I will remember how the Holy Spirit helped me to overcome my fears and insecurities as I embarked on this adventure. Before the trip, I often felt like Moses when God first called him, "But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice...Oh my Lord, I am not eloquent...I am slow of speech and slow of tongue..." (Exodus 4) I spent a lot of time in prayer the weeks before the trip. But God took my tiny mustard seed of faith and used it for His purpose, all the while teaching me great lessons on trust and giving up control, and reminding me frequently of His promises: "Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say." "So I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage..." (Joshua 1:5-6) The peace from God that surpasses all understanding guarded my heart and mind throughout the trip, and I am thankful for the strength and peace He granted me as I traveled and taught throughout India while facing new and challenging experiences.
I will remember the outpouring of prayers, support, encouragement, and love from everyone back home in the US who followed our journey through our blogs, e-mails, and Facebook updates. Your fervent prayers were heard by our amazing God and I saw the power of prayer at work every day that I was in India. It was a comfort to know that God was working all things out for good and that He was hearing the prayers of our family and friends and congregations at home. Thank you to all of you -- your support was a vital part of this mission helper trip!
I will remember my fellow Mission Helpers, who welcomed me with open arms (literally, Melanie hugged me only a few minutes after meeting me at the airport) and wholeheartedly supported me as a team member and friend even though they had never met me before. Their enthusiasm, energy, humor, courage, faith, and contagious love for God and serving His people were inspiring and uplifting. Andrew, Lucas, Melanie, Katherine, Becky, Nathan, Jennifer, David, Todd, Matt, and Vanessa -- you are all truly special people. Thank you for using your God-given talents to serve the Lord and His people with all of your hearts!
I will remember our faithful leader Pastor Ohlmann and all of the hard work and time he contributed to organize, prepare, and carry out our trip. His advice, his leadership, and his dedication and love for spreading the Gospel were so valuable to us Mission Helpers. Pastor Ohlmann, thank you for all that you have done and continue to do to serve God's people around the world. You are a blessing to the Church and I will be keeping you in my prayers as you serve the Lord and preach the good news at home and abroad!
I will remember my team's leader Matthew and his wife Vanessa. God has blessed Matt with a great gift as a missionary, and it is clear how deeply he is appreciated and loved by the pastors and church members in India and how important his work over there is. I appreciated his work in leading our team, taking time for devotions and prayer, explaining things to us when we had questions about India, and cooking for us! Vanessa is a beautiful woman of God who has such a kind and gentle spirit that I know is a blessing to everyone she meets and a great support for Matt. I appreciated having her advice and input about navigating Indian culture when she herself is still learning too, and I am very thankful for having had a "sister" to talk to and experience India with! (And Vanessa, I have to say an extra thanks for doing our laundry!) I will remember the sacrifices that Matt and Vanessa make and the struggles they endure to serve the Lord overseas, and want to remind people to pray for our long-term missionaries. Matt and Vanessa, I cannot thank you enough for everything!
I will remember the pastors who worked alongside us and courageously work in the "fields" of India every day. The harvest is plenty, but God has called some absolutely wonderful workers to spread His Word throughout India. After visiting several churches and realizing that it is only a very tiny percentage of the vast number congregations in the BELC and CLCI, I am in awe of the work that is being done over there to build churches and train pastors and teachers. The CLCI and BELC are spreading the Gospel like wildfire and their passion for God's Word burns brightly! I will remember how welcoming the pastors were when we visited the churches and all the "honor" they gave us. I will remember the beautiful welcome ceremony they did for us and Pastor Jyothi's beautiful speech. I will remember the pastors' faithful studying of the Bible as Matt and D. Paul taught during the pastor meetings. I will remember the beautiful singing and prayers that I listened to when we had the blessing of visiting their meetings. I will especially remember the kindness and patience of D. Paul and Bhaskar, the two pastors with whom we spent the most time during our travels. I am thankful for all of the work, time, and energy D. Paul spent to translate for us every day. I am thankful for the time Bhaskar spent with us when we went sightseeing. Both of these men took care of us in our travels and I hope they know how much their concern and help for us was appreciated. I am also thankful for our evening with Deepak and the sincere love he showed for teaching God's Word. I will remember the stories that I heard about the sacrifices and persecution that the pastors in India have faced because of their faith and work for the Lord. I have so much admiration and respect for these men and feel deeply honored that God gave me the opportunity to meet and work with them. I miss each of them dearly and hope that I will get to see them again, if it is God's will!
I will remember our driver Kumar who drove us safely to our destinations, patiently spent hours in chaotic and noisy Indian traffic, kindly stopped for bathroom breaks upon request, offered to buy us poori every morning, turned the AC on for us, warned us to be careful of the monkeys, answered our questions about locations, never wanted to indicate that he was tired even though he likely was exhausted from so much driving, took our meal orders and talked to waiters for us at restaurants to make sure we got what we wanted, and always insisted on helping me carry my backpack in and out of the car. He and his family will also be kept in my prayers.
I will especially remember the hundreds of children and adults that we met during VBS. I will remember the joy of the children, their smiles and laughter, their waves and hellos, their hallelujahs and amens, their singing and dancing and clapping, and their wide eyes of wonder as they listened to four Americans tell them about God's love and grace. I will remember how eagerly they introduced themselves and their family members to us, how tightly they gripped my hand, how deeply they stared into my eyes with sincere admiration and thankfulness. I will remember the little babies that were put into my arms by their parents, who were so eager for me to hold their children. I will also remember the people's deep hunger for the Word of God, their intense desire for us to pray for them, and their overwhelming displays of love and appreciation. While the Indian congregations may appear poor in the world's eyes, they are abundantly "rich in the Spirit" as Brother Andrew said one evening. They shine their lights for Jesus beautifully and inspire me with their love for God and their desire to learn about Him and share His Word with others. It is exciting and encouraging to witness the faith and fellowship of our Indian brothers and sisters in Christ!
I ask that you will remember all of these in your prayers. I realize that because the CLCI and BELC are so far away, it is hard for people in the US to feel connected to them and pray for them. But now that the names and places I read about in newsletters are more than just words but now people I have met and places I have seen, thinking about how far away they are pulls at my heart, prompting me to pray even more intensely for them. I hope that in some way, sharing my experiences with people at home can somehow help bridge the gap between the CLC here and the churches over there. There is a real bond that holds us together -- our love and faith in the one true God -- that is an incredible miracle and blessing of the Lord! I pray that the Lord will keep all of our hearts "awake" to seek and serve the needs of the Church whether God is calling us to serve near or far, at home or away.
Thank you once more for your prayers and support and for sharing in our mission experiences by reading the blog.
In Christ,
Becky McKenney
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