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Greetings!
Hello from South Asia! We want to thank you for your prayers as we have made this transition. What a transition it is! Nothing here is like home, except for the ever present Holy Spirit. It is so good that He is constant! |
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 As we have begun to work with the local leadership, God has faithfully led our steps and refined our purpose here. Before we came, we knew God was leading us to help with the development of programs for lepers and widows. We arrived with a full awareness that we have little information and even less experience in anything like this. However, what we did know was that the Holy Spirit was leading us and it would be His responsibility to teach us. What we did not know is how He would use us to accomplish this task. It is so true that God does not call the equipped, He equips the called. After only a short time here, and through circumstances that only God could arrange, we came to see that our purpose was to teach the church to reach the marginalized in their own communities. And this is what we have begun to do. We are now gathering key leaders in village churches and teaching them what God's word has to say about caring for the rejected people in their communities. |
 As we have discussed this topic with the leaders, they have been able to identify the groups that their culture has defined as unwanted: sick, poor (according to their own standards), old, mentally ill/mentally handicapped, lame, drunks, orphans, and widows. As we teach from God's word, their understanding of the responsibilities of the body of Christ, i.e., the Church, is expanded, and they are excited to learn about pleasing God by loving the rejected people of their villages. They are then able to share these truths with the other people in their churches, and are beginning to make plans to reach their villages. Praise the Lord! |
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One tool we are providing for these leaders is health education. This opens new doors for them to minister to the sick. For example, we see that Jesus touched the lepers. But here, it is believed that touch is the main mode of transmission of leprosy and that there is no cure for this disease. We are able to teach them that leprosy is not spread by casual contact and that treatment is available. This removes their fear of ministering to lepers and gives them a message of hope to share with those infected with leprosy. The same concept is used for ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of those with tuberculosis, AIDS, those that are mentally ill, etc. |
 It was surprising to hear the local beliefs about widows. Culturally, widows, like the young woman pictured here, are believed to be cursed. It is believed that this curse brought about the death of their husband. Therefore, they are not welcomed at weddings since this would be doom for the new groom. Widows are not allowed at festivals. People try to avoid even crossing paths with them. Just their presence is believed to be bad luck. Store owners do not want widows in their store when other customers are present. These beliefs are widely held and the culture has also affected the church. As we teach biblical principles about caring for the widows, many are coming to understand the role of the church and accepting responsibility for the widows among them. We believe that their obedience will build strong churches, and many will come to see that the Christians in their villages are not just in a different religious group, but are truly different.
Please pray for these leaders as they teach their churches to reach out to "the least of these" in their own communities. And please continue to pray for us. We appreciate you!
Going for Him,
Stephanie & Leslie
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