India: A Land That I Love

Our six days in India rushed by and now we are sitting at the Hyderabad airport, waiting for a flight to Malaysia and from there, on to Manila where we will meet the team for the next Journey of Compassion.

I have loved India since I first came here in the 90’s when I traveled around the north with three Indian friends. In those days there was a popular song that was constantly being played, “I Love My India”. It became my theme song and in a strange sort of way, it has remained that way for all these years. I think this trip is my twelfth; and as always, India has not disappointed. I love the sights and sounds, the people, even the smells. A land like no other. India, this land of 1.2 billion people, is an ancient civilization. Again and again, invading empires have come to conquer her; instead they are simply absorbed. And today, one can see their influences: the Moguls, the Aryans, the British--each culture adding to the rich tapestry that is India.

This was our first trip to Visakhapatnam (the locals call it Vizak or Visag--I see it written both ways), the second largest city in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is in the north-east corner of the state. It sits between a series of large hills and the Indian Ocean. There are seemingly endless miles of sandy beaches. As always in India, the rich and the very poor co-exist almost right next to each other. Thousands of poor people live on the streets and along the railway tracks, living on the garbage that is dropped by others. We went out with Vince’s team one night with about 160 nutritious meals for some of these street people. Each meal was given with great care and love (they asked Christina and I to stay back and watch; otherwise our presence might lead to a huge crowd). Many received prayer--all received love. Many of these people will live their entire lives outdoors. Vince said that their life gets even more difficult once the monsoons start. These are people with no other options. Many die from malnutrition and disease. For almost all of them, this will be the only real meal they will eat until the next time Vince’s team can save enough money to go out again. They try to feed them a meal once every two or three weeks.

On Sunday, Christina and I had the privilege of dedicating the new meeting facility for Friends Meet Church. On new year’s day they believed that they would have a place to meet by February first. Beginning with this assurance and just $60, they moved ahead. Each day they gathered to pray for the money and the personnel to complete the job. Day by day the money came in as people gave sacrificially. A Christian contractor was found who worked for a very good rate (and even donated the ceiling as his gift to the project). By February 1st the structure was completed. As the ribbon was cut, a great shout rose up, then we all filed in for the first worship service. It was a night full of special songs, dances, skits, preaching, prayer and worship. A great time was had by all.

I had the opportunity to teach their leaders from many hours on Monday. They were inquisitive and attentive. I finally got tired, not them. I really enjoyed to opportunity to contribute to the excellent foundation that Vince and Nancy are establishing among these dedicated young men and women. I spent that evening with the men’s group. They had lots of challenging and well thought out questions for me to answer.

Tuesday was spent in the rural villages. We drove about 90 minutes from the city. As always in India, going into the villages is like stepping back in time. In most ways, life has not changed in hundreds of years (except for the ever-present cell phones!). Gandhi always said that the villages are the real India. There are over 600,000 villages in this country with 800,000,000 people living in them--that is 1/8 of the world’s population! We taught the church how to heal the sick (it is always hard for them to believe that God gives them authority to heal, not just the pastors--until healing breaks out in their midst.) We walked through some villages, preached the Gospel, saw men, women and children give their hearts to Jesus, and saw many people healed. As we were leaving the village, someone prayed for a woman who complained of five years of very foggy vision. She was totally and instantly healed which was very exciting for the villagers around her. We will be coming back to this particular village next January when we conduct a Journey of Compassion.

On Wednesday evening, Vince’s worship team set up a stage, lights and sound system in the middle of the most crowded neighborhood in Vizak. The sound system was very loud; no one for a half mile around could have missed it. I wondered what the response would be in this largely Hindu neighborhood. The people came. And they came. I guess there were about four or five hundred people singing, clapping (and some even dancing) as the team sang, did skits and choreography. After about 90 minutes Vince and I shared a simple message. Suddenly the presence of God came down on that street as people began to softly sing and pray in response to Him. It was a powerful experience.

It was a delight to be with Vince, Nancy, and their team. From the moment when we came out of the Vizak airport, surprised and delighted to be met by a huge welcoming committee, till the time came for us to leave, they expressed their great love and appreciation. Vince and Nancy are a wonderful young couple who constantly pay a price for their faith in the midst of opposition and sometimes hostility. Their faith is remarkable--and infectious. They are raising up a small army (about 80) of dedicated, courageous and faith-filled young people who are determined to reach not just their state, but their nation. Being with them this week was both exhilarating and humbling. The Lord has connected Impact Nations with so many wonderful men and women around the developing world. This really IS a great adventure.

So we say goodbye to India. I don’t know when we will next return, but I know that whenever the day comes, I will be a happy man.