Left Behind

A friend sent me a link to this video and I wanted to share with you. It gives another perspective on life in the slums.

http://www.daisugano.net/Left_behind_lg.html

Eid Mobarak | Happy Eid

Today is Eid, the last day of Ramadan. This evening I went to my language helper's house to celebrate with her family and eat my favorite Indian food - mutton biriyani. Yum! Here's a picture of the awesome outfit I had made especially for this occasion. The Mus lm ladies in my city LOVE bling. If you would have shown me this outfit 2 years ago, I would have told you how ugly and tacky I thought it was, but now... well, let's just say my fashion sense has come a LONG way. I love the bling, as you can see by the picture above!

And I have to share one more picture. This is the niece and nephew of my friend above. Take a close look at the boy. Yes, he's wearing lipstick. He loves to put on lipstick, eyeliner and wear nail polish on his toes just like his sister and mom. He was cracking me up!


Have a great week everyone and thanks for reading and praying through Ramadan with me. You rock! :)

Yay and Nay

Yay! My computer is back! I picked it up today and they even upgraded me to the newest operating system. Woo hoo! (I'm such a computer nerd).

Nay! Ewww, gross. The centipedes are back! I had one crawl into bed with me a few months ago. It stung me in my sleep! I haven't seen them for awhile, but my house helper showed me a dead one she found in my bed when she was cleaning today! GROSS! I live on a ground-level apartment that doesn't get much sunlight and we're right in the middle of monsoon season = perfect breeding ground for centipedes. But do they have to hang out in my room and my BED?! If anyone knows a good remedy for getting rid of them, I'm all ears. Yuck.

The Other Half

Last week I went to a slum not far from my home on a photo assignment. I had been there before, but never as far in as we went on this day. Most people in this slum live from day to day, not knowing if they will have enough money for their next meal or enough dry fire wood to cook their food. The breadwinners in this slum are primarily the women who typically work as maids. The majority of the husbands don't work and spend all the money that the women make on alcohol. I went into four houses that day. Each house was probably a little bit bigger than your bathroom at home. It's common to see nine adults and three or four children living in spaces a fraction of the size of your living room. Here are some of the things I saw inside each home:

Inside two houses

This corner of the house serves as a shower, dish washing area and laundry room

Can you see how the house is open to the elements behind the cups? This was actually a nicer home because it had a gas stove top. And of course, Coca Cola is everywhere!

The owner with pictures of her gods in the background.

The stories that each woman shared were heart-wrenching. One woman told us how her husband would come home drunk everyday, choke her, beat her and her daughters and then demand that she give him the money she had made that day so he could buy more alcohol. I saw another boy whose father literally threw him outside the house on his stomach onto the hard cement. His stomach was swollen because his dad had thrown him so hard. He couldn't have been more than 6 years old. And this is how it goes, day in and day out for many of the hundreds of families that live here.

But there are other stories. Stories about a family of Believers who opened their home just around the corner from the slum. About how this family feeds more than 200 children a day. Sometimes this is the only meal this children have each day. This family also helps the children with their homework and for those children who can't afford to go to school (a rather pricey thing for many families in India), free tuitions are offered. Some families have made public professions of faith because of the testimony of Believers they have met through this family. Others are secret Believers. God is moving in this slum and doing something among the people of this neighborhood. However, many people continue to bow to idols and look to inanimate objects for peace.

Some of the homes that I entered that day asked me to pray for them before I left. Would you join me in praying for the special people of this slum as I did last week:

• Ask that the people of this slum would know the One true living God.
• Ask that He would reveal Himself to them in dreams and visions.
• Pray that the people that live here would find peace that only comes from JC.
• Ask that new Believers would stand strong in their faith.
• Pray a special blessing for the women of this slum. Many of the women in this slum are constantly devalued and abused. Ask that they would know the Lover of their soul and look to Him for strength in the midst of the challenging conditions they face each day.

Computer has officially failed :(

Well, my computer finally bit the dust and is in the shop right now getting a brain transplant. Thankfully, I can use the computer at work to keep up with posting occasionally and to check my email. They said my computer should be fixed in 2-3 business days, but that could mean 2 weeks. I'm not holding my breath. It's actually kind of freeing not to have a computer at my disposal all the time, but also frustrating in some ways. I'm on a PC right now and realize how inefficient it is! Once you go Mac you never go back, I suppose. Haha.

Prayer Days 19-30

Day 19
Ask the Father to break down the inward looking and culturally isolated churches in India. Pray for a breakdown of all barriers for witness and for sharing the gospel with M.slims.

Day 20
Pray against the spirit of fear that has consumed many national churches when trying to reach out to M.slims.

Day 21
Pray for strength and boldness for national Believers in sharing among Urdu-speaking communities.

Day 22
Ask that the Father would raise up leaders in indigenous churches to lead M.slim outreach.

Day 23
Ask that the Father would equip and raise up Christian women to take the Gospel to M.slim women and children.

Day 24
Ask that the youth in local churches would be strengthened in their faith and catch the vision for reaching M.slim friends and classmates.

Day 25
Pray that the local church would have a greater vision for using media ministry (radio, TV, literature distribution) to reach M.slims. Pray that finances to support this ministry would be released.

Day 26
Ask that the local church would have a better understanding of M.slim culture, their felt needs and how to best present JC in a culturally sensitive way.

Day 27***
"Night of Power"
This is considered to be the night in which the first revelations of Isl.m and the prophethood of M.hamm.d began. This night is in celebration of the arrival of the Q.r an.

The whole Night of Power, from sunset to dawn, is the holiest night of the year. It is believed that there are groups of special angels who are only seen on the Night of Power. These angels perform special purposes. Some come down for worship, others for granting the request of the believing M.slim. Other angels come down bringing with them proclamations of the coming year.

Researchers contend that 80% of new Christians in South Asia come to Christ as a direct result of supernatural encounters.Pray for a supernatural move of the Holy Spirit to reveal JC to the many M.slims who will seek God tonight (Psalm 118:21, Acts 4:33).

Day 28
Pray that the Father would use VBS’s to reach many M.slim children and parents. Ask that the local church would know how to follow-up with M.slims who make decisions.

Day 29
Pray that the church would provide strong support and fellowship when M.slims turn to JC.

Day 30
Pray for secret M.slim Background Believer house churches to grow strong and remain vibrant in the midst of persecution.

Prayer Days 12-18

Hi Friends,
I'm having trouble uploading the pictures each day, but still wanted to get these requests out to you. Thanks for thinking of me and these people today.

<3 C


Day 12
Ask that the Father would open doors to the g.spel even in the midst of opposition (1 Cor. 16:9).

Day 13
Ask as M's fast this month they will encounter the One who said, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst." (Jn 6:35)

Day 14
Ask that M's would have the opportunity to learn about the details of JC's death and resurrection. Ask for Believers to have a real perseverance in telling the story.

Day 15
Ask that M's in S. Asia will find JC this month. Pr. that they would have an opportunity to see and hear the gospel presented in culturally relevant ways.

Day 16
Ask that G.spel radio programs will reach M communities.

Day 17
Ask that whole M households would come to faith at one time.

Day 18
Pr. for revival among M refugees living in S. Asia (Afghanians, Iranians, et. al.)