India 9.28.11

Dearest Friends and Family,

Today was the best day of the trip so far. But today was also the worst day of the trip so far. Most of the morning and some of the afternoon we sat in a room listening to 11 different Indians from around the country share their stories of persecution, that is, extreme persecution. I will not describe what we heard, the scars we saw, but to say that there was not a dry eye in the room after just the first person shared their experience. There were lots of dry eyes at the end, but that is only because we had already cried all of our tears. What a humbling and encouraging time getting to listen to people who really do rejoice that they get to suffer in the Name of the Lord. After the end of each sharing time, we laid hands and prayed for each of these giants of the faith. I personally felt unworthy to pray for them, hearing how they stand so firm in the Lord. The neatest part of the day was watching them tell their stories, while holding so tightly to their Bibles. They were truly holding and clinging on to the Lord and His strength, standing on the promises of Christ our King.

Just before the times of testimony we had another devotion time with all the students and faculty and staff of the mission. They were all seated in the chapel, and again, when we walked in to the front where our designated seats were, everyone stood and did not sit down till we sat down. How humbling it is to be treated with such respect, when I know I don't deserve it. After the time of testimonies in the afternoon, we went and toured the video/audio production part of the ministry of CICM. What high quality work in such a small area! They really do need a bigger work station. I also liked the pride they took in their work, and it showed in how good of a job they did. This evening we went to a church service of an evangelist that is sponsored by one of the churches of some of our team members. For the fifth time this trip, we were greeted with garlands of flowers placed around our necks. The music was wonderful. They played a stationary accordion, some small hand held cymbals, a tambourine, and a metal rod. That is right, a metal rod that was hit in different places with another small metal piece, and when held tight or loose, set on the ground or held aloft, it made different sounds. It may have been simple worship, but it was so beautiful as they were rejoicing in the Lord. Our team member was able to give the lesson for the service. I just appreciated so much their willingness to come on a Wednesday night to have a worship time with us.

It has been a good day, a long day, and a hard day. I cannot get those stories of persecution out of my mind! My soul is encouraged, and I hope yours is as well.

Scott Robinson for the whole team.