Urlam and Chennapuram
Our brother with his house and ecclesial hall being built
Urlam ladies (me included)
Laxmi & SamuelThis years brief visit to Urlam was filled with emotion. Last year we noticed a little girl, who had the smallest body ever, and the thinest wrists, but was totally bloated in stomach and her ankles were fully swollen. A horrible sight for a westerner who can get to a doctor and fee's aren't such a problem. So after some time and many questions, we managed to take her (well some of the group) to the hospital and get her seen to. We gave the money for her to have the operation needed, and this year when we got back, so was just so happy as was her family.
The reading was John 4 about the Nobleman's son which tied in so well to the situation there at Urlam.
There was faith, and the son was healed and he believed and all his household.
In Urlam, we prayed about his little girl, and she was able to have the operation. But what we didn't know when we left, was that she would be made right, and her Father and 7 other members of her family would be baptised. So there was much rejoicing.
After the readings it was time to say goodbye to Beck. Beck, fellow labourer in the faith, it was hard to see you go. But we had an amazing time together, and the memories will always be there. God be with you sister :-)
Mission work is a really bizzare thing. You work together with whoever as a team and you really become family. Members come and go in the time you're there, but the weirdest part is, there's no time to grieve the loss of any members until you're home yourself. Or if there is an unnatural occasion where you suddenly find yourself with some spare time!!
As Beck left for the station, Dad and Tim had the group for a class while we sisters started on 4 baptism interviews for the women. We came up against what you might call 'rushing into baptism'. Although these ladies were illiterate, we still do expect them to have a basic knowledge of the foundations, and no wrong doctrine. We encouraged them to continue in their learning, but did feel that their needs possibly weren't being met with the current system of talks in their ecclesia. Something else to chase up now that we're home. The 4th lady appeared a little subdued and stated that she didn't think she was ready, and so would continue to learn and hopefully she would be ready for baptism the next time someone passed through. Which was very comforting on our part. It's just the hardest thing to tell someone who is excited about being baptised that they don't know the basics to be baptised into the Christadelphian faith. But I am convinced that someone convicted of the truth would not be put off by this, and would continue to learn.
We were rewarded at the next village of Chennapuram where after we had arrived and had done one series of reading, and after the ladies of the village had asked Mum to give a sister's class (on the kingdom) when we started on the baptism interview and Ma Laxmi told us that she wanted to understand the gospel very thoroughly before requesting a baptism interview and had waited 3 years. It was such a joy. These are the joys of mission work. To have someone who understands the gospel, who is illiterate, and who has been prepared to wait and who was totally sincere in her request for baptism.
While asking the questions, I felt almost overwhelmed that I'd been in India for 2 years before this, listening at the feet of the more experienced leading the interviews, it was almost as if I'd been training up for the task of doing the interview myself that day. It was such a responsibility, but I wasn't on my own, and had Mum, Ness and Leah there, ready for support. We always work in pairs doing the interviews.
She was ready.
'What doth hinder her to be baptised?' - Nothing - so we made the walk in the dark down to the water hole of the village and watched her joy as she was baptised into Christ her Lord. Now a babe in Christ. Please pray for Ma Laxmi as she has just begun her walk in Christ. May it not be long for her to wait.
The next day we arrive back at the same village to do another interview, and walked into her house...and there she was looking so peaceful and serene. The peace that passes all understanding had filled her heart. The angels were rejoicing in heaven.
Tim, Vanessa and I were there to interview one more man, Mr Nido who after some work on the promises was also ready for baptism.
Unfortunately there was a twisted tale about a funeral and all the baptised members of the village attending it, and then mum and dad were asked to attend the funeral, but couldn't find it, or all the village people, so in the end, after we had taken Nido and Ma Laxmi to Srikakulam road for the baptism to be with ecclesial members, we ended up 'after some time' finding a deserted infested backwater and Bro Tim performed the baptism and we sang the Lord bless thee & keep thee when he came up out of the water.
2 new babes in Christ. A beautiful week.
Then it was back to the hotel, for a final farewell dinner for our translaters Ravi and Santoshi, and then it was up at 5:00 for a 5:30 train to Kolkata the next day.
The reading was John 4 about the Nobleman's son which tied in so well to the situation there at Urlam.
There was faith, and the son was healed and he believed and all his household.
In Urlam, we prayed about his little girl, and she was able to have the operation. But what we didn't know when we left, was that she would be made right, and her Father and 7 other members of her family would be baptised. So there was much rejoicing.
After the readings it was time to say goodbye to Beck. Beck, fellow labourer in the faith, it was hard to see you go. But we had an amazing time together, and the memories will always be there. God be with you sister :-)
Mission work is a really bizzare thing. You work together with whoever as a team and you really become family. Members come and go in the time you're there, but the weirdest part is, there's no time to grieve the loss of any members until you're home yourself. Or if there is an unnatural occasion where you suddenly find yourself with some spare time!!
As Beck left for the station, Dad and Tim had the group for a class while we sisters started on 4 baptism interviews for the women. We came up against what you might call 'rushing into baptism'. Although these ladies were illiterate, we still do expect them to have a basic knowledge of the foundations, and no wrong doctrine. We encouraged them to continue in their learning, but did feel that their needs possibly weren't being met with the current system of talks in their ecclesia. Something else to chase up now that we're home. The 4th lady appeared a little subdued and stated that she didn't think she was ready, and so would continue to learn and hopefully she would be ready for baptism the next time someone passed through. Which was very comforting on our part. It's just the hardest thing to tell someone who is excited about being baptised that they don't know the basics to be baptised into the Christadelphian faith. But I am convinced that someone convicted of the truth would not be put off by this, and would continue to learn.
We were rewarded at the next village of Chennapuram where after we had arrived and had done one series of reading, and after the ladies of the village had asked Mum to give a sister's class (on the kingdom) when we started on the baptism interview and Ma Laxmi told us that she wanted to understand the gospel very thoroughly before requesting a baptism interview and had waited 3 years. It was such a joy. These are the joys of mission work. To have someone who understands the gospel, who is illiterate, and who has been prepared to wait and who was totally sincere in her request for baptism.
While asking the questions, I felt almost overwhelmed that I'd been in India for 2 years before this, listening at the feet of the more experienced leading the interviews, it was almost as if I'd been training up for the task of doing the interview myself that day. It was such a responsibility, but I wasn't on my own, and had Mum, Ness and Leah there, ready for support. We always work in pairs doing the interviews.
She was ready.
'What doth hinder her to be baptised?' - Nothing - so we made the walk in the dark down to the water hole of the village and watched her joy as she was baptised into Christ her Lord. Now a babe in Christ. Please pray for Ma Laxmi as she has just begun her walk in Christ. May it not be long for her to wait.
The next day we arrive back at the same village to do another interview, and walked into her house...and there she was looking so peaceful and serene. The peace that passes all understanding had filled her heart. The angels were rejoicing in heaven.
Tim, Vanessa and I were there to interview one more man, Mr Nido who after some work on the promises was also ready for baptism.
Unfortunately there was a twisted tale about a funeral and all the baptised members of the village attending it, and then mum and dad were asked to attend the funeral, but couldn't find it, or all the village people, so in the end, after we had taken Nido and Ma Laxmi to Srikakulam road for the baptism to be with ecclesial members, we ended up 'after some time' finding a deserted infested backwater and Bro Tim performed the baptism and we sang the Lord bless thee & keep thee when he came up out of the water.
2 new babes in Christ. A beautiful week.
Then it was back to the hotel, for a final farewell dinner for our translaters Ravi and Santoshi, and then it was up at 5:00 for a 5:30 train to Kolkata the next day.
posted by Abi Akka @ 12:26 PM
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