Dearest Friends,
A Place of Thieves
We did a program in a village school. This village is known in this area as a place of thieves. Though we did not know that when we arrived, we all felt a great darkness.
As we drove into the village, we saw cow manure patties drying on the walls that surrounded the houses. Many had these stuck on the side of their house, arranged in rows. This is what they burn for their cooking fires. We brought the only car into the village. People stared at us as our white skin is a curiousity.
The school did not have a place where we could gather all of the children. We set up in a nearby field. There were no trees.
As we began, I silently prayed against the oppression that I felt. The children were unresponsive to puppets or anything else that we did. They seemed afraid, too afraid to even smile. No other group of children that we have done programs for responded like this to our shows.
The principal came storming across the field as I was finishing. He was angry that we talked about Jesus, even though he knew that was what we would do. I do not think he expected the program to be any good, but God surprised him.
He refused to shake my hand, pushing my hand away. He stopped the program, but by then we had already finished the Gospel presentation. God is good. Please pray for these children and for the principal. They all desperately need Jesus.
Real Faith
One young man stood to give his testimony during the service. He was one of our students from the Bible school. He was from a Hindu background and his parents were very unhappy with his decision to follow Jesus. Finally, he had to flee from his home. His story is not unusual in this place. I have heard stories in the past of young people being beaten or denied food because they loved Jesus.
It is hard in this place to stand for Jesus. For most of us in the west, it is very easy. Some of these dear believers may even give up their lives for Jesus. Pray for them. Ask the Lord to comfort them in their sufferings.
Prayer Requests
We drove to West Bengal from Jarkhand. Then we rode a bus for 6 hours to Calcutta and took a taxi to a friend’s house. We got in bed at midnight, but we had to be up by 4AM. Then, we flew to Bangalore and rode 2 hours to Asian Christian Academy. We got here at noon and will leave in a couple of hours to ride another buss at 10 at night to teach and work in Kerala. We need your prayers. The opportunities are incredible but we need strength. Rejoice and keep praying!
In Jesus,
Linda for
Hanson
Sam