NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2008
Michael and Cheryl Moore
E-Mail: Mmoore@Janzteam.com
M.Moore@gods-fire.com
Dear Friends,
Two days before the terrorists started their attacks in Mumbai, we left from there for Germany. God has been protecting us! With Christian Kaube, a young friend from Germany, we traveled more than on any of
my previous trips to that country. Here is a short report from him:
When Mike asked me whether I would be interested in accompanying him to India, I didn’t realize what was in store for me. The trip has left a deep impression on my life and many experiences have expanded my limited horizon. Besides the poverty and the new culture, I was mostly impressed about the faith of these Christians:
• Their deep trust in God’s provision—daily bread, in their case, rice.
• After a short sermon, very open hearts for Jesus.
• God’s personal blessing is important for each of them. Expectations in
God are very big!
• Taking time with Jesus. Many rich people occupy their time with their belongings and plan little time with God. I want to change that in my life too: more time with God, instead for God.
It was a very wonderful time with Mike. Besides his humor, I have gotten a new respect for his love for the simple people. I can also understand much better now the many problems Mike has to face there. I want to thank especially our heavenly Father, who has blessed and led us!
NORTHERN INDIA
Bagdogra, only about ten minutes from the Nepali border, was our first stop. For one week we taught at the “Father of Heart Training Center”. Sanjib, the leader of that school, is a fiery evangelist and has a heart for the region. Only in its second year of
operation, the school has already 42 students. I taught three times a day.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT INDIA
Here are some interesting facts about this area and India in general:
• Women and men are not allowed to have contact with each other, and
they sit separately. This may seem very unusual for westerners, but this
works well for here. Generally, the students seem very happy.
• “Love marriages” are becoming more common, especially with Christians. Normally, the couple meets each other for the first time at the day of the wedding.
• India is still a very poor country. The average daily salary is less than
$1.
• An average church offering on a Sunday morning is also less than $1.
• The price of rice, the main diet of the Indians, costs 22 Rupies, or about 50 cents. Rice has gone up a lot recently, and Indians eat rice three times a day without exception.
• Western products are expensive. A bar of chocolate, for instance, costs twice as much as in the West. It will be locked up in a cabinet, much like jewelry, so that no one “steals” it.
• The disparity between the rich and the poor is getting bigger each day.
The idea that India will be a world power very soon seems very unlikely
to me. It is the rich who control the country, but the poor are getting
poorer each day.
• If an Indian employed by the state, such as a teacher, wants to travel
outside the country, he/she needs to et permission from the government.
The government fears that these people won’t return to India.
• Women especially are very shy. This may be a result of the caste system.
• After meetings, every person comes forward for prayer. One of the
characteristics of Indians is, that they are very humble and they expect God to “show up”. Prayer lasts usually a very long time and since I try to hear from God what to pray, it is usually very exhausting—but at the same time, very rewarding too.
• The average class size in a public school is 95! (Yes, you read that
correctly again.) Since students in India are very disciplined, it is not
such a huge problem as it would be in the west.
One of my concerns is how to financially help these people, especially the pastors. The needs are overwhelming. I know that we need to consider ways for them to support themselves. Recently I heard a
missionary say that we only need to respond to what God puts on our hearts, otherwise we’ll be overwhelmed by the needs.
WHAT ARE THE PRAYER REQUESTS?
Hyderabad, the capital of the state of Andra Pradhesh, is a huge city. I notice, like everywhere in India, that there are very few men attending the meetings. Part of the reason is that Sunday is not a holiday—remember, India is largely a Hindu country—and they have to work. A common prayer request from young people is, that they will succeed in their studies. Competition is extremely keen here, but I also notice that it seems to be mostly memorizing facts and not necessarily always understanding what it’s all about. Practical applications, as I usually like to do after sermons, is unusual for over here and although it is very different for them, they enjoy it. Another prayer request is for women to pray for their husbands. Many still follow
Hindu practices. Getting married is a common prayer request. When I once asked, “Does she really want to get married to that man?” I am reprimanded, “We don’t ask such questions here.”
Like in all large cities and in the villages, poverty in the slums is always worse than imagined. Yet the people there are open to God, are truly happy, even though their living conditions are very meager.
LIVING WITHOUT ELECTRICITY
Bidar is located in a very undeveloped region. We are staying at the “best hotel in town”. Cost for one night is $8. The room
seems not to have been cleaned and our sheets are still dirty. Electricity comes on only sporadically. We need to find a generator for the meetings. That isn’t as easy as imagined. We finally find one in another
town. There is also no water available. Christian and I joke around; after all, why complain about it, it won’t help anyway. Christian is doing extremely well. Even though he gets sick, he is eating the food served to him, including hard-boiled eggs covered with flour and boiled in oil. I give him many opportunities to share at the meetings, and he does well. During the days, we are having pastors meetings, in the evenings we are conducting outdoor evangelistic meetings. The meetings are loud and enthusiastic.
ON INDIA’S TRAINS
From Bidar we travel by train to Bangalore, a 20 hour train ride. Entering the train is a special experience. Both sides, the ones
leaving the train and the ones entering, decide on a tug-of-war to see who wins. I’m not sure whether to laugh or to get mad. Finally I decide to have some fun too: I push my way through the crowd inside the train to claim our reserved seats. During the train ride many beggars appear.
Some clean our floor with a broom, others sing a song, many are crippled from polio and stretch out their hands for money. When they notice that we have US dollars, they would rather take these than their rupies. The briefcase of one of our team members is stolen. His money and his important papers are gone.
BEING STRANDED
We arrive at 6 a.m. and then continue to Mysore, a well-known city farther south. On our return trip, not only do we have a flat tire, but the car stops completely. No attempts to fix it helps. It i s 2 a.m.! Finally a friend is called to come and pick us up. At 2:30 in the morning we look forward in getting a couple hours of sleep. That morning at 6 a.m. we have to be at a church service in Bangalore. Although it is a Sunday, people still have to work—remember India is a Hindu nation—and for that reason attend church service at 6 a.m. The worship is lively. Then at 10 a.m., the next service begins. Here, mostly people from the villages attend who have taken the bus. That evening we attend another service in the slums. “Try not to be seen”, I am
warned. “Foreigners are not popular”. We run from the car to the meeting place which is in a house. The people are poor, but friendly and open to the Spirit of God. Like anywhere in India!
INDIA’S FUTURE LEADERS
The next morning it’s off to Rayakotta in Tamil Nadu. Again it was a short night. The Bible school here has around 270
students, but they operate also a public school with around 770 students, mostly from Hindu backgrounds. The students come from everywhere. Again, there is a strict gender code, but it works out very
well. I teach twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. I speak in English and my message is translated into Hindi in the large hall. Other translators are located in other rooms, as there are 14 major languages in India. In the evenings there are prayer meetings. The students are very open, worship with all of their heart and are humble. Afterwards everybody wants to have their picture taken with us. And of course, some say, “Don’t forget to visit us when you’re back in India”.
PERSECUTION AGAINST CHRISTIANS
A number of the students come from Orissa where Christians are heavily persecuted. I ask about the conditions there. The state of Orissa is considered to be the poorest one in India. When the Hindus destroyed towns by burning them down, the Christians had to flee into the jungle. Relief finally arrives, but they have to stand in line
for two hours, and even children are expected to cook their own rice. But as one Christian told me, Christians have to use wisdom too. When a Christian urinates on a Hindu statue, it isn’t surprising when Hindus
react negatively. Persecution against Christians is not only found in Orissa, but also in Karnataka where we ministered. Some of our meetings have to be canceled in the villages, as it is too dangerous for us to be seen there.
AT THE ORPHANAGE
Our final stop is in Narsapur, east of Hyderabad near the Indian Ocean. Again it is a night train ride. Yesupadam, the leader
there, visited us in the US a few months ago. The orphanage has received a new paint job and looks attractive. Christian is received
warmly and has to give lots and lots of hugs and kisses. Again, we travel to the villages for evangelistic meetings. The drives are usually more draining than the actual meetings. Christian has been sick with his
stomach, nothing unusual in India, because westerners are not used to the food here. He has been a very good trooper though and shares a testimony at almost every meeting.
Christmas is coming up! I am a little concerned that this letter arrives at the “wrong” time. I don’t want to add to a pile of all of those “please help me” letters that people receive around Christmas. We are truly blessed and I just want to share that God continues to provide for all of our needs in wonderful ways. At this time of the year, I am reminded that He is truly Jehova Jireh, our provider, both spiritually and physically. I have a wonderful helpmate in Cheryl who faithfully supports what I do.
May you celebrate with us during this season what Jesus has done for all of us and have a blessed holiday season!
Cheryl and Mike
Besides that we are involved in many youth camps and pastors conferences. Our books have been translated in five foreign languages and pertain to very practical subjects, like “How to hear the voice of God”.
