We have just finished a great week of training here in south India. I couldn't be happier with the results of the week. The men made great progress in everything we tried to teach them. Through the week, we have 4 practice sessions during which the students make short 5 minute presentations of a passage of scripture they have studied. As we discussed ways they could improve, the students responded and made great progress each practice session. On the last day one of the men gave the devotion, and we felt he did a tremendous job in understanding the passage and in presenting it. That was a great way to finish the week.
The men are also passionate about passing on the training to others and encouraging them to pass it on as well. I think they have become as committed to that as we are. They get so excited hearing how the training is impacting others. This is exactly what we are striving for, multiplying our training through others so that the maximum number of pastors grow in their ability to study and preach the Word of God accurately.
Tonight we went to share with a YWAM group of students about the larger Bible story. They were so attentive. Their leader is one of our students. We learned about how he came to know the Lord and it is an interesting story. He grew up in a Hindu home and as a teen joined a radical group that hates believers. A man he knew showed him a calculator one day. He had never seen one before and was amazed. He wanted to have one and asked the man where he got it. He said he got it at a training in another city that he went to, he said they just gave it to him for going. Our friend asked if he could go and it was arranged. After a few days he realized it was a bible school and he was not too happy, but he wanted the calculator. He skipped some classes but hung around for 4 months, mainly because the people were so nice to him. Finally, he came to faith. It turns out that the original man with the calculator was lying, he actually stole it, and was not a Christian. Our God works in mysterious ways.
After preaching tomorrow we head home, only about 39 hours away. My back is 90%, just a little stiff and a little nagging pain. It didn't keep me from doing what I needed to do. Thanks again for your prayers. Through praying you are helping us train many pastors.
Al
We're Al and Edie, who are serving with ReachGlobal. We're engaged in Biblical and theological training for pastors around the world.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
From North to South India
The training in the north ended well. We learned a lot about how to
do the workshop on Genesis. It was our first time to teach the new
curriculum and we had to make some adjustments but it is fun to learn as
we teach others. I think I am learning how to be a better student and
preacher of the Word as I teach others how to do it.
On the way down to the south we had a plane change in Mumbai. They had changed our flight time to almost 5 hours later which messed up all our connections and would have made us arrive very late the night before we were to train. We had to buy another ticket for that leg on another airline. Just one of those travel things.
We had our first day of training in South India today. It went really well. The men here are so bright and enthusiastic about what they are learning. It is a joy to work with them. But it is not all rosy, none of them had done their homework. I had to get on them a bit about that. It is pretty typical for our students at is stage. They have to learn to do homework on their own, something they are not used to. I think as a group they have trained close to a hundred other people in 6 or 7 different locations since our last training and several are using it in their churches to train their people how to understand the bible.
It is interesting here, fairly hot and humid. I think it was about 93 or so today. They have a real problem with power in the city. It goes off every now and then for a bit and the voltage drops every so often. During one session we started with the windows open and the ceiling fans on. Then as it got hotter they closed the windows and turned on an air conditioner. Then the power dropped and the unit went off. So it was back to opening the windows and depending on the ceiling fans. Then the lights started flickering and they had to turn off one fan, and then later the other, and finally the lights went out. All this happened in a space of about an hour.
A wife of one of the leaders had a bad accident last week. She was in their back yard washing clothes in a small shed. An old palm tree fell on the shed and nearly killed her. She was not seriously hurt but will have several months of recovery. Although her husband cares deeply for her, he is here learning and is joyful as usual. We hope to see her later this week. She is such a sweet gal and is faithfully pressing one in spite of it all.
My back continues to slowly improve. It gets stiff when I stand a lot but otherwise hurts little. Thanks so much for praying with me about that. Compared to what my students, and their wives, face I have it easy.
Al
On the way down to the south we had a plane change in Mumbai. They had changed our flight time to almost 5 hours later which messed up all our connections and would have made us arrive very late the night before we were to train. We had to buy another ticket for that leg on another airline. Just one of those travel things.
We had our first day of training in South India today. It went really well. The men here are so bright and enthusiastic about what they are learning. It is a joy to work with them. But it is not all rosy, none of them had done their homework. I had to get on them a bit about that. It is pretty typical for our students at is stage. They have to learn to do homework on their own, something they are not used to. I think as a group they have trained close to a hundred other people in 6 or 7 different locations since our last training and several are using it in their churches to train their people how to understand the bible.
It is interesting here, fairly hot and humid. I think it was about 93 or so today. They have a real problem with power in the city. It goes off every now and then for a bit and the voltage drops every so often. During one session we started with the windows open and the ceiling fans on. Then as it got hotter they closed the windows and turned on an air conditioner. Then the power dropped and the unit went off. So it was back to opening the windows and depending on the ceiling fans. Then the lights started flickering and they had to turn off one fan, and then later the other, and finally the lights went out. All this happened in a space of about an hour.
A wife of one of the leaders had a bad accident last week. She was in their back yard washing clothes in a small shed. An old palm tree fell on the shed and nearly killed her. She was not seriously hurt but will have several months of recovery. Although her husband cares deeply for her, he is here learning and is joyful as usual. We hope to see her later this week. She is such a sweet gal and is faithfully pressing one in spite of it all.
My back continues to slowly improve. It gets stiff when I stand a lot but otherwise hurts little. Thanks so much for praying with me about that. Compared to what my students, and their wives, face I have it easy.
Al
Friday, February 15, 2013
India 2013
We just finished our second day of training here in India. I wanted to take time and talk about my back problems as I know many have been praying for me. The trip over was more difficult than usual because of my back. It was not too bad on the plane, just a bit more uncomfortable than usual. But in the airports it was more of a challenge. Walking and standing can be quite painful. I really looked like an old man at times as I had a hard time straightening up as my back tightened and spasmed. By God's grace I made it through.
Now that I am here, my back has improved some so that I can mostly stand up straight but it is still painful at times. I am thankful that it has not been so bad that I have to sit while I teach. Sometimes I have spasms and have to grab the podium for a few seconds, and after an hour and a half, I have a hard time bending to sit down. It probably sounds worse than it is. I am thankful for your prayers. God has answered by enabling me to continue training with effectiveness. And a good side benefit is that I am learning patience, again.
The training is going fairly well. We love these guys so much. Today was a tough day as nothing seemed to go smoothly. That is how it is sometimes, tomorrow no doubt will be better. I am so thankful it is still cool here, which helps. It is in the low 80's during the day. Next week it will be in the middle 90's so that will be a different story.
It is now 10 pm here and that is the latest I have stayed up due to jet lag. I've been waking up around 4 am so I hope to stay asleep a little longer tonight.
Al
Now that I am here, my back has improved some so that I can mostly stand up straight but it is still painful at times. I am thankful that it has not been so bad that I have to sit while I teach. Sometimes I have spasms and have to grab the podium for a few seconds, and after an hour and a half, I have a hard time bending to sit down. It probably sounds worse than it is. I am thankful for your prayers. God has answered by enabling me to continue training with effectiveness. And a good side benefit is that I am learning patience, again.
The training is going fairly well. We love these guys so much. Today was a tough day as nothing seemed to go smoothly. That is how it is sometimes, tomorrow no doubt will be better. I am so thankful it is still cool here, which helps. It is in the low 80's during the day. Next week it will be in the middle 90's so that will be a different story.
It is now 10 pm here and that is the latest I have stayed up due to jet lag. I've been waking up around 4 am so I hope to stay asleep a little longer tonight.
Al
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