After 30+ hours of travel we arrive in Rajahmundry, India. On our last flight of the very long day one team member was asked by a fellow traveler “Why are so many foreigners going to Rajahmundry, there’s nothing there?” This person could not have been more wrong!

Near Rajahmundry, in a city called Kakinada, there are 52 faithful men and 2 worshipping women who are God’s people (Pastors/Leaders) in God’s place (rural villages of India) fulfilling God’s purpose. They are attending a conference facilitated by the foreigners (us) where they will get biblical instruction in order to shepherd their people with truth and reach the lost in their area.

We drive 45 minutes to The Power of Prayer Center where the conference is hosted. When we arrive the pastors have gathered and are worshipping the Lord in song. Steve, Ryan and Scott (our GTN staff partner) spend the next 6 – 7 hours teaching sessions on preparing a sermon, foundations of the faith and servant leadership. They teach with their shoes off as it is the custom here to leave your shoes at the doorway of the church.

The wvBc supported church planters are in attendance. Timothy, the leader, has a very high fever that is most likely caused by malaria or typhoid needs to leave early to get medical attention. Please pray for him! Buchiyya, who brings maturity to the group, always sits near the front. Paul, with youthful enthusiasm, has joy seeping out of him. And Prassad, the servant, runs around moving chairs, bringing water and adjusting the fans before quickly sitting down to hear the lesson. They all come over on the breaks to shake hands and converse in very limited English.

In one of the sessions the question is asked “Who do the people of Kakinada say that Jesus is?” The answers are: The god of America, one of the many gods and the god of the poor. The session then focuses on communicating precisely who Jesus is according to the scriptures. Ryan encourages the Pastors to do the hard work of study and sermon preparation instead of relying on themselves. Chase gives his testimony and even teaches on the spiritual discipline of fasting. During the final sessions Steve makes a passionate plea to the Pastors to make whatever sacrifice necessary to reach the lost and hopeless in their area. When 30 ladies join the conference on the last day after their weekly prayer meeting Debbie shares some words of encouragement for them.

On Sunday we will travel to the city of Nagpur to continue more training with another group of Pastors and leaders next week.

      Pray For:

• Timothy to return to full health.
• Travel mercies as we have a 2 hour drive and 2 flights before we get to Nagpur.
• Calm in Kakinada, where we are staying, after a political rally got the people riled up with protests and strikes being threatened.