Imagine if everywhere you went you were greeted you like this:
And the local population thought you were a giant.
No joke, every village we went to threw a huge party for us. The men didn't go to work, schools closed, and everyone came for a massive welcome parade. Why? Because the white people are here, of course. And they've come to pray for us! (Everyone wanted to get prayed for by the white people.)
It was strange being seen as "holy people." But it did open a lot of doors for us to teach the Word of God, and to explain that every believer has the same Holy Spirit inside of them--we're nothing special.
There are so many stories to share, but we only have time for three of them here. The Lord did so many incredible things that I would have a very hard time even remembering each of them.
Knees Healed, Eyes Opened, and a Hindu Man is Saved
Ministry day #5. Instead of going house-to-house, we decide to stay at the church (I think this was the only town that didn't throw us a parade). I'm outside of the church ministering to the men. First, we get the chance to share the Gospel with about 20 men, many of which were confused about what Jesus' life was all about. Then we start praying for them.
Several wanted to commit their lives to the Lord but they all wanted to be prayed for seperately. So we start praying. And right in front of me, three old men in a row ask for prayer for their knee pain, and they are completely healed. They can stand up, sit down, go up and down stairs, everything. You should have seen their faces.
One of them was a Hindu. He committed his life to the Lord that morning.
Then another man could barely see. He was a Christian and he understood what it meant to follow Jesus. But he couldn't count our fingers more than 4 feet away. We prayed for him, and he could see 10 feet and farther. Praise God!
And this was the theme of the entire trip: The Word of God was preached, miracles followed, people were amazed, and many (more than 500 total) committed their life to follow Jesus.
Paul Raju
On our second-to-last day of ministry, I met Paul Raju. (He's the short one in the picture above.) He was a quiet man and didn't stand out much from the countless Indian people around him (seriously, in India, there are people everywhere). Then we started talking with him.
He was saved at an evangelistic cruisade just two months ago. He was radically set free from drinking and everyone in the village saw the difference. But he hasn't stopped since then. He's told everyone he knows that they need to repent. He can't stop reading the Bible. And the Lord has been speaking to him--in dreams and visions in the night.
Paul begged us to preach the Word of God because the village needed it so desperately. He told us he would do anything, he would even die for his village.
We asked him if he had heard about praying in tongues. He had seen it and read about it and asking God for it, but nothing had happened yet. We prayed for him and almost immediately he started praying in tongues--and he was greately encouraged, too (Jude 20).
We connected him with Pastor Steven, who runs a free Bible college. We encouraged him and spoke with him about God's purpose for his life. I believe God has called Paul to reach that entire region--there are villages all around him that don't even have churches in them.
Paul was greatly encouraged that day. And he learned about how to minister to others. When I think about the trip, I think about Paul a lot because I know that the Lord was able to use our brief meeting to strengthen him and show him how God can use him to change lives.
Mariamma
Right next to church, but so far away...
Mariamma broke my heart. She is a quiet lady, very tiny and frail. She lives in a small, one room house (just like most of the people we met) with just a few belongings. Her house is right next to a church, but she doesn't go much anymore. She has a husband, but she doesn't see him much, maybe just a couple times a week.
Why doesn't she see her husband? Because he drinks a lot and never comes home. When he does come home, he beats Mariamma and mocks her. He used to mock her for going to church--that's why she stopped going.
A few of us from the team had a long conversation with Mariamma. We were able to talk to her about Jesus in a way that made sense, maybe for the first time in her life. That morning, several ladies that lived near by also came and committed their lives to the Lord with her.
We tried our best to show her how much our hearts were breaking for her. It was so difficult. I knew that in just a few days, I would be flying home to peace and comfort and everything I could ever ask for. But she had now way to escape a life of near torture. Most importantly, we made sure she understood that no matter what she is going through, no matter how incomprehensible it seemed, God cares for her deeply and is there right beside her.
We encouraged these ladies to spend time together praying and reading the Bible, and we prayed that the Lord would use them, together, to change their village and even change the heart of Mariamma's husband.
Mariamma lives a difficult life, one I hardly understand. My heart still refuses to grasp it. Yet I do know that the same God that loves me loves her, and I trust that even in her situation, He will do incredible things. In fact, He already has. He has made her into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)!!
So Many gods, so Little Time
India is a confusing place. There are so many gods to worship that people sometimes aren't even sure who to worship first. For example, take a look at our driver, who I was with every day. He is a wonderful guy and I still pray for him, but sadly, he was a bit confused. He wears a Muslim head covering and has a Hindu image of Vishnu on his dashboard, but he told me:
"I have a place in my heart for Jesus. That is why I invited people to come and get prayer. Because Jesus has a place in my heart."
One day, when we were driving in Nandyal, I looked out my window and saw that the street was lined by sheds housing idols of all sizes in various stages of construction. I watched, and the sheds just kept going and going--they didn't end. For more than a mile the sheds streched on with thousands and thousands of idols, all lined up neatly next to the road, waiting to be purchased and worshipped in homes and temples.
Please pray for India. Pray that they would see the light of Jesus. Pray that God's hand would touch the lives of so many. And pray that God would use believers, white and Indian, to be a bold witness in a country filled with so much darkness. Jesus is victorious! And India needs to hear about it.
Pre-Trip Archives >>
How to Send Support
The church is still raising money to cover all of the trip costs.
Make checks out to Church in the Word, write "India" in the check MEMO line and mail to:
Church in the Word, Attn: Tim Krauss
430 Airport Rd.
Elgin, IL 60123
