A Story of Grace

My translator today was incredible. One of the flagship programs of Operation Mobilization is their team program for young programs. Immediately after graduating the equivalent of Indian high school, young people join an OM CP (church planting) team. These teams are sent into the field to do evangelism in an area and then leave that area once a fellowship group large enough to warrant a pastor has been established. Twice per year they spend a week at OM headquarters studying to receive their B.Th. (Bachelor's of Theology). Members of these teams learn English, practical ministry skills, and how to live and work with different people.

G is about to finish her fourth year of this program and graduate with her B.Th. When she started four years ago, she didn't know any English. Today she translated for me for almost six hours straight of praying, counseling, and listening to people.

G grew up as a Christian, but has a dramatic story. Her father was a Hindu killer. His job seemed to be to kill people that were fighting in the village. One day, he killed too many people and the police wanted to arrest him. He fled to the village church where the pastor told him about Jesus and forgiveness. G was three years old. Her father became a Christian.

However, being a Christian wasn't accepted in her village. Her family was sent away to another village, where they were rejected as well. In spite of this persecution, her father opened a tea shop which grew into a meal spot and finally a full restaurant. Today, G and her older brother both work for OM in India.

Another amazing story of our redeeming God.

The Stories of India

Yesterday I prayed with and counseled 19 different people. It was a pretty overwhelming day. To be honest, I wasn't all that "into it" from the beginning. I was starting to get tired and looking forward to being home. Another day of medical camp wasn't really what I was excited about. And I didn't really feel like I could emotionally engage with prayer and counseling all day.

But it turned out to be my longest day yet.

I never did actually get really "into it." But somehow God still did incredible things. It's actually amazing to me the indifference with which I could observe God doing powerful things in people's lives. It just made it abundantly clear to me that it wasn't anything I was contributing to the situation. I hardly wanted to be there. But God was at work.

There are too many stories to share all of them, but these stories are actually one of the best parts of the trip to me. Being able to hear about people's lives - their families, their jobs, their challenges, their joys. After a day like this, I feel like I've been in India. Real India.

Ch was a kind old woman. She told me that all of her five sons were married and then listed off how many children each one of them had. When I counted it at 19 grandchildren, she was shocked. "I didn't realize I had 19 grandchildren." She complained of body pain, eye pain, hip pain, and was a widow for 16 years after her husband died during an eye operation. When I asked her what I could pray for, she said she doesn't have any big problems, only small ones and to pray for family peace.

At one point, Krista joined me to pray with a few people and Cg told us a powerfully dramatic story. Her brother had been in an accident 3 years ago which left him paralyzed from the chest down. We found out later that he had actually spent some time at the OM Good Shepherd Hospital in Dharmapuri where we were holding our clinic. Her family was unable to pay for the continuing care of her brother and didn't know what to do. Her father said that unless the brother was healed, they should all "drink something together and die." On top of that, Cg's husband left her because she was unable to pay the additional dowry that he demanded. We prayed with Cg through her tears, asking God to provide for her. She told us that she had stopped worshipping all her other Gods and only prayed to Jesus because she thought He could heal her brother. After asking the OM staff to follow up with her, Thangaraj said he might be able to get her a job in their tailoring school once he gets it started. Krista and I were thrilled to hear about that.

When I asked Kn if he knew about Jesus, he answered, "I worship my own gods, but tell me about yours and I'll worship them too." After telling him the story of a world broken by sin but redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus, he was interested and wanted a Bible that he could read to find out more and "give him peace in his heart." He was at the clinic because the police had beaten him ten years earlier which caused ongoing body pain. He is unable to work so he stays home to take care of their cows while his wife works to support their family.

V was the only person that has ever refused prayer from me. She told me that her gods would be angry with her and hurt her if I prayed to my god on her behalf. She was a strong woman, with independence in her eyes that I haven't seen in many Indian woman. I respected her wishes and wished her well.

M was adamant that I attend his son's wedding. M was a Hindu, but had arranged for his son to marry his sister's daughter. I guess marrying your cousin is OK in the villages of India. Since her family was a Christian, he said he would go to church too if the wedding went off smoothly. His Hindu relatives were trying to stop it since the girl was a Christian. M asked for prayer for the house that he had started to build before he ran out of finances and for family conflict with his wife and children.

Rk might have been the happiest woman I saw. She was probably in her seventies and simply bubbled with warmth. Her husband had died some time ago, but her three children were taking good care of her. Each one of them provided her one meal a day. One of her grandchildren actually worked at the OM hospital and she came to the church that met there whenever she could. She kept holding my hands in hers and was so happy to be prayed for. I counted it a privilege to meet her.

These are just some of the stories. Each one was unique. Each person with their own requests. My routine was usually to ask each person about their spouse, their children, their grandchildren, and their jobs. I would write it all down in my journal. To be honest, I'm not quite disciplined enough to return to my journal and pray for them regularly. But it felt respectful and honoring to record some details of every person I spoke with. To write down that this person had three children while the last had five. To remember their individuality and the uniqueness of their lives.

So on this day when I didn't really feel "into it", God was still doing something. I can see how He moved in the lives of the people that I spoke with and prayed for. And despite my indifference, I can see how He moved in my heart as well. It's a good thing, His work doesn't depend on my mood.

Dharmapuri Orphanage

This morning I had the chance to preach at the church service of a local orphanage. I feel like I keep saying this, but so many of the places we visit are truly like an oasis of peace. This orphanage, started by German missionaries, was right on the main street of Dharmapuri. In the middle of the craziness of a bustling town, this spot was so peaceful inside. Apart from the oddly inappropriate frolicking white German children on the front gate, everything about the orphanage was beautiful.

The church service was cool. The stone work chapel was incredible. Dozens of flower streamers hung from the cathedral ceiling. Two hundred children and twenty-five adults sat barefoot on the floor to worship. I preached the three "lost and found" parables: the lost sheep, coin, and son. The children were enthralled by their American visitors. The stray dog that wandered in during my sermon bleeding and with labored breathing detracted a bit from worship, but not too much.

After the service we were able to tour the orphanage and have chai with the pastor who managed the location. The children who lived there were all orphans or destitute. They lived in family style homes of 18-20 children with house parents. They eat in their homes and sleep on the tiled floor with bamboo mats with a blanket. Their lives were more structured and disciplined than anything American children have known. The day starts at 5:30 with prayer and the kids have studied for 90 minutes, had an hour of devotions and performed their chores before leaving for school at 9 am.

The organization that runs this orphanage, Christian Mission Service, operates orphanages in six states in India, providing housing and care to nearly 6500 children.

What struck me most about the orphanage was the sense of peace and presence. Coconut trees were sprinkled throughout the grounds. Bananas gre in the rear. A vegetable garden provided fresh food for the children. Girls chopped tomatoes on a stone slab in preparation for lunch. Music played through an outdoor loudspeaker. Scripture verses were posted everywhere. Here again we found the patient work of a loving God caring for the least of India.

We come to India thinking that the work of God comes with us. We come as representatives of a new kingdom. But we get here and realize that God is here in India. He is at work, caring for widows and orphans, low-caste and high-caste, in the cities and in the villages. Everywhere we go we find God already at work.

And so we realize that we don't start the work of God. Rather, we enter into it. We don't bring water to a thirsty land. We draw from the wells that are already there. Deep wells of living water amidst the fertile soil of South India.

Indian Transgenders

There I was minding my own business, happily counting pills. The prayer and counseling area was well covered, there wasn't a huge crowd of people, and individual packets of 30 pills was the most pressing need. So I was counting out small black pills, surprised at how difficult counting was. Hadn't I mastered this in kindergarten?

Then Mike told me he had a new assignment for me. We had heard all day about the Indian transgender community that was invited to the medical camp that day. This was a community of cross-dressing men, men who had received sex change operations, and other folks in their community. They are a curious group in Indian culture. At the same time revered and outcast, they live in isolation. They live in their own community and people don't associate with them. But they are also a sort of priestly sect. They describe themselves as "equal to the gods." And when someone requires a special blessing of a new home or a new child, they are invited to come offer a prayer and blessing for the occasion. Because of their isolation, they often serve as prostitutes in the community and a large percentage of them are affected with HIV.

This was the community that was visiting our medical camp that afternoon. And this was the new assignment Mike had for me. Thangaraj, the OM leader in Dharmapuri, wanted someone to come talk to the group, to share the gospel with them, and above all, to ensure them of their value as humans. Joel Budreau and Jon McCormack and I banded together to form a team to take on this task.

We spent the first few minutes talking with them through a translator learning a bit about them. There were almost 20 of them gathered under a tent behind the medical camp. We learned some more about their lives and their desires. They said they wanted to come to church because they had no joy in their hearts. They wanted to be happy. They said they wanted to know about Jesus.

So we told them.

Joel, having learned a gospel presentation a few days before from Corinne, shared the story of God's love for the world. How God had created people to share that love with. How people had turned away from God and were separated from Him because of their disobedience. How God had sent His Son, who was God Himself, to earth to receive the penalty for that separation. And How people were now able to be reconciled to God through Jesus and receive the joy in our hearts that comes from a relationship with God our Father.

They were transfixed. After Joel finished, our friend and translator Muthu, continued and shared some more about God's love for them. Then she asked me to pray for their conversion. She invited them to stand up if they wanted to receive this Jesus as their Savior. If they wanted to know Him and be reconciled to God as their Father. All but one stood up.

As I led them in a prayer acknowledging God as their Father and expressing their faith in Jesus as their Savior, wind blew through the camp. It was as if the Spirit's movement couldn’t be contained in the hearts of these people. As God moved in their hearts, He had to move in the camp. The Spirit at work. The air blowing past. People hearing of the gospel and responding to God's love.

You never really know what happens in a moment like this. Did each of these transgendered Indians really "become a Christian" at that moment? Do they understand the full nature of the gospel and the unique revelation of God in Jesus Christ? Are they part of God's kingdom? Only God knows. As we walked away, my comment to Joel remains my conclusion. "I'm not really sure what just happened there, but I'm sure it was a good thing."

Muslim slum

Last night was intense.

Our teaching time finished early, so we had the opportunity to visit a predominantly Muslim slum that one of the OM leaders, David, is working in. This is the slum where David would like to start a tech training center to train up young people for better paying jobs. He didn't want to take us all the way inside the slum, so we visited the outskirts and met a man with a remarkable ministry there. The drive to get there was itself an adventure - down a very narrow street. You can see a video here.

When we got on the edge of the slum, we met a man whom David introduced to us as a pastor. He had been living in the slum for a long time, but he was a Christian. He had become a Christian shortly after God healed him from a chronic back problem that forced him to stoop over all the time.

Several years ago, while this man and and his wife were out for the day working, their son fell down a large well on the edge on the slum. The villagers found him and returned him to this man's home, declaring him dead. When the man returned, overwhelmed with grief, he prayed for his son. He declared that if God would give him back his son, he would dedicate his land to the ministry of the gospel. After three hours, the boy vomited up dirt and blood and mucus and came to life. Ever since then, this man has dedicated his property to God.

After a generous contribution, he was able to build on part of his property a small area to be used as a church. Today, David holds Sunday School and worship times in this area, which measures around 18 ft x 8 ft. Last week had 80 children sitting in it for Sunday School. 50 more were in a shack next door that was much smaller.

I can't describe the feeling this church had inside of it. It was truly holy ground. In the middle of the turbulence of the muslim quarter and on the edge of the squalor of the slum, it was a place of peace. God's presence was palpable.

Our whole time visiting this area, we were followed by a young girl. When I stopped to take her picture, David shared her story. R was 10 years old, but she looked about the size of an American 6 year old. Her mother died when she was younger. R and her father were living on the streets. However, an older woman saw his situation and offered assistance. She allowed R and her father to move in with her and her grown daughter who had been blind from birth. She would help to take of R and her father.

This arrangement turned out to be tragic. R's father ended up sleeping with the blind woman, getting her pregnant. When he realized this, he disappeared leaving R behind. That was four years ago. Now R has a three year old half sister who suffers from something similar to Polio making her legs crippled. She's also about the size of an American 1 year old. R takes care of the entire family, the older woman, the blind woman, her crippled half sister, and herself. The picture shows the blind woman and her daughter.

To be honest, I'm still trying to process this story and my experience there. What I believe is that God loves this little crippled three year old, living on the edge of a Indian Muslim slum as much as He cares for me. In practice, that's really hard to grasp. I just don't get it.

I walked away from that slum thinking that only two worldviews make sense to me. Either this is all there and if that's the case, then it's every-man-for-himself. Lucky me that I didn't get born to a blind woman in an Indian slum. And it's up to me to make the best of my luck and enjoy life.

The only other plausible alternative is that God is a loving Father will bring justice to the earth and redeem His creation. As much as I don't understand how it works and what to make of it all, this is what I believe. It's the only thing that I can believe faced with such suffering. If I didn't follow Christ, I wouldn't be in India, dealing with these questions. But being faced with them, I have to trust that God is a redeeming God. And offer whatever I can to His goal of recreating this beautiful and tragic creation.

I still don't get it. I don't get the suffering of this young girl. But I have faith, however small, in the God who knows her.

May His kingdom come.

Muslim Quarter Driving

This is driving through one of the predominantly Muslim areas of Bangalore after visiting a slum there. Probably the most exciting driving adventure of our trip yet...

Indian Affection

Today we learned that God answers prayers.

As we were coming to India, we told Pete stories of how affectionate Indian men are. It's very common for young Indian men to walk arm in arm or hold hands. Pete was terrified of the idea of holding hands with a man. So I did what any friend would do. I started praying fervently that he'd have the opportunity while in India.

Today, my prayer was answered. Not once, but twice. God definitely provides above and beyond our prayers.

First, while we were taking a large group picture, one of the young men grabbed Pete's hand. After that though, Pete was on the defensive. He walked around with his hands in his pockets. But then during another picture, one of the young men took Pete's hand out of his pocket and grabbed it, interlocking fingers with him. It was a thing of beauty. Praise God for answered prayer!

Pastors Question and Answer

We concluded our pastors conference teaching time today by having a one-hour open question and answer time. Our intent was that the pastors would ask us questions about the material we taught this week. There were a few like that. But it eventually devolved into either "stump-the-American-pastors" or "ask-that-question-that-has-always-bugged-you" -- we couldn't really tell which.

So we got a really interesting smattering of questions. There were some questions that made a lot of sense, like "why does the Bible say Jesus rose on the third day if it was only 1.5 days after he died?" and "the Bible says that after his test, Job received back twice as much what he originally had, so does that mean he got another wife?"

But then there were some curious questions too. "Jesus was crucified between two thieves. Which of them died first?" "Did Paul use pen and paper to write his letters?"

Probably the most bizarre was "I heard someone say once that knives coming up from the ground were coming from hell... what do you think of that?" Ummm, not really sure. Could you repeat the question?

OM Banglore, part 2

View Larger Map

Here's a Google Maps picture of the OM Bangalore campus. The OM campus is right in the middle. The lake is an abandoned rock quarry. This is where we've been all week.

Who wants to plant a tech training center in a Bangalore slum?

Tonight over dinner, we had a great conversation with David Rajkumar, one of the OM staffers here in Banglore. David works primarily among Moslems who live in the slums of Bangalore. He has had a vision for the last several years of a simple tech training center to train young people to get well paying jobs. His idea is illustrated by two stories.

Ashley (not her real name) is a teenage girl, the eldest of eight children living with their mother in a slum. Her father is dead, so after finishing 10th grade, she dropped out of school to help take care of the family. Like her mother, she works as domestic help, earning about $35 per month.

Kelly dropped out of school after 9th grade because she didn't like to study. She had the opportunity to go to a 3 month computer training course which gave her the necessary skills to do extremely basic office work. She now earns $70 per month.

With three months of basic computer skills, the earning potential of young people can double. This is the type of economic adjustment than can allow families access to more education, better living conditions and stability.

David's vision is to start a basic computer skills training center where young people from the slums can study for several months at a time. For people who have never used a computer before, only basic navigation, data entry, and office application skills are necessary to allow them access to significantly better jobs.

All this vision needs is someone to get excited about it. Perhaps an exploratory trip to determine the type of skills necessary? Maybe a small team to come furnish the center with some computer and kick off the first few weeks of classes? Keeping such a center running would likely only cost around $300 per month, including rent and the hiring of a professional instructor.

As Scott, Pete, and I listened to this vision, it seemed to fit pretty well with the demographics and skills of our church in the Silicon Valley. We're already sending doctors to do short term medical trips. Why not send engineers to do short term tech training trips? Could we provide the resources and energy necessary to establish this training center? Could it be an ongoing ministry connected with our church?

All a vision like this needs is one or two people to get excited about it, own it, and make it happen.

Isaiah 6:8, Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom should I send? And who will go for us?"

In response to God's invitation Isaiah said "Here am I. Send me!"

Anyone want to respond to this invitation from God?

Pastor A is back!

You can't imagine how happy I was to see an old friend from last year. I met Pastor A when he fell in love with my new Indian drum; I heard his story one night during a sharing time; and I left him my drum because he loved it so much. You can see the full story here.

Well, Pastor A is back here this year and it is so fun to be with him again. I had the chance to chat with him today with a translator and he told me that his church uses that drum all the time. That he is now pastoring a church of 25 people in a slum in Bangalore. And that he is safe from the persecution that he had experienced in the past.

Pastor A is a great encouragement to me. And I count him as a great friend.

A Chicken Farm Turned Outpost of the Kingdom

I wish everyone could experience the OM campus in Bangalore. We're staying in a hotel here in Bangalore that describes itself as "an oasis of tranquility in the midst of an alien land." Our hotel is nice, no doubt, but Scott pointed out that the real oasis is the OM campus.



This place that used to be a chicken farm has not been turned into an outpost of the kingdom of God. The peace in this place is amazing. The people here dream big dreams for God. People are healed. Spiritual eyes are opened. People find new life through baptism. Children get educated. Pastors get trained. People go out from this place into slums, villages, cities, and bring the healing message of Jesus Christ: spiritual, physical, social... the whole message of the gospel.

Just being here every day is restorative. It is a place of beauty. Physical and Spiritual. A taste of what the kingdom of God will be. And an instrument in its coming.

Pete Teaching in India

This was Pete's first time teaching here at the Pastors Conference. He had a great translator, Viru, and did an awesome job teaching. He even fielded some really tough questions at the end of his session and answered them really well.

Pete told us the thing he was most excited about for this week was being called "Pastor Pete" all week. He introduced his first talk by saying that he liked the book of Timothy because it was written to a young inexperienced man in ministry and that's what he feels like. I think the pastor's really connect with him.

Oh, and he started off his talk with a classic Indian "hallelujah!" - it was a thing of beauty. Wish I'd caught that on video...

Community Health Education

This morning while we visited the IJM office in Bangalore, the OM leaders taught the pastors a segment from their curriculum entitled "Community Health Education." We got back in time to hear the last part of it which reminded me of why I enjoy partnering with OM.

Nataraj, one of the leaders, told a story about a man who had a mental illness. He came to his pastor to help him with it. The pastor was convinced that it was demon possession. So he prayed for this man. Which didn't work. So he prayed harder. Which still didn't work. This pastor was getting frustrated with the tenacity of this demon. So he concluded that the only way to get rid of it was by using the Bible. He thought the Bible could knock the demon out of this man. Literally. Nataraj was careful to point out that in those days, the Bibles were big, thick books. So this pastor proceeded to try to beat the demon out of this man with a Bible.

He told this story to emphasize that these pastors, as spiritual leaders in rural communities, need to be sensitive to the whole person. Sometimes, pastors just want to preach, no matter what the problem. But OM is teaching these pastors to minister to the spiritual and physical aspects of their communities. They are training them to be leaders in community development. These pastors learn about the signs of Dengue Fever. They learn about nutrition. About sanitation. Diarrhea. Mental illness. Micro-Finance.

As Scott teaches them from Isaiah that their role is to take part in bringing God's justice to the world, OM is training to do just that. Not to beat a mentally ill man with a Bible. Not to preach at a child with diarrhea. But to care for the whole person. In fact, to care for the whole community.

Visit to IJM

This morning Scott, Pete, and I had the chance to visit the International Justice Mission office in Bangalore. I've been impressed with the work of IJM for several years and they spoke last fall at our PBC missions conference. So I was eagerly looking forward to seeing one of their offices in action. And I wasn't disappointed.

We expected a few people in a cramped office. But what we found was a team of almost 30 people working in an unmarked 2 story house. IJM's goal is to provide justice to those who are victims of injustice by working within the existing legal systems of the countries they work in. Offices usually specialize in one or two focus areas in order to best use their resources. The office in Bangalore focuses on the issue of bonded labor, the equivalent of modern day slavery. The most common type of bonded labor is when an individual receives a cash advance or loan which he agrees to pay off through an agreed period of labor. However, he or she is then required to work through force in order to pay off the debt which often collects interest faster than the person can work to pay it off. Bonded labor often involves physical and/or sexual abuse and sometimes carries into succeeding generations or envelopes other family members in the service of the same debt.

We were able to join IJM for their morning devotion and prayer time. Their office starts with an hour of prayer time. The first 30 minutes is reserved for personal stillness (what a great idea!). The next 30 minutes is for devotion and prayer. What a cool way to start every day. After our devotion time with them, we were able to learn about their work in Bangalore and meet everyone on their team.

Their office has three components which follow the flow of their work. The investigations team receives referrals of clients that need rescue or discovers information on their own. They collect as much evidence and information as they can to make the case as compelling as possible to the local authorities. Then the legal team works with local authorities to schedule a rescue operation. Once an individual has been rescued, they work with the court system to provide a document called a "release certificate" which guarantees that individual's freedom. Then the aftercare group helps the client to receive services to reintegrate them into their community, provide job training and/or equipment, and educate them about their rights.

One of my favorite parts of the process occurs 2-4 weeks after an individual has been rescued from bonded labor. IJM puts on a "freedom training" seminar, teaching their clients how to be free. What a great program. Some of us still need some freedom training.

We learned lots more details and met some really incredible people. But overall we were thoroughly impressed with IJM and their office in Bangalore. Praise God that His people are doing such significant and important work.

Indian Worship

When we come to India, a lot of the time in worship services, we sing songs that are familiar to us. And that is a really cool experience. I blogged about it last year a bit - what an amazing experience it is to travel across the world and to meet people who worship the same God in the same way. How beautiful to find family members that you've never met, brothers and sisters who know the same Father and to worship Him together.

But as amazing as that is, there is a different type of worship experience that I think I prefer. During the pastor's conferences, the pastors usually sing a song or two before we begin. And that is where the breadth of God can really be seen. They worship not in familiar guitar led worship music, but in more traditional Indian music style and it is so fun to be a part of. Here's a brief video clip of it so you can get a taste. But realize that it's more of a nibble. I wish I replicate the experience of being in a room full of Indians worshiping Jesus Christ in traditional forms. It's truly moving.

Our Indian War Hero

So today we got a special visit from someone who is apparently an honored guest. After typical Indian formal introduction and buildup, we heard a special testimony. To protect his privacy, we'll call him Charlie. Our OM leader introduced Charlie's pastor who was thrilled to come up and introduce this man as a special and honored guest.

Charlie told his (somewhat lengthy) story and proceeded to get up two or three additional times to add a few more points. Let's just say Charlie wasn't shy. You could even tell by the way he was dressed that he was an important man.

He told us the story of how he served in the Indian Army in 1971 as the second operator of an intelligence unit that was responsible for relaying a message to an Indian commander that had vital intelligence about a hostile enemy. He told us how as they were traveling to relay this message they were attacked and a bullet ripped through his right thigh. Luckily, he wasn't severely injured, but the bullet continued past his leg to strike his companion, the first operator in the chest and kill him. Our here Charlie was now singularly responsible for relaying this message to the Indian commander.

Unhindered by his leg wound, Charlie pressed on and managed to complete his mission. The critical message was delivered and resulted in the destruction of 26 enemy tanks. Defeated soundly, the enemy battalion surrendered. For his bravery and contribution, Charlie received a gold medal from the President. He also told us about the 13 other medals he received for further military service.

But Charlie wasn't just coming to share his story of military heroism, he was sharing his testimony of what God had done in His life. A few years after his crucial message delivery, Charlie married a woman who had known Christ since she was 9 years old. But somehow, they had an understanding in their marriage. She worshiped Christ, while Charlie worshiped his assortment of gods as a Hindu. They loved each other, but loved different gods.

Until December 29. On that day, Charlie was at a prayer service with his wife and the pastor asked him to pray. Not willing to refuse, Charlie started praying something like this, "Oh God, you are great. You are King of Kings. You are a great God. I am here to pray to you. But I don't know what to say because I don't know how to pray to you." But then everything changed. Charlie started sweating. he started shaking. And then he started shouting "Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah." In a moment, his life was different.

Later that night, his wife asked him why he didn't offer worship to his idols. He replied that God didn't want him to. The next three days saw Charlie crying at home, eating and sleeping, but thinking of nothing except Jesus. Finally, his wife asked him why he wasn't worshiping his idols. He told her that he was done worshiping idols. From not on, they would both worship Jesus. And Jesus only. He called a local pastor to come to his house, take every object of idol worship and deliver it to the local Hindu temple. He didn't want any of it anymore. He knew Jesus now.

As a side note, Charlie pointed out that purchasing the supplies for his Hindu worship used to cost him almost 3000 rupees a month. Now he uses that money to support two Christian pastors, paying their entire salary for the month. What a story of redemption.

It was exciting for Operation Mobilization (the organization we partner with in India) to have Charlie visit not just for his great achievements. Someone with his level of influence can be really beneficial to assist their work at a national level to provide protection to pastors who are persecuted: beatings, robbery, and intimidation are a real part of being a pastor in South India.

So we met a war hero today. And the Indians were thrilled. And can you blame them? We get pretty excited when a star quarterback or pop singer turns out to believe in Christ. Is a war hero any different?

The Pastor's Conference begins

We couldn't start the pastors conference without one more ceremony and getting one more flower necklace. So here we are, officially decked out in our honorary garb ready to begin the show!

This year there are almost 80 people gathered for the conference: pastors, young people serving on evangelistic teams and church planters. It looks like it's going to be a fun week!