CENLA from my Cell Phone Camera

It's been WAY too long since I've posted, so to get back in the groove of things, here are some pictures from my cell phone camera, taken over the past few weeks/months. Hope you enjoy!

Believe it or not, that's a helicopter in the parking lot of the King's Country Shopping Center. I was driving back to my office and saw this odd sight! I found out it belongs to the company that's doing the demolition the old Walmart. They're based out of Dallas and he needed some info so just flew on over. He first flew into the Buhlow airport but the courtesy car wasn't available so he decided to just land in the parking lot! I guess that's what *I* would do if I flew my helicopter to the local airport and the courtesy car wasn't available! :) Cool!

This is a cross made of flowers. Each year Grace Christian School has a fundraiser called "Jogathon" - a day of fun and games and the students raise money by getting sponsors to pay them for the number of laps around the baseball field they're able to do in a certain amount of time. The students also bring flowers to decorate a cross that is placed in a prominent location for all to see. I thought it was beautiful! (BTW, Grace Christian School is where I lead chapel every Thursday morning for the elementary students. One of the highlights of my week!)

I saw this tricycle the other day in the McDonald's parking lot. Pretty sharp vehicle, if you ask me! I'm not sure what kind it is - it's got a steering wheel instead of handle bars. I think it might be a Stallion trike from Thoroughbred Motorsports. Haven't ever seen one of those in person before. Looks like a comfortable ride. (Of course, with a price tag over $30,000, it should be!)

Last one, I promise! This SUV was parked in the Sleep Inn parking lot. Not sure why "Action News 5" from Memphis would be in Pineville, but it was cool to see them here!

OK, that's enough for now. I've got a few more interesting pics in my cell phone camera but I'll save them for another day. I hope you enjoyed these. Have a GREAT week!

Blessings,
Nathan

Members Meeting

This afternoon at 3:00 we had one of our two our annual meetings for members of Christian Challenge. Every January we go over the financial report for the previous year and every July we select new members of our Board of Counselors which assists our Board of Directors and Pastoral Staff in providing leadership to the ministry. The January meeting also gives me a chance to review the previous year and talk about the direction for the upcoming year. Here's a little of what I shared today:

2007 was a year of transition and growth since I assumed the duties of Senior Pastor on December 16, 2006. We started several exciting new ministries, including our CARE Team (water distribution, etc), Angel Food Ministry, and Cenla First Class Homeschool Coop. We expanded our worship team, licensed one trained disciple to the ministry (Lane Fletcher) and added 15 new families! We also saw our missions and outreach giving increase exponentially! It was a very good year!

I shared with our folks this afternoon that the Lord has been faithful to give us an emphasis for each of the past couple of years. In 2006 it was "Youth and Fellowship". In 2007 it was "Outreach". In both of these years we saw significant growth in those areas of emphasis. We want to continue these things but in 2008 I feel the emphasis is to be "Relationships!" We're going to continue our growth but we're going to pay special attention to activities that foster deeper relationships to one another and to our Lord. I anticipate adding more small groups and seeing them become an integral part of our connection to one another. I look forward to seeing how the Lord is going to lead us to implement small groups into our discipleship oriented ministry. I believe it's going to be a win!

There's a lot more in store for 2008 - missions trips to Mexico, a VBS Sports Camp, more innovated outreaches and we're also forming a building advisory commission to help us determine the specific need and plan for a Family Life Center. All this while continuing the exciting activities already in place and become more connected to one another. Buckle your seatbelts, it's going to be a GREAT ride!

I LOVE serving Jesus with YOU!

Nathan

P.S. I "borrowed" the graphic above from my good friend Joel Dyke up at Life Church West Monroe. Check out his blog!

Too long

How much time is too long between posts? Well, six months is definitely too long! My last update was July 20, 2007 and here we are on January 26, 2008 and I haven't posted a single item in the preceding 6 months and 6 days. Nada. Zilch. Cero.

It's not like things haven't been happening. The last 6 months were filled with just as much, if not more, excitement as the prior 6 months. I guess I was just too busy to slow down to type a quick little blurb. And that is too busy.


So, here's a post that tries to catch up without being ... "too long". ;)

When I got back from my trip around the world (Philippines, Nepal, Pakistan and India) we immediately packed up for our youth mission trip to the Benito Juarez orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico. About a dozen of us headed down for a week of demolition, painting, dry-wall floating and lots of fun with the kiddos at the orphanage. We have visited this orphanage on many occasions and have been involved with the construction of their new dorm from the ground up. They are now tearing down and remodeling some of their old buildings and we were happy to help. Here are a few more pics:

The Mexico mission trip was a great experience, but it was definitely fatiguing, having just returned from my trip around the world with Patrick Calhoun of Christians Sharing Christ. I was one tired globe-trotter! On top of all that, the first part of August we got a report back from my dad's oncologist that the cancer had returned with a couple of "hot spots" in his upper abdomen and signs of cancer in his bone marrow. This was not good news ... at first.

I'll admit that this threw me for a loop. Dad had already walked through the cancer treatments and every report had been good. This report came out of the blue. But during this process the Lord spoke to his heart to "expect the unexpected" and to be assured that God would get glory out of this.

Sure enough, after repeated trips to Houston to take tests and get set for treatment at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center we got the report that the tests they ran in Houston showed absolutely no signs of cancer! We waited a bit to run the tests again and again, no signs of cancer!!! What a miracle - documented proof that God can, AND DOES, heal!!! We definitely got the unexpected!!!

The rest of the year continued with quite a bit of busyness. On August 19 my precious wife and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary with a quick weekend trip to Houston where we got to worship with her dad and mom at Second Baptist Church. That was spiritually exhilerating!

As we headed toward the end of the year things seemed to pick up pace. The church continued to grow with new people visiting every service. We improved our online streaming and saw more people visiting us that way. I taught a couple of series in November and December that really seemed to connect. In November it was "What Animal Planet Can Teach Us About Life" and in December it was "Old Carols in a New Light". We looked at some of the beloved old Christmas Carols and examined their message. Sometimes we get so familiar with things we miss how awesome they are.

We wrapped up the year with an incredible Christmas Eve service called "Carols and Communion by Candlelight". We had a New Year's Eve party up at the church where we watch "Flywheel" from the makers of "Facing the Giants". Then a couple of weeks later a bunch of us gathered at the church to watch LSU beat Ohio in the BCS Championship! That was a lot of excitement!

On top of that, I've been in a teaching series on Sundays that we'll wrap up tomorrow - it's called "Taking AIM" and we've been talking about not just shooting randomly at life but focusing on our target (goals), being intentional about changes and adjustments and measuring our progress. I believe it has helped us get off to a good start in the new year.

Tomorrow is an exciting time as well. We will have our annual January church membership meeting when I will present the financial report for 2007 as well as individual giving records. We'll also be voting to confirm our Board of Directors and I'll be sharing about our vision for 2008. I believe that God has great things in store for the body of believers called Christian Challenge! I'm so excited to get to lead this incredible congregation into the future.

Thanks for reading this far. I know, it was too long. But I won't let 6 months go by without updating again. My next entry will be much shorter, I promise! Until then, remember ...

I LOVE serving Jesus with YOU,
Nathan

2007 CSC Asia Trip Wrap-up

Hello everyone!

I'm writing this from the DFW airport as we await our final flight to Alexandria and the waiting arms of our families! This will be the 14th flight in 20 days, having touched down in 8 countries. We have established 9 new film teams, 3 in the Philippines, 4 in Nepal and 2 in Pakistan. That makes a total of 28 teams in Asia – including the 18 in India and 1 in Sri Lanka. We have also met with all but 2 of the 18 film teams in India for a time of training and testimonies. It has been a worthwhile trip, but we are bushed and ready to be home.

My last post left off with the second day of the conference. On the third and final day Patrick went over the CSC training manual with everyone present. While these teams are already functioning, it's good to go over the basics and make sure everyone is on the same page. We finished with a wonderful meal together at a table set for the King's kids, posed for group photos and spent time hugging and saying goodbye.


The afternoon we headed out to Bro. Abraham's house for a brief visit and then on to Bro. Roy's home for supper. On the way we stopped in the town of Mallapolly to take a photo of a Bible school my father-in-law helped build before I ever met my wife. As huge as this world is, with billions of people, my father-in-law had financially supported a pastor in south India by the name of George Varghesi who, as it turns out, actually baptized Bro. Abraham's father and mother years ago! He is in heaven now but the Bible school continues.

Bro. Abraham lives in a small home that his father built over 80 years ago on a rubber tree plantation. Rubber is his main source of income. Like Patrick, he is a businessman and helps underwrite some of the ministry in Asia. In fact, he gave a generous personal gift towards paying for the conference. He showed us how to tap the rubber trees and the process that the rubber milk goes through before it can be sold to the rubber companies.

After a snack in his home prepared by his lovely wife Susama we headed to Roy's home. Roy is married to Bro. Abraham's daughter and is full-time in the ministry, traveling as an evangelist and also a CSC missionary. They prepared a lovely supper which we enjoyed with gusto before taking our leave.

We had arranged the next morning to leave around 5:30 since it's a 3+ hour drive to the airport and we wanted to be there by 9:00, 2 hours before the flight left. It was a good thing we got an early start. The heavy rains in Kerala had made the road we traveled in impassable. We had to double back and take some back mountain roads through higher ground. We made it just in the nick of time ... it also helped that the flight was delayed a bit!

The next part is all a blur ... we flew into Delhi, rented a hotel room for a couple of hours to freshen up, then headed to the International airport for our 15+ hour flight to Chicago. We breezed through Immigration and Customs and headed to our connection flight to Dallas, where I'm writing this now.

Thank you so much for your prayers, emails, encouragement and financial support. CSC is God's plan, not ours, and the expansion He is leading us to is happening at His direction. Bro. Patrick and Bro. Abraham both feel a strong conviction of the Lord that there will be over 100 teams in Asia in the next 5 years. As a member of the Board of Directors, I know CSC will carefully follow the Lord's leading in this and ALL matters. Thank you for being a part of the Christians Sharing Christ “Support Team”!

Blessings,
Nathan <><

CSC Workers Conference in India – Day 2

Indian Greetings!

We were told that it is rainy season in this part of the country and we have definitely experienced it. It has rained almost non-stop since our arrival and the electricity is very intermittent. The hotel has a generator so whenever the electricity fails they fire up the generator, providing lights, but no AC. Last night was a litany of losing power, regaining lights on generator, lights off as they switch back to power and then lights on w/AC. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. :) But once we fell asleep we didn't have to worry about it any more! We slept well.

The morning brought an excitement about another day of testimonies. I so enjoy hearing these brothers share. Many of their stories are similar – opposition, death threats, hard conditions, but always the hand of God confirming their work, miracles happening and souls being saved. These guys are definitely the heroes of CSC! It's the same every where we go ... just as in Latin America, the brothers have such a passion for souls, such a willingness to suffer hardship, to travel long distances carrying the equipment on their shoulders, all for the purpose of winning souls. When we get to heaven I think there will be a special jewel in the crown of the CSC missionaries who have done so much to expand the Kingdom of God in the face of such opposition and hardship.

A common theme is a request for prayer that God would raise up workers for the harvest. Many repeated the phrase, “The time is short.” There is a sense of urgency in many of these brothers that we must make the most of the short time we have left.

Here's an example of one of the testimonies that were shared today. One brother shared that his grandfather was a Hindu priest who actually committed human sacrifices in his worship. This brother's father got sick and the grandfather priest did everything he could to see him healed. He sacrificed many animals and spent much money to try to find healing for his son to no avail. One day a man came to his grandfather and suggested that he call some Christian people to pray for his son and he would be healed. The grandfather got angry, “Why are you telling me this? I am a Hindu priest! I used to heal many people! Being a priest I cannot call Christian people to pray for my son.”

But eventually the grandfather relented and called for some Christians to come to his home to pray for his son. The Christians were at first afraid to go to this Hindu priests home, thinking it was a trick, that he wanted to capture them to sacrifice them to his god. But they decided, “Though he will kill us, let us go and hear him and pray for his son.” The Christians came and prayed for the son and the son got healed! The Hindu priest asked them to teach him the way of the Bible and what he must do to follow Jesus. Eventually this Hindu priest was baptized as a public profession of his faith in Jesus.

He led the people to tear down the large Hindu temple he had constructed and to build a Christian church in its place. The people agreed, but they were afraid to dismantle the place where the animals were sacrificed. Another pastor was called to pray and tear down the alter. As he prayed a large black cat came out from the altar making much noise, running away. The people tore down the altar and a church was built in that place and the former Hindu priest became the pastor!

Our brother is the grandson of that Hindu priest and he has served God all his life. He is a Bible College graduate, a pastor, a church planter, oversees an orphanage AND is a member of the CSC film ministry in India! Praise the Lord!

After a few more testimonies Patrick led the brothers through a slide-show of photos of our trip so far, introducing them to the ministry in the Philippines, Nepal and Pakistan. We ended with a photo of the Latin American conference in Costa Rica a couple of years ago, showing many of the film teams from Latin America, demonstrating what a large family CSC is. With great rejoicing we celebrated the blessings of the Lord on the CSC family. Then we broke for lunch.

After lunch we gathered back together to continue our time of testimonies. We asked them if they would worship the Lord in their native language of Maleao. What a stirring time of worship ensued as they worshiped with all their heart! We were caught up in an atmosphere of worship that caused us to reflect on how it will be one day when around God's throne worship will flow from every language and every tribe to the only One worthy of receiving such worship.

Brother after brother arose to share testimonies of how God has used film evangelism in their ministry. Every one shared the excitement of receiving a tool that can help them reach many at one time. We've shared the analogy of previously they were fishing with a pole but with a video projector they're fishing with a net! Most of these men are pastors, some are evangelists. They are understanding that CSC is partnering with them in their own ministry, that we are simply providing one tool to their toolbox. Many run orphanages, widows homes, Bible colleges and other types of outreaches. But they all are so excited to have the film projection ministry as an integral part of what they're doing for the Lord. What a great honor it is to be a part of their ministry and to be able to pray for them.

Tomorrow will be our final day with the brothers. We will meet in the morning for prayer, worship and devotion. Then Patrick will go through the CSC manual and we'll have a closing lunch together. Thank you guys again for your love, prayers and support. As much as we're enjoying this trip, we are glad that it is drawing to a close. God's grace has been sufficient. But we are also looking forward to being with our families soon. Until the next update!

Blessings,
Nathan <><

P.S. I've only uploaded a couple of pictures today because I also uploaded the videos above, which takes time. But you can see the newly uploaded photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathanmartin/sets/72157600877967924/. You can easily browse through all the sets of photos from this trip at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathanmartin/collections/72157600836327992/.

CSC Workers Conference in Thiruvalla, Kerala, India – Day 1

Howdy!

My last blog entry left off from us leaving Pakistan – but I didn't get to post it until over 24 hours later. And what long hours they were. The flight from Pakistan was 1 ½ hours late leaving. While we had enjoyed the peace of God during our stay, we knew it was time to “get out of Dodge”. So we were ready to go. One really neat thing happened as we were landing in Delhi from Pakistan. Patrick turned on his cellphone to check email and received one from one of the film teams in the Philippines. Bro. Elmerson had written to tell he had his first film showing with 180 people in attendance and 15 people gave their lives to the Lord!!! What an encouragement it was to us! (And I hope to you.)

We arrived in Delhi too late to catch a connecting flight that night so we purchased our ticket for early the next morning and headed to find a hotel and a way to get on the Internet. I found an Internet cafe but there was no way to connect my laptop to their system so I was only able to send a quick email update to a few folks that we were safe in Delhi.

We didn't sleep well that night for various reasons and we had to get up at 4:00AM to get to the airport on time. I had come down with a stomach bug which made traveling all the more uncomfortable. We boarded our 3+ hour flight to the southern city of Kochi, about 1200 miles south of Delhi in the beautiful state of Kerala. There we were picked up by Bro. Roy, the assistant to the India director, Bro. Abraham. Then it was a 3+ hour ride through the lovely countryside to finally arrive in Thiruvalla, the base of our Indian operations.

The southern state of Kerala is beautiful. It is called “God's Country” by the Indians themselves and you can easily see why. It has a very diverse landscape, hills and flat areas. The area we drove through was very low with many canals and rice paddies. Many people live in these lowlands, some right on the water. They all have small canoes to take them back and forth and some have fashioned crude hand-powered ferries to transport themselves across the canals.

We were exhausted and were glad to get checked into our hotel. After getting settling in and saying goodbye to the brothers we both crashed for a much-deserved nap. Even though this is one of the more primitive hotels we've stayed in, it has the best Internet connection – a cable modem! After my nap I headed down to the hotel to log into the Internet to update my blog and upload some pictures. I was also able to watch the Christian Challenge service live over the Internet, and what a blessing that was! It was great to get to see familiar faces and to get to worship virtually with my church family. I had recorded a brief video greeting in Pakistan and another arriving here in Thiruvalla which I had sent and I think they enjoyed it as well. Then it was back to my room for a wonderful night's sleep.

The following morning we were awakened by singing from a Pentecostal church next door. This was a big change from the last time Patrick was here when he was awakened by the Muslim prayer calls. What a nice change! I headed downstairs to the lobby but this morning I was unable to connect my laptop to the hotel's network. After an hour of no success I began using their computer, which is fine for checking emails, but doesn't allow me to upload pictures, videos, etc. I also got to IM with my lovely wife for a bit, which was a plus.

I headed back to the room to check on Patrick. I had begun feeling much better but now he was stricken by the same bug I had experienced the day before. Bro. Abraham had arrived and prayed for Patrick while I was downstairs and soon he felt well enough to head down to the conference, which would take place in a meeting room in the same hotel.

We had invited the 18 film teams from around India to join us for three days of testimonies, training and encouragement. Sixteen of the film teams were able to make it to the conference, some traveling as far as 5 days on a train to get here! Praise the Lord!

The brothers had been praying for us in the meeting room and when we arrived they were excited to receive us. We had a wonderful time of worship and prayer together and then Patrick and I brought greetings to the CSC team. Patrick then shared the history of how CSC came to India, the letter he had received from Bro. Abraham, the email from another brother and the magazine cover speaking of the need for film evangelism in India, all in the same week. This was an encouragement to the brothers to see how the hand of the Lord had led CSC to India. This was the first time for many of them to meet Patrick, who they had heard of from Bro. Abraham, the CSC Asia director.

Then Patrick had each of the brothers stand an introduce themselves briefly before calling on some of them to begin giving reports. Roy Matthew was the first brother to give his report, as he was the first team started under Bro. Abraham's leadership. (He came to the states a couple of months ago and some of you may have met him.) He shared part of his testimony, that he was not worthy of this ministry but was chosen and used by God, not according to his own worth. He is very grateful that the Lord has brought CSC to India.

He shared a testimony from 8 months ago when they were headed out to show films. When they entered a village a young boy came running towards them, asking “Are you the servants of God?” They responded, “Yes, how did you know?” He didn't respond other than to ask them to follow him as he ran bad in the direction he had come from. They followed him running through the village until they reached his house where his mother was demonstrating an evil spirit. They began to pray in the name of Jesus that the Lord would rebuke the evil spirit and instantly the woman fell to the ground, released from the demon that was tormenting her. The next day she publicly proclaimed her faith in Jesus to the whole village, which was a great testimony to the entire village. Later he called the little boy and asked him, “How did you know we were men of God?” The boy replied, “One hour before you came the demon began to say through my mother, 'God's servants are coming. I've been in this woman for 15 years but now I am agitated.' So I knew that someone was coming who could set my mother free.”

Roy shared that after coming to the Lord he preached for many years, evangelizing in many villages with some success but no big responses. But now with the films, large crowds gather, hundreds who otherwise would not come to hear an itinerant preacher, but who come to see the films. And many are being saved, not because of them, but because the Lord has given us this tool to reach so many more than before. He is very thankful for the tool of film evangelism. He gave a passionate call to the other brothers that there is no time to waste, that we must RUN to the harvest fields for the Lord is coming back soon!

Several more brothers were able to give their testimonies of how God has used Christians Sharing Christ Film Ministry to empower them to reach so many more than their previous efforts. One shared of a witch doctor who accepted Jesus after watching one of the films. This resulted in many of the villagers also accepting Jesus. Another brother works in the Andoman Islands in the Bay of Bengal, 572 islands located about 1200 kilometers from the Indian mainland. Only 40 of the islands are inhabited, 20 of which have been reached by the Gospel of Jesus. These islands are in constant danger by tsunamis such as happened just a couple of years ago. The brother feels a great pressure to take advantage of the time before another disaster happens. There are 20 islands yet to be reached, some are inhabited by 5 different primitive tribes who don't have any idea of who Jesus is. The people are so receptive to the giant screen, fascinated by the moving pictures of giant people! Tremendous growth is taking place in the churches where the films are shown. He gave the example of going to one island and traveling 3 hours inland by foot to a group of primitive peoples, many of whom accepted the Lord and invited them back to start a church.

These brothers' faith and willingness to endure hardship are inspiring. They travel long distances, time away from family, dangers in some areas, hardships in others. All for the sake of carrying the Gospel of Jesus Christ to where His name is not known. These men are my heroes. While they gave Patrick and me the seats of honor, they are the ones who should be honored, in my opinion.

We broke for lunch and then came back together for the afternoon session. Patrick walked the brothers through the CSC PowerPoint presentation that we share with the churches in the states, to give the brothers a better understanding of the overall ministry. This has been helpful in each of the countries, to help them understand the heart of CSC, what we're about, what we do and what we don't do. Then we resumed the testimonies. This is one of our favorite parts of these meetings, hearing what God is doing through these champions of faith.

One brother shared that he had seen the power of film evangelism especially among the illiterate people. He had a burden to reach the masses around him. He tried many things that were not effective. But through film ministry he has seen literally thousands of people come to faith in Jesus. He testified to their change of life, the happiness and joy they would receive. At times they would show films until 3:00AM because the people wanted to see more and more about Jesus. Other villages the people would not be as responsive so they used shorter films and prayed for the sick, seeing miracles, causing people to believe in Jesus. When miracles happen, people talk about it! One man who had been hurt in an accident and couldn't walk for 5 years. During one of the services the Lord healed him and he stood up and began to walk by himself. Many people knew this man and his condition and are now seeking the know the Jesus who healed him! As a result he was invited to a hospital to visit a woman who was told she was terminally ill. The Lord raised her up from her death bed and she was discharged from the hospital the same day. This caused many doctors and nurses to inquire about Jesus! All of this because of film ministry!

A few other brothers shared their testimonies until it was time to break for the evening. We fellowshipped with the brothers for awhile and then said goodbye the evening. Patrick and I took a stroll around the area around the hotel but because it was raining we didn't stay out long. After a light supper we headed for bed early, still trying to catch up from the fatigue of the past few days. It is so encouraging to hear the testimonies of the film teams, to hear of their faithfulness and their excitement of having a tool to reach so many. Previously they were fishing with fishing poles, now they are fishing with nets!

Tomorrow will be another day of sharing with more testimonies. We will also share a photo slide show of our trip so far, updates from the Philippines, Nepal and Pakistan. In the afternoon Patrick will work through the manual with the teams. All of their training has been oral so this will be a great tool for them to reference in the future.

This leg of the trip is different from the other three legs. In the Philippines, Nepal and Pakistan we were establishing new teams. Here we are hearing reports from teams already in existence. What a great encouragement to hear these reports – and to know that soon we'll be receiving such reports from the other three countries where the Lord has led us. Yes, the trip has been hard and it's been difficult to be away from our families. But to know that many more souls will be added to the Kingdom of God through these new film teams makes any difficulty worthwhile. Thanks for reading!

Blessings,
Nathan <><

P.S. I've uploaded some new pictures. Since my last post I've uploaded several other sets:

http://flickr.com/photos/nathanmartin/sets/72157600836086802/
Last full day in Kathmandu - 23 photos

http://flickr.com/photos/nathanmartin/sets/72157600835798044/
Travel day from Nepal to Pakistan - 13 photos

http://flickr.com/photos/nathanmartin/sets/72157600836663334/
Our one full day in Pakistan - 40 photos

http://flickr.com/photos/nathanmartin/sets/72157600868507832/
The set I just uploaded, Sunday in India - 9 photos

From Pakistan to India

Hello all!

I'm writing this Saturday morning, July 14, from the boarding gate in the Lahore, Pakistan airport as we are waiting for our plane. The last couple of days have been a blur! My last blog entry was three days ago on July 11 in the evening so I'll take up from there.

Thursday morning, July 12 was time for goodbyes in Nepal. We met with several of the brothers at the hotel, took pictures, videoed three of the Nepalese film team, prayed together and headed out. Patrick and I headed to the American Embassy to accompany Gajendra Tamang, the Awana missionary who was applying for his visa. We would meet back up with the traveling team at the airport.

The American embassy in Kathmandu occupies one wing of a large hotel. They've just completed construction on an 80 million dollar embassy but haven't moved into it yet. We tried to go in with Gajendra but were told unless we had official business (like an emergency) we would not be allowed in. Since we had not had breakfast yet, Patrick and I headed into the hotel restaurant to await Gajendra.

It seemed to take forever and we started to become anxious when finally Gajendra came out with a huge smile on his face. He had encountered a Christian worker who asked him some questions about the Bible and when he answered satisfactorily he granted him the visa! We all rejoiced together, thanking God for an answer to prayer – and then it was off to the airport.

There was a huge cluster of people trying to get in and finally we made our way through the crush of people. The other brothers made it as well after a little difficulty – there were some protests in the streets over the murder of a professor by the Maoists. But we hadn't seen any of that ourselves. (On the way to the airport it appeared Gajendra had gotten lost and at one point he stopped to ask for directions from a taxi driver. We drove though some back roads and ended up on the main road near the airport .... another demonstration of the providential hand of God!)

Once we got checked in and at the boarding gate we were informed that the plane was half an hour late. We would only have about an hour in Delhi to catch our flight to Pakistan. A couple of times I started to worry about whether we would make the flight or not, but each time I was reassured that we were in the Lord's hands. If we didn't make the flight, it would not be His will. I was in peace.

Arriving in Delhi we exited the plane onto the tarmac to board buses to the terminal. The heat rolled over us in waves – we had been told it was hot in July but this was brutal! Thankfully the second bus came quickly and we made our way to the terminal where we found a transfer desk and inquired about our flight to Pakistan. There were several others on our flight from Kathmandu going to Pakistan and we were all well taken care of, easily making it to the flight.

The aircraft was about 2/3 full ... the first one we had been on that wasn't just chock-a-block full. But the flight attendants were extremely nice and we arrived in Lahore 50 minutes later. We could definitely tell that all eyes were on us as the only westerners on the flight. We rode in the hotel van to the hotel and marveled at the modern streets and buildings, mixed with common rural sights of the Middle East ... donkey carts, motorcycles, three-wheeled taxis, etc.

The Pakistani brothers flew into another airport directly from Nepal and then caught a flight up to Lahore. The next morning we met for breakfast and it was off to the races. In most countries buying the equipment is a two or three day experience because you have to go to different shops for everything. In my dream we had purchased everything in one day – this would be a challenge.

We rented a taxi for a day and headed out. The first place we went was an electronics bazaar. It's difficult to explain what it's like, but it definitely is the fulfillment of the word “bazaar”. There were tiny shops everywhere, many below street level that you could only reach through tiny, steep staircases. The second place we went to had a combined speaker/amplifier and microphone that would work very well. We then went to another tiny shop and purchased 2 video projectors and 2 DVD players. Next on the list was to purchase digital cameras so the brothers could send reports back. We completed all these purchases by mid-afternoon and headed back to the hotel where we met with one of the brother's family. We went for a late lunch (4:00ish) and then headed out to check on the prices of generators. We had already decided to let them purchase the generators in their towns but we wanted an idea of the price. We also had decided to have the screens made in their town.

As we traveled around town it was evident that all eyes were on us, as they had been on the plane headed this way. However, whenever we would smile or give a “thumbs up” we would receive a very friendly response. For the most part they seemed very happy to see us. The shopkeepers offered us tea or refreshments in just about every place. On the streets there was a high level of security. All major intersections had quite a few police officers milling about. On one corner one of the senior police officers walked by and greeted us, shaking our hand and smiling broadly.

We headed back to the hotel for some training and meetings with the Babar and Suheem, the Pakistani team. We set up all the equipment, tested it and walked them through a typical night of film evangelism. Then we spent some time sharing our heart and praying for them and for the equipment. The time had gone by so quickly – it was nearly 11:00 when we finally released them. How the time flies, but we had completed everything we had set out to do in one day, just as in the dream. However, we also knew it was very important that we be here in person. Spending time with the brothers allowed us to know them better, understand their heart and make sure our heart of service and ministering came through clearly. It would be easier to just send money and not go, but it's important to have the Lord's fingerprint on who should be a part of the ministry, who should be the director, etc. It's amazing how the Lord brings affirmation to each part of the journey.

After a good night's sleep we met with them all again for breakfast along with some Pakistani pastors from various areas. We received many invitations to come do crusades, etc, but we explained that our ministry was film evangelism and that was our focus. However, it was encouraging to meet so many Pakistani pastors who are serving the Lord is this Muslim country. The official name of this country is “The Islamic Republic of Pakistan” and this is CSC's first venture into a majority Muslim country.

It was time to load up in the airport shuttle and head for India. Interestingly we have had perfect peace throughout this time, in the streets, in the bazaars, etc. But for some reason this morning it seemed the peace began to lift ... we were happy to be in the airport, through security and waiting on our plane. The Lord provided His perfect peace for us during the time we were to do our work but now it's time to move on! :) We have accomplished the work He sent us to do here. To God be the praise and glory.

We will spend the night in Delhi and head down to the southern state of Kerala tomorrow. Once we arrive in Kochi it will be a 3 hour drive from the airport to Bro. Abraham's home town. We will be in conference with the 18 Indian film teams Monday-Wednesday and Thursday we head back to the Kochi airport to catch our flight to Delhi, then our connecting flights to Chicago, Dallas and finally Alexandria. We're on the final leg of our wonderful journey. Our visit to the Philippines seems almost a distant memory but it was only two weeks ago. We thank God for the 9 film teams He has allowed us to establish in three different countries and the 18 film teams that we will get to bless in India. Thank you for your prayers and for reading the blog. Your participation and support are appreciated more than you know.

Blessings,
Nathan <><

P.S. I was told that some folks using the AFA filter cannot read this blog because the AFA filter blocks the blogspot.com address. I contacted the Bsafe Online folks, makers of the AFA filter, and they said they will unblock the http://NathanMartin.Blogspot.com address for any customer who requests it, but it must be at the customer's request. So pass the word along!

P.P.S. We arrived safely in Delhi around 5:00PM local time. We had to transfer to the Domestic airport to purchase tickets to Kochi, where we will be picked up and will drive 3-4 hours to Thirumvalla, the location of the conference. After getting our tickets for Sunday morning at 7:20AM we headed to a hotel. There was an Internet cafe nearby but they didn't have provisions for me to connect my laptop. I sent a quick email to let folks know we are OK. It is now 5:30 AM and we are in the airport, having checked in and are waiting for our flight. I'm not sure when I'll have Internet connection yet, but as soon as I do, I'll post this next blog. Sorry for the delay. (Also, I'd appreciate some extra prayers as I've picked up a stomach bug. Thanks!)

P.P.P.S. It's now 9:30PM. We are in our hotel in Thiruvalla in the southern Indian state of Kerala. It took a 3+ hour flight to Kochi (about 1200 miles south of Delhi) and then a 3+ drive through beautiful tropical southern India. I was finally able to get online in the hotel lobby after the appropriate person was found who could help me. I don't have any pictures for this update but I'll try to get some up later. Thanks for reading and for your prayers!