Wednesday, February 24, 2:30pm - General Hospital

The talk on Robotically Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery was scheduled to begin in the main auditorium at 2:30pm but with Indian Stretchable Time, it meant we would start closer to 3:00. The crowd of 30 Ob/Gyn women physicians were very attentive for the hour long presentation of the da Vinci Surgical Robot. At the end of the question and answer period, David proceeded to tell the women that earlier in his life he was driven to perform in all areas, and this drive controlled him as closely as a robot. It was only when he
realized the freedom that Jesus brings was the drive tempered and focused for good, bringing him freedom.
At the conclusion I was approached by a graceful, yet reserved, young woman of about 30. She introduced herself as Dr. Helen and said that she had been impacted by what Dr. David had said. I thought she might be a Christian, and when I asked her she said yes, that she was involved with St. George Church in Madurai and that she was helping them with some destitute children ministry. She also mentioned that she would like to be trained in Laparoscopy, and even robotically assisted surgery. Dr. Helen said she would like to meet Dr. David, but I could tell that she was timid and very uncomfortable going forward where several of the senior staff physicians were already gathered around him. The Spirit told me they should meet, and I led her down the steps to the stage where David was standing.
After I introduced them, Dr. Rajini and Dr. Helen mentioned that that was the first time they had ever heard the Gospel from that auditorium stage. Dr. Helen began to wipe tears from her eyes as she expressed her thanks for the example of a physician who could integrate a high level of professional expertise and a dynamic Christian witness. It was a huge encouragement for them who, as minority Christians, work in an environment dominated by Hindus. David offered to pray for them and after they quickly agreed, he prayed for their training and work as well as courage for their ministry. Helen was crying as she was surrounded with this prayer.
Afterword Dr. Helen said she would like to get involved in Fishhook’s work to help widows and orphans.  She also expressed that she would like to tell us her testimony.  I could tell from the emotion in her voice that she had experienced sadness and difficulty.
Thank God that David could be such a witness for the Gospel for Hindu and Muslim physicians at the hospital while at the same time give incredible encouragement to these smart and capable Christian women who are working in a difficult environment. We can’t wait to see what God will do in and through Dr. Helen in the next phase in her life.

Friday, February 26, 9am

Out visits to the Sahayam Home with these older destitute women are always special. These women have been abandoned by husbands, sons, or daughters and find love and acceptance in this home. Many of them are in their last days. After they sang for us, they asked if they could share something the Jesus had been doing in their lives recently. Jeya Mary told us she had recently been feeling guilty about her granddaughter whom she did not have a good relationship. Chances are it would never be healed, and she was very bothered by this. In a dream last week Jesus had appeared to her and told her that Ruth Selvi, a much younger woman also staying in the home, was to become her granddaughter. God gave these two women the grace to love and care for each other.

Thursday, February 25, 5 pm

Raymond and I arrived at the village for the house dedication and I immediately spotted the new house with its beautiful, fresh coat of blue paint. I thought of the Lexington couple who had paid off their mortgage and gave their house payment money to build this simple 215 sq. ft. stucco house for a destitute widow.  The villagers were already gathered around, and as we walked up, the widow Lakshmi, her father and her sister all placed garlands around my neck. Then they all knelt down and, much to my chagrin, kissed my feet.

After Raymond started the service, we prayed and sang.  Then he introduced the village leader, the builder, and a local Christian who had been instrumental in getting the house built. Raymond had previously recounted to me how the whole village had come together to help build this house for this destitute widow,  her sister and her elderly father. Next I shared the Bible story of Mary and Martha and described how the worship of Jesus in their home had resulted in their house being filled with the fragrant smell of perfume. I prayed that Lakshmi’s house would also be filled with the fragrant worship of Jesus.

We then all moved to the front door where I was honored to cut the ribbon and to use yellow sandalwood paste to mark crosses above each doorway. Lakshmi and her father and sister came inside and couldn’t stop smiling. They were so happy to have a safe, durable place to live. I think the snafus were limited to the white man (that would be me) walking into the new house with my shoes on and then using my left hand (unclean!) to paint the crosses. Hopefully I learned something and it won’t happen again. But in spite of my blunders, It was a great time of celebration, and I am so thankful that the couple from Lexington listened to the Spirit as He led them in a selfless act of love.

As I sat under a tree outside the small community building where the clinic was being held, children flocked around me to see my white ( and I do mean white!) face and arms. Dr. David was inside with two India doctors, and the line of villagers needing medical care stretched out at least 50 feet and never seemed to get any shorter. Meanwhile I rested in the shade and worked on international relations. Kumar was 15 and in 10th Standard. Like most Indian kids he was incredibly small for his age, maybe 18 inches smaller than my son Isaac who is a year younger. Kumar was one of those kids that struck me with the eagerness in his eyes, a friendly nature and English good enough for us to converse. He liked Math and said he wanted to be an engineer. I could tell he was a bright youngster, and he was a pleasure to be with. After we talked and I taught him to play thumb war, his dad came out from the clinic and walked over. He was in typical Indian lower caste garb with an open shirt and dhoti. Kumar told me he was a common laborer and worked on a nearby farm. Contrasting the father and son, it didn’t really seem like Kumar had much of a chance to fulfill the potential that God had placed in his life. It made me very sad. Then his dad spoke to me for a minute. When I asked Kumar what he had said, the boy looked down at the ground. I asked him again, and Kumar told me that his father had said he would sell Kumar to me if I would take him to America. I get tears in my eyes when I think about it.

“THE GLORY OF THE LORD SHALL BE REVEALED ” Isaiah 40:5

This morning I was contemplating how the glory of the Lord can be revealed in our personal and family life.

The Valleys Shall Be Raised Up

The valley of SADNESS should be exalted ( Isa 40:4).  The past sadness or worries need to be buried in the valley so that there shall be a clear way out.  Forgiveness and a willingness to forget the past and people involved is a must for us to progress in our Christian life.

The Mountains Shall Be Made Low

The mountain of SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS should be brought low so it becomes nothing (Isa 40:4).  Our haughty and proud spirit can become an obstruction for the glory of the Lord to be revealed.  The “I” in us needs to be crucified.

The Crooked Places Shall Be Straightened

The crookedness of SINFUL HABITS should be made straight (Isa 40:4).  Even modern equipments like the internet can foster and cultivate a sinful habit in us.  All those crooked ways should be corrected.

The Rough Places Shall Be Smoothed

The rough places of our SPIRIT (personality or character) should be made plain (Isa 40:4).  The rough natures such as hot temper, stubbornness and an unforgiving spirit should be buried.

When we are willing to work and cooperate with the help of the Holy Spirit, then the glory of the Lord shall be reveled in and through us.

Prayer

Father God, help me to see the glory of God in all the phases of my life. Amen

Praises and Prayer Needs

• Praise God for the wonderful time we are having with medical doctors and students.
• Yesterday we not only presented the topic of bone health but also presented the power of God to over 150 students in an Islamic pharmacy college where we met with students from Sudan, Yemen and other Arabic countries. What an opportunity it was! Praise God!
• Several doctors from different religions were blessed this week.  Thank God for Dr. David and his testimony.
• I had a letter from one of our past students in the orphanage saying that he became a missionary in Nagpur, Maharashtra. This gave me immense joy.
• Please continue to pray for our needs.
• Please pray that I will be able to rest a little bit next week.

Will It Bring Glory to God?

1 Corinthians 10:31 - “…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  God must be taken as the first concern in all that we do.

Will It Be Profitable?

1 Corinthians 10:23 - ” ‘Everything is permissible’ - but not everything is beneficial.  ‘Everything is permissible’ - but not everything is constructive.”  Our decisions should profit our Christian life, our witnessing life or our family life.

Will It Edify?

2 Corinthians 10:8 - “… the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down,…”  Our decisions should build our character or the family and the church in general.

Will It Enslave Me?

1 Corinthians 6:12 - “…’Everything is permissible for me’-but I will not be mastered by anything.” Our decisions should not bring us into slavery.

Will It Be Characteristic of the World or of the Lord?

1 John 2:16 “For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world.”  Let our decisions show forth the attributes of God and not of the world.

Prayer

Father, help me in my decisions.  Amen.

At times we go through experiences of being forsaken by people whom we have loved.  God never forsakes us.  This morning I meditated on some people in the Bible who were not forsaken by God.

Forsaken by Brothers but Not by God

Joseph went to find out the welfare of his brothers, but his brothers threw him into the pit which was empty and without any water.(Genesis 37)  But we read that the Lord was with him.  Whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper. (Genesis 39:23)

Forsaken by Wife but Not by God

Job’s wife left him, accusing him because of his integrity and his relationship with God in the midst of all kinds of losses.  But the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.  (Job 42:12)

Forsaken by King but Not by God

King Uzziah was almost everything to Isaiah, the prophet.  Isaiah was shattered when King Uzziah died.  But that was the occasion when Isaiah went into the temple and saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted.  There he received his call from the Lord.

Forsaken by All but Not by God

Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:16-17, “ … all deserted me;… But the Lord stood with me and supported me.”  When Paul went for his first defense, no one supported him except God.  God does not forsake His godly ones. (Psalm 37:28)

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for not failing me nor forsaking me. Amen.

Praises & Prayer Needs

• Thank God for the good rain again.
• Pray for our college students who will be writing their exams.
• Pray for all our home boys and girls who will also write their exams in December.
• Pray for the spiritual meetings in Chennai for about 60 missionaries and also at Mount Zion for our college students and 90 missionaries during first week of December.
• Pray for God to supply enough means to buy Christmas clothes for all the orphans, missionaries, sewing girls, widows in our churches and Bible college students.
• Please do pray for our monthly financial needs.

What we do with our past, present and future is very significant in the Christian life.  Sometimes I get tired of people who drag me into the past always.  Let us consider what Paul has to say on this.

What Lies Behind

For some the past may be wonderful and astounding, and for some the past may be appalling and awful. Whatever be the past, we have been told that the past must be forgotten.  We must constantly attempt and earnestly pursue to forget the past.  Let us remember what happened to Lot’s wife (Gen.19:26; Luke 17:32)

What Lies Ahead

We must be concerned about the present and the future.  God’s Word to us is as it was to Israel, “ Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward.” (Ex. 14:15).  We cannot afford to waste our time in dwelling in the past.  We have to go forward rather than retrograde.

What Lies Beyond

Praise the Lord for the prize is awaiting for us.  The prize is the crown of righteousness. (2 Tim 4:8), and also it is the crown of life (Rev. 2:10), and finally the prize is the crown of glory that will never fade away ( I Peter 5:4).  What an inspiration and a glorious goal we have in Christ Jesus!

Prayer

Dear Lord, let me run forward keeping my eyes fixed on You.  Amen

Praises and Prayer Needs

• Praise the Lord for the rain we got this week, and thank you very much for your prayers.
• Pray for our Bible College students who are writing their senate exams this month.
• Please pray for our Home boys and girls for a few of them are afflicted with fever this week.
• Our finance situation is very grim this month. On top of that we have to plan to purchase new clothes for Christmas for students, missionaries, staff and widows of our churches.  Kindly pray that the Lord will inspire Godly people to meet these needs

From: Ghuna Kumar, South India

This week I have been going to a physiotherapist for a wax treatment for my right hip.  At the same time God reminded me of the strength I have in Christ.  Thank God for the great strength we all have in Christ.  Where do we draw our strength?

The Strength of Salvation

According to Romans 1:16 the gospel of salvation is the power of God in us.  The very experience that God has forgiven all our sins and cleansed us from all unrighteousness and adopted us as His own sons and daughters gives us strength.  What a strength we have in that experience!  The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

The Strength of Prayer

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)  “The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well ” (James 5:15)  When we wait upon God, we will renew our strength, we will soar on wings like eagles, we will run and not grow weary, and we will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

The Strength of Fellowship

“How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Ps 133:1 ) In the early church the Christian believers devoted themselves to fellowship. (Acts 2:42)  There is a great strength when we share with one another in great koinonia.  We are admonished not to give up in meeting together in fellowship. (Hebrews 10:25)  Church or Home fellowship is a great strength to our souls.

The Strength of the Holy Spirit

In Acts 1:8 we read, “ You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…”  In the Acts of the Apostles the disciples were filled of the Holy Spirit from time to time and got strengthened.  The Holy Spirit who dwells in us keeps us strengthened.  “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the LORD Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6)

Prayer

Dear Lord, keep me strengthened. Amen.

Praises & Prayer Needs

• Yesterday we had a great fellowship with all the missionaries of North Tamilnadu area.
• Tomorrow we will meet with all Andhra missionaries in Nellore.
• Praise the Lord for the rain we had last week.  But we need to have more rain in Mount Zion, Rajapalayam.
• Praise the Lord for the Lord’s healing touch on some of our boys who were not well.
• We had great response in Selaiyur CSI Church convention.
• Kindly pray for our financial needs because we need to purchase new clothes for Christmas next month.

From Ghuna Kumar

This morning my meditation was centered on the above-mentioned verse.

You Are a Garden Locked Up

We are like a garden which is fenced around.  The Lord protects us with the wall of fire around.  No intruder can get in.  Our enemies will not have access to our lives or what we do.  Praise the Lord.  “He has given us a wall of protection” (Ezra 9:9)

You are a Spring Enclosed

The spring of blessings flows in and through our lives.  The Holy Spirit fills us immeasurably.  The spring is enclosed so that no one, not even Satan, can hinder the blessings that are due to us.  “I know that You can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted”.  (Job 42:2)

You Are a Sealed Fountain (Well)

The act of sealing means ownership.  God is our owner, and we have been sealed by the blood of Christ.  “…you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Eph 4:30)  No one in this world can own us except God and God alone.  Thank God.

Prayer

Thank You, Lord, for Your protection, pouring of Your blessings and possessing us.  Amen

Praises and Prayer Needs

• God has been blessing in the convention at Mark’s church in Selaiyur, Chennai, and this evening will be the last meeting.  Pray for me.
• Pray for rain in Tamil Nadu because there is water scarcity everywhere.
• Please continue to pray for my hip.
• Pray for our overall needs.
• Thank God for the blessings of dedicating a church in Koilpatti.