Hi everyone! We are safe in Dharamapuri at last and have been working with Pastor Daniel for a couple of days now. We had many adventures getting here but apart from a little panic at the Dharamapuri train station, travel has gone remarkably well.
India is beautiful, chaotic, and vivid all at once. We have had many chances to see the area surrounding Dharamapuri on our visits to various villages and houses with Pastor Dan and after just two days have seen the amazing things his work has accomplished here. We have had some truly unique experiences ranging from hanging out of a train watching the countryside fly by, to eating a home-grown, home made meal off of a banana leaf plate on a dirt floor with a Hindu family we had just prayed with.
We have spent these few days getting used to the culture (Especially the driving) and looking at the various facets of Pastor Daniel's ministry. So far we have spent a great deal of time traveling to remote houses and villages where people who have not had the chance to hear anything other than Hindu spiritualism live. This has been a challenging experience for the four of us given the world view we come from but we have been blessed to see Daniel's message received enthusiastically.
We were "fortunate" enough to arrive in Dharamapuri in the middle of a Hindu festival celebrating the healing of a pregnant woman with chicken pox. This is celebrated primarily by blasting Hindu music through recycled megaphones placed strategically around the city at all hours of the day and night. Our house apparently sits at an intersection of the loudest megaphones in the entire village ensuring that we are perpetually immersed in Indian Culture.
Most of all we have been struck by the global nature of God's work; that it is not exclusive to any region and is not restricted to any one form. We are trying to approach each new experience we encounter as learners knowing that while we believe as Pastor Daniel does, we are in a very different setting and that the expression of that belief will differ accordingly.
Thank you all for your encouragement and prayers. It is very clear from our smooth travels that God's hand has been in this the entire time. We will be updating here as frequently as possible but it is a bit of a drive into town to get to the internet cafe so our posts may be sporadic.
We hope you all are well and we can't wait to share all of our adventures with you.
5 comments:
it is so good to hear from you. the work you are doing sounds incredible. i cannot begin to express how excited i am to hear how the Lord is using you and working through you. i am in constant prayer for you all! say hello to inida for me :)
yay, congratulations on making it safely to India! It's so good to hear from you guys. Sounds like it is certainly a grand adventure--I can't wait to hear all your stories! Peace and Prayers to you.
Thank you for the posts. Am also praying for your safety and effectiveness. All the new sights, smells, sounds and tastes must be a feast of culture and at times confusing. I also pray you will get clear and regular glimpses of God and His heart for your work. Love, Leslie aks Ted's mom
I am so proud of you guys! Most guys your age would spend four thousand bucks on a cool new car. But you are willing to adapt to a new culture to be the hands and feet of Jesus to a needy people. Being the "quote fanatic" that I am, I want to send you this one from Max Lucado:
"The hand that touched the leper had dirt under its nails. The feet upon which the woman wept were callused and dusty. And his tears came from a heart as broken as yours or mine has ever been. So, people came to him. Why? Because he refused to be a statue in a cathedral or a priest in an elevated pulpit. He chose instead to be a touchable, approachable Jesus."
Shine on and stay safe under
the shadow of his wings! :-)
It was great to get your update today!! Praise God!! I can't wait to hear more about this "hanging outside of train windows" story!!
Blessings to you all!
Alison Peterson
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