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