Ministry as TEAM

The AIM teaching team gathered together leaders from our previous discipleship classes for a next-level training on spiritual maturity. This class focused on identifying the five-fold gifts of the Spirit (as found in Ephesians 4:11-12), and the participants came to understand how God intends them to work together as team to equip the church to become effective and influential in their communities.  This picture of working together as team within our spiritual gifting was a whole new model for them to begin to grapple with.  When we began to compare the way churches work today (one person, usually the pastor does 90% of the work and 100% of the preaching) with the scriptural model stressed in Ephesians 4, these leaders began to see how identifying the spiritual gifts and intentionally helping them to mature would result in a much more effective and potentially growing church.

After working through Scripture, a hands-on exercise of assembling simple balsa wood airplanes (5 gifts, 5 parts to the planes) was fantastic fun!  They had never before seen such a thing. But they figured it out in teams, even without any help from the Americans!  With carefully assembled planes, each team then walked outside and got a chance to launch their plane! Laughter and excitement! What a great visual of how every gift is needed in order to help the church to “fly.”  It was a day they will never forget...and a spiritual lesson that stayed in their hearts.

A Community in Transformation - Katesh Village

In 2010:

• People walked where they needed to go
• Very limited resources, stores or shops
• Little or no opportunity, change, or advancement
• The witchdoctors were prominent and feared figures, eliciting honor and respect, and operating openly and publicly
• A small group of Christians began to choose unity, and gather to pray for their community 3 nights a week, crying out to God to see a change,…

 In 2015:   

• Quality paved roads stretch through town bringing bus and truck traffic. There are many travel options now including bus, taxi and motorcycles. People move about much more freely.
  
• New shops, stores and repair shops are opening all the time. More economic opportunity
• New businesses and factories are planning to open in the area, bringing even more economic opportunity, jobs, and skills training.
• The witchdoctors no longer hold positions of prominence. The church is maturing, and people are learning the ways of God, so they will no longer tolerate the open work of witchcraft in their village. At least one witchdoctor has come to Christ, showing up on the steps of the Katesh Prayer group, declaring that he cannot fight against their prayers any longer!
• That small group of Christians from several denominations still meets 3 nights a week, but they have grown and matured. Their numbers vary from a few dozen to well over 100, and they have reproduced themselves, starting several other prayer groups in villages circling Mt Hanang. These prayer groups are boldly crying out to God for their communities.
  

Focus on Prayer

When the AIM team traveled to Tanzania in 2014 we learned some very interesting things!  God has really been at work in the Manyara Region!  Some of our friends reported that many denominations came together for a national day of prayer held in June.  The Christian leaders called all who were gathered to repent and to lift up their nation to God.  We are seeing a growing sensitivity to the Spirit and a willingness to come together across denominational lines for the Kingdom.  For this we praise God!

Shortly after the national prayer gathering, ministry leaders throughout Manyara Region also decided to gather to pray for their district. By the time we arrived in July, we heard the leaders' reports: over 100 years ago, witchdoctors and regional leaders of this region made vows and sacrifices that continue to impact life even today! With these alignments with darkness now exposed to the light, believers now knows how to pray. Together they have been repenting, tearing down the spiritual strongholds that have thwarted several generations, and ushering in the expansion of Kingdom territory!

Evacuating the Area

We began trying to arrange for our quick escape from the area.

It took some convincing to get a driver to brave the storm to take us inland. 

Finally, after much coaxing, the driver agreed to take us partway out, where another driver would have to be secured to deliver us the rest of the way into Rayagada. (Total trip was between 4 and 5 hours, over a ridge of mountains.) 

Though he was a Hindu driver, he had no problems with our bold prayers for safety and God’s protection over us as we began the "excursion."

 It was a somewhat other-worldly ride as we headed inland. Our driver swerved to avoid downed branches and suspiciously-deep water in the road, but we had no trouble making our way around them and did not have to step out to clear obstacles along the way.  Our vehicle shuttered a bit in the winds, even while we observed (and photographed) the gale force winds bending palm trees and flattening fully-grown fields of corn. Likewise, we were surprised that only moderate rain fell on our windshield, even while we watched sheets of heavy rain striking the crops at the edge of the fields and jungle.  God’s hand was clearly upon us.  

We made our way into the highlands, up and over the ridge and into the city of Rayagada. There we thanked God that He directed us to leave when we did, he protected us during the journey, and guided us to a safe place.

Cyclone Phailin

After a full day of teaching, we began the drive back to Chelligada through some strong bouts of rain. We stepped into the house to find the family and neighbors huddled around a small television. Cautionary news was reporting that an impending cyclone (what we term "hurricane") was making its way to the coast! The TV screen showed a massive spiral nearly the size of India itself rapidly approaching the coast...directed right toward this area! Government-mandated evacuations were already taking place in the most populated coastline cities, with warnings also going out to the rural village areas. 

To be honest, we all were so tired from teaching that we somewhat naively figured our hosts would let us know if we were in danger. If they started to get nervous or consider evacuating, we would know we need to follow their lead. We fell into bed, without even bothering to eat dinner, too exhausted to be concerned.

We awoke in the morning to extremely heavy, even torrential rains. Our team prayed together and felt the Lord's leading to cancel the rest of our planned training and move further inland. We watched as Pankaj hopped on a motorcycle to Kesara to inform the pastors who travelled far to also go home (if their homes were inland) or to seek adequate shelter.

Pankaj had very difficult travel but made it through the storm. Arriving at the church, he found that the roof had blown off the church and there was already damage to the walls. He found a pastors and asked them to spread the word that the remainder of the seminar was cancelled. Though they graciously understood, the people were a bit disappointed as they had already begun to relocate the conference setting, having cleared a large room in a local pastor's house. 

The Hungry are Filled

We began our time together in fervent worship and prayer. The hearts of the people were then prepared to listen, and we saw hunger as they leaned in to hear and understand Biblical principles of the Vine and Branches (See John 15). The Spirit of God moved in their hearts, and they responded with the desire and excitement to become fruit-bearing branches . 

But the hunger was not limited to a spiritual hunger. You should have seen the creative ways a “take-out lunch” can be prepared and served! The Kumar brothers arranged for a lunch to be brought in: large portions of rice, skillfully wrapped in a large leaf and tied with string.

When each person loosed the string, the leaf splayed outward to become a large bowl. Small bags of curry and lentils were handed out, as well, which were then poured over the rice and mixed right in! No utensils necessary, as they are quite accustomed to eating with their hands.

They  sat and ate on the floor, which is usual here, and they happily visited between bites. Only the "foreigners" were given a chair, since 6-8 hours of sitting on the ground was not usual for our bones and joints.

Training in Kesara

The Kumar brothers (Lalit and Pankaj) along with cousin Aksiah invited a group of pastors to meet with us for training in the rural town of Kesera. When local church members heard that we were coming to teach, they also crowded in to hear, and the small room was quickly filled. 

The atmosphere was sweet, and we could feel them pressing in, not really to hear from us, but to hear from God's Word.

(Note: You may notice in this picture that the wall structure is sticks, plastered with mud, and then painted. The roof is simple tin sheeting. I will make mention of that again in the post about the Cyclone.)

Making friends with the next generation

We learned that we were the first "white people" to enter the village in 40 years! We saw a building in Chelligada in which former missionaries established a mission. Many converted to Christ here, resulting in the large presence of the Baptist Church in this village and the surrounding area.

Making friends is not difficult here. Who knew that a simple dollar-store toy could draw so much attention from the children?! As we showed them how the little launching helicopter worked, a small crowd of children began to gather.  In no time at all the number of kids doubled; then tripled into a crowd of laughing, joyful children interacting with the Americans and the toy. Very quickly they had mastered the English phrase, calling out together “one…two…three…GO!”     

Susan showed up with the camera, and everyone had to have a photo taken. As they scrambled to see their images on the small screen display, giggles and squeals erupted: "Me, me!"

Cultural Contrasts

Because there remains a guarded atmosphere between Christians and Hindus throughout the region, especially around the times of Hindu festivals, they were mindful to call taxis even when we were to go a short distance, making sure we would not be walking the streets during the time of preparation for the Hindu festival of Dashain. During this festival elaborate decorations are set up to encase the main street in color and lights. Temporary temples are set up to honor certain gods/godesses and lots of loud speakers ensure no one could possibly miss this celebration.

It seems that Hinduism is everywhere! Not only did we see its evidence in the elaborate festival decorations, but we saw shrines, gods, and idols in a variety of places. We even saw several trees whose roots and trunks had been adorned with little idols and shrines.

First Days In India

When we left Nepal, we met up with the brother of our friend Santosh Kumar, who we met in West Michigan a few years ago. Lalit Kumar traveled with us into the Orissa Region, to his family's home-town village of Chelligada.  Along the way he pointed out several areas where churches had been burned and villages had been ransacked in the 2009 uprising against Christianity.

The Kumar family is no small presence for Christianity in the vilage of Chelligada. The patriarch is pastor of the largest church in the area, and his sons lead a ministry that seeks to train pastors and expand orphanages.  We were housed in a home built by Aksaya, one of their cousins who also a leads a Christian school in northern India.  He was a very capable translator as well as a generous host.  Our time in his home was blessed and we shared from early morning to late night about the amazing love of our wonderful Lord Jesus.  They were very kind and watchfully protective of us during our time there. What a loving family!