Some Photos and Thoughts from the Youth-Meets

God provided three opportunities through our local church to teach at one day mini youth conferences. Because we were teaching the same material three times there were opportunities to keep improving what we were doing. We learned a lot about the youth, the church, and the myriad of cultures that exist side by side here. I am so thankful that He provided these opportunities.

The Youth from Algarah area in Kalimpong

I love teaching. Some love teaching because they are excited about the content. They want to pass on the knowledge. And some people are great at that! What I enjoy the most in teaching is the many different methods you can use to pass on the knowledge, motivate, and help people make the connections they need to have that, "Ah-ha" experience. I had three opportunities to try out a few different methods and I found a lot of joy in trying to figure out the best way to help people connect with God through His Word and in prayer.

A pastor reading the Bible to a group of illiterate girls so they can participate in the discussion.

The educational system here works in such a way that the teacher is up front passing on the information as fast as she can while the student listens and writes as quickly as possible. No one asks for their opinion, except during test times. That is why I always have to reassure the folks when I ask for their opinion to not worry about being wrong. It is so hard for the youth (as well as many adults) here to share their opinion. For example, when I asked the youth this question, "Why do we read the Bible and pray?" many had some "good, spiritual" answers. People seemed more open to sharing. But, then I moved on to ask, "Why do we not read the Bible or pray?" No one had anything to say initially. Of course, it was a good opportunity to poke fun and help folks relax a little, and slowly people began to share. "It's boring. I have no time. I would rather do other things. Laziness, etc." I found it funny that even one of the pastors chimed in.

The youth from different parts of the Dooars area

Using paper, markers, video clips (one from Slum Dog Millionaire - which no one had seen!), individual time, handouts, small group times, and large group times, we spent five hours learning how to study the Bible, how to pray, and most importantly, WHY do we bother with these disciplines. We ended with different groups doing Bible study on passages which showed various aspects of God's heart. As they shared from their short small group Bible study sessions and presented what they learned, I could tell that some folks were really catching something new. At the end, when we looked at the list of what God is like, with illustrations from a thirty-seven year old (me!) jumping up and down on the stage to illustrate joy, I could tell that some really understood WHY we pray and to what kind of God we pray to. As one of the pastors shared to one of the leaders about what one youth had said, "We pray and read the Bible because our God is so much better than Amitabh Bachchan(a famous Indian actor). If people are willing to jump into a raw sewage to get the autograph of an actor, shouldn't we be desperate to get to God?"

Engaged in Bible Study at Dalmor Tea Estate

Why do I love teaching? Because my heart is re-taught to love Him again with more passion and zeal. It's good for my soul.

Here are a couple of more photos to enjoy! (Of course, I had add one of our cute son.)

This is how some youth came to the youth-meet!

Our lunch ready to be served

Elijah and a new friend enjoying exploring the area together

Organizational Change

We had our doubts as we started the process to help FECAI clarify its goals and create an evaluation process. We weren't sure that there was the organizational will to implement this kind of fundamental change. Daya initially only asked us to create an evaluation form for the missionaries. Instead, I (Paul) outlined a year long process of getting input from every level to create organizational goals, train the staff as to what the goals are, and train our management how to evaluate progress toward the goals. To be a good example I laid out a clear goal for what I was proposing:

To implement an effective procedure to set goals, evaluate performance, and implement follow-up actions that is consistent across the organization, owned by staff and management, measures both individual and organizational performance, and helps us better achieve our vision: “One Church to Every Himalayan Village” and “Himalayan People; Missionary People”.

Daya saw the need to take the time to train people well for this and agreed to the process. I think he has felt frustrated, knowing that there is a lot of activity in FECAI, but not able to assess how much impact those activities are having.

So far we've had four retreats with different groups of staff and management where the goals have been discussed, debated, and honed. Ownership is growing and Daya and the management team are increasingly positive that this can really help them be more effective in carrying out their mission. Pictured is the Darjeeling area regional retreat.

There is still a long way to go! The goals are clarified, but now we need to learn to measure our progress towards those goals and how to effectively address areas where we are coming up short. Evaluation is always a sensitive thing, and especially so it this relationship-before-rules, face-saving culture. The process is going well, but we have yet to reach our own goal – a goal setting and evaluation process that results in more effective missionaries in the field (and that are more effectively supported by their management team.) We still have a lot of hurdles to cross. Our next steps are to change the monthly report forms to reflect the new clarified goals, and, after a few months of gathering data, train the supervisors how to do employee evaluations. These things will start to deliver a better picture of how FECAI is doing and what areas they need to focus on to better achieve their goals. You can keep FECAI in prayer as they try to strive for their goals.

In Daya's own words from his ministry report:

As Paul had brought a very affective goal setting and strategizing program from his Kathmandu trip, we have started to review our works and trying to set a five year goal for FECAI. It is really exciting.  



First we (Paul myself and Amos) sat together to understand the program and I found it to be very helpful for a ministry like ours. We had started the ministry with very naïve ideas just depending on the Lord of the harvest, Without any tools in hand and without any preparations. I am thankful to the Lord that He has brought us thus far, in His faithfulness. Though the churches of Himalaya, who are working with us still count us in number one position among indigenous ministries but for us it was slowly becoming monotonous. I was running with a big question, next what? 



After my sitting together with Paul and Amos, and understanding the program, we started talking with the Coordinators and the supervisors in separate workshops, in regard to our five years goals and strategy. I am so happy to know that the goal that they also target is not very much different from the target we were targeting. After working together for so long years our passion for the church and Himalayan people are so similar and we are in the same page in regard to our calling and responsibilities. A new hope is renewed inside me. The big picture that I had inside me before eleven years, which was fading inside me is renewed with a new hope. We started bare handed and the Lord enabled us to plant slightly over one hundred ten churches in eleven years. But if we take our steps professionally and strategically the same team can plant over four hundred churches in mere five years, provided we have to go according to the strategy that we are making prayerfully. 



The goal that we are targeting is really exciting. 400 churches with five thousand mature Christians with larger awareness in the community they live in, in regard to the current problems of this present world i.e. HIV/AIDS, Drugs & Alcoholism problems including global warming and other social issues in five years. We can see that the Lord is preparing us to be able to give away ever unmatchable gift to the Himalayan community in this coming five years. We are preparing mature Christians as well as good citizens of the nations of this world and the world across this life, provided, the preparation of the real community workers.   



Until and unless we prepare workers the goals we have prepared remains a beautiful dream that never comes true. So to prepare the workers and to provide tools to them along with the projects involved in the process is a big deal of resources. Beside regular missionaries training, updating them time to time and to provide training for them on social and health issues are very much important. Follow up procedures and the system behind it is very much important to achieve the goal. 

Needs All Over

As I took out the trash the other day I noticed a stray kitten in our yard. You have to understand that many animals wander the streets here, living off the garbage that is so inefficiently collected. (I can see four cows right now – all watching the traffic on the busiest street in town!) There are fewer stray cats than dogs – I think their small size makes them more vulnerable in the competition for food. A kitten without its mother is probably doomed to either starve or become lunch itself. The last kitten I found in our yard was already dead, perhaps a victim of the downstairs neighbor's dog's playful chase and catch. My heart went out to the kitten, and it, not yet having learned the fear of humans, wandered over to sniff my foot.

I wanted to do something to protect this vulnerable, very cute little kitten. But then I thought about what I was getting into. Caring for an animal is a long term responsibility. We're gone a lot, and so we'd have to make arrangements for a pet. Rebecca doesn't like cats – or anything that brings fur or dirt into the house that is already enough of a battle to keep clean. But the kitten couldn't stay outside because of the dog. We live in the face of thousands of needs that we can't meet. People here struggle to provide the basics of food, clothing, and shelter – many frequently come up short on these things in the daily competition for resources in this place with ten times the population density of the U.S. I struggle to balance not having a hard heart with accepting the limits of what I can do. I have to say “no” at some point. I have tried to say “yes” with my life, working here to serve people here who have so much less than I, but I am frequently pained by all the "no's" that I have to say.

I went to the gate to put out the trash bucket and the kitten followed me. I held the gate open and the kitten went out. As I hung the trash bucket (to keep it out of the reach of the stray dogs) my guilt was assuaged a little. Maybe the kitten would find its mother and have a chance to survive for more than just a few more days – but at least it wouldn't die in our yard. It wouldn't be my responsibility and I wouldn't have to face the consequence of my choice by having to clean up the dead body. As I went back upstairs, I recounted to myself that it was just one of the many, and one of the least important needs that I was choosing to say “no” to.

I told Rebecca about the kitten and she, who dislikes cats, responded with compassion. We had to do something to protect this vulnerable creature. So I got a bowl of milk, grabbed Elijah and headed downstairs to bring the kitten back in. It had only been a few minutes, but the kitten was nowhere to be found. Perhaps it was hiding in the undergrowth of the empty lot, or perhaps it was already the victim of one of the many stray dogs around.

Going upstairs I reflected again, this time on an opportunity lost. My slow response probably meant one more creature that didn't survive the day. I feel like there are many moments like that here. If we are ready with the right response at the right time, we can meet a need. But if we delay that opportunity is gone. In a world full of lack it is easy to pass needs by without thinking. But on the last day we will be held accountable for both our careless words and actions. One of the themes of the Him-Lead curriculum that we are teaching is our role as caretakers of creation. In God's created order, and that to which he will restore us in the end, we care for the animals (not eat them) and they also will live in harmony with each other – the lion lying down with the lamb.

I still don't know about stray kittens. Can I justify spending my time and money on a cat when there are many children here living in poverty? Americans spend $41 billion a year on their pets. It is part of our God given role to care for creation, and I think we express this in a way through our care for our pets. But I also have to question this allocation of resources when so many children don't have enough to eat. Not a quarter mile east of me is a slum of bamboo and sheet metal huts without running water. I don't know those people personally and I don't speak their language (they are not Nepali and I don't speak Hindi, Bangla, Bihari, Rajbangshi, or any of the dozen or so other languages that is likely their mother tongue), but I see their children picking through the trash looking for recyclables and I ride their rickshaws. Loving people here with Christ's love requires that I exercise limits, but I want to be ready to step immediately into the opportunities that Jesus has for me. He cared for many needy people, even though that wasn't his plan at the moment. It wasn't my plan at the moment, but maybe that cat was what Jesus wanted me to care for that day.

From the Gut

I went to a clinic today to get some lab work done for my upcoming IVF cycle. As I sat there and looked around, I saw sons with their mothers, grandfather with his grand-daughter, husbands with their wives, sisters, etc. Except for me, every patient had someone close with them. It was very moving to see the care and love in some of the folks there as they were waiting for treatment. Most of the people seemed relatively poor and I found myself wondering how they will be able afford treatment if they discover that something is seriously wrong. To us a $20 ultrasound sounds like a deal, but for a poor Indian that can be almost a third of your month's salary! It made me wonder about how they can afford some of the tests that they are being required to take--endoscopy, ultrasound, CT scan, etc. It made me think about the kind of strain a medical emergency puts on families who are already barely making ends meet... I felt overwhelmed, sad, helpless, but mostly a lot of compassion and a desire to connect with them.

There was a lady behind me who looked very malnourished. I wanted to talk to her, find out her story, to learn about her condition. I asked a Nepali woman sitting next to me if she'd be willing to ask in Hindi to the other woman if I could pray for her. She was very willing and I got to learn about the woman's condition and pray for her. I prayed that Jesus would heal her stomach issue which prevents her from being able to eat. After I finished praying for her, another woman asked me if I would be willing to pray for her too. I did.

I came home and as I was sharing with Paul my experience at the clinic I found myself crying. I think I felt overwhelmed as I considered the financial impact that illness brings for people, especially the poor, and the beauty of concern I saw in these people towards their ailing family members. Jesus often had those gut experience of compassion towards people and he healed them, he taught them, and he fed them. That gut feeling of compassion is a powerful emotion which leads to some form of action of benevolence-- small or big....it is hard to ignore, and I felt like I experienced a little bit of it today....