Friday, January 20, 2017

Day 2: Built On Grace

Today we traveled quite a bit as we made our way down to the "Island Congregations" as they are called by Bible Faith Lutheran Ministries to India.  These churches are located along the Krishna river and near the mouth of the Indian Ocean.  Here is a picture of our home base (Guntur, Andrha Pradesh) and where we traveled today (Nagaylanka Lighthouse).


The travel consisted of a lot of time in the car and a lot of time on boat.  Yep...we had to take a boat to get to these villages.  And not only did we take the boat, but the cars we rode in took the boat as well.  In our boat alone there were 27 people on board.  I'm pretty sure there is a Garrison Keiler Lake Wobegone story about 27 Lutherans out on a boat... only ours had a happy ending.  So below is the one picture I have that turned out well since my phone is being a stinker.   I'll hopefully have some better pictures from other cameras to post the cars on the boat and us on the boat tomorrow.


Some of the pastors from BFLMI on the boat with us

A long day of travel for sure, but a wonderful day of ministry.  Madelyn and Arlen Krinke are going to be sharing that with you as I promised!  So the rest of this entry has been written by Madelyn and Arlen for your viewing pleasure.  Enjoy and God's Blessings to you as you live in the steadfast and ever-strong grace our God has for you in Christ!

Arlen and Madelyn Krinke

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!" 1st John 3:1

During our time in India, this passage has really come alive for us.  As we interact with the wonderful people here it's easy to see the love that is talked about in the scripture verse above.  We've seen it in the meals prepared for us.  The meal today was incredibly special because we had a picnic with four of the pastors from Bible Faith Lutheran Ministries along with a couple of their elders and church members. The picnic was at a lighthouse right by the Indian Ocean. But this wasn't a simple sack lunch picnic.  They had prepared for us a meal that was made up of crab, shrimp and fish. 


Our meal of rice, crab, shrimp and fish


The table they had graciously set out for us

But they didn't stop with this picnic.  It continued as we visited two congregations along the Krishna river at the mouth of the Indian Ocean.  Where we were treated like honored guests.  They had us sit in the seats up front they had gotten ready for us while they sat on the ground.  They gave us fruit and flowers while wanting and expecting nothing in return.  To us, it spoke to the love of Jesus Christ that is at the center of their lives and how they are able to show true servant hood much in the same vein as Jesus Christ Himself.  Below are pictures of Arlen and the people at the church gathered for a short time together.


Arlen is thanking the people for their generous hospitality and the grace they have shown us all


Leaving the church and saying goodbye

It's amazing the love that has been shown by the people during this trip.  However, it isn't surprising that this is the love they are sharing with us and with each other.  Because that is what this church was built on almost 40 years ago.  Almost 40 years ago, the storm of the century blew through the area we visited today.  The storm surge from a cyclone traveled for 14 kilometers (8 miles) inland due to low land levels.  It killed over 50,000 people.  It was this event that led Paul Dasari's father to the area we were in today and started sharing the love of Jesus Christ with others in the midst of such tragedy and loss.  But it wasn't like he just hopped in his car and drove down there.  It took a bus, a boat, and simple walking to get to these people...usually about a days worth of travel.  He would spend a week with them before heading back home and he would make trip after trip after trip.  Paul's dad was driven by the love of Jesus for those who were hurt and those who had suffered loss.  And that is what the ministry of BFLMI has been built upon ever since.  You can tell because it's part of who they are and it's part of what they do.  May it also become a part of who we are and what we do during this trip and beyond.  We are blessed to work with an amazing group of people who have shown us and shared with us an amazing kind of love in Christ!


Madelyn and Arlen Krinke






1 comment:

  1. Awesome Madelyn! I enjoyed reading this! God's amazing love is the BEST!!

    Mindy

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