Dearest Friends,
The Village School
Time in a village is very different than where you and I live. People walk everywhere. Cows and goats crowd the streets. People cook on fires, though most people are often burning leaves wood is scarce and expensive. The smells are different. Life begins at sunrise and when the sun goes down, it is time to rest. In their world, if you do not work, you do not eat. Tomorrow, for them will be another hard day. I always feel as though I have stepped back in time.
When we arrived at the school the village elder arrived. His permission is required for anything that happens in the village. At first, he was suspicious, but as soon as he heard that we were “the mission” he was happy. The believers have a good reputation in this place as their school provides a quality education for poor children that would normally have no such opportunity.
We set up outside, on the concrete porch. The children had a good place to sit and the village people could come and watch too. The elder went out and told everyone to come. We had such a crowd! A man wearing a turban rode up on his bike. Many older women, young women, and even a crowd of young men made up the crowd. For a while I think we also had a goat!
They seemed to enjoy watching us set up as much as anything. Everything we did was new and entertaining. God used their curiosity to draw them to the message of the cross. The crowd was mostly Hindu, some Muslim, and tribal people.
It was a government school with a Muslim principal and we were able to present a clear message encouraging them that only the one true God can meet their deepest needs. We were even allowed to pray with the children! God is so kind to us.
Please pray for these children to hold to the truths they heard. Ask the Father to call many to deep faith. Please pray for us as we are traveling to West Bengal to share today.
In Jesus,
Linda for
Sam
Hanson
Santosh
Rinu