(December 6, 2010, Monday)
We fly from Aizawl to Calcutta today at 2 p.m. and will leave here at 10:30 a.m. Mary Alice is packing right now trying to fit it all in.
We had a visitor just after 5 a.m.—Biaka and his sister. She is the one who first accepted SDA message in their family. At first Biaka hated her for that since she was leaving the Baptist faith. But she later invited two SDA pastors to come and hold meetings in their town. They stayed with the family and Biaka decided to be baptized from what he learned then. It ended up that Biaka and this sister and another sister had to flee to the jungle from the wrath of their father who wanted to kill them. The sister we met this morning is the one who climbed a tree in the jungle and the father did not find her. The full story is very interesting and we have it now on video and can share it in Biaka’s own voice and expressions.
Later Zosiama came and we did some video of him. Also gave him $200 to buy two sewing machines for a village we just learned about that is opening to SDA via the Tlangsang school witness. Well, so much for the money we thought we should return to our emergency fund back home. The Lord will provide when and if it is needed.
Biaka’s sister came with a gift of many bananas. We will try to take them on the plane to Calcutta because we don’t have a good source of food there near where we stay at the school. We can get water nearby but food is some distance away and we will be busy with last minute details before flying Wednesday morning at 6.
Last night at the final meeting of Last Day Events Seminar they presented us with special shawls, beautiful ones. Especially the one for Glenn has significance. A century ago the Mizos were head hunters and fierce in battle before the Gospel came to them. They prided themselves on their bravery. They were to face the enemy and not take one step back in retreat even until death. Those who were so brave in fighting the enemy and protecting the Mizos were awarded with this special cloth as in Glenn’s shawl presented by the Queen. Glenn learned this morning from Pr. Renthley, the Conference President, that if one who was given such a shawl should ever fail to be brave in the future he had to stand before the Queen and she ripped off her cloth and threw it away signaling that he was to be ashamed for the rest of his life and never see the Queen again. Spiritual lesson in all this?
They said that they decided to give Glenn a shawl of that cloth because even in retirement he has stood bravely against Satan in spiritual battles for the Lord. We do not feel worthy of it but appreciate the affection represented by the gesture
We are finishing this at the Conference hoping to get email and send this before we leave shortly for the airport.
We are hoping to video Biaka singing some of the songs he composed (ten of them) and accompanies himself on the guitar. Mary Alice learned of his songs last night when looking through their youth song book. So Glenn asked him to sing one for the meeting. He did and it is just beautiful. We have it on video. God has blessed him with many talents and he is using them to forward the Gospel.
He used to sing at all his evangelistic meetings but his voice began to fail from overuse. One time he was in a village where they would not let him use their hall to preach. So he stood in an open field and began to sing and play his guitar with no one there. Before long the field was full of people and he preached to them the Gospel message. There is so much we would like to video but the time is gone now. Always the case!
With love, in his love,
Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma, Glenn and Mary Alice