March 2006
Dear Intercessors and Friends:
Warm greetings to each of you!
We're back in Mumbai (old Bombay)!
Early in the morning, after a heavy blanket of fog lifted, our team travels one and a half hours by TAXI to a leper colony of more than 2,000 people or 345 families in all. We're headed down a "two lane" road without any clear line of demarcation between the lanes.
Driving like the British, our driver is driving from our "passenger" side, on the left side of the road. The oncoming traffic is racing by on the right hand side of the road. Horns are honking non-stop! I've learned that this is the way the Indian people express "road rage". Our driver passes a few auto rickshaws (a three wheeler which comfortably seats 3-4 people) from the right side and misses a head on collision by a split second, without exaggeration. These kinds of "near misses" happen every few minutes; and that's an understatement. This is normal in India!
We pass a very old bus that looks like it should have retired thirty years ago. These buses comfortably seat 55-60 people but most of the time 80 plus people are crammed on a bus; one person sitting or standing on top of another. All standing room, including the steps, is filled, and weary looking people are hanging out the windows. This is normal in India! Our driver swerves around the bus and nearly misses another head on collision with an orange 8-wheeler truck filled with men and women standing in the back of the truck. One of our team members is loudly "praying in tongues" with her hands lifted in the air. Another team member shouts, "oh, dear God!" while another shrieks with fear. Because the 8-wheeler is "bigger" our taxi driver swerves back into the left hand side of the road in deference. The drive is more fun than the thrill of any amusement park.
We pass rickshaws, bicycles, ladies in their saree's (Indian clothing) balancing huge laundry baskets, large sacs of rice, or fruit on their heads.
Men, women, children, pigs, and cows/oxen can be found bathing in a river where the water is green from all manner of pollution, contamination and waste. Some are using the river as a toilet (let the reader understand), while others wash their laundry in the same green river.
We pass one dilapidated shack after another along the "shoulder" of the road. These shack owners are selling almost anything you can imagine. Some sell chai, water and cold drinks (including Pepsi/Diet Pepsi, but no Dr. Pepper) and others sell clothing, roasted corn on the cob (you may be toothless by the time you finish eating it), or cashews. Some sell fruit, electronics, tires and the like.
We drove by one ostentatious Hindu temple after another. The Hindu religion has "300 million gods". Is that more than the number of people living in America? These temples are some of the most expensive pieces of real estate in India. Unlike most houses, or buildings, the temples are always well maintained. It is common to find these temples sitting right next to a slum village where thousands live and are displaced and forced to rebuild after the monsoon season.
Finally, after praying in the spirit the entire road trip, we arrive safely at the leper colony. Before we enter the church, where more than 400 lepers are sitting on the concrete floor, we are required to take off our shoes. During our ministry in South India, this was typical protocol. Barefoot! Most of the Lepers have been treated with medicines and are not contagious. A handful or so had not yet received medicine and were considered "contagious" with open wounds. At best, most of the lepers were missing fingers and toes. At worst, some had lost noses, ears, lips, arms and legs.
Nothing can prepare you for what you see. Thank you to those who prayed for grace. The team did find grace in the time of need. We found our hearts filled with grace and compassion. As we walked down the center isle towards the platform, we felt such compassion. The lepers were considered social outcasts, "untouchables"; unlovely, undesirable, most had been taken to the colony and forgotten by everyone they ever knew. When we saw their faces, compassion over-rode any reticence. Jodie preached a message of hope and healing. We sang about the Healing Presence of Jesus and the team laid hands on each leper present and prayed for them.
After ministry time, we distributed a brand new blanket and rice to each one. We made sure to make eye contact with as many as we could and told them "Jesus loves you". It was powerful to touch them, to smile, and to bless them.
Later, we returned to the orphanage and showed the children our photos and tears filled their eyes. They were so happy that we went to the colony where some had been taken from and ministered to their family. A couple of children saw their parent in the photo. Afterwards, we learned that a lot of the children at the orphanage had been taken from leper colonies.
The next day, we left the orphanage. It was heart breaking to leave 80 orphans whom we had grown to love so easily in a brief period of time. These orphans did not have their own Bibles. Some were teenagers and never had a Bible. When we discovered this we went to the International Bible Society and purchased each child their very own Bible.
We're back in Mumbai now, thru the end of April, for the primary purpose of establishing Healing Rooms with local Indian Pastors.
Currently, "the team" (the ICL team and India team) is meeting together on Friday's, Saturday's and Sunday's to prepare for the opening of the Healing Rooms on April 14th.
Coming Up and Prayer Requests:
- Dan and Sarah Shepler will be joining us in India April 2nd - April 11th to do "Healing Room Training". The training is schedules as follows:
- 3-day training with local Indian Pastors
- 1-day training with Aglow India
- 1-day Board Meeting with Mumbai Healing Room leaders
- Official opening and dedication of the Mumbai Healing Rooms
- Please pray with us for many to be healed and to come to the saving power of Jesus Christ
- Please pray for continued health for each team member
- Please pray for unity among "the team"
- Pray for our upcoming visit to a Healing Room in a slum area of Mumbai
We are co-laborers together in the "great commission" here in India. We could not be here without your love, prayers and continued support. Thank you kindly!
Constrained by His Love for India,
Inner City Light Team
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