We went on our first village outreach on Friday the 11th to a small village with roughly 60 homes and a Christian church, with a small following.
When we arrived, children crowded the van to greet us and to shake our hands. We were introduced to the pastor of the village and he showed us the church of the village. The church is a one-room building that had colorful decorations across the ceiling, chairs that can be moved in and out, a speaker, and a podium. The church building is small but I know that it is a place where people are hungry for the word and desire to praise God.
After visiting the church the pastor took us to all the huts and little houses of the village to pray for each family. The pastor knew some English, so he was our translator and guide for the day. The huts are very tiny and are not suited for all weather conditions. Some of the houses get flooded whenever it rains, some do not have a lot of airflow and are extremely hot in the summer, and others are so small and can only fit a cot or a mat to sleep on. Even though they do not have much, they were excited to have us in their home, praying for them. One family gave us refreshments since it was a hot day and we were doing a lot of walking. Another family fed us a wonderful Indian lunch with Chipotte and curry chicken. I loved how people were so generous with what they had and blessed us with their hospitality.
After we visited every hut and house in the village, we went back to the church building with the children of the village. We taught them a few songs with hand motions, and they loved every minute of it! Then we did a short skit on the story of God calling on Samuel. The kids were all very attentive, bright eyed, and eager to hear a story from the bible. We prayed with the children after the songs and the skit, and we could see how much God was pursuing them in that moment. The children were also praying out loud to our loving God which was a huge encouragement to us.
It was a six hour day and we were all exhausted by the end of it, but it was worth getting to pray for about 60 families. During our visit we learned that most of the adults in the village are illiterate and the only time they get to hear God’s word is when it is read to them. There is a huge need for discipleship and for people to invest in lives here in India.
Alyssa posted all the prayer requests on her blog here, so you can join us in prayer for the needs of the people in India.
It was a great learning experience for us all and we will be going back to a village on Friday. Please keep us in prayer that we are able to bring joy, encouragement, and healing to the people we meet.
