15 October 2006

Update from Bijapur, India

Namaskada guys!

I wish I could explain to you the fun we go through to get to Internet cafes
to spend hours on slow connections praying the current doesn't go out.
Ashley was charged by a bull, I was almost hit by several bikes, rickshaws
and goat herds, and Darla (being the only one apt at maneuvering Indian
streets) always has us on each hand... like a mother hen with her chicks...
so alas, after yet some more everyday adventures, I bring you another
elongated update from the fabulous land of India!

Please, take this little by little, don't feel compelled to read this all in
one sitting... well, unless you just miss me that much. Welcome to inside my
erratic brain's thought processes... please enjoy.

So last night we went to this village...
and the village leader (whom for the past two years has been angry at our
presence) invited us to do the outreach from his front doorstep. We did and
afterwards he asked for prayer. We prayed and he manifested a demon, we cast
it out in the Name of Jesus and he said he wanted Jesus. He got saved
because he just couldn't deny what he'd seen, and neither could the village.

God's ways are not my ways, His thoughts are higher than mine...
I have been chewing on Isaiah 55 daily... check out how cool the Bible is.
"For [God's] thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways [God's]
ways", in regards to His Word, He says, "It shall not return to Me void, but
it shall accomplish what I please and it shall prosper in the thing for
which I sent it", "For you shall go out with joy and be led out with peace".
Come now, how rad are those promises? Sometimes, when the battle is getting
tough, I just hold up the Word and point out a promise that God's given me
and say, "hey, you said so", because He is faithful.

How to eat an elephant and change the world...
The past year has lead me to question if my goal of changing the wold is a
little too out of reach? The extent of poverty, despair, anger, corruption,
hatred and so on and so forth that I have had the privilege of being exposed
to has hit hard. There was Africa, an entire continent of starvation and
disease. Now, India, a nation of over a billion people working themselves to
the bone to make it to the next day... everyday. I am just a twerp from San
Diego with nothing but empty hands and willing feet.

Then, I find myself being held by an old grandmother, in tears. She is
thanking the team for telling her family about Jesus and praying over her
son, who* was* blind. We prayed in the Name of Jesus and his eyes were
opened. He saw his children for the first time, stared in wonder at the
world around him and asking to know more about this Jesus who just changed
the life of everyone he knows.

I remember the village we walked into that talked about the foreigners as we
walked in but could only talk about Jesus Christ as we left because every
single person we prayed for was healed and accepted Jesus.

Or the Gypsy women who testified that they came to know Jesus a year ago and
He has been amazing and faithful. How can I forget when they invited us into
their home to sing and dance with them?

The truth is, this twerp from San Diego doesn't change anything... Jesus
does and I just get to work for Him. You eat an elephant one piece at a
time, Jesus changes the world one soul at a time. The vision He's given me
to change the world is the vision He gives all of us. Its fully impossible
without Him, but with Him at my side, there is nothing I would rather do. I
have the honor of harboring a heart that feels a little of the heartache God
has when He looks at the world, and the privilege to live a life that mends
hearts, one at a time.

Fighting God...
There was this little old bent over woman in Pondicherry I prayed for over
the summer. Her face is in my head each time I pray. She asked for prayer
for her eyesight and toothaches. I prayed and she did not get healed. She
motioned for me to pray again, I did and she was still in pain and without
good eyesight. I moved on to the next person. In a few minutes that old
woman was back again. I prayed again and she was healed, just like that. She
taught me a valuable lesson that I will always carry with me: sometimes God
wants you to fight for it.

Look at Jacob and how he wrestled God until He blessed him and changed his
name to Israel, or at the persistent widow in Jesus' parables, think about
this old Indian lady. How bad do you want what you are praying for? Is it
only bad enough to shoot up a quick prayer before you fall asleep, half
believing that God hears you and barely believing He even cares? I guarantee
He wants to bless you, but He is waiting to see how bad you want it. Charge
it and fight Him for it, ultimately He will bless you, even if it doesn't
look exactly like what you thought you wanted. Do you think Jacob was
expecting God to change his name? Do you think he knew what that meant and
how that decision to fight God would change the world forever? Probably not,
but God knew.

My prayer requests:
*Financial provision for the team (we are running short)
*Health of the team (mosquito and worm issues)
*An increased heart for the Muslim community
*Increased authority in the Spirit
*Increased wisdom and discernment
*That we would run the homestretch strong
*That the captives are set free
*Continued favor of God in the villages
*Running water to miraculously be in our apartment
*Direction of where to go when I get home
*Your prayer requests:
*I really prayed for them so let me know what else to pray for, and if they
were answered... its always encouraging to hear! We might be oceans away,
but really, if you think about it, that's nothing for God. Not only does He
like you, He also likes hearing you talk to Him. I just like to join in on
the conversations when I can!

You sent some great questions, here are my answers and thoughts...

*How does the lady with out the colon live? Through an IV?
Nope, she just lives. You know that spot in Matthew when Jesus says his food
is to do the will of the Father? It must be like that. She just doesn't eat,
or drink, or sleep sometimes... really, I tell no lies. God uses this woman
in insane ways and she was amazing to live with. She knows that God is
keeping her alive to do His work, so she does.

*How's BFI?
Its great! Nick is hard at work back in San Diego working wonders with the
computer and all I have to do is sit in on conference calls every now and
then. We have an amazing staff of people who have caught the vision and are
running with it and a growing list of global contacts who are equally as
enthusiastic! You can keep up on it through www.beautifulfeetintl.org

*If there were no experiences, just resistance to the Gospel, how would you
feel? Would God still be exciting?
This was a rather thought provoking question that I liked. The quick answers
are "fine" and "yes". This makes me think of my time in Burkia Faso. There
it is 98% Muslim and I saw little action and little reaction to the Gospel
and the work I did there. It was only last month I got an email saying that
one of the villages I was in was impacted... that's all. I just have to
trust God that He called me and that His work was done. Why should I
complain if I don't get to see the fruit of my labors? I am not doing this
to see results, I am not living like this for fun or any type of
recognition... if I wanted that I would not be living like this, obviously.
I do what I do because its what God tells me to do and because its how the
Bible says to live, that's all.

The place I am staying right now is heavily populated with Muslims and
Hindus alike. I thought perhaps ministry would be harder, but it is not. God
is showing us so much favor with the people here. Yesterday, for example,
Darla, Ashley, Vivek and I were asked to travel 4 hours (one way) on a bus
to pray for a sick girl... who is Muslim. She knew perfectly well that we
are Christians and when we got there she accepted Christ and so did her mom.
Even, if I did not have the honor of seeing the fruit, God would be the
same... just as exciting. He is teaching me so much about prayer and
prophecy and intercession and vital parts of ministry, especially when the
spiritual warfare is so strong.

We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but in the spirit and everything we
loose in heaven is loosed here on earth, just as everything bound in heaven
is bound on earth. I can't see the results of my labor all the time, but I
have faith it is there in the spiritual realm. Seeing it pay off in this
lifetime is just icing on the cake... and hey, I like cake.

Ok, I'll stop here...
If you have made it this far, congradulations, I'd give you a cookie if I
could, but I can't, so I won't. Know you are loved and prayed for. I can't
wait to hear what's going on in your life!

Much love,
courtney brandt