From the Back Pew: Reflections Of India 2

Day 2

Details of the Day

Day 2 started with a breakfast at the hotel. There was no eggs and bacon, pancakes, waffles, or other typical hotel breakfast items. It was traditional India breakfast. Most of it consisted of various breads that you used to sop up the rice or chutney's offered. I tried several things and found that I enjoyed it, but over time I would find that I'd rather just eat some butter toast each morning. We got our day started with Sri who would be our driver and translator for the trip. We were to travel 3 hours outside the city to a village to do our first pastor's conference. We traveled the highway for quite a while and eventually ended up on some off beaten roads, not too unlike many in west Texas. We traveled for a distance and arrived at this little village. It was not quite what I expected it to be. The little church was clearly marked by the white building and little red crosses on it.

The pastor's conference was filled with worship, prayer, and of course preaching and teaching. I taught on the role of the pastor to be faithful to fulfill his ministry, Russ preached on our obedience to the Lord builds on our testimony, and Brett taught on basic biblical interpretation. We were received well and told it was a blessing to learn. Sri said he truly only expected about 10-15 pastors to be there, but in fact we had close to 60! We also had pastor's wives and a few church people too. The conference ended with a meal and fellowship. We were invited to stay in the pastor's home. It was quite cool and it was interesting to see how they lived. Of course they told a story of a time or two when a cobra could be found working it's way through the rafters. That was unnerving for a guy who is terrified of snakes. The structure to the left of the car was the pastor's home. I guess we didn't take any pictures inside.

We left from the village and made our way back toward the city. We stopped for a little snack and some chai. For those who don't know, chai means tea. So when we say chai tea, we saying tea twice. I didn't know that! But, the shop we stopped in was of a newer believer in the Lord. His wife was a believer, but this man was in a dark place. Sri believes there was even some demonic possession, but definitely influence. Through prayer and continued gospel moments, he became a believer! We stopped with the intention to pray for this couple and to encourage them in the Word. It was quite a beautiful moment to share with them. We got back near our hotel and was ready for dinner. We stopped at a Pizza Hut. It was pretty close to a taste of home. I savored it!

Fried pepper of some kind.

Chai is good, but I missed coffee

Reflections from Day 2

It happened all week, but I took notice on day 2, the way these believers prayed. First, they prayed for so much as if their lives depended upon it. Truly, it did. There was a young girl who had a heart condition that required surgery. The cost was too much and the parents were reserved to believe they would lose her. The pastors pushed for prayer and the Lord answered by provision for the right doctor to perform the surgery for a price that would be affordable. She is a miracle baby!

Even more, in worship I noticed they pray out loud almost exclusively. They pray loudly, with conviction, passion, and abandon. Even when prompted to confess sins in prayer, they pray out loud. There is not concern of what those around them might hear. I believe because they don't care. It is almost as if there is an understanding of the wretchedness of people in their sin. We all have it and it is all dealt with by the cross of Jesus. When they pray, even confessing their sins, it is truly a casting it upon the Lord. In America we seem to be apt to pray silently in our minds. Why? I wonder if it has something to do with the fact when we verbalize it and it becomes auditory it is out there. When we are silent it is still internal and sort of kept safe. I have found in my own quiet times, I have been speaking out loud when I pray more and it is helped me focus and to truly hear what I am saying. Publicly, I think we are afraid to pray out loud because we are so worried about others. What if they think I am a terrible pray-er? What if they hear my sin I just spoke of? What will they think about me? Dear reader, where is the focus then? It is on you or on others, not the Lord. Maybe the "effectiveness" of our prayers is hindered because we are afraid to pray without abandon and with true focus on the One who hears us and the One who truly matters in the conversation we carry with our Lord?