It occurred to
me that I haven’t actually given an update on the events of our trip since we left. So much has happened and Facebook posts have
been going out left and right, but trying to be sensitive to the situation on
the ground has kept many in the dark. I
apologize!
I will try
to give the cliffs notes first, then I can always go back and share with you
all some of my day to day journaling.
Maybe we can mimic the news a little and do 14 days in 14 paragraphs, or
something like that. See the YouTube
news link at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSAsbwuGo0s
if that has you confused. J
Luke and I just returned
from India this past week. We are still dealing with some exhaustion and sickness,
but we are grateful to be home and unharmed.
We are overwhelmed by the prayers of our friends and family! Over the past two weeks, we were welcomed to
the Zurishaddai Church in Kakinada, India with open hearts and open arms. We were used by the Lord is some amazing and
humbling ways and we are excited to see the Lord continue the work He has
begun.
We left home on June 6th
and arrived in Kakinada on June 8th…It was a very long and tiring
journey. When we arrived in Rajahmundry,
we were greeted by a cheerful welcoming party.
After all the introductions, we were on our last leg of the
journey. This included a memorable, two
hour taxi ride that endlessly swerved around cars, buses, cows, bikes, and
children (just to name a few).
We conducted three days of
Children's Bible Clubs with over 200 village children, two days of Women's
Outreach Meetings with well over a hundred, served countless meals, visited
many homes, and loved on the 32 children in the orphanage. It was
wonderful and heart-breaking at the same time.
There is so much more I want to share about these events, but I will
work on that a little later.
Throughout the week, we
noticed some stares that were a little more than curious. We were told that they were Hindus and may
not be happy with our arrival. We just
decided to smile, wave, and say “hello”.
This seemed to be the best response at the time.
On our last Sunday, during
the service, the Hindus forced their way into the church and were protesting
our presence. They were very angry that we were there and demanded our
visas. They claimed that this was the
land of the Hindus and that we were trying to convert their Hindu women and
children. They said that we should be
severely punished for our actions. Of
course, at the time, we had no clue what they were saying and all we could tell
was that they were not going to allow us to stay. The men in the church protected us and
defended us. The women prayed with all
of their might.
Our friends were able to
drive them out for a time and get us to safety.
At just the right moment, we grabbed our passports and ran to a waiting
vehicle. The boys hung on the sides
covering all the spaces where we could be seen. We spent several hours
hiding and being driven to different locations to keep us protected.
The Hindus gathered in the
town square and called for all other Hindus to come against the church.
Rioting went on throughout the night. We made the news, faces,
names, and all. It made it very unsafe for us to be anywhere...as white
Americans, we definitely stand out. We
prayed for safety and protection of the church.
We prayed for the gospel to still go forth. We were given an unbelievable amount of peace
during this storm. I kept hearing in my
head, God is good and His will in perfect…We can trust in Him.
The Kakinada Police were
contacted, but were of no help. In fact, charges were filed against the
Pastor for "Bringing foreigners to preach gospel". He has been
questioned and investigated. He has
recently heard that no fault was found, but he is still waiting to hear this
from the authorities. While they are
relieved at the moment, they are still living in a village/community that has
great animosity for the things of the Lord.
They need the Lord to strengthen them as they continue in this
battle. They need other believers to
lift them in prayer and support them on every side.
Miraculously, Luke’s phone
worked in India. We do not have an
international plan and my fancy new smart phone couldn’t do a thing. He was able to send Brian a message telling
him that we were in trouble and needed people to pray. Brian was able to call Luke’s phone (only
this one time) and get the rest of our information. Brian was then able to contact our travel
agent to get the first flight out and the US Embassy to make them aware that we
were in danger. We were driven to
Rajahmundry and stayed with a relative of Pastor Wilson. We stayed hidden as much as possible. No shopping or touring around. We knew we would not be able to blend in and
we weren’t sure how far the news had spread.
The US Embassy was able to
contact us and ensure we had a way to escape. We were relieved to be
scheduled on a flight out of India, although we were saddened to have to leave
early. My next concern was that the
airport would have us on their flight plan.
With the lack of computers and technology, I feared it would be
difficult to prove. I was very relieved
to see our names on the print out and knew that the Lord was guiding our every
step.
It was another grueling
journey home. There were many hours on
planes and waiting in airports. Trying
to navigate our way around Mumbai was a nightmare that I wouldn’t wish on
anyone. It was such a blessing though to
be able to use Luke’s phone up until the last flight out of India. I must also add that Luke’s phone hasn’t been
able to send any international texts or calls since then. I’m thinking we need to place it on the
mantel and as reminder of God’s gracious protection over us. J
Although, we are truly
grateful that the Lord has chosen to bring us home safely, we feel an
unbelievable burden for our brothers and sisters in Christ that are still there
on the battlefield. The Lord has given
us such compassion for the persecuted church around the world! I believe it has also opened the eyes of many
of our friends back at home. I hope that
our love for the Lord will continue to grow and overflow into every conversation
and relationship.
Supposedly, India has
freedom of religion, but obviously not. The Hindus say that they are not
against Christians, but against trying to convert Hindus to Christianity. Of
course, we know that we cannot force anyone to believe in Christ and it is only
the Holy Spirit that can bring a person to faith in Christ. Since we are commanded to go into all the world
and preach the gospel to every nation, this is what we must do. Whether or not we will be in danger is beside
the point. We are commanded to go, and
we must go.
Please pray for Pastor
P.Wilson Babu of A.P. Trayam, Kakinada, India and the Zurishaddai Church.
Please pray for the children at the Truth Children's Home. Please
pray for wisdom as they answer the authorities and above all, please pray for
the spread of the gospel. Our prayer is that what Satan has meant for
evil, God will make into something good. May Christ be glorified!
Below is the longer news
link:
I am working on getting
some transcripts in English.
All for the glory of God,
Angela Gabbert
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