Big Dreams

What a wonderful day. I slept in til 11:00AM for the first time in a long time it seems. Called X (the VBS guy I've been talking about) and headed down the hill to meet with him. Found him near Clocktower, pulled out money from the ATM and presented him with Rs. 21,500 (more than $430) to purchase bibles. With that money, the 20 bibles he planned to take to the village for VBS turns into 96. God will do great things because of your prayers and generousity!

X invited me for lunch at his home. Of course I accepted. We sat and talked and dreamed big dreams. Dreams of what God might do with him and his ministry. How lives can be touched. How to grow. How to partner with churches and missions organizations around the world. The dreaming was contagious. It snowballed in such an exciting and magnificent way. He brought out plans developed by EMI for land they own an hour's walk from Mussoorie. How can we use the land for God's glory while we wait for funds? How can we trust God to provide but be faithful in pursuing connections and relationships and using all he's given us? How can the building process glorify Him? How can provide jobs and economic empowerment to villagers? How can we partner with church groups to provide them opportunity to take part in the process?

Something really cool was happening. Our eyes kept getting bigger and bigger. Ideas just flooded the table.

X wants to do so much. He currently runs a medical ministry that provides medical services (basic aid and medicine) to several villages north of Mussoorie. It takes him 1-3 hours just to hike to any of them and he does this most days of the week. There are no roads, the paths are rock, dirt, steep and narrow. He operates out of a two room apartment in the nearest of these villages. He ministers to people's physical and spiritual needs. He brings healing medicine and healing Truth. He takes care of widows who have no land and tries to give them work and housing. He is developing vocational training to give people valuable skills to market themselves. He puts on medical seminars to teach hygiene, sanitation, first aid. He provides Bible teaching and childrens' VBS events.

He runs on who knows what support. Everything is, as he puts it, "by faith." How will we pay for more medicine? I don't know, God gave me this mission, He will provide. How can we pay for this building project? I don't know, God will provide. How will we do this or that? God can do it, He can do anything.

Oh, how I wish I could dream so big - and believe it! To read Jeremiah 29:11, Matthew 17:20, or Luke 1:37 and to take hold of it! To believe with everything that God is as big as He claims to be and that He can make a way, or provide, or answer, or resolve, or redeem.

It's like when we were children dreaming of all the things we hoped to become. To fly to space, to make the Major Leagues, to be famous actors - but God has even BIGGER things in store for us. What would happen if we took hold of that and followed Him wherever he leads.

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
Matthew 6:31-34

Our dreaming continued through lunch and then chai. So many dreams. So many uncertainties. But always the hope of the promise God gives to us.

I cannot wait for VBS next weekend. I cannot wait to interact with young people from a completely different culture (village Indians). I can't wait to share the hope I have that is Christ.

Be in prayer!