Dearest family,
This is the last time that we’ll be checking in from India (at least for this year).
Yesterday’s meetings were great. In the first session Marlin preached about the Holy Spirit and how He operates in our lives as believers. Then in the second service some of the children shared their testimonies from the week.
I mentioned in an earlier email that things seemed very different this year. The difference became clearer after a conversation with Solomon (Joyce’s brother-in-law). He shared with us a conversation that he and The Lord were having. The Lord told him that He was doing things that were unseen and that we shouldn’t expect to see anything visible. He was working on the foundation of a very tall building and that type of building requires a foundation that has to be very strong. After hearing this word we realized that the difference we were feeling was based on outward appearances. We had faith all week that The Lord was moving because of the ways He was talking to us and confirming His work, but we weren’t seeing as big of outward expressions as we had in years past. In hind sight it was surely God’s voice throughout the week that kept us going….and some crazy big love for these kids.
So here are some of the reports from the time of testimony and commitment. Many children shared about how The Lord convicted them during the week to walk away from things in their lives that are destructive and strengthened their walk in Him. Many of these children and others rededicated their lives to The Lord this week. We heard a couple of very powerful testimonies from girls who used to be Hindu and who gave their life to The Lord. One girl in particular we could feel the passion for the Lord pouring off her even though we didn’t know what she was saying at the time. One girl testified that she was healed of bad headaches during the week and several were feeling very reluctant to be in the meeting at first but were set free and filled with joy. At the end of the meeting Pappy Daniel facilitated a time of commitment. A lot of kids stood up to say they were committed to being a witness of Jesus in their schools, homes and communities. 21 children stood up committing to going into full-time ministry and 41 (yes forty one) stood up to receive Christ as their Savior. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit did some mighty work this week. We’re glad to have been along for the ride.
So now that the work is done we’re coming home. It’s 6:00pm here as I type which means it’s 8:30am in Mooresville. We’ll leave Light of Hope Mission in about 4 hours to start the trip home. The team will arrive in Charlotte a little before 9:00pm on Saturday night. We would love your prayers for traveling favor and mercies.
Can’t wait to see you all when we get home.
Ryan, on behalf of the India Team