Village Seminars - India

India Seminars:

The Indian ladies were cloistered upon one another, having been wound tightly into their cultural Sari (soft flowing, colorful fabric which consists of 6 yards plus). During this monsoon season, 85% high humidity, and the ill tempered sun burning down upon the earth, I thought surely as I watched, one among them would swoon. We were very thankful for ceiling fans that swirled above our heads with great efficiency, then without warning everything stopped. It was a black out and no power at all. These women sat quietly, note taking and with writers license I would like to suggest, pupating in their cocoons. 

 
The Seminar delegates, were tea plantation workers and arrived mid day after working in the field. By mid evening the day had cooled off and electricity had returned to our venue. The lovely Indian women became as animated among each other as flitting social butterflies. They swarmed with excitement, talking among themselves in sweet enthusiasm concerning the value of what they were learning. Dinner of Farm fresh chicken, yet to be plucked and prepared with the bounty of beautiful vegetables was served to all the delegates by 10:30 in the evening. It was such a Sweet company together for the Lord‘s purpose, that memories remain forever.

My hope was to share with the children about the names of God…

India:

My hope was to share with the children about the names of God and His attributes, however a female translator was not available and so, I changed my plans, spending my time further developing my training material. While teaching our Marriage & Family Seminar, with a session I committed to memory on love and respect, having made an outline on the whiteboard an elephant walked by the Church!  Love and respect are pivotal for a strong and happy marriage, as they expose skills needed in communicating. I feel very passionate about contributing to the seminar on the issue of communication, because there in lies many unresolved conflicts. By nature, I am a pragmatic person and I love to #1 identify the issue or problem, #2 gather information that facilitates greater understanding of the issue, and #3 move towards resolution. This is second nature to me and suitable for teaching in our Marriage & Family Seminar in any culture.

M

June / July 2018

These images are from a refugee camp in Thailand along the Thai-Burma border, primarily to for the Karen people. They came because of the intense persecution of the Burmese military. They are free to return but even now are suspicious of the Military. So, they have come to terms with that if they are to live in relative freedom and safety, so to speak, they must live here. From what I witnessed while in the Camp and from what I was told, they do what they can with their resources to make a home and a community. It is not only a genuine joy to serve these people but it is a privilege.Here,we have both shared our testimonies and Jim has had seminars and graduated his students with joy. (These are archived images from past trips)

We traveled two days to India. I hope to have classes with children and teach them about the names for God as HE calls Himself in the Bible. We must teach children not only that are we made in His image, but that the names of God invoke His caring Presence in our troubled world. Such images of a loving merciful and forgiving God, full of compassion and care. Children must grow up understanding that God loves them and is a Personal Creator. Contrast this with some religions that have vengeful, angry and punishing images of their deities which frighten children and offer no hope. One can easily understand why the message of Jesus Christ brings light, hope and joy.
I cannot imagine children not knowing the goodness of a benevolent, instructing and kind God.