From about a week ago, here's the last entry that Christina and I co-wrote. The internet has been down for the last few days. I do have lots of pictures that I'll hopefully be able to add over the next week.
As we leisurely savored our whole-grain toast slathered with nut-hut peanut butter and apricot jam (all made locally, by the way) (and whose delectable flavor cannot be expressed inhuman language), my father interrupted with a gentle gesture towards the clock, and a, “And what time were you supposed to meet Manoj in the bazaar?” The leisurely savoring turned into rushed scarfing down as much as possible as we scrambled to get out of the door. We would have made it on time, had we pedestrians not been forced to weave through the perils of two-way SUV traffic on a ten foot wide road. Once safely navigated, we met Manoj at the chowk (town square). With his expert assistance, we left the traffic to weave through piles of animal excrement and the assorted debris that townspeople so freely disperse on the hillside. Picture lots of trash. This is the beginning of a normal day for Manoj, followed by an hour’s walk to the village of Jordi.
Once there, we joined the faculty of six teachers for their morning devotions. Two of them, Beena and Ajay, Manoj informed us, had just two days earlier received baptism. He wanted to strengthen and encourage their faith, so he shared the story of how Jesus battled the temptation he faced after he received baptism. Manoj warned his faculty (and us) that we should expect temptation, but he offered assurance, too. He reminded us all that we can stand, as long as our focus is stayed on Christ. As believers, we are in Christ the same way that Christ is in the Father, so we have nothing to fear. The time of devotions ended with a sweet time of prayer for the teachers and the school in Jordi. What a privilege to enter into their labor through prayer, but we considered it an even greater privilege to kneel with them in the same room.
From our time of prayer, we walked across the corn field to the headman’s house. When I had come with my students in March, Manoj had asked us to pray for the headman, who was in the final stages of leukemia. All sixteen of us had crowded around his darkened bed, and offered up what we felt were feeble prayers for his health. We left saddened at the seeming impossibility of recovery. He couldn’t even sit up, let alone walk. In May, Manoj’s newsletter contained the wonderful news of a miracle—that the headman had recovered, and as a result, accepted Christ as his Savior; him and his entire household. On the path down, one of the villagers had told us that he was up and walking around today. Christina, Julia and I then came with joy, because we heard of his continuing recovery.
We entered his gate to find him walking with his cane, enjoying the morning sun. After an invitation to sit, Manoj asked for their family bible and read Romans 6. Each member of the family laid down their work and came to listen. What was so powerful to witness was the way a new believer hears a Scripture passage for the first time. The headman would repeat the end of every phrase and insert an affirmation. So, when Manoj read in Hindi, “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him,” the headman would say, “Yes, we died with Christ, we will live with him.” From the reading, Manoj went on to explain that, in Christ, we are a new creation. The old has died and the new has come. We found ourselves humbled and full of joy to sit in on the instruction for which new believers seem so hungry. Manoj asked that we close the time by praying specifically for each member of the household. Chachi-ji (Auntie) then brought us buffalo milk tea, the delectable flavor of which also cannot be described in human language. The one shock was to discover, about twenty minutes after we arrived, that a pile of blankets actually held a two week old baby, buried underneath several layers. How fortunate that God brought two kinds of new life at once to this family.
Our final destination was the actual school building, which our church has joyfully invested in from leveling the ground back in the summer of 2003. Almost two floors are done, but when Manoj took us into the classrooms, we were dismayed to find that the monsoon rains are taking a serious toll on the building. The constant leaking down the inner walls is causing the whitewash to take on a greenish, mildewy hue, and the floors are constantly wet. Just standing in the middle of the room for a few minutes, we felt the occasional dripping from the ceiling. As we at St Paul’s know quite well, problems with the roof do not make for a pleasant experience, not to mention a very pleasant educational environment. Crossing the tin door/bridge onto the incomplete second story allowed us to see what was causing the leaks below. The second floor has no roof at all. The unsealed concrete continues to absorb more and more of the heavy rains, and the water seeps down into the classrooms. Manoj explained that the only obstacle to completing the roof is the current lack of funds. After some consultations with the carpenter/mason, they concluded that the total amount required to complete the second story (which would house the teachers) would be about 130,000 rupees or $3300. Despite the bleak situation, Manoj confidently reminded us that our Father provides. Once again, we ended the time with prayer, this time for the building. We’ve come from God providing St Paul’s with a $40,000 roof for free, so surely with prayer, God will meet the needs of the Jordi school. The need is urgent.
Re-crossing the tin door bridge, we descended to the classrooms again. Manoj appointed Julia “The Storyteller” (which was great, because Christina and I definitely weren’t ready to share so spontaneously). She chose the story of Jonah and the whale, while Manoj translated. We smiled to hear the school children answer all of her questions in chorus. When their answers weren’t forceful enough for Manoj, he would make them repeat themselves, and louder. Yet again, we ended the time in prayer for the school, and the children, specifically. Are you noticing a theme here? We certainly find the centrality of prayer to this ministry remarkable and humbling. We’re looking forward to seeing how God will continue to answer the faithful prayers of his people in Jordi and across the world.
As we leisurely savored our whole-grain toast slathered with nut-hut peanut butter and apricot jam (all made locally, by the way) (and whose delectable flavor cannot be expressed inhuman language), my father interrupted with a gentle gesture towards the clock, and a, “And what time were you supposed to meet Manoj in the bazaar?” The leisurely savoring turned into rushed scarfing down as much as possible as we scrambled to get out of the door. We would have made it on time, had we pedestrians not been forced to weave through the perils of two-way SUV traffic on a ten foot wide road. Once safely navigated, we met Manoj at the chowk (town square). With his expert assistance, we left the traffic to weave through piles of animal excrement and the assorted debris that townspeople so freely disperse on the hillside. Picture lots of trash. This is the beginning of a normal day for Manoj, followed by an hour’s walk to the village of Jordi.
Once there, we joined the faculty of six teachers for their morning devotions. Two of them, Beena and Ajay, Manoj informed us, had just two days earlier received baptism. He wanted to strengthen and encourage their faith, so he shared the story of how Jesus battled the temptation he faced after he received baptism. Manoj warned his faculty (and us) that we should expect temptation, but he offered assurance, too. He reminded us all that we can stand, as long as our focus is stayed on Christ. As believers, we are in Christ the same way that Christ is in the Father, so we have nothing to fear. The time of devotions ended with a sweet time of prayer for the teachers and the school in Jordi. What a privilege to enter into their labor through prayer, but we considered it an even greater privilege to kneel with them in the same room.
From our time of prayer, we walked across the corn field to the headman’s house. When I had come with my students in March, Manoj had asked us to pray for the headman, who was in the final stages of leukemia. All sixteen of us had crowded around his darkened bed, and offered up what we felt were feeble prayers for his health. We left saddened at the seeming impossibility of recovery. He couldn’t even sit up, let alone walk. In May, Manoj’s newsletter contained the wonderful news of a miracle—that the headman had recovered, and as a result, accepted Christ as his Savior; him and his entire household. On the path down, one of the villagers had told us that he was up and walking around today. Christina, Julia and I then came with joy, because we heard of his continuing recovery.
We entered his gate to find him walking with his cane, enjoying the morning sun. After an invitation to sit, Manoj asked for their family bible and read Romans 6. Each member of the family laid down their work and came to listen. What was so powerful to witness was the way a new believer hears a Scripture passage for the first time. The headman would repeat the end of every phrase and insert an affirmation. So, when Manoj read in Hindi, “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him,” the headman would say, “Yes, we died with Christ, we will live with him.” From the reading, Manoj went on to explain that, in Christ, we are a new creation. The old has died and the new has come. We found ourselves humbled and full of joy to sit in on the instruction for which new believers seem so hungry. Manoj asked that we close the time by praying specifically for each member of the household. Chachi-ji (Auntie) then brought us buffalo milk tea, the delectable flavor of which also cannot be described in human language. The one shock was to discover, about twenty minutes after we arrived, that a pile of blankets actually held a two week old baby, buried underneath several layers. How fortunate that God brought two kinds of new life at once to this family.
Our final destination was the actual school building, which our church has joyfully invested in from leveling the ground back in the summer of 2003. Almost two floors are done, but when Manoj took us into the classrooms, we were dismayed to find that the monsoon rains are taking a serious toll on the building. The constant leaking down the inner walls is causing the whitewash to take on a greenish, mildewy hue, and the floors are constantly wet. Just standing in the middle of the room for a few minutes, we felt the occasional dripping from the ceiling. As we at St Paul’s know quite well, problems with the roof do not make for a pleasant experience, not to mention a very pleasant educational environment. Crossing the tin door/bridge onto the incomplete second story allowed us to see what was causing the leaks below. The second floor has no roof at all. The unsealed concrete continues to absorb more and more of the heavy rains, and the water seeps down into the classrooms. Manoj explained that the only obstacle to completing the roof is the current lack of funds. After some consultations with the carpenter/mason, they concluded that the total amount required to complete the second story (which would house the teachers) would be about 130,000 rupees or $3300. Despite the bleak situation, Manoj confidently reminded us that our Father provides. Once again, we ended the time with prayer, this time for the building. We’ve come from God providing St Paul’s with a $40,000 roof for free, so surely with prayer, God will meet the needs of the Jordi school. The need is urgent.
Re-crossing the tin door bridge, we descended to the classrooms again. Manoj appointed Julia “The Storyteller” (which was great, because Christina and I definitely weren’t ready to share so spontaneously). She chose the story of Jonah and the whale, while Manoj translated. We smiled to hear the school children answer all of her questions in chorus. When their answers weren’t forceful enough for Manoj, he would make them repeat themselves, and louder. Yet again, we ended the time in prayer for the school, and the children, specifically. Are you noticing a theme here? We certainly find the centrality of prayer to this ministry remarkable and humbling. We’re looking forward to seeing how God will continue to answer the faithful prayers of his people in Jordi and across the world.
2 Comments:
What a beautiful way to see the Scriptures fresh...through the eyes of a new believer. I pray we will all be blessed with such friends!
What an exciting journey God has you on. Your ministry there ministers to me here. I'm meeting with Christina this coming week. I can't wait to here the stories first hand. Tell Manoj and Nasreen I said hello.
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