India, My Beloved

Something about India gets in your heart and you just can't get over it. I love this country. I love the people. My heart hurts when I think about it. The country is cloaked in spiritual darkness. Christianity is spreading but it is accompanied with persecution and the constant threat of death. Yet, the Christians I met in India are some of the happiest people I have ever had the privilege of meeting! I think that is what sticks with me~the devotion of these believers. They consider prayer to be work and they invest hours into it. They give "the widow's mite" out of their extreme poverty for the joy of giving to the work of the Lord. They consider the act of baptism to be extremely holy because it is an outward expression of an inward change of heart. They hang on every word with the Scriptures are taught. They group sing and chant while they wait for the Conference to start and sit patiently. They weep at the Lord's Supper. Christ is their life. Their concept of the Christan life is more about eternity than life here on earth. They faithfully lay up treasures in heaven rather than attempt to accumulate any of this world's goods. They love the Lord Jesus Christ. They challenge me in my walk with the Lord. I hope they can challenge you as you read about my beloved, India. Blessings.