Just How Did We Get to This Point? Part 1

Even before Madhav and I were married, we talked and prayed about a future involvement in Christian Ministry.  The problem was, we had no idea where or in what capacity!  Madhav was a mechanical engineer.  I was a speech therapist.  How in the world would God use us in ministry?

We were married in 2002.  Two years later our first son was born.  Another 13 months, and along came our second son - followed shortly by our beautiful first daughter.  And, still we continued to wait and pray.  

About a year after our 3rd child joined our family, Madhav received a job offer in Pennsylvania.  Although he really enjoyed his current job, we sensed God telling us it was time to go . . .

so, we packed up our family and headed north.

Our family at dedication service, shortly before moving to PA

When friends asked why we were moving to PA, we told them we believed God was moving us toward Christian Ministry.  Of course, the inevitable next question was,

"what ministry?"

And, our vague answer was,

"we have no idea yet."

As we settled in PA, we began to search for a church family.  Having grown up in the area, I had a general idea of the nearby churches and put together a list for us to visit.  However, one night, just out of curiosity, I did an internet search of churches in the area.  A church popped up with which I wasn't very familiar - Bible Fellowship Church of Ephrata.  Although the website was quite nice (and it did actually look like a church we might enjoy), what really caught my eye was an announcement about their upcoming mission's Sunday with special guest speaker, Sanjay Dalavai.

Now, having just migrated from the ethnically diverse DC area to small town PA, we were both surprised to see Sanjay's name (an obviously Indian name) on the list of speakers.

At the time, Madhav joked,

"We're definitely visiting that church on mission's Sunday.

Any church that is having an Indian guy speak, must be pretty good!"

We still laugh about that comment today.  Especially because it turned out to be right on target!

That Sunday, Sanjay shared about Life Change Ministries International (LCMI), a Christian Camping Ministry to the children of India.  Sanjay, director of LCMI, and his wife and three daughters were living in India in order to get the ministry up and running.  He was home only for a couple of weeks, and was at that church just for that Sunday to update the church on what was happening through their ministry in India.

Sanjay spoke about the more than 400 million children in India (did you know that's more than the entire population of the USA?).  He shared of the 18 million children who live and work in the streets of India - and the fact that only 2-3% of the country's population are Christian.

He explained how LCMI was partnering with local churches and pastors to identify children who needed to go to camp and hear God's word - and how excited they were about an added outreach to children with disabilities and their families.

Madhav and I listened that Sunday, quite intrigued to hear of LCMI's work with the children of India (Madhav's home country) and their special focus on children with special needs . . . and . . well . . . let's just say a small spark was lit that day in both Madhav and me.

(stay tuned . . . there's more to the story . . . )

Our Journey Begins . . .

 . . . actually, we've been on this journey for what seems like a LONG time!

Now, though, it's "official".

As of Friday night (February 8th), Madhav and I (and our family) became approved missionaries to I*a with Life Change Ministries International.

And, so, we begin another journey . . .

A journey of a HUGE life change.  We'll be changing cultures, and climates, and comforts.  We'll be teaching and training and trying to learn a new language.  And always asking God to bring about life changes in  the children of I*a as they personally encounter the Lord Jesus Christ.

Of course, before that great move, comes a shorter journey:  one of preparing ourselves for what is to come while patiently waiting for God to say "Go Now".  We'll begin some training and language learning.  We'll start clearing out the house and making plans for life overseas.  And, most importantly, we'll be traveling and visiting and always sharing our story; building a team that will support us and stand with us as we go.

We're excited to finally be at this point . . . so stay tuned, there's much more to the story coming your way!