The Battle Is The Lord's

As we sang the song The Battle Is The Lord's this morning I am certain every heart was thinking about the first day of the Medical/Good News Outreach that opened its doors yesterday.

Villages wait patiently to see the Doc

The bus left to gather people from a nearby village. About 40  were brought to the clinic.  Each was processed and registered, seen at triage and then patiently waited their turn to see the doctor. We are always humbled by the patience these simple people demonstrate as they wait their turn in cue.  After the doctor meets with a patient they are sent to our "pharmacy" center to have the proper drugs given. Leaving the clinic they are escorted to the Good News table. There they are told the gospel story if they are willing to hear it. Nine people were told the gospel. One was a Christian and 5 prayed to receive Jesus. Each person is recorded in a book and one of the local pastors will follow up. We are rejoicing!

Subash and his parents

After the clinic closed we quickly cleaned up and got ready to visit a small village on the elephant corridor. The village of Cargudi  is very poor. The people are considered squatters since they have settled on government land. The team enjoyed seeing a family of elephants along the road. When we arrived at the village we were graciously welcomed. Two years ago we led a young man named Subash to faith. He and his family were happy to see us again.

School girls watch from the wall

The Good News players presented The Walls of Jericho. Everyone from the village gathered and children from a nearby government school watched from the wall. Cat shared the gospel and all the children and three women prayed with her. Every child received a tee shirt, a beanie baby and some candy. We also distributed toothbrushes and toothpaste to everyone, I will never forget the look of happiness on the face of one little boy about 5 years old. His arms were filled with gifts and he ran in his house to put them all on his sleeping mat.

We also stopped at the fence to speak with the children who attend the school. Pastor Benji spoke to them about the One True God and led them in prayer. Only God knows what was in each heart but the truth was told and we know His word will not return void.

On this first day there was also much spiritual warfare behind the scenes. For a number of reasons, I will not explain the details here. On March 6 at Lake Country Bible Church, Pastor Sal will bring a recap of the trip and speak of how God saw us through some tricky bends in the road. As Thomas would say, "The devil had a plan, but God had a better one." The battle truly is the Lord's.

Team Work

Dining on the Lake Country Patio

After early morning devotions the team was served a great breakfast which we enjoyed under the Lake Country Patio awning.

Team Work

Promptly after that we met with our Indian fellow workers to discuss the process of running the medical/good news outreach. Each person was given a specific duty and we even performed a dry run to see how things would flow. One of the delights of serving in this mission is the team work that happens between us Americans and the Indians. Our American doctor will be assisted by an Indian nurse. Our triage team is a joint effort. Our good news workers will communicate with the help of Indian translators.

Tomorrow morning at 8:00 our touring bus will leave to pick up villagers and bring them to the camp. The clinic will open at 9:00 AM. Having done a clinic in the past, we are aware that the first day will bring unexpected surprises. The key is to remain flexible and adjust accordingly. Everyone is ready to get going.

Tonight the team was treated to a jungle drive in open jeeps. No elephants were spotted but there was a bear sighting, samba deer, water buffalo, pheasants and the most beautiful sunset imaginable.

The camp is quiet now as we all settle down to get the rest needed for what will be a very busy day.

Welcomimg Team B

Bev, Cat & Elena Awaiting Team B

We woke up this morning to the news that Team B had safely arrived in Bangalore and was on their way to Quiet Corner. We were excited to welcome them all, but no one was more excited then Cat. Her husband, Kevin, was part of the team and joining her after nearly 2 weeks.

A tender reunion for Kevin & Cat

David and Paul Samuel kept us apprised of their progress as they made the long trip. We made sure to charge our cameras and prepared to take pictures of the happy reunion.

As we heard the roar of the bus approaching, we all made our way to the road and filmed the approach of the bus. We were thankful to see everyone made it without health or safety problems. They were just in time for lunch which consisted of rice, daal, vegitables and fried mackerel. After lunch they all checked into their rooms and took a long and needed rest.

Team B

Bev and Elena went to the village to pick up the ordered drugs for the medical clinic. On the way back, we met Annie, a government nurse, who has happily volunteered to work with the medical staff at the clinic beginning on Wednesday. She is a nurse practitioner who can dispense medications and speak very good English. She will be a great blessing to Doctor Tony.

God has been so faithful to go before us on every detail. There are too many to mention in this blog.  We know that His blessing is upon this mission. We can hardly wait to see what the outcome of the Medical/Good News Outreach will be. Thank you for praying and please continue to do that. 

Team B - Almost Here

Today was spent in preparation of Team B's arrival. They will be landing in Bangalore at 2:30 AM (India Time - Feb 1). They will be boarding a large and comfortable touring bus for the 6 hour ride to Quiet Corner. They should be arriving here sometime before lunch.

Sal gets last minute invitation to preach

We started our day with going to church. Tom was asked to preach at Bethel Bible Church in Mavanhalla with only a day's notice. Sal was glad not to be asked and was excited to have a Sunday off. So he, Elena and Cat went to the Masanagudi Church. As we entered the building the pastor
welcomed Sal and asked him to please bring the message. So dressed in casual dockers and a plaid shirt, Sal whipped out a sermon in a New York minute.

We spent the entire afternoon planning for the medical/good news outreach. Drugs were inventoried, rooms were prepared for the team, cases of bottled water were bought and delivered to each room, signs and schedules were hung.

We can hardly wait to see what this week will bring. Proverbs 19:21 says, "You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail."  We wait with great anticipation and expectation of what that all will mean. 

The Jesus Conference - A Great Time!

As we sat and talked at dinner last night, we all agreed that this week flew by incredibly fast. The Jesus Conference ended after three days of fine teaching by Tom and Sal. Delegates numbered around 125. Some of these people traveled over 24 hours by bus and train to attend. They were all very happy to receive such solid teachings on the Old Testament Tabernacle and the End Times. A number of them are returning on February 15 to attend the Leadership Bible School.

We have received many invitations to bring the conference to places like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kerala. Many pastors and church leaders are not trained formally in the scriptures and this type of teaching is very valuable to them.

Today our attention will turn to welcoming Dave Samuel and Team B. They are 14 in all and will arrive here around noon on Monday. It will be a busy day as we convert Mercy Corner from a conference center into a medical clinic. Bev and Cat will be sorting the inventory for our drug cabinet and we will travel to Ooty to shop for items needed.

Thank you so much for remembering us in your prayers. God is faithful and has answered faithfully. Please continue to pray for our health, safety and strength. 

The Jesus Conference

Yesterday was a day of preparation for the Jesus Conference which kicked off today with over 95 in attendance and more delegates expected tomorrow. In order to prepare we spent Tuesday taking care of details, having meetings with QCI staff and giving Tom and Sal enough quiet time to center in on the session studies.

Tushura, Cat and Benny

Cat found delight in spending time with Benny and Tushura, Paul and Jaya Samuel's children. Cat is truly blessed with an enormous love for little people. Even at church on Sunday a small child found his way into her arms.

Our Neighbors

We have been especially entertained by the population of monkeys that have taken up residence in the trees surrounding Mercy Corner where we are staying. QCI has employed a young man whose job is to scare the monkeys away. It is quite humorous to watch the monkeys leap from tree to tree while the "monkey man" attempts to lure them farther into the jungle.

Visiting the Tailoring School

Cat, Bev and Elena were able to visit the Tailoring School today and meet 7 of the 8 girls who are learning a trade while attending Bible class. Cat shared her faith journey with the girls.

Tom kicked off the start of the Jesus Conference this morning. He spoke on the Jesus of Forever and Sal followed with the Tabernacle. Everyone was excited to hear and learn more about how God has worked in history and is working now and into eternity.

We are so blessed by the hunger these precious people have to grow in faith and learn more and more. Please pray for them. Many have tough lives and hardships. Pray for the next few days of the conference to go well. Today we lost power for most of the afternoon. We ran the conference on a generator. No one seemed to mind though.

Sunday in Mavanhalla

The Lake Country Patio

The New Kitchen

Leaving Bangalore before sun-up on Saturday, we arrived just in time for lunch at beautiful Quiet Corner. We were amazed at the improvements and new construction that have taken place since we were last here. The paved walk ways and enlarged dining patio are a pleasant site as you make your way through the iron gates. The newly constructed kitchen is a huge upgrade. We all marveled at the modern equipment that now occupies a space four times the size of the original kitchen.

The winter here in the mountains experienced an over abundance of rain which has resulted in much greenery and flowering trees.

After unpacking and settling in, we all retired quite early in anticipation of attending Mavanhalla Bible Church on Sunday morning. Pastor Benji told everyone to turn to Psalm 130 for the responsive reading and that Pastor Sal would then give a message based on the Psalm. This was the first Pastor Sal was hearing of it. The poor man had all of three minutes to prepare his message. All things considered, he did a fine job.

After lunch we visited the village and stopped in to chat with some old friends. Annama is a Hindu woman who has been a friend for years. She and her husband faithfully attend the Couples Outreach that we offer each year. They are looking forward to the event on February 7. We enjoyed a very happy reunion when we visited Pastor Vasu and Joyce and son, Jonathon. They are now living in a new home in the village. It took 10 years for them to slowly build the house as funds became available. Now they

Joyce is happy in her new home

are living in a solidly built home with lots of room, much different from the small rundown home they formerly occupied.

Delegates for the Standing In The Gap Prayer Summit trickled in all day from all over India. Others are due to arrive tomorrow morning. The sessions will kick off at 10:30 AM. The Jesus Conference led by Sal and Tom will begin on the 27th. It will be a busy week as we prepare for the conference and the medical outreach. Team B departs next Saturday and arrives just in time for breakfast on February 1.

We are honored and humbled to work in partnership with the ministry of Quiet Corner, India. Please pray for us to do what we can and trust God to do what we can not.