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.

No more room for you, infidels

Persecution.com shared a prayer request today for Christians in Iraq.  Christian leaders, churches, and businesses there have been threatened and targeted since 2003, but more recently a letter was sent to an Iraqi bishop telling the Christians to, “leave the country of Muslims (Iraq) for good and immediately in the form of mass transmigration.... There’s no more room for you, infidels, among the Iraqi Muslims. Our swords shall be placed upon your necks and the necks of your followers and other Christians residing in Mosul.”

Iraqi Christians shared: "it’s not safe for people to wander in streets, especially for the Christians who are constantly being threatened. Many times we cannot reach our offices or do not go to church because a bomb might be waiting for us there.”

Pray for wisdom and protection for the Iraqi Christians and pray that they would have the grace and strength to forgive those who stand against them. 

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Camping, Catching, and... some other C-word

Okay, so alliteration is not my gift this evening. I'm not sure I have a gift this evening -- besides procrastinating my outline of II Timothy. Apparently my computer is in league with me because it is refusing to read my brand new SD card. My camera reads it. But my computer won't. And it has camping pictures on it...

The R2R interns and the IDT went camping this Saturday/Sunday at Beaver's Bend State Park in southeastern Oklahoma. We had a great time of canoeing and camping and hiking. It was a delight to wake up in the cool of the morn ("cool morning" doesn't exist in Dallas) and have quiet time by the lake, watching the fog drift gently... We saw lots of wildlife - deer, a walking stick, praying mantis, lots of spiders, and a crow that served as an alarm clock. Too bad he was sitting too far away for us to hit the snooze button!

Work at the office is busy as usual, but I was able to get some work done today. (On days that I don't get "work" done, I'm usually working on emails or phone calls as they come into helpdesk. That really is work too! I guess I need to figure out a better way to word this...) I love my job as helpdesk, but we really do need more staff! I can't keep up with it all.

Persecution and events in the world: It's overwhelming to me. Orissa is still suffering violence against Christians with other 13,000 refugees now in relief camps. Persecution is spreading to Chhattisgarh and other places. Flooding in Bihar, Orissa, and Uttar Pradesh has killed 200 and displaced millions. Today's media reported the killing of Christians in Mosul, Iraq. We've received so many updates and stories that they're all beginning to sound the same. I need a fresh heart.

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<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.

Peace at the Bible College

Thank you for your prayers!!! We got word today that calm has returned to the Bible College that was attacked last week. We praise God for so many people who were praying for this situation. Continue to pray for all of those involved to come to know the Lord. Please take time to visit the website's full story!

I took time this evening to hang my world map and pictures of my supporters. I've got quite a few of you to add, but no pictures! If you've got a digital picture, you can email it to me. I praise God for you!

Attack on Bible College

Blogger was down for a time and I was afraid I wasn't going to get to post this urgent prayer request.

One of our Bible Colleges was attacked today -- buildings destroyed, students beaten.... I can't give you all the details here, but PLEASE stop by http://www.gfa.org/militants-attack-gfa-bible-college and pray for the students and the leaders.