First Day - Responding to what God already Prepared

I landed here close to 2am, but it was almost 4 by the time. Raju and Ramesh came to the Airport to receive me. As I was trying to read the book, Imagine Heaven, I didn't sleep much on the flight which was not a good idea. Raju suggested to take rest today and we start visiting villages tomorrow. But, I felt like keep going and kind of pushed on it. Again, sleep wise, that was not a good idea. But, ministry wise, it was a great day.

One of the villages that our team is strongly sensing God calling us to start the work in is the village that Ramesh is from. While we were waiting for Raju getting ready, I asked Ramesh how he came to believe in Christ as he mentioned his family is not believers earlier during some other talk. He mentioned that, when he was young, his dad got sick very badly. Someone one told the dad about Jesus and the Bible, and he prayed and was healed. But then, as they don't have any church or any other Christians in their village, they didn't know how to live and how to be a Christian. So, in the following years, his faith faded, and, now he would say that he was healed by doctors and medicine. But, Ramesh himself noticed Jesus healing his dad and started believing in Him then. But, as there is not a church or any other christian living in his village, he didn't really follow or pursue after his faith. He did nothing as he didn't know what to do or how to be a christian. But, said that, it was when we were doing the filter work and building water filters in a village near by his that he started involving and following Jesus. It was that time that his name was brought to my attention as being very devoted, hardworking and young. He had just graduated with a college degree and attending a teachers training.

He also mentioned that there are two or three other christian families moved into their village. They used to go to church when they were in the city that they moved from, but now they don't go anywhere or do anything in terms of gathering as there is no church in their village. During this entire talk, it kept hitting me how desperately this village needs a church. Not just having no church, but there is no one ministering to the village.

The one in the pink shirt is Ramesh. I'm planning on recording 
a video of his testimony when we visit his village in the morning. 


From being impressed on how prepared he is on picking poor families, widows and orphans before my arrival to present to us so we can help them, and from his heart in reaching them, I was prompted to ask him why he shouldn't consider full time ministry. He said that he would love to, but he doesn't know anything on how to do it. I told him that we can consider getting him trained. I wish I could have captured a picture of the tears filled his eyes at that time for you. Any ways, before that, seeing all the need in their village and understanding that several families in the list would accept Christ if there is a Pastor or minister to share and guide them in Him made me to strongly look for finding a Pastor with a call from God for the village to get our work done through. Then, after listening to his story and seeing his passion, I was prompted to ask him to be in full time in the ministry.


Later I brought it to Aaron, on phone, who had to be away for few days on a Cru trip with students. He praised the LORD as he was having same thing for him in his heart by God. So, once he is back from the trip, I'll be sitting with him on the 17th, before the team arrives that night, to discuss with him on this and on another thing that I'm going to share with you below and lay out some specifics these two things.

Later we visited a church, pastored by Simon who has been very devoted to LCC's work right from the starting, if you remember him from my blogs from my last trip, 2 years ago.

Pastor Simon and his grand ma Estheramma


This church, without the building, was originally started by his grandma, Estheramma (Esther amma), 16 years ago. Later she sold her property and used that money to build this church building. 6 years ago, Simon started pastoring it. She is widowed and she lives in the small one room hut attached to the church with a door directly into the church. Simon sleeps on the cot in church building at nights. You can see how tightly the church and the ministry are woven into their lives.


Pastor Simon's sleeping arrangement in the Church building

They have services every day:

Sunday - morning Service and evening Youth gathering
Monday - Members' gathering to pray and share testimonies and what God has put in their hearts for the church.
Tuesday - Widows gathering (there are around 30 widows in the church, the grandma herself is a widow)
Wednesday - Bible study
Thursday - House visitings
Friday - Fasting prayer, one from 10am to 4pm and another one from 7pm to 9pm for those who cannot attend the earlier one
Saturday - gathering to share and pray on prayer requests.

There around 100 members in the church, out of which, 70 members attend the church service regularly.

I have been noticing what one of the biggest needs across all churches and villages is the need for widow caring. This is the other thing that I'm going to talk to Aaron about as he brought some ideas to me before on the ways we can help widows.

Another immediate help that we can do to this church is building a water plant. Government has built one, but, because of no proper care and maintenance, as with every other thing by the corrupted government, it has not been working properly. So, all the villagers are traveling far to another village to get drinking water. Then we noticed this bore right in the church compound and the extra space they have (behind the bore in the picture), so we can build a water plant and connect it to the bore right in there that brings villagers to the church for water with the potential of leading them to the living water through these faithful servants of God who devoted their lives in serving Him for years.




Also, notice the rock with big scary eyes, nose and religious powder in between the eyes that is sitting on a raised platform? Interestingly, just as the Bible mentions about the corner stone, referring the Jesus, every village has a "boddu rai" (central stone) goddess. They had it here as if the clean drinking water is this god's provision. Let's replace it with the church of true living God, the true corner stone that springs the water within them that makes them never thirst again.




I'm compiling pictures and details of widows. So, we can share with Churches and individuals who are interested to consider sponsoring one or more of them. Please pray and seek God if He provides you to sponsor for any of them and let me know if you like to look at the list. We'll help you establish a personal relationship through updates, letters and may be any future visit from you in person, through which you can witness in person the desperate need of these people here in finding the God in the form of many idols and way they worship and practice instead. I like to keep the list at one place, so whenever a person is sponsored, we can update the list.

As I was reading the NDEs (near death experiences) documented in the Imagine Heaven book and coming out of the real picture it paints on how people slipping away into heaven or hell for eternity according to what they chose to believe in and what they chose to live for in their lives, in other dimensions after death, it is very sobering to be looking around while walking or driving on road filled with people everywhere caught up in their own things. And, believing truly the joyful picture it paints when a believer and a poor and needy is take care of and encouraged in love, encourages me to focus on cherishing every little movement that these poor individuals (our team including Raju, Simon and Ramesh) who are oppressed in many ways in their life times get overwhelmed by tiny things like supporting them and treating them equally well. They get so encouraged and supported for the little love you show and little care you express in word or deed. It makes me overwhelmed to thing how rich we are in love and care in Christ that tiny part of which can bless many so deeply. Is this what when Bible tells us grasping, together with all the Lord's holy people, how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ? Ephesians 3:17-9

Please pray for these people living here in multitudes of numbers.

Pastor Raju is on my right, wearing white shirt with long sleeves in this picture 

The door leads to Estheramma's one roomed little hut. 

Estheramma's little hut attached attached to the church building. The other house attached to the hut belongs to somebody else. 

The water plant that was built by the government that is not working properly. 

Houses without window covers and doors. Simon's parents life here.