Saturday 29 March 2014

Prayerletterapril2014

April 1, 2014



Dear Praying Friends,



By the Lord's grace, 2014 has been very busy. In three months, Indian friends have taken me to teach batches of mostly rural pastors fifteen times. These programs are usually for half-day seminars, but the travel involved means an entire day, or more, for each one. All the other things we've been involved in, including the couple of dozen other times I've been privileged to preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus, have left us feeling a bit worn out. Please pray for us for health and strength, and for the Holy Spirit of God to make us clean vessels for Christ's service. Ruth has been teaching in a couple of different children’s and youth ministries this quarter. Another opportunity has recently opened for her to introduce people to Christianity through English tuitions.



Please Pray:

  • For us to recover from some fatigue and cold symptoms. The schedule has been wearying, and it seems April would be even more so. God is love. And we are here to be spent for Him.

  • That the new Christian assembly in which Ruth and Stephanie and I have now become involved would grow in grace and grow in numbers. After about ten weeks, so far, two young men, at least, have proved themselves to be faithful disciples. 

  • For our monthly financial needs.

  • For the Lord to keep us safe and healthy through the travels we have planned for May and June. We are into our 2nd ten-years visa for India, and thank the Lord for it. But we're required to get out of the country at least twice in a year. This next trip out of India is to include time in the USA, visiting some of you all, and a time for visiting our daughter Mary and her family in Togo, West Africa, as they are soon to begin their overseas missionary service there. I'm currently negotiating some opportunities for teaching batches of pastors in Africa during those couple of weeks in July.

  • That the Lord would be pleased to use us for His glory at all times.



Chit-chat: The 100°F temperatures which normally arrive here in April came a month sooner than expected. We are melting like butter, sometimes! Occasionally my teaching trips extend for more than one day on the road, and for much longer distances. Thankfully, the vehicle has held up okay though the roads are sometimes bad. 
The seminar topic I spoke on in pastors' meetings the most in the past quarter was—you guessed it—Jesus our Savior and Redeemer, God's Anointed Prophet, Priest and King. Additionally, I would teach the pastors about problems every pastor must deal with Biblically—and how to focus on what we are commanded to do in the Lord's assembly each Sunday, and what is forbidden to be done. I Timothy furnishes the excellent basis for much of the above! 
Dear Ruth has been making the most our final months having Stephanie with us here in India. We're very proud of Stephanie, and we thank the Lord for her. Yet another grandchild, it appears, would like to be born to us in the month of June. We feel happy.




Thursday 13 March 2014

update



On the third Sundays of the month we had an evening church service for the 10th -12th  graders at Word & Deed children’s home and school.  Stephen would have about 150 young people.  Ruth would meet with 60 girls from the 7th and 8th grade class.


On the first Sundays of the month we were invited to be involved in and teach an evening Sunday school to children who are mostly hindu and from a poor area of the city.



We’ve also been involved in starting a new assembly in our neighborhood, with our Indian Gospel partner Gilbert Dawson.

Very many Indian pastors, especially in the rural areas, have not had the opportunity to go to a Bible college.  So far in 2014, Stephen has spoken to such pastors nine times.  He will teach usually for 3 hours on topics such as “Lessons for Pastors From I Timothy” or “Life of Christ”.