We closed out our training in Chiang Mai and are quite
pleased with the results. We are not
sure how the pastors in the denomination will feel about being trained by their
peers, but the men we trained seem enthusiastic to pass the training on. We had a great meeting with the president of
the church and he talked about some of the significant things he had learned in
the training. He said he had never
really understood how the death of Christ displayed God's justice and mercy, and
that he had never really understood why the church was called the bride of
Christ. I was particularly interested in that since I had been wondering how
well I had done in presenting that material. It seemed the Lord wanted me to hear that bit of encouraging news.
Our trip to India was tiring. Our plane was delayed in Mumbai for about an
hour due to monsoon rains that began falling a week or so ago. Travel in India is often frustrating. On our trip, the plane from Bangkok was
filled mostly with Indians. I had to
think about the differences between Thailand and India and the effect it has on
us. Thailand is very pleasant to us and
India is difficult. The cultures are so
different. We love the Indians we work
with, but have not grown to love India. I
decided I need to ask the Lord to give me a love for India, the same one He
has. My first step will be to talk more
positively about our experiences here rather than focusing on all the things
that trouble, frustrate or grieve us here. I would appreciate your prayers in that regard.
We met our training partners from Illinois today and had
a great time with them. We look forward
to working together with them. Tomorrow,
Monday, we meet with the bishop of the diocese here of the largest church in
India. He is interested in what we are
doing and may want us to begin training his pastors. This could be significant since this church
has tens of thousands of churches across India and is in decline. If their pastors began to study the Word, it could make a significant difference across the country.
On a personal note, my back has not caused me any
problems so far and I am getting along quite well with standing all day
barefoot on tile or concrete floors (you cannot wear shoes in Thailand or India while indoors). Thanks for your prayers for my health. Edie is getting along fine with the recovery
from her sprained ankle also.
Al
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