Door of Hope

Dear friends and family, some of you have been asking for a written update from our recent trip to India in November!

It has been a difficult transition home for me (Ginny) physically, emotionally, and spiritually but I am just now starting to feel more adjusted! Our first trip we truly had no idea what to expect and it was such an adventure of sorts. This second trip felt solidifying in new ways in our call to India; in our calling to be advocates for the needy, as well as for the persecuted church.

Allow me to be transparent — I am in absolute awe and wonder of what the Lord is doing, and also turmoil as I feel the burden to carry this vision and see it through to its completed purpose. I am trying very hard to articulate the profound grief that I feel. I am usually the one who has words, but this time I don't seem to be finding them easily. If I had to try and name this grief it would be a reverse-culture shock. I am not mostly talking about India, the country itself, although that's part of it. I am mostly referring to the culture of christianity and how we live out this gospel that we so readily claim.

The church that is made up of believers in India is more generous than the American church can hardly fathom. They give from their lack and share readily everything they have. Their gratitude is astounding. Their faith is tested beyond any limits ours has endured in terms of cultural persecution, and yet they are steadfast and unwavering. They do not operate as we do in our individualistic culture, but they feel like one community, one family with open hearts who are wholly united in their purpose. The church that we have experienced in India is not a sleeping church. They are very much awake, very much enduring the persecution that ignites real faith and true worship.

I was extremely sleep deprived on this particular trip, but it seemed to make it easier for me to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit since I was so desperate for his grace to sustain me! He said something profound to me during one car ride. He said that we so often times ask God, "What do you want me to do?" But this is the wrong question to ask, because the question itself is within the framework that we are somehow separate from Christ. The word says that we are one with him and in union with him! So the only question that we can rightly ask is:

That summarizes the work that he has called us to in India. It's not our idea, it's not our work, and we can't take credit for any of it. It's holy because it's his work. It was supernatural in its initiation, and it will be supernatural through every process and through the completion of it. Jesus alone gets the glory and we are truly undeserving of joining him, but he calls us anyway! That's the point isn't it? We cannot boast about anything but our weakness.

In the American church we have been so often baited and hooked with a gospel that is for us. The very nature of Christ is generosity; it is to give. It is to lay down one's life. Let me be clear: The gospel is for us, but it is not to serve us. It is for us to serve Christ. If we do not care about the things that he cares about, we are falling short. If the subconscious goal of our lives has somehow become to be comfortable, we are failing not only our calling but we are failing our brothers and sisters in Christ. They do not have the privilege of being comfortable. They do not have the "privilege" of being self-absorbed in their faith.

You may not feel a call to India, but I believe that the call to you is the same — Jesus is looking for those who will say yes to sacrificial love. Those who are no longer living their Christianity for themselves, for their glory, for what they can get out of it…but have chosen, however imperfectly, to live for the One who gave his life as a ransom for them. God wants to bless us, but that can never be our motive. We cannot ask God to bless us for our own sake. We have to be willing to become vessels that pour out.

As many of you know from our first trip, we were able to connect with a pastor in the city of Deoghar, Pastor Alfred. He and his wife Sirin and son James (14) are faithful believers there in a particularly hard region for the gospel. Alfred himself suffers from a disability and walks with the use of a cane. Does that stop him from riding his motorbike all over Deoghar and even to Athmuria to share the gospel? Absolutely not. He continues to do the work of the Lord there with joy!

He said when he first moved there several years ago, there was not even one other believer to gather with. Now they have a beautiful community that is growing there, and God has asked us personally to help them build a church building alongside them to serve as a gathering place, and in the future also a place of resource for the entire community and the surrounding villages. The village Athmuria that God spoke to me about in September 2024 is about 1.8 miles from the land where the church will be.

We were able to go and visit this land and have a "ground-breaking ceremony" where we were able to participate in dedicating this place to Jesus and his glory! What an honor it is to come alongside these faithful people and build something beautiful. Just right down the road from this church site is a brand new government-sponsored Ashram — a large Hindu center for spiritual practices, essentially a Hindu monastery. Much of the persecution there is politically motivated for nationalist and Hindu agendas. I feel that this is so strategic of the Lord for this place and region!

We were also incredibly privileged to spend the day with Pastor Alfred and his community and worship with them, pray with them, and encourage them that while they wait for a building, they themselves are the holy temple of the living God, filled with Him and lacking nothing! They truly are the light of the world shining brightly in the darkness, as Christ lives and moves through them. It felt like a dream just to be there with them and belong to the same Christ.

One of my favorite testimonies came from this day. As we laid hands on the sick and prayed for them, this precious older woman came up for prayer. She was experiencing vision loss. As we prayed over her, we asked our friend James who was translating to ask her if she was sensing anything or feeling anything in her body. She looked up and said in her native language, "He has lightning in his eyes."

As of right now, we have around $30K to help fund this church building. They will need roughly $60K to bring it to completion. This will also serve as a parsonage on the second level for Pastor Alfred and his family. Phase one will consist of digging a water well, beginning the foundation work, and completing the first level for the church gathering place. Phase 2 will consist of finishing the second level as a living space for Alfred, Sirin, and James. Phase 1 is financially covered. We are now reaching out to you, our friends and family, to pray about and consider supporting our friends and this church community.

I have to say strongly that this is not us asking you to partner in building just another church. In America, we have churches everywhere. This is not the case in Deoghar. This church, when it is completed, although small, will have a very large impact. This particular region has very few public Christian places to gather. Most gatherings are in the home. This will be a monumental and transformative place. A spiritual outpost in the region as well as a place of resources for the surrounding villages, even Athmuria! It will enable the gospel to go farther and reach into the unreached places where Jesus is desiring to make his name known. This is a very influential and strategic location where the light will shine directly into the darkness. We are unashamedly asking you to please pray about how you can support this vision.

Athmuria is a village that consists of great poverty. There is no school there. When we first traveled in March, there were no Christians there. As of now, thanks to Pastor Alfred, I believe there are now a few. This place is a strategic place that God has spoken that he desires to transform with his love and the revelation of Jesus.

I believe He is looking for laid-down lives who do not scorn the invitation of sacrifice but wholeheartedly cry out "Yes!" to the giving of their resources to advance the kingdom of God on the earth. Jesus himself said that the gospel would be preached to all nations and all people, and then the end would come. We have a lot of work to do, friends. There are still so many that are wandering in darkness and confusion.

But thanks be to God because Jesus is ever-pursuing them! And he is asking us to join him in his passion.

— Ginny