Out of the Ashes

This past Sunday the churches within our area collaborated for a group Christmas service. It was amazing to see so many followers come together to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. Since starting our own house church 2 years ago, I have had little contact with the children I used to counsel and disciple at the children’s home that was connected to our old church. This Sunday I had the joy to see many of them again. Some of them have moved to different cities for college and high school, but even they were home for winter break and the holidays. It was such a joy to see how they have grown and to catch up with them.  My heart melted at the idea of them coming “home”, having a place to call “home”, and people who love them dearly. To watch the joy in a child’s eyes and to see them respond to your love knowing they are truly loved by you is a beautiful thing. The change in their lives and their knowledge of being accepted and loved is a visible difference from when these boys first...

(Photo credit: Google) Yesterday we drove past a huddle of three little street girls crouching down on the side of the road around a pile of collected trash. We live just past an area that is known for trash pickers and what we would consider as Westerners in America to be homeless families. As I looked closer, I realized these little girls were eating any of the remains they could find hidden within the wrappers of someone else’s trash. I thought I should stop and take them to get something proper to eat. Isn’t that what Christ would do? Fearful of being accused to be a Mi$$ion.@ry in the sight of anyone who saw me help these girls, I kept on driving past them. Later a deep conviction welled up in my heart.  Just that morning I had read in my devotion time about how faithful our God is. It’s all throughout scripture. I had been reflecting on His ability to defend me in the face of the hardship and trials currently happening with the H1ndu Fund2mentalists in our area....

Maybe you have been reading my blogs for sometime. You might recall some posts entitled  Lessons from the Lounge Chair that I wrote back when my heart condition started in 2016. In every season of hardship or discomfort there are lessons to be learned, and I often find for me I can only seem to learn lessons in those seasons. I wish it was in the simple classroom of “other’s experience and listening” that I could learn, but God knows best. He knows my temperament and my need. He knows what I need to really learn His truth and the lessons of life.  This past week Hadessah was admitted to the local hospital for a bacteria infection. Of course the fact that my 4 month old was sick with blood in her stool and in an Indian hospital was scary. The hospital we admitted her to has an amazing doctor who is a believer and gives amazing care, yet it’s backwards infrastructure still exists where the nurses don’t wear gloves and there is no soap in the bathrooms. Fighting fear se...

An interesting thing about Indians is that often when they become believers, they give their whole lives to follow Jesus, and often become radical followers for His namesake. Too often, they give up their families, their culture, their rights, their name, their reputation, and more. They become victims of persecution; yet have such deep faith to pursue their walk with the Lord despite all costs. It’s truly convicting as an American who very rarely faces any sort of persecution. Indian believers’ lives become about the fame of Jesus not about their own lives or wellbeing.  The famous song, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” originated out of India, and the story of a man’s surrender of his life and family to the Lord.  The short but very powerful testimony can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mLC2XAXKac It takes a courageous and strong person to choose to decide to follow Jesus here. The city we live in is known for where the Baptism of the H...

You may have noticed there haven’t been many blogs in the last year. I had, for all intents and purposes, stopped writing. Even this post I debated how to word and if I should post it at all. The last year has been hard.  All of us have experienced highs and lows in life. The mountain tops of bliss and joy, and the desert valleys of hardship and pain. There isn’t one of us that is immune to these terrains of life.  The physical terrain of the mountains and valleys in India often remind me of our journey in life. Climbing long trails for hours at steep elevations can feel exhausting and impossible at times. I have been on treks where I wondered if I could keep going or if I could make it home. I have also experienced the breathtaking wonder of God’s creation at the top of the mountain and the taste of victory of having “pressed through”. The valleys actually have a beauty all their own and are often worth the trek both down and up the mountain, though it can be a ...