Road Signs from India

I found a long lost file today.  I thought it had been lost forever.  The title: Road Signs.  These are actual road signs that I saw while I was traveling through India in 2005.  I didn't get any pictures taken of them, but if you search, you can find quite a few.  Here's the few that I managed to write down during my travels:

• Impatient while driving - Patient in hospital
• No dreaming while driving
• Life is precious than speed
• Reach home in peace, not pieces
• A cat has nine lives - You only have one
• Driving safely ensure safety
• High speed is a thriller but a certain killer
• Better late in this world than first in that world
• Lane driving is safe driving
• Become a hero by making accidents zero
• Control your nerves on curves
• Don't be hasty - Drive with safety
• Always believe in safe driving
• Fast drive may be last drive

I think my favorite was "Lane driving is safe driving."  What?  Someone in India uses lanes?!?  I think my new favorite (spotted on Google images) is "Safety on road is safe tea at home."

Reminders of India

I bought my Teva sandals for a trip to India several years ago. I wore them with socks on the airplane, walked down busy streets and dusty village paths, and slipped them off each time we stepped inside a church. When I got back home, my feet were tanned, leaving white lines where the straps had covered. Each time I showered, I would glance down at my feet and be reminded of the trip all over again.

And even now, 5 years later, wearing those sandals brings back a flood of memories. And reminds me to pray.

Indian Believers

Believers in a north India church. Precious ladies. I met them and hundreds more believers on my trip. Oh, the joy and sincerity on their faces and the amazing gift we were given of connecting because our faith in Jesus Christ! Sometimes, that trip seems like a lifetime ago, but I have to stop sometimes and remind myself. Those believers are still there. And they still face persecution. And they still need our prayers.

Missionary Murdered

I saw the news yesterday on Gospel for Asia's Facebook page.  Pastor Ajit, a GFA-supported national missionary, was murdered in Assam, India last week.

Pastor Ajit led a church of 60 people in northeast India and on this particular day, he had headed to town to buy building supplies for the church's very first building.  They were getting close to completing the building project and were looking forward to the dedication.  You can read the full story here, but please be praying.

Pray for the believers in the church to stand firm in their faith and forgive the men that killed their pastor.  Pray for the Lord to raise up more laborers for the harvest and a new pastor for that church.  And pray for comfort for Pastor Ajit's wife and two small children.

Can you imagine if it was your pastor that was murdered?  What would you pray for his family and for your church?  Maybe that will help you know how to pray for Pastor Ajit.

Keeping the Fire

Greg and I are in Ohio, spending some time in person with the other LightSys staff. Usually, we all connect remotely, so it's nice to have some time to connect in person -- especially since this is only the second time I've spent much time at all with them! The Lord has provided a host family here who is letting us use their extra bedroom suite and they even have a donkey in the barn that likes to bray HEE-HAW and provide our evening entertainment. Much fun!

We were visiting with our hosts (P&B) in the kitchen the other day and they asked (seeing my shirt), "What does GFA stand for?" P&B are quite missions-minded, so I began to share about the work of the national pastors and missionaries and the support that the Gospel for Asia staff provide from stateside. And before I knew it, the stories were flowing. Stories of Pastor S. from North India and stories of the missionaries who sell their belongings and live in the slums just to be able to share the love of Christ. Stories from my 2005 trip to India and the villages and the cities and the SEND! magazine . Stories of the children in the slums and the Bridge of Hope schools and Jesus wells. A story of a little boy in a slum who caught my sleeve and led me to his tent home so I could meet his mother and his 10 day old little brother (pic above). Stories of how those two little boys are growing up with a relationship with the Almighty God because of a national pastor who cared enough to start a school in a congested, dirty slum.

And stories of urgency. of Time is short. Every day, the enemy is using wars and famine and genocide and disease to take people to hell. Every day, people slip into eternity without ever hearing the name of Christ. And we - we have to do something! We know the truth. We know the message of salvation. We have to keep working, to keep praying, to keep our focus on what is most effective for the Kingdom.

Our hosts listened with interest, asking questions and prompting more stories. As we closed our conversation, P&B asked, "How long ago did you finish working with them?"

"Just last year."

"It shows," they said. "You haven't lost that fire."

"I know," I said, with a slightly sheepish smile on my face.

"And I don't want her to lose that fire," said Greg.

We gave them a free book. :)

Almost as if Jesus is enough

Aaron Ironside is a radio personality in New Zealand that recently visited some of GFA's ministry in Asia. He was blogging during this trip and I was struck this comment from him, posted mid-trip.

As I reflect on today I realize that I am beginning to feel sick. No it’s not my sore arm playing up (changed the dressing today- going to have a cool scar), nor was it the local curries finally catching up with me. No, I am getting sick……of me. Despite my delusions of humility, I am confronted by a seemingly endless line of believers who are much more advanced on the road to a self-less life than I. There is no talk of what Jesus can do for me, my dreams, my destiny, nothing. None of these people talk about what God can do for them. They talk about the poor and the lost, about prayer and being faithful. Don’t they realize that Jesus is waiting to unleash an unlimited life, of wealth, blessing and influence? Apparently they didn’t get the memo, it’s almost as if Jesus is enough.

Watching the sunset

A storm system moved through this evening while I was Auntie Candy's house for our weekly prayer/visit and supper. We watched as the local TV stations preempted their regular programs for round the clock weather coverage including helicopter footage, radar, and eye witnesses. I was pretty impressed! I think that's the first time since I've been here that I've seen the TV stations do continuous storm coverage.

I had spoken with Greg on the phone earlier as he was en route to ICCM and he was encountering major storms in OK. I have now have a little more empathy for his stormy travels. :P Why is it all the "really good" storms hit when we're not in the same place?!? (Greg and I both love to watch a good thunderstorm develop!)

The storms are leaving now - leaving our house without power. But the storms also left behind a beautiful golden sunset. Gen and I watched the sun lower itself through the lingering clouds and moisture and marveled at the deep pinks and golds of the evening.

When I was tempted to complain about the 80+ degrees in the house and no A/C, I was quickly reminded of the recent loss of homes and lives in West Bengal, India as a result of Hurricane Aila. At least 200 people killed, millions homeless, crops destroyed, and water supplies polluted with salt water.

A quote from one of our field correspondents: "Children are crying without proper food, and parents have lost hope. They look at the sky and weep. We can give no answer when they ask us with tears, ‘Where will we go now? We have no home, no cattle, no fields . . . '"

<poke>Update</poke>

Okay, okay! I'm updating my blog.

I left prayer meeting this evening and dropped off a couple friends at their home before randomly stopping at my favorite coffee shop. I stop there about every 2-3 months, so not real frequently. I ordered a cup of chai and curled up with a copy of Touching Godliness Through Submission. I wished I had my laptop so I could blog. It was that kind of feel-good, relaxed, thankful evening. I think I felt more like "myself" today than I have in a long time.

A 20-something girl stopped in to order a drink and I couldn't get her out of my mind. She sat down outside with a male friend, so I stopped to talk to them on my way out. We started talking about spiritual beliefs and in the next hour, Sara and Brandon and myself transitioned from strangers to friends. They are seeking spiritual truth and know much about the Bible and even more about other religions. I think both (or at least Brandon) were raised in church, but they aren't following the Lord right now. Please pray for them.

Other random prayer and praise:

• Jes and Cas are in India right now. They left for India on the 13th and return this Saturday. Pray for grace as they arrive back and re-adjust to the internship stateside.
• Both Jes and Cas are praying about the Lord's will for them after internship graduation in December. You can pray for them about this too. Hey, you can pray for me about this too.
• Persecution is sky-high in different parts of India. And it's not just a random case here or there - it's highly organized and damaging. Here's an (incomplete) itemized list of damage in Orissa, India. Churches burned and bombed, dozens killed, thousands forced from homes into jungles and refugee camps, nuns raped, orphanages destroyed... The mainstream media has overlooked this is now reporting that things are calming down, but it continues. Here's today's report from Mission Network News. Persecution in pictures.
• The planned evangelism outreach didn't happen due to Hurricane Ike moving in, so we volunteered at Mission Arlington as they were helping house Hurricane Ike evaccuees. You can see our shining faces here. :)
• Post too long. Bedtime too late. Ending now.
• After humorous link of the day. Etiquette rules for traveling by stagecoach.

Seven minutes...

I've got seven minutes before I'm out of my allotted computer goof-off time this evening. Maybe bullet points will work best.

• Caz arrived (two weeks ago. Did I tell you that?) and then headed back to CA for the weekend (and only the weekend) to attend a friend's wedding and then share about GFA at a friend's church. PLEASE PRAY for God to provide the financial support she needs for this internship year and for God to give her the words to share at this church.
• I had much fun this evening with three friends at It's a Grind in Frisco. It was good just to hang out and laugh at Jen's cutest-nieces-and-nephew-in-the-whole-wide-world tales! I love Logan stories!
• IT is busy at the office with incoming summer interns. We've got 15 college interns that will be coming at different times during the summer for about 4 weeks each. Lots of details to get lined up.
• Gujarat, India has passed an anti-conversion bill. Pray for the missionaries and pastors working there.
• For my college friends - pray for Jeni and Michael Helms. Michael is going through some severe health problems that they haven't really been able to diagnose. You can email me for more details and I'll send you a copy of Jeni's email.
• I was reading my journal this evening and a common theme keeps coming up. I'm really self-centered. Pray that I would be content to wait on God's promises and wait on His timing.
• And praise God for YOU!

11:15pm. Made it!

Me Sick

Well, I came down with the yucky stuff this week that a good portion of the US has. High fever turns into congestion stuff. Yuck. Trying to get better.

Whee!!! Lowry's are in the area next week for a visit. Lord willing, I'll get to have supper with them.

Prayer: Persecution is on the increase in India. Pray for steadfastness for the believers.

Pray for my house as we have extended time with the Lord this weekend. Wouldn't you know - the weekend we decide to spend extra time with the Lord is the weekend everyone holds movie parties! A good contrast, perhaps? But it really has been a long time since I've seen Inn of the Sixth Happiness.

95 churches burned.

My bed is made and spread with the quilt made for me by my grandmother. And my computer training is ready for tomorrow morning.

The violence is dying down in Orissa, India, but the tension is still there. Compass Direct reports more than 800 attacks in Orissa state during the Christmas season. This Muslim paper quotes Dr. Joseph D'Souza saying that at least 4 Christians have been killed, 700+ houses destroyed, and 95 churches burned. Pray for the believers and the tribal people in this Indian state.

Quote for the evening: God is looking for broken people, not able people. -Brother K.P.

Excuse me, have you seen my head?

I went to the dentist this morning for an emergency appointment -- my #15 tooth was causing extreme pain from Tuesday evening on. Of course, by the time I got to the dentist, it wasn't hurting anymore and the x-rays looked great! The dentist kept asking me if I had sinus problems. No, I replied. Two of my coworkers do, but I don't.

Yeah. Whatever. This afternoon, my head started aching and now the left side of my face/head is hurting like crazy. I'm fairly certain it's sinus something. But I keep denying it. Even with my parents on the phone this evening, I insisted I wasn't congested.

And now I sit here with a box of Kleenex on my bed.

On a less self-centered note, I found this NY Times article interviewing one of Delhi's 300,000 ragpickers. The article doesn't say, but Manorama is most likely a Dalit.

On Oct. 2, Gandhi’s birthday, the Delhi state government will make a small but significant concession. In response to pressure from a ragpickers’ union, it will supply about 6,000 with protective gloves, boots and aprons.

For now, though, they still pick through refuse — shards of glass smeared with the remains of yesterday’s dinner, broken shoes mixed in with rotting meat — with bare hands.