TRAINING PASTORS IN INDIA

On September 21, Lyndell and I set foot in India almost 30 years since our first trip to that country back in 1990 on a short-term medical mission trip. We traveled at that time with an organization called Project Christ International (PCI) whose founder and leader was an Indian named Samraj. This man was used by the Lord on that and several other trips to train and challenge me often in regards to how much I needed to study the Word of God and make the truth of what I learned known to others who had never heard.

Now we were traveling again to India and the same state of Andhra Pradesh with an organization called Training Leaders International (TLI) to train local itinerant pastors in the study and interpretation of the scriptures in order to help them prepare and deliver God-centered, Christ-exalting expository sermons to the people of their remote villages. It was a great joy to be used of the Lord in this capacity. Samraj was about 65 when we first met him and now I am 68. He first came to our residence in Houghton, MI one day and introduced himself by saying, "Hello my name is Samraj and I want you to come to India with me". Through our witness of his ministry to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Hindu villagers of India, I was gripped by the Lord with a desire to follow a course of attempting to do the same wherever God would open the cross cultural doors of opportunity.

So we were graciously permitted to join TLI as part of the training program that some 60 or so pastors have been taking for over a period of 2 1/2 years thus far. They were in their seventh of nine sessions, which they will finish in the summer of next year upon their graduation. Each session goes for a week and several of the pastors must travel by bus or train long hours and many miles to attend the training. Their witness for the Lord has become more difficult in India in the past 10 years or so and several have been beaten or their lives threatened for preaching Christ Jesus.

Currently there is a political group of leaders in the state of Andhra Pradesh who are seeking to propose a new law that will oppose anyone who might choose to convert from Hinduism to Christianity. This anti-conversion law has already passed in several other Indian states and would bring about an increased level of hostility and persecution to pastors and other Christians in Andhra as well.

We were able to hear some fascinating testimonies on how some of the pastors had come to believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. One man was dying from cancer and all the doctors and Hindu priests had given up on him ever getting well again. Then a Christian pastor came to the hospital to pray for him and later after the prayer he had a dream that Jesus had appeared to him, touched him and said he was now healed. That man did get well and then went to find the pastor who had prayed for him and said he wanted to know more about Jesus who had touched him. That man was now one of the pastors at our training session.

Another man was known as a big brawler in his village and had beaten up a young pastor who had come to preach in his village. He was told never to come back or he would be killed. Sometime later that big man became very sick and was in the hospital when this young pastor returned after recovering from his injuries, so he could pray for this brawler. The man was so moved by the love of that pastor that he became a believer after being healed of his sickness and then became the young pastor's "bodyguard" going into other hostile areas to bring the gospel.

The living conditions of the missionaries we worked with are very difficult due to the extreme poverty around them as well as the unsanitary conditions with open sewer ditches, polluted streams,  extreme heat and humidity, hoards of cluster flies, poisonous snakes, huge rats, spotty electricity and dangerous driving conditions. The ability to minister in this area for those who have not grown up in such an environment is truly based upon the grace of God.

The pastors and Bible School students who attended the sessions all seemed genuinely pleased with the training and many commented that they were excited to see how all the Bible stories and various books of the Bible are related to each other to showcase the glory of God in Jesus Christ. Some were able to present short sermons at the end of the week to demonstrate what they had learned from the previous sessions.

Now we are back in Bangkok to begin teaching English at Santisuk English School with hopes that our students will not only become more proficient in speaking the English language, but grow in their understanding of Jesus and be drawn by God to receive Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

We wish to thank all of you who prayed for us while in India and now ask for continued prayers for our work in Thailand. May God be glorified in all that we do. "... whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (I For. 10:31)

Indigo Ailines from Bangalore to Vijayawada

Vijayawada with population of about 2 million
(about 1 hour away from training center)

Organization that we partnered with in India

Backyard of Reach All Nations (RAN) training center 

RAN Center
(where we lived and taught)

Open sewer ditch harboring source for disease 

RAN Center under construction
(houses 80 staff, students, children, & students)

Local housing with water buffalo and chickens (roosters were our alarm clock around 3:00 am each morning)

Doors built at this height due to frequent flooding

Cook named Zaccheus
(A wee little man was he)

Our bedroom with one of the few A/C units we deeply appreciated

Large rat killed outside the kitchen
(it had been residing in the couch in the living room)

Preparing our food

Kitchen where our delicious meals were cooked

Treated to a very special creation one evening

Gluten-free cookies for our resident missionary's wife

Dining Room (can you see the flies on the baby's high chair?)

Now you can see them!

Some of the children being raised at the center

Rainy season brings about lush vegetation

And beautiful flowers

Various unique varieties

Hidden creatures also among the flowers 

Decorative art daily sketched to invite 
pleasant spirits into Hindu's home

Bible student's wife who recently recovered from deadly venomous cobra's bite

Shanty where old women lives among the chickens
 and human waste receiving only minimal care. 
(The local missionaries were forbidden by the woman's relatives from providing
 any food or other  palliative care for her.)

Stairway up to training room on third floor

Training session for pastors
(They also enjoyed singing "This is the day the Lord has made"
 in English using bongos to keep the rhythm)

Another teaching session for pastors

My wonderful interpreter and his lovely wife
who also prepared all our meals for us

Pastors discussing the lesson together

Pastor preaching sermon prepared after training

Bible women also attended the training

Our team with area's prominent woman's Bible study teacher
(she was also the aunt of one of our trainers from USA)

Honored with flower leis and shawls(very heavy, odiferous and honey bee magnets)

TLI team with pastors

Missionary singing in Telegu



On behalf of Lyndell, myself and the rest of our team, I can't express how much we valued your prayers, while we worked with these beloved Indian brothers and sisters in Christ. Their eager willingness to learn more and more in order to be a greater blessing to their churches was certainly exciting. And it has made for an experience that will always be remembered in our minds, since our hearts were so encouraged and touched by the testimony of their faithfulness to the spreading of the glorious transforming gospel of Jesus Christ.



I thought this picture portrays a story in itself. This is a statue in the Chennai airport of Shiva known as the Destroyer god of Hinduism. Notice the caption that is "photo bombing" the picture that says, "Make Life Convertible". Hinduism has kept millions of people in bondage to a life of misery and an eternity with no promise. The only thing that can transform such false teaching and convert a person from experiencing a life of no hope to one of enjoying the gift of eternal life is the proclamation and penetration of the good news of Jesus Christ into that society and culture. Please remember to pray for those who are taking the gospel to those still in darkness. Jesus is the only one who can convert their life from one of despair to one of everlasting hope, peace and joy.



"Behold, he (Jesus) is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen." Revelation 1:7 

Ministry to Thailand 2017 Final Update

"For the earth will be filled
    with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord    as the waters cover the sea." Habakkuk 2:14 (ESV)

The old saying is true, "Time flies when you're having fun." Part of the fun is teaching idioms like this to students learning to speak English. However, the real "fun" or reward is having a student ask questions about our glorious God and Savior Jesus Christ. The greatest joy, however, will be to hopefully discover someday in eternity, that the Word of God, which we shared, will have helped to bring someone to salvation.

We completed our ministry in Bangkok and returned home on March 14, eager to go back again as the Lord leads. Even in the short two months we were there, we developed many new relationships and built upon older ones which we will miss until we are given the opportunity to return.

We were especially delighted to have had the opportunity to come along side those who are laboring full time, hopefully providing some encouragement to them as well. We thank the Lord for the variety of God-ordained encounters we had to share the love and knowledge of Christ.

One burden we carry, as we have returned, is that for a Christian Pakistani refugee family who has members in the Immigration Detention Center (IDC) in Bangkok. They have been placed there due to expiration of their Visas and could eventually be deported back to the country they fled due to religious persecution. A church in Hamilton, Canada is willing to help them to resettle however, there is a financial need of $30,000 in order to help make that happen. A Go Fund Me account has been established for anyone would like to contribute: https://www.gofundme.com/zafarfamily. We were brought to the IDC by a 14 year old student of Lyndell's, who had not been able to visit with his dad for over a year. The father is housed in a cell with around 150 other detainees who have to sleep on their side to make enough room for everyone and have the use of only 3 toilets. We brought along some food for his father and tried to share with him and the other 10 or so relatives some encouragement from the Bible and to pray for them. It was very difficult to make ourselves heard as we gathered together with other visitors and other detainees who were shouting loudly in a moderately large size room, being separated by two fences about 4 feet apart. We pray that God would be merciful to provide the means so that the family can soon be reunited and re-settled.

Even though Christianity has had a presence in Thailand for a long time, very few have heard anything about Jesus and only 0.5% are Christians. The Buddhist ties are very strong and in their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Our prayer is that the church will continue to make Jesus known among the people and the people in turn will develop a heart not only to know more about Him, but to receive God's free gift of eternal life. All the required merit has been made by Christ, who is willing to transfer it to each believer's account for their salvation if they would place their trust in Him alone.

One of our English students wanted to know if Gary ever took time to mediate. Gary said he did, but then explained that Christian mediation is totally different from how a Buddhist understands the practice.  From a Buddhist perspective, the goal of meditation is an attempt to empty the mind, so that hopefully all desires will be eliminated in order to permit the individual to then live a wholesome life and eventually reach a perfect state of peace and enlightenment. Christian mediation, in contrast, is done by filling the mind with the truths and promises of God's Word, which leads to finding our greatest desire being met in a deepening relationship with Jesus Christ. This reality then results in finding peace, even during troubling times, knowing that a good and sovereign God has everything under His control for His glory and our joy. After hearing this difference, the student said, "I would like to mediate like that." Perhaps as he reads the Bible that he was given, he will come to peace with God as he comes to know the love that the Lord has for him and all who would believe in His Son for the forgiveness of their sins.

We completed our stay in Thailand by spending two days at a hotel with our resident missionaries Todd and Karen on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand for a little time of R&R and prayer. We didn't go into the ocean due to the many warnings about the large number of jelly fish that had decided to invade the waters first. Even so, it was a delight to walk along the beach and eat at a restaurant where  the locals seem to hang out (always a good sign). So we again left Thailand, the Land of Smiles, with mixed emotions and praying that knowing Jesus will eventually be the reason for those smiles.

Traffic a bit heavy outside the school

Motorcycles are quicker in that heavy traffic

"To be Thai is to be a motorcycle driver."

Another option for transportation when near the river

So we decided to try it out

What a time to have forgotten my fishing pole at home

These food vendors bring the restaurant to you

For people with arthritic knees, this restaurant is a challenge

These little guys take care of the scraps that fall off the table

Enjoying lunch with leaders of a new branch of Santisuk English School on the outskirts of Bangkok in city of Pak Kret

New site for Santisuk Pak Kret before renovation begins

Ministry to an urban poor community

Another branch site of Santisuk in Rachada

Yet another new branch site, Rachayotin, to teach English.
Learning to speak English is in high demand.

Luncheon with the women students from morning class

Potluck picnic in Lumpini Park with students

Feeding birds and fish in the park, both were "biting" near the green lake

Bye the way, this green curry, Gary's favorite, did not come from the green lake

We had difficulty choosing between the fragrant duck intestines or the duck blood

Not sure anyone should marry an Alien using a translator or not

Last meal with Lyndell's morning class at the school

Final class party at ice cream shop (another favorite of Gary's)

Essay from one of Gary's students.
Yes! We want them to know about Jesus

Saying goodbye to evening class

One last class dinner on the street.

Final Sunday afternoon small group meeting

Fancy coffee latte art work

Dinner at the beach on the Gulf of Thailand with long term missionaries Todd and Karen

May the Son of God shine in all His glory on this beautiful country of Thailand

We again want to express our gratitude to all who supported our trip with your finances and prayers.    The work to bring the gospel to those who have never heard is a team effort and we thank you for your partnership in the Lord. May God be praised for His encouraging work through all of you.