Traveling on

We are heading out tomorrow morning for a city that has posed some problems for our kind of work. We are asking for safety and success and no trouble for those with whom we will meet. Thank you.

Training Week #2

Our time in Sri Lanka seemed to fly by. I was so encouraged by the passion that the men had for the Pathways training and their new skill in studying and preaching the Word. This is a group of men from several different, sometimes quite different, denominations and they seem to really love and enjoy one another like few other groups I have met. They really model love amidst differences in a wonderful way. I was sad when we had to leave.

We did have a few problems in our hotel, first with the electricity going out for the area, then a water pipe broke so we had no water for a few hours, and finally another pipe broke near our room and flooded our bathroom. We were forced to move to another room, and since the hotel was full, we had to move to a nearby hotel. Unfortunately, that hotel was quite a bit lower in quality, dirty sheets, dirty bathroom, etc. The bed was lousy but I had the best night’s rest, waking up without my usual aches and pains, go figure!

We flew to a nearby larger country on Saturday and were greeted by very dear friends who have become like family to us. Our ten-year visa here expires in March so we will have to reapply on returning home. It is not assured that we will get a new visa so we would appreciate your prayers. I had the joy of preaching once again this morning and will be teaching some young people this afternoon. These are rare opportunities these days and I cherish them greatly. Several young women came up to me for prayer after the service saying that they were Hindus, and for one it was her first time in church, so that was a unique opportunity to pray that God would open their eyes to the truth of Jesus. 

After church we were invited to a Hindu wedding reception. A nephew of one of the men in the church was getting married. There were perhaps a thousand people in attendance and we were ushered to the stage where many were waiting in line to take photos with the couple. After introducing us to them, I was asked to pray for them. Once again, an opportunity to ask God’s blessing and for Him to open their eyes to His glory. We then had a traditional meal, served on a palm leaf with little “piles” of many types of food to be eaten without utensils. It was very tasty and fun.    

Tomorrow we travel 3-4 hours to our training location and train there Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before returning.  

Al

Training Bears Fruit!

Al: Another great day of training in Romans. Not only did the pastors learn, but we as trainers also learned some things that we need to change in the material to make it better. It has been years since I have done the Romans workshop and I have never done it in its revised format so I am now seeing some further revisions that need to be made. 

On the way home, we asked the pastor transporting us how things were going in his church. He said they just expanded the church to accommodate around 400 people and showed us some pictures. I asked if the people had noticed a change in his preaching. He said, "Oh, Yes!  I have gained a reputation in my area for preaching the Word well and many people are now coming to our church to hear. Several pastors have changed their service times from the morning to the evening so that they can attend our church to hear me preach." My colleague Eric said that there are lots of ways to grow the church but he knew of none better than gaining a reputation for preaching the Word well. The pastor continued by saying "We used to have a lot of miracles and prophecies and signs and wonders in our church but now it is mostly just the Word. You by God's grace can do miracles but you can always have your own agenda. With the Word you only have its agenda."  

Do you know why we do what we do in training pastors to study the Word?

Edie: There is nothing better than to return and teach the same women multiple times. The power of the Word combined with the familiarity of the style and method of the teacher makes this a sweet dynamic. I know myself, I have been doing this training for probably 8 years and I know what my skill set brings to the table. Practice has made me an adequate trainer, this is not something that comes naturally. However, I am seeing that there is no substitute for the work of the Holy Spirit in the walk of a believer. According to the testimony of one of my students today, God is using me as a teacher, mentor, and model of love. God may be leading her to be a bible study leader and she told me that she has watched me and noticed the little ways I have sought to encourage them. She wants to be like me! I told her this is possible only through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and through life experience in trusting the Lord too. I admit it is always nice to get some feedback when the ministry you do is a task that is fully dependent on the Lord. I love what the Lord has given me to do, even more so when I sense God’s very presence when I do it. He is my life!