COM ministry blog

Thanks to all of you that followed this blog this summer. If you want to stay updated on COM ministry events, read posts from staff members, see student testimonies, hear talks from weekly meetings, you should visit our COM blog and subscribe by email. We will be updating it a few times a week once the school year starts.

…with God all things are possible.

I will leave India galvanized and built up in the Lord.

For me, it’s easy to focus only on what has happened as a direct result of whom I have spent time with, or what I’ve done. But Jesus, and not by any effort I’ve made, has given me the grace to not be self-centered (concerning this) while I’ve been here. I say this because the truth of the matter is that myself and the rest of the team have only been here 5 weeks, and this last week consists mainly of goodbyes and encouragements toward those whom we’ve met. Five weeks is not nearly enough time to see real, tangible, Godly-Christ exalting fruit in people’s lives. The impact of what we’ve done may not manifest itself until weeks or months after we’ve left. Although, guys I’ve spent time with have expressed their gratitude toward me and are thankful they’ve met me (likewise I am to them). This is encouraging; but me being from America and raised in a culture that measures one’s success by seeing physical results, it’s easy to think I’ve failed when no results are found.  Because of this there is great potential to think these last 5 weeks has been a waste. I need to be reminded it’s impossible for me to ever change anybody’s heart in regards to treasuring Christ above all things. So I am thankful to God that He has given me the eyes to see how He has been working in India; instead of me looking at what I’ve accomplished.

Regardless of what I’ve seen or done, my aim is not to rest in what I’ve done but to rest in the promise that “God works out all things for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28). It’s a privilege to see how Jesus is working, not to mention the same is true about being used by Him.

I’ve seen students who desire to know more about Jesus and grow in their relationship with Him. I’ve seen St. Stephen’s students who want to make Christ known for the joy of every student on campus. I’ve seen faculty and staff at St. Stephen’s help and support us in our mission. I’ve seen local church members who burn with a passion to raise up faithful men and women so that Christ may be the center of their lives. I’ve seen child-like faith in Christ displayed as I’ve never seen it before. I’ve seen genuine believers thirst for the Lord. I’ve seen how God has been working here in India already without the team.

2% of India only knows Jesus so it’s tempting to place the burden all on me and think that I must do it. I do not have the capacity or ability or proper desire to make India know Christ. But the reality is, Jesus is more committed to bringing His people to Him than I ever am or ever will be. This is most satisfying to see. And this makes me hunger even more to be a part of the work God is already doing over here.

The point I am trying to make is, Jesus lives in India and will continue to work in India after I and the team have left. We’ve played a small part having been used by God. But ultimately it’s up to God, not me. This is comforting.

In closing, as I finish my last week here in India I hope God will continue to show me more ways in how He is already working here in India. So that, my desire to labor & finish the trip strong would be heightened. I’ve been blessed to get more time around Joshua, Siju, Sukhvir, and Paul this week. God is working in their lives. And the team has been building stronger realtionships with St. Stephens faculty and Leaders of the church we’ve been attending. I feel our time with them has developed our relationships with a more unified bond and partnership to bring Christ to India as future teams from Minneapolis plan to come to St. Stephens.

2 weeks left—- ahhH!

Hey everyone!  It is crazy that so much time has passed and we only have two weeks left! Things have been going really well!

The last time I updated the blog was the night before my birthday party, and overall the party went well. We didnt have as big of a turn out as we hoped and actually a completely different group of people came than we thought would. We have fun though just meeting new people, eating pizza, etc. It was a good way for us to make some initial connections and get started! Most of the girls that came to the party were girls from the gym class that we were teaching, which we scrapped at the beginning of last week because noone was coming. It wasn’t helpful to continue since it didn’t serve as a ministry tool anymore.

What has been really cool though, as many of the girls have said, is that we have really connected with Priyanka, Remya, and Shruti.  We have hung out with them almost everyday over the last 2 1/2 weeks and have really spent a lot of time having great conversations with them.

In terms of what our ministry looks like now, these girls are pretty much our main focus besides a few freshman that are still desiring to grow, ask questions, hang out with us, etc. Its exciting because these girls really want to be laborers for Christ.  Side note –Even though St. Stephens is a Christian institution, evangelism isn’t really found because students are so tolerant (too tolerant) of other religions. Most Christians we have met don’t share their faith for lack of conviction of sharing it our they dont share it out of fear of rejection from other students. It has been sooo encouraging conversing with these girls about the excitement, joy, and calling that we have of sharing our faith with others.

We have formally met with them twice week for a Bible study (as Kels said) and will continue to do that until we leave. We have/will be discussing being rooted in Christ, discipleship/evangelism, community, apologetic type things, tools to help you grow on your own, etc. Informally, over the next few weeks our goal is to hang out with each one of them daily – getting in the word, praying with them, etc. We have done a great job with building stronger relationships with them, and we have our Bible study time, but over the next two weeks we want to keep hanging out and studying and praying through scripture.

Please be praying for these girls. These girls LOVE the Lord and want to make a difference on their college campus. It is so cool because the Lord has already brought us to a place where we are actually building up these laborers. These girls are even desiring to come to America next summer and come to Campus Outreach’s Summer Beach Project (like Gladwin did last summer). Pray for wisdom as we walk through life with them and pray through things with them. Pray that they continue to be open to what we have to say and that this will only be the beginning of their journey laboring for Christ.

Pray for next year. I know it is a while away, but if we can make it possible for them to come to our summer beach project training next summer, that would be awesome! Pray also that they would be a part of a communitry that confesses and points out sin and which encourages and stirs on their affections for Jesus. The Lord is already doing so much in their lives and it is honestly so cool! Also, pray for the students we are hanging out with when we are not with them. PRay for Divia as she is a fresher and has connected with the team and wants to grow in her walk with Jesus. Also, we are still have random conversations with Hindus, Muslims, and Seeks. Pray that we would continue to share the Gospel in conversations with them and that they would be open to listen. The majority of the students that we have talked to said that they only believe what they believe because their parents do, not necessarily because they do! Pray that these students we interact with would start thinking about eternity, their beliefs, and why they beleive the things they believe.

On a side note, i have basically been sick off an on this whole trip. I really dont want to miss anymore days on campus, so pray for health over these last two weeks and pray that I would be able to be at full capasity to hang out with girls! I know this isn’t about me and that the Lord is still working, but i love being on campus and want to make the most of it!

You have all been awesome! Thank you for your prayers!!!! Thanks for your support and enabling all of us to be a part of this process in bringing the gospel forth! We are SO priveleged to be used by God in this country!

One Simple Truth.

I never really know what to write in these blog posts.

It’s funny. I think before the trip, I was the greatest advocate for blogging, but now that I am here, I find myself struggling to put my thoughts into coherent words.

I search high and low for the perfect phrases, and remain unsatisfied with them if they don’t perfectly paint how I am feeling.

When my fingers meet these keys, and my eyes transfix on the computer screen, they realize how much injustice they bring to the actual post.

So, all of this to say, there is only one statement to truly capture my heart at this very moment…

Jesus is good.

Not overly profound in and of itself. But in and of itself over-abundantly true.

Jesus is good in light of the fact that my heart wanders aimlessly away from Him on a daily basis.

Jesus is good in light of me feeling so discouraged about the state of my heart, and showing me that this is exactly where He wants me to be.

Jesus is good in light of my constant seeking of His approval; when He already provided that approval 2,000 years ago with nails driven through His hands.

Jesus is good in light of the fact that ministry in India is hard. Ministry itself is hard. It still baffles me that God uses sinful people to share the Gospel with other sinful people.

Jesus is good in light of the fact that Harsh, (a Sikh student), has not yet come to faith in Him. But Harsh has been more open with me, and has sincere desire to read the Bible to discover the Christ he does not yet know.

Jesus is good in light of the fact that we only have one week left, and still feel like there is so much work to be done.

Jesus is good in light of the inadequacy of the CCP 09 team.

Jesus is good in light of my inadequacy to express it in this writing.

Honestly, one of the greatest truths that will stick with me after this trip is the fact that God never ceases to pursue my growth; and God will use all means necessary to knock me down, humble me, then pick me up, dust me off, and say, “Well done“…

In the words of C.S. Lewis:

…”Safe? I never said anything about [Jesus] being safe! But, He is good“…

Serving God, or Knowing God?

Monday was our teams rest day. But instead of hanging around our guest house, Jimmy and I went to a country club with a St. Stephens student named Harsh, and two other students. Harsh has been spending a lot of time with Jimmy, and his dad owns a family membership to a country club, so Harsh invited us to come along with him. But I had to think about it for a while first. Hmmm…free food and swimming at a country club with St. Stephens students, or…sitting in our room and listening to Elliot sing Fernando Ortega songs to himself all day. Naturally, the decision became quite obvious. So away we went to the club. Our time there was very relaxing and we had a great time getting to know each other better, grow in our relationship with one another and create some lasting memories. But while we were there Jimmy and I learned some difficult information that weighed heavily on us: Jimmy has lost 8 pounds so far, and I have lost 7. Uh oh…

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about ministry and how much of it involves personal relationships with others. It’s life on life, one-on-one, up close and personal. It’s about sharing your life, your time, your possessions–everything with those whom you are investing time into. It’s about letting them see how the gospel effects how you love others, and how you respond and react when you face difficult circumstances or trials. That is why I was so excited that Harsh asked Jimmy and I to go with him to his fathers country club. The more time that we can get around him and students like him, the more we will be able to portray the gospel to them in words and actions. Most importantly, if there is any lasting impression that is left with him or any of the other students, I don’t want it to be that Americans are nice and moralistic people. I want Harsh to say, “there was something different about the way Jimmy led his life. He was a Christian and loved Jesus, and it showed in how he loved me and the people around me”.

Since we only have about a week left on campus, our bodies have switched into “urgent” mode. We are all trying to cram as many people and activities into our schedules as possible. We continue meeting with students and presenting the gospel to them as much as we can. We have also been focusing on equipping and teaching students how to share the gospel with others, so that when we depart they will continue ministering on campus and growing in their relationship with Jesus. It is good that we are working hard, and sense urgency because of the short amount of time we have left here .

However, lately I have been reflecting on the words of a pastor named Matt Chandler, who reminds us that rather than becoming satisfied with serving God, one must continually be satisfied with knowing God. Meditating on that every day has been very helpful in how I approach ministry, especially when I feel like I have failed. The reality is, would I rather leave India and say, “I did and said all the right things, and ministry was super prosperous and St. Stephens is in a better place than before we got there”. Or, “I am loved by Jesus and I know Him!” The answer then becomes obvious: Jesus is all that I need and all that I want, and He is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him (Thank you John Piper). I pray that in the final weeks, we do not become satisfied with serving Christ in India, but that we become satisfied with knowing Him.

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ – Matthew 7:21-23

-Drew

Ministry, Orphans/widows, & Jaipur

Ministry seems to be on the up & up.

This last week Laura and I were able to go to a praise and worhip meeting that’s ran by students from St. Stephens. I had no idea that this group existed prior to this past week and I was greatly galvanized by their love of Christ and desire to share the Gospel on their campus. I am praying and hoping God will allow the Team to get more time around them so that we can’t start molding a community with the students we’ve been witnessing to and the students who attend the praise and worship meeting. I’ve had one contact in particular with a student named Siju. He’s a 3rd year studying History and wants to make Christ known on campus. My hope is to get him around other students myself and the Team have been hanging around. I just don’t want the impact that we make here in India to last only for this month.

At the end of the week (this past Friday) the team went to a care center for orphans and widows. It was not an easy experience but I was glad I went. The care center is run by a nun and originally founded by some Roman Catholic guy. The center is underfunded and runs the risk of loosing it’s location. I am comforted by the fact that Christ is made known there. The women and children were very happy to see us and I was happy to see them. One of the troubling things I encountered was just the amount of the physical needs the 30-some women children had. I wanted to help but I knew my help would be only for the moment, and then I began to worry what should happen next. Likewise, I get this thought every time I see a beggar and/or lame person on the street. India has so many people with physical needs to be met. I can’t possibly meet the needs of all them. And India’s poverty isn’t liken it is in America where we can institute social programs to help put the poor up on their own feet so they can be self-sufficient. The poor in India are in their physical conditions/situations until they die. This is all the more confirming for me of why Jesus Christ must be made known because he is capable of meeting the physical needs by satisfying them through their eternal need; namely the need for a savior and removal of sin,pain, and evil in their life. One day there will be no more lame, or poor, or starving children, or broken and abused widows left to fend for themselves. Christ died for them.

Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, & they will be his people, & God will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. -Revelation 21:3-4

Saturday we went to Jaipur. It was exciting to see. We took a tour of the palace in Jaipur. At times I felt like I was in an Indiana Jones movie or something. We were also able to ride camels and an elephant. That was the first time I was ever able to do that. Jaipur is a very pretty town and much cooler in temperature compared to Delhi.

Meet David.

David was one of the three students, with whom I hopped to spend more time, that I blogged about on the 23rd. This is a little follow-up (and an answer to prayer!).

David is a first year student here at St. Stephen’s College. He’s probably about 5’4” and weighs under 100lbs. He wears thick-framed black glasses, and t-shirts that speak loudly of Jesus and His work. He plays a mean finger-picked guitar and has a smile to melt the cold Minnesota winter.

David grew up in a Christian family. His parents left the Catholic Church after realizing that many of the traditions that they held were not supported by the Bible. David would say that his parents converted from Catholicism to Christianity. Though he grew up in a Christian home, he says “Being born in a bakery doesn’t make you bread,” and he himself did not become a true believer in the saving work of Jesus personally until somewhere around his 9th grade year in school.

Since God brought him to a true knowledge of, and belief in Jesus Christ, he has experienced many trials. The biggest of them from his perspective has been going against the flow of culture when it would be so easy to conform. Since beginning college this year he has been faced with this, but not only is it something that is trying for him, it is something he wants to see change. He has an especially strong desire to see other young men come out of the joyless lifestyle of letting culture dictate what brings happiness, and into an authentic relationship with their Creator; a relationship with the One who alone is able to offer true joy in life and hope for life to come.

David and I are able to meet very regularly, if not daily. Typically, we spend time reading the Bible, praying, interacting with other students, and playing the guitar. This time has been mutually uplifting, so please join us in praising God for the bond found in knowing we are his children and in that brothers.

Please pray:

• For David’s health. He’s been sick for a few days and it hasn’t been improving. He’s got a sore throat and he is very congested.
• For a group of young men with whom David can come into fellowship and glorify God with. That is one of his greatest desires. Most of the “Christians” here are only cultural Christians who do not have a desire to glorify God. He told me that he wishes there was a ministry on campus doing what we (the CCP) are doing…
• That I would be able to model ministry to him (he wants me to show him how to share his faith and lead Bible studies) in a way that shows trust and dependence on Christ and His Spirit.
• For me, that I wouldn’t be ministering out of anxiety. I am prone to worry and place a lot of weight on my own shoulders rather than letting ministry flow out of a secure hope in God’s continual favor towards me (1 Thes. 5:8-11).
• That I wouldn’t throw my guitar out of the plane window on the ride home after seeing how good David is.

With all of the affection and love in Christ that can be communicated through wires and satellites,

Jens

Call to the Cross

Stand close to the cross of Jesus!

Helpless but not Hopeless

I am constantly amazed by the amount of people who live in Delhi and India. About twelve million people live in Delhi, while over one billion people live in India. And  naturally, everyone needs a job, right? People in Delhi will do just about anything for money, and they have the weirdest jobs. Some crazy jobs I see daily are, Bathroom Doorman guy, Nose Hair Trimmer guy, Ear Cleaner guy and my own personal favorite, “I fill up a glass of water and give it to you” guy. Finding a job is really easy, actually. All you need to do is nail a mirror to a tree, get a razor and grab a stool, and look! You’re a barber! Even at our guest house there are many workers who’s jobs I don’t entirely understand. For example, recently three men came into my bedroom and tried to fix one of the nightstands (the drawer didn’t work). They took the nightstand outside of my room, where one man banged on it with a hammer for about an hour (I think the other two were there for moral support) and then brought it back in to show me. Fixed! A success, right?

But lately, I have been catching myself thinking that I have not been impacting the lives of these students the way I initially wanted to. I begin to think that I am laboring in vain, and I become frustrated by the trials God has given me.  The reality is, I am not believing in the gospel. The gospel says my labor is not in vain. The gospel says that I am helpless. Helpless, but certainly not hopeless. In fact, the gospel is what gives one hope.