30 Years, 3 Things

We've been back in Hong Kong a few days now and are getting caught up on our sleep and showers! It was a wonderful week with a lot of fun, singing, story-telling, and prayer. Thank you for praying for us- God kept us safe and healthy and blessed our interactions with the children and staff!

Here are some of Bo's stories and things he learned over the last week:

Our team has returned from a wonderful week in the mountains of Pedong, India serving at the Little Flower Children's Home. The home was started in the '80s by Pastor Jonathan and Mama Usha - an anointed couple now in their 60's after multiple decades of deep impact all over the Northeast region of India. This special couple has seen somewhere around 100 children grow up and "graduate" from the Children's Home. Many have gone on to become pastors, missionaries, and one girl even started her own orphanage! They have also been a part of over 20 church plants and actively serve as Elders to 12 currently. The churches have started medical clinics, educational centers, and community centers and have been responsible for several evangelism proclamations and meeting the special needs in crises in the villages in this region. Pastor Jonathan and Mama Usha have had a truly remarkable impact.

However, after spending a week at the Home, you quickly realize that the major ingredients to this amazing ministry are simplified down into a few core components of daily, consistent discipleship.

Pastor Jonathan, Usha, and our team

1. God's Word - Each morning at 5am, all 32 children sleepily stumble into the onsite chapel. Mama Usha opens the time with singing as the children slowly wake up. Then, Mama Usha reads a passage from the Bible and explains the application for the children. The days we joined, we read through the first chapters of Nehemiah. Then, in the evening the older children lead the nightly devotional where they also read through a scripture passage. Every day this is how the day begins and ends for these children.
2. God's Spirit - Many times during the week, we had the opportunity to join with Pastor Jonathan and Mama Usha for prayer. We would pray for the children, for the church, for the people in the region. We also prayed with the children often. Daily, consistent prayer has covered the Home for the past 30+ years.
3. God's Songs - The first thing you notice as you arrive at the Home are all the smiles and laughter from the children. The second thing you notice is that someone somewhere is always singing a song! These children love to sing. They sing at 5am during morning devotional. They sing while they do their chores. They sing during meals and in the evening and while playing. One night we overheard Benji, one of the little 7 year old boys, singing a song as he was falling asleep. The chorus to one of their favorite songs is "Making melody in my heart to the King of Kings!" It is clear that the joy expressed in the smiles and the laughter is the one of the results of constantly having a song to God in their hearts.

Bo and Steven leading a game of limbo on Easter Sunday

God's Word, God's Spirit, and God's songs. These three simple things applied consistently and daily over 30+ years have yielded tremendous eternal fruit in this region of India. As Pastor Jonathan expressed to me, this type of work is slow and often very challenging, but it's always worth it!