i may never March in the infantry...

March's update.

Kamusta ka?!

Greetings from the Philippines! We have arrived safely and have been greeted by guest-house standard accommodations and fans enough to keep us cooler than our bodies can handle sometimes. The L*ord is giving rest.

I want to share with you about our last month in India, but if you are interested in the recent transition to Subic Bay, you can check out www.bekah29.blogspot.com where I will be posting.

The strongholds of India that G*od first spoke to us continued to be things that factored into daily life. The implications of two major religions being entertained in the space of one city resulted in a battle that was constant, so many things being worshiped, sacrifices being made, led to a very active spiritual realm. For our team, the constant battle caused sickness, fatigue and the feeling of oppression that can cause a reluctance to participate. In the final week of our stay in Andra Pradesh, the Muslims and Hindus broke out in fighting. People were killed, stabbed and injured all in the name of false gods. This gave us the final push, showing us once again that G*od was calling his people to this place to bring his kingdom. And so we left the city through inter*cession and wor*ship, calling out the body of Ch*rist to live differently to show the city that blood has already been shed and atoned for each of us.

Our time in the hospital is a ministry that I thank G*od for at the end of the day…well, most of them. Being in a place where women are travailing alone, G*od quickly brings us along side to inter*cede silently or with them. The overall feeling of the maternity hospital was quite oppressive and once again a battle. G*od made a way for us to share his name, for students to learn skills needed and to make friends.

I just wanted to share a story with you about a woman I met on the last day. It doesn’t have a happy ending yet, but I believe that seeds scattered were in fertile soil…

Our last day in the labour room I felt burdened to speak with each of the women labouring. I didn’t get much further than a woman called Shohazi.

Shohazi locked eyes with me and said “Baby dead, my baby dead.” She was lying on a metal bed in the corner, waiting to be cleaned up and for the blood to finish transfusing before she could leave. It seemed as if no one had spoken to her since she came to the hospital. Her eyes were empty with loneliness. She shared her story, about how she had grown up rejected by her family for being a girl, that her first husband died of kidney failure and then she was married to her current husband as his second wife. She said several times “I hate the gods, I hate all the gods.” Nothing that anyone said would comfort her where she was at. She listened to me as I shared with her to tell G*od all that she felt, that Allah, the Hindu gods, they would all fail her, but G*od wouldn’t. He can handle us telling him how we feel. She cried and cried for her baby and let me pray for her that she would have another baby and that she would meet G*od. A softness came over Shohazi as she grieved and shared. It will take a lot of prayer to see her moved to J*esus, but those who have experienced as deep of suffering as she has meet J*esus in a deeper way. I got a phonecall from Shohazi’s husband the day before we left India, some of the girls still thee will visit her. It is an open door.

Recap. G*od is moving in India. We saw 5 salvations while we were there, hundreds prayed for, hundreds given healthcare to and about 100 babies delivered. His kingdom is coming. I believe he is calling people to commit to India, in inter*cessory prayer and long term miss*ions. I have tasted and seen that the L*ord is good over India.

Bless you family and friends. I will talk to you at in a month…

Bekah

***One more thing, our team felt that G*od was leading us to get more pra*yer cover as a team until the end of outreach. Each of us have taken a couple of days to ask if people we know (that’s you) are willing to take some time during these day to pr*ay for our team. My days are April 28th and may 8th. If you are willing to commit to pr*ay for the team at any point during any of these days for any amount of time, please email me so that I can send specific requests to you! Bless youuuuuuu!