Newsletter

This newsletter is written about midway during my latest trip from the U.S.A. Sept. 26th to end in March 11th, 2008.  This is a long time during which many different types of activities are taking place.  They are as follows:

1. The first several weeks I was in a village, Chatuwala, some hours by train from Delhi and a few more from Dehradun.  I stayed with Pastor Sanjay and wife Lily and 2 children.  We attempted to go into a mostly Muslim Village and were thwarted in our evangelistic plans by a death in the village which affected the whole village.  We also went to the burial site among the many people, but a little distance since we were outsiders (and myself the most obviously outsider).  Then a few days later, would you believe, a repeat performance at another mostly Muslim village where someone had died -- therefore taking up the whole village.  It would have been considered very bad taste to have held any meeting and would have had a negative effect on the Gospel.

       Then this family and I travelled up into the Himalayan regions having even hired a driver experienced on those winding roads mostly right curves overlooking the deep (though pretty) canyon below.  It was like being on an airplane so high up were we.  Particularly noteworthy was a village we entered with no Christians in it -- mostly a Hindu place.  We plus Lily's Dad all slept in a tiny room all crowded together in that high up foothills of the Himalayas.  The next day in walking informally along a trail in that village, we encountered different people and chatted --- well Sanjay chatted, I being hindered from my usuall friendly talk by lack of the Hindi language, but I smiled a lot to make up for it.  One older lady came up and took an immediate fancy to me and invited me to stay with her awhile.  We said I could not, but perhaps some day in the future.  There in the front part of a little roadside store, Sanjay opened his accordian like instrument and played and we sany a Gospel song.  I sort of pretended to sing almost mouthing the words of the song I heard from the others.

        We returned down the rather hair raising drive swooping around the curves and precipices and were glad to be still alive at "landing" back at Sanjay's house.  We made tentative plans for future work in his area --- among both Hindus and Muslims.  Sanjay, his brother David and Lily have many plans for doing Literacy programs in villages and also to hold Medical Camps.  They have a sewing machine project for new believer women in one village that Adopt a Village was able to help finance.  We hope and pray for more funds for more sewing machines to help and be something to forward the Gospel in this hard area.

2.  I next went to another large sprawling city in N. India which for security reasons I would rather not give the name.  I have spoken with a translator to different village and slum area groups with new believers and Hindu seekers (interested, but not yet converted).

    In this city I first stayed in an inexpensive hotel and then rented a place in an old old girl's school with a young lady and mother.  This lady has been giving me Hindi lessons.  Yes at even my old age I am attempting to learn Hindi.  I am first learning the alphabet and how to write the letters in Hindi.  That sounds hard and it is, but is the best way to learn this very phonetic Hindi language.  Wow, there are many sounds I hardly can make.  Our American tongue has to learn to originate and to land in strange new territories in the mouth.  It is amazingly difficult to discipline my American tongue to somehow push those strange new sounds out to be recognizable.

    Now I have just rented my own apartment (flat as said here) which is sufficient to house small teams of people from the U.S. who would like to view and participate somewhat in the ministry here in this difficult very Hindu religious city.  So if any have a missionary bent or calling and would desire to check this area out either for further ministry or for fostering your Church's missionary interests, please let us know and we will see what can be arranged.

    The Lord has had my steps cross with different people here to get to know and seek to share the Gospel with.  There is a lady working teaching in the Hindu Universtiy here who wants to meet more with me to visit.  Also, a young Hindu medical student seeking entrance to the U.S. for his residency.  Also, a Bookstore owner and Mother I speak with weekly and have been able to share.  I am hoping the contact will result in salvation, but also a change in his bookstore to some Christian books which now is lacking.\

    Soon I am through a Church here to begin having a Bible study (with translator) with a few new believers and some not yet believers, but seeking.  These are women.  In Asia it is usually women ministering to women - not men.  The exception is when asked to speak to a whole Church group which is both, but the contact is not personal.

3. Soon it is my plan, but according to the Lord's plan, to sometime towards the end of January to go to Nepal and then sometime in February to go to Pakistan.  Please pray for my preparation for this and the Lord's perfect timing.  If I could come up with some Hindi (only by the help and grace of God), then I could be understood both in Nepal and Pakistan.

Thus ends this newletter which is also a prayer letter.  Please do pray for the Lord to have His way in all I do or not do.  May He be glorified.  Adopt a Village is a tool to enable workers to better get into unreached places.  This is my passion as well as Adopt a Village.  That is because it is the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ who gave His life on the cross so these unreached could be reached.  Please pray, pray, pray.  Only the Lord by His Holy Spirit can cause great things for His glory to happen.