Bible School in Full Swing

Let me start off by apologizing for not posting sooner. The Bible School is in full swing and the days fly by quickly. This is day four with two more to go. Things are great. We haven't even had a power outage yet! And no sign of the local authorities. Thank you, Lord.

The students trickled in Sunday and Monday. By Tuesday morning we had 20 pastors and church leaders in attendance. Our day is full beginning at 9:30 AM with the first session and ending at 6:30 PM. The students are delighted with the information they are receiving. They share with us that this depth of teaching is not readily happening in the churches here. Yesterday, at the end of one
session, they were full of questions about false teachers and bad teachings which run rampant in India.  We are sharing resources with them so that they can continue to hear sound doctrine on line and pass it on to the churches. One student suggested we think about pod-casting the Leadership School so it can be shown all over India.

Dinner is served around 7:30 PM. Each night a number of pastors request to meet with Pastor Sal after dinner to share their burdens and receive counsel from a fellow pastor. They are precious men of God and we are humbled when we hear of the troubles they suffer for the sake of the Gospel. Persecution of Christians has escalated over the past 2 years since the new prime minister took office. Many of the pastors feel their lives are in danger. But they also are dedicated to spreading the Gospel and believe that God will protect them. Please pray for Christians in India.

God is Our Fire and Glory

Even the monkeys miss Team B!

As the bus carrying Team B pulled out of the gate, Quiet Corner became quiet once again. We all wish they were still with us. What a fantastic team! They will never know how much we appreciated their excellent attitudes and cooperation in light of the circumstances. 

Soon after their departure we were left with the decision whether to go forward with the Bible School. Sal and Tom had gone to town and within minutes there was a policeman watching them. Benji and Deva went to get permission from the local police to have us teach. The police said it was fine as long as we did not do any outdoor speaking with microphones. We asked that be put into writing but he was unwilling to do so. With that said, Sal decided we should not go through with the school. We called Thomas and Paul to let them know. We were all sad and disappointed.


The next morning Sal got up and opened his Bible to Philippians 1:12-14:  Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.  As a result, it has become clear through the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. 

Sal felt God convicting him that we had been listening to the advise of men and had not truly sought God. These verses spoke clearly to his heart to stay and teach. He left each of us to make our own decision to join him or not. Both Tom and I trust his discernment and we all agreed to teach. 

Some students have already arrived. Others will be arriving tonight and tomorrow morning. We will start sessions tomorrow afternoon. Please pray for us and for protection. God has shown me the following verse. I am claiming it for the coming week. Zechariah 2:5   Then, I myself, will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem (Quiet Corner) says the LORD. And I will be the glory inside the city (camp)! 
 

Love, joy, peace. . .against these things there is no law!

It was just before the dawn that Team B loaded their luggage on the bus and shared a final cup of tea before leaving for the long trip home. If there was disappointment in our hearts over the closing of the mission project, you would never know. Instead we basked in the Fruit of the Spirit which was pouring from them with each kiss and hug. Galatians 5:22, a familiar verse to most of us,  lists the fruit and Team B demonstrated the fruit-
Love: Everyone praising God and extending His love to one another.
Joy: Pushing away the disappointment, they continued with a happy attitude and trust in God.
Patience: Almost moment by moment plans were changing and they received it with great patience.
Kindness: Words of encouragement and gestures of mercy given.
Goodness: No "what if's" or "if only's" - only words that were good and uplifting.
Gentleness: Expressing gratitude for having been a part of the trip. Comforting one another with sincerity.
Self-control: No anger or unkind words but bringing everything under the control of the Holy Spirit.
The law may have interrupted the mission project but against the Fruit of the Spirit THERE IS NO LAW!

As we watched the bus drive off, Team A was left behind as the quiet returned again to Quiet Corner. We instantly missed them all. Our day was spent waiting as staff members met with the local police chief to get a guarantee that we could conduct the Leadership Bible School beginning Feb. 15. Our only demand was they provide our permission in writing. As of this moment, they were unwilling to do that. We are almost certain the Bible School will be cancelled now unless God provides a miracle. What remains right now is the witness of Team B - and against such things THERE IS NO LAW. 

India Needs Our Prayers

It has been a very different few days then we planned. Due to the order of the local authorities our plans to continue the Medical/Good News Outreach ceased. So we spent our time in quietness and prayer.

The spiritual climate here is definitely charged. You can feel it all around. Thomas called his pastoral staff to meet with us for a prayer meeting. It was a precious time as we prayed, sang and recited scripture in several different languages.

Picking Totes at the Tailoring School

Yesterday we took the bus to the nearby village to visit the tailoring school and purchase some of the handmade items. As we stepped off the bus, we discovered a policeman taking our pictures and watching us. When he was questioned he said he was just doing his job. In spite of his presence, we enjoyed visiting with the girls and their teacher Soji.

Team B leaves in the morning

We witnessed the funeral procession of a forest ranger that was killed by a local tribal boy. We were prevented from taking any field or shopping trips because the main road was closed due to construction. That is the only road that leads to Quiet Corner. Due to all the changes to the schedule, we have decided to send Team B back to Bangalore a day early. They will use the time to shop and rest before the long journey home on Saturday. They will leave at 6:00 AM on Thursday before the road closes for construction. Our last day together ended with a bonfire.

Currently, Team A is waiting for word from the local authorities regarding our participation in the Leadership Bible School which is February 15-20.  If the police do not give us permission, we will not conduct the school which would be a great disappointment to the pastors who look forward to it. Persecution toward Christians is gaining strength in India. Please pray for Quiet Corner. India needs our prayers. 

A New Day

A Ride on the Nilgiri Toy Train

The weekend was a time of R&R after the first week of the Medical/Good News Outreach. The team enjoyed a day in Ooty. They took a trip on the railroad and saw some beautiful scenery. Back in Ooty they enjoyed a terrific meal at a Chinese restaurant. After eating way too much, we boarded auto rickshaws and visited a wonderful spice shop. Everyone enjoyed the shopping spree and bought fresh spices, tea and chocolates.

Sunday the team enjoyed church at Bethel Bible Church. Terry led some worship in English, Freddie shared his thoughts on Psalm 132 and Pastor Sal preached from Philippians 3. Some of the team headed for a cold drink at a local Coffee Day Cafe after the 3 hour church service.

Sadly, we are not able to continue with a second week of the Medical/Good News Outreach. The local authorities have asked us to cease all Christian activity. Even though we are serving at a Christian camp it appears that the current political party is clamping down on the small minority of Christians and Muslims. We have come to find out that many Christian orphanages have been forced to close their doors in the last year. In some parts of India the sale of meat has been banned which makes it very difficult for Muslims to live there.

We are proud of our team and how they are handling this great disappointment. Today we spent the morning in prayer with our Indian friends. Persecution and hardship is a way of life to them.

We will take down the clinic later today. We plan to visit a feeding program also but will not interact with the children in our usual way.

Please pray that we have wisdom and understanding in the days ahead. Team B leaves Quiet Corner on Friday and returns to the US on Saturday. Team A is planning to conduct the Leadership Bible School from February 15-20. We are trusting God to keep that door open without interference. 

Walking in the truth of Isaiah 41:10

Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

The first week of the Medical/Good News Outreach was amazing. Although the stream of patients was much lighter than the previous outreach of 2013, the response to the gospel what much greater. Eighteen in all accepted the Lord and will be followed up by the QCI pastors. 

The Boys Messing with Josh

We also visited the local feeding program where about 40 children are given a well balanced meal each day. They also attend Bible classes where they memorize scripture and are taught about the One True God. Freddie entertained the kids by making balloon animals. Josh wrestled around with some of the boys. The children recited scripture for us in Tamil and English. They sang songs. When it was time to eat, some of our team helped serve them. We ended the visit by passing out school supplies and toys. It was a wonderful experience. You could not help but wonder what the Lord would have in store for these little ones as they grew up. 

God gave many blessings over these days. However, the enemy was working behind the scenes through local authorities that are hostile to any Christian ministries. Please pray for us as we have been ordered not to continue the outreach into next week. We are complying with these orders and pray there will not be any ongoing trouble for Quiet Corner in the future. We have taken the weekend off to do some sightseeing and praying. Pray with us that the authorities will have a change of mind and let us complete the outreach planned for next week. 

We'll keep you posted. 

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.