Dear Friends,
I have just finished three days of ministry in Chingleput, a leper colony. The leprosy that these people had was not as aggressive as I thought it would be, but it was noticeable as some ladies were missing all of their fingers and one man had a horrible set of lumps under his neck. Word for the World was able to pull off a mini-conference that lasted for the three days that we were there. The meetings were at night, and Kristen, Andrew, and I shared our testimonies at the night meetings. During the daytime, there was a women's meeting, a youth meeting, and on Sunday morning there was a regular service where we also partook communion. Kristen shared her testimony again at the women's meeting; Andrew preached at the youth meeting. I preached during the Sunday Service--Daniel 3:16-18--"But if God does not, Will you still trust Him?"
The meetings at night were good, and I think people were encouraged. On Saturday, we three were able to go and visit some of the locals. This was good, hard, and challenging. One woman, who had one tooth and no toes, spoke about how her son had kicked her out of the house when she contracted leprosy. She also spoke about how some Christians had come, and they brought her some food and danced with her in her house. She never heard from them again. But the Christians from the Word for the World brought the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they invited her to church and have been taken care of her ever since. It was incredible to discover that I am serving with an organization who talks and walks tall.
I will really need your prayers as I venture tomorrow to Mumbai by plane. I will be there for 12 days, and then Matt Benson and Bonnie-Marie Yager will show up to take us away and catch up with us. Supposedly, the people there in Mumbai work from 5:30 A.M. to 12:30 A.M. Augustine Asir says they are crazy, and I do not blame him. Be in prayer for my team as we miss our homes, as we all have so much on our minds, and as we try to follow Jim Elliots' words, "Wherever you are, be all there." The time here has been so great, and I am loving every minute of it. Enjoy the pictures!
In Christ Alone,
Seth Flores
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
"A home away from home"
Dear Friends,
I am doing really well today. I feel like I am running around enjoying the best of everything. Ministry has begun, and we are loving it. Our mornings consist of one of us preaching. So far, I have preached twice. Uncle Augustine is really impressed with our sessions; in fact, he is so impressed he told us to write out our sermons in essay form so that he can publish them in "Word for the World's" English magazine. I felt like a rockstar after he told us this, and it was very humbling for him to lean over after one of my sermons and really encourage me with some kind words. After the morning sessions, the headaches come as we tackle the language of Tamil. We have a ton of fun as we three try to pronounce the words. The Indians just have a fits of laughter as we are trying to say one word and accidentally end up saying another word. We eat lunch next and watch a cricket or cartoons. Then by three o'clock, all the young boys are done with school, and English class begins. Kristen takes the lead in this area; all though I find my knowledge of English grammar not to be too rusty as I occasionally can dish out a particular "part of speech." After English class, I am asked to do five different things for the fun portion of the day: cricket, chess, TV video games, or "business" (Monopoly with ruppies).
Like I said, life seems to have become normal, and our team is just fitting in, like we belonged here all along. If I am not teaching or preaching, then I am reading "The Way of the Shepherd," listening to my pastor's sermons on I John, or just hanging out with the young men. Last night, I dressed in my red kurta and went to a wedding of about 2,000 people. As some may know, people excite me. After the wedding, there was an incredible reception. It was not long before I went exploring and tried to fully experience my first, ever Indian wedding. I drank three cups of purple Kool-Aid, ate a bag of pop corn, ate some cotton candy, and had three bowls of ice cream after eating Breannie-a traditional wedding meal; it is chicken with rice...very good and very hot, hence the three bowls of ice cream.
After singing the doxology, I remembered "I'm in India...oh no...wait...I'm at a wedding in India!" This place, the people, and the times are starting to feel like "a home away from home." For this, I am very grateful and encouraged. I know I am starting to fit right in when I can fall asleep on the way home from the wedding. When we got back to the apartment, I leaned on the gate excitedly as Benesh talked to the woman who lives behind us, who seems "very much in the know of things." She was talking about the young lady, who lives beneath us, who was going to get betrothed soon, but complications have arisen. Before the night was over, the lady, a Hindu, asked us to pray for the money to send her children to a good school, bought us some ice cream, and finished up her thoughts on the engagement situation.
If you were to call tonight and ask, "So Seth, what's been happening lately?" I would simply and
happily respond, "Oh, you know, just life."
In Christ Alone,
Seth Flores
I am doing really well today. I feel like I am running around enjoying the best of everything. Ministry has begun, and we are loving it. Our mornings consist of one of us preaching. So far, I have preached twice. Uncle Augustine is really impressed with our sessions; in fact, he is so impressed he told us to write out our sermons in essay form so that he can publish them in "Word for the World's" English magazine. I felt like a rockstar after he told us this, and it was very humbling for him to lean over after one of my sermons and really encourage me with some kind words. After the morning sessions, the headaches come as we tackle the language of Tamil. We have a ton of fun as we three try to pronounce the words. The Indians just have a fits of laughter as we are trying to say one word and accidentally end up saying another word. We eat lunch next and watch a cricket or cartoons. Then by three o'clock, all the young boys are done with school, and English class begins. Kristen takes the lead in this area; all though I find my knowledge of English grammar not to be too rusty as I occasionally can dish out a particular "part of speech." After English class, I am asked to do five different things for the fun portion of the day: cricket, chess, TV video games, or "business" (Monopoly with ruppies).
Like I said, life seems to have become normal, and our team is just fitting in, like we belonged here all along. If I am not teaching or preaching, then I am reading "The Way of the Shepherd," listening to my pastor's sermons on I John, or just hanging out with the young men. Last night, I dressed in my red kurta and went to a wedding of about 2,000 people. As some may know, people excite me. After the wedding, there was an incredible reception. It was not long before I went exploring and tried to fully experience my first, ever Indian wedding. I drank three cups of purple Kool-Aid, ate a bag of pop corn, ate some cotton candy, and had three bowls of ice cream after eating Breannie-a traditional wedding meal; it is chicken with rice...very good and very hot, hence the three bowls of ice cream.
After singing the doxology, I remembered "I'm in India...oh no...wait...I'm at a wedding in India!" This place, the people, and the times are starting to feel like "a home away from home." For this, I am very grateful and encouraged. I know I am starting to fit right in when I can fall asleep on the way home from the wedding. When we got back to the apartment, I leaned on the gate excitedly as Benesh talked to the woman who lives behind us, who seems "very much in the know of things." She was talking about the young lady, who lives beneath us, who was going to get betrothed soon, but complications have arisen. Before the night was over, the lady, a Hindu, asked us to pray for the money to send her children to a good school, bought us some ice cream, and finished up her thoughts on the engagement situation.
If you were to call tonight and ask, "So Seth, what's been happening lately?" I would simply and
happily respond, "Oh, you know, just life."
In Christ Alone,
Seth Flores
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