2 church dedications in Odisha

Today we had two church dedications. The first church was located in Patanagud. We had to travel about two hours to get there. While the main roads were good, the forest tracks were bumpy and undulating. By the time we arrived, a welcoming party was waiting to receive us with drums and singing, in the traditional tribal way.  

A large group of people had gathered for the church dedication. I was amazed to see the extend of the work done by the CPs. As I was walking through the village, everyone from the village huts were greeting us “Praise the Lord” with hands folded. Bishop Anjan explained that the whole village has accepted the Lord. I was moved with joy.Jeshua shared his testimony and Gaddiel shared the Word. 

It was almost 2PM when we finished the service. No lunch for the visitors as we “dare not try the village food” but thankfully Bishop Anjan had packed some biscuits, coffee and fruits for us. 😀

We moved on for the next church dedication which was a thirty minutes’ drive on forest tracks. To our surprise, there was a larger crowd who have been waiting for us for a long time. It was 3PM and they had not taken their lunch. 😱

Baharath shared his testimony and Bishop Ezra shared the Word. Even though it was late, the people wanted more and they were sitting patiently and hearing the Word. By the time we finished it was past 4PM. Even then many people can forward for prayer. I saw a hunger and thirst for righteousness in these people, which we lack back home.