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The trip to Punjab, India went smoothly without any health problems. The people were overjoyed that I had not forgotten them but returned to minister to them. They were encouraged to know that we are interested in their spiritual growth and willing to commit ourselves to discipling them. They are looking forward to next year already. In Ganeshpur I met with children (6-12 year olds) and taught Bible stories as well as played games. They were eager and would come straight after school each day. They could recite the Lord's prayer and the Ten Commandments. Each evening from 6:30-8:30 p.m. I held Bible studies. I would pick passages that addressed pertinent issues that faced them. I dealt with truths such as internal religion (Sermon on the Mount), suffering in the Christian life, personal devotions and the importance of the Bible, prayer in general and its abuse by faith healers. I also spent time teaching the Heidelberg Catechism. These Bible studies were well attended with about 15 people in attendance. The leaders were just as eager to learn. On Sundays and Thursdays that we were there we preached in the services. People came from the surrounding villages. The congregation numbered around 50 on Thursday morning services and about 70 on Sundays. We held one evangelistic meeting. There were about 450 people in attendance. The meeting went from about 11:00 a.m. to about 4:30 p.m. This included breakfast and dinner afterwards. The service lasted about 2 hours. There were three main speakers, including myself. I preached on the Transfiguration and stressed that Jesus is God incarnate and hence must be the only one we hear and obey. The second speaker preached on the Rich Young Ruler and stressed that salvation is an act of God and that man is unable to earn salvation. The third preacher stressed the need to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus. My cousin gave a testimony of how she came to faith. We conducted a Bible study in the home of a professional soccer player who had been converted. He lived in a village about 5 kilometers from the church. He is now attending the church in Ganeshpur. I conducted an evening Bible study in my father's village since five young men were attending the evening Bible studies at Ganeshpur. There were about 25-30 people that turned up. I am hopeful that in a few years time a church will be formed in Hakumatpur, the village that I was born in. I spent some time going around the villages and visiting all my uncles, aunts, and cousins. We were able to share the gospel and encourage those that believe. I visited a village about an hour away. There was a minister there who was from my home church in England. He had a small church in his village. We spent the day seeing the work and encouraging each other. We spoke about the spread of the gospel in Punjab in terms of the needs as well as the obstacles. He is a Reformed Baptist. I spent some time in pastoral work as some growing pains were hindering the work in Ganeshpur. One night I got to bed at 3:00 a.m. as I tried to reconcile two leading figures in the church. I also spoke at length with leaders in regard to the future of the ministry especially in regard to the influence of Pentecostalism, especially the stress on faith healing. I think some real progress was achieved. It became clear that we must begin to address the need to train young men for the ministry. There were about five young men that would be prime students. This year we will seek to lay out a plan to set up an informal Bible school in the villages. The work so far is concentrated on evangelism, church planting, and now theological training. We look to the Lord to open doors in these areas. A great big thanks to the church for granting me the time to be away. I know that many people have to work hard to cover for me. I am thankful for the prayer support as well as the financial help. I am thankful for the support of other churches of our denomination. I have already been contacted by the Calgary URC about support for next year. As we pray and plan for the work in Punjab, we must not forget the work that we have here in our own church. I am eager and excited to take up the pastoral work here in our midst. I am looking forward to young people making profession of faith, new families joining the church, and for all of us to grow in knowledge and love for the Lord, our Savior. |