Punjab & Obedience

Well it has been 4 months since Faith and I have returned from our mission trip to Punjab, India.  This was our second trip to Punjab and rest assured God is still at work in a mighty way there!  This trip was a little different (as I will explain below), and has taken me a little time to absorb and process.

As with the first trip in 2015, we went with an organization called FAMM (For All Mankind Movement).  Their mission is simply to spread the gospel to the unreached people groups in the Middle East and South Asia.  They have an incredible ministry that shares the gospel in the places where these people live, as well as following up by creating story groups and church plants, and even training local ministers.  It is really an amazing ministry and you can read more about it here: http://www.compassionkits.com/.

As I said, this trip was a little different but still followed the same basic format.  We spent 6 days in India preparing for and presenting the Gospel.  We started with a day of acclimation, a couple hours of touring/shopping, and then intensive training for the group to get ready to go out into the villages. We then broke off into groups of 3 to spend 4 days in the villages sharing the gospel from sun-up until after sun-down, and then spend a day of debrief and reflection.  However with this trip, there were only a total of 8 from the US, so Faith and I were a group of our own.  In addition, we also had a local Pastor/Translator (Pankaj) that traveled with us.  On our trip in 2015, we had another man from Lynchburg in our group and we had a separate translator and pastor so this trip we were a total group size of 3 instead of 5. This smaller group tended to make the trip even more demanding as there were less people to share the responsibilities and worship/preaching each day.

The days started with a hearty breakfast and devotion, and then we spent all day driving/walking to visit people in their homes.  This included getting to know the people (and families and frequently drop-in neighbors), hearing their needs, praying for them, and sharing relevant Bible stories that spoke to their situations.  Each evening we would then lead a revival service that they call a Compassion Kit Party.  This service consisted of music (usually led by the local pastor with instruments and lots of singing), Faith and I sharing several Bible stories and our personal testimony, and then us also sharing the gospel story and invitation.  After Faith and I were done speaking (all translated by the Pastor/Translator), the local Pastor would then spend more time reiterating our message and diving deeper into the truth of the gospel.  The ultimate goal by the end of the party was to explain the gospel and have people accept the invitation to receive Christ as their personal savior (There were 156 personal professions in those 4 days!).  Then at the conclusion of the service, we passed out boxes (called compassion kits) of essentials for everyone.  Not only were we meeting the spiritual needs of the people, but we were helping to address their physical needs also.

One really cool aspect of this trip was that we got to see some of the people we had met on the first trip.  One day we were able to make a small side trip back to our old host village and see many of the kids there we had connected with the last time.  Additionally, we were able to see the host mom from the last trip and even meet the host father (he was actually out of state working when we stayed there in 2015).  We were also able to spend the training and debrief days with our translator (Baljinder) from last time (who we had kept in contact with) and we even got to spend a day ministering in the villages with our pastor (Sonu) from last trip!

One additional opportunity we had this trip was to visit the Brick Factories.  Amazingly, they still make bricks in India basically the same way they did 2,000 years ago.  Entire families work in these factories sometimes up to 14 hours a day making only pennies for each brick made.  And the people who work there are usually some of the lowest classes of people in India so these were truly some of the most unreached people in the world.  Many of them were hearing the name and truth of Jesus for the very first time!

For those who supported us on the first trip in 2015, I summarized that trip with my “4 Ps of Punjab”.  These 4 Ps were: Prayer, Preaching, Playing, People-Loving.  All these areas were big again this trip but I also thought of 3 Fs to go along side of the Ps this trip.  My 3 Fs for this trip were: #1 Faith – we need to have the faith and courage to share the truth of our faith with those who have not yet heard. This is the great commission and should always be at the top of our priority list.  #2 Friends – In Jesus’ name, we need to be friends to the friendless, hope to the hopeless, and provision for the needy.  In addition to sharing the gospel, we need to show the love of Christ through our words and actions.  #3 Follow-up – one of the most encouraging and exciting aspects of this ministry is the follow up by the local pastor.  In the weeks after returning, I already heard from our local pastor Pankaj that he had started Story Groups (aka Bible Studies) in some of the villages and at the brick factory!

The big take-way from this trip for me was all about Obedience.  God taught me about obedience in three basic ways.  First, he impressed on me to be obedient and go on this trip.  Faith and I were quite disappointed last year when the trip was cancelled and we were hesitant to put ourselves out there and be let down again.  Finally, I just decided that no matter how many excuses I could come up with about why I could not go on this trip, I trusted that if God wanted me to go, he would make it happen.  Secondly, God spoke to me through the great commission where He clearly states that we need to “Go and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt 28:19).  The devil was planting feelings of inadequacy in me about sharing the gospel and reminding me where I fall short.  But God taught me not to listen to or heed these lies from the greatest liar and deceiver of all time. Yes I need to study and prepare but sometimes he just wants me to show up and he will give me the words to say at the right time (Luke 12:12).  And finally, God taught me about obedience in being faithful to him and striving to deepen my relationship with him through study and prayer. I am reading a devotional on prayer by Tim Keller right now and it is reminding me of the importance and power of prayer.  One of my life verses is James 4:8 where God gives us this promise “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you”.

Well I could go on and on about the details of this trip, but I want to keep this letter/blog post readable.  I do want to thank each and every one of you who helped me through prayer and financial support.  I was so encouraged by the support I received and both Faith and I felt covered in prayer as we embarked on this journey.  Thanks again for your faithfulness and Obedience in your support and your walk with the Lord!

For some pictures of the trip (including a little excursion in New York City during our return layover), check out this Flickr album.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/therudys/albums/72157678247855443

And again, I would challenge each of you to consider the words of Jesus to his disciples in Matthew 9:37-38 “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  There are many to be reached around the world and even right here at home.  I urge you to seek and pray that God will convict and direct you to your mission field.   But whatever you do, remember to give God all the glory.  We are all just instruments in the hands of the Master Builder.

Thanks everyone and blessings to you all!

Kevin