“We had a wonderful and fruitful trip. It’s been a couple weeks since we have returned home and it feels good to be home after two weeks of traveling, teaching, and preaching.
Here is a summary of the trip and some of our thoughts after having some time to reflect
Trip summary
– There were 180+ believers trained in The Elijah Challenge
– At least 80 people healed of various ailments
– Aaron preached in front of more than 700 people
– We saw almost 100 new believers accept Christ
– We baptized 3 people at a graveyard
The harvest is plentiful…
In our time there, nearly 100 people accepted Christ! They responded to accepting Jesus as they witnessed and/or experienced healing and were told that the kingdom of God is near to them. However, there are still millions of Indian people who haven’t heard the gospel or the name Jesus. We need more workers!
What is church?
How we experience church on a typical Sunday in America was very different from the worship we experienced in India. Native instruments such as a harmonium, dholak, dhol, etc. and cultural dances are used to express their worship of our Holy God. The experience of worshiping God in a different way and tongue was encouraging for us to see as all nations will worship God in heaven.
Encouragements
As we felt encouraged to see the heartful worship of fellow believers in India, we also wanted to be an encouragement to them. We encouraged them that they have the same power and authority as believers in Christ. We are not special or closer to God in any way because we came from America.
Challenges
This trip stretched us both as we stepped into a new country and culture, doing things we don’t normally do. Not understanding the language or cultural cues and adjusting to their concept of time required a lot of flexibility at times. Preaching the gospel to crowds of people, ministering healing, and baptizing disciples were all new experiences.
Next steps
– Being proactive in looking for long-term opportunities wherever God calls us.
– Connecting with Indian churches and believers in Houston.
– Encouraging others at home to experience a new culture (food, church service, festival, etc.).
– Encourage believers to learn about the power and authority they have in Christ. If you’re interested, there’s a Training Event in Houston January 27-29, 2017 (Click on the link and scroll to the bottom for information).
Now for some of the interesting/fun things we experienced…
Fun India facts
– Pastors/leaders double up as worship leaders.
– Time is very flexible (Indian Standard Time is probably better known as Indian Stretchable Time). It is not necessary for things to start on time or for one to show up on time.
– Milk tea or masala chai (chai tea) and small snacks are always served to guests, no matter the inconvenience.
– Cows, dogs, goats, and pigs are everywhere.
– Haze and smoke are typically the weather forecast in most major cities.
– There are no trash bins. Trash is simply thrown on the side of the road.
– Christmas is celebrated with Christmas trees, caroling, gifts, and Santa masks (that were a little creepy).
– Chapati is part of a typical Indian meal and is very similar to a tortilla.
– Punjabis love to sing, dance and play drums.
– A motorbike is a typical family car.
Some funstatistics
– We flew on 9 different planes.
– We traveled for almost 80 hours (including layovers).
– We watched roughly 20 movies on the plane flights between the two of us.
– We stayed in 5 different hotels.
– A two-lane road in India typically fits 3 cars, 2 motorbikes, 2 rickshaws, a couple bicycles and pedestrians, and a cow here or there all going in various directions.”
First leg of their mission trip in Punjab
Second leg of their trip in the state of Assam
Their 4-minute India trip music video