Rod & Kym Richards Blog

Photo's

2012-01-28T18:13:00.002Z

Here's a few pictures of Rod and Kym's trip this year but also from past trips:

'The Last Post' - geddit??!

2012-01-24T20:42:00.021Z

Today after our second pastors meeting we travelled back to Madurai ready for the start of our onward journey home. This is always a sad moment and I hate saying goodbyes.

Once again we have been made so welcome by our Indian believers and also so many rural village people. There is no doubt in my mind that their attitude to work and hospitality is given such great importance. Their faith is generally so strong and is carried throughout the week with a heart for fellowship with other believers. Nothing seems too much trouble and often make sacrificial contributions.

Kym was bowled over at one meeting when two people gave her an offering. Whilst risking criticism, I believe we have not always grasped in the West, the the real vibrance that we see in the early church of the new testament, that we see here often replicated in India. We seem to be so busy with meetings and attempting how to 'do or organise church', that we sometimes miss out on living out our lives and blessing one another, and being dependant on God. I realise this is a general statement and there will always be acceptions of examples in the West, but the reality of living out ones faith in India has to be personally witnessed to make these comparisons.

There are of course many frustrations and issues that we in the West have to overcome and that is part of embracing the culture. each time we learn new things and new ways, which all makes for future improvement. None the less we always take back a sense of being loved and appreciated.

There is always the stark reality of the poverty, corruption and cruelty that we see and experience, mixed alongside some beautiful sites that are blended with the simplicity of rural life. On our way home we had a big wake up call as we came across a tragic accident where a body lay in the road having been presumably hit by another vehicle. It was a very graphic site and made us appreciate how much God is merciful to us in all our travels and has faithfully answered all our prayers.

We leave with saddened hearts but better informed and blessed by God as we have served Him during these two weeks. Thanks for your support and also a special thanks to Dave for doing the Blog and Juergen for circulating email updates

Power cuts and Power holidays!

2012-01-23T20:41:00.000Z

After the 2 services we then conducted a baptismal service and 4 new believers were baptised with many watching on this event, again I count it pure joy and a privilege to conduct this aspect of our ministry alongside the pastors.

After this we held our second women's meeting in the evening which was well attended albeit interrupted with power cuts which we have become accustomed to. Locally called a 'power holiday'! These women made special efforts to come and listen immediately after coming home from work, they are willing to make great efforts to learn more about the bible

Orphan time was had by all (say it in yer head!)

2012-01-23T20:38:00.000Z

A very busy day as this involved four services/meetings, very punishing in one sense but rewarding as always. We are here on a mission and people are eager to hear and receive bibles and saris and for prayer.

Our first service at a small IVCM church Kym took which helped me conserve my voice and it culminated in 4 people make a commitment to Christ. This was so encouraging for the pastor and fellow believers, we could see growth from 2 years a go.

The next service was at the church where our own orphans are based. This church had expanded in terms of the congregation and many improvements had been made. The orphans made a special effort to greet us and line up with a guard of honour holding reed crosses. Again we were blessed as 5 new believers made a decision to accept Jesus. Each received new testaments (see pics with bibles).

The orphans were so happy to spend time with us, and we gave them cuddly toys/pencils and tooth brushes. Also we had funded to provide new matts to sleep on. what a privilege to spend time with these well cared for young people and they seemed so responsive and grateful for your gifts.

Seed produces fruit....

2012-01-22T13:03:00.000Z

Yesterday was a long day and demanded much of us as this involved much travelling. We started at 8am and got back at 11.10pm exhausted but very satisfied.

The morning was the second youth meeting, which was well attended and they appreciated our teaching which involved participation. They seemed very responsive both adults and young people. There was a strong response to the call at the end of the meeting where over 50 young people made a decision to accept Jesus. we trust that the good seed sown will grow and develop into something beautiful, please pray for these new believers.

In the evening we held an outdoor Gospel meeting in a rural village. This was also well attended by some 300 people. Many were still coming from work after we started and enjoyed sitting and listening and watching. To start with there was no power, and we had to use a generator but this would cause problems with using the projector and media. However just as we started the power came back on , and then again at the end within 5 minutes the power went off! How about that for timely intervention! Many people asked for prayer at the end and some for healing. However 27 people mostly adults but some teenagers came forward at the end to accept Christ.

Thanks for your prayers, please do continue as we are flagging a little as we near the end. god has been so good and sustained our very need. Keep praying as we make the most of these opportunities.

Rural ramblings..

2012-01-19T17:56:00.000Z

This evening we took a long journey to get to some tribal villages where the gospel is infrequently heard. Some children however from another village attended who knew some Christian songs came along and really enjoyed singing with our worship pastor Kumar. We loved the way the children responded to praying.

These places are different to the rural villages as things seem more primitive and definitely more remote, open fires, deep wells and stone or brick buildings to cope with the lower temperatures.

Many work in the tea & coffee plantations on the slopes around. Despite some chaos at times (various interruptions from the enemy) 9 adults made a decision to accept Jesus which was a wonderful close to the evening. After this we gave out pencils and some toothbrushes and soft toys the pictures of which say it all!

Many people came up afterwards for individual prayer as can be seen, we needed torches to walk back through the forest paths late at night....quite an experience!

Girl...power!

2012-01-19T17:36:00.000Z

The morning had over 120 women attend the women's meeting which Kym was pleased to conduct and all seemed to enjoy very much. This meant approx 30 more attended and meant squeezing in more chairs. The worship and prayer times were very powerful, many commented afterwards how useful it was.

The afternoon had me training the Micah bible school students with two more sessions. It was kind of surreal being a theological student myself and teaching these guys who were hungry to learn more. i have to say it was a very enjoyable time with times of laughter in between.

Hosting some VIP's (Very Important Pastors)

2012-01-17T21:32:00.000Z

Another action packed day starting with a morning seminar of around 90 independent village pastors who gathered in a hall we hired to be taught on leadership and taking the church forward, so that the task of reaching many unsaved villages can be a goal to aim for by raising up and training new young men and women.

The afternoon was spent teaching the students at our own Micah bible school and that was a very rewarding experience. So many of the second year students were keen to respond to questions and search the scriptures. They were hungry for knowledge! Two more sessions are planned for tomorrow.

The evening saw us at another rural church, giving out bibles, saris and teddys. Long days but people so responsive and eager to hear and have fellowship.

New Pastor (ures)!

2012-01-17T21:24:00.002Z

What an end to a very long day ! Another new village church and new IVCM pastor. We drove for many miles to get to this remote rural village. what a delight to see this small concrete building hidden behind some houses lit up with fluorescent tubes and a small extension added for the night as many new people came.

Inside the main cement building the people were packed in tightly and as usual men on one side and ladies on the other. They also seemed a very keen and vibrant bunch of people, greeting us as we tip toed through them to a small raised platform.

After a children's message and then a gospel message 14 people made a decision to accept Jesus. All were given New Testament bibles. The two IVCM pastors who share the responsibility of this village and surrounding areas were so happy to see new people make commitments. We gave out many pencils/ teddies and other small gifts.

We eventually left around 9.30pm and arrived back safely around 10.40pm

An amazing and rewarding day!

Treasure hunting...

2012-01-17T21:13:00.001Z

We had spent so much time at the first new church that we arrived very late at the second new church Pastor Timothy's place. Also a new IVCM pastor and a new village church. This was basically a coconut shed converted for us to rent as a church building. Some people had left but the majority stayed behind for over an hour as they wanted to hear what God had to say and to meet us. Pastor David thought we would just pray for them and leave, but we felt the Lord saying we had to speak. Kym did a shortened version of her Treasures in jars of clay story, and I spoke from Mark 5 about the jailers sick daughter. How profound that turned out to be!

These people also were so happy to spend time with us and to have a second service immediately so to speak! We were all wondering if we should have come so late, but we felt the Lord say we must. A dear friend and former pastor sent me an email which i read before sending this quoting Jeremiah 1:7b-8 How prophetic these words turned out to be, as I had not planned to speak on Mark 5! The thrust was that Jesus said in verse 36 "don't be afraid just believe".. that was what i was asking them to do. 3 People stood up at once and asked to commit their lives to Jesus!

Then one young girl called Selvi (see pic with pastor Timothy) who was one of those who stood up was asked to be prayed for by her mother! she was a very SICK girl!! She had gone to one of the best hospitals and could not get any treatment or help. I asked everyone in the church to pray for her and we kneeled around her and prayed for healing. We BELIEVE she will be healed, please pray alongside us as this will be a powerful testimony in this village. After talking to her she said "I believe my Lord will heal me" her own words!! Then she said I feel better already !

Just as we were leaving we met the Hindu lady who owned the land and the shed which we use, she asked if we could pray for her arm as she had fallen and it was bandaged... this was a great privilege. I asked her if she could also believe that God could heal her, and she said yes I think so.... Lets ALL be praying and that she will also accept Christ.

The day is not over and I cannot wait to see what happens next, sorry for the long ramblings but this is what mission is all about! Awesome!

Snakes, sickness, surpirses and saris!

2012-01-17T21:05:00.001Z

Yesterday Pastor Jones (a new IVCM Pastor) got bitten by a dog, had to go to Gov't Hospital for rabies injections (preventative), but while on the bed a snake came and entered the room and the nurse ran out! it seemed everything was trying to stop him and us holding a service in this new unreached village.

This morning he was present and eager to conduct a meeting in his small rented rooftop building no ore than 1.5m x 6m long! It was packed and the worship was outstanding, people were eager and so happy to greet us. But then after preaching and sharing the gospel 7 new people out of a max of 30 attending stood up and made a decision to accept Jesus as Lord. Things just broke lose, there was rejoicing and celebration that was something to witness. One older man gave me such a large hug after receiving a new testament having committed to Christ.

People asked for prayer,(see pic of a grandfather asking for prayer for his granddaughter) and to spend more time with them. Even Hindu neighbours asked us to stay for food although we could not we gave their two kids pencils and teddies!

We gave bibles to many needy people, it was great to give the two women (in this pic) a bible each so they no longer have to share! This is why we value your support to enable us to distribute bibles.The need is huge! We gave several Saris to the widows, always a joy for Kym to do and they love her hugs!

We tried to leave and this boy came up and asked for prayer as he had some diabetic problems that seemed not to be able to be treated here (hard to understand); he is a lovely boy named Baraekumar... please pray for him and for God to heal him completely.

What a privilege to spend time in this new village church and with the new pastor, what an encouraging start! KEEP PRAYING

Not 'sari' but 'happy'!!

2012-01-15T14:49:00.001Z

This evening we distributed some bibles (see pics) to very needy people, they had heard we were coming and so excited to receive them! Kym gave saris to a number of needy widows and the pics say everything. What a joy to see their happy faces, they have new clothes for another year! Practical stuff eh ?

A long day with some minor problems and health struggling at times, but the Lord is undertaking....

Keep praying thanks!

Freedom for the prisoners...!!

2012-01-15T14:40:00.000Z

This afternoon we baptised two people both of whom have amazing testimonies to tell!! The old man (I named John) had been in prison, but what a joy to see the change in his face and life! He became full of the HS after praying for him as he came up out of the water.

'Youth' ink that's a good start!?

2012-01-15T14:05:00.004Z

What a great start to the mission today! over 170 youth attended the meeting, having only a 120 signed up. So more lunches had to be made! Many youth commented afterwards that it was a very useful meeting.

Approx 25 made a decision to accept Jesus!

'Pastor' first hurdle!

2012-01-14T17:00:00.000Z

Have arrived safely into India and reached our 1st destination at Salem. Pastors David and Immanuel met us at Bangalore airport and were pleased to see us and greeted us with the traditional flower garlands. A welcome fragrance after being cooped up on the plane for so many hours. Anyways Praise the Lord all our luggage and our selves got here complete, and with limited coughing inflicted to my neighbouring passengers!

Seems like half of South India had been praying for my health, as one older man in the South who I led to the Lord 2 years a go found out and has been ringing up so many people to pray fro my recovery. were back among old friends who are a delight to be with, the body clock however has not yet tuned in!! First meeting with IVCM pastors tonight!

On the starting line again!

2012-01-03T19:38:00.001Z

Rod and Kym are about to embark on another trip to South India. They leave next Tuesday (10th) for London and then fly to Bangalore on the 12th.

Please pray especially for Rod at the moment as he has been forced to remain in bed with a viral chest/cough infection. Having seen the doctor today it appears medication is not useful and things will only get better with time. Rod is a bit wiped out at the moment (from an energy perspective). There is still a considerable amount of final preparations to complete, and Rod (and Kym) need to be well and strong enough to lead this mission. Please also pray for Kym that she would not catch this and equally be threatened once out there .

Reflections from home....

2011-02-13T18:40:00.002Z

We are now back in the outskirts of cozy Hereford safe, sound but shattered!

What an awesome place India is with such extremes in wealth and contrasts within its culture. It is something you truly must experience with your own eyes to understand what has been written. I guess that even we know that we could keep coming for many years and still not fully grasp everything and embrace the changes we see, such as the deeper division in wealth in places like Bangalore with it?s sudden explosion of IT to the poor rural people who can barely make it.

The influence of the (dark spiritual) oppression has never been so clearly felt as was experienced in this trip, or maybe we are just more aware of what surrounds us and the battles we face daily. Just about everywhere you go idol worship from temples to idols in fields or on the roadside, to images in the homes and hotels and even in the cars we ride in, are prevalent. There is something really exciting though about being able to work with an enthusiastic team of IVCM pastors and enter a village, or a rural home and share the ?good news?. It is even more wonderful to experience lives come forward and accept the gospel knowing that darkness has been reduced even if only just a small amount. Around 100 people made a decision to accept Jesus on this trip and we give thanks for that!

Visually it is a very graphic place and the imprints are clearly impressed upon our minds and hearts. It is so humbling to have old ones ask with trembling hands to pray for them, and perhaps even sobbing their hearts out before you. As you embrace them with Christ?s love and show compassion it also calls for a deep measure of faith as you pray. It still amazes us that even the very young are bold enough to come forward and ask for prayer! Daily fresh images of their homes and land with animals & cooking pots that pass you by, relates to the area in which these people are associated, and affirms the very need for rural village ministry.

There is such a contrast to the warm generous welcome that you receive wherever you go, (especially in small villages and with people who work the fields and thrash rice on the roadside); to the stark frustrations with what seems almost a lack of ability to plan ahead or take precautionary measures even in the simplest of things, let alone keep any real sense of time. There are endless excuses for why things are 'different on the day' that as a 'Westerner' is really annoying, but at the same time you cannot but help love them. There is much the Western church can learn from the heart of these people especially when it comes to prayer, but similarly there are things that we can share and teach them that will benefit and enhance 'the church' of India.

It is a challenge that thankfully is supported by your generous giving and prayers that God blesses and uses for His purposes and so it is a privilege to serve. In addition we want to thank those who have written sent words of encouragement, this has been so uplifting and helped us through difficult times. A special appreciation must go to Dave Hider for faithfully uploading my daily thoughts and pictures and providing such creative titles, also to Juergen who has distributed email updates and forwarded your responses.

Please continue to pray for this ministry and all who serve to reach out with care and love. Feb 2011.

P.S from Dave, It was a privelage to serve you guys in the stunning work you are doing....x

Where grace abounds......

2011-02-11T19:55:00.000Z

Our final programs consisted of a pastor's seminar (identical to that held in Salem) and a return visit to a Christian run school. The pastors meeting was another challenge as there was a 'power holiday'. as they call it when no electricity was provided in that community for the day. Consequently we had to hire a generator to run all the equipment, lighting, fans etc. which pushed us over budget. This however resulted in another problem? My lap top and projector became 'hot' i.e. electric shocks. It turns out no earth had been provided! This meant we could not use this equipment but this did not prevent us from doing most of the program. Electricity in rural India is quite a challenge! The pastors really were enthusiastic and expressed gratitude for us sharing our messages.

Tuesday saw us spending the whole day at the school, presented with gifts, garlands and a cultural show put on by the children. Both of us spoke to the 250 children and had them laughing as well as explaining biblical truths. Kym then spoke to the staff in the school chapel and was followed by me speaking to the school pastor and some local independent pastors, something that suddenly appeared as an extra item on the agenda!!

The afternoon was a challenge in more ways than one, in that I had been asked to give a gospel message to the parents as I had done in previous years. Up until a few days prior I had nothing prepared and then the Lord gave me quite definitely Psalm 23 and how to introduce him as a shepherd and then to run through this a second time with a specific gospel outreach. Everyone gave me their full attention and I sensed the Spirit really working and became aware of His leading and prompting, everything was just prime for the last part. It is hard to explain what happened next but all of a sudden the principal intervened and prevented me from doing an 'alter call'. I felt my message was convicting hearts and was totally floored by this sudden event that resulted in things being taken out of my hand.

My heart sank, as I knew that many were ready to make a commitment and make a decision to accept Jesus. It's hard to explain but often the Lord shows me specific people during a meeting that later are stood at my feet ready to change their lives, and this was another such occasion. I was asked to say a general prayer and then the principle proceeded to summarise my message and expressed gratitude for speaking.

This was an awkward and difficult ending and I felt the enemy had 'stolen the show' as it were. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was and it took a lot of effort to recover, Kym of course encouraged me by saying they did hear the gospel and that was all important. I later found out that one lady in particular had expressed some fears in her life, which I happened to touch upon in my preaching, and therefore I know God had spoken to her. She I know, was one that had been already highlighted to me during the meeting! I have to trust the Lord would still turn these people towards Him.

Girl....Power!

2011-02-08T14:56:00.001Z

Sunday evening we hired a hall in the middle of a very rural community and Kym did a sterling job in speaking to these precious ladies with a powerful message. They responded with great emotion and many came and knelt down in front of her to be prayed for (see pic). I also spoke and together we seemed to really bless them.

The hall was packed and they were in full worship using every ounce of energy.It is so wonderful to know that such poor and humble people love the same God that we worship and are saved for eternity. They have come out of darkness into the light, and now have a new birth into a LVING HOPE that we read of In 1 Peter 1:
It excites us to know that the Gospel is alive in India despite the problems, I can relate to how Paul says "I am eager to preach the gospel" Romans 1:15, evangelism is awesome!!!

Keep praying as YOU are a valuable part of this team!

The Greatest Gift...and other gifts too!

2011-02-07T21:26:00.000Z

Sunday was another long day and with many different programs. The morning we went to a rural church that we had been to before and we both spoke. Kym a children's message and myself the main preach. It is here that IVCM's 27 orphans are taken care of , but still we need to build the orphanage.

The children and the people responded to the messages and also 9 people of mixed ages responded to the gospel. They were so pleased to receive a New Test' Bible. I had no deliberate plan to preach specifically the gospel message, but felt led to towards the end. It was a very special moment as people came forward for prayer with burdens and also for healing. Then those in the picture responded to the gospel. They are thirsty for the truth.

I then baptised two new believers and had much joy in pronouncing their new names, as that is part of their culture when being baptised.

Afterwards we spent time with the orphans and distributed pillows (the first time they have ever had one), also some received school bags. we then had a mass distribution of toothbrushes/combs/notebooks and pencils, as well as a cuddly toy. They were so happy it was truly amazing, and it was like Christmas as each one was surrounded with practical gifts. Please pray for them as they here the Word of God in church and are looked after by a lady warden. Thanks to those who gave for these provisions, it was so worth bringing them all the way from the UK.

Good News:

2011-02-07T21:21:00.000Z

Sat Youth meeting was packed, so much so that they had to put a canopy extension outside the hall we rented, which was a pity in one sense as this restricted what they could see to some extent.

These kids were so enthusiastic in all we did and in worship, I sense this next generation will be people that God uses to speak into India in a powerful way. At the end of the service 12 youth made a decision to follow Christ and can be see here with new testaments.

Sat night was a gospel open air meeting in a very rural village, walking thru cows and goats to find a small area lit up but with worship booming out into the local community. It's a wonder you did not hear it in England (maybe another speaker would have reached the USA!)

An awesome time was had and we gave out the last of our teddies, tooth brushes and pencils to the young people. At the end of the meeting around 19 young and old people came forward and made a decision to accept Christ, here holding up New Testaments. What was so amazing was some older lads in there early 20's who ran boldly up to start with and then others followed. One lad in particular is the son of a man who accepted Christ 2 years before in this village and so for em that was very special.

"Grafting for the Gospel":

2011-02-07T21:18:00.000Z

I think we are getting tired now and the 'annoyances' of India are starting to rise to the surface and we have to remain focussed on the plans God still wants us to fulfill. We have had some long days which have been demanding upon our very souls. It reminds me that Jesus experienced the same things as he faced the multitudes each day.

We started today and was on the road at 7.30am and got into our room at 11.45pm, only to find that it was so noisy we had to 'shift rooms' as the Indians say. So at 12.30 we finally settled into bed. Another prompt start that morning meant it was a short night.

We are often surrounded or near temples and idols, some grotesque, but at the same time we see some beautiful things.

Our heart strings are being yanked in all directions, from the exposure to such sadness and poverty with the people in the deepest rural villages; to having to pray some of the hardest prayers we are being asked to do. For example one frail old lady ( a believer) came up to me and asked me to pray that the Lord would call her home. She said simply " Iv'e had enough'... I want to be with the lord1 She grabbed my hands and just wept, sobbing in my arms! By contrast it's a joy to pray for the young children who come up and ask for prayer for exams.

Kym hada family come and ask for prayer , they were so grateful but slipped something into her handbag. When later on ... after the multitudes had left and we were in the car. She found money tightly folded. It was the equivalent of a weeks wages.! Such sacrifice and I am not always sure why or what the motive is. Kym is also seen here with a teenage girl, who asked for prayer. She sat on her lap and as Kym prayed she had tears running down her face.

What a privilege it is to minister to these people and share Jesus compassion with them. I want to do so much more, but thank God we are doing something, I guess I am not satisfied with the few drops, and want a bigger bucket!

Please pray for fresh energy to be sustained for these last few days

'Driven' to find out more....

2011-02-04T16:04:00.006Z

What an awesome end to part one!

As you know our driver had been attending some (in part) of our meetings. He has been very helpful albeit burly in character and have enjoyed teasing him most days. This is the first time a driver has ever been interested in what we do and observed our activities.

He has also seen me tease the youth and even hotel staff wherever we go and somehow we have related to one another in a positive way. I asked you recently to pray for him. At the end of a very long day as we pulled up at the hotel, he asked if I would pray with him. I knew at once this needed taking further. After a chat I told him that Jesus loved him and so did I, and that he needed to make some changes in his life and accept Jesus as Lord. I hugged him & we prayed together and he asked Jesus into his heart.

This was an awesome moment and this was for all of us a wonderful event that I will never forget. The next day (our last in this area), we gave him a bible and also a N.test. for his daughter. I later learned that his daughter who was married had been possessed by a demon, and her husband left her. Selvin (the father ~ our driver) had witnessed a change in her after another pastor had prayed for her and told us that she was interested in Christianity.

It's awesome to be part of a chain that God uses to speak to people and we give thanks for his response. Pastor David is arranging a visit (on return from the mission) to follow up with Selvin and pray with his family. Please pray that the whole family will be saved!

Village ministry

2011-02-03T21:48:00.000Z

Today we travelled into the mountainous areas and early evening we met up with a village pastor called 'George'. He was a man with boldness and strength in his voice but clearly a man of God. He led us on foot to a tribal village that he spends time with on occasions. You can see us walking up a path surrounded by green pepper vines (as in salt and pepper) towards that village.

We met as is the 'norm' in what appeared to be the center of this village where around 30 kids greeted us with joyful, happy faces.

We observed that very near by was a Hindu temple and the reality of the spiritual opposition was very evident. In fact a few hours earlier we were struggling with all kinds of silly issues and even Kym and I were a bit 'frayed at the ends'. If only we realised earlier that the enemy was working against us and that might explain some of these issues.(We took time to pray in the foot path and proceeded onward.)

Another IVCM pastor taught the children a new song to which some of the adults tried to join in. Pastor George spoke to the kids and he can be seen raising his hand with the temple in the back ground. Kym did a children's message and I followed with a gospel message. I was especially aiming at the few adults (mostly old) who were still gathering in response to the worship and activities we were performing.

9 adults responded and made a decision to follow Jesus which was so encouraging and we gave them each a copy of the N.Testament to take home. Pastor George made himself familiar for follow up later on and invited them to his church some 15 minute walk away.

A very special thing happened after we distributed the bibles and prayed with these new believers, was a small young boy came up to Kym and I and asked if we would pray for him! These are beautiful moments we treasure as this was clearly his own response, and we also gave him a NT.

Thanks for your prayers and encouraging emails that some of you have sent, sorry if we cannot reply to all, but it is encouraging to know our efforts to keep you updated are helpful.

Kids & Kids (Goat ones!)

2011-02-03T21:43:00.000Z

Tuesday evening had us visiting a very rural village which we had been to once before. This time IVCM has appointed a pastor who travels to this village and helps a few believers. As you can see from the pics ... it's very rural goats/cows and all!

It always amazes me that within moments of arriving some plastic chairs appear and some mats for the kids to sit on. The one issue however that appeared to be a challenge was going to be the lack of light as it was approaching dusk. About 25ft away from us was a single power pole with numerous wires hanging off it, and before you could say Ardu... (Tamil for Goat) a man went shinning up bare foot with a flood lamp trailing a pair of wires. In moments and with no safety equipment (as you can imagine) he strapped the light to the pole and had it connected...and then there was light ! Approx 40 kids and about 35 adults filled the village square.

Kym preached the gospel with some difficulty as we had no portable PA system (something we desp need) and the kids were very unruly at times. All kinds of distractions from bleating goats and a few drunken people on the side lines. At times I felt this was an impossible situation. I then rounded off using the light of the world illustration using visual aids. With a further enlightenment of the gospel, I felt brave enough to make an 'alter call' for people to respond. Approx 24 adults (inc. a few older youth) responded to the messages.. Praise the Lord.

I introduced pastor Immanuel (IVCM) to these people after praying with them. Pastor David interpreted the prayer of response as well as what to do next, and this was so encouraging. Please keep praying as despite the battles and aggravations God is working thru us.

'Meet and eat'

2011-02-02T17:31:00.000Z

Approx. 85 + Women turned up to the first IVCM women's meeting in this town. More would have come but some stayed at home to obtain their weekly supply of water, as this can happen at any time during the morning.

Kym delivered the main message which was greatly appreciated and Rod spoke after the tea break with a time of reflection. The meeting concluded with distribution of saris and bibles to nominated ladies who were so pleased to receive these.

One lady seen here can be seen getting a bible but then later requested prayer from Kym, as she was potentially facing a gynaecological operation and was extremely anxious about this happening.

A very successful meeting with positive feed back which concluded with lunch as we call it 'meet and eat', all part of IVCM 's getting people together from rural churches

People all the way....:

2011-02-01T17:14:00.000Z

This evening had us concluding the day with a visit to another rural church around 7pm. Not many people were present and if I am honest our reaction was one of disappointment. After about 20 minutes of worship led by a very gifted young man others started to arrive.

I recognised a couple of young people who I had recently baptised and their enthusiasm along with others changed our whole outlook. we had a really special time of fellowship, who were very attentive to both Kym and I as we spoke.

The children were delightful as you can see, and the young people were so excited to receive a new Tamil bible.

Some more 'teddies' were handed out and in particular to one handicapped young man who is permanently on crutches. He plays the bongos and sings with great passion and you can see he is devoted to Christ.

More saris were given out by Kym and this was followed by prayer, one lady asked for prayer for her eyesight which had been defective from birth. A real test of our faith and we are praying for healing!

Please also pray for our driver, who faithfully takes us around from place to place. This he does without any questions from 9am to 9pm every day so far. What is amazing tho is that he is now attending some of the services and meetings for some of the time. Tonight he heard the gospel and has witnessed baptism and other activities. Please pray for him and us as we look for the right opportunity to share Jesus one to one.

Running out of steam a bit, but have one more full day before we have a day off. Please keep praying. Thank you

Teaching the teachers:

2011-02-01T17:11:00.000Z

A packed day which demanded our full concentration as the whole morning was devoted to a pastors seminar for independent rural village pastors. We hire a small hall and provide transport subsidies and lunch, so that they may come together for fellowship and teaching. Here you can see some of them in worship.

A huge responsibility to lead this program and to teach them. Our recent training at Bible college made us better equipped to do this, and on this occasion we were able to use some visual aids via projector. Kym spoke on Jonah and then myself on leadership principals.

This was a very special time of fellowship and many people gave encouraging remarks. After lunch I spoke to the newly formed group of 'trainee pastors' as part of my college placement again on leadership. Some IVCM pastors also attended. This was the actual 'launch' of this new program, which needs a name (suggestions welcome!). The aim is to enable men who have a heart for the ministry but who have had no formal training and also could not afford to do so, to meet up on a regular basis for ministry training.

Sunday: A day of rest??!!!

2011-01-30T18:32:00.001Z

A total of 3 services today so we have well and truly been blessed albeit quite demanding as we have ministered in so many different ways! A wonderful privilege to distribute saris to widows, and Bibles to the needy. Their expressions of gratitude leave such an impression upon our hearts and makes this so worthwhile for all the effort in raising finance and coming here to demonstrate God's love for them.

One new church that has become involved with IVCM sits on the top of a small hill and as you can see is a good walk to reach it. Such rural settings signify the importance of this ministry. The children are such a colourful picture and so good to see them come under the influence of the gospel at an early age.

On our way to the evening service we saw small rural shops with friendly people whom we are able to engage with even in a small way.

Beauty for ashes:

2011-01-30T18:27:00.001Z

Sunday morning had me planting the two small raised walls to the entrance of the new church we were going to anoint, and dedicate to the Lord. A small crowd of excited people gathered to watch and participate in this brief ceremony.

The very first service was soon held following which more Bibles and saris were distributed, a real blessing for them.

Such a joy to be involved with such lovely believers and be there to encourage them! It was a beautiful service with such passion for Christ expressed during the service in worship and prayer.

You could hear (even if we did not understand) an elderly man pray tenderly with such fervour that had me and others moved to the point of tears! And this woman was fully in love with Jesus as she worshipped him with her whole being, tears running down her face.

What an awesome thing it is to see these beautiful people saved by grace and showing true love to the one and only true God that we also worship. There is something marvellous to know that these and many others, have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour in remote rural areas of India

Finally, so great to see this blind man (who we have met before) lead the church in worship and be totally included in the service as he helped us worship by playing the drum. Another fabulous picture of believers serving Christ wholeheartedly regardless of any physical disability.

Pictures

2011-01-29T22:19:00.001Z

Don't forget, all of Rod and Kym's photo's from this and other trips can be found here

Do take a look....

Baptisms, Bibles and Blessing!

2011-01-29T22:11:00.000Z

This afternoon I had the pleasure to Baptise 8 people in a rural church but cannot show any pictures for security reasons. An awesome experience that was truly a beautiful moment of celebration and praise.

This was followed by an evening service in a small house church. Here Bibles were handed out to needy people, and also some Saris given to some very poor widows (expressions of gratitude can be seen in the pics). Always a humbling experience , the evening closed with an opportunity to pray for many individuals.

Some knitted 'toys' and sweets were given to the children does anyone recognise the 'teddie' you made ? The children were so happy !

This is what we love to do, reach out with love...

Despite the distractions....

2011-01-29T22:07:00.001Z

Today started with a morning of youth and what we called India Youth Olympics... 'running the race .....and obtaining a crown of righteousness'. It was not without problems!! All kinds of distractions and interference as well as 3 temp power failures happened ion a short time. At one point one microphone became 'hot' electrically speaking as some how it got connected wrongly, and while David and I both got shocks, no harm was done; then the power went out, (x3) and then some visitors turned up to look at the hall we had hired and walked on the stage and caused distraction... they were soon persuaded to move on!

We all felt the satan was making good efforts to inflict disturbance and distraction to the max. PLEASE double your prayer efforts as we are in enemy territory! despite all that over 80 young people re committed their lives to Christ which a wonderful response! 150 young people had signed up to come but actually 200 attended! (most were new comers!)

At first only one young lady responded to an 'alter call', but because of her boldness (which was truly amazing) approx. 19 others soon joined her and made a decision to accept Jesus. They were all given New testaments in Tamil.

Ready for planting..In more ways than one!

2011-01-28T21:45:00.001Z

While some of you were thinking fresh coconut milk, and everything looks like holiday mode, well that all changed as we got straight into selecting plants at a nursery ready for planting up tomorrow.

From there we got headlong into various aspects of our evening programs as we gathered with David & 8 of our co-pastors for prayer, communion and mission discussions. We were honoured with some beautifully crafted shawls.

After the pastors left we enjoyed a meal and fellowship with David and his family, and watch the two boy's unpack some belated Christmas presents!

Time for bed now as it's 10.30pm local time = around 5pm your time, but we have yet to sleep so night night!

Safe, Sound, Sleepy

2011-01-28T21:40:00.001Z

While you guys were going to sleep we arrived safe and sound in Bangalore... but then started our day having collected all our luggage and proceeded South! Wow had we forgotten the sounds, and sights as even at 5am, the city was coming to life!

The journey seemed much quicker than before, stopping on the way for a cool refreshing coconut, and around lunchtime arrived in Salem complete with knitted teddies all screaming ..."let me out", and bags of toothbrushes, combs and pencils etc. After a quick breather we set off to purchase plants in preparation for a new church opening. A garden coming on me thinks ! Thanks for your prayers keep them coming!

Nearly there:

2011-01-25T18:38:00.002Z

Just a note to say that we have received sufficient funds for carrying out the mission which is a real blessing ... Thank YOU Jesus !

Please continue to pray as we head off from London on Thursday and arrive in India in the early hours of Friday.

Pray especially for all our luggage (and there's a lot of it!) to make it thru without hassle and delays, also for no issues with our visa's on arrival.

And finally that we also might arrive in good shape to start the programs that very same day, after a further 6-7 hrs driving!!

Funding for the road ahead:

2011-01-16T18:09:00.000Z

We have been encouraged by the responses to our appeal for mission funds and are grateful to those who have been prompted by the Lord to contribute financially and for pledges of prayer support. The huge gap first reported has closed considerably and we ask that in this last week IVCM supporters continue to pray in the balance of funds needed.

We have faith to believe that "our God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus; as this is Kingdom business we are about! (Phil 4:19)"

God promises us riches, but not of the sort we're used to pursuing here on earth. The riches God blesses us with are spiritual riches, namely the grace of Jesus Christ and the spiritual benefits of following him.

Keep praying !!

2011 visit countdown:

2011-01-03T21:39:00.004Z

Greetings to you all in this New Year, we pray that God will bless your lives and ministry during 2011 and that you will continue to pray for IVCM.

With passports and visa's duly stamped we are fast approaching the date of our departure to South India (Jan 27th), there are so many preparations still needed to be done as well as church/college and business obligations. Please pray for all those needs to be met as well as the preparations going on India for our mission to succeed. We intend doing a blog again so that you can follow our progress, but more of that in a couple of weeks.

We are writing to appeal for your help to join with us in prayer for the Lord to make provision by His people for the balance of funds needed to bless the very poor people we shall meet on this trip. You can see from the above (attached pictures) that so many believers where blessed last year by being given a full Bible in their own Tamil language. Many received a bible for the first time in their lives and you can imagine what impact that has had upon their spiritual lives to have their own copy of God's word!

We understand the economic hardships that many people face (more for those who have lost jobs or even homes), none the less for the first time we are appealing for help as these believers also need support as they face similar hardships. We are approximately £1200 short of our target, and at this time can only afford around 90 bibles instead of the normal minimum requirement of 500 plus 200 New testaments. In addition we usually bless some of the poor widows with a new saris as this will be the only help they will get in 2011! (you can see Kym giving one to a young widow as she prays for her).

I have been reading today as part of my studies a book by Richard Foster on the subject of money, and he reminded me that if we own a car and a home that we are still more wealthy than 90% of the rest of the people on this planet. This means we are (despite our perception of our current needs) among the world's upper class. Please note that this is not intended to to make us feel guilty; it is intended to to help us capture an accurate picture of the real situation in the world. He goes on to say that " we badly need conversion in our understanding of ownership, perhaps we need to stamp everything in our possession with the reminder 'Given by God, Owned by God, and to be used for the Purposes of God".

Would you please consider making a financial contribution towards meeting these costs for Bibles and Saris so that we may bless some of the poorest people in rural and tribal villages. Time is short but if you can mail a cheque (or give it to us in person) so that we can deposit it into our UK Mission bank account, then please make this payable to IVCM; If you simply cannot afford to do this right now will you please pray alongside us that God will prompt His people to be generous for building His kingdom in India.

It is not necessary for everyone to give large sums of money, Just £10 would enable us to buy 8 bibles, £25 = 20 bibles; so if a number of people joined in this appeal then we could achieve our target easily. We are praying in faith believing that God will provide.

Please e mail us for further info

Final reflections:

2010-02-21T20:05:00.000Z

It’s hard to put on paper ones thoughts and experiences from all we have seen, heard and been involved with. India has no doubt a special place in our hearts and more importantly in the Lord’s. These comments are personal to me and do not necessarily reflect that of the other members of the team.

There is such an obvious change when a non believer comes out from the darkness of this infested land of 330 million gods to the one and only true God who brings light and life and eternal hope! Apart from me there is no other Saviour. Isaiah 43:11 (para)

Most of the believers we have met express outwardly such a joy and a radiance that is hard to find in the western world (when you consider the burdens and difficulties and hardships they face daily); I have even questioned my own outward expressions at times on looking back on the past, where it has seemingly been difficult to worship in the way in which I should. During some of the services I have seen with my own eyes such beautiful worship from somebody and then later only to find that same person kneeling before me and weeping as I pray over them. How can this be? Why are some of us such a closed book in western culture……? Why do some of us find it difficult to come forward for prayer when given the opportunity…... is our self reliance so strong that we starve ourselves and deny this privilege of ministering to one another?

We have been richly blessed by seeing the Lord touching lives here and there (as so many of our meetings have been small numbers) and then to see amazing responses to the gospel when groups of all ages give their hearts to the Lord. What a sight to behold and if only we could hear the angels rejoicing in heaven! We eagerly await forthcoming testimonies to speak of what God has been doing through us and with your prayer support……..let us rejoice together!!

Not everything goes to schedule and at times we find that frustrating, almost a difficult pill to swallow if you have not been here before! You might be thinking I have rose tinted glasses well that’s not quite true. Sometimes Indian mentality is enough to test the patience of any saint, as programs change to what you think has been arranged, the same mistakes are sometimes repeated, and the chilled attitude towards time can take it’s toll…… when we come from such an organised culture, but we lovingly move forward. Other things like noise and pollution are in excess of our norm, and yet they pay close attention to keeping their houses neat and clean, but outside the home anything goes; even believers do not seem to care about litter outside their personal domain.

I am still amazed how we can turn up in the middle of a village almost an hour to an hour and a half later than planned and ‘church’ just begins within moments. Chairs appear from almost nowhere, people begin to gather and without any fancy PA equipment worship commences!! Even if people are already assembled they patiently wait for us to show up and just continue to worship in song. They are so eager to have fellowship, to hear you speak into their lives and to pray with them that time is not important, only just to be with God’s people!

Believers here have a heart of servant hood where nothing is too much trouble or too difficult. They seem to go to extraordinary lengths not only to welcome you but to serve and they feel it is their minimum duty! In many ways all that we witness is like what we read in the book of Acts. There are many elements that I would love to see adopted into our churches in the western world as there is freedom from striving for perfection and dare I say even military precision which could overtake the simplicity of ‘fellowship’. I realise that this does not apply to all churches as we operate at varying levels; also that here we do not have to be as responsible and accountable for our time as we do in the western world!

Never the less there is a richness here that makes us seem poor by comparison as we perhaps wrestle to live in our own society with such high demands upon our time and energy. God gives us so much in the way of families and friends and church family and yet we seem to strive for better things seemingly, that actually deprive us of spending precious time with the things He considers more important! There is so much to learn, so much to apply and time vanishes before us. The mission for this year is over and it is important we take proper rest as this has been punishing at times.

Already our programs are memories and photos and sadly as we relax in modern hotels in Kerala we see many Europeans (Italians, French and some English) pushing there way around the buffet tables as if there were only 3 spoons of rice left! After spending so much time with the nationals what we now experience is not a pretty sight, and I realise I can be just as guilty if I am not careful. There is beauty in being with our brothers and sisters in India and it’s so easy to make them laugh or smile. Even to relate to ordinary people in match factories who we have never met before just by getting down to their level brings a man or woman to beam a smile without even being able to speak their language! God bless India and bring many more into the kingdom of God!

Adopted.........by God!:

2010-02-17T10:17:00.002Z

Our last service was a truly blessed one .... wonderful worship, good responses to preaching and to conclude with a baptism.

I baptised 3 believers this morning and count a real privelige to do this and these people were delightful. The irrigation tank was outside near to the church building and many gathered to witness this event.

Afterwards we came back in and had a good chat with our co-pastors in this region and also a wonderful time with the 20+ orphans who IVCM helps. We provide clothes, food and some basic education. It is absolutely minimal help as we don’t currently have enough funds to run a proper program. These are the kids who want to stay at our eventual new building on the land we own nearby.

The kids enjoyed having sweets, and all were given the knitted teddies (see pics), such a simple gift brought great joy to their hearts as they don’t get much help. Some bed sheets were also distributed.

It seemed strange to think this was our last service and time of ministry, all the programs, outreach, bible distribution had come to an end. We love these people as they are so special, warm and loving. They have so little compared to Western standards and yet are rich in Christ! Thanks for your prayers and support without them we would not have managed! We are now aiming to rest and take some personal refreshment, as we are totally zapped!

Bless you in Jesus name.

Strange encounter?:

2010-02-17T10:10:00.000Z

While sat having breakfast in this small hotel we are having discussions between ourselves about the Sunday service/baptism etc. At the far end there is a family also taking breakfast. Just as we are about to leave the husband comes over and says in very good English he heard our conversations, and asked if he could come to church with us! (be careful what you say in public is a useful reminder)….

We said that we were travelling at least one hour to the church and had a full program, and before we could say anymore he said that he needed to come as he had been baptised yesterday and did not have peace!

We then had to ask David if this was Ok and felt it was one of those God divine appointments. David was surprised and said why would he come so far but agreed. This man came in our car with his own driver following… much to his amazement and without his family (they had guests but he insisted he needed to come to church).

During our journey he asked many questions and also regarding his business, we kept speaking into his life, it was strange set of circumstances. Part way into the journey he then changed his mind and said could we go into his car as this might settle his driver who thought he was crazy, but we refused as my warning bells put me on high alert!

This man was a director of the hotel and had other businesses, also he spent 2 years in England a while back. So what was this mans true intentions? Again question after question came and he began to relax, then he suddenly said that he now had peace and need not come any further.

We prayed over him and he then got out and thanked us, returned to his car and we went ahead to our original destination. Where we gullible at his story of faith or was God using us to speak into his life? It’s hard to give all the facts here but it was an amazing encounter. We were kept safe and had a truly blessed morning!

Liberated, lively and loved:

2010-02-16T14:20:00.000Z

Our last youth meeting was amazing! In fact awesome!! Around 70 kids were expected but actually 140 showed up , so many that they literally filled the hall sat on mats. These were younger kids but some older ones and a few adults as well.

Again some minor problems setting up while they were in worship as again a late start. One song in particular was so lively they were all dancing and waving there hands, shouting what sounded like Jeshua!

They were a lively bunch and very responsive. We had two sessions (adjusted) went well and half way thru the first one I felt this oppression lift and felt free and liberated, I sensed that somebody had been praying! We concluded with a re commitment and prayer for believers, and an altar call for non believers. 26 people inc 3 adults came forward...Praise God!

Light in the darkness!!:

2010-02-15T17:52:00.001Z

The last two days as a team we have felt a real spirit of oppression and there have been countless problems and difficulties as the numbers of those coming to faith have increased. We have been praying real crazy, and are also now physically exhausted and emotionally drained, this night we got home and into bed at 1.30am and had not eaten an evening meal. It sounds crazy and was not planned this way but the programs and events just turned out that way!

We changed the venue of this meeting due to the circumstances prev mentioned and unfortunately there were significantly less people who attended! Setting up equipment was fraught with minor problems and as usual time was much later than planned for.. Indian time takes some getting use to!!

A cultural show was put on and then it was time to speak after worship. Many children came as well as adults. Our theme was Jesus is the light of the world. Our visual aids included sparklers, glow sticks and magic candles. The gospel was preached and was interspersed with a short film clip on the stars and planets in relation to our world. Projection was thrown onto a tightly stretched bed sheet but it worked. it was not possible to play sound as the Audio people in the prev meeting left my jack adapter behind in their amp. I was too tired to check as we left late again!

Despite the problems the Gospel was preached and about 30 adults and 10 or so youth came forward, and as they were gathered the power went out and we were in total darkness in the middle of this vacant plot of land! But then all we could see was a scattered array of glow sticks which looked beautiful! Within minutes (to my relief) the power came back on and we could lead them thru the prayer of confession and give out New testaments.

'Judo-Christian' school??!

2010-02-15T09:53:00.002Z

We returned to our usual school which is for mostly Hindu children , but is operated entirely on Christian principals with a strong Bible influence and this is so evident amoung the teachers and children.

We were greeted by all the kids standing and waving in one long double human aisle all the way from the road to the new building at the far end. Having been showered with garlands, flowers and incense among several other traditional greetings we moved like some royal procession!

The children had put on several displays, programs including Judo and Karate, dances etc. This took up the whole morning! After lunch Kym preached to the staff in the newly opened Chapel, (still in need of some finishing touches when funds come in); it was amazing to think that last year only raw foundations were in front of our eyes!

I then was asked to talk to the parents and children (Peter having done his talk in the morning); so many parents turned up that even they were surprised! Some of the kids had sit outside as we were overflowing. At first this was a disappointment but I then realised the Lord had a purpose for me to aim my talk to the parents.

After concluding with the Gospel around 35-40 parents came forward and committed their lives to Christ, and we could introduce them to the Pastor who visits this school and runs a service on Sundays (currently only 10 believers) ...he travels 100k every time there and back by moped to get here. Pray that he can move nearer soon! Now his membership will increase. An awesome time spent on this day... Thank you Jesus

Finally Kym was given a beautiful Saris by the Principal (fine Christian lady) . see for yourself in this picture

Loving Lepers......

2010-02-10T17:39:00.002Z

We put out the word at the last minute from the orphanage to ask some lepers to come to one hall for ministry in a practical way. A small number gathered along with some beggars with cancer.

We aimed to meet them and show the love of Christ by spending time and to provide rice and some small amounts of money. Nothing could have prepared us for what we would witness today! We had been instructed how to behave and the do's and dont's so in a sense we were a little on edge if I am honest!

Pastor Jay sang a few Christian songs, prayed and then we met each one individually as they sat along one long wall inside this hall. What we saw was in some cases quite shocking, and all of them were in filthy clothes best described as rags. Nobody wants these untouchables it seems!

Pastor asked me on the spot to do a short preach.....?? Oh says me ...Holy Spirit come!! Fortunately I had popped a magic candle in my pocket and a box of matches and told them about the Light of the World. It all seemed a bit in adequate and my faith was not enough to expect instant healing although many times our hearts desire for such a thing.

With God's strength I felt compelled to tell them the Gospel and that one day we would have new bodies and there would be no more suffering if we put our trust in Christ. Even more surprising I decided to put my faith to the test and asked for any who might want to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Approx. 20 made that choice and we led them to Jesus... what an amazing day! We gave each one about 2kg of rice and
some money and sent them on their way! Although there was rejoicing I'm afraid I literally wept after the event was all over. My heart just broke with emotion with what we witnessed and saw take place!

School Visit.......
Today we returned to the St.Joseph's school and spent the whole day being guests of honour. This place blows your mind at the welcome and hospitality we receive. It's a Christian run school but the children are mostly Hindus. They put on numerous programs and exhibitions for us to see and watch..absolutely spectacular from Karate and breaking tiles to a series of cultural dances.

To see such excellent behaviour and well disciplined children was a sight to behold, all proud to be part of this very rural school...note at our 1st visit 2 years a go they had not seen a white person before!!

Peter did his story of Jesus in the storm which always goes down well, and then after lunch Kym preached to the staff members in the recently opened Chapel. Last year we prayed over the foundations and now we were inside!

I then preached to the kids and their parents who had arrived. It was packed as so many parents had come, so much so that the very small kids had to sit outside which seemed a shame! It seemed a very disorientated start as people were moving around and various other minor interruptions took place ,but eventually the atmosphere changed and I changed my message to suit the large number of adults who gathered. The gospel was preached and between 25 to 40 parents came forward at the end.

This is amazing stuff, we introduced them to the newly appointed pastor of the chapel and he encouraged them to come to the chapel on Sunday. The Power of the Gospel in India is so powerful, evangelism is just so exhilarating and we want to see more souls brought into the Kingdom of Christ!

Thanks for your prayers ...please continue, there is till more time yet!

Training Timothy's

2010-02-10T17:38:00.000Z

One great thing here is the fact young men and women are here from the remote villages of north India. They are extremely poor and are cared for here and assisted in their training towards being a pastor, and eventually sent back to preach the Gospel.

What a privilege to teach and encourage and pray with these delightful young people! After a time of worship and teaching we asked them to reflect on what they had learnt with the help of my lap top and a worship song with pictures of creation. Closing with prayer and calling upon the Holy Spirit to give them a fresh vision for God and to be filled a fresh, turned out to be a powerful and moving event. God showed up big time…… many broke down and wept and cried aloud to God in open prayer. This was so controlled and yet an awesome experience! I have never seen before so many people crying out to the Lord with such passion and sincerity . The leader who teaches this group of about 50 students encouraged this opportunity to express them selves and kindly interpreted some of those audible prayers.

We were all greatly moved by the hand of God touching lives in such a powerful way, a memory we will always hold close to our hearts! I know how right it is that we must seek further training ourselves so that we can become even more equipped to bless our brothers and sisters in Christ, there is a passion welling up as we see God using us through your prayers…thank you in the name of Jesus!

Orphan children at ICMC:

2010-02-09T15:42:00.000Z

You may recall that we have been involved with this orphanage for almost 20 years now, and so on this occasion we returned to pay a visit to see developments. Little Rajeet (pronounced this way) came running over to meet us within 15 minutes of our arrival…somehow it did not take long to know we were back! This time he brought a puppy called ‘Snowy’ to show how he was caring for him!

There are, as usual, many projects going on and we are amazed to see expansion programs and new developments, these are hard to explain, but the following pictures say that the orphans are being cared for and have shelter food and clothes. They are loved by those who care for them and by us, there is no doubt that you cannot fail to be touched by seeing so many kids singing and praying before your very eyes! You can see them hear waiting to hear our every word.

Some of the sights are not so pleasant as we see deformities and illness and sadness, but we thank Jesus He can change lives!! This boys legs and feet tell the story, we pray for God’s touch and mercy upon such young
ones!

Children love stories and here they are doing the actions to Peters story of Jesus calming the storm. 1000 kids doing actions!!!!!!

The familiar thing is the constant demand for having their pictures taken and then showing it to them. A thousand kids means a thousand pictures!!!!!!!

Vibes in the tribes!:

2010-02-08T20:32:00.002Z

We are now at the Yercaud hills and intend spending a day and a half rest, but tonight we went into a distant tribal village. We meet a local pastor and his wife which is located in a nearby village, who then took us on foot into probably the most remote village we have experienced so far. It was delightful , narrow paths & scattered huts and small houses on a hillside surrounded by coffee bushes and dense undergrowth.

We stopped in the middle of a path 6ft across and within moments about 6 chairs turned up and a few mats laid out also for any children. Only a handful of believers were expected to come and the balance would be made up of locals and kids. Within 20 mins we had a small crowd of 25 people and about 10 children and the service began.

It was amazing as always to see these pastors strike up a song without any musical accomplishment and lead worship and watch and see other people come out from nowhere and join the meeting. About 5 more people turned up and a few widows who stood against a shed behind us to observe what we might be saying. Doing ‘Church’ outside without any scheduled timetable or major organisation is just an amazing thing to behold.

Kym delivered a short message and then I spoke briefly to the kids and adults which then progressed into a gospel service, at the end of which approx 10 people came forward and gave their hearts to Christ. This is just so amazing to witness and see for real before your very eyes! This local pastor who is not currently working in this village has agreed to come back and help these people move forward, and hopefully embrace them into his own church!

Again please keep us all in your prayers, we are feeling very tired now and a days rest tomorrow is going to be greatly appreciated.

A challenging delivery?!:

2010-02-06T08:35:00.001Z

We went to a hall to conduct an evening meeting which was at the beginning fraught with minor difficulties…. Within moments the main power went out and we were in total darkness! It was in a kind of basement so it was impossible to have light penetrating from outside from those who had generators.

The Catholic church was holding a meeting opposite us and insisted we kept the windows shut, so no fresh air could come in!

The guy on the keyboard was playing like an organist in Blackpool tower! He continued to play while I was preaching eventually. They put up special hanging lights over our table from which I could not see the congregation, so when the power did come back I had to move off to the side which meant it was more difficult for David to interpret.

Although they were mostly Christians I felt compelled to preach the Gospel towards the end…and invited people to come and see me to one side rather than an alter call. One person came ONLY, but then perhaps not a surprise and so led that person to Christ.

What happened next was amazing..!! One mother brought a teenage daughter to me and intimated I was to pray for her daughter. She was very dirty and in very poor clothes. Through a co-pastor I soon realised that we needed more prayer support as this young lady was possessed with an evil spirit! With the aid of Pastor Solomon we prayed fervently over her and her body began to contort. She then went down onto the ground and was rolling around. We called upon Almighty God and summoned Heaven to deliver her from this spirit and commanded it to leave in Jesus name. She stopped and came out of this trance!

After more prayer and counselling we were able to lead her to Christ ………Praise the Lord. During this time her mother just wept profusely. It was probably one of the most emotional and demanding moments of ministry I have witnessed. It transpires that she was going to commit suicide the previous night, and throw herself in a well! Her mother asked he to come to this meeting, when I asked what stopped her she said…Jesus told me I must come tonight.

I gave her a cuddly knitted toy which had a huge smile and when she got it as a gift her face lit up! This is why we are here ! This is why we need your prayers!

Keep them coming!

Photo's:

2010-02-03T21:14:00.003Z

There are some fantastic pictures being sent through from Rod, Kym and Peter's trip. Don't forget you can view them all (plus pics from other trips) by clicking here or on the picture above.

A reminder too to visit the IVCM website too to find out more about how this trip fits the vision of IVCM!

IVCM

Filling Pasta (well Pastor's anyway!!):

2010-02-03T20:55:00.002Z

Approx 60 independant pastors came for fellowship and teaching...a really fantastic morning and since we have rec'd many good comments...PTL enjoy the photos and pray for these men that God would bless there ministry! One way transport and lunch we provided for them.

Street Ministry: At one village we preached and Peter did a childrens talk. As you can see lots of children came, wondeful to be out at night and then we prayed for them !

Some bibles being given out at one meeting:

No longer backwards coming forward!:

2010-02-03T10:32:00.002Z

Yesterday morning we went to a remote rural village, it was delightfully primitive and there had been no major Christian witness, in fact it was only in the last few years could anyone go into this place in this capacity. We were to hold a meeting in the centre surrounded by tiny houses, outbuildings and goat pens.

Pastor David was expecting about 20 people to turn up and as such a few chairs was scattered around in a very compact way. Within moments of our arrival people gathered from nowhere it seemed. Bear in mind this was around 10.30am but almost 80 people inc children arrived.

People brought their beds out onto the street to sit on:

We arranged for a few more chairs to come and within 10 mins a man with a bicycle appeared with a large bundle strapped to the back of his bike!! (Chair team watch this space!!!)

David led worship by singing a song (no keyboard here)..and people just listened as there appeared to be no Christians. I noticed just one woman tho, and it turned out she was called Naomi, and had been praying for Jesus to come to her village for many years!!!!!!!

Kym spoke first which was short message and challenging , some of the younger generation moved back and hid behind a cow shelter. I then spoke and expanded on her talk with an illustration and then preached the Gospel. I yelled at the boys to come out and told them I could see them hiding and so did God.

We felt God's presence, and I gave an alter call and to my amazement approx 40 came forward and gave their hearts to Christ. It was so powerful to see the Lord working and changing hearts! Old and young, men and women and some of the lads!!

This blew us away as this meant a new church had just been started and what would be the next thing? Pastor David was so excited as he had been wanting to start a church here for some time, now he has to find a pastor and so thats the challenge for us back home, we need another £25 a month plus a small home to rent or build. Please be thanking God for this great witness and for the necessary funding !

It did not end there, as one man (Just given his heart to the Lord) came up and said he had some land and would allow us to buy it ONLY for a small church building....how cool is that !! The very man who comes to Christ wants to start a church... how do such things happen out here like this?

It was hard to leave this place it is such a beautiful village and the people so loving and grateful, a place we will never forget!!

Please pray that the Lord will guide us and make His will clear, the land will be about £3500 to buy and another £1500 + other fees. The land is big enough to build a pastors house (sound grand but actually only two rooms), David thinks we could do this ALL for around £6500-7000. Lord you own the cattle on a thousand hills... speak to the hearts of many!

Lastly one young man stared at me from a distance with a glazed face.. and marks on his face, arms crossed! He came up to me and said 'Hare Krishna'.. at once I knew what he was about!! BUT he wanted to give me a copy of his bible Krsna (in English) , BUT wanted one of ours to read!!!!!!!! So we exchanged bibles.....please pray for this man, as needless to say I challenged him and he kept saying his god was more important despite the witness... PRAY IN JESUS name that the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth!

PLEASE keep praying as the Lord is about His fathers business and using us here, we are tired and looking forward to a day and a half break. Pray for refreshment and continued anointing.

Hall of Hope:

2010-02-02T12:42:00.000Z

Some may recall that a year ago we prayed over the foundations in a rural village that God would provide the funds for the first IVCM church building or as it's called here .. a Prayer Hall..!

The funds came in November and the work began in earnest to raise the walls and have this work complete with the strong possibility of being able to dedicate this building on this trip.

The earlier pictures shows us doing some practical stuff before hand and a few days later we have the privilege of dedicating and opening the hall. As we arrive the small crowds had gathered and we were given garlands and welcomed once more. This process for us presents us with mixed feelings knowing how poor they are and that we are made so special. Training at BMS on 'cross cultures' comes in as a useful reminder as we must respect this culture and embrace their customs.

We were then requested to unveil the commemoration plaque and receive more public attention!!

Amazing experience with such joy and worship and prayer! I then led everyone thru the act of dedication, and then we anointed with oil each of the 4 corners of the building and thedoor and threshold, reading out a different scripture and short prayer! The final moment was to cut a ribbon and let the people go inside. There was no stopping them !!!!

Once everyone was settled we blessed the builder and his workers with gifts and had an amazing time of worship.

The Holy Spirit was filling this temple! Awesome to take the very first service in this new Prayer Hall! The atmosphere was electric and we sensed God's presence amoungst us. Towards the end I had this thought that wouldn't it be awesome if just somebody gave their heart to Christ. What a blessing if that should happen... could it...?

I prayed to the Lord that He would grant my wish and began preaching the Gospel and made a deliberate outreach hoping that somebody from within the village would be here and to be saved. I invited any to come forward after the end of the service rather than a public alter call and said where I would be waiting. While Kym and Peter prayed for individual believers one person cam forward,... then another! In total 5 people including a husband and wife came to know Jesus that night! ..Praise God

I am excited about evangelism and the power of the gospel... Thank you Jesus! Amen. Believers had invited friends to come and some where simply curious! The gospel was proclaimed and the Lord gave granted my
wish and the fellowship has now increased. PTL

Please pray for these people and in particular for one lady who was partially paralyzed and her brain also affected as a result of her last childbirth! I noticed Kym in particular praying fervently with her and was pleading to the Lord on her behalf for healing and restoration. If you could pray also for her then maybe we might here a wonderful testimony in time to come! Come Holy Spirit come.

The Bible to people - however we can do it!

2010-02-01T11:45:00.000Z

Caught up at last with the blog, just a few hours before tonight's meeting so here's the update for Sunday. 3 services, two normal ...(if there is such a thing out here!...everyone is different and you don't know what might happen next)! First these young lads greet you as good stewards to an opening between shops! Could this be Nightshift in India?

Two traditional services in the morning, followed by a special one late afternoon. worship, preach followed by handing out bibles to the needy and saris to the widows. (see pics)... notice how young some of the widows are!! Then request from individuals for prayer.

At one church with lots of children Peter talks to the children about the storm that Jesus calmed and after using his prop , gets them to do the actions!

I love looking at the women especially in Worship as they are not inhibited in any way... God is their audience!

Prayer requests come in sorts of ways .. here a 95 year old woman is greeted by Kym and Peter. These personal prayer requests are expected ......why are we so reserved to request prayer in some Western churches? Here it's the norm!

Mission possible!:

2010-01-31T20:14:00.003Z

Today was an awesome day... sorry for the delay but Sat and Sunday has been full demanding days but Exciting... PTL!

Am writing this at 12.30 Monday Indian time to try and keep you posted!

Saturday started with our Youth meeting when 125 had signed up to come, but by 10.45am 180 youth showed up for this rally!!!!! A great morning of teaching and worship culminating in approx 25 kids giving their hearts to Christ .. praise God! Another 80+ made fresh commitments to their faith !

7 recent believers came for baptism and had the privilege to baptise them and give each one a Tamil Bible during the service that followed. Here baptism is first outside ... of course and then pile into a house church 20x16 with barely an inch to move.

Following the service we pray for many people who come forward requesting prayer for many different things. Here you can see an older lady who just wept before me .... Jesus bring relief into her life.

Please pray with us as we seek to bless them and uphold them before our saviour... we pray that we will hear testimonies in the future of great and wonderful things.

One man (seen in front of me) after prayer gave me a free will offerring, which I was not allowed to refuse! This blew me away and I could not hold back the tears, and nor could he.. These people and their passion for Christ and expectations are so HUGE!!!!!!

One person gave us several bags of knitted teddies/dolls in all shapes and sizes, which nicely added to our luggage at the last minute!! As you can see these kids felt very special!

Talk to us!:

2010-01-29T16:33:00.000Z

Did you realise you can leave messages for Rod and Kym on this blog?

At the bottom of each post there is a 'comments' link. Click it and leave them a message....

Go on, give it a try...

Painting and Planting.....

2010-01-29T16:16:00.002Z

What a day...!! It was a real hands on day as we spent our time helping out at the New Prayer Hall Project.. The day began by taking a look at the almost complete building with various bods doing the finishing touches.

Peter and Kym began painting the walls with a substance that was the furthest thing removed from what we call emulsion paint... probably more a 'white wash'... do we do that any more in the UK ?

Then it was decided that the colour was a bit grim, resembling something like the colour from a dishwasher! No probs tho within 1hr we were presented with another bucket of a similar substance but biscuit colour... much better!

Rod spent the time landscaping and in his element... gardening in India!!!!!

First preparation of soil ????? Is that what you call it? Then off to a local nursery .... of sorts ... no B&Q here!! Great fun choosing plants and then loading them into our vehicle and back we go to plant!

Placing and planting with what we call a trowel and spade here referred to as a 'Spoon' and a hoe!? All planted and it does look great, watered in ?..... yes of course, just dig a huge channel, chomp out a paddy field and here comes the water.... lots of it!!

While we got busy with paint and plants we also met the local carpenter who was building a lectern, and other painters who decided to paint the walls outside after planting my raised tub... I guess builders are the same world over .? Well actually that's not quite fair .. it was the painters fault .... or was it the ...? Oh well. This builder did a great job, under huge time deadlines and actually saved us money .. he is a Christian.. so take it back (big time!) Job done!

Also took time to see our cow project again and as you can see also doing well!

Need to get a good nights sleep and prepare for the youth meeting and baptismal programme for tomorrow!

Safe arrival..

2010-01-28T20:57:00.003Z

After many weeks of preparation we finally boarded a plane having met up with Peter at Terminal 5 and handed over a large number of cases which were all OVERWEIGHT!!!!! (except Peter's). Made the right decision to pray over them before we left and hoped we would not be charged as we had been given lots of last minute things to take and bless people with! Amazingly they all went thru without any question a s if they never existed!

We landed safely complete with our extra kilo's and met Pastor David and another Peter at Bangalore as you can see!:

It was a task to get all this gear strapped on the roof with what looked like the most feeble of thin rope, hoping that no emergency stops would be needed.

After an hour into the journey we felt, smelt and heard all those familiar sights and noises that can only be identified with INDIA!!!.

Complete with a refreshing coconut..we are back... tonight we shall meet with 7 co-pastors for a time of great fellowship.......

What an awesome night of prayer, song and fellowship and teaching with these dear men of God, special times to savour!! We prayed earnestly for the mission and celebrated communion together...... Now we are ready for the off!!

The clock is ticking...

2010-01-23T18:58:00.001Z

Rod, Kym and Peter leave for London Tuesday and fly out to India Wednesday.

Please pray for them....

Rod and Kym's blog is about to go live again!!

2010-01-08T21:21:00.016Z

Rod and Kym are going back to India 26th Jan for almost a month and attempting a fairly hefty program. Having said that the last week is a vacation in Kerala.

More news soon on the 2010 trip. Watch this space.....

To see posts from Rod and Kym last trip to India click here or go to the archives section below left

Time to reflect....

2009-02-16T14:00:00.001Z

We are still missing our precious brothers and sisters in the Lord in India, according to a recent email they say "we are still before there eyes". The feeling is mutual!!

During our stay we have probably ministered to about a 1000 people adults and young alike, bear in mind tho that this was over many meetings in many rural places. How blessed we were to see so much fruit for our labour. Lives touched, encouraged and uplifted. Amazing that these people love the same 'Jesus' that we do, but probably have a different concept of the global family church that we belong to. It was good to share that they are not alone and assured them of our prayers in their various struggles.

Approx 84 people gave there hearts to the Lord and we pray that the good seed will grow and bring forth much fruit in their lives and communities. What a privelige to be part of this ministry...awesome in fact !!!!!!!! Please pray for them and the co pastors as they follow up this work.

We have learnt much on this mission trip, as prev said there is something special about the 'simplicity' of doing 'church' in India. There are obvious humble reminders of our main focus on worshipping a Holy living God, and not allowing man made things to clutter or taint that goal.They are not perfect and have not got everything right, indeed there is a slight worry that in time the 'western world' may influence there ways as many 'things' become more accessible. The cell phone is one such example, as these seem to be answered on demand no matter what!!
Amazing stark contrast to be in Sydney and in the metroplis of city life with the hussle and bustle and speed of life, yet they and we in the UK have the same God who cares about India!!

Interesting to note that in Melbourne near the fire stricken areas how once again it takes a disaster to bring people together and pray to God. People here are in the same great need and we have seen some of the effects of this tragedy. May eyes be opened to the one who cares and offers eternal life. Why is it that people are so dependant on themselves until they have almost nothing before they turn to God? Lord show us how to win souls for you right where we are even in these situations.

Thanks for your blog watching, prayers and love. Please continue to pray that our business trip might also be fruitful, so we can continue to bless others.

Safe .....in Sydney

2009-02-10T20:32:00.006Z

We left India with a great deal of emotion and thankful hearts for how the Lord had blessed our time in a way that we had never expected.

Favourite moments.......with pics below...

The joy of seeing so many joining in expressive worship to the same God we believe in, esp. When so much darkness still exists with idolatry and temple worship.

Many young children having fun and clasping one's hands eagerly and then being reluctant to let go.
Seeing passers by come stop and listen, and come to know Christ as their Saviour.

The fellowship and fun we had with the pastors of IVCM

Seeing young people rededicate their lives at youth revival meetings

The many different sights as we travel around that could only be seen in India.

The expression of grateful hearts seen on many faces as they received Saris or Bibles.

IVCM's first international board meeting held in a hotel meeting room.

The privilege of Baptising 10 new believers.

Seeing either the beginnings of new projects such as a new prayer hall/ tailoring project; or items completed during the year that were once only a prayer item.
Thanks to all for the many different ways in which we have been supported. We esp. Want to thank those who have been faithfully updating "our followers".... And a HUGE Thanks to Dave Hider for his creativity and frequent updates posted on our Blog. This has been such a powerful tool allowing you to see pictures first hand.

Sorry for any typos or poor phrases as the emails have been done mostly very late at night with battles over either power or availability of computers."

A Satisfying Saturday

2009-02-07T18:34:00.003Z

What a final day... !!

We held our first international board meeting and hired an appropriate meeting room in the hotel. Kym and I were welcomed an formally appointed as International President and vice president of IVCM. Indians have a way of doing things in a ceremonial manner which takes some getting use to but we have to be gracious as they love making a fuss.

After a song, prayer we were presented with two very special garlands of roses... the perfume was simply beautiful.

After business matters had concluded we headed then to a small school hall and to our surprise found only a small group of people, a good percentage of adults inc. One could have been hugely disappointed but somehow we managed to stay cheerful with optimism and a hope God would still be at work.

After a good time of worship, our sessions of encouragement and group discussion resulted in around 6 adults and 11 young people giving their hearts to the Lord, while many others rededicated their lives to christ.

Now in Chennai and once again typing this in the late hours of the night. Forgive any typos and "strained thoughts/opinions" as it's not the best time to write fluently... but the ONLY time available to us often after a grueling day ..physically that is.

Will prob write a final conclusion when we have time to do so, thanks again to everyone for their prayers and support

A new Church...??

2009-02-07T09:08:00.006Z

What a day.. A few emails rec'd which caused a heavy heart, followed by lots of delays and even a puncture out in a very remote place.

We drove 3 hours to get to a small town where we were asked to preach and although only a few there, we had confirmation that God was working through His word.

We then drove to a Christian run school that we saw for the first time last year. Fifty kids more .....what a welcome. The older ones gave us a 'hearty welcome' as they say here! Garlands , flowers and songs ... See below

Lots of children were either dressed up or holding verses of scripture waiting patiently to show us. We felt like royalty.
This school has really started to develop, with a new building going up, as a result of loans following our visit last year. The school has very limited facilities, and yet it' the only Christian witness for this whole area.

After an enthusiasticc children's talk and a brief cultural performance we had lunch..... Around 3.30pm!

By the time we finished lunch parents had arrived to meet us and hear the gospel. Despite many distractions ..or so I thought, these parents sat before us listening to the words being translated.

When it became very clear what I was preaching some started to get up and leave quietly...not an encouraging site. We started with approx. 60 men and women, and a few left here and there.

At the end I felt prompted to give an 'altar call' and passed the baton to an IVCM pastor, to explain things.
Where as I had thought maybe one or two would come forward....having asked the Lord for specific ones in silent prayer; over 40 people , inc. a few teaching staff members ! ! ..gave their hearts to the Lord... Thank you Jesus!!

We were overwhelmed at the response. A very small rather frail lady came forward first. She quickly clutched my hands looking intently in my face and with tears running down her face was trying to thank me I think....this was 'Kingdom business' taking place. Very soon the others followed including the volunteers I had asked to help with my talk.

What a privilege to lead so many to Christ. THANK YOU for praying into this. This is simply amazing as this town without any church at all suddenly is 40 strong! No building as yet but we can of course use the school. Please pray for these new lives, and for those who heard and turned away.

This is all so worthwhile and God's favour seems to be upon this nation in the sense of the Gospel bearing fruit. It is of course a very tender time ... And we know of recent attacks of persecution.....so what lies ahead?

One last youth meeting ahead of us please pray into that too...

"Sister Susan"

2009-02-05T11:52:00.009Z

News from Kym....

This morning we had a women's meeting where 70 ladies were expected BUT 115 tuned up to hear a lady from the UK called Sister Susan! Yes ....that's me, featuring on posters as Sister Susan, I cannot believe it, known by my first name which has always been annoying. I think God has a wonderful sense of humour.

We had an incredibly uplifting service where Rod and I enjoyed worshipping with these lively ladies. We are beginning to recognise and enjoy singing Tamil choruses but this time the Pastor added a song in English. He sung it very well. I spoke first with Rod taking second place for once!

But as always God wonderfully dove tails his message through each of us even though we do know what we have prepared beforehand. This happens on just about every occasion - praise God.

One lady came and said afterwards that the message was definitely for her. Much prayer was said after the service which included me laying my hands on one crying lady who desperately wants to have a child. I can but trust God's will for her life but also I have a keenness to hear some "good news" at a later date.

God is being wonderfully positive with our bodily ailments too, I thought yesterday that my tummy was in for the worse but after prayer I am doing fine today. Thank you Jesus.

Some more pics......

Women grateful to receive Bibles freely;

Women in worship;

Trains and training

2009-02-05T10:22:00.015Z

After a long day we got the train at 2am to Madurai (see pics). Note the interesting fact that in order to get our cases to the correct side, they had to be hand balled across the track, through a stationary train, and up and over another platform........ that's India for you !!! Yesterday we attended a Pastors seminar and about 70 came from the surrounding districts. This is another of IVCM's ministry. To help/network and encourage independent pastors in surrounding villages. We provide one way transportation and free lunch!

We both spoke and they were much encouraged by our ministry.

Here are some pictures and stories of our last few days....

This afternoon we went to the place that we have bought land for a future community centre. We had such a welcome. Kids came out in costume to welcome us and dance, offering garlands ..

We opened the start of the tailoring training and had to cut the ribbon. Can't wait for funds to come in to build the full community project. This place has become even more alive since last year.

We then went into the makeshift coconut marquee for worship and Gospel service....

Praise God 11 people gave their hearts to the Lord that night....

Again an opportunity to speak to a local passer by. While worship in song was taking place, I saw a man on a bicycle with a huge bundle of straw go by and then stop....and listen. He came towards me and I shook his hand and invited him in. I left the service to greet him and sat him down.....amazing really as I had no translator. The Lord seems to enable us to 'connect' with these dear people in such a positive way.

At the end of the service and prayer we distributed gifts to the orphans, Bibles to those in need and Saris for the widows. The orphans here are wonderful kids and they remember us. Please Pray in these funds as they still have no permanent home!

4 hours later we finished our ministry and headed back to the hotel ..via a Christian home who wanted us to pray with them....hotel and dinner at 11 .30 p.m. Long Days but awesome!

A little does a lot

2009-02-02T20:25:00.011Z

The following pics of foundation trenches and with us praying is the start of something wonderful....

Pastor Paul with his believers have saved for 3 years to raise 100 pounds towards building a new prayer hall in this other village. 60-70 people could come when it is complete. Will you help answer our prayers????? They need 1000 pounds to provide for the materials. They will provide the labour.

Would'nt this be awesome if the Lords people watching this could help move this project forward! You have seen what is being done in the name of the Lord. What a privilege for us to be on our knees with them on this spot.. been reminded both in our home church and from emails from a close brother about Nehemiah... how apt!!

It would only take 20 people to give 50 pounds or 40 people 25 pounds OR 10 churches to give just 100 each. Which ever way you look at it it seems reachable. We are so grateful for all your prayers and for the generous contributions for the bibles and Saris and forgive us for asking for more. We are here, you are there but this need is so deserving.. Please pray in these funds & give where you can.

'Cow's' and 'Wow's'

2009-02-02T20:13:00.015Z

You can see in the picture here another exampleof the variation of IVCM's ministry. People (inc kids) come out and literally meet in the middle of the village at night. Kym preached and I did a kids talk. What an awesome experience! This is 'Street Ministry'.....taking Church (without the building) to where the people are. The local neighbours stand and watch and listen to everything...... I saw some laughing at the kids talk illustration.This is where we used the DVD and projector to show the Jesus film project. This style of ministry ... WORKS!!

We started at 10am this morning and finished at 10pm ! 3 services to preach, children's ministry, and distribute saris to widows and bibles to those in need, plus of course 1 hour of individual prayer.

Prayer is a vital ingredient as you will have gathered. All in all an exhausting day by the time we got back and had dinner, got to bed around midnight..but what a day!

The evening service in this particular village was on the 3rd storey of an unusual building.. not your glossy mag kinda place. Had to be seen to be believed. = approx 20ft x 20ft with a brick wall partition about 3ft high in the middle. Walls rough brick resembling an animal shelter, but inside we found about 35 people inc kids in full worship without one single instrument! (see pic left)

Despite our surrounds this 'church' was an amazing assembly of God's people. I have come to the conclusion that I am now seriously challenged about how we "do church" in the Western world and how much we spend on buildings; esp after the earlier service when two people got converted because of open sides!

Perhaps instead of putting up walls we should be knocking them down, if it were not for -7oC or 114oF (for our American friends)..........????

We have also been challenged by the need for prayer ourselves. We find with the things we are confronted with (often visually) that we feel perhaps inadequate.

I know that familiar saying 'it's not in our own strength', but somehow the reality of a dear brother or sister on their knees in front of you with expectant eyes (often with tears) demands your whole being as you lift them up to the Lord...

Finally, a couple of other stories.... First here is living proof of first the request in prayer and the answer provided for. Pastor Paul and his father (see pic) had been praying for some cows to enable the profit to help support his ministry... here's the result!

And then here's Kym on the motorbike of Pastor Solomon had just enjoyed aride with him driving it up a rural lane. This was another great provision which enables him to get around the various rural villagesand save time with buses and lots of walking. He can also take otherhelpers with him if necessary. What a practical blessing!

'Cow' to 'Bow'

2009-02-01T13:59:00.006Z

The first service was full of "alive" Christians and I was preaching about the power of passion, I felt God was working in the lives of his people and it was so encouraging to see them so zealous for the things of God. The individual prayer time that followed was amazing !

Why are we not sold bold in our culture to come forward for prayer?? Are we so dependant on our own efforts that inhibits us from taking that opportunity to pray with fellow believers? We have prayer teams but in my opinion we don't really use them enough. Isn't this something we should get right? These people have found the secret in prayer, we take our sercets home from church! ?

The second service was even more amazing...awesome in fact. We walked to a 'open air church' (see left) in the middle of this village land a makeshift tent similar to something you might see in a dessert. Carpet like cloths hung by thin rope making a canopy.

A small goup of believers maybe 60 + a group of children. I felt the need to speak to the children using a 'magic candle' that you can't blow out .... I am the light of the world.. The kids were intent and seem to grasp every word. During the main sermon a man walking his cow (see below) went by, stopped and sat down on the grass, some yards away... And listened in. ......when was the last time you saw that in Hereford?.

It so happened that I was at an appropiate moment and felt led by the Spirit to preach the Gospel in the context of what I was preaching. We finished the message later, gave out saris and bibles, then followed communion.

Next thing you know that same man came into the 'church' and asked for prayer... You can imagine what followed next! Then as if that was not enough a women also came up to me who was also listening near by gave her heart to the Lord! .. I was waiting for the chariot next .....

This is so amazing... Keep the prayers coming thank you thank you for prayers. Pray for protection from the enemy as we are seeing many lives being transformed from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light .

Kym has been doing a sterling job in partnering me with prayer, giving out saris to the women and praying for each one. The prayer ministry is awesome but very demanding. What a joy to be able to hand out bibles freely to those in need.

IVCM primary ministry in evangelism and outreach is so worthwhile. It's so simple but so effective! The secondary ministry in social works , providing care, saris, orphans etc. What a vital ministry.

The mission begins....

2009-01-31T17:16:00.008Z

An awesome day !!!! We had a great youth revival meeting (or at least that's what the banner was headed) and the Lord was at work... thanks sooooooooooo much for all your prayers!!

We had 3 sessions of praise and worship interlinked with teaching and practical periods followed with prayer. Almost double the expected numbers came approx 130!! Not into stats as such but for those of you that are around 20 people gave their hearts to the Lord this morning awesome !! Praise God..
We concluded with those that wanted to rededicate their lives and make a fresh commitment to Christ, almost 85% stood up and we prayed for them!

We are kinda blown apart in seeing such an overwhelming response today's meeting. This is real stuff and it's so encouraging and such a blessing not only to us but the team of pastors.All new believers had new Test. given freely which we just managed to get.

Tonight I baptised with another pastor 10 people (young and old), amazing that only a few hundred yards away was an Indian shrine. what a mind blowing reality that in one place there is the Kingdom of darkness and just a few hundred yards apart people are making publicly there dedication to Christ. They have been waiting to make this public declaration due to the troubles, but tonight was there moment. We are here in the heart of rural India and people are being saved by the Grace of God.

The evening service that followed we gave out saris to widows and bibles to those who needed...again awesome.

Please continue to pray for all our meetings, I probably cannot express everything well as time is short between meetings but I wanted you to be encouraged.

Stage two done!

2009-01-31T10:35:00.004Z

Arrived in Bangalore's new airport 4 hours late due to fog in Bangalore on the outbound flight. A very different place from what we knew before .....again the 'metallic look; then headed south for about 6 hours to get to our destination in the South.

This evening we held a prayer meeting with all the IVCM pastors in this locality. It was an awesome time of fellowship and were introduced to two new pastors ! We gave them all new T-shirts with IVCM logo that we had embroidered in the States, what a delight to see their faces!

We encouraged them and shared communion and prayed for them , (group photo to follow); somehow this seems all so worthwhile and valuable. These guys are doing a sterling job in very difficult circumstances with very limited resources. We hope we can continue to bless the team as the Lord 'melts us together'. This kind of ministry is so rewarding and it takes such little effort to encourage their hearts.

Pray for us 'ALL' as we commence the first youth meeting tomorrow....

Stage one!!: We've reached the airport!

2009-01-29T16:38:00.003Z

Feeling a little weird as we have been at a such a pace for so long that it's time to move on! (There's a sermon in that phrase!...... in fact after spending weeks of preparation there seems to be a sermon in most things if you look hard enough!). Have been up early and late to bed for so long, then all of a sudden we find our selves at an airport with 6 hours to kill and with not much to do except browse for stuff you can't afford or don't want! Even tried a few sniffs of diff aftershaves and came out smelling like somebody that fell into a Pot-Pourri bowl!! Oh how we long to be with our friends in India!

Kym being the positive one says a later departure will suit our body clocks better, so am enjoying the benefits of an exec lounge and eating ourselves silly and trusting that the Lord has a purpose in this (not the eating silly of course!). Terminal 5 I have come to the conclusion (after the 5th visit) is a land of space and escalators.... strange metallic almost space age...slightly unwelcoming place. You are constantly going up and down escalators to get to where you want to go, and returning back to where you were but from a diff angle... surely this could have been designed better !? (waiting now for the critics who like this place a lot!)....sorry still not sure.

Well I guess it won't be long before the sounds, smells and serious noise of Bangalore will be real to us, and that I was actually glad of the air-con lounge in Heathrow. speak with you later.... that is assuming you don't get get disenchanted after reading this first clip?

"The Mission"

2009-01-20T08:56:00.001Z

As many of you will know Rod and Kym and International Trustees of India Village Care Ministries, a Christian organisation (registered non profitable charitable trust) with a real heart & vision to reach rural villages with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to provide practical care and social works. You can access the UK web site here and the Indian web site here.

The Indian population is now estimated at over 1.1 billion. The 2nd most populated Country in the world.

Around 73% of people in India live in villages and as a result many of these places contain millions of people that are unreached with the Gospel and are often forgotten about. Many are living below the poverty line without proper food, accommodation, clothes and do not have access to education and medical facilities. In addition there are many thousands of orphans and semi orphans or abandoned street children.

IVCM is a relatively new organisation that is committed to holistic Christian mission and is concerned about people, including their spiritual, physical, mental, social well being, in light of the great commission of Jesus Christ and the biblical mandate given. Our primary work at this point of time is village evangelism (see the showing of the Jesus film below) and our secondary work is providing a vital level of social service and also working and encouraging other independent rural village pastors.

IVCM are experiencing much blessing and seeing rapid growth in the districts we are currently working in as a result of being committed to the Lord's ministry in these areas, but as we enlarge our hearts towards this new work we realise how important it is that we seek the help and outside support of like minded people who want to share in accomplishing these important tasks!

IVCM need to sustain the evangelism and social works we have begun in a variety of ways and so if you feel you are able to help and take seriously the task of praying and encouraging please read on and discover more about what God is doing through our ministries. Please consider how you could participate and become involved in these exciting opportunities that we have been given at this time.

IVCM are passionate about serving the Lord in this new mission opportunity and we need his help through his people to pursue and explore ways of coordinating our efforts as we seek mission partners.

The blog goes live....!

2009-01-20T08:48:00.001Z

Hi! Welcome to our blog about tour travels round the world (especially India) in 2009!!

We are leaving the UK 29th January 2009 and will follow the itinerary shown on the left.

We hope you enjoy following their travels and feel inspired to pray and give towards the work.

If you can pray with us, here are our top 10 prayer requests:

1. Protection for safe travel and for good health & strength each day to enable us to carry out our responsibilities without interruption.

2. That we might walk with God in a remarkable way, be in harmony with the Spirit and have the clarity of thinking and speech that enables our ministry to be effective for the sake of the Kingdom.

3. That we will not be lacking any spiritual gifts that we might need to call upon as we face various challenges and opportunities in different situations.

4. Protection from the evil one as we encounter dark places and engage in spiritual warfare. Many recent testimonies from the field report of demonic activity and witchcraft.

5. For good times of fellowship & that we will be able to minister as humble servants with our brothers and sisters and to encourage them in this difficult work.

6. That we might gain a real knowledge of their needs and how we can assist them in advancing this ministry, without imposing ‘Western Ideas’.

7. That we might see many people young and old encouraged, uplifted, and helped; while many others might be saved from the bondage of sin and idolatry as they find a new life in Christ.

8. That all will go well with the Airport movements, visa entry/safe arrival of luggage etc.

9. That we will not offend by mistake anyone by our ‘Western culture’ and ways and that interpreters will be able to translate accurately the Word spoken.

10. Protection for our family, home and business while we are away for such a long time, and that the Lord will bless our ongoing business trip, that it too might bear much fruit.

Rod & Kym x