Update #1 from Lisa Chan
This is just a short update to let you all know we are alive and well. I can’t thank God enough for the journey over here… it was SO much easier than I expected. The little kids were awesome, traveling for well over thirty hours (lay-overs included).
The people of India are so happy to have visitors, especially little children. Zeke and Ellie are a spectacle, when people want pictures, they want it with them! At first Zeke wasn’t too keen on the ladies squeezing his cheeks… but he is “suffering for Jesus” now. Ellie asks me, “Mom, why are they so happy to see us?” She has also asked me, “Mom, why are there people lying in the street?” This is heart breaking to see and explain to a child. The overwhelming amount of poverty has once again cut my heart.
Today as I was shifting clothes from one suitcase, I was a little sickened by the big pile it made. It was embarrassing to think that so many here would be lucky to have one change of clothes, let alone a change of clothes for every day.
Yesterday a Brother here was sharing how the members of his church, who are poor by our standards, care for the neediest. He says in India, the people eat twice a day. Rice is a staple food for them. So as they take out a handful of rice, they also take out a handful and put it in a bag. They do this twice a day for one month at a time, and at the end of the month they bring the bag of rice to church, which is then given to the poor. It made me think, there is always a way to give. And I was a little ashamed of how many people I’ve heard say, “I wish I could give to the poor, but I just don’t have anything to give after my bills are paid”. Really?
Three days ago we visited a new “Jesus Well.” It was probably one of the most impactful moments so far, surprisingly. Women and children who live in a slum have no access to clean water. A Jesus Well is a ministry of GFA, where they bring running water to these people who have nothing. Francis got to be the first to pump the water as the whole little crowd looked on. All four kids took a turn pumping water into the ladies jars, and I couldn’t help but think, “Is there anything else I would want my children doing right now?” This is one way to meet a physical thirst and need… but it is a tool to point people to the One who can quench their spiritual thirst forever… so beautiful.
Well, the adventure has only just begun, and I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to know that many of you are holding us up in prayer. Thank you! Please pray today for the believers here in India. They have a rough life in many ways, and are daily confronted with so much need. Pray that the Spirit of God would fill them with strength and vision and love.
Please pray also for Francis as he hurt his back again, and has a lot of traveling to accomplish in the next two weeks.