Posts from — August 2011

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” -Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)

The morning sun had just risen when a car pulled up to the gates of the container terminal of Visakhapatnam port. Four of us, including myself, were scheduled to speak during morning assembly at a nearby school in the city. The vice-principal of the school was the one who came to pick us up. But as we got into the air-conditioned vehicle and drove through the winding streets leading to our destination, uncertainty weighed on our minds.

We had met as a team the previous afternoon to get acquainted with each other and discuss what we were going to do. While we read through the requirements of our assignment together, something struck us as odd.

We were asked to do an evangelistic skit in a secular school.

Our eyes looked at each other and we wondered exactly how we were going to do this. The city of Visakhapatnam is nearly 98% Hindu, and by its name Olivet Public School did not suggest any sort of Christian affiliation. Concerns of how far would be too far arose. Eventually we did choose a skit and I was assigned a part to play. However, we were unsure if we would be able to convey its subtleties in a way that did not take away from its message yet was careful to not trample on any underlying sensitivities.

As we neared the school we could see children in clean and crisp uniforms being dropped of by their parents on motorcycles. Entering the school’s courtyard we were soon ushered into the office of the principal. Sari-clad and determined to give the best education for her students, the principal warmly expressed her thanks at our coming.  She told us of how she not only wanted her students to be prepared academically, but for life as well. Motivational posters and quotes adorned the walls of her office and the corridor behind us. None however were from Christian sources.

Soon the vice-principal informed us that the children were waiting in the courtyard. Making our way outside we were greeted by a sea of over 400 students dressed in green and white all seated neatly in rows. We first began by explaining different items found on Logos Hope and how they relate to the purpose and mission of the ship. After that we introduced ourselves and where we are from. The students had fun trying to find our countries on the large map which we brought and enjoyed the little snippets we gave about our homes.

Then it was time to do the skit. The drama revolves around a chair coated with a sticky substance with a sign placed on it saying in bold letters “Do not touch!”. A man walks by it, sees the sign and throws it away. While he knows that he should not sit on the chair, circumstances and his lack of alertness cause him to become stuck. Try as he might with all his efforts, he could not seem to set himself free and the harder he tries, the more of himself gets glued to the chair. This also hinders him from meeting with his friends, who begin to distance themselves from him once they realize that the chair is holding him back. In this hopeless state, another person walks by and tries to help the poor man but to no avail. This person has a back up plan, he gets down on his knees and to  pray. At first the man on the chair scoffs that it is useless. But slowly his body becomes unstuck from the chair. The pair then walks happily away. Before they do however, the man formerly stuck places the “Do not touch!” sign back on the chair and warns the audience not to get trapped as he was.

The message behind the skit was this. Sin is like that sticky chair. Once it traps you, there is nothing your own abilities or strength can do to get rid of it. It follows you everywhere you go and even causes our relationships with others to fall apart.  Yet while it may all seem hopeless, only Christ’s intervention in our lives can set us free when we have become mired in sin. This was wonderfully explained by one of our team members and as we said our goodbyes to the children the principal called us back into her office.

All of us wondered what she would say about the skit. Would she be offended? Would her image of the ship change for the worse? But to our pleasant surprise she thoroughly enjoyed it and said that the children seemed to have enjoyed it all and have taken a lot from the play. She then confided in us that she went to a missionary school and that our visit encouraged her especially. To further confirm that God’s hand was in this school visit, as we were driving back to the ship the radio of the vice-principal’s car played this all too familiar song:

“God will make a way, when there seems to be no way. With love and strength, for each new day, He will make a way.”

Here we were worrying and fretting about how the message of Christ would be received in this school and God was saying to all of us, “Don’t worry about it! Just walk in obedience to me.” It was clear that He was already at work in that school and the educators who ran it. All He wanted us to do was to play our part in His perfect will. I pray that He would continue to work in the lives of the students we had the privilege of meeting, as well as in the life of the principal. I pray that the seed planted in the hearts of the students will be nurtured and flourish so that they may find life and hope in Christ and what He has done for each of them.

I thank you once again for your continued prayers and support as God is teaching me what it means to lean on Him and to place my entire faith in Him and His ability to carry out His redemptive plan in world.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap,” -Psalm 113:7 (ESV)

Vishakapatnam is a city of contrasts. Nestled between the lush and majestic hills of the Eastern Ghats it is not surprising that the port city has the distinction of being India’s “Jewel on the East Coast”. But when I saw its poverty openly displayed, I could not help thinking that Vishakapatnam is a tainted jewel. Memories of my previous missions’ trip to Calcutta flooded my mind as my eyes saw familiar scenes of poor families struggling to make a living under the shadow of a glistening mall, and street children begging for money only to meet the threatening hand of a nearby police officer.

Poverty is the breeding ground for revolution. This is especially true of this region in India. Andhra Pradesh has been a battleground between government security forces and a coalition of Communist rebels calling themselves Naxalites. Taking their name from their first insurrection in 1967 in the village of Naxalbari in West Bengal, they now operate throughout eastern India claiming to be the defenders of India’s oppressed poor. Maoist in their ideology they fight from their rural strongholds with the ultimate objective of overthrowing the Indian government and have slowly begun to make their prescience felt in the cities. A few days before our arrival in Vishakapatnam there was a bomb blast in the city. It was discovered that Naxalite rebels were responsible.

Into this context walked my friend Selva, and I; distributing flyers for Logos Hope to people living in the poorer areas surrounding the new CMR Central Mall. Store owners, fruit vendors, auto-rickshaw drivers, all took the flyers willingly and with curiosity. As we Continued to hand out flyers I could not help but feel like a revolutionary myself; one whose leader is not found in man but in Christ who is perfect in love and righteousness. For all the grand claims the Communist revolution makes of fighting for liberty, equality, and justice, it has the tragic consequence of turning people into ten times the oppressors than the ones they overthrew! Mao Tse-tung, whom the Naxalite rebels take their cues from, was arguably the most brutal and infamous dictator in human history. He killed millions of his own countrymen and viewed them as necessary for the progression of the Communist revolution in China. Such is the problem when people look to human leaders for a saviour. They become deceived and fall under the yoke or sword of those whose fallen nature has full sway. Considering this, it comes as no surprise then that the Naxalite rebels of eastern India oppress and victimize the very people they are supposed to be fighting for.

The love of Christ is revolutionary. In His eyes all have been created in His image and therefore have intrinsic worth. Human life is therefore sacred because each one, regardless of ethnicity or socio-economic status, bears the image of God. That is why we go out and distribute flyers for Logos Hope. That is why we serve others through ministry projects. Our objective is to tell others by our words and actions that God cares for them and wants to be in relationship with them. The Creator of the Universe loves each one so much that He died for them so that sin would no longer keep them apart from Him. Rather they would come into an intimate relationship with Him where their worth is not found in what they own or what they do not have, but in what God thinks of them as His dearly loved children.

I pray that the people we distributed flyers to would have the chance to come visit Logos Hope. That they may see and experience for themselves the love of Christ which transforms lives and hearts. I pray that they would find hope and security in the fact that when they have God as their Father, nothing will be able to overcome them and that they will rest in the promise that God works all things together for His good and perfect will. Nothing in this world, its philosophies or ideologies, will be able to bring lasting hope and peace. It is only the love of Christ overflowing from within the hearts of those who know Him that will grant eternal joy as we look forward to the day when Christ will come again and wipe every tear from the eyes of those who are hurting and broken.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21 (ESV)

“So wait…we’re not going to Thailand?”

A silence born out of shock filled the room as the sad announcement was being delivered by our speaker in morning devotions. Due to technical problems which arose in the engine room, we will have to arrive in Penang, Malaysia earlier than scheduled after we leave Vishakhapatnam, India. There is a certain part which can only be obtained from Penang and to journey any farther than necessary without it would be hazardous. This meant that we would have to bypass Phuket, that beautiful resort port in southern Thailand. From a safety standpoint the decision was sound and no one questioned that it was right course of action to guarantee the safety of all onboard.

However, this did not change the fact that it was still a disappointment. Many on the Logos Hope were looking forward to sail into Phuket and experience all its wonderful sights and sounds; myself included. Some had planned short vacations with friends. Others were in the process of co-coordinating ministry opportunities amongst the people there. With our visit to Phuket cancelled, those plans were clearly not happening.

When situations like this arise, the question invariably shifts to why. Why did God allow this to happen? For what reason? For what purpose? But if God has taught me anything from my time in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, it is that He always knows what He is doing.

Our stay in Hambantota was extended for three days because of technical issues. Yet within those three days God worked in such a way that still leaves me amazed at His wisdom and goodness. Those three days were perhaps the busiest anyone has seen in a long time. Each day we would get well over 10,000 visitors wanting to know what the ship was about! At one time the crowds grew to be so massive that the ship had to call everyone who was not working to help with crowd control. We would later find out from the Sri Lankan authorities that half of Hambantota district visited the ship! If it was not for the delay, we would not have been able to minister to the 186 Chinese workers who have come from mainland China to help with the development of Hambantota’s new port. Using the time God gave us we were able to host an event for them onboard the ship. Now where there was only one Christian amongst them, there are now ten others who have dedicated themselves to Christ and seek to be transformed by Him!

Had we left Hambantota on schedule, I would never have met Janaka Jayashanka; a young 25 year-old sales representative. While on an outreach day on the ship and asking God to show me who He wanted me to speak to in the seemingly never ending mass of visitors, Janaka caught my attention and we went to a quieter place to talk. After sharing with each other where we are from and talking about all manner of subjects, Janaka told me that he was worried about the future and whether he will be able to support his parents. I directed him to Jeremiah 29:11, a verse which has always stuck with me ever since I saw it painted on the walls of my middle school: “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” As Janaka took my Bible and read the verse over again his eyes were filled with assurance and joy.

“You are saying that God has a plan for me? For me?”

“Yes Janaka!” I said “For you! For you! When we hold His hand, He will always lead us towards that wonderful future He has promised and will work everything together for good. ”

As we looked at the clock it was far past closing time. We had talked for nearly an hour! Janaka left smiling, and he thanked me for giving him a glimpse into what the Bible was about. I pray that God would continue to reveal Himself to Janaka and that he would get a hold of a Sinhalese Bible so that he may read for himself about the love of Christ. I pray that Janaka will come to find rest in the eternal hope which comes from abiding in Christ and that he will know how much God cares for him and his family.

We may have our own schedules, but God has His own. Though we may see unforeseen circumstances as an inconvenience and say that nothing good can come of them, they do not surprise God. He is constantly at work fulfilling His perfect will and all He requires of us is to simply trust Him. Seeing our situations through His eyes places it all into perspective and we will be able to find hope and peace in the fact that God’s perfect plan always triumphs above everything else.

I may not be able to see the tropical paradise that is Phuket. But I move forward into Vishakhapatnam and Penang knowing that God is going to do great things and that by His grace He has allowed me to be both spectator and participant as He accomplishes His work.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.