LORD my God, You have done many things--
Your wonderful works and Your plans for us; none can compare with You. If I were
to report and speak of them, they are more than can be told. Psalm
40:5
O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in
wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. Psalm
104:24
I was reflecting with much gratitude and
thanksgiving to the Lord on the above verses from the Book of
Psalms.
It feels like I just left for India, though
I actually departed on June 17, 2013, the day after our great celebration and
the dedication of the new Addition to our Church facilities here in Union
Center. It was indeed a great day of gathering, celebration, and worship. We
have so much for which to be thankful and grateful. The new addition to the
church was just a dream just over a year ago. The Lord moved through His Holy
Spirit in the hearts and minds of our people. It is written, "Unless the Lord
builds the house the laborers labor in vain. We can affirm and declare that the
Lord indeed has built the house. We are the living witnesses of the way the New
Building has been raised up.
I left Newark International on Monday, June
17, and landed in Bhubaneswar, the Capitol City of Orissa, on Wednesday, the
June 19. The flying time was 22 hours. I visited my mom, who has been staying
in Bhubaneswar in a rented house with my brother and his two children for last 5
years. My mom recognized me though she could not talk. I spent next the few
days with my mom and drove to G'Udayagiri on June 22, where I preached on Sunday
at the Kanabageri Church on June 23. It was my church when I was a young boy.
In fact, I preached my first sermon here when I was 16. I sensed a great sense
of zeal for the Lord in worship. The church has a praise and worship band. A
young woman 18 years old played drums along with another young boy of 12. It
was anointed. The church was full of people, including many children and youth. I
spent the afternoon visiting with people and praying with them
I spent the week of June 23 in Kanabageri in
the house of my Uncle, who was married to my mom's oldest sister. My uncle was
an elementary school principal and a lay preacher. He is now 97 years old
still lives in the house with my cousin and his family. I visited the M.M.C
Hospital and also visited the Bishop of Phulbani. I visited the New English
Medium school, just opened and sponsored by the Church. English Medium Schools
are in high Demand in India. All the well to do people including government,
office, and business people, send their children to English Medium Schools.
Almost all of these Schools are run by the churches, both Roman Catholic and
protestant. These Schools are the best in the country across the land. Some of
the best colleges, universities and professional universities (such as schools
of business management and medicine) are run by the church. It is a great
witness of the church in word and deed to the nation.
I preached in morning and afternoon worship
services on June 30, in two different churches. All the churches were filled
and many were sitting outside. The church I preached at during the afternoon is
the first church in the District (County) of Phulbani. Five Hindus who received
Christ as the Lord and Savior were baptized on the Easter Sunday of 1914 (April
12,1914). The church has grown in the district. The number of Christians in
the districr now number close to 200,000. Almost 25% of the population of the
district is Christian. Both churches were filled with enthusiastic and energetic
people loving the Lord and worshipping Him with joy.
Before entering full time ministry I taught
in Elementary, Middle and High School. Most of my students were blessed by the
Lord. They all did well serving in various places including high places of the
government. Most of the students have retired now and are in servant leadership
positions in the churches across the State of Orissa.
There was a 25th year of celebration of the
united Christian witness in the district of Phulbani. It was held on the 2nd of
July. Christian leaders from all churches including the Roman catholic Church
participated in the great celebration. I was invited as the main speaker. The
Lord gave me His grace and favor. At the gathering there were some of the
people who had fled the area during the persecution of 2008. Now many were
returning back to their homes and land. The Lord gave me the word from Jeremiah
29:5 and following. The Lord encouraged all of us to press on and live in the
land to occupy it until Jesus comes.
I traveled back to Bhubaneswar on July 4 to
spend the rest of my remaining days in India with my mom. I preached in Cuttack
on Sunday the July 7. I preached during three worship services at 9:00 AM,
4:00 PM and 6 PM. I stayed with Bishop D K Mohanty and his dear wife for the
day in Cuttack. The 9:00 service was held at the Church of the Epiphany. The
Church of England is now part of the Church of North India. I did my
undergraduate studies in Cuttack, completing them in 1969. It was great thrill
to see my classmates in the services. The last time I had seen them was in
1969. I preached at the First Baptist church of Cuttack, the largest protestant
church in the state of Orissa. The church was full of people, and its porches
and lawns were full of people. They all numbered in the thousands. This is the
church I attended during my college days in Cuttack. It was great thrill to see
so many brothers and sisters that were part of the Lord's blessings in my life
during my college days. My heart was refreshed and renewed. The last service
was held at 6 PM for an English speaking congregation. I preached in English in
all the services for the day.
Bishop Mohanty and his wife took me out for
the dinner that Sunday night after 9 PM. I I had longed to meet two men who had
been leaders of the church during my college days. I had lost touch with them.
I had a longing to see them and get reconnected with them. Praise be to Jesus
these two men with their wives and children and grand children were at the
same restaurant that night. I was thrilled beyond belief to see them, though I
could not recognize them. They were were all old. It was a great thrill to
share the joy in Christ.
After these intense days of June and July I
developed some health problems. I prayerfully canceled my preaching assignments
at St. Mark's Cathedral in Bangalore and at the Christian Medical Hospital in
Vellore. Since I had posted my speaking and preaching schedule on Facebook and
on line many of the people I had known in the early seventies in these cities
were planning to meet me both in Bangalore and Vellore. I was deeply
dissapointed that I could not re-connect with them.
This change of schedule gave me extra time
with my mom in Bhubaneswar. While In Bhubaneswar I wanted redeem the time so I
met some of the Christian leaders, pastors, and evangelists. I was told that
the Lord is moving in the city of Bhubaneswar. The Governor of Orissa, whose
official residency is in Bhubaneswar is a very committed Christian. He
regularly attends worship on Sundays. I was told that he preached on Good
Friday and Easter Morning this year. When he comes to church the secret service
and the whole entourage come with him to church. They also get to hear the
Gospel.
The Capital City of Bhubaneswar is a planned
city. It is a growing city. Because the state of Orissa has many natural
resources including iron ore, the South Korean Steel conglomerate Poescho, one
of the largest steel Companies in the world, is planning to build a
Multi-Billion dollar Steel plant near Bhubaneswar, pumping billions of dollars
into the economy. Many from South Korea who are committed Christians are moving
into area. These South Korean Christians are Tent Making Missionaries as St.
Paul was. I was visiting with some of the Christian leaders in the city. They
were sharing with me that after the Persecution in Phulbani area 70.000
Christians were made homeless. Many of them have moved to the cities across
India including Bhubaneswar. Many of these refugees are employees in the
service sector of the economy. They are taxi drivers, personal chauffeurs,
housekeeping staff, and security guards. The rich and famous in the city prefer
to hire these Christians because they find that they are trustworthy, diligent,
and reliable. These Christian workers share the gospel with their employers. I
was told just ten years ago there were 10 churches
in the city of Bhubaneswar
but there are now over 100 churches. The Lord of the Church is fermenting His
Church. Many in academia are coming to Christ. There are many house churches
springing up in the city. Many find it is easier to invite their Hindu
Neighbors to these house churches to share the Gospel.
I was told that many of those Hindu
Militants who were involved directly in murdering Christians during the
persecution have died violent deaths. Many are in the prison. There are also
many have come to Jesus as Lord and Savior.
During persecution of Christians in 2008,
many church buildings were burned down and destroyed. Many of the church
buildings were simple structures which were easily destroyed. It happened just
recently that in the State of Orissa, which is filled with Hindu Temples
everywhere you go, the government discovered that some Hindu Temple edifices
were built on the Public Property. The Supreme Court of India ordered that all
the religious buildings built on public ground must be removed. Under the order
of the Supreme Court, many of the famous temples in the cities of Orissa were
demolished. The army was called in to execute the order.
One of the stories on the National News of
India that pervaded the national psyche for weeks was the landslide that
occurred on June 18, the day I arrived in India. It occurred in the northern
state of Uttarkhand in the foot hills of the Himalayas. The heavy monsoons
there caused massive flooding and landslides near one of the famous temples of
India. Thousands of Hindu Pilgrims had made their pilgrimage to the temple
region, coming from all over India. The floods caused severe damage to the
Infrastructure so that many houses were washed away, causing death of thousands
of pilgrims and causing heavy loss to the properties. After one month of search
and rescue the government reported that still 5000 people were missing and
presumed dead.
While in Bhubaneswar I visited a couple
patients in two of of the Ultra Modern Hospitals in Bhubaneswar. These
Hospitals are staffed by doctors, including surgeons, trained in the UK and The
USA. One of the hospitals I visited is staffed by 500 nurses. I visited some of
the nurses who said the majority of the nurses in the Hospitals across India
are Christians, and Christian nurses know how to serve in the Spirit of Jesus
Christ the Great Physician.
I was deeply touched by one of the Stories
of a Good Samaritan. In one of theses Hospitals in Bhubaneswar where many
foreigners come for medical treatment because it is very affordable, one evening
a patient was sobbing in his room. A man who was walking through the halls
heard the sobbing cry of the man. Out of curiosity he walked into the room and
asked him the reason for his sad and cry. The patient told him that he had come
to the hospital for treatment. The doctor told him that he need a major surgery
and that without it he will die. The surgery would cost him 250,000 Indian
Rupees. That is alot of money, and he did not have that kind of money. He said
to the stranger that he will die due to the lack of surgery and he was deeply
concerned for his wife and children. The stranger left the room. He was moved
by the Lord pay for the surgery for this man. The stranger was a Christian
pastor from Brazil who had come for medical treatment to this hospital. He went
to the patient the next day and said the Lord has laid in his heart to pay for
the surgery. The Christian pastor from Brazil had enough money in his account
to pay for the surgery. I know this patient, a staunch Hindu. His family
was also staunchly Hindu. He received the surgery and the pastor led the man to
Christ. He went home back G. Udayagiri. He was baptized and he his entire
family are now committed Christians and involved in the ministry and the mission of
the Church. When I heard the story I cried and said, "Thank You
Jesus".
A Christian pastor from Brazil who had
traveled to Bhubaneswar with his own needs became a " Good Samaritan" to a
staunch Hindu whom he had never before met. Praise the Lord for His divine
appointments. Indeed our disappointments are His divine
appointments.
Though I had to cancel my preaching
appointments in Bangalore and Vellore as they involved traveling by flight and
train, I was able to spend almost half a day in Bangalore waiting for my
International flight on June 17, 2013. Two young friends were waiting for me
at the Airport In Bangalore with an SUV. We traveled around the city visiting
some of the places I had frequented during my days in Bangalore from 1969
through 1974. I went to the Campus of the Graduate School I attended. The
Faculty and the students that I was part of are no longer there, but I was able
to meet the present day Faculty and students. I visited the rooms of the where
I Stayed during my studies. Sweet memories. Because of the time restraint I
could not visit many people but called them over the phone and got reconnected.
One of the families I visited with by Phone was a couple with two children, who
had offered me extravagant hospitality during my days in Bangalore. He was
medical doctor and his wife was a Chemistry professor in the university, both
committed Christians. Their two children have now grown and one is doctor and
the other is an Engineer living in the USA.
My last meal I had in Bangalore was with a
Christian family. The Lady actually lives in Vestal, NY, but was back in
Bangalore visiting with her mom and her sister. She invited us a for a
beautiful dinner and a time of worship. This lady, Vani's, grandma was
a doctor. Her mother was a doctor, her sister was doctor, and her son is in
Medical School at the Universty of Virginia.
I came home this week on Thursday night.
While I was away my wife rearranged my study, painted the ceilings of a couple
rooms in the parsonage, and tended the garden that we started five weeks ago.
She also finished her last week of teaching, spent 6 days in Boston with Janice,
Jeremy, Micah, Simeon, and Ada, visited 5 days in Washington, DC with Sunita and
Andy, and went to NY City for a day with Laureen and Jessica.
Praise the Lord for every one of you. I
thank the Lord for your love and affection over these years. Praise the Lord
for our people at Union Center and Wesley. Praise the Lord for the Church of
Jesus Christ around the corner and around the globe.
Every place I visited was a blessing. People
that I met were a blessing. Meals and fellowship the Lord lavished me with were
huge blessings. It was mango season In Orissa. I was able to roam and roam
under the gigantic and brilliant mango trees during my childhood days gathering
mangoes. The Lord blessed me with wonderful mango season. All the trees were
loaded with mangoes of all sizes, colors, shapes, and tastes. I ate mangoes
three times a day religiously. For that I thank Jesus who blessed us with the
fruit of the earth.
Thank you for praying for my mom. She had a
stroke some time ago. She cannot talk, but she recognized me. On one occasion
we had a big family gathering, with a time of worship. We sang some hymns.
She opened her mouth began to sing clapping her hands.
LORD my God, You have done many things--
Your wonderful works and Your plans for us; none can compare with You. If I
were to report and speak of them, they are more than can be told. Psalm 40:5
O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in
wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. Psalm 104:24
Praise the Lord for another passage to India.
It is great to be back in America the Beautiful, a city built on a hill,
the sweet Land of Liberty
"For the Lord God
will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
...The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our
Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.... And he
who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things
new."
In Christ,
Brown
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