Working with Sunnil

What a wonderful and eventful time we have had working with Sunnil and the other pastors in the Sitarganj area. I am sorry I have not been able to upload anything for a couple of days. We have been out late every evening.
Sunday was a full day for us. Each of the churches in the area have their own Sunday morning service, and Sunnil thought we should split up and go to a couple of them. Dad and Marvin attended the service held in Sunnil’s house and Edwin and I went a short distance to one of the churches in a small village. Vijay and Jugdis accompanied us, and we met the local pastor of that church, Mandrah, and his wonderful family. About 25 people attended this service, and all of us crowded into Mandrah’s small house to worship. After several very uniquely Indian praise songs, accompanied by congo drums, tambourines, and clapping, Edwin and I both shared a short message. I decided to tell the story of Gideon, and encourage them that even though they as Christians are often the minority and sometimes not accepted by their neighbors, with God’s help they can stand up for their faith, just as God empowered Gideon with his 300 men to defeat the Midiannite army of 20,000.

Afterwards, I asked Vijay what he thought of the service. He said that was probably the first time they had heard that story, and by the way they sat glued to their seats, I would not doubt him. Vijay also said that he thinks stories are the best way to touch the hearts of the people in theses villages. I have been thinking a lot for the past few days what the ministry of Jesus was like while He was here on earth. He came to culture more similar to this than our own, and in an environment just like this. The people hard working, barely eking out a living in their fields or with their livestock, many having a minimal education and not having much time for the luxury of reading and thinking. I think this is why our Lord told parables. A simple, applicable story that they could relate to, but full of profound truth when sought for by a heart with faith.

After the service, the elder of the village invited us to his house for chai. He has a delightful family, and we had a very enjoyable time trying to relate with them. One of his daughters, about 12 years old, spoke a little English and told us that they had given Edwin and I nicknames - “Gulabi brother” (pink brother) and “Suffayed brother” (white brother) respectively. We laughed so hard, and for the rest of the evening they only called us by these names.
That day we also visited a widow and her family. It is such a heart wrenching situation. The father of the family accepted Christianity shortly be for he fell ill and then passed away, and his daughters, who were very close to him, blame Christianity for his death. Also, they have no man in the house who can work and earn a living for their family, so the mother had to borrow land and money so she and her daughters can pay for the medical bills for the father before he died. Please keep them in your prayers, that they would see it is not God’s fault and that He does care for the widow and the fatherless.

Monday we gave a sad farewell to Vijay. He boarded a train for Delhi to get back to work in his office at COI. He was such a blessing, being willing to come along at such short notice and so wholeheartedly pour his heart into what we were doing.

Our next stop was to see COI’s sewing workshops. They have sent several Christian seamstresses and sewing machines to teach the local women a trade they can use to support themselves and bless others with. After Della chatted with the women for a few minutes, she told us some very sad things. She said that many of these women's husbands are drunkards, and spend nearly all of what little money the husbands may earn on alcohol. This ministry of COI gives them a way to provide clothing for their families and also helps put food on their tables. Most of all, it provides an excellent opportunity for one on one discussions about Jesus and Christianity.

After another service, we visited a very sweet Christian family. Some of them were grinding up corn stalks for fodder so Edwin, Dad, Della and I all had a lot of fun helping them out.

That evening, we showed the Jesus film in a small village where there is no church. Due to some complications with our equipment, it took awhile to get started, and even though it was late, around 40 people came to see it. Most seemed to listen very carefully, and stayed for the entire film.

Today we visited a village quite a distance from Sitarganj. There is only one Christian family there, and they have only recently converted. I used a book with large pictures to share with this family and a few other interested neighbors. I really appreciate the content of this flip chart. It is an excellent summary of the gospel, starting with the creation, then God creating man to have a relationship with Him, man’s sin separating us from God, and God Himself paying the penalty for us. There are about 40 pages, but everyone listened so intently, even the children, that you could have heard a pin drop had we not been outside. Afterwards, while we were drinking chai, all the children and many of the adults spent at least 20 minutes looking at the pictures again and again. Della translated for me, and she said she thinks they really were paying attention and allowing it to really sink in. After this, we headed to another service at the home of another young Christian pastor. Edwin and I rode on the back of his motorcycle (three or even four people on one motorcycle is common here), and though it was a little tight, I really enjoyed it. It was stormy all day, and the cool breeze and smell of rain throughout the day was very refreshing. Along the way we passed by groves of oranges and mangos, their cool, delectable scents swirling up to greet us. After the service, we had fun trying to convey intelligible concepts with English and Hindi words with some of the villagers.

We returned to Sunnil’s home for a meal for the last time. After many affectionate farewells to Sunnil, his wife and children, and Jugdis, we loaded up several boxes of Hindi tracts to take into northern Uttaranchal tomorrow. We have had such a wonderful time visiting and encouraging (and being encouraged by) these simple and yet sincere churches, but I am eager to head into the mountains, to areas where the gospel has never been spread.