The Joy of Serving

It’s Monday PM, the 19th.  Less than 1 week from now we will be on our way, again, to India for another 2 week visit.

We will stay at the orphanage again for just a short visit of 3 or 4 days. 

While there we are going to put on a feast for all the children.  It should be fun for all.  One day we will break away from there and go to the Anna Unruh Home for the Aged in Therigoppula.  We have a bunch of blankets to give to the residents there.

On our 4th day we head out from Jangaon to Warangal and Karimnagar to visit other ministries for a few days.

Our last visit will be way down to Anantapur for several days.  When our time is up there Sharon and I will head back to Hyderabad to begin our long trip back home (something like 34 hours altogether).

I am determined to be able to post on this blog while there.  Last time I had no access with my own laptop and had to borrow our hosts’ computer.  With that, I was able to post messages, but without pictures for some reason.  My plans this time are to get a local SIM card for my Blackberry.  This will not only allow me to make cheaper phone calls, but supposedly also let me get to the blog for what I need to do.  In case that fails I will also be stopping by a service provider in Hyderabad the day after we arrive to pick up a “dongle” for the laptop which is supposed to allow me to access Internet that way.  I should be covered.  But it is India, after all.

My intent with all of this is to somehow make this blog more interesting, at least to those of you who want to follow our comings and goings there.  So, stop back often to check for updates and photos.

 Mike

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Actually, this isn’t a book review.  But, as I read this book by Elizabeth Elliot I was really inspired by the life of Amy Carmichael.  I’m sure there are others of you out there reading this post who have also read the book.  I would like to hear from you about it.  I’m not as much interested in how well Ms. Elliot covered the subject as I am about Amy Carmichael’s life of service itself.

I would like to hear from people of various perspectives regarding personal involvements in ministries to people in need; those who are active in such ministries, as well as those who are not.  For those who are, let me know if reading about Miss Carmichael influenced your decision to become involved.  If you are not, has reading about her caused you to consider doing so?

Mike

 A Chance to Die – The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael1987 by Elizabeth Elliot

Fleming H. Revell Company, Tarrytown, NY

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Do not be anxious about anything, but, in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4: 6-7

The above verse was referred to in a recent sermon at our church and, maybe for the first time, I really thought about it and let it sink in.  And I have found it to be comforting.  I have a relatively short list of verses which I have committed to memory and which I consider and recite to my self every day.  I think I will add this one to the list.  It is one of those that seems to be directly addressing one of the biggest problems in my life.

How do you feel about this verse?  Is it comforting to you, also?  What does it mean to you?  Think about how it might have helped you through some of life’s problems.

Mike

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“We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America”  Barack Obama

Our country is about to choose a new president in the most important election of our lifetime.  As shown in the above quote, if elected, Barack Obama intends to fundamentally transform the United States of America.  Since our nation is fundamentally defined by our Constitution is it our Constitution he wishes to transform?

Yes, there are changes we need to make to ensure that, never again, will our financial system be sabotaged by greedy and unscoupulous individuals, including some who hold powerful positions in the government.  There are changes that need to be made to ensure that justice is faithfully carried out in this nation; justice that applies equally to the rich and powerful, and the poor and humble; justice that sends a message that, in the end, your crimes are not worth the price you pay.

There are myriad other changes that need to be made to make this country work better and be more fair.  But even so, such work can all be accomplished without anything approaching a fundamental transformation to the United States of America.

If Obama makes it to the Oval Office he will have no trouble getting Congress to legislate changes, all within the bounds of our Constitution; and still without any fundamental transformation of our country.  Yet, his plans do call for fundamentally transforming the Unites States of America.  We need to think about what he means by that statement.  Since Barack Obama is considered the most liberal senator in Congress you should ask yourself, “What will a fundamental transformation brought about by an Obama presidency really mean to me?”

If you believe in marriage being only between one man and one woman, if you believe in a culture of life that doesn’t accept unrestricted abortion as a way to solve the problem of an unwanted pregnancy, if you believe in a divine creator and the right to tell others about Him, if you believe in the right to teach your own children these traditional values, you should be concerned.

If you believe that we, our children and our grandchildren are best served by standing up to threats against our national security from terrorists and rogue nations, if you believe we are at greater risk of being attacked by them by appearing weak and appeasing them, you should be concerned.

If you believe in a capitalist economic system where able individuals who try harder, work harder and risk more are rewarded more, you should be concerned

In spite of all promises, you wouldn’t vote for a candidate if you knew, beforehand, he would not do the things you wanted.  So, it becomes important that we make our own evaluation of the likelyhood he will.  Since we cannot see into his future we must rely his past.  What prior experience does he have?  What is his voting record?  What level of education does he have?  What important life experiences may have shaped him?  Who were his friends, his associates?  Who, or what, made him who he is?

Considering who he has associated with and, no doubt, been influenced by for the last 20 years (that we know of), I would suggest we think long and hard before voting for Barack Obama.  Does Rev. Jeremiah Wright share your values?  Does William Ayers share your values?  Does Rashid Khalidi share your values?  Does Tony Rezko share your values?  Does Father Michael Pfleger share your values?  How about Dr. Khalid al-Mansour?

If Obama’s association with these people sets off alarms for you, as they should, you need to make a point of doing your part to make sure he is defeated at the polls on November 4.  A candidate can promise anything he thinks will get him elected.  Once in office, however, he can pursue any other agenda he wishes.  In Obama’s case he needn’t even consider that he may be impeached since the majority of Congress will likely share his vision.  Checks and balances will essentially be absent for the duration.

It is our Constitution which defines us as a nation.  It is our Constitution which guarantees to us our individual rights.  It is our Constitution which frees us to strive to better ourselves.  Don’t let Barack Obama transform it!

And don’t forget the most important thing of all.  We need to all remember that God is in charge and humbly pray and ask Him to intercede in this election that is already showing signs of being compromised by some who want to make sure their side wins, regardless of the will of the people.

Mike

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They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.  2 Thessalonians 2: 10-12

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With all the hoopla and angst lately because of the upcoming presidential election you might be thinking, as I am, it’s a good time for prayer.  There is, after all, a lot at stake.  If we end up with a far-left-leaning president, as well as congress we will also eventually most likely end up with left-leaning supreme court justices being added to the bench.  What we see as attempts to stifle expression of our Christian beliefs now may evolve into actual persecution.  The fact that most people automatically think, “It can’t happen here” just makes it easier for it all to come to pass.  So, I do hope we will all pray for His help.

The most common prayer I hear on behalf of our nation, though, is basically, “God bless the United States of America”, as if it’s something we can always count on, no matter what we have done in our lives.

Well, God has already blessed the United States of America.  He has done it for more than 200 years now, and look at the state we’re in.  Think about our society as a whole.  It is a society that has slowly slid away from guidance clearly given in the Bible to embrace tolerance of, and outright participation in, lifestyles it specifically denounces.  It’s no wonder there is so much injustice nowadays.

So, consider carefully what it is you pray for.  Do we deserve more of God’s blessings, or do we deserve His judgment?  I, for one am praying for God’s mercy upon the United States of America.

 Mike

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I love this little village girl though I never even met her.  I love her spirit and playfulness, even amidst her poverty.

Perhaps ours was the first automobile she had seen in days.  The opportunity must have been too good to pass up, so as we casually drove past her remote Indian village she clenched her fists and set her jaw and, giving no heed to the impossibility of her victory, the race was on.

I look at her picture now.  I am tempted to shake my head and smile “knowingly” as I contemplate the futility of her challenge.  Then I remind myself, “Had it been God’s will she would, indeed, have won that race”.

O, Spirit of a Child

Where is it you go when we come of age?

Are you gone forever,

Or are you merely hiding

That we might still seek you?

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Mark 10:14

Mike

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The orphanage we visited in India has stairs leading to the roof.  From there you can watch in the morning as the surrounding community comes to life for another day.

Roger and I were up there early one time and as we looked about we saw that we had been noticed by a very young girl of one of the “tent families” nearby.  She was waving to us enthusiastically and so we waved back.  So, of course this encouraged her to wave even more.  Pretty soon her family noticed what was going on and they all began to wave.  It was a very nice way for us to start off the day.

On the way down the stairs Roger, being the very outgoing person he is, suggested we go over and meet these people.  So we walked over to their camp and introduced ourselves.  All of us had to make use of lots of hand gestures and body language in our greetings because of the language barrier, but it worked pretty well.  We even “asked” them if we could take their pictures which they were happy to allow.

During the course of things one of the men, probably the head of this family group kept trying to say something to us which we couldn’t figure out.  At one point I said, “Roger, I think he is asking us to pray for them”.  Roger wasn’t sure about that so we continued with our visit, taking pictures and generally wrinkling up our noses and saying, “Huh” whenever they would say something, or occasionally nodding if we thought that was safe.

Finally this man must have realized we were somewhat slow, so he helped us out by putting his hands together in front of his face and uttering something like, “Praee?”.  Of course, having assumed this was a Hindu family, we were really surprised that our prayers were actually what he had been asking for all along.

But we were glad to lay hands on, and pray for each of them individually then.  And when we were done this man went into his tent and came out with a photo album for us to look through.  It was full of pictures of all the family members being baptised!  And Roger was especially struck when he even recognized the pastor who was baptising them as one he knew from meetings in Hyderabad (Shakur, or Sakir, or something.  As usual, I can’t remember the name).

So, it seems that day God gave us a gentle reminder that we are not to judge others, though it comes so naturally and is so hard not to sometimes.  In a way that God does so well, he also blessed us at the same time with the assurance that the body of Christ reached out into the community beyond the walls of the orphanage.

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Here’s a slide show of some of the pictures we took. I noticed this show switches pictures fast. But there is a control in the lower left corner that lets you stop the auto mode and go forward/backward manually. If you don’t see the control hover your cursor about 1/4″ above the “Get Your Own” tab until you see the words “Click to activate this control”. Once you click there you will be able to view the slide show at your liesure.

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Here are a few snapshots of our India trip:

Sharon was very popular with the kids at the orphanage

Most of the kids at the orphange wanted to be remembered.  So they would test you regularly to see if you knew their name.  I finally confessed my poor memory and suggested they write them down for me.  Some of them were too eager and wouldn’t wait until I fetched some note paper, with the result seen here.

We went to the village of Tongaturu to join them in a worship service.  As in all the villages I went to last year, their worship here is fervent.  I especially enjoyed watching and hearing the children sing and clap.  I wish I could understand the words.  I made a sound recording of it and will try to find a way of posting it.

When the workers finally get down to business they don’t let minor technicalities get in the way.  OSHA would have a field day with this if it was over here.  This painter is prepping the wall while dangling from a simple rope tied to a board.  I don’t even know what’s anchoring the other end.

This street market is actually located in a narrow side alley.  There was very little room to walk down the row of vendors.  Sharon took one picture, then they all wanted equal exposure.  The vegetables actually looked delicious, although we could only identify about 1/3 of them.

A couple more of the kids at Mercy House Orphanage

Two girls begging in downtown Jangaon

This old woman was actually sitting hunched up amongst all the vegetables she was selling.

More orphanage residents.  These are fortunate that their teeth are not yet mottled from the excess fluoride in the water.  One of the first things Roger and Jan accomplished upon their arrival there was to get the water treatment system in proper operating condition.

Check back for more photos soon.

(If you enjoyed these pictures please leave comments)

Mike

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