INCREDIBLE INDIA
India’s tourism department has coined the expression “Incredible India” to publicize their country; and this is the exact impact the country has on us, no matter how many times we journey there.
The main purpose of our visit last month was to introduce a group of students from Charis Bible College to what life on the mission field is like--and did we ever have an incredible opportunity to do just that! For all the six students, it was the adventure of a lifetime--including preaching in local churches, sharing in home cell groups, ministering in an AIDS orphanage and a facility for the mentally challenged, and teaching in the India extension of the Bible college. And we don’t even need to mention experiencing the food and culture of India. It is always a thrill to us when we see the expressions on newcomers’ faces as we weave our way through the congested streets filled with cows, oxcarts, and peddle-rickshaws as well a gazillion honking motorbikes, auto- rickshaws, cars, and lories.
Our adventure started as soon as we were dropped off at the airport in Denver. We were delayed at the check-in counter because of complications with our checked bags. By the time we finally got everything settled, we barely made it to the gate in time to board. When we arrived in Houston, we were told that we were being bumped off our international flight due to a connection problem in Europe. We were to be re-routed through Dubai; but that, of course, meant a lot of paperwork. By the time we got that cleared up, we were again barely on time for our flight. Once we arrived in Dubai, we had more paperwork to do in order to proceed to India. You guessed it--again, we barely made it to the flight. After all the hassles we encountered getting there, we were really happy to finally be on the ground once we reached India--not knowing that we would be leaving the country on the day the pilots for our airline were scheduled to go on strike! Yes, that meant re-routing and a lot more paperwork. Due to the fact that we were on one of the last planes to fly before the strike went into effect, there was an incredible number of people at the ticket counter, trying to do the same thing we were doing. Fortunately, Delron’s frequent flier status allowed us to bypass a lot of the crowd and get some priority treatment so that we did make it to the aircraft before its scheduled departure time.
Even though it was already past two in the morning when we arrived in Chennai and almost daybreak by the time we collected our bags, cleared customs, and found our way to the cars and on to the house which was to be home for the next several days, we still had a full schedule on our plates for the day. So, after a few hours of rest, we were up and at it full steam. After a bit of orientation and a delicious Indian meal, the students were off to get acquainted with India. We headed to the Bible college to teach the part-time students who attend evening classes each Saturday. We were very impressed with the students who had been attracted to the school, even in its first year of operation--a university professor, an international consultant, and an attorney, along with several full-time ministers. Since the students had already taken some of Delron’s via video, they were thrilled to have us with them in person.
On Sunday, we spit into teams and went out two-by-two to minister in various churches. As always, it was a blessing to be able to not only preach to the congregation but to also meet the individual believers. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings we were in the Bible college with the full-time students as the team from the US Bible college taught. It was really a blessing to see how the American students developed and matured in their teaching in just the few days they were in charge of the lessons. After lunch each day, the US students headed out to various ministry assignments while we stayed back at the school to teach the afternoon classes. Just as with the part-time school, we were impressed with the student body in the full-time classes. They had moved from cities all over India to be able to attend the classes. They had also seen Delron on DVD and were excited to get to have us there as live teachers.
Thursday was a relaxation day for the mission team as they visited a local beach resort. We, on the other hand, took the free time to hold a one-day teaching conference for about a hundred and fifty of the local Every Home for Christ workers and pastors. The theme of the conference was on church planting, and we centered our teachings on the five keys Paul mentioned in I Thessalonians 1:5 as his technique for planting the church in their city: the Word of God, the power of God, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, assurance, and his personal moral character. We were also able to present most of the delegates with free copies of Delron’s latest book Tread Marks. Due to a last-minute increase in the number of attendees, we ran out of books before we were able to give one to each person.
Friday was an interesting day as we visited an orphanage where we spent some quality time with the children and presented them with gifts from America. Next, we were off to a Christian facility where mentally challenged individuals are housed. The director of the facility gave up a occupation in cell phone engineering and repair--an in-demand career--to open the facility. Though many of them patients were very severely impeded--some were even tethered with leg irons to ensure that they would not escape--they all were eager to receive prayer and loving ministry.
Saturday brought us back to the Bible college for one more session with the part-time students. In the question-and-answer session which followed the scheduled lesson, we began to see a pattern developing through the questions--an interest in the baptism in the Holy Spirit. So, after a short teaching on the topic, we invited those who had not been filled with the Spirit to come forward for prayer. About half the class came forward, and all of them were baptized in the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in new tongues within five minutes!
Sunday was our last day, and again we split into teams of twos and headed in several different directions to minister. We were assigned to the Christian student fellowship at an local engineering college. The private school was founded by a Christian man who wanted to accomplish two objectives--provide a quality education to young men and women who will become leaders in emerging India and, more importantly, to have an evangelical outreach to these students. The twelve-hundred-member student body consists of students from all different backgrounds--Hindus, Muslims, and Christians. Christian fellowships are openly provided for the students, but no one is forced to participate. However, the dynamic outreach has reached a large number of the students and brought them to Christ. The service we attended was led by one of the faculty members who energetically and joyously demonstrated the life of Christ. After ministering on knowing God’s will and focusing on the necessity to be led by the Holy Spirit, we invited the students who needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit to come forward. About sixty of the two hundred students present came forward to be receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Before long, we were experiencing Pentecost on the campus!
Back at the mission house, we had a little time to rest before sharing our last meal together and heading to the airport to return to the US and our ongoing missions in life.