Manipur India Missions: Sometimes it is bottom of the 9th with 2 outs and GOD hits a home run.

I’ve been here in New Lamka almost 4 months now and yet today I still experienced countless new things.

Unfortunately a girl that was in preschool at Rayburn passed away this morning, so school was cancelled and all the Rayburn teachers attended the funeral. This was not what I was expecting to do this morning. I am in no way glad anyone, especially a young girl, passed away but it was non the less an experience that I will never forget. They played the Rayburn School Anthem as all the Rayburn teachers walked up and placed a flower on her casket. A sad time, but a special time that us as her teachers could comfort her family. (IMPORTANT SIDENOTE: I went to Bethel church, a church that Covenant Presbyterian helped plant, here in Lamka. I went to Bethel just yesterday to hear Khen speak and helped to prepare for the team coming next week. Little did I know that today I would going to this funeral and guess where the family and the girl goes to church… Bethel. Out of all the dozens and dozens of churches in Lamka God knew I would meet these members at church yesterday and get to comfort them today. God is good in the end.)

After the funeral the guy teachers and I were talking and they mentioned the “Mission Compound”. I asked where it was and they said it’s “There”, as they all pointed to the top of the mountain to the West. Of course I’m always up for a good adventure and so I said LETS DO IT!

Minutes later we had a couple pellet guns and motorcycles and we were ready to roll. We spent the day exploring rice fields, riding motorcycles on top the mountains, shooting bottles, climbing waterfalls, and enjoying beautiful views! (I don’t even think beautiful describes the views though…. I’ve hiked the Appalachian Trail and stared down Grand Canyon and looked over Zion National Park, but ladies and gentlemen this view was one of the BEST! From the top of the mountain you can see Lamka where 200,000+ people live. You can see the soccer fields, the houses, the churches, but beyond that you can see the rice fields that aren’t settled yet, but beyond that you can see the other mountain on the other side of the valley, but beyond that you can see the mountains in the next state and beyond that…. Okay you get the point. I’m not exaggerating when I say it was SPECTACULAR!)

But let me not leave out the best part… I got a HISTORY LESSON today. You see the “Mission Compound” in my pictures isn’t just any village or any church on top of the mountain looking over New Lamka. It is “THE FIRST CHURCH”. It was built in 1906 before any other Presbyterian or Baptist missionaries ever came here. It was built by no denomination, just a simple missionary that brought the gospel to the people of Lamka. The church and the surrounding village are the place where everyone used to live. Everyone lived in their tribes on this mountain and that’s why the mission compound is there. It’s not until the past 20 years that the all the tribal people moved down into the valley and urbanized Lamka bringing in Hindu Indians and other Central Indians to own stores and such. The population now has boomed to the hundreds of thousands, but the mission compound still sits at the top of the mountain and looks down on New Lamka. The Mission Compound I got to visit today is the FIRST VILLAGE and CHURCH and SCHOOL in this now huge Lamka area. That was such a cool experience to visit a place rich of history, and see the place that started religion and education here.

When I woke up this morning, and rubbed the Monday morning droll from my eyes, I NEVER EVER would have guessed that God would bless me with such awesome times with friends and such amazing experiences. When it’s the last weeks here, when it’s bottom of the ninth with two outs GOD HITS A HOMERUN of a day. God is good, that’s for sure.

PRAY REQUESTS:
PRAYER WARRIORS UNITE. I NEED YOU NOW!
1. It’s now or never. Bottom of the 9^th with 2 outs. Pray for me in these last two weeks to be able to be bold. Pray for me to embrace the Gospel and share it more passionately than ever. Pray that God will give me the courage and strength to face these last days as I will be as busy as ever. Pray that I give everyone I meet this good news of the gospel like it is my last days on this earth.
2. A team from Covenant is coming to run Medical Camps in some villages in Manipur here. Pray for them physically as the jet lag and busy days will wear them ou. Pray for guidance in any medical decisions they have to make. Pray for guidance on how I can help them while they are here (It’s weird I’ve been here so long I feel like I’m hosting them cause I know the place so well now.). Pray definitely for travel safety. Pray for the team to be blessed by the trip more than they ever thought possible.

DON’T SKIP MY PHOTOGRAPHY BELOW!!!!! Some of my favorite pictures I’ve taken here.

This is why I love what I do. In the middle of a village with kids running towards me. (One of my favorites)

Exploring rice fields.

Rice fields during harvest season.

Got to go shootin.

These Rayburn teachers and their friends actually found this waterfall in the middle of the woods when they were kids and now it is part of a big tourist attraction.