Our dear friends and prayer partners for India trip, I greet you again in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
It is an honor and a blessing for me to share with you the events that take place thousands of miles from you in India. In bygone days this country was called «the end of the world», it is for this country that Columbus headed for but discovered America instead.
I have a difficult task before me today – to relate the events that took place since Friday last week while every day is so full of new experiences, thoughts, events and lessons. So I'll have to make an effort.
Friday: While still in Nepal we went to Bhabtaput – an ancient city from the Middle Ages. A whole caste clan still lives there. They have some places that a non-Hindu cannot visit. It feels as if you are on a set for shooting a historical film about Tartar-Mongol Yoke. There are carved Buddhist temples. People still live just as they used to in the ancient times. To get water from a water-pump women get together according to their caste. We watched the people, talked to young Buddhists, Buddha, Shiva and other gods’ painters trying to bring them the only-begotten Son Jesus Christ. Many times Natasha gathered crowds of kids and young people using an evangelical cube. Each one of us has a personal experience of fellowshipping with staunch Buddhists. Pastor Puran accompanied us. After a couple of hours in this city we went to the place where Hindus cremate their dead. I can’t find words. We came up to the central entrance where we paid a fee for tourists and then walked alone a stone path to the place itself. This is what we saw: the holy river (if it can be called so) had stony banks and only dirty littered puddles in the river bed, the water doesn’t flow. It is into this holy river that they dump the ashes of the burnt bodies and an orange overcoat they put on their dead soaked in a special solution. We watched a ceremony from beginning to end – it was a terrifying and a sad sight. Their religion is a deceit and even the end of their lives looks like flames of hell that consume a person. Friends, the Bible does not teach us to burn the dead, we know that the Lord said: “for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return”. Seeing people being burned down only brought to mind flames of hell. Then we walked around and saw other people that we there. They were homeless who desired to draw their final breath at this holy place. We saw several blazing death-piles burning down. We went close to a Hindu temple where a non-Hindu cannot enter and there in the middle of their worship area we saw a big golden cow. It was getting dark and it rendered the sight even more ominous. After that we went to a tourist center to purchase Nepalese souvenirs, Alexey and I found an internet café to mail the information.
Saturday: Saturday is a day off in Nepal and we spend it ministering at the church. A “day-off” is a relative notion – same amount of people in the street, same number of tradesmen, same amount of dust and fumes, we wouldn’t have guesses it was a day off ourselves. Over 40 people gathered for a service in a domestic church – in a pastor’s flat on the second floor. I’m very grateful for all your prayers that day. After worshiping the Lord together in songs the pastor introduced our group and we did a “Candles” skit. Then children went to another room for a Sunday School lesson that our sisters taught and I had to do a 45 minute sermon in English to be translated into Nepalese. The previous group from Ukraine had an experience with two-stage translation – Russian-English-Nepalese. The subject of the sermon proved to be vital for Nepalese Christians. “What are the motives of your quest?” Pastor Puran translated very well. God gave me words in English, the audience responded actively and then we all prayed. Young people who were moved by the message came to me after the service. It was a great blessing for us to see new people at the service. There was also a young teacher of Buddhism who came with his Christian brother and mother. He was the same man that brother Urij witnessed to when we visited there flat. He lives with his brother and sister – a small girl they gave refuge to when they found her stranded on the street.
If only you could see the eyes of Nepalese Christians, their faith and desire to serve the Lord!
After the service Alexey and I went to pick up our things at sister Pasan’s house because in the evening we had to set off for India.
In the afternoon the clouds grew thicker and it started pouring. We managed to buy pizza, chips, cola and momu (a traditional dish, a variation of meat-balls in dough) for the youth group. It was a special holiday feast for them. We did several games to break the ice and set about. Their excitement, their bright eyes, their deep thoughts inspired us. Nepal has a future through these young people, the Gospel will reach these people. The young Christians didn’t want to leave. God richly blessed this fellowship, it was truly the fulfillment of God’s words that we would be given many more brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers in all nations. We expressed our special gratitude to the pastor and his family. We decided to bless them with gifts and money for the family and the church and most importantly with a prayer for them and their ministry. How great is the power of God that draws us into a relationship of love with each other! It was a big surprise and encouragement for me when I was given a “gift of love” from the church in Nepal for taking part in their ministry. Their church has learned to bless ministers. It means they have a great future! Praise God for the triumphant truth of the Word!
At 8 in the evening Nepalese time (which differs from Moscow by 2hours 45 minutes) we got on the public bus and set off on a mountainous road. A trip on the bus can hardly be described, you must experience it. I’ll try to convey it in person when we meet. We knew and believed that you were praying hard for us. My family told me that. Your prayers were important. Ten hours to cover 180 miles. An upland road, stoppages at night, the style of driving we called “Schumacher falls short”, an extreme sight not for faint-hearted. Some tried to sleep, others did sleep but I doubt they got any rest.
We arrived to a bus station 3 miles from the Indian border. We were to take another trip on a trishaw. An elderly undernourished Nepalese pulls two white people and their luggage. For 3 miles he drags them along a terrible road. You are full of compassion and a desire to help but you can’t for it will be misunderstood. Our friend, pastor Urij decided to help because their Nepalese was exhausted after 1 mile. But after several deprecative glances from other trishaw drivers they had to change places again. We went across the border on foot. I already learned from Indians to carry my suitcase on the head, it turned out to be more comfortable and efficient.
Again the Indian passport control officials showed “special attention” to pastor Urij. His Ukrainian passport made them hint for a bribe again. Finally after filling all the forms we were on a bus to Gahtapur -a town in northern India, where we were to catch a train. This trip was even more extreme. Driving off-the-road, buses and trucks side to side, driving head-on at high speed and by some miracle in the very last moment you just miss the truck in front of your bus. Another impressive spectacle was watching buses trying to pass each other on a narrow village street 3-4 meters wide (10-13 feet). We filmed it.
We came to a Gahtapur train station and waited for an evening train as the temperature grew. We came across a compatriot of mine. His name is Anatolij, he’s 60, he was our neighbor in Alma-Ata(Kazahstan). Now he finds Sai Baba’s teaching the truest and similar to the Gospel, he now lives in India to be close to Sai Baba. We talked with him for a long time, then pastor Urij boldly proclaimed the truth and charged him not to call himself a Christian but a Sai Baba’s follower not to deceive people. Numerous religions and cults flourish in this remote country and we realized how many of our fellow countrymen come there in quest of truth and think they find it. We prayed for this man that that false foundation in his heart would be demolished.
Thank you for your prayers for our trip on the train – it was a great blessing! We found a carriage with an air conditioner and a sleeping bank for each one of us. Sleep was just what we needed. We got 12 hours of it. Praise God!
The early morning in Delhi was relatively cool but that didn’t hold. When we got home and met with other missionaries we had a meal - something we didn’t get to do often on this trip. A full day was ahead of us. Visiting Hindu and Buddhist temples, a prayer at the Parliament Seat of the country for the forth coming elections and for freedom for this nation, for evangelism of the country and that the same cleanness we saw near the Presidents Palace would be all over the country. We walked from The Arch of Triumph of India’s Independence to the Parliament then prayed for millions of people in a Sikhs’ temple. We went to flee markets, met with persistent vendors. We met groups of children and shared the truth of the Gospel with them. Next morning we began by worshiping God together, spending time in His word and prayer.
In the evening when we came home we had a short meeting with Liza Gutz. We found out a lot about her life in India in the past 7 years and peculiarities of her ministry. We prayed together getting reading for the new day on which we would go to a lepers hospital. In the morning Natasha will do a seminar for local sisters and we will visit a world famous Lotus Temple where all religions are accepted. New Age philosophy is easily accepted by Hindus.
Once again I thank you all for your prayers for us and our team. We are through with one hot day in India and have 4 more to come.
Please pray for us tomorrow. We will fast and pray as we go to visit and serve to the lepers.
* Thank you for praying for Natasha, her sickness is gone and she actively serves the Lord
* Please pray for Anastasia’s grandma. She lives in Yaroslavl and is on her deathbed but hasn’t received the Lord yet
* Pray for our physical strength as we have full agenda each day and the heat is scorching for us
* For the forth coming programs, my teaching a leaders’ seminar to local ministers.
* For spiritual strength for each one of us
We love each one of you.
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