India Mission Trip 2024 | Update #5
March 10, 2024
By Candace Schwartz
This morning my devotions took me to Luke 1:37 "For nothing will be impossible with God"; my eyes were drawn to the future tense of "will be impossible," and I thought of the upcoming events of the day.
Today was a tale of two churches, but both were the tangible evidence of God's promises to Pastor Abraham's ministry.
The morning church service was in Pastor Abraham's beautiful home church which shares the property with the Bethesda Christian Academy. The impressive 5,000 square foot structure currently stands two stories with construction planned to add another two floors. Ranjit told me the auditorium has seating capacity for 500 and currently sees 350 believers on any given weekend celebration.
Once we were underway, worship was a glorious 40-45 minutes followed by a personal testimony, a baby dedication, announcements, and a wonderful message presented by Pastor Mark (and an interpreter).
After a filling lunch at the church, we retreated to the hotel for a quick Sunday nap.
The rest of the evening was dedicated to traveling to and attending another church service. This church was in drastic contrast to the one we attended in the morning. I honestly lack words to describe how thick the Spirit of God was in that place. While it could never hold 500 believers, it carried a holy weight that felt like 5,000 worshipers were present. We walked in and witnessed perhaps 100 brothers and sisters fervently praying and worshipping before the service had even officially started!
The layout of the service was similar to the first; greetings, introductions, and announcements. Worship was an experience I've never witnessed before. There were only drums and 100 voices passionately praising the Lord. On the way back to the hotel, Ranjit remarked that during worship, "the roar of the believers was deafening," and he was right. It was an experience I may never experience again until I'm in the throne room of God. While taking in the voices, I thought, surely this is what a fragrant offering to the Lord looks like. After worship, Pastor Mark preached another incredible message (and in case you were curious, it was a different message from this morning!), followed by a time of prayer.
After a meal at church, we headed back to the hotel for the night.
As I close, Luke's words are again in my mind "nothing will be impossible with God." Friends, please pray that God's promises for India working through Pastor Abraham's ministry will continue for generations to come. Amen.