Today we finished our meetings at noon. We celebrated together with our Indian brothers and sisters with a communion service. I really believe that they were significantly impacted by our teaching and the manner in which we conducted ourselves. One group of pastors told me that our teaching was some of the most significant teaching they had ever received and that they were excited to be able to use it with their people. One pastor told Mark, our training partner, that he was impacted by the humility we showed as we taught them. We were so happy to hear that because it is one of our prime objectives to serve them with humility and build them up in Christ. I built relationships with several pastors that I think will turn into opportunities to train in their areas of South India. All in all, we were delighted with our time here. When we are planning on a trip to a new area like this I find it hard to imagine what the people are like. I picture them as more or less a uniform mass of people. When we arrive and live here awhile we soon find out that they are as distinct as we are with widely varying looks and personalities. It has been a real joy to get to know these folks.
This afternoon we went to a shopping area. It is hard to describe unless you have experienced it. Instead of a mall it was really a series of narrow streets jammed with people. Literally thousands of small motor scooters lined every street. One section we walked into was a Muslim section and the dress of all the people suddenly changed. Some seemed not too happy that we were there. It reminded us of the challenges that the pastors face here with opposition from the Hindus and Muslims. Yet they have such a fervor to reach them for Christ. Perhaps the stark differences between them and believers reminds them that unbelievers are lost and going to hell. We in American have only subtle differences from our lost neighbors and we sometimes forget where they are all going.
We are excited to soon be going home but not without a sense of loss that we leave good friends behind. We comfort ourselves with the fact that we will return here again. Edie and I head first to Spain for a short vacation, the first in a long time. We are looking forward to a few days together before we return to the US and dive into a pile of work to get ready for the future. Thank you for partnering with us.
Al
This afternoon we went to a shopping area. It is hard to describe unless you have experienced it. Instead of a mall it was really a series of narrow streets jammed with people. Literally thousands of small motor scooters lined every street. One section we walked into was a Muslim section and the dress of all the people suddenly changed. Some seemed not too happy that we were there. It reminded us of the challenges that the pastors face here with opposition from the Hindus and Muslims. Yet they have such a fervor to reach them for Christ. Perhaps the stark differences between them and believers reminds them that unbelievers are lost and going to hell. We in American have only subtle differences from our lost neighbors and we sometimes forget where they are all going.
We are excited to soon be going home but not without a sense of loss that we leave good friends behind. We comfort ourselves with the fact that we will return here again. Edie and I head first to Spain for a short vacation, the first in a long time. We are looking forward to a few days together before we return to the US and dive into a pile of work to get ready for the future. Thank you for partnering with us.
Al
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