Progress Updates
Thanks for praying for my Missions conference sermon. It went fantastic, and I received a lot of positive feedback.
Campus Crusade for Christ has given us the dates for a Cross-cultural training that we have to attend. June 7 to July 11 in Orlando, Florida. Yes, I know we have both lived cross-culturally, and have a cross-cultural marriage, and both have degrees in cross-cultural ministry, but policy is policy.
The school Addie & Diego will attend in Singapore starts on August 11. So we will have a month from the end of the training to move to Singapore, settle in somewhat, and get the kids started in school. That also means that we have just 10 weeks between now and June 7 to see the Lord provide our financial and prayer support team. That gives me an urgency and a focus!
One praise item to share is that we have somewhere to stay when we arrive in Singapore. A missionary couple will be on furlough and we can stay in their apartment while figure out where we will live and find our own apartment.
Diego got to read from the Bible at his Christian school Chapel this week. He did a great job. He is enjoying school and doing much better this year. He is a fountain of Star Wars trivia, loves his scooter, and is learning piano.
Over Spring Break I took Diego out for breakfast and asked him what he thought about moving to Singapore. His answer was: "No, bad, bad, 100% do not go!" and that is a direct quote! Pray for him as we learn about following God on a spiritual journey. |
Country Focus: India
(Next Month: Thailand--I promise!)
 Maybe you missed this news: "Ford announced it is selling off the Jaguar brand to the Tata Company of India." What a perfect example of Asia's rising global influence. Jaguar was once the proud symbol of British engineering. Then it became part of the US Company, Ford. Now it will be owned by the Indian company, Tata. As one headline quipped: "Ford said 'Tata' to Jaguar!"
Asia's influence is growing in the Christian world as well. Europe's Christian influence has declined, and the American's Christian influence is waning. I'm convinced that many future leaders for Christianity will come from Asia. That is why we are committed to providing solid biblical training for this next generation of leaders.
Even though there is strong tradition that Christianity spread to India even before Europe, the church is struggling in India today. India has 24 million Christians, but that represents only 2.3% of their population. India has the world's largest Hindu population and the world's second largest Muslim population (over 150 million). Christianity ranks a distant third. To make a difference for Christ in this huge country we must train national Indian leaders. They have the heart for their own people and can live and work there much easier, and cheaper, than westerners.
Many of the students we will teach at the East Asia School of Theology (EAST) are from India. |
