The Orphanage Project

On Tuesday my sister and I went shopping to Janpath and Palika Bazaar. We had dinner out at The Imperial hotel, one of my favorite hotels in New Delhi. The reason I love the hotel is that it is very old and the architecture is beautiful.

When we got home, a man I do not know called me. He has been suffering from severe depression for over a month due to an extramarital affair gone sour. I spoke with him about Jesus and forgiveness. He asked me if he had to believe in Jesus before we prayed, because he said that he had grown up a Hindu and was not willing to give up his faith. I assured him that Jesus does not require blind faith. Jesus would show him His reality. As we began to pray over the phone, the man began to weep. Afterwards he told me he did not know why he was weeping as we prayed. I told him perhaps it was because God was forgiving him. Sometimes when we have done something wrong, and we go to someone and confess and the burden is lifted as they surprisingly forgive us, we cry.

On Wednesday again we had tuition. Jyoti, Sarika, Himanshu, and Mahima came. Mahima still is not able to add. Vikas, the boy who does not want to learn came also, but again he stubbornly refused to learn.

Suvineet came over for Bible study. The Lord has really been blessing him in his studies. He had an exam and a presentation and in both, to his own surprise, he received the highest score in the entire class.

We also had Christmas play practice. An unbelievable number of kids showed up. The kids from last week I guess spread the word as to how fun the drama was. From a bare-bones cast of just 8 characters, now we have close to 15-20 children. The kids are actually very good at picking up their parts. They get a little shy at times…but that is expected.

The man who had called for prayer on Tuesday regarding depression called again. He said, “I can’t believe there can be so much change in 1 day!” He said that his mind is virtually clear from the thoughts he was having before regarding this other person. He also said that the talk we had the previous day about forgiveness really went straight to his heart. He said he just wants to forgive everyone. He is no longer feeling vindictive. He said he wants to believe in Jesus. He used to be Hindu, but now just wants to know the truth, whatever that may be. He said at first he was thinking all of this change was just in his own head, but then he was talking to a friend over the phone and the friend said that there was just “positive energy” coming from this man!

Scripture of the Day:

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. I John 5:4.

In the morning I shared a message on Christmas from Mary’s perspective, basically the story of Christmas from the Gospel of Luke. One of the themes we discussed was the fact that our God is a humble God:

I think for many people the concept of God is a mighty being sitting high above earth on a throne somewhere in Heaven. They see Him as a dictator, an extremist, a harsh punisher of wrongdoers. They see Him as an aloof, self-centered God.

But that is a misconception of the true God. God is gentle and kind. He is understanding and caring. He is compassionate. God is a humble God.

Jesus was born in a smelly stable with cows and donkeys and sheep looking on. He was born to an ordinary family, a carpenter and his in descript wife. News of His birth was first given to lowly shepherds as they sat tending their sheep by night. To me that is just awesome.

Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords…yet when He came to earth, he chose to come under such humble and simple circumstances. He could have been born in a magnificent palace, wrapped in clothes embroidered with gold and silver, laid in a silk lined crib…but instead he chose to be born in a stable, wrapped in rags and laid in a manger.

Why did he choose to have such humble beginnings?

In Isaiah 61:1-3, a prophecy talks about Jesus’ coming. It talks about why He was sent. It says:

¹ “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
²To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
³To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

Thus, Jesus did not only come for the rich, happy and prosperous people. But instead He came for ordinary people like us. He came for the poor, the brokenhearted, the captives. He came that we may have life and have it more abundantly.

Jesus chose to have a humble birth and an ordinary life, so that He could relate to us and we could relate to Him. They say, do not judge a man until you have walked 2 miles in his shoes. Meaning, you can’t really understand or relate to someone unless you have been in their situation. So, Jesus chose to be like us, so He could better relate to us and we to Him.

He went through the pains and sufferings of human life. He went through rejection and heartache…disappointment and set backs. So He understands our troubles…and heartache…and He wants to take that away.

Before I came to know Jesus, I used to think that God is so far away. I used to wonder, does He hear me when I pray. Does He see my tears when I cry. Does He care when I am happy. But, now I know that God is not so far away. He is right here with me. He is my best friend. Jesus not only hears my prayers, but He answers them. Jesus not only sees my tears, but He wipes them away. And Jesus is there to celebrate with me. The Bible says in Nehemiah 8:10: The joy of the Lord is my strength. I’ve seen in my own life over and over again that He has turned my tears into laughter.

After service we rushed over to Vasant Vihar for the afternoon prayer fellowship. There a lady, Mary Aunty, shared a testimony of how the Lord has been taking away all of her tensions and insecurities and giving her confidence and boldness. She testified tht for years she has been wanting to write text book, but has not been able to for a variety of reasons. But ever since she has started coming to our Sunday fellowship, the Lord has changed that. She has now published one book and has 2 more on the way. Hemant testified that the Lord has been helping him with his work. He works in a call center. He prays and each time the Lord gives him good sales. We also found out that a lady we had prayed for before going to the US, who was bedridden for months is completely healed. Someone told us that the lady who previously even went to the bathroom in her bed is now up and about, even bending down and cleaning the floors!

The message was on “how” to pray. We talked about the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer.

After service we began practice for the Christmas play. Then in the evening Mom and Dad flew out to Hyderabad and my sister came to stay with me.

Scripture of the Day:

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. I John 4:18.

In the evening, Sapan Bhaiya came for prayer. He was a little dejected because his work hasn’t been going as well as he would have hoped. But, he is continuing to have faith in the Lord. Just before Sapan Bhaiya came his wife called him and told him that the cylinder for the stove had run out and they needed a new one or else she would not be able to cook dinner. It was too late at night to arrange for a new cylinder, so Sapan Bhaiya had told her that he would arrange for a cylinder the next morning. As we were talking, Sapan Bhaiya casually said, “If Jesus arranges for a cylinder today, then I will know He is with me.” Sure enough, just as Sapan Bhaiya stepped out of our house after prayer, his wife called and told him not to worry about a gas cylinder, it had been arranged! Sapan Bhaiya also had us pray for his foot. Several weeks ago he had been in an accident. He had hurt his foot. It was swollen and in pain. We had prayed over the phone at the time and the pain had completely disappeared. But the swelling was persisting, so he had us pray for that too.

On Saturday we woke up early because we needed to run an errand at Chandni Chowk. On the way home we picked up Hemant and Deep. They spent the weekend with us. In the afternoon, a lawyer was over to discuss the land issue we are having with The Orphanage Project. He asked me why I had left my job in the US and what we are doing here in India. As I explained to him, Dad asked him if he wanted prayer for anything. The lawyer said he had had a paralytic attack in his face about two months ago. He was almost completely better now, but he had lingering pain in his head and his eye twitched. As we prayed for him, he was amazed to feel the pain leave his head and the eye twitching stopped!

At night I received a call from a lady we had been praying for about diabetes. She testified that she had just been checked and her blood sugar levels were completely normal both with and without fasting. Praise God!

Scripture of the Day:

By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. I John 4:13.

So, I decided that since Rahul was with us, and I wanted him to get a chance to do some ministry, we would just stop at a small slum nearby and do a random outreach. We found a small slum and an open area and got out of the car. We told some people to gather all of the kids. Several kids and their mothers came. We tried to teach the kids an action song, but they were very shy. Only one or two actually danced with us. Then I shared our testimony in short with the kids and mothers and we passed out cookies. Then we offered to pray for the sick. I don’t think anyone has ever done that at this slum before. The people did not know how to react. However slowly, a few brought their kids for prayer. As we were leaving, the people asked us to come back again. We are planning on visiting them weekly during the winter season, before we go to Priyas.

After the outreach, we went to the Priya Marketplace. I assumed that things would be pretty slow there again, because we have not been back long and people do not yet know that we are back. So, I got a cup of ice to munch on from McDonalds. As we were making our way to the area that we usually pray at, there was a crowd of young people just outside one of the night clubs. The were all joking around with each other. As we passed by, one young guy stopped me and said, “Didi, can you pray for my headache?” I wasn’t sure if he was just joking with me, so I looked at him questioningly, “You really want prayer?” He replied that he really did want prayer. He had been dancing too much, so he had gotten a headache. So we prayed for him and he said he was better. Then as we were leaving, another young guy came up and asked for prayer saying, “I want kids.” Now, I was sure this was all a joke! So I asked, “You want kids?” He replied that he is married and he and his wife have been unable to conceive. So, still a little skeptical, I prayed that his wife would have a child.

Then as we made our way to our usual spot, crowds of young people just began coming one after the other for prayer. It was amazing. For nearly two hours we were praying for the young people one by one. We normally only have a few young people come for prayer. Mostly those who get prayer are generally a little older. But this day it seemed like all of the young people at Priyas wanted prayer. Many of them took copies of our testimony to read. Many of them felt the miracle and healing power of God in their bodies.

The boy Saddam who had wanted to be tutored came. Rahul tutored him. Saddam was so happy afterwards as he proudly told me that he is beginning to understand a little bit. He was skipping around, unable to control his joy!

For the youth meeting we had a decent turn out – Deep, Hemant, Nancy, Rahul, Akhilesh, Ajay, and new man whose name I did not get a chance to ask. We tried a different format for youth meeting. Instead of the usual, me talking and everyone listening, we had a discussion format. We discussed on the topic of “competition.” We had a good discussion with everyone giving input.

Rahul shared a few amazing testimonies. Last week after youth group, when he had gone home, his father had gone through his bag and found some contraband. Rahul was sure he was in for it. He messaged me and asked me to pray. I messaged him back and told him not to worry, the Lord would help him. And that night to Rahul’s amazement, his father said nothing. He did not yell at Rahul or hit him. It was a miracle!

Then Rahul testified that he and his friend, Nancy, had gone shopping. While they were shopping Nancy had mentioned that she was going to be strapped for money because she needed to buy Christmas presents and send them home to all of her relatives in a different state. Rahul said he would pray for Nancy that the Lord would provide. That night, before sleeping, Rahul prayed for Nancy. The next morning Nancy gave Rahul a call. A miracle had happened. She had unexpectedly received an 8,000 rupee increment in her pay check!

Scripture of the Day:

Beloved let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of god and knows God. I John 4:7.

On Monday we had planned on going to the annual trade fair. But because it was the last day of the fair, it was too crowded when we got there, so we decided to go to the famous Chandni Chowk instead. On the way to the trade fair, I got a call from a little kid who had hurt the heal of his foot. He was in extreme pain and had not even gone to school. As we prayed over the phone a few times, the pain reduced to less than 20% of what it was. I told him to wait an hour and call back if the healing did not continue to completion. He did not call back, so I assume the Lord healed him completely.

We had a fun time eating street vendor food and shopping around. But when we got home, I was so exhausted, I fell asleep before 8 PM.

On Tuesday we had our weekly outreach to the Ashram slum. We had planned a treat of the kids, but it didn’t quite work out as planned. We had taken mats for the kids to sit on and a few packets of cookies. The plan was that the kids would listen to a story, and then I would ask 5-10 questions. The kids who answered those questions correctly would get a packet of cookies. And each week we would do this. But, when the kids saw the packets of cookies they were crazy…and were falling on top of each other just to get the cookies. We had to stop. However, a lady from another slum was visiting and invited us to come to her slum also. She wants us to teach the children there about Jesus. She said the kids in her slum are much better behaved than these kids.

On Wednesday we had tuition for the kids. A few new kids showed up: Ajit, Rustam and Vijay joined our regulars, Amit, Mahima and Sarika. After tuition we had drama practice. We have a cast of 9 kids so far. Practice went very well. The kids ran through the entire play two to three times. I think it will be a very cute production. Because play practice ran long, we didn’t have a proper miracle service. A few people had come for both purposes, so we prayed for them.

At night my cousins showed up unexpectedly and spent a few hours eating and talking with us.

Scripture of the Day:

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15.

Mom continued her teaching on Matthew 9. She taught about true fasting. After the message we challenged the kids to fast from saying negative words for one day during the month of Christmas as a birthday present for Jesus.

During testimony time several of the children got up and testified. Seema testified that she had gone to the park the other day and met two girls. One of the girls had a fever. Seema prayed for her in the name of Jesus and the fever went away. Aarti testified that she had been crossing the street and all of a sudden noticed that two cars were coming directly at her. She prayed and the Lord saved her. Mahindera testified that his family had taken a train to their village. Mahindera’s Uncles and Father had not been able to get on the train before it started to move. Mahindera prayed, “Jesus help them on the train,” and they were able to climb aboard the moving train.

Sapan Bhaiya’s mother in law testified that she had been coming faithfully to church for two months now. When she had started coming, it was because her mother was dying of cancer in a different state. She had cried and cried. But now, through prayer, Jesus was healing her mother. Her mother was not taking any medicines and improving daily. Previously she had been bedridden, and now she is up and about!

After the service we prayed for those with needs and allowed the children to watch their movie.

Then we rushed off to Delhi for the prayer fellowship in Vasant Vihar. We had a pretty good turn out there as well. During testimony time Ankit got up and testified that he had been extremely sick in the hospital and was unable to take his exams nor prepare for them. But, he prayed. The college gave him special permission to take them late, and when he did, he scored 98% and set a new record in his college. Alfonsa Didi testified that a neighbor had gotten so sick that they had to rush her to the emergency room. She was admitted in the ICU. Didi started to pray for her and the Lord healed her!

In Delhi I shared a message on the ABCs of Prayer. Then we prayed for all those with needs. One elderly lady who came brought her daughter and son-in-law for prayer. She said that Jesus had previously completely healed her of several health ailments she had faced before coming for prayer. So, now they wanted additional prayer for other needs.

After the service the youth began preparation for the Christmas production. It was neat to see that we actually had a youth group! Those in attendance were: Hemant, Deep, Ankit, Pawan, Alfonsa Didi, Ashima, Vincent, and Rahul. Akhilesh, Suvineet and Ajay were missing. This time I just shared the Christmas story with them because many of them were not familiar with it. Next week we will begin practice.

Scripture of the Day:

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Romans 12:14.

On Thursday of last week and Friday of this week, a lady with a fractured arm called. As we prayed, the pain completely left and she was able to move her fingers and hand.

Friday again was not too busy a day. Everything I had planned fell through. But, the children came for tutoring and we also began preparing for the Christmas drama. My second cousin, Suvineet, also came over and we had a fun time of fellowship.

Saturday morning started with a call from a young woman, Shweta. We had prayed for her on Thursday at Priyas for a migraine problem. She called and said there is a major difference in her migraines. She said that whenever she feels a migraine coming on, she simply remembers when we prayed for her, and immediately, the pain leave. Also, she said in life she had come to a point where she no longer believed in God. She felt like God was only there to bring problems into people’s lives and to cause pain. But, after reading our testimony, she had once again started believing in God. She now wants to bring a friend for prayer this coming Thursday.

On Saturday evening, we went to my cousin’s 25^th Wedding Anniversary celebration. It was a nice gathering.

Scripture of the Day:

Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Romans 12:16.

Then we went to the Priya marketplace for ministry. At the Priya market there was quite a rush because some famous DJ was at one of the clubs and many people were there to see the new Bond movie, Casino Royale. Slowly people began coming for prayer. At times there was a huge crowd. At other times there was no one. As we prayed, the Lord again performed miracles. For example, one Colonel came with a problem in his hip. He had had the problem for years and the doctors were unable to help him. He limped. We prayed for him and the pain was gone and he began walking normally. His wife then came for prayer a little while later!

One young boy, Saddam, came to me and asked for prayer because he cannot concentrate on his studies. He is in 7^th grade. He told me that he is considering dropping out from school. His father has said he can drop out of school and begin working. I told the child not to do that. I told him we would tutor him and teach him math.

For youth group, we had: Jaswinder Bhaiya, two friends, Rahul, Deep, Akhilesh and his friend. We talked a little about the ministries we want to do over the next few months and how each one of can make a difference. I shared with them the story of Shakina (www.shakina.net). Rahul is going to help us tutor Saddam. We also saw a eunuch and Khan bhaiya got his address. We may start eunuch ministry next week as well. Also we are going to prepare a Christmas drama and take it to nearby slums.

As we were leaving, Ankit found us. He had not been allowed to come for youth group because his parents wanted him to study. But, we talked a bit and he introduced me to his mother. His faith seems to be growing. Praise God!

Scripture of the Day:

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to this of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Romans 12:3.

In the evening the neighbor with the poor eyesight came. He said he did not know why, but his eyesight had been particularly troubling him this day. We prayed and prayed and prayed until we got a breakthrough and his eyesight cleared up.

On Tuesday we returned to the Ashram slum for ministry. We went early, because in the winter it is completely dark by about 6 PM. People were not expecting us, but everyone seemed happy to see us return. The children began dancing and singing, “Geetu didi is back!” We had a time of worship, sharing stories and then prayer. Some of the kids wanted us to return again the next day, and the next, and the next. I told them with a smile that we would be back in one week.

When we arrived home, to our surprise, the kids came for tutoring! We normally do not tutor on Tuesdays, but because they came, we decided to tutor them.

On Wednesday my sister, Sapna Didi, came from Japan. She is here for a few weeks. The day was pretty relaxing. We sat around and caught up with one another and watched a movie. The children came over for tutoring. Then we had our first miracle meeting after our return. Only three were in attendance: Amit, Sarika, and Mahima.

Scripture of the Day:

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Romans 12:9.

On Saturday we went to my Uncle and Aunt’s 25^th Wedding Anniversary celebration. It was a fun party. They had a dance troupe perform traditional Indian dances from different states. Some of the performances were amazing. My favorite was a stick dance from the state of Manipur that was a mix of balancing, acrobatics and dance. We had a chance to share with a few people about our faith and our work in India.

Sunday ministry started up again. In the morning we had the 1^st service in Faridabad after our return. We didn’t expect many people to show up because we had not had a chance to go to the slums and inform people of our return. But to my surprise, we had a relatively decent turn-out. Some of the kids had remembered that we were returning on Sunday and showed up because of that. Those who attended were:

Akbar, Ajit, Akanksha, Mr. Chauhan, Mukesh, Rajendra, Kulbushan, Jitendra, Sushant, Meeta, Rahul, Mahima, Dinesh, Ashima, Golden Bhaiya, Anil Uncle, Sapan Bhaiya, Falguni Bhabhi, Meeta’s Mom and Grandmother, Mr. & Mrs. Agarwal, the man who had come on Friday with Sapan Bhaiya and his wife, Roma Bhabhi and Vipul Bhaiya.

During the service, mom shared about the miracle in the Bible in which the four friends lowered their paralyzed friend down through a roof in front of Jesus for prayer. A few people got up and shared about miracles that God had done in their lives during our absence.

At the end of the service we prayed for everyone and rushed to Delhi for the Vasant Vihar service. The timing of that service has changed to 3:30 PM instead of 4 PM. We arrived a bit early and saw some people decorating the church for a wedding. One of the decorators came up to me and gave me a pretty rose. It was wonderful to see Hemant and Deep again. When we started service, it was a very small turn out. We just had Hemant, Deep, Rahul, Ashima, and Kamla Aunty. But, slowly a few more people joined us. Sonal Didi, her husband, brother, parents and kids came as did a couple we do not know, and Ajay.

We had a thanksgiving service in which we all shared testimonies of God’s goodness. Probably one of the most amazing testimonies was that of Ajay. He had recently started trusting in Jesus. He was very sick, with jaundice, but needed to travel about 12 hours away to take an exam. The doctors told him he would not be able to go. But, he prayed that the Lord gave him the strength and energy to make the journey. But, about half way through the journey, the bus stopped and the passengers were told that there was a problem up ahead and so the bus would not go any further. Again, Ajay prayed, and within minutes the problem was resolved and the bus continued on its route.

Ajay took the exam and says it was the best exam of his life. He scored higher than he ever has on a standardized exam.

But, when it was time to return, he noticed he did not have money. He got on the bus, but the conductor made him disembark the bus in a village called Kangra. Ajay had no idea where he was. There were preparations going on for a huge political rally the next day. Ajay tried to find room in an inn or somewhere, but was unable to find any place to rest. Just as he almost gave up, he prayed. He ran into a group of college students, who upon seeing his condition to him to their room to rest.

The next morning, Ajay needed to catch the bus, but again he didn’t have any money. He prayed and got on the bus. To his surprise, the conductor did not ask Ajay for a ticket! When Ajay got to a major city, he disembarked the bus and went and got some money from an ATM. When he returned to pay the bus conductor, the bus conductor was amazed that Ajay would have been allowed to make the entire journey without a ticket. The conductor looked in his records and saw that Ajay’s ticket had already been “paid in full.” So he refused the money Ajay was now offering!

Sonal Didi’s mother was so happy to be in service. She was visiting from Patna and was returning on Sunday. She thought she would not be able to meet us, but the timing worked out just perfect for us to get together. She is the lady whom I used to pray with who was healed of high blood sugar.

Scripture of the Day:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jews first and also for the Greek. Romans 1:16.