Useful to the Master

We are getting so incredibly excited!  We got the detailed itinerary on Monday night.  A few tears were shed as we read it together.  We are so humbled by the fact that God wants to use us to take the light of Christ to unreached people.  We are going to get to do more while we are there than we had anticipated.  Our team will give our testimony/teach God's Word in each place that we visit.  We will go to several villages, including two different villages that our family actually adopted...our kids are so excited!  We will also go to the sewing center for women, eat dinner with he orphans at the Mercy Home orphanage, visit the literacy training center for children, visit a group of new believers, visit the training school for church planters, and visit with the staff at Transformation India Movement.  It is so overwhelming to see what God is doing and how He is working.  To be even a small part of His plan in Bihar is amazing...and so humbling.  God is already begun to work on hearts here.  He has given so many people around us a passion for the people of Bihar, too.  Our AWANA club has adopted two wells since Christmas!!  That's $1600 raised by these children and their families.  They have a heart for the unreached.  It's incredible to see the children-3 and 4 year olds- telling their parents that they want to reach people in India with the good news of Jesus because they have never heard.  As our children's minister said last night, all of the AWANA children and their families now have a little piece of their hearts in Bihar, India.

Our BSF this week was on Isaiah 49.  This morning our leader pointed out how we are responsible for spreading the message of Christ.  The way that God designed for people to hear the Gospel is through other people.  We are the arrows in His quiver...polished by Him and ready to be useful to the Master, whenever and wherever He sends us.  His agenda, not ours.  We are it...  there is no Plan B!  How can we have this knowledge of the Good News of Christ and not share it?  He wants to use us.  Isn't that amazing?

Thank you for all that so many of you have done to help us, but especially for all of the prayers!!  We feel covered. 

Here are some facts about Bihar:
Population: 85 million (Bihar is the size of the state of Georgia...how appropriate!)
Villages:  45,113
Per Capita Income: $200/ year
Languages: Hindi, tribal languages
Literacy: 47.5%; 20% in villages
85% rural
People groups: 150
Religion:  Hindu 79%, Muslim 14.5%, Christian .05%
Unreached people groups: 100.  Fifty of these have over 100,000 population
Birthplace of Buddhism
Has been called the core of the core of the 10/40 window