Sunday in Kakinada

Every day here has been a blessing but even more so today.  Being able to worship and share communion with 250 of our Indian brothers & sisters was a unique and heartwarming experience.  Even though I could not understand the words of the songs that were song, the emotion and sentiment of praise was clear.  These are a people who love to join together and worship and do so with much care and reverence.

This morning was just my second opportunity to preach so far and I am still getting used to having to stop periodically for interpretation.  I do think I am starting to get the hang of it.  The response of the congregation to my message was very kind.  One brother asked how I knew just what they needed to hear.  Another lady just kept thanking me for sharing God's Word.  That is something that is very striking among the people here.  They really revere the Bible and are hungry for it.  Most of the folks here in Kakinada have Bibles, but in the villages only a few have them.  To be given a Bible is a very big deal.  Brother Gootam told us that occasionally when they have mailed Bibles to correspondence course participants that they have been stolen.  It's a twisted sort of irony that people are so desperate for the Word of God that they would actually steal Bibles.

We spent the afternoon planning some lessons and discussing how we might use some of the money that was sent with us to bless the people here.  There is no shortage of opportunities, but we want to be good stewards and make the most of each dollar.  We did give the Children's home the money today to build 2 new bathrooms.  They said they would start work immediately.  We may even see construction by the time we leave.  We were also able to purchase a ceiling fan for the boys bedroom.  They have been without which has to make sleeping very uncomfortable since it is their only source of cooling in a very hot climate.  The fan should be installed tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, around 100 preachers from around the area are coming here.  Steve and I will be meeting with them and hopefully sharing some encouragement in a 4 hour workshop.  We leave on Wednesday for 4 days in the jungle, so probably no new posts from Wed - Sat.