As Sure as the Sun Rises and the Rains Come...

“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength…”
– Isaiah 30:15

This verse just might be the epitome of this past week for Chelsea and me. Due to varying circumstances, we have spent much of this past week in quiet contemplations by ourselves. As we’ve been quietly reading, praying, studying, talking, memorizing, sleeping, processing, and the like, we have become very sober and humble. We have been holding ourselves up against the life of our Lord and finding many areas wanting. 

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”
– Psalm 139:23-24

Repentance has been the result, and we are driven to rest in Him alone; then we find Him working out our assurance of salvation and our boldness of spirit.  Despite our attempted solitude, we find a constant barrage of unexpected situations, wrong understandings, and future unknowns assailing us. We are learning every day to walk with a quiet, trustful spirit in which the Lord and His communications are our only dependence. Bless the Lord for the loneliness—mixed with constant demands—we are facing here. Without it I would not have to face these tests.

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How can you help but loving the family here? See:

(RAR!!! It's Nethan the Ghost!!!)

(Q: Who's scaring who?)

What have we been doing here?

Last Friday we were informed in the morning that we would be accompanying Pastor David to see the final day of a literacy training program. Something in us told us to dress up a little even though we were expecting to go to a village. Low and behold as we were driving through Nellore in David’s Jeep, we stopped at the local Salvation Army campus and had their two Majors (heads of that division of the Army) join our travel. Then we pulled up in front of a large Catholic education center where we were ushered into the office of the presiding Father of the church/school.  There we met a Sister (who has become very dear to our hearts even in that short visit) and were introduced by the Father to a stately man: the Bishop of Nellore. After a brief visit the entire party moved to join the closing ceremony of the literacy training program (where several hundred teachers have been receiving materials and instruction). We met several other prestigious people and were ushered a seat in the front of the room where we could observe everything taking place and be observed fully by everyone. Fortunately, we don’t think Pastor David told them we were coming, so we were spared any gift receiving or speeches. However, we did sing for everyone and help hand out awards. It is wonderful to see so many people working together to see this helpful program move forward; we do wish we could have seen it from a less conspicuous position ;) but like I said above, we are learning to walk in quietness and trust in every unexpected situation. Following the ceremony, we joined the Bishop and S.A. officers for a delicious lunch—the first one we have been at where everyone used silverware. I chatted happily with the Bishop through much of the meal and with the Majors during the traveling. Praise the Lord that we are all, in truth, “nobodies” and can interact without fear with any human beings: for it is God alone who is great.

 (Attending the Literacy Training Program's closing ceremony)

Saturday was a flurry of activity here at home base. About 40 workers came to the church yard to assist in pouring the slab for the roof of the parsonage. Half again as many people were there as most of the Dayasagar relations took the day off from work or school to witness the great event.  We all prayed and conducted an informal ceremony of pouring in the first dishfulls of gravel for mixing the concrete. From about 11am till 4:30pm, these busy men and women poured and pounded, mixed and hauled, smoothed and tread and re-smoothed the giant slab that secures the well-being of the family that will live under its protection. And it looks like it was a success! 

(At last, the parsonage is getting it's top put on!)

The roof now has to cure for over two weeks with standing water on it. I think even the weather has taken an active interest in the proper curing of this building. Since the day of our arrival, we had not seen nor felt a drop of rain from these clear, sunny skies. But, Monday evening the wind began to pick up and the sky started to change. We began to hear in the distance the deep drumbeats of an ancient and powerful army advancing against our weary fort. By six they were near enough for us to feel the hopelessness of our situation as we had been surrounded and the flashes from cannons were seen every few seconds. And LO! upon our upturned faces poured an arsenal of blessings as the sweet, cool rain washed away the weariness and we danced and spun on the top of the church. This blessing was repeated again on Tuesday and for two evenings we threw open the windows and let our hot and stuffy room receive a blessing of cool, fresh air.

(We're all wet from the rain; horray!!!)

Going back to Saturday night: Chelsea’s back took an unfortunate turn and landed her in a state of forced R&R with the remainder of her body and mind disliking such arrangements. Her humble servant and nurse (me ;) had to go to great lengths to satisfy the young patient and keep her still. We thank you all so much for your prayers and suggestions. The dear patient suffered well and has been rewarded with a gradual but pleasant recovery (thanks also to the Yoga training from our beloved Indian mama: Suhasini). With Chelsea being incapacitated (I almost wrote indecapitated…which would have terrified many of you and caused several nightmares…) on Sunday, there was a large list of activities left for me to perform alone: 1) teaching Sunday School (Luke 18 – the Pharisee and the Tax Collector); 2) sharing the message during Church (James 4:6-10 on drawing near to God and humility); 3) leading the Youth Meeting (and teaching on Purity); and 4) spending the afternoon with the extended “family” to let them know we love them and so that they didn’t think we were unsocial guests. I was exhausted by the end but rewarded by the peace of the Lord and the pleasant smile of my long-suffering roommate.

David left on Sunday night to translate at a Baptist conference for the week, leaving us in the capable hands of his wife Suhasini, Grandmama, nephew Abishaek, and any other helpful neighbors and extended family who would take part in caring for and entertaining us for the week. Aside from the above mentioned laboring with the Lord, we have engaged in many hearty activities: video chats with our loved ones back home, writing reports for David and our own records, reading a variety of books from the Bible and in addition to, prayer and deep conversations, getting accosted by various street children while relaxing outside, playing games with Suhasini and the boys, and laundry day (yes, I now understand why in the older days people would say, “every Thursday is laundry day…” because it really does take a long time! For just doing laundry for two, it takes many hours of washing, a full day to dry, and time to take down, iron as necessary, and put away… whew! Fortunately, we double-task by memorizing scripture, spending time in singing worship, or other spiritually helpful manners.) We are also preparing for several events coming up this weekend and next week which you will hear much about later!

 (Studious Bethany, working even while the power was out)

We close with an evening spent in the entertainment of Pastor David’s sister, Premalatha, and her family: Chandana, Rohith, and Rinish. We had a lively time with Chandana during yesterday (Thursday) afternoon and relaxed in their home during the evening until we went out for an early dinner at 9:30pm.  We arrived home with no incident and chatted until after 1am when we finally retired our weary eyes and slept fitfully.

 (All dressed up to go out for dinner!)

Who knew that resting could be so much work! ;)

Our love to you all. And our prayers that you, too, will be growing ever nearer to our marvelous Lord through every situation as you learn to repent and rest, be quiet and trust.

Andariki Vandenalu!
(Thank you very much for reading all of this!)