"What could I do in return?"

Today was why I came to India. We drove out of Rajahmundry to the Deep Forest, about 1 hour, which was probably the most intense car rides I've been on...tailgating is not in their vocabulary. We arrived at a village in the area where a new church building had just been finished for one of the pastors who has seen significant growth in conversions in the village.

Most of the pastors had to walk 2 hours to come to the site today and several more had an even longer journey due to the recent flooding here which renders the roadways useless. These men were so excited to see all of us. They have a beautiful expression of thank you here, they place both hands together in a prayer gesture and approach you then bow. The church is called Mrs. Melody Gospel Church, named after Melody Pieratt, the wife of CRI's president.

The church dedication began with several songs led by one of the pastors, a very small elderly man with as much spunk as a 5 year old---it was awesome. I was then given the privilege of sharing a word of encouragement to the pastors and several members of the church. It went well as I involved all of our team members in the talk, giving them an opportunity to share how the local church has impacted their lives.

Then the 10 pastors shared their stories. Everyone of these men have experienced the power of God's grace in such incredible ways. Life change has been quite dramatic in their lives as some were thiefs, entrenched in Hinduism, and extremely doubtful of Jesus Christ. One man's story stood out for me. He spent years doubting the one true God, yet continued to seek him. After several experiences of testing God, he finally came to believe. He was utterly broken that God would forgive and accept him as his child and asked, "What could I do in return?" His answer, "I will give my life to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ." I find these men to be extremely humble and simple and am challenged by their devotion and desire to see people in their villages come to believe in the one true God.

As we left the church, many in the village requested that we pray for their sick family members. We were told that many of the Hindu people will not believe in Jesus Christ unless the see a miracle. We were told that there have been some. How do explain to people that God is not a vending machine, here to do what you wish upon your request, but at the same time, that He is all-powerful and able to do what He desires? These prayers were an interesting and challenging experience and I hope that in spite of those who may never be healed, that God would still be praised.
P.S. I'm sorry I don't have pictures up yet...the internet is very slow here so loading pics can be difficult.