Mission Trip to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana - 30 May-6 Jun

Introduction

Thanking God for another milestone in our missions journey. This time the trip was to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The one state of Andhara Proadesh had split into two with effect from 2 Jun 2014. This time I was alone on the trip. The Indian summer was much kinder than expected although in some places we faced temperatures soaring to highs of 49^oC.

Objectives

The objectives of the trip were as follows:

•  Meeting with CPs in Hyderabad 
• Graduation Service for CPs. About 40 are graduating 
• Sunday morning service at Rasoolpura. 
• 2 church dedications 
•  Visiting CPs 
• Gospel meeting 
• One pastors meeting

Departure

I departed Singapore on 30 May at about 2150 hrs and arrived Hyderabad on 31 May at about 1.00AM. PSt Nehemiah was at the airport to receive me. What a joy once again to meet this man of God who has served God and PEC faithfully for so many years.

Church Planters Meeting

On Saturday, 31 May about 100 church planters and coordinators gathered for the meeting in Rasoolpura. Dr Isaac, an HI alumnus from the couples’ session in Sep 2013, also joined me for the weekend.  We had a good time of worship. Dr Isaac briefly shared on what the layman thinks of the clergy and I spoke on the Character of a Godly leader. I was blessed to see some of our 1^st and 2^nd batch students who have become senior pastors after seven years in the ministry. God has indeed blessed their work.

Combined Graduation

That afternoon we had the combined graduation of 40 church planters from the various training centers in Andhra Pradesh. It was once again a joy to hear the reports from faculty and students on the impact of the training on the lives of these potential church planters. I shared on the life of Nehemiah on how he served God with humility and passion. Dr Isaac also shared his greetings and we are indeed thankful to Dr Isaac and his wife Dr Rebecca and Dr Yohan and his wife Dr Suzanne John for sponsoring one of the training centers. We are expecting these church planters to reach at least 100 villages in 3 years time. With God’s help this is possible.

Sunday Morning Service in Rasoolpura

Once again it was a joy to be in the morning service in Rasoolpura. The worship was vibrant and the people “simply lost” in the presence of God. Dr Isaac shared the Word and I closed the service with a time of prayer. It was good to see many young people in the church taking on responsibilities. 

Church dedications

On 2 Jun we had to two church dedications, both in West Godavary. We left our hotel in the morning for a 2 hr drive for the first church dedication in a village called Thadepally Gudem in West Godavary. More than hundred people had gathered for the church dedication. This church as pioneered by our church planter Pst M Vijay Paul. This is the 65^th church PEC has dedicated in AP alone. We truly rejoiced with the people as they celebrated this historic moment. Many of them were converted from Hindu background. There is no other church in the vicinity and many villages surround the church. Great potential for growth. Praise God.

The second church dedication was in the evening in a village called Badumpudi, also in West Godavary. About 70 people gathered for the service. The church pastor is a young church planter, Pst M Salmon Raju. Again we had a good service, praising God for all the achievements.  Both the churches were sponsored by our Brother M Kumar and his family from Praise Evangelical Church. We thank God for the many people from PEC and friends who have come forward to support our work in missions. 

Gospel meetings

The gospel meeting was held in the night on 4 Jun in a village in Jaggaiahpet, Krishna Dist. More than 300 people gathered for the meeting. By the time I was given to speak it was past 9 PM. But the people stayed on and more than 30 people received Jesus as their Lord that night. We prayed for the sick, as well. Some people later testified that they were healed of their sickness. Praise Jesus.

That evening we left for another district on a 6 hr drive. We drove through the night on bumpy roads, amidst bright head lights from oncoming heavy vehicles. By the time we arrived at Mahammadnagat, Nizambad Dist, a small town, it was 5.00AM. Because we were in the village the day before, we did not have lunch and dinner. We were tired and hungry. We tried to get a room to freshen up . The weather had been hot and humid and we had not showered in the last 24 hrs. “No room in the inn”. Temperatures were rising within and without. Fortunately a pastor allowed us into his house. It reminded me of my national service days in field camp.

Pastors meeting

Late morning we conducted a pastors meeting for some local pastors. About 30 pastors had gathered for the meeting. We encouraged and challenged them to do the ministry amidst their challenging situations.

Along the way we visited one of our Pastors, Pst Job and prayed with his family.

After the meeting we headed for Hyderabad. The next day we visited Bro Mohan and his family for dinner before heading for the airport. And as always Mohan and his family were excellent hosts.

Urgent needs

• There is an urgent need for a good sound system for the evangelism work. Currently we are renting this equipment at an exorbitant cost. A onetime purchase will help save a lot of money. A reasonable sound equipment will cost $5000. 
• As highlighted previously, we need a van for evangelism. It will help carry the equipment and people. It cost about $7000. These needs are very urgent.

Conclusion

We praise God for His grace and favor. We are thankful for Pst Nehemiah and his team for the great work and support. Thanks to all who have prayed for us and supported us in the ministry. Special thanks to Bro M Kumar and family for sponsoring the two church building and for seeing us off at the airport. Above all, praise and glory to our God for His love and kindness in this journey.

 With Dr Isaac.