God speaks even through mosquitoes...

Why not? He spoke through a donkey, didn't he? Okay, I didn't hear a mosquito buzz in my ears with profound words of insight. But, the Holy Spirit did as I reflected on my acquired skill in catching and smashing mosquitoes dead between my fingers.

Yes, one of the life-essential skills I have gained while living in India has been swatting mosquitoes. It is one of my daily tasks which has been made easier by the electric mosquito zapper. I can swing that thing around half asleep with my eyes closed and kill a couple. It has become a close companion....maybe even my "lovie," (an attachment item that children have) to feel secure when I sleep at night. ;) Truth be told, yes, I sleep with it next to me.

However, there are instances when the zapper is not close by and I must face the mosquitoes with my bare hands. I had one of those moments a few weeks ago and as I was patiently attempting to kill a mosquito, I felt as though the HS revealed a valuable "spiritual" lesson.

I have learned to not chase after mosquitoes. Rather, I let them come to me. Yes, for reasons that are still not clear to me, they love to bite me. I have learned that if I just stand or sit still for a few seconds, I will find them buzzing around me. So these days, instead of chasing after them when I see them flying around, I wait for them. Or if I lose sight of them, I don't feel as annoyed because I know that I will find them eventually because they want my blood!

So, as I was patiently waiting and watching for the right time to catch the mosquitoes, I felt like the HS saying, "You patiently wait, and watch for that just right moment and key time, instead of chasing after what you think God's vision might be. He will bring it forth and reveal it to you." (I have been praying and asking God for His specific vision for me here....about what specific areas of ministry to get involved in or even possibly start because I am finding that the opportunities and the needs are great and there are lots of great "vision" to get excited about.)

Honestly, I am finding it hard to capture what I sensed the HS saying into words here.... partly it is because I have labored so hard to catch mosquitoes and now, I don't have to work as hard but I have so much more success in catching them! Not only that, I invite them to come to "mama! because I am confident that sooner or later that blood sucker is going to be no more! Somehow I feel like some secret of the Kingdom got unlocked for me through my adventures with the mosquitoes.

Our First Him-Lead Cohort

Him-Lead is a leadership development program created by our friend and partner Cindy Perry, who has been working in this region for 30 years. We attended the course in 2008, and now she has invited us to begin teaching it. We just met the students and set the schedule for the first cohort. Gyan, one of the students from the cohort we attended wished to bring the program to leaders of his people group (Bodos) in West Bengal. With Cindy's and his invitation to teach, we will have about a dozen pastors and mission workers attend five three-day retreats focusing on the heart of God, leadership issues, and spiritual formation. We are excited to be working with this new group. They seem excited for the program, willing to make the commitment, and eager to learn. We're excited for this new opportunity.

Organizing Our Love

FECAI is trying to make a huge shift in its organizational culture. Daya has seen the need to change from operating much more like a giant family to working together like they are a mission with 100 people on staff. I (Paul) have been busy working with Daya to help FECAI create goals and an evaluation process for the whole organization. They have taken important first steps in the process, but we have a long way to go.

Our first step has been working on clearly articulating the goals of FECAI. They have a great vision (“One church to every Himalayan village”) but that hasn't been broken down into what the goals are for each mission field each year. Missionaries only know in the most general terms what their objectives are, and there isn't a clear measure for what adequate progress towards those objectives are. As we wrote out the targets for 18 different measures of progress, Daya commented a number of times how helpful it was to have the goals clearly recorded on paper. What they want to see happen in the mission fields is clear in their minds, and he has been communicating the vision for years. But Daya is more of an inspirational speaker than a systematic thinker. People have been inspired and engaged in missions, but been left with a vague picture of what they are actually supposed to do when they get there.

Daya has been very open to involving people from all levels of the organization in a multi-step the process - both to get their input and to build ownership for the goals. This is also a big change for him. Usually his leadership style has been much more top down and he has looked for quicker processes and fast results. We're praying that Jesus would bless the goal setting process, that we would come up with wise, achievable, and inspiring goals that everyone can own.

We're also praying that this will help us come up with an evaluation process that will be implemented in a caring way to help each missionary do their job better. Evaluations are a sensitive thing anywhere, especially her in this non-confrontational culture. People are often more concerned with not hurting people's than they are about the truth. And, when correction comes it often comes in the form of scolding. I've been working to make sure I communicate that this is all a tool to help us love both the missionaries and the people in the fields better. It is the love of Christ that compels us to go to the unreached villages, and it is the love of Christ that compels us to examine what our progress is there. And it is with the love and kindness of Christ that we evaluate each person's work in the organization.

I'm excited to help FECAI with these things, but there is a big learning curve for me too. It challenges me to think through all the aspects of what can help them organize better so they can be more effective on the ground. We still have a long way to go, just with this first step...

Women's Conference

This familiar story came alive for me as I was preparing to speak. What an incredible story of a woman’s life completely transformed by her unexpected and supernatural meeting with Jesus. If there was someone whose transformed life can bring hope, it is this Samaritan woman’s life. As I spent some time studying, praying, and listening, I felt a deep hunger for Jesus to personally touch, transform, and to empower the women to bear the message of love and hope to others. I felt very convicted as I studied the passage that with Jesus there is no limitation to what He can do – despite our gender, social background, sin, or woundedness. Jesus’ love has transforming power. Jesus’ living water quenches our thirst forever. If we meet Jesus, we will never be the same again. So, as I went into the conference, these were the things that I was praying for—for the women to experience Jesus’ transforming love – to meet Jesus and drink of the living water that He offers.

One of the ways that I got to see the transforming love of Jesus working in women’s lives was through prayer ministry times. Going in, I had no idea how I was going to do it, who might be available to pray, and how I would effectively minister to the women with my limited language ability. But, I was reminded by the Holy Spirit that it is He who ministers to people and that despite the “limitations” I foresaw, He is able to work and will! Here are some stories.

I never asked the woman why she came up to receive prayer – I never got a chance. Even before I stopped talking and inviting people to come forward, this woman was already making her way up. She knelt before the Lord, before all the women, and by her action boldly invited other women to come forward. It was evident that the Holy Spirit was working in her. I made my way to pray for her and felt led by the Holy Spirit to gently put my hand on her cheek and pray. She needed that tender touch and just sobbed. I had just spoken about the living water, how Jesus wants to give us the living water, and that He brings up uncomfortable topics like the number of men she had married and was currently living with to show us our “real” thirst. I had an image during my prayer time that some women had a blockage which prevented from the living water in them to flow freely. It trickled but it was not like a spring welling up and flowing. She was thirsty and wanted to remove the blockage, and for the living water to quench her thirst. I could tell the Holy Spirit was ministering to her. I wanted to ask her what happened, but I felt the Holy Spirit restraining me from doing so. I was just grateful to see Jesus’ tender love freeing and healing her.

I got to hear a woman share how the Holy Spirit ministered to her to heal the wounds from her childhood. I specifically felt like there were some women in the group who had a parent or parents die when they were young and that Jesus wanted to fill that thirst with His love and presence. When I raised this issue a few women raised their hands. Among them was a middle aged woman who cried out so loudly that no one could deny the emptiness and pain she had felt all these years due to the death of her parent as a child. As she received in prayer, she drank from the parental love of our Heavenly Father.

I got to experience a glimpse into the hard life that some of these women have faced. One woman shared in front of everyone how she related with the story of the Samaritan woman because she had two husbands leave her. Another woman shared with me that she related with the rejection that the Samaritan woman experienced because she had been rejected by her community because of rumors that she is a witch. The rumor began before she became a Christian, but still persisted two years after her conversion. She asked for prayer and we prayed together. On the last day I felt a strong prompting from the Holy Spirit to share her need with all the women and to pray together that this rumor would end, that she would be known as a daughter of the most high God, and that through her prayers for people that people would experience healing from their illnesses. As she shared, I saw lots of women’s eyes tearing-up. They could empathize with how hard her situation was - rejected by the community in her village. I invited a few women to come forward, to lay hands on her and pray. She needed to experience the love of a community of believers, a community of women surrounding her and standing up on her behalf. Please continue praying for this sister, Deepika.

There are so many more stories to share, of many ways that God orchestrated things—from a change in translator, to supernatural energy despite lack of sleep, to God’s provision in little details of caring for Elijah. It was the most “stress free” ministry experience I have had in India! Praise be to God!