Family Radio Mission to Punjab, India
February 5 – 19, 2007
LETTER #1
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ. Thursday, February 8, was our first full day of operation. After having been provided with restful sleep and a sumptuous breakfast, by God's grace, we had a mini conference to take care of housekeeping details and team assignments. Yesterday we had sorted out all the Punjabi tracts and bibles, which thankfully were there upon our arrival, as well as the English tracts, bibles and other literature, making them easily accessible for the commencement of our assignment. Three teams were identified to discharge the tract distribution responsibilities for the duration of the trip (one team with 4 ambassadors, and 2 teams with 3 each).
The locations to which the teams went were within a half hour ride of the city limits, by taxi or the ubiquitous auto rickshaws. One team went to a bustling Bus Station that services ten major cities in the state of Punjab. Another team went to a railway station outside of which are many markets and shops and a lot of pedestrian traffic, making for a hive of activity. The remaining team went to a High School and a College and University complex, where, by God's providence there were many students, teachers and faculty, being that they are in the middle of their school semester. The following are snippets of reception guage at these various locations.
One team leader reports: Our first full day of sharing "Does God Love You?" tracts in the bustling city of Amritsar, India was truly wonderful. We prayed for guidance and a good solid day of getting into the market place to share the Word of the Lord with as many people as possible and the Lord certainly answered our prayers. We started our day at busy railway station with many people coming into and leaving the city and there was also much commercial traffic as a result of the many goods that are transported by rail into Amritsar. We were amazed at the remarkably good reception of the tracts, considering that a large percentage of the population is either Hindu or Muslim.
After sharing the gospel tracts at the railway station, we moved out onto the busy streets and the reception continued to be good with many people coming up to us to get a tract. We thought that it was just out of curiosity, however, many times we saw the people returning to discuss the tract with others that had earlier received and read the message. Many times we were surrounded, not with angry Hindus/Muslims that were offended by the gospel of Christ, but with people who wanted to know more, or who wanted additional tracts for family and friends in their villages. The good reception lightened our hearts, knowing that the Lord was with us and had opened the hearts of these dear people to receive His Word. Our Lord's will be done. O Magnify the Lord!
An ambassador from another team has this to say: The morning was very foggy, but later, with the heat of the sun's rays the fog burnt off and made for a very cool day (about 65 degrees Fahrenheit) and very conducive to tract distribution. On the half hour ride to the Bus Station, we noticed the many buildings that were in different phases of construction, malls and shopping plazas going up here and there. History has it that Amritsar in not only the oldest city of India but perhaps one of the oldest cities in the world and the architectural infrastructure certainly attests to this. Traffic was practically a maze with the rickshaw drivers who could virtually turn on a dime, weaving in and out of the traffic with "hair raising, heart thumping" skill.
The team arrived at the location about 10.00 am and apparently the rush hour traffic had dissipated, however, there was still enough people around, to whom we were privileged to distribute the true gospel of grace. At the beginning, the reception was slow, the people looking in askance at the ambassadors as if to say "Are you from another planet?" Our t shirts and hats with the typical FR logo, in English, certainly did make us conspicuous. There are many of the Sikh religion in Amritsar, given that the Golden Temple, their shrine and major place of worship is domiciled in this city. Thus, over 75% of the people we saw were in their turbaned headgear and some with curved swords in their waistband. It seemed a formidable sight and though inwardly we were a bit tense (the atmosphere certainly lent itself to that), the Scripture "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" Hebrews 13:5, came to mind and we were comforted.
The day progressed with moderate reception, with quite a few people, at first, refusing the tracts (unexpectedly the women were more resistant), perhaps because they were too intent on getting to their destination. But later, after they saw others standing around reading, some would make an about turn and come back for a tract. Even though communication with these people was very limited because of the language barrier, we were nonetheless able to witness to a few of them because they spoke English and they even asked for the English tracts maybe to compare or to improve their English language capability. With pockets of people surrounding us (not in a hostile manner) to discuss some aspect of the tract and get more literature, this may have peaked the curiosity of others and so the distribution increased. One individual, whose interest might have been aroused, was a 19 year old owner of a men's clothing store, and a devout Sikh, given that he was on his way to the temple supposedly for his daily ritual/worship. He engaged the team leader in discussion and even assisted us in finding locations within the Bus Station where we were likely to find crowds. He stayed with us for a long while and we invited him to the Bible Study. The team had lunch break at the Hotel returned to the same location to capture the afternoon rush hour traffic as people took buses back to their respective cities. The reception rate increased a little and overall was about 60 65%, but thankfully, the discard rate was minimal.
The team with the School University assignment took mostly English tracts and literature on to their assignment and reported that in one college they were denied entry but were able to stand outside and distribute and were successful, the people greeting them with friendly smiles and engaging in conversation because for one thing, they were fluent in English and also they were more culturally exposed so a different gospel from that in which they were indoctrinated, was not surprising to them. The ambassadors were able to gain entrance to the other college and shared the true gospel with the faculty and in the classrooms and the real friendliness of the people was still evident. The reception was similar in the afternoon at the High School, all praise and thanks to God for His hand of mercy in preparing the hearts of the people. And, after the storm of yesterday's disappointment, today's response was a breath of fresh air, the dawn of a new day.
By the evening, after a reasonably productive day, everyone was tired, still feeling the effects of jet lag. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the evening activities were reversed. We first had the Bible Study, at which two Amritsar residents were in attendance (one being the 19 year old clothing store owner). Our Group Leader conducted the session, discussing some of the questions, answers and scriptures on the "Does God Love You?" tract. We then had a leisurely dinner, including our two guests, and everyone retired for the evening.
For the most part, our first full day was relatively productive, with the tracts traveling across the state of Punjab on the various buses and railways. We pray that many of them are His elect sheep and that they will come to know the True Gospel of Salvation and may a rich harvest be had from our puny efforts.
All praise and thanks to God "for His wonderful works to the children of men" Psalm 107:8. We continue to beseech the brethren for their prayers for safety and courage as we carry out the Great Commission.
"For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." (Galatians 1:10)
In Christian love,
The FR Mission Group in Punjab, India.
LETTER #2
"O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day." (Psalms 119:97)
Friday, February 9, 2007. This was our second full day of tract distribution in this bustling city of Amritsar. We continued our efforts by visiting some of the many markets and shopping areas around the city and hospitals.
One team leader got sick from inhaling the pungent fumes from a sewage system located nearby the area where he worked yesterday, and so he was not able to go on duty today (but he was much better in the evening, by God's providence). The rest of his team set out on foot, distributing tracts at several busy locations within close proximity of the Hotel, and reported as follows. There were enough pedestrian and vehicular traffic to make for a very successful day for sharing the "words of life" to these dear people. Many were interested, receptive and showed reverence for the Bible and we met quite a few people, of all ages (more young than old) that professed Christianity. One young woman on staff at our hotel was very proud to confess that she too is a Christian, and an ambassador witnessed to her.
Another team went to a very busy market place in the downtown of Amritsar where the reception was much improved, compared to yesterday, perhaps because the word had gotten around. So good was the response that while we were weaving in and out of the traffic to share the tracts with the auto and manual rickshaw drivers and their occupants, and bicyclists and motor cyclists, as they stopped at the few traffic lights in the city, there would be some pedestrian tapping you on the shoulder to ask for a tract. We discovered that quite a few of the people were out of towners and did not understand the Punjabi language, and the alternate request would be for either Hindi, Urdu or even English. Thankfully, we were able to fulfill many of these requests. In the afternoon we went to another market place which was a few blocks away from the Golden Temple. Many tourists were on their way to visit the shrine, some Englishmen, a few Americans of Indian descent, and even two Australians. It was wonderful to see the even these sometimes spiritually nonchalant Westerners were receptive to the "the word to truth". One man said he lives in Houston, Texas and knows of Family Radio and though he knew Punjabi, so proud was he of his English that he said "I don't want the Punjabi tract, give me the English tract. It was a real blessing to witness such patriotism. May it be that the Lord would work on this man's heart that he might be a "soldier for the Gospel of Christ". The afternoon ended on a very successful note and the team felt happy that they were able to distribute many tracts, some bibles and other literature. We were also glad to be able to respond to the continual questions "What is this and why are you here? by saying "This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are here to warn you that He is coming back soon to judge the world. Are you ready to to meet Him?"
The remaining team visited four of Amritsar's main hospitals and this is their report. We rented a taxicab for the day, making it easy to load up with four boxes of Punjabi bibles and about 10,000 tracts. Though we were not able to get into the hospitals, by God's mercy, the Hospital Administration allowed us to witness the word on their grounds. As we distributed to the steady flow of traffic in and out of the hospitals, many times others would approach us wanting tracts and bibles. We discovered that we could stay in one location and as word spread as to the nature of the tract and the availability of bibles in the native Punjabi language, people were gravitating towards us for the Word of Grace. One woman came from the hospital's waiting room and requested a bible for her mother in law who was still inside. We could see through the window I saw that immediately the mother in law started reading her new bible. We witnessed this wonderful sight (people avidly reading the tract and the bibles) many times during the course of the day. Could it be that those whom we saw voraciously partaking of this bread of life are among that "great multitude that no man can number" Revelation 7:9.
With the myriad vehicular traffic on the busy streets around these hospitals, naturally there were many traffic jams, and this provided ample opportunity for placing this precious gospel in the many outstretched hands, many perhaps out of curiosity, but thankfully, they are responding favorably to the free gospel of grace that is now in the palm of their hands a tract and a bible. We would like thank the many FR listeners who continue to contribute to the purchase of bibles for these mission trips. To see these dear people receive these precious gifts with such sincere gratitude is such a great blessing.
Tonight we had four guests at our Bible Study and praise the Lord, the 19 year old Sikh was from yesterday, was again in attendance. All praise to God that He has condescended to give us His wonderful words of life. Also we are indeed thankful to all who have lifted us up in prayers and implore you for continued prayers. "Now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with continued great joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen Jude 1:24 25.
O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble
In Christian love,
The FR Mission Group in Punjab, India.
LETTER #3
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." (1 John 5:13)
Saturday, February 10, 2007.Today is our last full day in Amritsar, India. It rained all night last night and unto this morning so we all had a very late start around 10.00 am and this worked well for us, given that the markets and places of business do not open until around 10.30 am. The events of the day follow.
One team took a taxi intending to go to a different market in the downtown area, but given that things were a bit slow there, we walked a little further up the street, a main thoroughfare with many stores, shops and eateries. By God's providence we landed at the entrance of a "Girls College" which apparently has a very large population (we were not allowed entrance into the complex). We stood on both corners of the very busy street and were able to capture the attention of the many women and teenage girls (the majority of them maneuvering their motor scooters and motorcycles with unbelievable dexterity in the labyrinth of traffic. The distribution progressed at a steady pace until two ambassadors were surrounded by about ten mendicants, most of them little girls and this was impeding their progress and became bothersome to the students entering the exiting the College, so much so, that the guard at the gate asked us to leave. Strange enough, the ubiquitous rickshaw was not in sight so we walked back a few blocks and was able to find one and asked him to take us to a place where there were many people and he took us to a large intersection called the Gandhi Gate one of the major entrances to the Golden Temple. We stood at this busy intersection for about 45 minutes and then it began to rain, and was decidedly not conducive to tract distribution, so we came back to the hotel. Our team leader had engaged the rickshaw driver in conversation and as it turns out, he is a professing Christian, had received a tract the day before, and so grateful was he to be of service to us, that he did not charge us for the ride. We gave him a bible and invited him to the Bible Study.
After lunch, as the rain ceased, we returned to the Gandhi Gate location. Though very cold and bleak, we nonetheless braved the weather and had a very productive afternoon sharing the Gospel of Salvation. We praise the Lord for facilitating our efforts by making these dear people wonderfully receptive.
In Amritsar, as in all of India, Saturday is a school day and another team went to a busy intersection adjacent to a Girls School. The students of this school were the main segment for the team's distribution efforts, the others being people of all walks of life, from rickshaw drivers to businessmen and professionals. The sharing of the true gospel progressed nicely until this team as well, was hampered by the rain, and returned to the hotel. In the afternoon, they went to a local family oriented park where people engaged in various recreational activities. The reception continued to be great, with the students always asking for English tracts, and very few tracts were discarded.
Another team leader had this to say: Today we went 18 kilometers (about 11 miles) outside of Amritsar to a large modern hospital and the Administration was kind enough to allow us to share tracts and bibles in the Punjabi language, on the premises. On the way back to town, we came upon a drum band in action and decided to stop upon seeing a sizable crowd, always an appealing sight to us missionaries. We found out it was a wedding and shared our tracts and materials with these people, recognizing that they too needed the only gospel that would allow them to be present at that great wedding feast of the Bride and the Lamb.
Continuing on, we came to a heavily trafficked crossroad and where there were a lot of street vendors. We were having a wonderful time sharing but then the rains came and our efforts became counter productive (tracts getting too wet and ink smeared to be of any use), so we dejectedly left the scene. After traveling a few kilometers on our way back to the hotel, we were in the midst of a huge traffic backup, only to find, by God's providence, that it was a large middle school dismissing their students for the day, and parents picking them up. Besides these school children and their parents, there were scores of people who were caught in the traffic jam, thus this provided wonderful opportunity for tract distribution and we most definitely grabbed at it. Our English tracts went like hot cakes, this being the preference of the students. Despite the dismal weather, this turned out to be a very glorious day one that could not have been better if we (mankind) had planned it, but thankfully, God is in control and everything occurs in the fullness of His timing, and all to His glory. The loving kindness of our Lord towards us on these mission trips never ceases and we pray that God would bless those that receive these tracts with His Salvation, in accordance with His will. And here Psalm 150:6 comes to mind "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord".
Tonight is our last night in Amritsar, and we had 10 attendees (including the 19 year old Sikh friend) at our Bible Study. We had a wonderful time praising the Lord and studying His Word and the visitors were very attentive and thanked us for coming across continents to their state/country to bring the Gospel of Redemption and Reconciliation. They took many Punjabi tracts and FR literature to distribute to their family and friends. May it be that our Lord would raise some of them up to continue the work that was started here by our tract distribution efforts, and may a multitude of His lost sheep be found in their midst and brought into the Fold of God.
Everyone retired to bed and/or to pack because we leave Amritsar after breakfast tomorrow morning to take a 3 hour bus drive to the next stop which is Jalandhar. We covet the prayers of the FR listeners for traveling mercies and we again praise and thank the Lord His goodness towards us. "Great is thy faithfulness".
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24)
In Christian love,
The FR Mission Group in Punjab, India.
LETTER #4
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Sunday, February 11, 2007. O Magnify the Lord, for He is worthy to be praised!
After a good night's sleep and packing, we were now ready to continue on to our next stop, Jalandhar, India. The bus crew as well as the hotel staff loaded the bus with our tracts, bibles and other materials, and our luggage, then we had breakfast. After prayers of thanks for the surprising and overwhelming success of our distribution efforts here, and requesting that God would prepare the people of Jalandhar to receive us with open hearts and hands, we started our three hour journey to the Kamal Hotel. The weather was not too favorable (it was raining cats and dogs) but we were joyful, knowing that "the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork" Psalm 19:1.
The rains continued along the way so we were able to share tracts at only one stop. However, we were thankful that this precious gospel was made available to the people of this village, who otherwise would have no means of hearing about Christ our Savior and His abounding mercies towards His elect, who undoubtedly could be amongst these people, since God is not a respecter of persons.
We arrived safely at the Hotel, got settled in our rooms, and then were treated to an absolutely delightful lunch, from a very gracious hotel staff, providing service "par excellence". Given that it was still raining heavily, tract distribution was not possible for today, thus everyone returned to their rooms for private bible study and devotion, to feast on the spiritual food that, in general is very necessary, but more particularly today, since it was the Lord's day.
From 6.00 to 7.00 pm we had our Fellowship Hour. We prayed, participated in the "singing of psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, making melody in our hearts to the Lord (Ephesians 5:18), and read and discussed Scriptures. We had dinner a light fare, and retired for an evening of rest, praying for a good night's sleep so that we would be re energized to start our first full day of work in Jalandhar, by God's grace.
At the day's end, one cannot help but marvel at God's magnificent beneficence to the children of men and the scripture that comes into sharp focus is: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" I Corinthians 2:9. What a mighty God we serve!
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
In Christian love,
The FR Mission Group in Punjab, India.
LETTER #5
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1)
Monday, February 12, 2007. "Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits" Psalm 103:1 2.
Today is our first full day in Jalandhar, a small town, by Indian standards, with a population of about 600,000 people. All last night it rained so we were wondering if the rains would let up to allow us the opportunity to witness the Word in this city where there is a paucity of the precious "gospel of Christ which is the power of God unto Salvation to everyone that believes" Romans 1:16. By God's providence the sun peaked through the clouds and got brighter by the minute, even though it was unusually cold, as most of the natives indicated. In fact, there was a guest at the hotel who is on vacation from Great Britain and who remarked concernedly that the anomalous weather can be attributed to global warming and that the nations of the world should pay heed and try to rectify the situation. One ambassador seized upon the witnessing opportunity that was presented by letting this man know that global warming is the least of mankind's problem. The ambassador told him that the world is preoccupied with natural disasters and terrorism and is totally oblivious to the catastrophe of cataclysmic proportions that is perilously close that is the return of Jesus Christ in judgment on the world. The ambassador also told the hotel guest that the reason for the group's visit to his hometown is to warn them of this ultimate terror and to provide them with a way out the Gospel of Salvation, Redemption and Reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Thankfully, he listened attentively, showing keen interest. He indicated that he is grateful that the group has come to publish the gospel to his countrymen.
The teams went to a hospital and various markets and following are the reports of the day's activities. One team took a manually powered rickshaw a two seater contraption which the unaccustomed female ambassadors had great difficulty in maneuvering. Finally, after various attempts we got seated and were on our way to the market place. Surprisingly, there was not much activity at the market place so we stood at different corners of a moderately busy intersection and distributed our tracts to all who were not too preoccupied with getting to their destination. Some stopped with outstretched hands to receive a tract and we were also able to distribute to the pedestrian traffic. We stayed at the location for about 90 minutes, and decided to go somewhere else, with the Lord's guidance. Not very thrilled with the ride in the manual rickshaw, we looked around for an auto rickshaw but that seemed to be a scare commodity in. (Apparently the manual rickshaws have the monopoly in the transportation sector of this community, making them the primary mode of public transportation). After waiting a while (but still sharing the gospel with passers by, and even witnessing to some who stopped to find out what we are doing), we found an auto rickshaw and asked him to take us to another busy intersection that we had seen on the way to the market. This turned out to be a veritable fount of opportunities which considerably improved our distribution efforts. This intersection, we are told is the busiest in India (if not the world), traffic comes from five different arteries; there are no lanes, so the rickshaws, motorcycles, motor scooters, bicycles and cars all go their merry way, virtually ignoring the traffic signals and they all contribute to the cacophony of sound, sufficient to get one confused. And there, in the midst of this maze, is a Caucasian Englishman wearing the garb of Traffic Security Officer, and commanding the drivers/riders to obedience to the traffic signals (given that there are many fatal accidents at these crossroads). An ambassador witnessed with this traffic official and in fact, by his efforts at maintaining a smooth flow at this intersection, we were able to share all but a few of our tracts. All praise and thanks to God for providing such a blessed opportunity.
Another team went to a hospital and, notwithstanding that they were not able to go in the building, the steady flow of traffic in and out of the hospital, and the good reception made for a very productive day of sharing the words of life with the people of Jalandhar.
The remaining team was at another busy intersection in the city and had similar results as the first team. The team leader remarks that India is truly an amazing country and that he is struck by the pleasant nature of the people who respond with smiles and handshakes when they are told that the tracts are about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The team leader continues we find that many of the natives have not heard of Jesus and are confused about this gospel of God's impending judgment on mankind and the Salvation that is in Christ. He also notes that many people can speak rudimentary English but in the hustle and bustle of the busy areas, the most that can be done is to point them to the very important information on the tract. We pray that in these last days, and by the mercy of God, many would be brought to the truth about eternal life that could be found only in Jesus Christ.
As an aside, our tract distribution efforts are not confined to people, but animals are also included. One ambassador had the thrill of sharing a tract with an elephant. The elephant and his rider came down one of the busy streets and up close to the ambassador who handed the tract to the elephant and with his trunk he gently took the tract and lifted it overhead to his rider a Kodak moment.
A wonderful surprise awaited us at our Bible Study tonight. A dozen people attended, including a female politician and a male lawyer. And, in spite of the language limitations, we were able to provide them with a message of hope. We have discovered that though as nations we are culturally different, nevertheless we are all the same, and have the same need the Salvation of Jesus Christ. Additionally, we have seen the hand of God at work in the hearts of these dear people, making them, notwithstanding their initial apprehension, very receptive to the true gospel of grace, and seeking to satisfy their spiritual hunger. This brings to mind an irresistible anecdote as follows: On the second night of our mission trip after our bible study a male ambassador had gone for a walk around the grounds, taking in some of the crisp night air. At about 9.00 pm he went to his room to retire for the night. He stated that perhaps he dozed for only about 45 minutes when he was aroused by a loud pounding on his door. He came to the door and asked, "Who is there?" and the reply was, "We have come to investigate the pamphlets that you are distributing". In trepidation, he opened the door, thinking, by the use of the word "investigate", that they were the police. And by God's providence, he did have some tracts in his room so he gave some to the "officials". As it turned out, these "supposed officials" had heard about the mission group from one of the attendees at the Bible Study and some of them had even received English tracts earlier in the day and, wonderfully, all they wanted was to get some more literature. By God's intervention, our Indian contact (now considered a group member and who is in charge of the tract room) was passing by the ambassador's room so he and the ambassador took the officials to the room and gave them all the literature and bibles and Punjabi tracts they needed for themselves and their family and friends. They left the hotel with smiles all across their faces, joyful and elated because of the powerful gospel they had right in the palm of their hands.
What a tremendous blessing and again we see how God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. We pray that these people too may become new creatures in Christ, in accordance with His will. "O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good; for His mercy endures forever" I Chronicles 16:34.
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." (Joshua 1:8)
In Christian love,
The FR Mission Group in Punjab, India.
LETTER #6
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16 17) .
Tuesday, February 13, 2007. It is of the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness" Lamentations 3:22 23.
The inclement weather continued today and coupled with the fact that it is election day in all of Punjab state, so that businesses, offices and schools are all closed; we thought we would not be able to do any distribution today. Yet, we stepped out in faith, trusting the Lord to lead us to pockets of people, who, despite their total involvement in secular activities, are still in desperate need of the life giving message that God has entrusted to us and has commissioned us to declare and preach to all the world.
We rented taxis for the day in order to keep the tracts and other materials dry while we continued sharing the true gospel of grace on this rainy day. One team went to a school that operated as a polling station, however, to prevent the people from thinking that we are distributing political propaganda, we did not go on the school premises but stood outside on the street, sharing tracts in between the rain drops and taking shelter under the awnings of the little shops that lined the street, when the downpours came. One ambassador had engaged three teenagers in conversation and they were gracious enough take turns holding the umbrella over her head (primarily to keep the tracts dry) while she continued her distribution efforts.
We were able to form a triangle around the polling station, one ambassador getting the pedestrians and cyclists from one end of the street and another from the opposite end, while the remaining ambassador concentrated on the people in the cars and all those who were leaving the polling station. Per one ambassador: As I was working, I had approached a man who was standing outside the gate to his home to give him a tract, but he refused. Other pedestrians, cyclists and manual rickshaw drivers (auto rickshaws are not allowed on this thoroughfare) passed by and took tracts. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the man sending his son to get a tract. The boy gave the tract to his father and I saw him reading it. About a half hour later the man came over to me and said in perfect English "I congratulate you on this wonderful job that you are doing". He said, "I am not watching the people going to the polling station, I am observing you and I thank you for bringing this message to our people". I told him that it is our responsibility to warn the world that Jesus Christ is coming back soon to judge the world and that the only ray of hope is the gospel of Salvation. He nodded as if in agreement and he left.
The Punjabi people are gracious hosts and they were providing us with hot tea, a sign of their hospitality and gratitude. We welcomed the tea because it kept us warm while were continued our job of sharing the gospel. After about two and a half hours, the security guard at the gate told the team leader not to stand inside the gate, but on the street. Anyway, by this time the pollsters were down to a trickle, therefore we came back to the hotel for food and warmth, and to change out of our wet clothing.
After lunch, we got back into our taxi (the driver waited while we had lunch) and went to a bus station trusting that we would again find enough people to facilitate our distribution efforts. Meanwhile, it was still raining, and to get to the covered walkway of the bus station, we practically waded through puddles of water and traversed a very muddy and seemingly treacherous footpath, but by God's mercy, we made it. The pedestrian flow was moderate, but by comparison, the reception was not commensurate, so we were able to distribute only a few bibles and about 600 tracts. Nevertheless, we are thankful and pray that the few people who accepted the tracts and bibles would be blessed with God's sovereign grace as He allows. After about two hours at this location, and seeing that it was dark and dismal, and we were cold and damp, we decided to return to the hotel.
Two teams went to the railway stations to share the tracts and bibles. The pace was slow at both stations, and the rains also hampered their progress. Nonetheless, they gave it their best efforts and are thankful that they were able to carry out our commission, despite the rains. One ambassador reports of a very wonderful encounter that lightened the otherwise dismal day. He says: While exploring out of the way areas of the railway station, I found a small room tucked away behind a gate. There were several men in the room sitting on wooden benches, wrapped in tattered blankets, trying to fight off the damp cold air attendant to this rainy day. I entered the room, announced myself, and said "I have the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Punjabi language". Given that they were poor beggars, I was surprised that they responded and they all took the tracts.
As I turned to leave, one man in the group approached, and speaking in excellent English, he asked my name and said his was Hassan. As Hassan put out his hand to accept the tract, I saw that all his fingers were missing and when I looked at his face, to tell him my name, I saw that his nose was also gone. But, the most amazing thing is that I did not see his deformities, but rather the light in his eyes, an apparent hunger for truth. Hassan asked me if I could give him a New Testament Bible. He said he wanted the gospel of Jesus Christ. I told him to wait and I will go to my backpack to get one. I came back and presented him with a Bible in the Punjabi language and told him it was both the Old and New Testament and that he could find Jesus Christ in the whole bible. Again the light in his eyes caught my attention as he thanked me and I was very glad that I did have a bible to give to him. Later, I found out that he was probably a leper, but I keep remembering that I was not repulsed by Hassan's disease, but rather was overjoyed at his gratitude for the gift of the gospel that I shared with him. At this juncture, the scripture verses of Psalm 103:1 4a come into conscious view "Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name ..."
During our time in Jalandhar, and more pronouncedly today, we note that the need for physical sustenance is very evident, practically tugging at one's heart strings. But we are thankful that, though we are but earthen vessels, God has entrusted us with the means that could most assuredly alleviate the famine of spiritual food in this part of the world that is, the true gospel of Salvation that accrues to eternal life. May our Lord do a mighty work of transformation in the lives of His elect here in Jalandhar, "delivering them from the power of darkness and translating them into the Kingdom of His dear Son" Colossians 1:13.
Notwithstanding the inclement weather, we had about 15 people at our Bible Study, including the lawyer from yesterday and surprisingly, the hotel guest from Great Britain to whom an ambassador had witnessed yesterday. It was indeed a blessing to hear them as they took turns to read scriptures from their Punjabi or English bibles, and watch them as they listened attentively to the explanation of some of these scriptures (our lawyer visitor, a best as he could, serving as translator). In addition, they sang a hymn for us in Punjabi, and it was a very beautiful rendition. We invited them to take tracts, bibles and other materials for their family and friends.
The evening ended on a spiritually blissful note, with all thanks and praise to God, who, by the responsiveness of these people, has helped us to grow in grace, calling to mind the scripture that says: "the fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honor is humility" Proverbs 15:33.
We retired for to bed and to prepare for our bus ride to the next stop Ludhiana. Again, our sincere gratitude to the listeners who have generously pooled their resources to provide for the purchase of bibles and materials for this trip and we beseech the brethren for prayers for health and strength as we continue our efforts on this mission trip, by God's mercy.
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." (John 14:21)
In Christian love,
The FR Mission Group in Punjab, India.
LETTER #7
"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." (John 15:7)
Wednesday, February 14, 2007. "Unto thee O Lord do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks for thy name is near, thy wondrous works declare" Psalm 75:1.
After a hearty breakfast, and prayers of thanksgiving to God for undergirding us with strength and for giving us the indomitable spirit to proceed, we loaded the bus and continued on to the next city, LUDHIANA. A little more than half the way between JALANDHAR and LUDHIANA, we saw a very large open air market, but because of the bus driver's schedule, we were not able to stop, but marked this market as a definite target for our distribution efforts in LUDHIANA. We arrived at the hotel in less time than was anticipated, which was a blessing in that we had more daylight for our mission work. Everyone got situated in their respective rooms, unpacked, had a light lunch, and was ready to test the temperature in the bustling areas around the hotel.
The inclement weather seemed to have followed us from JALANDHAR, because within 45 minutes of our distribution efforts, the rains started, but we looked upon this as showers of blessings and were undaunted. We took shelter until it stopped raining and wonderfully the sun came out and so did throngs of people.
At an extremely busy intersection a stone's throw from the hotel, we were able to conduct a bright business of sharing the Word of Truth with a largely receptive people (about 80 85%), and the hospitality of the Punjabi people remained evident, as they served us with the ever present hot tea, signifying their gratitude for our missionary efforts.
There were instances of hostility towards our presence as well as towards the gospel. One man remarked to an ambassador that today is Valentine's day and asked why we are bothering to do this kind of work. The ambassador told him that God does not care about Valentine's day, He is concerned about our sin sick souls and that is why the mission group is here to warn the people that Jesus Christ will return soon in judgment on all those who have not received His gifts of mercy and grace. Another man was very angry, saying to another ambassador that we are bringing Christianity to a nation where there are already four major religions. Such hostility is not altogether unexpected, but thankfully, these instances are few and far between. For the most part, the people are very pleasant and impressed with our efforts to pick up discarded tracts from the streets, and other places where the people had dropped them.
The day of distribution ended on a positive note, given that we were able to share approximately 8000 tracts and some bibles and other materials in the space of four hours. With plans for an early night, we had dinner, some time of fellowship with prayers, singing and scripture reading, and then we all retired for the night. We continue to beseech the FR listeners for their prayers and thank and praise God for His inestimable love and abounding mercies. "Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things. And blessed be His glorious name for ever and ever, and let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen Psalm 72:18 19.
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6 7)
In Christian love,
The FR Mission Group in Punjab, India.