Ajay, our guide, led Regina and me down an alley in New Delhi, India. The Sunday morning air carried typical India smog in a narrow ribbon of sky above. We stopped, pushed open a narrow wooden door on the left, and entered a small courtyard. Singing, punctuated with drum and tambourine, poured from an open doorway within. We removed our sandals and walked into a room the size of a small, one-car garage. A couple dozen people sat on floor mats—men on the right, women on the left, kids clustered near the front. A few gawked. Most continued clapping and singing.
More songs. Some testimonies. Kids recited memory verses. Another song. Then a small, wiry woman stood. High energy with intense bright eyes, Amrit was quick to smile. Delivered from mental oppression when she met Jesus, she and her husband entered the ministry. When he passed away, she agreed to take up the pastor’s mantle for the congregation meeting in their home.
Standing before the group, pointing frequently to a hand drawing pinned to a red curtain, she told the story of the Samaritan woman’s well-side encounter with Jesus, then taught about implications. Forty minutes later Amrit invited Regina to tell a story. Regina chose, instead, to ask questions about the story they just heard. Most leaned in, attentive eyes forward. They answered. They laughed. They shared. They immersed themselves in God’s Word.
Amrit’s apartment is more church than private home. The congregation meets in the main space. Her bed, couch, and coffee table crowd a smaller room. A paper-plate making machine fills the kitchen-dining area. Proceeds from selling its output fund ministry outreach. Like so many Indian believers, Amrit’s response to Jesus is to jump in—all the way.
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Jim & Regina Manley just returned from a three-week ministry trip to India. They, along with two other MAF staff, conducted Bible Storytelling and Discussion workshops as well as technical training for three different Indian ministries. Click here to read more about MAF working in India.