"Mom, are we goin' to India on Sunday?" Levi asked yesterday. "One Sunday we will, but not this Sunday," I answered. Although Levi, our 3 year old middle son, doesn't quite grasp the concept of time, he knows that one day soon our family will be making that long flight across the ocean to a place where many people worship false gods made with there own hands. Wilds, our 6 year old, understands that God wants us to go and tell them the truth...that Jesus Christ is the only way, truth, and life. We often discuss how it is our responsibility to go and tell them...if we don't go, then they may never hear. But how did we get to that point in the plans for our family's future?
It all started about 19 years ago when Josh was 15 years old. (Wow, Josh is gettin' old!) His dad, Pastor Butch Powell reluctantly agreed to go to India to evangelize Hindu villagers. Butch continued to go for the next couple years, and in 1993 he missed much of Josh's senior high school basketball season at LHS because he was in India. At the time, Josh didn't understand why his dad had to go to India at such an important time in his basketball career. Butch continued to faithfully go to India for 14 more years before the opportunity opened up for Josh to go with him. In 2007 Josh went to Bobbili, India and his life hasn't been the same since. When Josh arrived, he saw the faces of those Indians to whom his dad had proclaimed the Gospel message through the years. As he was speaking with one Indian pastor he asked him, "When did you become a believer in Jesus Christ." The man asnwered, "In 1993 when your dad preached in my village." God immediately reminded him that 1993 was the year his dad missed all those important basketball games. He realized that had his dad not been in India then, then that man, and many others, may not be followers of Jesus, much less pastors.
God began to reveal His plan in Josh's heart. Now, many of those men that Butch evangelized in India through the past 19 years have become pastors in their villages, and they are in need of even the most basic pastoral training. It only makes sense that Josh would continue his father's work and his Father's work and start some sort of training for these pastors. Josh prayed about this need and burden God had given him and decided to confront the Indian leaders in Bobbili with the prospect of starting a seminary there. He was hoping that the proposition didn't arouse any offense in the Indians. When the meeting time came, Vijay, the main Indian leader, said "Before you start with whatever you need to say, I have something that I want to tell you. We have been praying for a year that God would send someone to start a seminary for the pastors here, and Josh, we have been praying that God would send YOU." Josh's eyes filled with tears as the Holy Spirit revelaed that God was simultaneously working in his heart and theirs to bring about His sovereign plan. Not only were the Indians not offended by the seminary proposition, but they brought it up before Josh even got the chance. The Indians were afraid that Josh wouldn't want to come. I'm sure it was a joy for God to see the reality of his plan unfold in the eyes of his children.
Since that day, our family has been heading toward the goal of moving to India and starting a seminary there for pastors. God started financially providing for this through the death of my sister, Carla. While Carla's husband Michael was writing the obituary for the newspaper, he felt impressed to include a sentence (without our knowledge) somewhat like this, "In lieu of flowers, please send memorial gifts to Josh and Allison's work in India." When my dad told me that Michael wanted to do that, I began to cry...Carla's death was becoming a means to God's provision for us to go do His work in India. Through that memorial fund, approximately $30,000 has been raised. Guess what...that is the exact amount that was needed to build the seminary president's home where we will live! We are naming the house Carla as a reminder of God's provision for the seminary and saving grace in my sister's life. Even though Carla will never be able to come see God's work there, her life and death are a major part of it.
Recently, God allowed us the opportunity to move closer to our parents in South Carolina so we can spend time with them, minister at First Baptist Gilbert, and finish up PhD work. Also, we will be working toward our goal of raising enough prayer and financial support to live in India. Based on advice from the Tom Cox World Ministries board and the Indian leaders, we need approximately $50,000 - $60, 000 a year to make it. This money will go toward airline tickets for our family of five (totaling atleast $13,000), food, housing, transportation in country (we have to leave India every six months because of our visa), health insurance, emergency fund, supplies, seminary needs, etc. We are in need of 100 people to commit to giving $50 a month to God's work through us in India. As soon as we reach that goal, then we will be able to go and start the ministry there that God has ordained and for which the Indian pastors are continually begging us. We want to be there by June 2010 (which is only 7 months away!). We ask that you would pray for us as we prepare to accomplish these goals through the help and guidance of the Word and the Holy Spirit. If you would like to help financially with this ministry, please email us at thepowellsinindia@gmail.com. We understand that not everyone will be led to give $50 per month, so if you want to give a one time gift or another monthly amount just let us know. Every step of the way God has confirmed this plan for us. We know that God will provide the funds needed to do His work, too.
Please also keep our family in your prayers. In the following months we must get passports and business visas secured for all of us, immunizations for living in India, home school materials, and other missionary training. Our prayer for our children is that God would prepare their young, impressionable hearts and little bodies to go to a place where life will be so different from life as they have experienced thus far. To say that it will be a big adjustment for them is an understatement of the truth, but we are honored that God would call us to this life. Our children will see what it means to trust God for care and they will be removed from many of the materialistic not so necessary necessities of which Satan has convinced our US culture. Pray that Josh and I will stay healthy, strong, and wise as we have a short time to carry out the plan that God has laid on our hearts.
India...here we come!
