INDIA

Saturday, March 10th I am leaving for India to take part in a Global Youth Initiative conference (see www.gyi.cc). India will soon become the world’s largest mission field with 1.1 billion people, with 2,000 language groups, and the religious demographics currently show that only around 2% of the population is Christian – and that would include all varieties. As you can see, the mission field there is incredible in size.

In Calcutta (now called Kolkata) I’ll be joining with 34 leaders from 16 countries from around the world. The forum that we are taking part in is a peer-learning community. We all gain insight from other GYI partners and their ministries, the host culture, and sharpen our understanding and skills in disciple making, Jesus style. Our host ministry is Big Life one of the Indian GYI partners that focuses on rapid church multiplication. One high light will be when our group takes a full-day field trip by bus and boat to see New Testament church planting in action … as it happens.

For part of the trip I will be staying at the Baptist Missionary Society. This is the mission started by William Carey (1761 – 1834) known as the “Father of modern missions”. His famous saying is “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”

• I’ll see the home ministry and grave of Mother Teresa, visit a church that ministers to one land fill (DUMP) in which 50,000+ people live --- “Yes LIVE!!”, a church planting ministry that has launched 6,500 church plants in the past 8 years, and spend time with our missionaries Mark Edwards and Andrew Tay.

The second half of the trip I will be in New Delhi as part of the Lead Team for GYI. We’ll be strategizing how to create movements of disciple making around the globe and new ways to impact people groups and nations.

Grace Church has helped make an impact in all of this by praying for these men and their movements, resourcing with our financial giving, and releasing me to train these men and to learn what God is doing around the world.

Please pray for my trip March 10th – 19th, good travels and health, and for God’s leading in all leaders who will be taking part in this venture. Especially pray for my recent contacts in Japan with church planters who want to bring disciple making to that nation.

Matthew 9:36-39a 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 39 Go …..”