June 27, 2007

I know its been a little while since Ive sent out an update but things have been changing quite a bit lately. Ramesh and I have been teaching Bible studies at house churches and encouraging believers around Bangalore and I have been working with a couple other pastors doing similar things. This coming sunday I'll be giving the sermon at the international church that Ive been going to...I'll have to lay off the Chuck Norris jokes for a while, no one seems to get those over here. Monday we will be going back to Shimoga for one final church planting training with some local pastors. Due to complications with his wifes pregnancy, Tony and and Stephany had to leave India and go to Thailand until their child is born because there are better hospitals in Thailand, so since he was the main person that Ive been working with I may be leaving to come home in a couple of weeks. I still dont have all the details figured out yet, but with Tony gone that leaves 4-5 days a week open with
no one to work with, so it doesnt make much sense to stay for too much longer after we finish up the trainings in Shimoga, so I may be seeing you all in a couple weeks. I'll update again once I have some more details. Please keep Tony and his familiy in your prayers as well as the pastors who will be starting churches in areas where it is illegal to evangelize. Thanks.

Zach

June 9, 2007

I just got a call from tony wood over here and one of the pastors that was coming to shamoga with us is in the hospital. Last night he went back to his home village with some fellow christians and a group of people beat them up and locked them in a church and tried to burn it down with them inside it, but thankfully the police arrived and got them out and to the hospital, so please be in prayer for Lakshmee Ariana and his friends as they are recovering, and also for the safety of everyone here. Thanks

Zach

June 6, 2007

Well its been nice having a couple of days off to relax after all the T4T (evangelism training). I just found out that we will be going to Shamoga sunday night on a lovely 8 hour bus ride through the hills. We are going there to teach people how to start effective house churches so that they can reach their area and hopefully plant more churches. Last night Ramesh and I went to a 'tent city' on the outskirts of Bangalore and preached and sang songs with a group of about 20 and 2 people gave their lives to Christ, Ramesh said that we would come back later in June and baptize them and some of the other believers that meet there. I was also told that in a few weeks we will be going to Goa which is a city on the west coast to do some evangelism training there.

Ive had a nice break from Indian food lately, several of the IMB missionary families have invited me over for dinner with good ol' fried chicken, steak, cheesecake, apple pie....its been awesome. I never realized how much I enjoyed eating food that I can pronounce and I dont have to worry about asking what theyre really made of. I'm enjoying it now because when we go to Shamoga it will be back eating Rotee, Curi, and Pepto Bismal. Please pray for the trainings that will happen in Shamoga and Goa and for the new believers that they will grow and be effective ministers of the Gospel.

Zach