Goel-
June 10, 2013
I spent the morning resting and preparing for
the evening services. I was feeling tired but was able to get the rest I
needed before I was picked up for the evening services.
We traveled to Goel about 45 minutes from the
hotel. We met in a small church building with an outer court yard. When we
arrived the church officially welcomed us with a shower of flower petals and
singing. They would later place a garland around our necks as a token of their
love and gratitude. Because they did not have the use of a generator, the
leadership decided to meet in the open courtyard which was much cooler than the church building.
As they began, the pastor of the church
invited a man to come forward to share a testimony. When he came forward he
shared how after reading one of the first books we translated, he prayed that he
would one day have the opportunity to meet me. He shared how my presence was an
answer to a three year prayer.
Among those present were about 40 Bible school students. They meet every Sunday at this church for study. They canceled their regular meeting because I was coming. They have all received copies of my book and are required by their teachers to read it and submit a report. This was one of the occasions where I wished I was able to speak the language so I could have gotten to know these students better.