Big Update 2009-2010 (Pt 2)

Ever since Richard and I met 3 years ago, we have been eagerly waiting on God for His perfect timing regarding our marriage. There were some moments that we lost hope but, true to His unfailing word, after some deliverance in my personal life, we were finally married on 16, February 2010. There were two ceremonies: The first was a civil ceremony conducted in Chennai by a pastor who specializes in international marriages. The second was a church ceremony in Dindigul led by Lowell Smith and Richard’s brother Britto that same evening. It was a very, very long day, and one filled with much joy. Our family and friends in India who were there said they had never seen a bride smile at her wedding (Most brides are going into an arranged marriage and may have only met their groom once or twice before.). We did not have a traditional honeymoon as it was not in our finances, but we are praying that one day the Lord will provide for us to travel to Israel to experience the land where Jesus lived, died, and rose again.

Less than 2 months flew by and we were informed that even though we are married, because I am in India on a tourist visa I would be required to leave the country for a minimum of 2 months, as per a new law enacted a few months before. This was very frustrating—we are newly weds, just adjusting to life together and because we had not even begun to process any paperwork regarding a visa to the US for Richard, we would be forced to separate for that time. As upsetting as this was, we trusted that God knows what he is doing and in mid-April I travelled by myself to the US for what turned out to be 3 months. Richard and I kept in contact as well as we could given the time difference and his dying cell phone through emails and phone calls. And of course, we were able to see God’s hand in the whole thing.

When preparing to leave India, I realized I had miscalculated my original flight booked with British Airways. As my departure was so close, there were no seats available for any other flights and I was forced to purchase a one-way ticket on a different airline. There were only 2 flights available and I chose the one that had the least amount of layover time. What I learned after arriving in the US, is that all flights to/from London were being cancelled due to the volcanic plume coming from Iceland. As I was on a different airline, the flight pattern was lower and the airline was unaffected. After arriving in the US, I was very tired. This is normal because of jet lag and time differences. But a few weeks later, I found out that I was pregnant with Richard and my first child. This is a huge blessing, and something that we have been praying for earnestly since before our marriage.

To be continued...

Big Update 2009-2010 (Pt 1)

Much has happened in the past 2 years and the time has passed so quickly I (Julie) feel like it was only yesterday when Richard and I came back from the US in April 2009. Because of the pace we were moving in the ministry and because of a lack of internet access, I allowed writing updates or newsletters slide into oblivion. I was able to do very quick updates via Facebook by sending text message status updates; but I have sorely missed the communication with all of my friends and loved ones. Once more I have made myself the goal of writing updates on a more regular basis and now over a month has gone by since I first made that statement. It says in the book of James, “let your yes be yes, and your no be no.” So, I have chosen to press into this goal, ignore the lies from the enemy that are saying I am not a good writer and nobody wants to read my updates anyway, and I have sat down to write about some of the highlights of the past year. A good starting place is always at the beginning, and so in the tradition of the fairy tales...once upon a time…

Richard and I spent the first few months of 2009 in the US. It was his first time traveling such a far distance, though not the first time traveling internationally, as he visited Sri Lanka with me when I had to leave India for visa clearance the year before. He enjoyed the US, though he had a lot to get used to—namely the frigid cold of the US (and especially Minnesota—brrrrrr!) in winter and the fact that our roles were reversed and I became his driver. This was especially a big deal, because in India women drivers are the exception (hey guys, stop cheering). We had the opportunity to visit with family and friends in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Tennessee, and met many great brothers, sisters, and pastors in the churches and home schools where we were able to share about the ministry in India. It was truly a blessing to see God’s people at work in the US and also a blessing to experience the hospitality of believers. Richard was amazed by everything that he saw and we have some mighty strange pictures on the hard drive to prove it. Only when we were getting ready to travel back to India did he get to see that warm weather actually does occur in the US and that there are colorful flowers and green grass, too.

When we came back to India, we jumped right back into the ministry. The month of May is school break for the kids and we needed to prepare for the second annual Vacation Bible School program, our biggest children’s program of the year. Over 700 children attended the week-long program—themed “Come & Dine”— in our area alone. The year of ministry continued from there: daily village ministry, children’s ministry, Bible studies, prayer meetings, house visits, outreaches, etc. We also spent time visiting some of the native pastors in our surrounding areas to encourage them and offer them support. One of my favorite trips was to Kumbakonam to visit Ps. Samuel. He has a ministry among the gypsies in his area, which is a ministry near to my heart, and I was able to help give Jesus’ love to these forgotten people with eyes that could pierce the soul.

From October though December, I struggled with some health problems. Some how I contracted a Staph infection that resulted in two separate inter-muscular abscesses in my buttocks that had to be surgically cut out. Let me just say, “ouch." I can honestly say, that to-date, it was the most pain I have ever been in. I was on antibiotics for 3 months and my immune system was so exhausted that I had to avoid village ministry for a while so I wouldn’t get any of the illnesses of the people who need prayer. Then, around then same time, I got dengue fever, a mosquito-borne illness that lasts for 2-3 months and can only be treated with paracetemol. I survived it all, thanks to everyone who prayed for my health.

Being sick didn’t mean I was any less busy though. This past Christmas, Richard and I were put in charge of Christmas shopping for the children at the Homes of Compassion Orphange, where I have lived for that past 3 years. I enjoy shopping with the best of them, but Christmas shopping for 30+ children is something I have never had to do before. Needless to say, Christmas in India was an experience that I will never forget.

During this time, Richard traveled to Andhra Pradesh and the northern states of Orissa and Assam to visit some pastors and the ministries that are being conducted in those areas. Some of these pastors are friends from his Bible school and YWAM days and some of them are new friends in Christ just needing a bit of encouragement. The pastors he had the chance to meet in Orissa are living in areas that have faced much persecution in the past few years. Many of these pastors are living as refugees in the jungles and have many family members, both in blood and in spirit, who have lost their lives because of the hatred of Hindu extremists. One of Richard’s favorite testimonies of that time travelling is when he met the pastor of a tribal village in the hills of Orissa. The pastor became a believer, and though he faced persecution from his tribe, wanted to share the Gospel with everyone. After many years of no fruit, he had given up hope. The tribe, full of witch doctors, would not listen to him and beat him repeatedly. One day, while praying, he felt led to pray over the dead body of a woman villager. He went to her family’s home to pray and she was raised from the dead. The whole tribe came to know Jesus as their Savior, because they had witnessed first hand the power of the Lord. Hallelujah!

Richard came home tired, but very excited. However, about 2 weeks later, he began to experience high fevers and extreme stomach pain. He was diagnosed with typhoid and put on medicine, bed rest and a bread and water diet. He was obedient to the doctors orders and his mother knew all of the home remedies too, so he recovered fairly quickly. Again, thank you to all who prayed.

The enemy was on a mission to bring us down, though he did not succeed. Hallelujah! While both Richard and I were recovering from our illness, our beloved friend and grandmother passed away at the end of January. She had been sick too, though not with anything that we believed would lead to death. But after an unplanned visit to the hospital, her blood pressure dropped and she lapsed into a semi-comatose state. Together with native missionaries Rajesh and Stella (aka Susilla), Richard and I sang her into glory and she died with a smile on her face. It was a sad time for all of us, however we know that heaven is richer for her presence there, and the Lord is basking in her worship. Ambika had been a Hindu priestess who experienced Jesus’ love when everyone else had forsaken her, including her ‘gods’. After becoming a believer, she was healed of paralysis in her legs that began when she was hit by a vehicle, and began her life as native missionary and fervent prayer warrior. She used to tell us that if she didn’t visit at least one village and share the Gospel to at least one person everyday, should wouldn’t be able to sleep that night. She explained that for many years she did the work of the devil and she wanted to make sure that she worked just as hard winning souls for Jesus before her life was over. She is sorely missed.

In January, we learned of a miraculous testimony in our church. Stella, who had become a widow in November, is known for her gift of hospitality. She often invites homeless or sick people into her home to care for them. For Christmas, Richard and I gave her a large bag of staple foods that would normally last a single woman one month if supplemented with fresh vegetables, meats, eggs, and milk. Not surprisingly, a day later she invited a homeless family of 6 to stay with her until they were able to find another place to live. All but one of the family members are believers, but the husband was a Hindu who confessed to drinking too much alcohol and beating his wife and other believers he came across. While the family was staying with Stella, they witnessed first-hand the provision of God. The bag of food that should have lasted one person for one month, lasted 7 people for one month. This experience changed the husband’s heart and he accepted Jesus as his Savior. He was baptized with the name Elijah and we realized that the Lord did a modern day ‘Elijah and the Widow’ miracle in out village. Now they have a desire to help share the Gospel in the Vadipatti area.

To be continued...