This will probably be my last blog from Madurai where we are doing evangelism. There may be another one Monday, but it will be touristy in nature. Tonight was my last speaking engagement and I spoke on heaven. It was well received. I have another story to tell you from tonight’s meeting, but before I do I want to explain the picture.
Wed. just after breakfast, another pastor and I went to the local flower market. This is where the bulk flowers come in for the local vendors to purchase to make wreaths and other floral arraignments to be used primarily in Hindu worship. These flowers are cut no earlier than the day before they come to market.
It is an awesome sight of colors and wonderful smells. People are bartering all around to get the best prices. There is a large variety of flowers, greens and all the raw material to make the elaborate wreaths and garlands like the one you saw me wearing in an earlier post.
Since Trish loves flowers so much I couldn’t help thinking of her and wishing she were her to experience this. If we lived close to something like this, she would have fresh flowers everyday.
Tonight was a bit of a circus at my sight. Some Bigwigs from the Columbia Union (the boss of my boss) came to visit and they showed up at my sight with cameras and video. Needless to say, we had to recognize them and honor them by allowing the Union President to say the opening prayer. Then they were off the see other sights.
We got down to business (oh, by the way, did I mention that I had my fourth different translator tonight?) and started the program. Things went well and the sermon was well received. As I look back over the past 16 days, I wish I would have done a few things different as far as the sermon content and sequence of sermons. I should have gone with my heart instead of following directions. But tonight I really felt that many understood what I was presenting.
We are baptizing four more people tomorrow afternoon from this village. Once again, I’m being given the privilege of doing the actual baptizing. There are a few others that are almost ready but a couple of things need to be cleared up for them before they are ready.
One of those who have been coming regularly is an older lady who loves to sing with the children and do all the hand motions. She is just too cute. Her reason for not being ready tomorrow is that she had planned a special Hindu ceremony at her house called a Puja. She had invited friends and family and this was going to be a big deal. Well she planned this before she came to the meetings. With what she has learned, she now knows that her Hindu worship isn’t worshipping the true God and she wants to be baptized. She told my Bible worker that as soon as the Puja is over, she will be baptized and never do it again. I told you she is cute.
The real story tonight is what happened after the meetings. You may remember Kanatha. She was one of the first I baptized last week. She is the young, 28 year old, widow with four children and a collapsed roof. Well, I had decided I wanted to help with her situation. I was trying to buy her a cow or some goats so she could make a living.
This enterprise has been driving me up a wall. I have had a difficult time getting cooperation from the local church and my translator. Finally, I brought the subject up with our host who honored me on Wed. I told him he would honor me if he would assist me in helping get 4 goats for Kanatha (3 females and 1 male). I told him that I needed his expertise and influence to get me the best deal and to get the goats to Kanatha’s house.
He was proud as punch that I asked him. I did this in front of the local pastor last night while we sat on our hosts’ porch. I asked if the two of them would take Kanatha to market, help pick out and purchase the goats and then make sure they were delivered to her house. We got it worked out but I wanted the two of them to be there when I told Kanatha. I wanted a three way accountability connection so that no one could cop out on me.
Well having any conversation in India in private is nearly impossible. Not only are there too many people, but the people aren’t aware or even care about privacy issues. After the meeting and praying for my line of people who always wait for me, I finally got them aside (after out right telling people to leave us alone).
This is what I said to Kanatha: “My heart breaks for the people of this village. I hurt for them and want to help them but I can’t help everyone. I have chosen to help you because of your situation with your children and no husband. But with this gift comes great responsibility. This gift of goats is intended to make you independent in earning money to care for your family. But not only that, I am placing the responsibility on you to help others as you have been helped. I’m leaving this village after tomorrow and I am asking you to help your neighbors in this village by sharing Jesus with them.”
I then pulled out a new Bible in Tamil to give her as a gift. As I was handing it to her, she shook her head no. I asked what was the matter? She then told my translator that she couldn’t read. I’m not making this up. If my heart wasn’t torn up before, it was now. Here is a young woman without any real means to support her family, no husband and now I find out she can’t even read! (the local pastor said someone in his church will teach her)
As I watcher her face I had a hard time reading her emotions. She didn’t seem too happy with this news. My first thought was she didn’t want the gift because she may feel it was too hard to care for goats or she didn’t know how to care for them. She could have been angry, sad, confused or frustrated or all of the above for all I could tell from her expressions. I asked through the translator what was wrong.
Now I have been married to a woman for three months shy of 29 years. You would think that would have trained me for a moment like this. I came to find out from what my translator told me that Kanatha thinks just like my wife and I assume most other women. I’ll bet that the women who are reading this blog already know what every guy who is reading this is still guessing at. Kanatha was thinking about her life with her husband before he died how her life had changed at his death and now how she was getting a second chance. She was sad, happy and confused all at the same time. As she was explaining her feelings I saw her eyes well up with tears, she had been fighting them back for the whole conversation. It’s at this point you want to hug her, but as a man in this culture I couldn’t even think of it. I just bowed to her as is the normal greeting and watched as she bowed back. Now I could see the gratitude in her eyes.
It will be along time before I can get the images out of my head from this trip. I have seen the wild, the grotesque, the sad and the disgusting. I have seen the physically deformed, the starving, the begging, the sleeping on the streets at all times of the day in all kinds of places. I have seen houses that wouldn’t qualify as barns in America yet people are living in them and sleeping on either block or dirt floors. I have seen what a mass of humanity lives like when it is forced into too small a space to handle it. I witnessed extreme religious rituals and ceremony that resemble the pagan worship that God warned Israel to stay away from. But I have seen God’s kingdom here and the working of the Almighty to call His children home.
May you be blessed this Sabbath and remember to keep me in your prayers as we begin our journey home. We leave Sunday morning early to head to Northern India for a few days of sight seeing before heading home to Ohio. The weather here is quite warm and I understand that you’re finally having winter. Hopefully I can bring some warm and sun with me when I return.
Pastor Kevin
Wed. just after breakfast, another pastor and I went to the local flower market. This is where the bulk flowers come in for the local vendors to purchase to make wreaths and other floral arraignments to be used primarily in Hindu worship. These flowers are cut no earlier than the day before they come to market.
It is an awesome sight of colors and wonderful smells. People are bartering all around to get the best prices. There is a large variety of flowers, greens and all the raw material to make the elaborate wreaths and garlands like the one you saw me wearing in an earlier post.
Since Trish loves flowers so much I couldn’t help thinking of her and wishing she were her to experience this. If we lived close to something like this, she would have fresh flowers everyday.
Tonight was a bit of a circus at my sight. Some Bigwigs from the Columbia Union (the boss of my boss) came to visit and they showed up at my sight with cameras and video. Needless to say, we had to recognize them and honor them by allowing the Union President to say the opening prayer. Then they were off the see other sights.
We got down to business (oh, by the way, did I mention that I had my fourth different translator tonight?) and started the program. Things went well and the sermon was well received. As I look back over the past 16 days, I wish I would have done a few things different as far as the sermon content and sequence of sermons. I should have gone with my heart instead of following directions. But tonight I really felt that many understood what I was presenting.
We are baptizing four more people tomorrow afternoon from this village. Once again, I’m being given the privilege of doing the actual baptizing. There are a few others that are almost ready but a couple of things need to be cleared up for them before they are ready.
One of those who have been coming regularly is an older lady who loves to sing with the children and do all the hand motions. She is just too cute. Her reason for not being ready tomorrow is that she had planned a special Hindu ceremony at her house called a Puja. She had invited friends and family and this was going to be a big deal. Well she planned this before she came to the meetings. With what she has learned, she now knows that her Hindu worship isn’t worshipping the true God and she wants to be baptized. She told my Bible worker that as soon as the Puja is over, she will be baptized and never do it again. I told you she is cute.
The real story tonight is what happened after the meetings. You may remember Kanatha. She was one of the first I baptized last week. She is the young, 28 year old, widow with four children and a collapsed roof. Well, I had decided I wanted to help with her situation. I was trying to buy her a cow or some goats so she could make a living.
This enterprise has been driving me up a wall. I have had a difficult time getting cooperation from the local church and my translator. Finally, I brought the subject up with our host who honored me on Wed. I told him he would honor me if he would assist me in helping get 4 goats for Kanatha (3 females and 1 male). I told him that I needed his expertise and influence to get me the best deal and to get the goats to Kanatha’s house.
He was proud as punch that I asked him. I did this in front of the local pastor last night while we sat on our hosts’ porch. I asked if the two of them would take Kanatha to market, help pick out and purchase the goats and then make sure they were delivered to her house. We got it worked out but I wanted the two of them to be there when I told Kanatha. I wanted a three way accountability connection so that no one could cop out on me.
Well having any conversation in India in private is nearly impossible. Not only are there too many people, but the people aren’t aware or even care about privacy issues. After the meeting and praying for my line of people who always wait for me, I finally got them aside (after out right telling people to leave us alone).
This is what I said to Kanatha: “My heart breaks for the people of this village. I hurt for them and want to help them but I can’t help everyone. I have chosen to help you because of your situation with your children and no husband. But with this gift comes great responsibility. This gift of goats is intended to make you independent in earning money to care for your family. But not only that, I am placing the responsibility on you to help others as you have been helped. I’m leaving this village after tomorrow and I am asking you to help your neighbors in this village by sharing Jesus with them.”
I then pulled out a new Bible in Tamil to give her as a gift. As I was handing it to her, she shook her head no. I asked what was the matter? She then told my translator that she couldn’t read. I’m not making this up. If my heart wasn’t torn up before, it was now. Here is a young woman without any real means to support her family, no husband and now I find out she can’t even read! (the local pastor said someone in his church will teach her)
As I watcher her face I had a hard time reading her emotions. She didn’t seem too happy with this news. My first thought was she didn’t want the gift because she may feel it was too hard to care for goats or she didn’t know how to care for them. She could have been angry, sad, confused or frustrated or all of the above for all I could tell from her expressions. I asked through the translator what was wrong.
Now I have been married to a woman for three months shy of 29 years. You would think that would have trained me for a moment like this. I came to find out from what my translator told me that Kanatha thinks just like my wife and I assume most other women. I’ll bet that the women who are reading this blog already know what every guy who is reading this is still guessing at. Kanatha was thinking about her life with her husband before he died how her life had changed at his death and now how she was getting a second chance. She was sad, happy and confused all at the same time. As she was explaining her feelings I saw her eyes well up with tears, she had been fighting them back for the whole conversation. It’s at this point you want to hug her, but as a man in this culture I couldn’t even think of it. I just bowed to her as is the normal greeting and watched as she bowed back. Now I could see the gratitude in her eyes.
It will be along time before I can get the images out of my head from this trip. I have seen the wild, the grotesque, the sad and the disgusting. I have seen the physically deformed, the starving, the begging, the sleeping on the streets at all times of the day in all kinds of places. I have seen houses that wouldn’t qualify as barns in America yet people are living in them and sleeping on either block or dirt floors. I have seen what a mass of humanity lives like when it is forced into too small a space to handle it. I witnessed extreme religious rituals and ceremony that resemble the pagan worship that God warned Israel to stay away from. But I have seen God’s kingdom here and the working of the Almighty to call His children home.
May you be blessed this Sabbath and remember to keep me in your prayers as we begin our journey home. We leave Sunday morning early to head to Northern India for a few days of sight seeing before heading home to Ohio. The weather here is quite warm and I understand that you’re finally having winter. Hopefully I can bring some warm and sun with me when I return.
Pastor Kevin
2 comments:
Happy Sabbath, Pastor Kevin.
Not enough space to say what I feel at this moment,
But I will say this, Christ worked through you, And that in itself is a power that I cant even begin to understand.
I know we shouldnt be prideful or proud in the things we do (inregaurds to the LORD). because its not of our strength, but HIS.
And like you stated its not about us. Its about the Kingdom.
So I will say it: You did a great and powerful work For the LORD, Not only did you help, And give But you learned probibly as much as they did.
Hold your head up and have peace and joy in your heart My friend you did the work of the LORD.
May your journey home be blessed.
we pray for the seeds you planted that they may grow, And for your trip home to be a peaceful one
Your Brother In Christ
George
It seems like forever since you left, yet it also seems like you just left. We are anxiously awaiting your arrival...Trish makes it seem like the second coming. When asked when you'd be back her response is "no one knows the day or the hour"...it was quite funny:)
I know the Lord is proud of all you allowed Him to do through you. Try to enjoy these last few days of sightseeing. My prayers continue for your safety and for the people of India.
God Bless,
Lisa
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