by Paul, DTS leader
We spent our first full day in India touring the city. We visited the railway station where tarps stretch from the walls toward the streets with families tucked underneath on the sidewalk. We visited and prayed for one of these families. The children’s home we are primarily working with has a long relationship with this family.
Two of this family’s children have lived at the children’s home, although they were recently taken back to the streets by their mother so she could use them over the holidays to get more money begging. This family now has four generations living under this tarp. It really moved the team as they saw the conditions this family lived in and as they held the babies and prayed God’s blessings and protection over them.
From the streets, we went to the Eunuch section in the Red Light District and visited a lady who was radically saved a few years back. We sat with her in her small room in the brothel and listened to her stories. She is now no longer a prostitute, but has devoted her life to working with the eunuchs to share with them the love of God and offer them health care assistance as well. She works a doctor who runs an AIDS orphanage we will be working with this week. We prayed with her as well.
And from the Red Light districts, we ended our tour atop a mountain in a Hindu temple that overlooks the city. From there we prayed over the city.
We’ve also had some very significant team meetings these first few days. We spent time waiting on God for His expectations for our time in this city. God gave us some keys for this city and for our team. We are to make “our homes with the people”, “wipe away tears”, “make all things new.” We are to show compassion and love to those around us. We are to walk in humility. We also know that we need to check our hearts often, guard our team unity, express thanks out loud and recognize that every person has a significant role to play and we should not discount any member of the team (1 Cor. 12:12-27).
We also identified a few strong feelings that affect people in the area where we are staying, which is a Muslim area. These are apathy, depression and a feeling that God is distant. To counter this, we know we are to “speak out” and “stand up” (Ez. 2). We also know that worship is very significant for us each day and that we can’t afford to be passive in these worship times.
On Saturday, we ran our first Spoil the Kids event. We took the kids to a special playground. We spent hours chasing the kids around a huge playground pushing them on swings & following them down slides. We had a picnic and then ended the day “swimming” in a 3 foot deep creek that even had a little waterfall. It was a blast to watch the kids splash each other and listen to their laughter fill the air. We thoroughly enjoyed the day.
The team is doing well. Spirits are high and our health is great. Please be praying for our team unity. Also pray that the midwest girls will be able to handle the spice and start enjoying their food. Also pray that we will not fall into the passivity that is characteristic of this neighborhood, but that we will continually draw near to God in worship and bring God’s presence to this neighborhood. We have felt that we are to really focus on being a light to this Muslim neighborhood this year.
Here’s a brief outline of our schedule this next week:
Monday – Wednesday:
Morning – prayer walks/praying for neighbors
Afternoon/Evening – Kids programs of crafts, games, worship, Bible lessons and play with AIDS orphans
Thursday:
Street Kids Day. We will bring in a bunch of kids from the street, bathe them, feed them, play with them and share with them the love of Jesus.
Friday:
AM – prayer walk/praying for neighbors
Afternoon/Evening – Teen program on Obedience or Rebellion with 40 rescued street teens
Saturday:
Full Day with a Transit Home. This is a home to nine street kids who have recently been rescued and are learning what life is like off the streets in preparation for the transition to a Children’s Home.
Thanks for all of your prayers! We love and miss you all!