was writing this, Mary Alice was attempting another bit of laundry. But the electricity went out as usual at 6:30 a.m. for an hour, so Glenn held the flashlight for that project to be completed. Now we must hurry to get breakfast in our room and be ready to go to a village this morning for a baptism. We will have lunch there we are told and get back to the room to pack and be ready to travel to Sangareddy and the Section office in the afternoon. Overnighting there in Paulson’s Apartment, we leave the next morning for Hyderabad and the final repacking to fly to Calcutta Tuesday morning. From there we head for Aizawl in Mizoram and then to Tripura to visit the Tlangsang School we are helping to build. So, we’ll see if there is a way to send more India reports. Otherwise, they will come when we get back home to a source of E-mailiing.
In His love,
Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma, Glenn and Mary Alice.