Interns in India

Saturday, my interns left for their 15 days in India. Along with the interns are two (out of four) members of the IDT (Intern Discipleship Team). They left (and hopefully) arrived safely at their first destination.

As a result of their trip, my house is empty...except for me. For six months, my life and schedule has revolved around GFA and the internship program, so it's a little strange to have part of that gone for a moment. I'm really hoping to spend part of this time catching up on some reading and seeking the Lord.

Tonight's prayer request: For the intern team while they are in India. For me to focus on the Lord this week.

Prayer request from the field: 10 belivers (including 4 pastors) in Rajastan have been framed in a murder case and arrested. I'll keep you updated as we find out more. There's not a link on the website for this since it came out in an urgent email update.

Simply making a difference

Twelve minutes of my day was spent installing Lookout -- an Outlook add-on -- for Bro. KP's secretary. It's an indexing program for her Outlook folders and archives. Translated: I put a new program on her computer that will help her as she searches through emails.

Oftentimes in life, it is simple things that make a difference. Lookout will easily save her 10 minutes a day -- almost an hour a week. She'll be able to find information and respond to requests and needs more effectively. Whether its one of our leaders in Asia calling or a request for information from the web department, she'll be able to help them a lot faster.

And you're a part of it. Thanks - for your prayers and support!

Praise for today: Training for Lookout went well.
Prayer for today: One of my interns is recovering from bronchitis and is leaving for two weeks in India on Saturday - please pray for her continued healing and strength!

National Religious Broadcasters Convention

The National Religious Broadcaster's Convention is being held in Dallas this year and GFA has two booths there in the expo hall. We have PSAs and radio spots and a full length radio program for radio stations here in America and we're always gathering information for new projects.

I helped this afternoon at the Bridge of Hope booth, talking to people as they walked by about the ministry of Gospel for Asia and about the Dalits of India. It was an amazing reminder of God's faithfulness as I called out to people walking by the booth who had no clue who GFA was and a few minutes later, I watched them walk away from the table with a child sponsorship packet under their arm.

Personally, I grew up on Christian radio and it was neat to meet some of the voices and faces behind those daily programs--Mission Network News, His Kids, Voice of the Martyrs, Joni and Friends, Family Research Council, and Answers in Genesis as just a few.

Steadfast and unmovable

I was privileged to hear from one of our leaders in India this week. He shared with us the situation of church and pastor in a rural Indian village. The pastor has been ministering in that area for four years and has a sizable church as well as five mission stations (church plants) that he is leading. The work is growing so quickly that a team of five Bible women have joined him in ministry there.

This week, an anti-Christian group came to the pastor and told him the church can no longer meet in the area to worship and he must leave or they will hurt him. The group also threatened the Bible women and the church believers.

The leader shared with us, "The pastor does not want to leave this place. The believers are steadfast. The Bible women are unshakeable. This Sunday, they will dare to worship the Lord."

This is just one story of many that are happening across the 10/40 Window. I may never be able to update you on what happens with this specific story. I may never know myself this side of heaven. But would you take time this weekend to pray for them?

What if it was your church and pastor? And when was the last time you "dared" to worship the Lord?

Of Hymns and Grace

Many of the GFA interns and young staff gathered for an informal fellowship time with one of our staff families this evening. We played ping-pong and board games and Chinese Checkers and then the music started. The kitchen was occupied by three guitars and the sounds of praise choruses while the corner of the living room was claimed by six of us and two hymnals. We covered the works - from "I'll Fly Away" and "Higher Ground" to "The Church's One Foundation" and "And Can it Be?" Such the joy and reminders in those old hymns!

Wondful the matchless grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin.
How shall my tongue describe it? Where shall it's praise begin?
Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free;
Oh the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus;
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea.
Higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain,
All sufficient grace for even me.
Broader than the scope of my transgressions,
Greater far than all my sin and shame.
Oh magnify the blessed name of Jesus,
Praise His Name!

Living in the flesh

I've slowly been shorting myself on sleep, though I didn't realize it at first. A late night here and another one here and another the night after that. Emailing to a friend, talking to my parents, reading a book, grocery shopping, meetings 2-3 nights a week... I began to wax sarcastic in my conversations and be blunt in my comments--a sure sign that I'm very tired.

I think I've apologized more and accepted more apologies in the last seven days than I did in the month before that. My toungue and attitude continue to get me in trouble with coworkers, friends, and roommates.

Would you pray that I'd keep my focus on God and let His love and Spirit flow through me? I don't want to cause others to stumble and I don't want to allow the enemy to get a foothold in relationships.

Thanks for your prayers. I appreciate you.

God is bigger than...

A staff couple was visiting family in OK this weekend when their three year old son started telling his Grandpa about God.

"God is big. He is real big. Yes, He is. God is real big. He's very big. He's even bigger than Uncle* Nathan and Auntie* Dorinda."

Now I can imagine that 6'7" Nathan looks pretty big to a three year old, but I had no idea that I looked that big.

*Young children at GFA address the full-time staff members as "Auntie" and "Uncle" as a term of respect.

Words of Wisdom

The office day is winding down... I'm putting the finishing touches on the makeshift computer lab for tomorrow training session. We're doing three hours of computer training tomorrow morning for our new interns and an hour training in the afternoon for about 15 staff on Microsoft mail merge. Paul worked all morning turning the empty room next to IT into a computer lab with laptops, network cords, power plugs, screen and projector.

Just before he left to walk home this evening, I gestured at all the wires and duct tape and asked, "Any concerns, ideas, or final words of wisdom, Paul?"

He looked baffled for just a moment but quickly replied, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind."

Not exactly what I had in mind, but they definitely fit what I asked for.

Squash or Oak

Thank you for all your prayers! I can so tell people have been praying -- the "what if" and "if only" questions that I often tormet myself with have been non-existant this week. And that's something that's not of me, but I know it's a result of you guys praying. Thanks for the notes in the mail and comments (all one of them) and emails and for your concern.

I've titled this week the "Moment by Moment" week--reminding myself constantly to take my concerns and fears back to the Lord and ask for His peace and direction. And He is faithful in guiding.

The last few days have been busy in the office as well. We have a new intern, Paul, who is helping us in IT. He's been learning quickly to help me with my helpdesk duties, but it does take extra time to train him. Bro. KP is preparing to return to India, so I've been working on some IT projects for him. And tonight the entire staff was called together for a special time of teaching with Bro. KP. He challenged us to not fritter our days away with social activites and surface desires, but to remember the urgency and the shortness of time in reaching the lost.

It was commented to me this week by another staff member: "It takes 3 months to grow a squash and 60 years to grow an oak. Which would you rather be?"

Fertilizer in my Garden

Well, after a week of prayer and agonizing, the new intern at my house - JH - has decided that GFA is not where God is calling her to be. Her parents are arriving tomorrow morning to pick her up and take her back home. It's been an emotional week for us all.

Bro. KP reminded us in prayer meeting tonight of those who "live for encouragement and die without it." After his teaching time, he opened up the session for us to share with one another how they encouraged us and pray with them. It was good.

But even now I feel like the battle is intense. I think it's just the battle inside of me. I can choose to keep my focus on the Lord and I think the Lord will grow me tremendously during this time. Or I can choose to panic and throw my hands in the air and not do the growing.

I kinda feel like God just put fertilizer in my garden and everything's trying to grow like crazy. Thanks for your prayers--maybe you're the garden hose. :)

Conversations with Auntie

Because of all-night prayer tonight (which just ended), I was able to spend about half an hour conversing with Auntie Gisela (Bro. KP's wife). Two things she mentioned stuck in my mind.

On answering the call/following God:
"Jesus says, 'Come follow me' and keeps on walking. He doesn't come back to the fishing boat and beg and beg and plead for you to follow Him."

On difficulties in a job/situation:
"The problem is in your heart, not in your surroundings. If God is trying to teach you a lesson and you leave because of problems, you will only have the same problems later. You haven't learned the lesson."

Missionary Kidnapping

We just got word that Subhash, one of our missionaries in central India, has been kidnapped by an extremist Marxist group. An urgent email update is just now being sent out. This latest incident comes in a week in which we have received reports of more than two dozen of our native missionaries and Bible college students being badly beaten in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

Please pray for Subhash's safe release. Pray also for his parents, that God will be with them through this ordeal. And please join me and the rest of the GFA family in praying for all of our persecuted brothers and sisters across South Asia who are suffering at the hands of anti-Christian elements.

For updates, stop by the www.gfa.org/latestnews page and/or sign up for the email updates.