Please Note: We have made every effort to put the tools in place to allow direct communication for our short-term missions teams, but please be aware that due to technology differences (especially overseas), there may be challenges in the ability to update this blog on a regular basis. Thank you for your understanding.

Monday Day #6

Posted: August 17th, 2009

Last night we spent sometime on the webcam speaking with Silverdale Baptist.  In that time we asked the church to pray for our day of evangelism on Monday. We asked the church to pray that 900 people would make a decision to accept Christ and today 927 people responded to the Gospel message.  The Lord has shown us so many amazing things and answered many of our prayers.  After sharing in the villages we came back to the hotel and spent sometime giving gifts to the pastors and interpreters that we spent the last week with.  It was exciting to see the connection the Lord gave us with Christian men who live on the other side of the world.  These men were so humble and hardworking.  After our time with the Indian men we went to dinner and then we headed to our rooms and started packing for the trip home.  Then we headed to bed for the best rest and sleep we will get for the next couple days.

Sunday

Posted: August 17th, 2009

Hello fellow friends and family!

Wow, okay. So Sunday was filled with many exciting and moving experiences. We began our day with a webcam conversation to the Saturday night service. In order to do this we had to be ready to go by 7:00 AM! WOOOOOO! So then after that we went to Lone Star Church in Nellore, India. It was amazing how different Western church and Indian church are from one another. Out of respect we took our shoes off at the door and then proceeded to our seats of honor on the church stage. Then we had the chance to experience Indian worship with bongo drums, a keyboard, a tambourine, and several lovely voices. Pastor Ben’s message was very fitting for the people that we have been visiting. He spoke on pain and how God cares and understands about all of our pain. We felt so honored to be there and so welcomed by the people. We even had several members of the congregation ask us to pray for them. One of them in particular was an 82, almost 83, year old woman who wanted us to pray that she could live long enough to finish Bible College. She had already completed her first year and just wanted to be able to complete her studies.

After church we went and had lunch back at the hotel before going out to the leper colony. It was so heartbreaking and yet encouraging to meet a group of believers who have been affected by such a serious disease. Even though they are suffering you can see the happiness on their faces all because they have Jesus Christ in their lives. We were able to hear one of their testimonies and also had a small musical performance. We were able to help them carry rice to their huts before leaving for the orphanage.

At the orphanage we performed a skit for the children. Tony narrated as the rest of the team acted and I think we found it much funnier than most of the children did. Haha! Then we played with them, loved on them, and handed out special gifts that we had made before hand. It was heartbreaking to blow kisses and catch them as we drove away from all of their smiling faces.

Then we came back to the hotel and had the chance to go out for Chinese food across the street from where we are staying. It was quite satisfying to our taste buds. We had the chance to talk to the rest of Silverdale Baptist Church late that night over the webcam once again. All in all it was a wonderful day.

Saturday Day #4

Posted: August 17th, 2009

Today we met in Tony and Ben’s room at the usual time to prepare for a half day of evangelism and then to visit the orphanage. Team members loaded up into the vans to set out for the villages. Wendy, Ashley, and Hillary’s group was asked for prayer for a mentally challenged boy by a woman, who when presented the boy took off his mark on the middle of his forehead (that represents worship to a hindu sun god) and threw it on the ground and pushed him forward. A subtle gesture with a huge impact. Our team has witnessed many many moments where God shows his power in our trips to different villages, and we have also witnessed many interesting things. Carissa, Heather and Jeff’s group found a group of people who actually worshiped a tree. The tree was decorated and wore a skirt. The response to the gospel message was great and that village now a group of believers! After we wrapped up evangelism for the day we headed out to spend some time in the orphanage. We were able to teach the kids some sunday school songs and had a great time! Then it was back to the hotel for dinner and bed!

Day #3 Evangelism and Jane’s House

Posted: August 14th, 2009

Today was a great day of evangelism where 635 people responded to the gospel.  Each of our five teams went to the villages after breakfast and shared until about 3:30pm.  It seems like every time we share in a village there are at least a few people that make a decision to follow Christ. Yesterday one of our Muslim van drivers accepted Christ and today he was reading the Bible with our Indian pastor and our interpreter.  Today another Muslim van driver accepted Christ with Jeff, Heather, and Carissa.  After the villages we all headed to Jane’s House and visited the orphans.  The time we spent with the orphans was great and all of us had a lot of fun teaching the kids songs and different games.  After the orphanage we came back to the hotel and ate dinner and then our girls got fitted for some Indian dresses by a tailor that we had come to the hotel.  Now we are heading to bed.  Each night after dinner everyone is pretty tired and sleep is everyones friend.

Pastor Ben

Full day of Evangelism Day #2 Full day of evangelism Day #2

Posted: August 13th, 2009

Today all of our teams went to villages for the entire day.  We left the hotel in the morning and shared in villages until we came back to the hotel around 6pm.  At dinner tonight we spent time sharing stories of amazing things the Lord did today.  All together our groups shared in 25 different locations and 958 people made decisions to follow Christ.  That 958 is made up of 693 adults and 265 children.  These numbers are absolutely amazing and we are all very excited to see what God is doing here in Nellore and amazed that God would use us in this way.  One really cool thing that happened today is one of our hired van drivers accepted Christ today.  He was a Muslim man who has been hearing the gospel at the locations he drives us to and he finally made the decision to give his life to the Lord.  Amazing!

End of Day #1

Posted: August 12th, 2009

It’s 11:45 pm and I am writing to update all of you on what has happened on our first day in Nellore.  After some shopping this morning for Indian dresses and other pieces of clothing we all ate lunch and prepared for our first HALF day of evangelism in the villages.  We divided into five groups and each group loaded a van with a driver, a translator and two local pastors.  Each group has amazing things to share, but the basic outcome of the afternoon was 9 villages contacted and 504 people prayed with us to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  We are all totally amazed at the power of the Holy Spirit and the peoples’ response to his Gospel.  Beside sharing testimonies and the Gospel we had the opportunity to pray for many people who were hurting and wanting us to pray for them.  God did some incredible things in just four or five hours.  The team is so excited but also extremely exhausted.  Please pray that God would give us great rest tonight as we sleep.  Tomorrow will be a full day of evangelism in the villages. Heading to bed! Pastor Ben

India Team Day #1

Posted: August 12th, 2009

Hello praying friends,

Today is the first day of field ministry for the team in India.  They had a quick night’s rest and are up now and soon ready for what God has in store for them today.  Would you take a moment right now and pray that they team feels refreshed, focused, and ready to share the Gospel with those who have never heard.  They will be driving out to remote villages, where village pastors have been praying for each person in the village and asking Him to open doors of opportunity.  Please pray for the centuries of idol worship to come to an end in these villages and that entire villages would trust in Christ.

Thanks so much for your continued prayers and I will update you on the day when I hear word in tomorrow.

“Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other.”  Isaiah 45:22

Blessings,
Jane Rodriguez
Jane’s House

India Team Arrived in Chennai

Posted: August 11th, 2009

Hello praying friends,

Just got word from Tony the team arrived safely in Chennai, India.  They all were getting into a van to make the 3 1/2 hour travel to the hotel in Nellore that will be their hub for village ministry.  Tony said everyone is in good health, happy, and as rested as possible.

Thanks for your prayers.  The team will rest for the night at the hotel and then have their first day of field ministry.  They will be going out to remote villages where Jesus is unknown and share the hope of Christ.  Please continue to pray that God would soften hearts of those who will be hearing the Gospel message, that God would go before the team, and for safe travels.

As always we appreciate your fervent prayers.  “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”  James 5:16b

Blessings,
Jane Rodriguez
Jane’s House

India Team in the Air over South China Sea

Posted: August 11th, 2009

Hello praying family and friends,

Just got word from Tony.  They will land in Kuala Lumpur in about 4 hours.  There they will stay in a transit hotel and then fly out from there after a 9 hour layover and then a four hour flight to India.  Tony said there was quite a bit of turbulence flying into Taipei because of the typhoon that just went through there.  But everyone was a able to get some rest and practice their Gospel sharing.

Please pray for boldness with humility for the team while they share the hope of Christ this week.  Thank you for your prayers!!!  And thanks for all your encouraging emails too.

Blessings,
Jane Rodriguez
Jane’s House

In Taipei

Posted: August 10th, 2009

It is 7:12 in Taipei and we are about to board the plane again for another 4 hour flight to Kuala Lumpur.  We are all doing fine.  Long flights seem to really take it out of everyone.  Pastor Ben had a great sleep aid and does not remember much about the flight.  We are all getting along well and are working to keep it that way. Please continue to pray for us during our continued travel.

Pastor Ben