I was truly happy, blessed and feeling the maximum amount of JOY possible!
We were at the conference. I sat in the back. Usually there is a small amount of monitoring of who enters the room from the street. For example, children, wild dogs looking for food, homeless or “the curious”. Remember, privacy is non-existent in India.
Today 4 Hindu men wearing dhotis came into the conference room and sat down in the back. (See a picture of dhotis below) Sometimes dhotis are indicative of poor people, shepherds or lower cast .I have seen a few pastors wear them but not too often. These men came at the start of the last session. Interestingly enough they stayed for the entire session. Afterwards they all went up to Jerry and asked for prayer. Jerry took the time to pray individually for them, shook their hands and bowed in respect. Our late lunch followed.
Lunch tickets are given to pastors as they arrive or else the entire town will show up to eat. The 4 Hindu men sat in the room talking as the pastors ate joyfully & heartily. Then it happened. God spoke directly to my heart and quoted His own words to me, “If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” James 2:16. I immediately squirmed through the lunch line and got 4 paper plates from the attendant. He was counting how many plates were issued. I had no lunch tickets, but the American women can get away with it. I handed the empty plates to the 4 men and motioned to the server to fill their plates. Again, I didn’t get push back from staff. The 4 men looked at me in unbelief, amazement and sweet gratitude. Me? I too was in unbelief, amazement and full of gratitude that God Himself would speak so directly to me, using His own Word. That might be the biggest blessing of this trip. I don’t know how God can top that! The men smiled at me as they left the room well fed! (See picture below) Nancy Schmoyer
Cultural Tidbits: #3 Music
Drums are the main instrument. The deep wood sounds resonate from over laid taut skin materials. They are not the metallic as is common in the US.
They use complex syncopated rhythms that seem like Latin meets Arabic. The rhythms seem unrelated to the melodies.
If available, digital keyboards are set to accordion or high-pitched organ settings. Piano setting is never used. The keyboard musician plays background filler for the voices…. Interesting.
Church members have the words memorized to all the songs. Sometimes the leader will have song book. A sound check goes on during the entire first session.(sigh) (February 8, 2019 Kurnool, India)
Jerry Schmoyer
Christian Training Organization