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India Trip 2007
For the 3rd year running a team from the Gateway Bible School and Gabalfa Baptist Church were able to visit India. This time the trip lasted just over 3 weeks and took in 6 major cities along the way. There were difficulties along the way but many blessings. Below is just a fairly brief report of all that happened.
Samalkot
We arrived in Samalkot after a solid 36 hours of travelling, and 2 hours after arriving were straight into a meeting. From this time on until we left Narsipatnam, it didn’t really feel like we stopped. We had a big evangelistic meeting every evening, and meetings in the day were also organised with different sets of people. Alongside the bigger evangelistic meetings we were able to speak in 3 separate churches, in ladies, youth, Sunday School and Pastors meetings, as well as having some time to come alongside the family we were staying with, and of course some much needed shopping time for the ladies!?! With such a busy schedule, it would have been easy to start flagging, and let tiredness overtake us, and I’m sure all the team felt a bit like it at different times, but God kept us going, and gave the strength to fulfil all that He had for us.
Our hosts were Rev. Suvartha Raju and his wife Sharon. This is the 3rd year we have been able to stay with them, as well as Suvartha being able to visit us in the summer of 2006. Through this time we were able to spend together, the fellowship in the Gospel, as brothers and sisters in Christ we have enjoyed over the past couple of years was deepened. We were able to encourage and spend time with Suvartha, Sharon and their 3 children, Smiley, Joy and Blessy (2 sons, 1 daughter) as well as a number of others who stay with the family in their home. Their servant heart and sacrifice is a real challenge and example for us to follow, and we know that God blesses that kind of humble and servant attitude that Jesus Himself has. It sometimes was quite humbling to be served so well in the time we spent with them, but we are thankful for their reception and hospitality.
The Church in Samalkot is a praying Church that could probably teach us an awful lot in the UK - Sharon has a prayer ministry among Women - the ‘Wailing Women’s Fellowship’ and they are in the process of building a Prayer Centre for anyone who desires to come off the streets and ask for prayer (something that happens a lot in India). They truly believe the simple truth that God answers the cries of His people, and has promised to intervene as we seek Him. Over the course of 3 years we have been able to contribute over £3000 to the building of this centre, and we look forward to it’s completion They also desire to begin a Bible School in September/October time, and this is something we believe we should come alongside and support, as we are enabled.
Araku Valley
From Samalkot, a number of those from the Church, including Suvartha and his wife were able to travel with us to a place called the Araku Valley. A truly beautiful place, we were able to spend 2 evenings here in large evangelistic meetings to which people came from miles away to attend. We were also able to speak in a youth meeting on our only full day here, and the impact all of the times we spoke seemed to be significant judging by the enthusiastic reaction of the Pastors who hosted us. The large meetings in the evenings had not been held in this place for over 50 years because of trouble being stirred up and the opposition faced. There had also been no foreigners there for a long time, so as we came there was some nervousness from the Pastors as to what would happen. However, the Lord really undertook for us and showed us His faithfulness in answering prayer as He covered the meetings and allowed them to take place trouble free. In one of the evening meetings was a real time of rejoicing together as God drew near, and it was again a privilege to have that fellowship together that went beyond culture, language and skin colour, and we were able together to give God glory for His salvation.
Narsipatnam
It was incredible to hear the accounts of how Rev. Sundar Rao had persevered for over 30 years in reaching out to many villages, and the Lord has honoured that perseverance, now multiplying the work significantly with many lives being touched. Again, like Samalkot, this is a place where we were able to build a relationship begun last year, and one we desire to continue in the future. This year, through the giving of the people in Gabalfa, we were able to fund the building of a new church building which will support 3 separate villages in the same area. Narsipatnam was the conclusion of our time down in the south of India where we had been kept as busy as we could possibly be. It was a privilege to be involved in so many ways, to speak to so many people and, as God enabled us, to be an encouragement and blessing to these different groups of people.
Travelling
For the next few days our schedule was not quite kept to as we were hoping. Due to cancelled flights which would have taken about 3 hours total, we were forced to take a train from south to north India, taking a total of about 52 hours travelling. It meant that we missed out on ministry in Delhi, the capital and a day in Varanasi our next destination. These few days were certainly an experience for the team, if a bit frustrating after being so busy, but we eventually arrived in Varanasi, a bit dizzy, but raring to get back involved.
Varanasi
Varanasi began to show us the difference between south and north India. North is far less Christian than the south, and it would be impossible to hold open air evening meetings like in the south. In Varanasi we were able to spend time in a few different villages speaking to the people, but again our desire was to come alongside and encourage Patsy David and Neha, his wife. Patsy is one of the leaders in Shekinah Minstries who are seeking to reach out both in Varanasi and other cities. Again we were able to help financially, but the biggest privilege we had was to be able to be involved in, and to witness the baptism of four believers in the Ganges river.
Agra
The final stop on our journey was in Agra to spend time with Emmanuel Lodge and his wife Archana. Very similar to Varanasi we were able to go to a number of villages and spend some time with the people, as well as speaking in Emmanuel’s church on the Sunday. Emmanuel has a large number of opportunities to reach out into village situations, and having been let down a number of times, his main need is for co-workers who will faithfully carry the burden of ministry as God requires of each of us.
All in all, the trip was full of great opportunities to come alongside, encourage, proclaim the Word of God, and build relationships, which we hope will bear much fruit in the future. “To God be the glory, great things He has done.”
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Suvartha Raju himself is a well know TV
evangelist in the state of Andhra Pradesh as well as being a Pastor in a
Church of around 300 in Samalkot. They were so glad of the team being
able to come and join with them, and we prayed that the time would
produce real fruit, both in terms of the relationships being built and
in the lives of those who heard God’s Word being preached. We thank God
for the confidence we can have that His Word is powerful and as we spoke
what he gave us to speak, it will not return to him void.
Narsipatnam is called the Gateway to the Tribals, and is surrounded by
many tribal villages. The work of Beracah
ministries which focuses in this area is headed up by Rev. Sundar Rao
and his son. They are involved in a Pastor’s fellowship of around 200
Pastors who gather monthly to pray, and are also involved in a number of
Church plants in different villages. Again we were served so well by
this group, and were able to serve them in speaking in more large
evening meetings, and in their Pastor’s fellowship in the day.
The Ganges is of extreme importance for
Hindu’s, and while we visited a nearby city called Allahabad we
witnessed a Hindu festival where 50 million people come to wash in the
join of the Ganges and another ‘holy river’ all for the purpose that
they would wash their sins away. Although it is shocking to see the
depth of the idolatry in the city, it is still always a privilege to
remember and rejoice in the absolute cleansing that Jesus death has
brought to us - we have been washed clean. The opposition in Varanasi is
great, but the Gospel is being proclaimed, and it is exciting to come
alongside those who are doing the work and encourage them in what they
are doing. It is in no way an easy work and perseverance is a necessity,
but God is blessing and saving people for Himself. We were able to
remind the workers there, as all of us need reminding that ‘greater is
he who is in you than he who is in the world.’
One of these areas is a village of Snake
Charmers which we were able to visit last year, much to the surprise of
most of the team as they began to show us their ‘art’. This year we were
able to return, having supplied money last year for running water to
this village, and to speak again to the people. There was a great
openness amongst the villagers, and we know that as a sign of God
working amongst them, we can be confident for the future. Four people
have already been converted in the village and our prayer is that a
thriving church, reaching out to surrounding villages would be raised up
and a full-time worker sent to the area. On the same day, God’s
providence and orchestration of events was clearly shown as by using a
simple camel ride God opened up a door for a future meeting in another
village - something that we had been in no way expecting.