RUN FOR JESUS - Unity in action

Unity; is that not the heart of what Christ prayed for right before He laid down His life (John 17)? How much effort have we put into praying for and seeking to build unity among the various branches of the body of Christ?

Unity is what hundreds of pastors in Nellore are fervently working to build. They have discovered what should be an obvious truth, but is so often missed in our micro-focused agendas: we can better represent Christ and advance the gospel when we work together than when we are split apart. As a unified front, we can 1) protect and strengthen one another, and 2) take the offensive rather than just the defensive position to bring the Kingdom of God to the earth.

Remember the movie Gladiator? I’ve only seen it once, so excuse any errors :)

In Gladiator there is a scene where the few dozen gladiators are in the arena with only their hand weapons, and facing an absolutely unfair opponent of charioteers with advanced weaponry.  They realize that by fighting as individuals, in a matter of minutes they will all be cut down, destroyed, in bloody and lifeless heaps; all their strength will be for naught. So, in a desperate move of ingenuity, they circle up, use their shields for group protection, and are able to resist all the attacks of the previously overwhelming foe. But they don’t stop there. Next, with their unified shield in place, they begin to strike out strategically, taking down one enemy at a time until they gain possession of the enemies’ weapons and completely destroy all opposition in the arena.

What a picture for our own church bodies to consider.

In every possible area of our churches, let us seek to work in unity with the churches around us so that we can better see how we can help one another, and so that the communities around will see one church body, unified and powerful.   Personally, rather than having people decide which amputated limb of the body of Christ they are going to identify with, I’d rather that people face the all-consuming decision of whether they will have life in the Body or death outside the Body, and then spend their lives learning how to be like Christ.

(Some of the Nellore Pastors after the Run; standing in unity, singing and praying)

In Nellore, pastors from multiple denominations have formed a governmentally recognized group called the United Pastors Fellowship of Nellore. These pastors are working together to protect one another from opposition in the Hindu and Muslim religious groups. They share resources and work together to host events or promote one another’s events in their churches. Every week, the leadership meets (of which our host, Pastor David Dayasagar, serves as secretary and a main catalyst in organizing and advancing the group’s agendas), and every month the fellowship as a whole gathers.  This past week we took part in two united events put on by the fellowship: United Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday (see a previous post), and RUN FOR JESUS, an Easter-related celebratory jog to proclaim the good news of Christ’s resurrection to the city. 

RUN FOR JESUS – Jai Ho! He Is Risen Indeed! 

Organized by ARADANA TV, located in Hyderabad and a major broadcaster for the whole Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, there were runs taking place in cities and villages all over the western-central part of India.  In the biggest cities, runs were as long as 10-Kilometers (just over 6 miles); our local run was not quite this long.

The runners/walkers/bikers/etc. gathered by 6am on Saturday, April 23^rd, to don their caps, signs, flags and banners. Chelsea was not feeling well that early in the morning so I, Bethany, went without my faithful companion. :(   Our host, Pastor David, was the coordinator for the local Nellore run and so he and I, along with his son, Havilash, and niece and nephew, Chandana and Rohith, arrived with all the supplies (which also included a small, portable, microphone system).  

Before going on much further, I must justify my lack of participation in the actual run (else I may suffer demeaning remarks from loving friends who would question if I’m getting fat and lazy here :).  At 5:30am the temperature has usually dropped to a balmy 82-85 degrees Fahrenheit (on the computer weather forecaster, it usually says lows will be 75, but evidence is against that). By 8am the sun is already heating up the earth and air and will bring the high to a healthy 90-95 degrees by afternoon. Throw in some humidity and my body cannot handle a good jog even at peak strength unless I trained for a year.

(Taping the Run while riding on the back of Pastor Jerome's cycle)

But, my better justification is that they wanted two camera people to record the jogging parade; and between the equipment I’ve been blessed with, my all-American news anchor appearance that day, and space on the back of a friend’s motorcycle, I was able to perfectly fill that need. The TV station has requested that people mail in their recordings of their “Run For Jesus” celebrations for broadcasting over the next several weeks. I am glad that between the Downie Baptist Church member and me, we can send excellent footage of people in Nellore proclaiming Christ’s resurrection and the hope we have therein; a message which was proclaimed loudly to Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and others (including Christians who needed encouraging).

Returning to our story: As I said earlier, our host, David, was the coordinator for the Nellore run. He did an excellent job leading the program, ensuring that all the churches and pastors were given microphone time to speak, shout, sing, or pray. Here’s David giving a stirring start-up message to the ready runners:

Christians of all ages participated in this run. Women wearing saris, children waving flags while they ran, men in suits or running gear, girls in Punjabis, old folks as well, people on bicycles, motorcycles, riding in autos or cars, wearing caps, waving flags, holding banners — —all singing and shouting as they jogged or rode down the crowded streets, between sellers carts and traveling vehicles. What a crazy, exuberant, celebration they were.

From now on, whenever I sing or read about the people of God dancing in the streets and praising the Lord at the return of Jesus, I will think of this sight. “And we will dance on the streets that are golden; the glorious Bride, and the Great Son of Man; from every tribe and tongue and nation we’ll join in the song of the Lamb!”

Here are a few more of the hundreds of pictures from the event:

Finally, concluding the celebration, everyone gathered in the courtyard of one of the churches for tea and to share their thoughts and experiences about the run. Yours Truly and the other faithful videotaper recorded these joyful testimonies. Here is part of the crowd looking at me as David thanks the two of us taking video:

I was also given a moment to wish the city of Nellore and all of Andhra Pradesh a “Happy Easter” and proclaim the joy that “Christ is risen indeed!”

“What a privilege from You, my Lord, that I am able to proclaim You publicly to large groups of people; please teach me to be faithful in proclaiming You daily and at every opportunity, whether it is big or small in my eyes—day in and day out, moment by moment, person to person.”

At the closing of the event, after everyone else had departed, the pastors gathered around for a time of praying, singing, and affirming their unity. In all of this, their goal is to give glory to the Lord and to successfully work as one Body, among themselves and among their congregations.

Praise the Lord for this example, and pray with us that this would be a lasting fellowship, holding together in spirit and truth long after all paperwork has deteriorated or been destroyed.

Until Next Time,

Andariki Vandenalu
(Thank you so much for listening/reading)

EASTER

Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

What joy it brings me to greet you in the tradition handed down for generations within the Church. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is indeed risen from the dead and alive, sitting at the right hand of Almighty God, interceding for us, His Bride-to-Be, and one day very soon He will come on the clouds of glory to judge both the living and the dead and to set up His eternal Kingdom. Oh the joy that is ours to know these great truths and to live our lives in light of them!!

****************

I pray the enthusiasm and joy that fills my heart at the thought of our Risen Lord never gets out of my system, but now that I’ve released the pressure for a moment… let me continue our tale about our Easter celebrations on the other side of the world.

We had originally planned to get up early Sunday morning and go up on the roof and hold our own sunrise service… however, after several late nights in a row, I (Chelsea) wasn’t ready to get up at 5:30am and Bethany graciously let me sleep. Instead, we slept until 7 or so, which is “sleeping in” for us.

Our pre-church Sunday morning routine has become pretty normal… get ready, spend time with Jesus and do any final preparations for whatever we are teaching that week (this week, only Sunday School), make tea and a quick snack for before Sunday School, and head over to the church in time to start about 9am. Today’s schedule was enlivened by the addition of one of our Sunday School girls, who came to bring us flowers for our hair, and stayed to examine our strange things and watch our odd way of preparing for the day.

Our Easter outfits (see below) were a great hit. We wore the traditional garb of young unmarried woman in India – half-saris. Girls are first allowed to wear a half-sari at a coming of age function when they turn 12 and they continue to be the “most appropriate” attire until the girls are married, or reach marriageable age. Technically, I think we’re both too old to be wearing them – being well past marriageable age by Indian standards – and since Bethany is engaged I don’t think she’s supposed to wear one, but we never had an opportunity to wear them when we were younger… so that’s our excuse, and we’re sticking to it.

One of the highlights of the Easter celebrations at Hebron Believer’s Assemblies is the baptism. This year, there was one young woman, Neelama (stress both the first and second syllable), who wished to be baptized. We don’t know her well, but she has started attending church here since we arrived. Sunday, she announced her faith in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior to her family and the church body here.

Next, during the service, Allen Graham brought a wonderful Easter message from John 11, about the new life available to us through Jesus’ resurrection and the importance of our actions in life and death.

After church, we had a wonderful Easter meal with the family and enjoyed our first time of getting to sit down and talk with Allen. We look forward to many more opportunities to visit with him and here about his vast experience in life following the Lord, in ministry in the States, and in ministry in India.

While the adults and “big kids” were inside talking, Havilash, Nethan, Rohith, Rinish, and Jevon (David’s sons, nephews, and the neighbor boy) took advantage of the fact the baptismal was full of water and went swimming! We caught the little fish in action :)

All and all, it was a fun day with the family spent in celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and fellowshipping with each other.

The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ rest in your hearts until you hear from us again.

Chelsea

*************************************************

Bethany says: Wait, there was at least one more piece of Sunday that was left out; and we have to say it!  We learned some INDIAN DANCE MOVES and POSES!!!  Still much to practice so don’t look for any grand performance when we get home.  Here is our beautiful dance instructor, Chandana, whose mother—we have been informed—was a fabulous dancer in her prime:

(CHANDANA)

Tomorrow, watch for my story about gallivanting around the streets of Nellore on Saturday with a parade of Jesus-lovers.  Truly a grand tale, worth waiting for!

Welcome back to the "New Adventures of Chelsea and Bethany"

This week has been so full that if we were to tell everything, it would take 10 pages, I’m sure; not including any of our personal thoughts about everything we’ve experienced. Thus, I have made an executive decision to only tell you small portions of a few of the significant events and leave you wondering in suspense about the rest until we return home (this is to ensure that you will invite us over for dinner to hear stories!)

Among others, this week marks the arrival of Mr. Allan Graham, long-time (20-25 years) friend of Pastor David and his father. Allan is from Chicago and comes to visit the church and ministry here almost yearly. He will remain here with us for 20 days. On Monday night, after an evening out with his family and us, Pastor David traveled the 3 hours to Chennai airport to pick up Allan. Unfortunately, Allan’s plane was delayed and he did not arrive until Tuesday night; so David had to wait in Chennai for the whole day.

Although he had to stay away an extra day, David did not want to cancel the village meeting planned for Tuesday, so he made arrangements for Chelsea and I to travel by auto with his close friend, Mr. Andrews, and bring his niece, Chandana, with us.  The village was just 20 minutes outside the city and called, “Little, little Nellore.” Chelsea and I had an amazingly delightful time fellowshipping with these believers: listening to their songs and worshiping the Lord in our own languages, sharing from the word, praying for their needs, and enjoying dinner with them. 

Singing "Ancient of Days" to the jungle rhythms of the tribal Indian people.

Seeing the eager faces of these first and second generation believers never gets tiring. I love being among them; to physically reach out and touch them (while praying or just to shake their hands); to watch as they squeeze their eyes shut to sing with all their energy; to see their faces brighten or their brows knit as they strive to grasp the truths about their Lord and Savior; and to experience their eager and simple faith as they timidly or forcefully reach out, asking for prayer.

Our substitute translator, Mr. Andrews

We missed David’s presence, but greatly enjoyed Mr. Andrews, who did a fine job translating for us (especially Chelsea’s message from Matthew 21 about Jesus clearing the temple and how we’re now the temple of God, which Jesus is just as zealous about cleaning), and entertaining us with his jokes and lively manners. He is the principle of a school and (to my great delight) an avid lover of music and musical instruments.

Riding in the auto on the way home from Little, Little Nellore

This evening was a great adventure, encouraging and strengthening to both our spirits and our bodies. We pray it was the same for all who attended.

*****************************************************

Maundy Thursday: Celebrating the night of the Lord’s Supper.

Left: Rev. G.Devaraj spoke on Jesus' surrender: "Not My Will"; Right: The choir in their "robes" help lead the congregation in Telugu songs (many of the pastors can be seen on the stage)

Many pastors here in Nellore have joined together to support one another and stand united as the body of Christ. Pastor David serves as a catalyst for this group and the Secretary of their recently formed group: The United Pastors’ Fellowship of Nellore. On Thursday evening they held a joint public service, United Holy Communion. Chelsea and I immensely enjoyed watching and participating as people glorified the Lord (at 300 decibels; meaning it felt like rock-concert volume) through songs, teaching, taking the elements, and more. In addition to the rare experience of seeing leaders and members of multiple denominations teaching and agreeing with each other, we found several parts of the program to be particularly memorable.

Towards the beginning of the program, we sang a newly learned song in Telugu and then got to relax and soak in the rest of the service. Most of it was in Telugu but several speakers translated small portions of their messages to English for the benefit of out-of-state Indians and us. Following the main message, the leaders of the United Pastors’ Fellowship knelt on stage in front of their many peers and washed one another’s feet. This means that Baptists were washing Pentecostal’s feet and Evangelicals were washing Lutheran’s feet, etc. The Indian culture greatly values giving and receiving proper honor, so to watch them demonstrate their willingness to serve one another was a truly monumental sight.

Center: One pastor washing another pastor's' feet;  Sides: the pastors are deeply affected by this act

Another very symbolic and impactful part of the service was called the “Hand of Peace.” A highly honored couple within the Christian community, Pastor & Mrs. Sundara Rao (whom we’ve enjoyed developing a friendship with through Pastor David’s introduction at the beginning of our trip), walked down the center aisle of the gathering hall, clasping hands with each person sitting in the aisle seat and saying “peace be with you” (in Telugu, except to us :).  Those people then turned to their neighbor and repeated the gesture and phrase; and they, in turn, follow suit—one after another. Thus, a wave of peace spreads across the room to the outer edges. May the peace of the Lord spread across the earth in this same manner as Christians join hands with one another and reach out to bring the truth and love of Christ to the nations.

At last we come to the actual sharing of the bread and juice. Sitting in a crowd of believers from an entirely different culture, I realized that Christ truly did reveal a great mystery to the nations: a united group of people, formed not by national boundaries and allegiances, nor from cultural habits, nor agreements, nor level of knowledge, nor language, nor line of work, nor any other natural connection, but formed by a deep love, gratitude, and commitment to Christ with the same hope of Salvation through Him alone. As I share in the symbols of the united body of Christ, I am experiencing a part of this absolutely wondrous mystery of Christ as it is being revealed. One day I shall rejoice in its full revelation at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9).

Suhasini serving bread                               David serving juice

*****************************************************

Good Friday – Hmmm… while it was happening, no one but the angels in heaven and the Father would have called it “good.” Satan saw his kingdom collapse; the disciples and followers thought their hopes of a kingdom were collapsing; the leaders and crowds were plagued with guilt… Yet now, I can declare it “good” and join all of heaven in saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise…[for]with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:12,9-10).

In the late morning we gathered at the church (Hebron Prayer House) for a special service which focused on the last 7 phrases of Jesus while He was hanging on the cross. Congregations all over Nellore were holding similar services. Chelsea and I sang a Telugu song about the suffering and death of Jesus and the hope which His sacrifice gives us. Then we spent a few minutes explaining to the church the events of the Holy Week from Palm Sunday to His death. Several other melodious Telugu songs and then Pastor David gave a stirring message on how the Gospel of Salvation was portrayed in each of the phrases which Jesus spoke. Through each of these he inspired and challenged the listeners by applying them to daily life.

Bethany explaining the locations of Jesus' ministry and final days

During the service, it started to pour down rain. This is the first rain we have had since the middle of February (two late-night drizzles). It was a tremendous relief and blessing to us Northwestern white girls who felt ourselves grow stronger as the temperature dropped almost 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and our senses rejoiced at the sounds and smells of the rain. The timing was perfect: it was almost as if the sky was weeping for the death of the creator of the world, just as the sun had hidden its face and the ground was shaken to its core 2000 years ago.

After service, Chelsea and I pulled several of our young friends onto the roof to join us in reveling in the cool water as we danced in the rain.

We shall always be little girls, delighting in the wonders of our Father

Friday was also Pastor David’s Birthday. In true Indian style, they sang to him at the end of service (which quite took him by surprise and delight) and then the extended family shared a fluffy white cake after lunch.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PASTOR DAVID!

Birthday party!

Mr. Allan Graham

Finally, Friday also was our first opportunity to meet Mr. Allan Graham. Due to his extra lengthy flight and his advancing age, he needed a little extra time to rest and adjust after arriving Tuesday night. Together with David, us three white folks traveled to Downie Baptist Church of Nellore for their evening English service. Chelsea and I listened in wonder to an amazing English song that tells about the purpose of Jesus’ death (we recorded it, so you can hear it once we get home). We then participated in the service by singing “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us.”  Mr. Graham was the guest speaker and we watched in delight to see how an experienced western visitor interacts and communicates in this culture. We greatly look forward to spending more time with him over the next several weeks.

*****************************************************

To hear more…come find us in June!

Andariki Vandenalu!

What-up?

Our Palm Sunday Adventure

Sunday (yesterday), we had a wonderful adventure yesterday carrying on a Palm Sunday tradition with the Sunday School children. Many of them showed up early (something that’s very unusual in India) bright eyed and ready for fun. The brought palm branches and all the flowers they could find. (I rather doubt there is a flowering tree or bush in any of their courtyards that hasn’t been unclothed of all flowers within reach. :) Having arrived armed with all the necessary supplies, the children proceeded to bedeck their branches with as many flowers they could attach their sturdy banners.

When the children had finished the ornamenting their branches, we assembled in front of the church and set out to walk through the neighborhood singing and praising God in a manner very similar to the first Palm Sunday (only in Telugu instead of Aramaic).

When He came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Luke 19:37-38

As we trekked through the streets in the early morning bustle, we saw parts of our neighborhood we had never seen before. Needless to say, we created quite a stir and attracted many people watching us from the street, their front gates, and their windows.

By the time we arrived back at the church, our antics had added about 10 neighborhood children to our Sunday School. They stayed around because there were biscuits (cookies) for after the lesson. Since at this point, Sunday School, which normally lasts only 30-45 mins, had already been an hour long, Bethany taught a quick lesson on the triumphal entry. She talked about how a crowd who had welcomed Jesus as king at the beginning of the week became a mob who cried for his crucifixion at the end of the week because they were only interested in His miracles and blessings and not in really having Him be the Lord of their lives. We pray that the Lord will use these words in the lives of our regular Sunday School children and plant seeds in the hearts of our guests. Please pray with us that these visitors will also attend VBS in a few weeks.

Sharing in His suffering and glory

“How deep the Father’s love for us—how vast, beyond all measure—that He should give His Only Son to make a wretch His treasure.”

The Catholic Lent is well under way and we are coming into the Easter Season. More so than at home (if that is possible), we find that the Indian culture values programs and formalities. Even among the smallest churches, on special days, holding lengthy services with multiple speakers (up to 6 or 7 sometimes) is expected—by the church members and by the surrounding pastors. Often a single pastor will speak at multiple churches within a single morning/afternoon (i.e. Palm Sunday, Good Friday, or Easter). At home it seemed like just a part of life; but seeing this practice played out to a greater degree in a foreign culture is making us question how much God-glorification vs. man-glorification is tucked into these religious programs of our churches.

But in spite of all the upcoming programs, Chelsea and I find ourselves returning to the simplicity of reveling in the extreme mystery of Christ becoming the sacrifice in our place. What incredible mercy and love from the heart of the Father, who allowed His Son to die on behalf of unworthy us. Yet, both Jesus and His Father took upon themselves such extreme measures in order to redeem us because they deeply, unalterably loved this wretched woman (the church, and me). And now, they are working fervently to perfect us so that we may become worthy of marrying the glorious Son of the King.

And, as this season approaches, I’m turning my thoughts to the words of my voluntary Redeemer. I want to understand (experience to the greatest degree I can) the depths of what He suffered so that I may also grasp (partake in fully) the extreme victory of the new life which He has created, wrenched back from the Devil, purchased, and offered out of His goodness for us (yes, I think all those actions can apply simultaneously to God’s act of providing a way for us to have eternal life with Him). Jesus said: “This is MY BLOOD of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26: 28). Next time you accidentally cut yourself, look at the blood that’s coming out of your flesh. Realize that Jesus was a person, just like you, and was expecting (and was sorrowful and troubled at the prospect—Matthew 26:37-38) that His human life-blood was going to be drained out and He was going to die. This wasn’t even a peaceful death with loved ones stroking His hand; He would be friendless, with a bunch of angry, hate-filled people looking on and emotionless executors just “doin’ their duty.”

I am LOVED.

There is NOTHING else I need.

I don’t need Jesus’ work on the cross (and the love buried in every fiber of that act) and a successful job or ministry.

I don’t need His life and the money to complete my goals and dreams (or even to meet my perceived basic needs).

He has given me EVERYTHING He has.

Every time I say that I am lacking in something, I am putting down His eternal work. (How dare I detract, even the smallest bit, from the Glory of His greatest work! (1 Corinthians 2:2 –and all the preceding verses) In all the majesty He created, His death and resurrection are far greater still.)

Surely He who gave me life everlasting can meet my few needs in this short earthly sojourn.

Now, my only earthly goal is that I may grow in love for Him; more every day and hour. So that when I stand with Him at the wedding feast of heaven, my beloved bridegroom—Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High God—will find in me (along with His whole bride, the true church) a created being worthy of His affections and of returning His affections. Here I find another mysteryàEvery ounce of my ability to comprehend and love my Lord and Savior comes from His diligent work in me; yet it remains vital that my inner man constantly works to position itself for receiving and holding onto the truths being worked out in me.

Oh that I may be prepared while I am on this earth, so that I am able to fully love my Lord all the days of our eternal life together!  Jesus, looking toward His wedding day in Heaven, also prayed this prayer for His bride, the church. “I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one: I in them and You in Me. …I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for Me may be in them and that I Myself may be in them” (Read all of John 17:20-26).

Whatever concerns of mine do not lead me and others to this end, I must throw off.  Christ! Be formed in me—both your suffering and your victory; and the fullness of the love that saturates it all!—so that I may be one with You and see Your glory! (John 17:24)

Picture gallery...

Too much contemplation in the Throne Room of our Heavenly King—we are left with less to share about our daily lives. Over the last two weeks, as we’ve been connecting with family and friends from the states, they continually ask: “What’s happening there?” “What is something monumental that you’ve experienced in India lately?” “What are your daily activities?”

We are left speechless…

What do we tell about? There are hundreds of small and larger wonderful things happening here—with us and the ministry, with our host family and neighbors, and with the culture we’re living in. Yet, even something as great as living in India pales in comparison to the things we are searching out and learning about our Lord and Lover. Let me warn and encourage you with this reminder:

Even your greatest life ambition and most desired experience becomes a faded shell when spending a few moments in the Presence of the Mighty ONE. Let us not deceive ourselves with earthly pursuits.

*********************************************

Here I am preaching again. For all who want an actual account of what we’re doing with our time, I’m afraid I’m failing miserably. This morning I sat down to write out some fun things that have been happening…… and a page and a half into my writing, I had dwelt entirely on Christ and the overwhelming qualities of His love and sacrifice (I’ll post that tomorrow, provided my Lord doesn’t take me home). My second attempt is also quickly heading in the same direction. :) Bear with me, I’ll try again:

**********************************************

Let’s start with a picture (maybe then I can stay on track...):

This is our wonderful church family of Hebron Prayer House. While to you a picture like this may look really, really strange in lots of ways, this is one of the more familiar parts of life to us now. It took us months to discover how they (and we) could sit on the floor cross-legged for two hours or more. The secret for them is that as little children, sitting cross-legged is considered “proper” and little three-year-olds are repeatedly repositioned until they master the arrangement. Having sat that way for decades, the older people have calluses on their ankle bones and their knees have grown to rest in that position. For little Chelsea and me, our poor ankles and knees are repeatedly sore by Sunday afternoon, and our feet fall asleep (I’m talking deep sleep, where you wonder if they’ll wake up or if, in attempting to stand, you’ll crash to the floor and be rushed to the hospital for an amputation. …just kidding :)

The two biggest benefits that we can see of sitting in this manner are: 1) without chairs, more people can squeeze into a limited space; and 2) it is really fast and easy to shift into a kneeling (face-to-the-ground) prayer and worship position. As you can see, those who have grown up sitting in chairs and those whose limbs are no longer as flexible sit in chairs in the back of the church.

This picture was taken this past Sunday while Pastor David delivered a stirring message to his congregation.  Chelsea and I still only understand about 4% of what’s being said and the cultural meanings attached; but we devote our time during the message to prayer for our Indian and American Church families and in reading the passages that are referenced.

On to exhibit #2:

During Sunday School last week, we did a very memorable thing to the children: We blinded them all! Using their own chunnies (scarves) against them, we made them feel like the blind man from Matthew 8:22.  The boys were loaned (no interest charged :) some chunnies from Chelsea and my stash.

While they were experiencing temporary physical blindness, we explained how, before they surrender their lives to Christ, their spirits are dead and blind; they have no more spiritual understanding than they have of physical sight. But, when He saves us, Christ brings life and sight into our spirits. “Jesus asked, ‘Do you see anything?’ [The blind man] looked up and said, ‘I see people; they look like trees walking around.’” Next we made the kids untie the chunnies and drape them over their heads like a veil:

Now they could see some things, but not everything and not very clearly. This picture shows the boys are partially blind. Also shown: Pastor David Dayasagar explains the connection of physical sight to our spiritual sight.  When we believe we receive a portion of God’s Holy Spirit, who awakens our spirits, gives us some spiritual sight, and is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance of eternal redemption (Eph. 1:13-14).

But, God is not pleased with us only having partial spiritual sight. Jesus again touched the blind man’s eyes, and then “his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly” (Mark 8:25b). Our Lord invites us to gaze into the mysteries that even the angels long to see. This requires real spiritual insight; and we must ask for the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our understanding even farther so that we may grasp His love and power (Eph. 1:17-19). We closed with a time of prayer. Please also pray with us that these young ones “being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:17-19).

Whew! On to the next exhibit (#3 or #4? –I don’t know!):

Wonder of wonders! We got a package from our beloved church family at home (Graham, WA)!!! That’s Chelsea’s face of anticipation as we prepare to open it…

It was filled with all sorts of necessary, handy, and delightful surprises for us, for our church, and for our host family. We are overjoyed with the love and encouragement packed in among all those items.

We can’t wait to use and distribute all these wonders! (Not to mention, use a few as bribes and tantalizing prizes for little urchins :) This box, along with the other little packages, notes, and cards we’ve received, have greatly helped to ease our sense of isolation and homesickness. Thank you all, so much, for these un-price-able gifts.

****************************************

Let’s keep moving down the corridor of the exhibition hall. On to a few of our less-serious pastimes:

Another small but delightful treasure we’ve just received…

This crazy little racket is charged with an electric current so that, when it comes in contact with a small, flying, painfully-biting, annoying, pest, it causes the little vermin to explode. (Not a very pleasant description: I’m sorry for distressing any faint-hearted readers. I’m also sorry for all my adoring fans who thought I was tender-hearted to even the most wretched of beings; I’m afraid you’ll have to remove me from that pedestal.)

We now have the addicting occupation of jumping up, grabbing and turning on our lethal “sword”, and attempting to hit a homerun with every flicker of shadow that catches our eyes. No, we’re not paranoid; the mosquito population within our living quarters has significantly decreased in the last few days. We find that now, even if we see several flying around, when we grab the racket they all disappear as if by magic. (Our theory is that down at the local swamp, there’s rumors bein’ whispered among the residential mosquits of a deadly monster that hums as it advances. They say there’s no use standin’ up to it; best to just hide away.)

Ahem… enough about rumors, moving on:

You will be shocked and (we hope) delighted to learn that your friendly little Northwest Americans are returning to our ancient family roots: We’re becoming HIGHLANDERS! (Can anyone say “Heidi of the Alps”?)

In an effort to tame our unruly locks (and diminish their heat-holding abilities), we’ve been experimenting with Indian-approved hairstyles. Crowning braids have been our greatest success thus far. With this useful excuse in hand, we now revert back to our childish/girly ways of “doing each other’s hair.”

Chelsea is now aiming to perfect her hair styling abilities in order to add that skill to her impressive résumé. Meanwhile, I (Bethany) am attempting to begin on this long journey of fixing up hair since I hope to one day be cranking out acceptable styles on my own children’s heads. The picture of Chelsea above represents: 1) my first attempt to French braid another person’s hair; 2) my first time ever doing an inside-out braid; and 3) my first time braiding a crown. Pictured below is one of the many awkward positions which the patient must assume in order to achieve this dazzling appearance:

On to a final major addition to our daily lives here:

It’s Kitten Season!!!

 

Say “hello” to Puss (we call her Pounce) and Tiger!

Here they are pictured in the full power of their invasive abilities. Our house owner, Premeela Auntie, acquired these two little, hungry, lovebugs last week. You can see them disturbing our games, climbing all over us, and traveling in and out of every nook and cranny they can find (including the window grates). They beg and complain as well as any kittens we’ve ever met.

Our host family also received a surprise addition of a few kittens. The local stray (whom we named “Munchkin”) adopted their home when Suhasini coaxed it in with some milk and bread. In exchange for food and board, she keeps the rats out of the house. But apparently this friendly little street cat was a little too friendly with her own kind as well. Three weeks ago she added 3 little fuzzballs to the family. They’re not sure what to do with the little tikes yet…

Until tomorrow!

ANDARIKI VANDENALU

Join us for a tour!!!

After much travail and long hours, we have finally accomplished a great feat:

YOU can now see and experience just a little bit of our surroundings and daily living quarters. We absolutely love where we are living and are so grateful for all those who are caring for us and teaching us how to operate within the Indian culture.

Please bear in mind, we took these videos within our first weeks here (January) and many things have changed in the months since that time. We also now better understand the culture and watch (with bashful faces) as we incorrectly present many aspects of life here in this video. Before we leave, however, we plan to walk through life here again and present a more "finished" picture of our lives here and our better understanding of the culture and habits that make up this wonderful society.


Additional note: Bethany was not being a camera hog. Chelsea was not in a "movie-genic" mood that day. But, both of us have become significantly more camera and picture friendly since then and we hope our farewell videos will be a bit more creative, fun, and informative. In the mean time, bear with us as we attempt to develop our presentation skills :)

I tried very hard to get our videos to upload into here, but I can't seem to make it work. You'll have to use the links to get to YouTube. Please let us know if there are any problems!

Tour #1 - Our Neighborhood
Link to YouTube: http://youtu.be/MZoojI3vWh0

Tour #2 - The Church (and new construction)
Link to YouTube: http://youtu.be/OMFwrJ6GrXU

Tour #3 - Our Home (half of church member Primeela-Auntie's house)
Link to YouTube: http://youtu.be/UatyNK8mUxM


We hope you have enjoyed these tours. Until next time,
Andariki Vandenalu!

Happy Ungati!! (Happy New Year!)

Yes... I know that it’s been almost 3 months since the New Year, but today (April 4) is the Telugu New Year. I’m so excited the New Year is such a special time of celebrating new beginnings, and this year I get two new years.

Everyday Hindu people draw very beautiful designs in front of the doors and gates to their homes to invite the good spirits and gods in, hoping that they will bring them good luck. For the new year, the people draw even more elaborate designs. I think these designs are wonderful and so “Indian”, so I take pictures of them all the time.

Here’s what we normally see as we’re walking around

This morning Bethany and I had a great time walking and waving to all our friends for church who live in the neighborhood as we went for a short walk to capture some of the special celebration designs.

Here’s what we saw this morning

Now, let me jump back in time to all the happenings of last year (please note here that we are in a “new year” and I’m really only going back to last week). In addition to the regularly scheduled mid-week church gatherings on Wednesday and Friday for Hebron Church, Thursday evening we had received a special invitation to lead the youth service at one of the other Nellore churches. The service began with about 30 mins of singing in Telugu led by the worship leader. Then they handed the rest of the service over to us… they didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.

After I gave a short introduction, telling who we were and why we had come to India, Bethany took over the service. She explained, with Pastor David’s help in translating, that we as people have a body (our physical body, desires, and emotions), a soul (our character, beliefs, and wisdom or foolishness), and our spirit (the part of us that is like God and closest to Him). Then she asked for three volunteers to represent the body, soul, and spirit.

Our three lovely volunteers

Bethany explained that before we give our lives to Christ, our spirits are dead, but one we surrender to our Lord, our spirits come alive. The begins the tug-of-war for our souls – with the body trying to pull our souls away from God, toward the “delights” of this world, and ultimately to spiritual separation from God. Meanwhile, the spirit is trying to pull the soul toward God and the eternal joy and pleasure of knowing God as we were created to do.

Tug-of-war wonderfully demonstrated by our volunteers (with David acting as translator, “Thank you!”)

Bethany continued on to explain that we can actually decide who will win the war for our souls. We choose whether we will spend eternity with God or eternity separated from Him by what we do with our time, the things we watch and listen to, and what we think about. We can “feed” our body, making it stronger and more able to pull us away from God and toward eternal death by thinking about and spending our time on the things the world tells us are important, or we can “feed” our spirits by spending time thinking about and worshiping God. Bethany went on to explain, that beginning to feed our spirits is a lot like beginning to exercise – it’s very hard at first and you don’t like it because it’s not what you want to do, but as you continue to exercise on a regular basis (or feed your spirit) you begin to enjoy and look forward to it because it feels so good when you’re done. At the end of the service, we led the youth in another 30 mins of worship, this time without singing, just quiet music and some instruction on how to draw close to God. They all seemed to enjoy it very much. Please pray with us that this message will rest in their hearts and that God will use it to grow a desire to know Him more.

Sunday was both normal and special. In the morning, we taught the story of Jesus turning the water into wine from John 2:1-10 to a group of 20 or so restless Sunday School children– we pointed out that the servants who labored to fill the water jars did not get to drink it after it was turned into wine and the wedding guests did not know where the wine came from. Then we asked them, “Would you rather be a wedding guest and get to drink the wine or a servant and get to see Jesus do the miracle?” They all said they would rather be the servants. Father, please teach them what it means to be Your servants and to prepare the way for You to do miracles.

For church itself, I taught from Luke 10 on the story of Mary and Martha, encouraging to believers not to be distracted from knowing Jesus by the cares and troubles of this life, but instead to go through their daily responsibilities doing them for the Lord and not for men (Col 3:17).

Bethany taught the youth meeting about the underground church in China. She “took” the youth to a lonely region of China where they had to creep many kilometers through the “jungle” (part of the sanctuary) and gather in a small “hut” (a specified section of the room) to meet with their fellow believers. Everyone had to be very quiet, because if we were caught the Chinese authorities would throw us into prison and kill us. Bethany posed to question, “Do you crave spending time with believers so much that you would work all day in the fields, travel and worship all night, and then work another full day in the fields without any sleep for just a few hours of fellowship? Do you treasure your Bible so much that you would give up your clothes and your food before you would give up your Bible? Do you love Jesus enough to be tortured and die for Him?” Again, I pray that these words, questions, and examples will go deep into the hearts of the youth.

There are no pictures of our gathering, of course, because we were in danger for our very lives and could not risk the chance of being seen or of the pictures falling into the wrong hands.

Sunday was also a very special day because it was Suhasini’s (David’s wife) birthday. Her sister and nephew came for the occasion, in addition to the normal extended family who gather for lunch on Sundays, and we had a wonderful time singing “Happy Birthday” (Indian style, of course), eating special food and birthday cake, and visiting with the family.

Once again, you are caught up on all the happenings here in India. :)

Grace and peace to you all!