Saturday

Our evening schedules here in Pithapurum: we eat late, usually around 8 PM. We then leave for a meeting around 8:30 - 9:00 PM or later. Tim said the villagers work all day and don't get home until 7 or so; hence the late meeting start time. We've been getting home about 12:30 - 1:00 PM and although I get in bed right away, the others usually take a little longer. In any event, we're pretty wired and no one gets to sleep right away. The heat and the mugginess also make for some difficulty in falling asleep.

On Saturday, yesterday, there was a youth meeting that started at about 11 AM. The area right outside our front door was used as a food prep area so we were pretty much restricted inside. We went over to the meeting at about noon: it was held in the church right next door to Victor and Pratibha's home. I'm going to guess there were 150 kids from kindergarten to high school age; as usual sitting cross-legged, Indian style shoulder to shoulder. I don't know how to explain their welcome when we walked in without sounding like a pompous, self centered egoist: but what can I say? They were excited to see us, warm and exuberant. Tim gave a message and then I spoke; the second sermon, right before lunch. I'll let you figure out for yourself how that went. However, our two messages went well together; Tim talked about David and I talked about Jonathon, both of us giving a different view on knowing and doing what God wants us to do. After lunch I spoke again on Micah 6.8; the difference between living by faith and by the law and that seemed to go better. Jordan also spoke - it's funny to see the younger girls start to giggle when he gets up and introduces himself. But the kids like him, that's evident.

After lunch Tim, Kent and Victor took off to drive back to Rejurla for Jaideep's "Annual Day" at his school. The parents of the kids show up(and remember, his school has 450 students) and they have a time of speeches and activities - I'll have to wait until they get up to let me know how it went. I have no idea what time they got back. They left at 2:30 PM and Rejurla is a 3-4 hour drive.

Jordan, Pratibha, Philip and Maudo (SP? - Victor's brother in law) and I went to a village meeting where they were dedicating a new church building. I spoke on the historical significance of Christ's blood and Maudo, who translated, told me later, "I'll report to Pastor Samuel that it was good, solid teaching." That's me, good and solid. We then cut the ribbon and enetered their beautiful new building, another New Song Community Church in Andra Pradesh, India.

And of course and as usual, after the service a good number of folks came forward for prayer. Sometimes they indicate a physical issue they'd like prayer for or somoene will get it across to us that a young person wants prayer for their pending educational examinations (these exams are important as their result determines whether or not they go on to university). I've developed a pretty standard prayer - I don't mean to sound like it's a rote process, believe me, it's not, but as I want to pray God's will for them and having this indecipherable language barrier I generally pray that: 1. God will continue to reveal Himself to them (I figure this works for the Christians as well as the non-Christians who do, I understand, sometimes attend these meetings and come forward for prayer) 2. That they would be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and 3. that their lives would glorify God. As you can see, I'm trying to cover a lot of bases here but always in the back of my mind is that God is fully aware of each of their needs and can springboard off my prayer in the direction He needs to go. But right before we were leaving I took a faith hit - they brought a woman to me who they said was "barren," she was unable to have kids. Immediatly numerous thought came to mind; do theyknow her falure to conceive is her issue, or have they checked hubby as well? What other issues could be involved here; stress, diet, water problems, that could be effecting this? And besides, praying that for the "opening of a womb" struck me as a heavier, more serious issue than the others we've prayed for but I sucked up my faith and prayed just that; that God would open her womb; and let Him handle the details. That will be my continuing prayer for a long time; that this unknown woman in a little village in India that I couldn't find again if mylife depended on it would have a child.

More later on Tim and Kent's trip after the wake up. I'm going to see if any of the boys want to go for a walk.