ARE YOU A PASTOR FEELING DISCONNECTED AND BURNED OUT? HERE’S HOW TO RETOOL.
January 12, 2023, 9:08 pm by Rebecca Hopkins, Paraclete Associates Pastors are caught in the middle of divisions and yet struggle with isolation. And many are burning out. Paraclete associate, ordained pastor and professor Lisa Lamb hopes her new book, “Resonate: How to Preach for Deep Connection” will breathe new life into the art of preaching, the pastors themselves and the churches they serve. She and her husband, Rich Lamb, train Chinese and Indian church leaders in Malaysia. Lisa sat down with Paraclete writer Rebecca Hopkins for this interview. Continue with interview...
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In North Carolina for two weeks in November we enjoyed the Chinese Lantern Festival in Cary NC. We also took Nancy Washington, Lisa’s mom, to see the Atlantic Coast and seashore for the first time since she’s lived in North Carolina.
Dear Friends, We wish you all a Happy New Year! Tomorrow, we return to Malaysia, with hearts that are grateful for good times connecting with family and friends and hopeful for fruitful ministry in the months to come. Word of the Year: The Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2022 was goblin mode, which I’d never heard of, and Merriam Webster’s was gaslighting, which I hope we all hear less of. I was intrigued while on a personal retreat last week by a prompt in the retreat guide to ask God for a word that summed up the previous year and one that expressed my hopes for the coming year. (This retreat guide was excellent and can be found here, and scroll down to the bottom of the page for a quick download.) My word of the year for 2022 was journey--if you’ve been reading these letters at all, that should seem a good fit! The word that emerged for me for 2023 was treasure. I hope to do better at treasuring the people in my life, listening better while I’m with them and expressing my care well from a distance. I hope to be like Mary and treasure the words I read in Scripture (Luke 2:19), and like the Magi who generously shared their treasures as an act of worship (Mt. 2:11). I hope to live in the deep knowledge of how much God treasures us (Ex. 19:5) and that Christ is the one in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3). As you look ahead to the new year, I wonder if a word or phrase emerges for you? Prayer Requests
If you are a donor or a Facebook friend, you already know that the book, Resonate, How to Preach for Deep Connection, came into print mid-December. If you haven’t had a chance, check it out here and consider buying a copy for yourself or as a gift for a pastor, campus minister, or seminarian friend. I stated elsewhere that you can only review a book on Amazon that you have purchased there. This is not true! I would greatly appreciate if you would rate and review it on Amazon. It’s quicker than you’d think—don’t feel a need to compose an essay. Two sentences would be great. We’re so grateful to you all for your prayers and care! PS: Below see images of our precious children during our visit with them in North Carolina: Becca and Avery with their dog Sierra. Mark and Leslie enjoying fall tree colors that they rarely see at home in Dubai! Lisa and I teach or have taught formal courses for a number of different institutions (4 in Malaysia, two in Nepal, three in India, one each in China, Philippines, and Sri Lanka) and as our network grows this number continues to grow. Below is an updated list of some of the courses we have taught. Beyond this list, Lisa has taught introductory or advanced Homiletics courses many times the last two years.
(Click to download a sample syllabus) Biblical Leadership Development: This course is designed to give a general introduction the topic of leadership, in general and Christian leadership in particular, making wide use of Scriptural case studies and didactic teaching from both Old and New Testaments. The course will model the use of scripture in leadership development, specifically in skills and character training and discipleship, and in ministry vision, equipping and empowerment. (Six times in 2020-22, Early 2023) Gospels Survey: Ministry Insights from Jesus: This course is designed to give a general introduction to the life and teachings of Jesus, as recorded in the Gospels, and to focus that study toward practical insights for evangelism and discipleship ministry today. We will read the gospels with a view to understanding: comparing and contrasting the style, structure, and purpose of each of the gospels writers. Significantly, however, we will also be focused on mining the gospels for direct applications to the preaching, teaching, training, discipleship and evangelistic strategies of leaders today. The course will model the use of scripture study as a source of insight into ministry, specifically in skills and character training and discipleship, and in ministry vision, equipping and empowerment. (Three times in 2021, and a similar course in 2023) Mission Amidst the Covid-19 Crisis: Biblical Resources and Contemporary Models for a Time of Chaotic Change: This course is designed to look at Biblical stories of renewal and revival, from the time of the Kings of Israel to the post-exilic narratives, when the people of God experienced tremendous external forces imposing change, or when God’s leaders were raised up to help the people of God respond to crises with resilience and fortitude. We will draw general principles for the leadership of God’s people in times of crisis, but also specifically apply these principles to the context of the church today impacted as it is by the COVID-19 pandemic. We will look Paul’s “Plan B” ministry activity in the book of Acts, and at contemporary models that can help the church retain and advance its evangelism and discipleship mandate and mission. The course will model the use of scripture study as a source of insight into ministry, specifically in discipleship, ministry vision, equipping and empowerment, organizational development and change. (Twice in 2021) Fundraising: This course will provide students with new skills and increase their confidence in fundraising for their ministry or organization. Using the examples of Moses, David and the Apostle Paul, provides a biblical foundation for fundraising together with a biblical view of stewardship. The course will equip students with a practical approach for developing funds from local sources, including the development of a “Case for Support”, which can be used to share funding needs in a variety of contexts. Although recognizing that funding from western charitable foundations is increasingly difficult to obtain, the course will also enable students to develop funding proposals specifically for foundations. (2021) The New Testament in Focus (Mark): (Co-taught with Lisa). This course engages in depth with particular Mark passages, as well as to explore the themes and unique emphases of Mark as a whole. (Twice in 2021 and 2022, and twice expected in 2023) Work, Money and MIssion: This course is designed to look at Biblical passages covering the headline topics of work, money and mission. We will build a Biblical theology of work and money using passages from Genesis to the Gospels and Paul’s letters We will build . The course will model the use of scripture study as a source of insight into ministry, specifically in discipleship, ministry vision, equipping and empowerment, organizational development and change. (2022) The Ministry of Mentoring: This course approaches the art of mentoring from a leadership development perspective, and is based on biblical role models and principles. Its aim is to provide clarity around different kinds of mentoring relationships, and an opportunity to develop essential competencies and characteristics of an effective Christ-like Mentor. It also addresses the role of the Mentee in seeking to become the Christ-like leader God designed them to be. The course covers autobiographical writing, listening and questioning skills as well as ways to give effective feedback. Building on these essential competencies, the material outlines the process for a mentoring relationship and suggests both spiritual and pedagogical preparation. Finally, a framework for establishing a formal mentoring program within an organization is provided. (February 2022 and Fall, 2023) Paul’s Prison Epistles: Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, Philemon: This course is designed to give a general introduction to the life and writing of the Apostle Paul as found in the letters to the churches in Ephesus, Colosse, and Philippi, and Paul's short letter to Philemon. We will read these texts with a view to understanding: comparing and contrasting the style, structure, and purpose of each of the these texts. Significantly, however, we will also be focused on mining these texts for direct applications to the preaching, teaching, training, discipleship and evangelistic strategies of leaders today. The course will model the use of scripture study as a source of insight into ministry, specifically in skills and character training and discipleship, and in ministry vision, equipping and empowerment. (May 2022). Paul's Pastoral Epistles: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus: This course is designed to give a general introduction to the life and writing of the Apostle Paul as found in his pastoral letters to Timothy (1 and 2) and Titus. We will read these texts with a view to understanding, comparing and contrasting the style, structure, and purpose of each of the these texts. The course will model the use of scripture study as a source of insight into ministry, specifically in skills and character training and discipleship, and in ministry vision, equipping and empowerment. (Fall 2022) It is my pleasure to inform you that Resonate: How to Preach for Deep Connection is officially ACTIVE and it will be available for order via:
Book Details:
Simon and Seani (above) and Paul and Steph (below). Simon and Paul are colleagues with Lisa teaching at St. Paul’s Theological College in Kuala Lumpur.
“He is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there…” Mark 16:7 Rich and I have just finished co-teaching a course in the gospel of Mark at St. Paul’s Theological College (SPTC) here in Kuala Lumpur. We always enjoy watching students grapple with the final chapter of Mark, with its stark, unsettling, and to some ears unsatisfying, ending. I won’t go into the hotly contested theories about the final verses here, but will say that on this reading, I was struck by the promise in verse 7. The angelic messenger assures the terrified women that they and their fellow followers of Jesus will find him in Galilee. Now, we know that ultimately the disciples came together in Jerusalem and that the fledgling church began from there, but it seems that there was a brief season where they returned home to the ordinary, slow pace of life in Galilee. That may have been a relief after the traumatic, chaotic ordeal they’d been through in Jerusalem, or it may have been an anticlimactic disappointment. They went back to fishing and to family squabbles and simple joys. And Jesus met them there. In fact, he went ahead of them there, like a host preparing a good meal for them. He promised they would see him there—they would discern his presence and work as they lived out ordinary faithfulness right where they lived. Being in India this summer felt like a whirlwind. We wrestled with new customs, spicy flavors, and colorful sights and saris daily. Plans changed quickly based on deluges and electrical outages. We saw the church’s amazing growth, inspiring grit, some inevitable dysfunction within, and some huge challenges without. In contrast, returning to Kuala Lumpur this time felt more ordinary, somewhat to our surprise. KL is a bustling city, but the paths we walk to get to our typical sites of school, church, and grocery stores are by now familiar. It was a return for me to staff meetings (with Simon and Paul pictured above, among others) where we get granular about issues like lateness penalties for assignments and how to boost internet as we attempt both to return to the classroom and accommodate those who must join from afar. These things matter, and those discussions are had with colleagues who have become quite dear to me, let me hasten to add! These past three months have felt like a season of steady faithfulness in the familiar. And we have seen how Christ has gone ahead of us to make this a fruitful time. Let me share one example of a behind-the-scenes, unglamorous, yet I believe important role I’ve embraced recently around scholar development in Asia. Towards the end of our time in India, I pulled back from the pastoral training we were engaged in that week to sit at a small desk in a simple guest house for six hours over two days, listening via Zoom to doctoral students from throughout Asia and the Middle East share their dissertation proposals and progress, and offering feedback along with a team of (mostly Asian) faculty. The projects spanned a wide range, from highly theoretical to more practical, and from highly developed, four-years-in, to just out of the gate. Some of these students are working in countries where they face heavy headwinds as Christians. It was a lovely opportunity to celebrate the progress students had made in the previous year and help them set direction for the next. I attended as a provisional respondent and have now been invited to join the ongoing Ph.D. committee of the Asia Graduate School of Theology Alliance. This is a real privilege and feels central to why we are here. We love to teach, but we are much more eager to empower others to teach. We are happy to add, but we really love to multiply. A striking example of that for Rich is in the teaching he does weekly with a young man I’ll call Arjan, whom we met at a seminary in India where nearly every student comes from a background of real poverty. We spent more time with him than any other student because he was so eager to learn and asked excellent questions. He is a leader in a network of rural pastors, and he saw the value for them of the leadership course Rich taught. When we returned to KL, he rallied them for a weekly gathering via Zoom. Rich loves investing in these pastors, but he views a significant goal of the time as training Arjan for a lifetime of leadership. Most weeks they linger after the others have left the call to discuss a ministry issue in Arjan’s life. This past week we each taught intensive courses (8-10:30 each evening) for SPTC; Rich was teaching Ephesians and I was teaching Preaching the Old Testament. These are tiring but highly rewarding weeks! Rich also continues to teach multiple formal and non-formal courses in Malaysia, India, and China. We are returning to the US earlier than we had hoped since the long-term visa has not come through. We trust God for the timing of that and are confident that he has gone ahead of us to North Carolina and California and that we will see him there, as well. We leave here Nov. 14, and plan to return around the first of the year, ready to teach another intensive teaching week starting January 3. If you live in Southern California, we arrive Dec. 3 for four weeks, and we’d love to see you! As always, we love it when you hit reply--we’d love to hear about the ordinary place or activity where you are seeking the Lord’s presence these days, or any other quick update you’d like to share. With gratitude for your friendship, financial partnership in our work, and prayers, Rich and Lisa Lamb PS: We met up with some unlikely fans in Kuala Lumpur. We were waiting for the elevator after church last Sunday. An SPTC student came up to us and introduced us to his friends. They said to me (Rich) “Are you the Richard Lamb that wrote, Following Jesus in the “Real World”? I said yes. Our new acquaintances then told a story of how they had read the book and used it for years as a small group text book for groups of 20-something professionals in Malaysia, based on observing the same things I had. People newly in adult life often had difficulty transitioning to a working schedule, getting meaningfully involved in church, experiencing community and satisfying relationships that helped them grow in their faith. They said that they had used the book with hundreds of people in their ministry over more than a decade. We were able to connect more with this couple over lunch after church and hope to be able to visit in person a gathering of their network to share with them and hear from them stories of God’s work in their lives when we return in January. Below see a pic snapped by Lisa of fans Alvin and Fern with their very minor celebrity author. (From Lisa) During our second 90-day visa sojourn in Malaysia, I determined to learn more Malay, and set about the task with disciplined determination. This recently ground to a halt. My motivation ran out, and I am quitting. I have been pondering the reasons for that. They range from simple observations about language learning to big-picture questions about how cross-cultural work is done today to reflections on how I’m doing in this season. Here’s what I’m concluding for now:
“So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Mark 13:29-32
Dear Friends, We have now been back in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for almost 6 weeks. We are grateful to be here and able to teach for St. Paul’s Theological College. I (Rich) am also teaching a course for another school here and a leader training program in China. I am also teaching in various settings in India, and would like to share about a striking session last night (Saturday). I have been going through Mark with one group of pastors and church planters in the state of Odisha, India. Lisa and I visited them in early July during our time in India, and now I am back to weekly Zoom sessions with them. Last night, we were looking at “The Little Apocalypse,” Mark 13. It is a widely misunderstood passage, as the question he is answering for most of the chapter is “When will the temple be destroyed, and what will be the signs?” But during his answer, he says things like, “But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory.” So of course, it is easy to take this as language describing the end of time. But, in context, with some Biblical background and understanding, Jesus is using apocalyptic language. Strip that away, and Jesus is saying “during those days, after the suffering [of the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD], the temple will be destroyed. The Jewish establishment’s verdict of “blasphemy!” will be overturned, as the Son of Man goes before God to receive divine authority.” (If you would like more background and insights about this passage, please consider reading my Sketch 107, “Birth Pangs and Death Throes”.) So, Jesus was not answering the question, “When will the world end?” He does bring up the topic, when he says (13:31), “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” But of the timing for the end of time he knows nothing because not even he knows when it will come. Jesus only mentions the end of time to stress that everything that we see on this planet is less durable than are the words and promises of Jesus. The words of Jesus—they are what is solid, not buildings, or organizations, or even governments and nations. As we neared the end of the Bible study last night, I mentioned hearing many Christian leaders and authors interpreting the “signs of the times” indicating that we are in the final days, and that this or that political leader was going to usher in the age of the anti-Christ, the rapture, the final battle and end of time. I wondered aloud if they were familiar with similar leaders coming along with prophecies about the end of the age. They all quickly agreed that they too had heard similar prophecies, and they mentioned specific dates and signs that had been given. But Jesus is clear about the difference between “those days” and his extensive knowledge about the timing and signs of the destruction of the temple, and “that day” of which he has no knowledge (and no signs to be given); in fact only the Father knows. But my point in the class, and in fact a meta-point in all the teaching I do, is that Jesus’ words are reliable, as is seen when you see all the prophecies in Mark 13 in light of the 40 years after the death of Jesus, culminating in the destruction of the temple, within one generation of his prediction. As he says, when we see these things having taken place just as he said, we can see that he is “near, at the very gates,” that he is in control and his words did indeed come to pass. Jesus’ words are unshakable, and they, beyond all else, will endure. Building a life, a ministry, a family, a church, or a legacy on the words of Jesus is the only thing that will ultimately last, because any other foundation will one day pass away. Currently I am Zoom teaching 3 weekly groups in Orissa state, 2 in Tamil Nadu, one group of IFES-India student ministry staff, 2 groups of women leaders in Madya Pradesh, and one group in Maharashtra, with new groups starting up next month as well. My goal with each of the 20 hours per week I spend leading Bible studies with pastors, seminarians, and student ministry workers in India, Malaysia and China is to help them build this kind of lasting ministry, with rock solid confidence in the word of God and the promises of Jesus. I share this story as a small glimpse of what I love about what I do: the pastors and students learn about particular passages but they also gain confidence in the insights we find there together. Greater confidence in God’s word and Jesus’ timeless promises yields fruit as they then teach and train others. It is immensely satisfying work, as you all know if you have led others into life-giving Bible study. We have less than 2 months here before we must leave Malaysia, as we are still on 90-day tourist visas. Please pray for God to open doors for us to be able to stay long-term here, as we continue to see many opportunities for us to invest here and elsewhere in Asia, but cannot fully make plans until we settle our visa problem. Friends,
We are so thankful for your prayers for us throughout our seven weeks in India. It was an unforgettable journey—we learned so much and we felt sustained, protected, and blessed. As we return to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, our hearts are full. I (Lisa) will offer a summary of our last four weeks since our previous letter, but first a few general reflections. Apologies for the length! Please do not post or share this. The photo above is from a gathering of IFES graduates (and their families) in Bhopal. It is always great to be together with IFES staff and alumni; we feel immediate close kinship with them! More photos on our website.
Visakhapatnam We enjoyed our time in this bustling city very much. Rich had begun teaching a leadership class weekly via Zoom for a seminary there; he taught it daily the week we were there. Lisa taught an Advanced Homiletics seminar each day. We also both preached for their chapel and had many long talks with faculty and students. They were thoughtful and sharp. Their residential model for both students and faculty creates a strong and nurturing community. Students work for 45 minutes each weekday afternoon as part of how they pay for their education. This work time is sometimes followed by a lively cricket match, with students and faculty joining in! We left very impressed with the vision and mission of this school, and aware that their aging buildings need replacement. Another city We won’t mention the name of the city to which we traveled next, and sadly not share photos, because we worked there with a ministry that can meet with resistance from the government and from its community. A good friend from the US has been serving this very poor area, working primarily with women who now follow Jesus but remain culturally Muslim or Hindu. He and an Indian leader on the ground there have trained these women to be essentially social workers. They walk even poorer women through processes like getting birth certificates, so they can access government funds they had not been aware of. They also offer literacy classes and create small lending groups that fund micro-enterprises for themselves and their husbands; this has lifted them, if not out of poverty, up to a level where they are keeping their kids in school longer, accessing cleaner water, and feeling great pride in their work. Along with poverty alleviation efforts, these women have been learning to retell Bible stories to their families and neighbors. Rich has been leading them through his biblical leadership materials via Zoom for nearly two years, and they have become very dear to him (which seemed quite mutual) so it was a huge joy for him and for them to finally meet. For three days, about thirty of them sat on a concrete floor with a thin rug (we joined them as our knees allowed), while we worked together through several more narrative passages of Scripture, with Lisa offering a workshop on storytelling skills. As each session ended, they took several moments to share eagerly how the stories connected with their lives. It was remarkable what they clued into in Scripture and how different their points of connection were from the typical ones we might expect in a Western context. Bangalore In Bangalore, we were frankly grateful for a little less intense pace, so we could catch up on grading for Malaysia classes and other details. We are primarily there at the invitation of a dear friend, Tim Shah, who is doing important work to bolster religious freedom globally. We’re taught several sessions at Southern Asia Bible College and preached and taught in a few other settings. We were delighted to spend time with Tim and his wife, Becky, and her parents, Vinay and Colleen Samuel, who have been serving Bangalore, India, and the global church in innovative and courageous ways for decades. Coimbatore Our final week proved the most challenging for me. Our host began a Bible College just last year with a vision to educate pastors who may not even have completed high school. Its first class is just 20 or so students. The final day, each one shared his or her testimony with us. Some were quite harrowing, such as drug addiction at age 10. The challenge of the week for me was the long car rides to rural areas on three different days to train pastors there. The windy roads and potholes exacerbated the low-level tummy troubles I’ve had the whole journey. Still, we were so impressed with the vision of this young school. Back to Kuala Lumpur! Tomorrow, August 18, we will return to KL, just in time for “Induction Day” for the new class of students at SPTC, with courses beginning the next week. We are looking forward to being there, and we feel hopeful that a long-term visa solution is in the works. Whew! If you read to the end, thank you for your interest! If you jumped to here, we get it. Prayer Requests as we return to KL:
After a day training for pastors and spouses. The extended family of Pastor Steven, after the end of a long day of training for pastors and lay leaders hosted in his home. Our first week, in Delhi, we had few expectations in terms of ministry. We simply hoped to adjust to the time zone, climate, and culture, while teaching final class sessions for courses in Malaysia and continuing a few other non-formal courses in China and India. We did have the honor of meeting two wise and inspiring men while there. Saji Easo is the General Secretary of UESI (IFES) for all of India, and he and his wife welcomed us warmly. Harsha Shringla is the former Foreign Secretary for India; he also hosted us graciously and shared many insights into India. We also learned a lot about the history of India through visits to the Red Fort and the National Museum. The week was not easy—I (Lisa) got sick, the heat and humidity were extreme, and the crowdedness of the city was challenging to navigate. In stark contrast, our second and third weeks, ministry opportunities have abounded! We’ve been in a much more rural setting. About ten people came out to the small regional airport to greet us with hugs and choruses of “Praise the Lord!” while placing floral garlands around our necks. Rich has been teaching the pastors in Pastor S_______’s network for two years, and they were so excited to finally meet him in person, often remarking that he was much taller than they’d imagined from his little Zoom tile! Pastor S organized a three-day gathering for leaders in the area. We taught three sessions each day, in a simple church building with wavering electricity and with chickens, goats and cows grazing right outside. On Sunday, we preached for Pastor S's church in town and then headed out to his family’s village, where we preached for his parents’ church, of which his brother was serving as pastor. This visit was so lovely. At one point it began to pour, and several ladies dashed out to bring in their laundry. I stopped preaching and shared about how that had happened to me in Thailand more than once, and we connected over that simple shared reality. I was struck by how remarkably undistracted they are, downpours aside, as they listen to sermons seated on the ground, with unbroken eye contact. After church, a grand-uncle demonstrated their village’s distinctive weaving techniques, the children showed us their art projects, and the parents showed us their wedding photo album—sweet ways they could connect with us without a lot of language in common. On Monday we got up at 4:30 AM to visit the church of one more member of Rich’s zoom cohort, 150 miles away. We were on muddy roads for many miles of that journey, and the cows here firmly believe that the roads are theirs, which is cute at first but really slows progress. I will admit to wondering if it was worth it as we bounced through endless potholes. But again, the welcome was incredibly warm and folks were so excited that we had made the journey to be with them. The pastor had gathered his church leaders and several local pastors for a day-long seminar on leadership, and they held a special evening service where I preached. I said to Rich later, “I think that was my favorite time preaching ever.” It was mostly the sheer intentness with which listeners engaged with the sermon. Essentially everyone wanted prayer afterwards! We each snagged a second translator and prayed for them one by one. Several people in the very rural and poor places we’ve been in the last ten days come with the complaint of feeling weak, and the sobering likelihood is that they are simply malnourished. But we’ve also heard a range of hard stories of bereavement due to Covid, infertility, etc. So, prayer is both a delight and a burden, as we can feel overwhelmed by the sufferings we hear about as we pray. But love compels us to pray boldly and hope alongside them for all for which they hope. After another long hours drive, we are now in Nabrangpor, another small city where Rich has been teaching via Zoom. It is a mountainous region, so we are enjoying a break from the heat. The first day (Thursday) we preached for two house church gatherings, again praying for nearly everyone afterwards. Friday we had more of the same kind of meeting, including bringing a message to children in an orphanage, and several church services. We are enjoying Pastor Maher’s insights into India and stories from his own life. We have now received marigold garlands in at least five settings. We are humbled by the generosity, kindness, and warmth of our hosts here. Next week, we head to Visakhapatnam, where Lisa will guest-teach a mini course in homiletics for a seminary cohort which essentially lost that course due to the pandemic. Rich will continue teaching a course in Biblical Leadership, meeting his Zoom students for the first time in person. We are so grateful for your prayers for our time here. It has held much joy for us, and some challenges as well: interesting showers, internet access, incredibly spicy food among them. We ask your prayers for stamina as we continue to teach, pray, and hope for all things for those we meet. Rich and Lisa in clothing given by our local hosts. Pastor Santosh and his wife and the door he carved. He learned this skill to help support his family while in ministry.
India is...everything! Hard to capture it in a few words; hence my looong post, an A to Z summary of our first week here:
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