train to taj

Cleaning up a little after a 10 hours train ride from Damoh to Agra that I'm not sure I can fully describe. We were privileged to participate in the graduation last night of 50-60 young men who have trained and are now going into ministry. Seven of them were headed to Punjab, the state on the Pakistan border and some of the most dangerous ministry in the world. I was humbled to challenge these young preachers with a sermon that I felt needed to challenge them in a great way. It was an honor to preach with Ajai interpreting and I can't wait to have him in the states at Eastview in October. The ceremony lasted from 6:30 to 9:00 and then we ate dinner. Our train was supposed to leave at 12:45 a.m., but ended up not leaving until 1:30. So we were wiped out and then we boarded the train. I really don't mean to be insulting - so please don't respond as to how spoiled I am - I know it, but the car we piled inot was dirty, and smelly, and we each had a sleeping space that was really small. By the grace of God I got about 3-4 hours of interrupted sleep and then watched the countryside roll by as we made our way north. A short stop (3-4 hours) here to see the Taj Mahal and then we'll head to Delhi for one more day before heading home. It's going to take a couple of weeks for me to download all that my soul has taken in these ten days. I'm inspired, challenged, saddened, encouraged, etc... There are faces and experiences that I enjoyed at the beginning of this trip that I will have to review to remember in my prayers. This is where a journal comes in handy. As we headed into yesterday evening, I tried to pray for Eastview at the times of our service starting back home. Really missed being there, but glad to have shared ministry here. This is the most I have ever preached on a missions trip. I was able to preach five times to four congregations translated into four languages (Hindi, Bundeli, Burmese, and Nepalese). What an honor for a kid from Indiana who wanted to preach. One more cool part of the story from two nights ago...17 people gave their lives to Jesus and will be baptized in the following weeks. Someday in heaven I look forward to seeing how every person touched every other person in the kingdom of God to make an eternal difference. It's awesome to think that God would use us to reach us!