FROM NANCY:
Conference #1 DONE !!!!! All went well. Seems like this year the conferences will be smaller (50-75 pastors) because of the venues and it makes logistics more manageable. Really, we prefer it that way. Teaching and interaction goes much smoother. It seems to weed out the less mature leaders who try to get attention in a big crowd. That is distracting.
Today the church and many of the pastors came from Mennonite backgrounds including several pastors that were just in training when Moses was teaching early in his ministry. Now those men are pastors! There is an increasing number of pastors with Internet access now also. That opens up so many more resources for them but can be difficult to find reliable Bible materials. CTO’s site comes up in English but there is a tab to make the entire site into Telugu, Hindi or Spanish.( Thanks, Eva !).
It is a pleasant 72 degrees here and soft Caribbean -like breezes blow through the open windows in the churches, but not at our hotel. The pollution & street dust is a problem, plus there is AC. After the drive home we immediately unpack and get dinner ready and repack for the morning.. then to bed! We are still recovering from jet lag and time zone changes. We BOTH fall asleep on the drive home! Tonight’s dinner? – canned chicken with honey mustard on a whole wheat tortilla with cut raw carrots. A nice change from PBJ and tuna.
love Nancy
FROM JERRY:
It felt great to be with Indian pastors again! Yesterday I talked about what God expects of them as pastors and followed that up with a session on Christian marriage. There is a great need for this in India and I always get many positive comments about it afterwards. I also did sessions on the Bible Overview – tracing the plan of redemption through the Bible. Today I started dressed as Elijah and talked about overcoming discouragement and depression. Nancy shared her testimony while I got changed. Then I had sessions on how to study the Bible and how to prepare sermons. I concluded, as always, with one on spiritual warfare. There was a very encouraging response from everyone there.
On a personal note, I, too, am getting caught up on rest. I slept an hour in the car on the way home yesterday, then took an hour nap when I got into the room. I slept 11 hours last night and would still be sleeping if I hadn’t set the alarm! I took a long nap today and am looking forward to going to bed early tonight! You could say we don’t have much of a social life here!
Thanks for praying!!! Jerry (January 26, 2019 Hyderabad, India)
Someone sent me this verse right before we came to India and it’s stuck in my head since. It’s a challenge with a great promise for all of us. In case you need it at this time in life, here it is.
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Jerry Schmoyer
Christian Training Organization ©2019