Visiting the Orphans

Tonight we are going to visit a church on the way to Pondicherry and then tomorrow we are visiting the orphans that the church here works with. Life in India is never dull. You should come to India to see.

Sunday in Chennai

Today was Sunday in Chennai and I preached 3 times at the Calvary Community Centre here in Adayar. The people are very warm and I have the highest regard for Rev. Vincent and his son Ps. Premnath Samuel. They are godly men called and chosen and comitted here. One of the things I like the most about Ps. Premnath is his heart for missions and how he has already organised the planting of 5 regional churches in remote areas where the gospel is most needed. This is a great blessing to hear about and its very enjoyable being able to serve them here in their church in India.

Being a Tourist in India

On Saturday in India we were able to relax and be tourists for the day. India is a fascinating place where you never know what to expect, or at least I didn't. On Saturday evening we ate at a genuine Indian restaurant where banana leaves are laid out on the table and a variety of sauces and rices put on the leaves. The food is typically hot and there are lots of curries and spices. In typical Indian style it is all vegetarian. After this we went and saw some of 'the sights' including a Catholic Church which focused very heavily on worshipping Mary. This was a shock to see people bowing and kneeling before a statue of Mary. They were selling bottles of holy water for 10 rupees. I have heard of this kind of idolatry before but this was the first time I saw it with my own eyes. The Bible says we are not to worship images, and whilst Jesus Mother Mary was his physical Mother in the earthly sense, she is definitely not the 'Mother of God' as is claimed. Mary is a created being like you or I and is not to be exalted. We owe our great allegiance to Jesus Christ. After this we saw the beach at Chennai where the tsunami came in. The beach is covered in shops like you would see at a carnival. We were told that after the tsunami swept the shops away it took a long time for people to get the courage to come back there again. Its a strange world isn't it! I'm loving India, everything is a new experience and there is so much I would love to write about.

Healing Service in India

After flying in to Chennai late on Friday we had a meal and straight away I was asked to preach at a Healing and Deliverance Service which the church here has as an outreach. This was a good evening with the people all speaking the Tamil language. I was able to share with them from John 15:1-8 about abiding in Christ and then prayed with many people.