Delhi

Delhi was fantastic – one of the very best. An India On the Move organisation has resulted, with the task of taking the movement across India.

They did it in the form of a 'banquet', having hired a big community hall for two evenings. On each evening, about 400 were fed, seated at round tables of seven, and altogether prepared like a wedding banquet! It was an amazing sight – to us, and most especially to the 300 Hindu guests who came each evening. They were so struck by the servant hearts of the lovely Christians there. Though indoors, the whole thing was so very 'On the Moveish', with fellowship, anointed worship (in a very Indian idiom), prayer ministry for people (all 300 were prayed for their needs, for healing, blessing etc) and talks that explained the love of the Creator God and what Christ has done for us on the cross. This was all received so warmly and, over the two evenings, we saw 550 Hindus (out of the 600 present) giving their lives to Christ! I truly think it was love that won them.

The English team of eight felt we should serve at the tables – and it was the talk of both evenings that we did so. Apparently, people were absolutely amazed that the English should serve the Indians in this way. Terrible that this should be so shocking to them! But wonderful that the Lord was able to use such a simple act of love to change lives.

Pastor Daniel, the main co-ordinator, was in a department store in the centre of Delhi with a foreign guest the following evening and a shop-keeper came up to him and said how nice it was to see him, and then 'do you recognise me?' 'I'm trying to place you'.  'I was at the dinner!' It turned out that he, and a colleague who was immediately called, had both given their lives to Christ at the dinner. They then said 'Wait a minute', and promptly gathered 25 of their colleagues and announced to them: 'This is the father that prays for people' and (to Daniel): 'Would you now pray for these people and tell them about Jesus?' – which he did, there in the department store! Since then, he has had about 70 in his church alone, and has 150 booked onto his discipleship course – with other churches also looking after new converts. This was not only extraordinary to us, but also to the local pastors who had never seen the like of it.  Praise the Lord!

M.G. September 05