Life Changing Words Ministry

Missionary Journal

January 21, 2007

On a clear Monday morning, we ate our breakfast followed by a brief time of expressing our thanks for their wonderful hospitality and fellowship. Again the invitation to return was given. We accepted. We would head to Chuchu Yimpang church for the Monday evening service at five pm.

We arrived around noon. We met Pastor Wathi, Elder Chuba, and a few other elders. Our hostess, Yashila, was a church worker who was planning to go to Bible school.

Our accommodations were very nice. I noticed that there were two blankets on each of the twin beds that were pushed together for us. It was cold in the room. Candles are in each room for the times when there is no electricity.

A place for us to have tea and snacks was made outside on the veranda in the sun. [It was actually in the area where the laundry is hung and in front of the toilet and bathroom.] The sun felt good. Most of the conversation was between Pastor Kilang and Pastor Wathi and the elders.

After tea we all went to see the church. In the inside it looks like all the other Baptist church layout. This church is quite large; more than 600 people can sit here. The elders led the way up to the belfry. There were no bats there. The walk around the outside just below the spire was blocked, otherwise, I could have walked all the way around. I took pictures from up there. I noticed a lake below.

Pastor Kilang and I walked with Pastor Wathi and Elder Chuba down to the natural lake. It is the only one in Nagaland. In the past history, it was to be a place for tourists, but no tourists came. [Not many foreigners get to come; there are very few accommodations for them... not even currency exchange.] Legend says that a huge 45 kg (almost 100 lbs) fish was taken from this lake and given to some high official who later paid for the building that is currently there.

Worship was led by the youth leader and Bill shared the message while Pastor Kilang translated. After the service we ate our supper, and then sat in our room fellowshipping with Borchuba, youth director, and Elder Chuba until late discussing praise and worship using the tools sent with me for them. Borchuba was happy to receive them as he had seen something like this when he was in Youth With A Mission in southern India.

Preparing for bed, I felt a draft. The curtains were closed. I opened them and realized that there was no window pane. Wow, we would be sleeping outside! Bill asked if I was going to open the blankets over both beds. I said, no, as I was folding the two blankets on my side into four thicknesses. [Bill has a habit of stealing covers in his sleep and it was too cold to run the risk of being cold all night.] I slept soundly and as snug as a bug in a rug (warmly).

We didn’t have to be to the church at the bottom of the hill until later, so the pastors, an elder and I went for a walk. We walked down to the home of a retired politician who was bedridden to pray for him, around to the front of the church and across, passing Elder Chuba’s house, over to where Borchuba lived. We met his mom and brother’s family. They are carpenters working on finishing their house. The woodwork they do is beautiful, including the wood planks on the floors.

We arrived back to the church in time for lunch before leaving to roll down the hill, literally, to the Ali Sangkum church. We would be staying the night with Mr. Arenchaba, his wife and their six sons. They founded the church as an outreach to the unwanted and non-Naga people who are living in Nagaland. As a result, this church is being persecuted by the Naga Baptist churches in the area who do not want to minister to ethnic groups. [Pray for all the churches whom the enemy of our souls has hindered them from seeing and doing what is the heart of God – winning souls.]

Their home is part of a campus like setting. We stayed in a separate bamboo house that was just the sleeping quarters. The toilet was on the opposite side and resembled the old fashioned outhouse that we used when we were kids at our grandparents. [Bill had a longer experience with them.] The food was eaten in the main house where the cooking was done by the youngest three sons and the place of ‘warming fellowship’ received before the stick fire.

At the evening service, Bill and I were presented with gifts. He received an Ao vest and I received a shiny thread Ao sepati before giving the message and presenting the worship tools to the pastor.

Bill and I shared the bed and were comfortably warm all night. The noise of the children playing woke us up. We would not have too far to go to reach the Mokokchung DEF (Police) church for the Wednesday service.

We packed up our things and loaded them into the car. I took a snap of the family and pastor after thanking the family for their hospitality. I seem to always be the last one in the car...

The police church is on the other side of Mokokchung city. We stopped for something to drink and a snack. I had soup. It felt colder here. Pastor Kilang said that it was because it is higher than any of the other villages we have been in.

We pulled into the church yard and met the pastor. As we had tea and snacks he told Kilang that the Superintendent of Police had called. He had a very important meeting to attend, but he wanted prayer first. So, the three of us were invited to go with him to the SP’s office in Mokokchung. We drove back and were given special privilege to go right into his office. He introduced himself as Senup, his (new believer) assistant, Joy, and two other officers. Bill prayed for them and the Lord gave me a word of encouragement to speak to him: "Do not be afraid, but be of good courage, the Lord is with you." [At the time we did not know the violent political trouble that was brewing.] I sensed a sweet, humble, but firm spirit in him. He thanked us as he shook our hands and we left right away. He left behind us for his special meeting.

Back at the police church, we were served lunch by the Ladies Director and her two young assistants. Because Bill was speaking at five, I took my camera and Pastor Kilang sent the two girls with me. We hiked up the steep hill across from the church to get a picture. I carefully made my way down flanked by the girls. We headed up the side road to the police camp post. Along the way we met a couple coming from the field. I took their picture. I caught two giggling monkeys in a tree permanently on the digital. It was nice during the day with the sun shining, but it would get cold when the sun went down.

The girls and I got back in time to change clothes for the service. The three of us would stay in the same room. Bill took the single in the corner, Pastor Kilang took the one on the church side, which left me right in front of the window. The view was gorgeous, but the window was not tight and as the wind blew, it would be like sleeping outside.

The Women Director’s privilege was to present to us gifts of appreciation for our visit to the church. Bill received a vest and necktie; I, a large blue Ao shawl that is used as a coat in the daytime.

We ate our meal after the service and we were invited to the pastor’s house for dessert. When we were there, he shared with us that it was he and his wife’s anniversary. We prayed for them and went into the kitchen area by the fire to have dessert. She made a cake for us as our snack. Bill was impressed because it was similar to home and not dried out as most of the cakes are here.

We slept very comfortably and the wind did not blow too much on me. I was up early to do final preparation for the Ladies meeting at 9:30am. I had not given the worship tools the night before and had wondered if I had missed something. I waited. When the pastor had mentioned something to me about the normal worship music being different, I questioned him. His response quickened me to know that I needed to leave tools here.

I encouraged the ladies in praying for their husbands by using scriptures and using praise and worship with their prayers. I apologized for not presenting to pastor the night before and gave him some tools, the music leader and women’s director the remaining tools I had used in my demonstrations. They responded after the service how excited they were to have a new dimension of worship. They were so grateful and invited us to come again.

We visited the Women Director’s new home and the Youth Director’s place before leaving for Changtongya town where Pastor Kilang’s parents, Opang and Akila, were waiting for us. It had been two years since we had seen them last. It was a sweet reunion. We were given the opportunity to rest and renew ourselves for a day.

Kilang’s brother, Sumak, was working in Dimapur. His wife, Asungla, whom we had met last year, was pregnant and due in March. She was staying across the path/road since marriage. Her job was to take care of the cooking for us, although she looks after her in-laws with a great deal of love. Her parents live on the way to the Longchara Baptist church.

Chuba, Kilang’s younger brother, whom we had come to know through Grace Center and Living Messages Team in 1997, was there to do his first-time translating for us while Pastor Kilang did a revival scheduled in Mokokchung. We were scheduled for three churches that weekend.

By Friday my sinus infection was worse and I prayed for grace and declared my healing by God’s grace. I laid down for a nap. Amenla’s mother had stopped to see me and when she was told I was in the bedroom, she came there. I had started to fall asleep, until I heard her tapping. She speaks limited English, but sat on the bed and massaged my head and neck. Then she did my back and legs. She told me to sleep and left. I did sleep…out for two and one half hours!!! I felt so much better when I got up.

On Saturday evening, I shared in the Phom Baptist church. They presented me with a Phom ladies shawl. [Bill got a yangko – a book bag.] I gave the Ao greeting and the congregation laughed with delightful surprise. Chuba was nervous and at first just wanted me to speak and he summarize, but you can’t do that with the Word of God. It isn’t a speech. So I encouraged him to come up to the pulpit and I spoke slowly one sentence at a time. He did well for his first effort.

Sunday morning we walked up to Asungla’s church on the hill. It was where she and Sumak were married. Her father met us on the road and walked the rest of the way with us. Chuba was a little more challenged with translating for Bill, but again he did well. Bill had spoken slowly for him too.

On the way back to Opang’s house, we stopped to meet Asungla’s family members and to have tea with snacks. We met her blind aged grandfather, who they believe is over 100 years. When I went to greet him with my hand, he grabbed hold and began praying thanking God for the privilege of letting him meet an American, whose country brought the light of life to Nagaland.

As we walked back, we saw Alumla, Meren’s wife and Opang’s youngest sister. She told us to plan to come to her house for a meal before we left Changtongya. We said we would. Her daughter, Arenla, would like to cook Thai and Chinese food for us. We told her we would look forward to that.

I prepared for the evening service at the Chantongya Town Baptist church, which was walking distance the opposite way from this morning. Chuba did well and we had fun during the message. I presented the worship tools to the leaders commissioning them to seek to use them according to the Spirit.

The evening meal was ready for us when we returned. After supper, I gave Akila a glory ring for her home prayer and devotional time. I also gave her and Amenla’s mom, Nukshila, each one of my shirts for the cold weather. They received sox too.

Opang’s house sits high above the road and has a wonderful view. Since we were here last time, he has made some additions and improvements. The kitchen stick fire area has been removed and a large fireplace has been built. The bamboo portion of the kitchen has now been made brick with plaster. He has also added a large bathroom with a western-style toilet off their bedroom. The toilet has no tank, so you pour water down just like the Indian-style ones. It acts as a seat only. The other door of the bathroom goes to a small unfinished balcony that we can use. This means that we go outside from our bedroom to get to the toilet during the night.

Chuba lives in the room enclosed down below the house. He accesses his room by going outside and down the side of the house. He puts his motocycle down the hill at night and pushes it up to the road in the morning. The cat thinks it is one of the dog’s, Jessie, puppies, but is small enough to get into the kitchen to sit in the fireplace for warm and to wait for food. The pets are Chuba’s.