THE GHANA GLOW

In the sunshine and warmth of these April weeks Ghana has truly glowed. The prayers and efforts toward unity and reconciliation that were made here, together with Pastor Bob Maki in October, have borne fruit. There is a calmness and peace in the congregations I have visited. The prayerful endeavours of Pastor Frank Famiyeh to expand the influence of the Apostolic Lutheran Church of Ghana into the western region of the country have also borne fruit. Today I would like to take you to the village of Asante-Aye in that region, which is about an hour's drive from Tarkwa, a central city in that gold mining area. (Note: It seems that all the gold is either still below ground or in the pockets of foreign investors since no evidence of any wealth can be seen in this area.)


So it was in this poor village that the prayers and tireless efforts of a young man named Samuel Sagoe, a pastoral training student of Pastor Frank's, got a new congregation started last year. This is now part of a movement which promises to spread to the neighbouring villages. There have been no Christian churches in any of these villages. The harvest is truly plentiful and now the congregation in Asante-Aye is vibrantly growing......one could almost say glowing! On Palm Sunday I had the privilege of delivering the message there. How appropriate! In a clearing under a grove of palm trees, coconut trees, banana trees and cocoa trees I preached the message that with God all things are possible. The verdant tropical canopy seemed to reverberate with the truth of that message - that God's possibilities through His Son Jesus Christ are all-encompassing - for example right in this village where demons and pagan spirits previously held sway.

Palm Sunday glow under the canopy of palm, coconut, banana and cocoa trees (note the cocoa pods) in Asante-Aye. The congregation is active as they sing and praise the Lord with even the little babies taking a part, albeit on their mothers' backs. And even in the poorest villages people dress in their finest for church.

Imagine the future of this congregation! The service was packed with children. The open Bible on the table provides the basis and direction for how they are being nurtured.

Samuel Sagoe - the young man whose vision, prayers and determination helped to found the congregation in Asante-Aye. Pastor Frank has also played a major role in the development of the congregation.

People, young and old, flock to the newly built frame for the future church in Asante-Aye - a project being engineered by Pastor Frank which only needs $2000 to complete it, that is for corrugated metal sheets to roof it and side it.

Some members of the congregation happily gathering under the open beams of the future church.

The next day was Easter Sunday, when I preached at Lakeside Church again - on how the stone was rolled away, Jesus was truly risen and right there and then He even revealed Himself to Mary Magdalene by calling her name. What joy we can have in each of these verities in our everyday lives - especially when our Lord reveals Himself to us again and again by speaking to us individually! After the service all of the young people and youth who had been at the beach with me the day before wanted to have a picture of us together on the steps of the church. A few other congregation members joined us of course. Who can resist being in a picture - especially in Africa!


AND AHEAD?


Liberia calls. On Saturday April 30 Matthew Niemela from Chassel, Michigan will join me for a two week mission adventure in that country. I say adventure because Liberia is always an adventure! I plan to return to Ghana on May 14 and leave a couple days later for the Philippines where I will spend the better part of two weeks together with my brother, Pastor Raymond - all God willing, of course. I covet your prayers.


In God's love and peace,


Dennis

April Foreign Mission News Report

Please click on the link below for the April News Report

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=c6e5380bf2aa0b1efaefe84a3&id=0c699dd3d2

Picture is in Ghana April 2011

Introduction of a new Foreign Mission Program!

Your Foreign Mission is currently working to expand the scope of our mission work.

As always, our focus will remain on the preaching of the gospel which has been done through services and  pastor’s training.

Now, however, we would like to invite you into the mission with your specific calling and talents. Do you have skills with children or youth? Are you experienced in leading women’s Bible studies? Do you love working with new believers or speaking with those who don’t yet know Christ? Is God calling you to take a short-term mission trip? If so, please contact us! We’d love to hear from you and we’d love to send you more information and resources.


There are lots of upcoming trips. Please pray for (and prayerfully consider joining) the trips to Russia this summer, South Africa this fall, India early next year, and Philippines next May. Anyone who is interested in joining one of the trips, please contact the Foreign Mission today at foreignmission@comcast.net

We look forward to traveling with you!

TOGO LIFT!

I have just returned from a very inspirational trip to Togo. Imagine that in such a poor country God provided me with such a great reception this time. Pastor Nestor Devigan, President of the Apostolic Lutheran Church of Togo and the vice president, Pastor Victor Abalovi organized our stay. They changed many things this year because of some of the dismal experiences of the past. Instead of a raunchy road of mud and potholes there was a nice paved road all the way to Notse, the town they chose for the venue of the seminars this time. In the past two years the seminars have been held in remote villages. Notse is only a two hour comfortable drive north of the capital of Lomé. Instead of a single bed in a single room in a simple hut there was a nice hotel with air conditioning and would you believe even a swimming pool. Instead of some of that questionable Togo village food (from which as you know I contracted a life threatening food poisoning last year) there was a restaurant which even had spaghetti bolognese and pepper steaks!!

But even better than this the seminars were very much better organized this year. Over 50 local pastors and church workers attended the three-day seminar "religiously"! They were really there from start to finish. And how they participated!


The seminar days culminated in a session that I call "Lasting Change". Those of you who know me well or who have followed my articles from various countries are familiar with this concept. But in Notse, Togo it really came to life. We first studied the text on the infirm man at the Bethesda Pool who made his problems known to Jesus and was instantly healed - how Jesus wants us to confess what burdens us before Him and others. After that each person took a pen and paper and wrote down all - or at least the most significant - of the sins, guilt, fears, doubts and other problems that make their life difficult. They were assured that no one else would ever see this list but that it was to be openness to God. After that we formed groups of six persons each and the instruction was that each person would take one thing on their list and confess it to the group, after which the whole group would then lay their hands upon that person and declare, in the power of Jesus name and blood, the cleansing from that sin or problem and otherwise pray that he/she would find true release in all areas where they were being before God..


It would be hard to describe what then happened. Every group took the instructions and admonitions completely seriously and soon the whole church was filled with people praying over group members and pronouncing the absolution in the powerful name of Jesus and in His atoning blood very audibly. It seemed as if the whole flimsy thatched palm leaf church would just get blown away. When the prayers finally died down and each and every person had been prayed for, of course including we the leaders, it was time to turn over the "problem papers" to the Lord and Him alone. We did this by throwing them all into a big metal basin. This we took outside while the whole assembly followed singing a beautiful and powerful song of praise - then we gathered in a circle, prayed and sang some more.

While the papers and the problems were being incinerated, songs were sung and prayers were prayed. This, I pointed out, is like how our sins and burdens are consumed by the fire of the Holy Spirit, covered in the blood of Jesus and drowned in the sea of grace when they are given to Him in confession and contrition.

The burning basin. There is something very concrete in watching your worst fears, sins and problems consumed in the fire of God's love and grace. Of course this particular fire was only symbolic as I pointed out several times but it does represent what really happens when we confess and give all of those things to Jesus.

Gathered round with Pastor Frank Famiyeh from Ghana (in the green shirt) who accompanied me to Togo and assisted with the seminars.

Another view of the group circle. It was a wonderfully animated one - both very serious and very joyful.

Here you can see the whole group outside the church around the burning basin. The church is not the sturdiest structure in the world but serves the purpose. By God's grace they have begun to build a more permanent church building right next door but are hampered by lack of funds.

Another shot of part of the group with Togo church president Pastor Nestor Devigan in the blue jeans.

An intensive final prayer is said - of real thanksgiving and joyous release and freedom.


But I guess it was the Sunday service with the local congregation that really lifted me the most. The church was packed with gobs of children, wonderfully dressed women and even a whole lot of young men and men!! After the children's choir sang, then the women's choir moved rhythmically forward and sang two numbers. But it was the youth choir under the direction of a talented choir leader which did several songs with moving harmonies, that maybe made the greatest impression. But wait, I haven't mentioned the traditional drums and brass band!! Would you believe when I was introduced not one but four trumpets played a fanfare. I thought of how the "trump shall sound" on that great and final Day. But I must admit that never in all of my 65 years have I been introduced by four trumpets.



And as those trumpets blew the fanfare they also introduced the fact that I was to deliver the sermon. I chose the text about the man with the palsy who was lowered down from the roof into the presence of Jesus The congregation was very responsive but when I got to the part where Jesus surprised them all by saying "Your sins are forgiven you!" that message really went home with them. God is so wonderful and so powerful and you can see so clearly how His truths resonate in the hearts of true believers!!



Actually not quite so splendid was our first night at the hotel in Lome. While we were in the restaurant having supper, Frank's briefcase was taken from his room (he had forgotten to lock the door!) with his passport, a telephone and the money that we had just changed for our stay there - about $350. The next morning the case was discovered in another part of the hotel with the telephone and money gone but the passport still there, for which we were really thankful. The people at the hotel felt very bad about this and gave us that first night free of charge. Actually it was not free at all since it actually cost us far more than I would ever like to pay for a hotel room - but what could we do? The management overemphasized for us how careful we should be with valuables - and then my Visa card came in handy.

Blowin' in the wind. About five hours after leaving Lome, the capital city of Togo, we arrived back at my "headquarters" in Accra, Ghana. Five hours of hot breezes provided the "air conditioning" along with a lot of intense sunshine. When we stopped at one police checkpoint and the usual flock of vendors surrounded our car to ply their wares I had to tell them that there was nothing I needed. "But I like your hair!!" quipped one young female vendor happily. I looked in the mirror and realized it was all windblown and standing on end. No wonder she "liked it!"



Remember: To go to Togo was a great idea this year..



In God's love and peace,



Dennis

Dedication in India

By: Dennis Hilman

My month in India is drawing to a close. The pace has been much more relaxed since the rest of the team returned to America. I have spent the whole time, most enjoyably and with many blessings, in Pastor K's area, headquartered at the ALM Church Center in Kapileswarapuram (I have even learned to say the name of this village!). The first two weeks of this month the team was here. They began with several days of pastors seminars, then many evening services, church services, and prayer meetings as the Gospel went forth. Our whole nine member team was involved, with the young people very active with the children here at the ALC Children's Home which is also located here, and with women's Bible studies and so forth. It is so impressive to see the organization Pastor K and his wife Ruth direct from this center - and in such a warm and human, compassionate and spiritual way.


I use the word "dedication" in the title of this article for two reasons. One is a focus that the Lord gave me on this trip to lead the dedication of a new church in the Vizag area. The whole idea of the need for a new church in that area was laid on my heart when I first visited here two years ago. It was then God spoke to me about the young Pastor Isaac and his congregation - a growing group of faithful people who had no outward place of worship. So I prayed about that but did not mention this need to anyone. At the convention that year Jack Bergstedt approached me, quite by surprise, and asked if I had any particular need from the mission field on my heart. I didn't even dare tell him since I felt that the need was probably far greater than what he had in mind. But later I did tell him and lo and behold he offered to support the building of a church for Isaac and his congregation in the village of Chinna Doddi Gallu (now get your tongue around that one!). That was a little over a year ago. Arrangements to build the church began immediately. In the later stages of building it was evident that additional funds would be needed to complete it. Cal Niemela provided those funds. The beautiful little temple of God was completed in November and now dedicated on February 9, 2011 with the whole team participating. More information and pictures from the church dedication below.


The second reason I use the word "dedication" is in reference to that incredible quality exhibited by the faithful in Christ Jesus here in India. They are totally committed to the hearing and reading of the Word - with an amazing ability to find passages in the Bible. Besides that they can sing spiritual songs for hours by heart and are most devoted in prayer and the need for personal prayer.Naturally their pastors lead them in these traits of dedication. And then of course there are all of the unbelievers who also show a great interest in the word and prayer.

Pastors seminar in progress with Pastor Phil Wilson teaching and Pastor K translating. I shared the teaching responsibilities of this three day seminar with Phil while John Ruotsala preached sermons in line with the themes we taught.

While we were teaching the young people on our team were often busy in other areas. Much time was spent with the children - singing, teaching, playing, and just being a loving disciple of Jesus with them - since the children themselves have so much to give. Leona Matson led many of the activities with her paper constructions and other creative ideas..

About 70 pastors and church workers attended this seminar - here together with all of our team in front of the church at the ALM Church Center in Kapileswarapuram.

Everywhere you go in India you get a royal welcome. Here is all of our team with the sign welcoming us to the ALM Church Center and ALC Children's Home. Hope you can fit the right name with the right person.

One evening the children put on a spectacular rendition of the Garden of Eden for us - the creation and fall of man. The whole hall was turned into a very conviincing Garden of Eden with half a forest being carted in, a plethora of little animals (stuffed, plastic, you name it) throughout paradise and of course the familiar trees - like the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil all hung with its forbidden fruits. In the course of the play God created Adam, then Eve from his rib, the serpent enters the Garden and tempts Eve and she and Adam are forced to leave paradise after the fall,the Messiah is promised, their sons are born, Cain kills Abel and then even Seth is born. It was all very dramatic and graphically portrayed by children of different ages but very hard to get a good picture of in the poor light. Luckily they had signs on everything and everybody so you knew who they were, Later my dear little friend Joshua posed for me by the Tree of Life - with its bananas this time!

And what would be India without going traditional from time to time. Our American/Canadian/Finnish team all dressed up for the evening. They say you can't really understand an Indian (get it?!) before you have walked a mile in his moccasins - or in this case his pastor's shirt or draped elegantly in her sari! By the way saris are an everyday mode of dress - they are worn in all situations, for work and play - girls even wear them swimming - and of course grace every church sanctuary and meeting with their multicoloured elegance and beauty.

Typical village scene - woman with her water buffalo. Scenes like this are at every turn as we walk through the village to pray for people. Since the team left I have even had much more time for these kinds of walks with Pastor K. We have prayed, for instance, for the opening of a little shop, for the family of a 4-year-old boy who died last week in a fireworks accident, for the sick, elderly, infirm, barren, lame, halt and blinded, and for the success of an enterprise of a faithful congregant. After each evening village service - in a little church, home or even in the street, prayers for each individual participants can go long into the night. Speaking of dedication.

"My sheep know my voice!" Village shepherds leading their ambling flock of sheep to greener pastures along a street beside the church center. Scenes like this, which take you so graphically back into Bible times, meet you at every turn in the village and country roads.

Outdoor night meeting. You have probably seen pictures like this before from India, but I just had to include it because many of our nights have been spent in services like this. I find it both exhilarating and humbling to stand before such a crowd which is so anxious to eat of the Bread of Life and drink of the Living Water. And even if the service goes easily beyond 10:00 at night there are many who wonder why you quit preaching after a sermon of only one hour! And then come the individual prayers. It is moving to say the very least.

Now we get to the church dedication. With the words "I, as a servant of our Lord Jesus Christ, declare this building to be set apart to the Glory of God and to the edification of His Church in the living faith which is in Christ Jesus" I cut the ribbon at the main door. Pastor K is on the left, Pastor Isaac on the right. An indelibly moving moment.

Inside of the sanctuary of the new church. The texts written on the walls are Bible verses in Telegu chosen for their appropriateness to the temple of the Living God. To mark the festivities plastic chairs were brought in but the usual mode of seating is on plastic tarps on the floor. This way many more people can fit it. The overflow sat in a large tent outside on this dedication day.

Opening the service with the traditional greeting of "Wandanalu" - peace and blessings. I spoke on our Heavenly Father as a God of possibilities - who brought this temple into reality in such a short period of time - from the stage of many fervent prayers to a shining edifice to His glory. The theme "with God all things are possible" echoes through the Scriptures - the greatest possibility and miracle of all is that we can find salvation and peace with Him through the gift of His Son Jesus Christ!

Precious young sisters in Christ from two different sides of the globe (Bethany Helmes on the right) - here "under the wings" of the FM Administrator, John Ruotsala.

Pastor K and Ruth, myself and Pastor Isaac and Sharon at the side of the church after the dedication. We couldn't get in front of it on that day because of the tent.

The pastors trio - John, Dennis and Phil, all decked out with the garlands of honour, welcome and blessing for the dedication service.

Last Sunday I visited Isaac's church once more and preached there for the morning service. It was much more relaxed this time and the tent was gone so we could see the front of the church, but the love and promises of Jesus were still evident everywhere! Here is Pastor Isaac with his wife Sharon who is expecting their first child in June. Blessings abound.

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Village wedding. Here Pastor K and I are showering the newly married couple with flower petals in blessing. After we did so all of the other wedding guests came forward and followed suit to wish the young couple happiness in this way. That wish was undoubtedly not out of place since this was an arranged marriage - and this day was the first time they ever laid eyes on each other. "Wow!" I thought as they had stood a few minutes earlier and the groom took the bride's hands to declare his marriage vow to her,"this is the first time they have ever been that close - ever touched each other!" Yes it is truly a cultural difference that we in the west find hard to fathom and yet they say that marriages in the west are far more apt to fall apart statistically than these arranged ones. Anyway I did enjoy the wedding with all of its Indian customs - maybe especially because the bride and groom sat so attentively for the message from the Word. Thankfully they are both from Christian families.


So I am now scheduled to leave here next Monday and arrive back in Finland, God willing, on March 2. It would be so nice if you would remember me on this journey


In the riches of God's love and peace,
Dennis

Upcoming trips!

Dear Christians interested in joining the Foreign Mission on a mission trip.   Please email foreignmission@comcast.net to make it known that you desire to go on a short term mission.  

Also, please know that notices of intent given well in advance are most welcome.   There is much to learn especially if it is your first mission trip.  By signing up in advance, you can be part of any conference calls for training, and you will be notified of any mission training classes that are coming up.

Here are some trips you may want to consider.

Russia in August 2011
India in Januaray 2012
The Philippines  for the convention in May 2012
Guatemala (to be announced)
African countries (to be announced)

Please be in prayer for your Foreign Mission and for those joining in on mission trips, that all would be done to the Glory of God.

India by Phil!

2/22/11  


Looking back at our recent trip to India, many things come to mind that I could write about, but what keeps coming to the forefront is “masses”. India is a land of almost 1.2 billion people and while traversing the roads and walking the city and village streets, the number of people is indeed evidenced. Of course our church services were not attended by millions upon millions of people as we experienced only a small percentage of the Christian population, notwithstanding the entire population. However, the services were large and the amount of people that we were in contact with was also large and many, if not all, desired to have contact with us, their guests. Many services concluded with the entire congregation (at times over 1200) coming forward for prayers, laying on of hands, and blessing. At times like these, my mind went to the life of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 14:22-23: And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

Verses like this remind us of the humanity of Christ; Jesus got tired and needed some time alone. But this scripture also reminds us that Jesus did not just get away from the people and spend selfish time, but rather he spent time with his Father in prayer. So often after a difficult day, our team would gather in the quietness of the evening and after prayer and reading from the Bible, we would share of our experiences, cares, and concerns, both for ourselves and for others. This important time spent together in fellowship availed us of the opportunity to share one another’s burdens which has a biblical foundation. God knows of our needs and it is His desire to enter into those needs through Jesus Christ. (I Peter 5:7)



In the midst of the masses, God enters into the hearts of individuals through the Holy Spirit. We looked out upon a sea of faces but yet were reminded that the church of God is built up of living stones, each fitly framed together for a dwelling place for the Lord. At the first pastors’ conference that was held in Dr. Kumar’s area, there were approximately 150 pastors in attendance. The conference was held for 3 days under a large, colorful, canvas tent. Just to the side of this large tent was a village “community center” complete with a well. Needless to say, this area was frequented by many of the ladies from the village as they came to attend to their daily needs which required water. As I witnessed the ladies coming with their needs and burdens, I thought of John 4:6-7: Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

The village where the conference was held is 99% Hindu according to Dr. Kumar. The conference and the nightly big meetings were broadcast via huge speaker systems that could be heard by upwards of 4000 people due to the density of the village as well as the absence of any other noise. The first day of the conference John and I noticed a lady who seemed to be spending an inordinate amount of time at the center, busying herself with certain children and washing and re-washing pots and pans.

As the day wore on, she relented and sat down in the doorway of the center and listened. Days 2 and 3 were the same, a certain amount of busyness and then relenting to the message and sitting down. What was she thinking? Was she a Hindu? Was the message of Jesus interesting to her as Jesus could be used as an additional god in her life? Was the message intriguing as it offered some hope to her, a hope that the Hindu gods could not? Was the true message of repentance and remission of sins affecting her? Whatever the situation might have been (and yet may be), we are only called to plant the seed and water the seed, praying that God gives the increase. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. (Romans 10:17-18) We must leave this in God’s hands.

The second Sunday of our trip found us at God’s Peace Temple, a church located in a village a couple of kilometers from the home of Pastor K and his wife, Ruth. After the communion service, we were invited to a birthday party a couple of blocks’ distance from the church. It seemed as if the entire congregation migrated over to the concrete-walled, thatched-roof simple house where the party was to be held. The 10 members of the team were ushered onto the front porch, given seats on the omnipresent Indian plastic chair, and then handed the common drink – a cold soda, this time an orange Fanta. The birthday boy was one year old that day and as we broke into song – everybody knows “Happy Birthday” – the little guys eyes widened with awe, maybe for the fact that so many people were at his house or maybe because he had never seen white people before, especially 10 of them sitting on his front porch! After singing, the mother gestured that she had something to say. I was thinking of what she might say: “What an honor to have the entire congregation at our son’s 1st birthday!” or “I am so thankful that God has given our little boy a year of good health!” or “I would never have thought that I would have guests from around the world at our house!” or I am so thankful that we have a house to invite people into.”

No, none of the above, but with tears in her eyes and a catch in her throat she pleaded that we would all pray for her husband, that he would become a believer. She had all that she needed in that humble, primitive village – a good, sturdy house; a husband who cared and provided for her and their children; a vibrant, active church family; health…but her husband was an unbeliever, a Hindu at that. I saw no anger in her eyes; I saw no resentment; I saw no envy in her eyes for those who do have Christian spouses. I saw no anger in his eyes; I saw no disdain for those believers who sang blessings for his son and prayed for his salvation. Paul, through the Holy Spirit, was given wisdom concerning these situations: And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. (I Corinthians 7:13-14) We must leave this in God’s hands also.


So now we are back home. Soon the culture shock and sensory overload of a foreign land will be gone and our typical lives will resume; I will forget about the masses as well as the individuals while other, more pressing issues enter into my life. But we are assured of One who does not forget any within the cares of this life, One whose desire it is that none should perish, One who gave His Son, who lives that death may die.
God’s peace!

Phil Wilson

Philippines by Julie

When John asked me to write a note about my recent trip to the Philippines my mind began to wander. That’s a lot to put into one paragraph. Many visits to small village churches, a large service in an outdoor gymnasium, everywhere we went worshiping the Lord with people who live on the other side of the world! But what really stuck out to me was the fact that often times where the Lord wants us is not in OUR schedule or in OUR plans.

                                                     Picture of Julie in action! (not added in here by her!)

One day our van was out of gas and I began to watch the scene unfold around us. We were near a park area where many homeless live. As we sat there John begin talking with some boys, I’m not sure if they understood or what he was saying but I do know that their faces began to smile. Fratt and Randy began to sing, gathering a crowd of rough looking men, who first watched, then you could see smiles and thought full faces, feet tapping, some even sang along or clapped. Leona sat down on the dirty sidewalk and pulled out some sheets of paper, she has a talent with children and attracts them everywhere she goes. They proceeded to make paper frogs, possibly the only toys these children have ever have had, the smiles on their faces were now mixed with laughter.


Later on this same road trip we stopped in a small town along the way. Again I watched the scene unfold around us. The local “pool hall” was a table under a wood canopy, many man were inside some with their children. John began a game with one of the men. In a little while Fratt and Randy came over and began to sing “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and “This little Light of Mine”. The crowd grew, school must have just gotten out for the day, many children stopped in to see what was happening.


The love of Christ was shared at each of the places, through music, smiles, hand shakes, and the Word with the Message of Christ’s love. Many people in the Philippines know English, however one phrase John had learned in their language is “God is Good, All the Time” so we, and everyone heard that everywhere we went, what an awesome reminder!

Incredible India (Leona's thoughts)

Greetings from the incredible country of India! It has been such a blessing to be here again. Many of my pictures are from Kapileswarapuram, where Pastor K and Ruth serve, instead of Rajahmundry, where Doctor Kumar and Jean-Mary serve. My time in both places was equally blessed, but I want to share new experiences with you so I’ll concentrate on more recent events instead of reviewing events the others have already shared.

Poor village people arrive daily at this small A.H. Mission Clinic. Here they find both prayer and treatment from the faithful doctor’s assistant that works here. Despite a lack of supplies, she diligently comes each day and examines 50-100 people. She is able to treat most patients and she distributes medicine when it is available. When she can’t treat a patient, she refers them to Dr. Kumar. The clinic owns six acres of land here and part of land is given over to a teak plantation. The young teak trees cost only about $1½, but, God willing, the ~1000 tree plantation will yield a substantial amount of money when it is harvested in about eight years (which will be fifteen years after it was planted.) This money is currently earmarked to help build a hospital to treat cervical cancer. Unfortunately, as a result of the collapse of the economy, the construction of this hospital halted five years ago and only the foundations are currently built. We pray that construction will continue in God’s time.

Pastor K’s wife Ruth is such an amazing example of Christian love and servanthood. She reminds me of Lydia in the Bible—someone known for their hospitality. Ruth found out that Jada, Bethany, and Lana will all celebrate their birthdays while in India and within 24 hours she pulled off an amazing birthday party complete with decorations, guests, presents, and cake! The girls have decided they need to come to India every year to celebrate their birthdays. Many of you met Ruth while she was in the USA and Canada last summer and can probably testify to her quiet nature and servant’s heart. However, today we saw a new side of her. She was a fearless warrior marching into battle against a poisonous snake while others stood back in fear! I think perhaps Ruth would prefer to remain anonymous, but I want to thank God for her love, care, and example.


When we were walking through the village a few days ago, we were invited to the local Hindu theological college where young girls are taught to sing and dance the mythological Hindu stories. The girls were so excited to meet us and I really enjoyed meeting them too. It was so heart-wrenching, though, knowing that daily they bowed before gods made by the hands of men. This stronghold of Satan is less than a half a mile from our church. However, God reminded me that His power is so much stronger than the power of Satan! So I ask each of you right now to stop and pray. Pray that each of these girls will meet the true God who created them with the beautiful talents they are now using to praise false gods. Pray that the Christians here in the village of Kapileswarapuram —perhaps the girls here at the ALC Home—will be used by God to touch the hearts of their Hindu peers. Pray that missionaries will be invited back to the Hindu college, that relationships could be formed, and that we would be able to share the story of the true God with these girls who were so eager to meet us on this trip.

Every time I visit the ALC Home, one of my favorite memories is watching the children perform songs and Bible skits for us. It is just so wonderful to see children learning and enjoying the stories of the Bible! This year the boys’ skit started with creation and finished with the birth of Enos to Adam and Eve. The scene above shows the birth of Abel. Adam is on the left, Eve is holding Abel, and Cain is on the far right. The Garden of Eden guarded by the cherubim can be seen in the background.


The girls’ skit was a bit different. They used a traditional Indian poetic style to tell the story of the birth of Jesus. The girl in the middle told the story while the girls on either side asked questions. This method of using a traditional storytelling style was not only beautiful to watch, but also reminded me of Paul using examples from Greek mythology when he explained the gospel to the Athenians in Acts.

Earlier today (Tuesday, February 8th) Bethany, Lana, and I had a second meeting with the women of the Kapileswarapuram congregation. The first meeting was held last Friday. Then the three of us—along with Julie and Jada who were still here—lead a discussion about the names of Jesus and how they apply to our lives. Today we talked about the Water of Life—the Holy Spirit. We started by discussing the importance of water to our daily lives—for drinking, washing, cleaning, cooking, etc. Then we talked about how equally important the Living Water is to our spiritual lives: it gives us life, helps us grow, and gives us power from God. We were so pleased when our India sisters joined in and shared examples from their lives as well. We ended the session today with a demonstration. Lana filled a bucket with balloons, which represented sin in our lives. Then she poured water into the bucket which drove out most of the balloons. She reminded us that the Living Water fills us and cleanses us from sin when God gives us the faith to believe.

Philippines experience!

Well John asked that we each give a brief synopsis of the Philippine Mission so here are just a few thoughts from my point of view.    Frat Aho...



I’ll explain one stop that we made in the Philippines.

We were on our way from Cagayan de ore to a remote place called Kitcheroo when one of the vans ran out of gas so we had an un expected delay on a busy street near a public park of sorts. I pulled out a guitar and struck up a tune while waiting for the guys to get us on our way. A small crowd gathered to hear the music. I noticed in particular a certain dude who had a dew rag on his head… he looked like a gangster. He seemed to enjoy the music. While I sang I saw a few members of our small missionary band stop and talk to the people. I gave up the guitar to Randy and heard a few more songs… Then he sang “On the Hills of Glory”….. “no young ones crying no old ones dying… on the hills of glory I will tell my story of how Jesus saved a wretch like me.”

I watched as the gangster looking man compelled his friends to come and listen… then I watched as Jesus touched his heart… I put my arm around him and felt him tremble as he listened and silently wept…. Then I watched as Dennis preached the love of Christ to him and the others as we got back in the van and headed for Kitcheroo.

Frat

Team India

We have been requested to show a picture of the entire India team.     The clothing has been gifted to us by our hosts!

India by Bethany

The below pictures and captions are by Bethany.  Her and all the other team members have been very busy in various capacities of the mission.   The Foreign Mission is so thankful for them!

This was the slum church /school that we visited in India. Here is where us young people taught the children songs, games, paper mache, and Bible stories.

 These were the paper mache boats for the story of Noah’s ark. We also did Whales with the story of Jonah.

 At Alvar Helmes Mission Hospital the orphan children dropped petals as we each received our flowers, as our welcome. There we toured the mission Hospital, and sang songs with the orphan children and watched them perform.

 We spent part of one day driving to the different wells donated to the people of India through the Foreign Mission by private donors. In this picture, The Doctor is posing by one of these wells with a group of the local women who use it.

 At ALC Home, this is where some of the food preparation is done by the help. We were able to spend some time there learning their Indian way as well.

Please keep praying to the Lord that His Word would affect the hearts of the people here in India!

India

The pictures and comments in this particular posting are by Jada!  She is now on her way back to the USA, and we pray for safe passage for her and Julie.  It was great to have them with us!  As always, the preaching of the Word of God is the top priority on these trips, but pictures of people sitting to listen do not make good blogs........ hence the below pics and notes! (as with all previous posts!)

We taught the kids in the slums for three days and one of those days we told them the story of Noah. Then we had them color pictures and they were all so proud to show them.

We had the chance to visit the Alvar Helmes Mission Hospital where the Doctor works and the Little Lambs Orphanage where Jean-Mary (the doctor's wife) works with the orphan kids. While we were there, we got the chance to enjoy the children’s singing. It was such a neat thing to experience!

 These kids were some of the ones that greeted us when we first arrived at Pastor K’s. The children are all so beautiful and they are such a joy to be around! They will truly be missed.

We got the opportunity to serve lunch and tea to the pastors who attended the pastors’ seminars! There was so many of them that showed up to be filled with the Word. It was so incredible.

Julie and I got to go with Pastor K, John, and nine of the girls to play in the water on the beach. The rest of the group gets to do this after we leave because they are staying longer. We were given a sneak peak since we are leaving sooner. We had such a great time playing in the warm water and building sand castles!  It is great to be able to spend these few minutes relaxing and connecting with the orphan children since they go to school 6 days per week...   on Saturday night they are ready for some fun, as were we from much work this week!