Jesus commands us to “…go and make disciples of all peoples…” (Matthew 28:19 NLT). So whether to our neighbors in Fairbanks, to the native Eskimos or Athabascan Indians in their Alaskan villages, the folks in your “neck of the woods,” or around the globe, the call is the same … “make disciples of all peoples.”

As a result of our ongoing commitment to “make disciples,” opportunities continue coming to us through Global DAWN Network.

We sat in a sparsely furnished room at the YMCA tourist hostel in Delhi, India. A large bucket of water and two used-to-be-white bath towels were in the center of that room. Around the perimeter, sitting on beds and chairs brought in from neighboring rooms were six gentle-spirited Indian men of God. Their stories began to emerge. With translation and in broken English, we heard incredible reports of murder and execution, beatings and burning, accidents and injuries, discrimination and persecution.

We’re on the road again … to INDIA and NEPAL where the harvest fields are ready and the time for bringing in the harvest is NOW! Our Global DAWN Network team has researched the harvest field in India and elsewhere in South Asia. We’ve learned a good deal about the people groups—the lost cultures of India’s caste-ridden societies and the religious bondage that overcomes the Nepalese people.

It’s now time for action as we work hand-in-hand with Indian and Nepali church planters and leaders to impact people groups with the Gospel.

The officer at the Canadian border crossing in Sumas, Washington, questioned us with the usual…Where are you going? How long will you be in Canada? When will you return? Our answer to the latter was, “We won’t be coming back again.” That’s when reality struck. I expected it to come when the packers were packing, or when the movers were moving, or maybe when saying goodbye to our family…especially the little ones…but still reality was out there somewhere.

At the age of 18, our Associate in Kathmandu, Nepal (name withheld due to the political nature of this writing), was steeped in the Maoist political regime. His primary task was to observe the “church” and report his findings. For six months he spied on the Christians, but could not find anything wrong. What he found instead was the love of God demonstrated to him through the church and through reading the Bible. He left the Maoist politics behind and at great risk to himself and to his family, followed Christ into a life of ministry.

All over India, Moslems and Hindus are coming by the thousands to the Lord after seeing visions of Christ and witnessing the supernatural: the dead raised, the sick healed, relationships restored, etc.  B. (name withheld), a new friend and partner, has his own story:  This young man belonged to the RSS, the Radical Hindu Militia, actively spying on and persecuting Christians. One day while standing alone under a tree, an angel came to B.

I read a magazine article over three years ago that sticks in my mind today.  The article said, “Why would you bring a bucket of sand to the desert?  Why would you bring a drop of water to the ocean? Why would you light a candle in an already lit room?  Go ahead…make a difference.”

Picture this parable: Suppose one of you has 100 sheep and loses one. Don’t you think that you would leave the 99 safely in the field and go search for the one lost sheep? And when you find that sheep, you pick it up and carry it home joyfully. Then you call your friends to celebrate with you that the lost has been found. How much greater is the joy in heaven over one person who repents than in 99 righteous who need not repent?

The whirring sounds of seven sewing machines came to our ears as we walked through the dirty, damp slum streets of Dharavi, Asia’s largest of approximately nine million people, in central Mumbai/Bombay. These weren’t ordinary electric sewing machines purchased at Sears or Joann’s Fabric Store. They were pedal machines quite similar to the antique Singer machine showcased in our home. In an upper room next door to the offices of New Life Fellowship Church, above the stench of their surroundings, were 15 well-dressed women learning to sew.

New Delhi, India, is not a bastion of Christianity. In fact in comparison to the population of the city, a very, very small number of its people are even aware of the existence of the Jesus of Easter, the cross, and resurrection.

For the first time since we began ministry 35 years ago, we are not in a typical pastoral role…and tomorrow is Easter, the greatest and holiest day of celebration in the church year.
 

The city of Mumbai, 20 million people strong, is a staggering dichotomy of rich and very, very poor. The slums of the city--the largest with over nine million--stretch for miles and miles along the highway system. People dressed nealy in their work clothes, waiting for the bus, talking on their mobile phones go home every evening to shanties with far less space than we have for closets.
Our God is the GOD of the slums so where does the church fit in?

Talk about "knock your socks off" ministry. As Sandy said a few minutes ago after a crazy, good five hour--two service Sunday morning preaching, worshipping, teaching, and story telling at New Life Fellowship in the heart of Mumbai, there have been no disappointments on this mission journey. Every experience is uniquely exhilarating and vital to the kingdom God is buliding "on this earth as it is in heaven."

It was with a bit of unease that we, along with our co-workers Ted and Judy, accompanied by seven other ministry partners, jammed ourselves into a dilapidated, rented vehicle in Kathmandu for a five-hour drive to our teaching/training consultation in Hetauda. We had just learned that the possibility of a "strike" (protest) on any road in Nepal could happen at a moment's notice if, for example, a bus or car hit a chicken, a duck, a goat or other animal. A stirke could block the roads for hours as the village people sorted through the blame.

Having just completed our week’s laundry in a bucket and hanging it on the rooftop in the home where we’re staying, Sandy and I pause on the roof for a few moments looking over the city of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, the poorest country on earth. We’re told that the average per capita income in Nepal is between $300 and $400 a year. While reflecting, we overlook this city set in the gorgeous Himalayas—the infamous peaks clouded by haze on this breathtaking morning. All around, however, is the poorest of the poor living in squalor and stench.

The very hot and humid weather in Yangon, Myanmar did nothing to deter God from working mightily in the three-day Global DAWN Network conference of almost 200 pastors and church planters. From the moment we walked into the gathering place to the glorious sound of worship in their native tongue, to the last goodbyes three days later, God has been honored.

Today, we're headed into a country for several days that receives little mission attention for several reasons that we can't go into here. We'll be visiting precious little orphan children in their special homes and researching other areas of desperate practical need, as well as bringing encouragement and hope to numbers of Chrisitan leaders as they continue to offer spiritual life to those trapped in darkness and hopelessness. Pray for us in the next days until we get back to you. We likely won't have usable web access for awhile.

Pray for preparation of the people of the four countries of Asia to and with whom we will soon be ministering. Anticipation grows as to what God is going to do for His kingdom as we step out of the boat with the apostle Peter and walk in faith with Jesus. We’re “in the air” and arrive at our first destination soon. There we will be visiting and aiding in several orphanages; meeting with a new network of 200 indigenous pastors to encourage, equip, teach, and mobilize them into ministry among the Unreached People Groups of their regions of the country.

Welcome to our blog! Stay tuned for further entries in the very near future.