Life Changing Words Ministry

Missionary Journal

January 14, 2007

We arrived to New Delhi station, uneventfully and safely, eighteen hours later. Madabi (Rachel) Elsen met us to help while away the hours before our Rajdhani to Dimapur. We loaded the luggage into the rented car, climbed in, and headed for the coffee shop only the driver knew.

After a wonderful time of fellowship, we were deposited right to our seats in the bogie a half hour before the scheduled departure. Madabi had to rush off for some duties she needed to do. She is a nurse and visits patients to see how they are doing. We got ourselves established in our bunks while we waited for the train to pull out of the station.

Somehow the time seemed to go quickly inspite of the usual delays. We were late. Bill called Pastor Kilang from Guwahati, Assam, the last major stop before Dimapur to give them some general time frame in which we would arrive.

We arrived on my dad’s birthday, since it was after midnight. The train only stays in the station for only ten minutes. We madly moved bags off onto the platform. We didn’t bother looking for Pastor when he came because Bill was still on the train trying to pull our luggage off. People do not allow you to get off before they try to get on because of the short stop time. This sets up a great mass confusion as to who is getting on and getting off. I have been in the middle of this and cannot even move even though I am pushing with all my might.

But Pastor and the auto rickshaw driver came to "rescue" us from the bogie (individual train car which we were assigned). He was so glad to see us. He helped us move the baggage closer to the exit, but we could not leave until a copy of our permit and passports were shown to the police at the station, registering us as having arrived. [They never check to see that we leave.] Pastor has to register us, so we wait for him on the platform and people look at us as if they have never seen foreigners or white skin. The beggars come to us also. If I have some food or something to eat with me, I will give it to the children who beg.

We reached our Dimapur "home" at two am. The bed looked so good and we slept straight through to ten am. When we got dressed, we got lunch.

Bill went on errands with Pastor and I pulled out my clothes from the suitcase that we leave at their home with our winter things. We are usually in Nagaland in the cold months and over the past four years have brought items to use and leave for the next visit. I also unpacked the hostess gifts we brought for the places we would be staying. Pastor Kilang had expressed his appreciation of the fact that I give a token gift. He affirmed that it isn’t the greatness of the gift, but the love shown in desiring to give something with a thankful heart.

We hung around the house playing with the children. Daniel has grown taller and his English is much improved since last year. He is easier to understand and very polite in speaking. He is a bit serious and favors his father’s mannerisms.

Along has settled down more than last year. He does not understand a lot of English, but when you ask him something, he smiles and says, "Yeah". He likes to sing. His favorite song is ‘I saw the Light’. He and Daniel have begun to take notes of the messages while their father is speaking.

Moaienla (Aienla for short) will be three in July. She is a kick in the pants. Her skin tone is very light, almost white, so I tease her mom that she is looking like me. She is a typical girl and has daddy carry her on his back so she can sleep. [Here the children are tied to the parent’s back with a long scarf; the child is safe, warm, and where the action is.]

Arenla has passed Amenla in height and weight. She is now twelve. Her English has greatly improved and expresses that she loves her brothers and sister. She is delightful and such a great help to Amenla.

The next two days I spent preparing to go to minister in the village. My advisor, Amenla, sat with me as we determined what I needed to wear for each village when speaking. We also decided what gift was appropriate for which place. The items were put into piles and I put them in plastic bags marking them for each village. I appreciate her insight and abilities because she helps me to show love in a cultural way without fear of offense. The bags were ready by evening.

Early the next morning we were up, dressed, given morning tea and toast. We headed out to pick up Chuchang, whose village we would attend first. He was one of the students from Grace Center. He remembered us when we were there in 1995, and arranged the Changki Yimpang village church program for us. It took about seven hours to get to the village.

We met the pastor and elders first. They take us to a place to sit together to see us and ask any questions. Pastor Kilang told them about us. Foreigners are not permitted in the villages unless one of the villagers invites them and permission must come from the persons of village authority. We received permission because they were very curious why old people would come to see them. Of course, they love Americans because a Baptist man, Dr. EW Clark, came from USA to bring the gospel to Nagaland. We met Yimlila, the Women’s director, and Alumla, the children’s director, at this meeting. Bill spoke at the Saturday evening service.

Our accommodations were very nice and clean. I took special notice of the blankets. It was cold by the evening and colder during the night. We visited in the small hall in a building next to the church. The chula was brought for us. [A chula is a large round coffee can-like item in which hot burning coals of fire are placed in order to be mobile and bring a form of heat into a room or area to warm the hands. There are no electric heaters or furnaces here. Not all the houses have electricity.] At dark we were called for the last meal of the day. The ladies said ‘goodnight’ and left, walking without a torch/flashlight to their home on the other side of the church.

Chuchang served our meal. He said it gave him great privilege to serve God’s servants, since he was touched by the messages he heard in Grace. They are still helping him in his ministry. He is married and has a daughter. He and his wife recently lost a son to some sickness.

When breakfast was finished, Chuchang, Pastor Kilang, and I walked up the hill to the upper church to get a higher view of the village for a picture. As we walked down, we came to the upper church pastor’s home, went in to meet him and his wife briefly. Before reaching the Yimpang church, we stopped at the elder’s home to pray for his wife’s health. She was so surprised that I would come with the men to pray for her. We prayed and she felt better. I asked for her picture and she agreed. As we stood up to leave, her husband handed Chuchang a gift to give to me. It was a small token of thanks for coming from a far distance to his home. Please remember him and his wife and pray. I love going to the homes to pray. I can’t wait for heaven when we can speak to one another with no language barriers. [Nagaland has sixteen tribes with more than sixteen dialects just in one state and this does not count the non-Naga languages that live here. How could one learn them all?]

Bill gave the Sunday morning message after I was invited to give a greeting in Ao, the one Pastor Kilang had taught me two years before. Yimlila presented to me the traditional Changki blue mikala with the blue and white Ao shawl during the service. Bill received ___________________.

When our lunch was eaten, Bill went to the room to rest and Yimlila took me for a walk through the village, the opposite way from the morning walk, which ended at the end of the ridge where the police post was located. The high school was just before. I took Yimlila’s photo there and we walked leisurely back to the church. She gave me a white Changki mikala as her gift to me.

In the Lord’s Day service four young ladies danced while the rest of the group sang their song. [Naga people are known for their love of music.] I asked if the four ladies would help me demonstrate the worship tools for my portion at the three o’clock youth meeting. They agreed, but I needed Yimlila to help me get the communications right on what they were to do and when.

The Holy Spirit moved at the meeting and ten young people responded with tears to be used by God to fulfill their destinies in Him. The worship tools made by the ladies in W. Mulund were received joyfully by the young people for a deeper worship experience. "Sum pelaro, Yisu"

As is customary in the villages, we were asked to meet in the small hall with the elders. One would stand and speak their thanks to us for our messages and challenges. We were the first foreigners to visit and a double blessing that we were American. [If they were happy, they would extend an invitation to return; if not, none was given.] We were invited to return the next time we came to Nagaland.