India Report 2006

The following is the report of 2006 Abundant Life in Christ mission to India.

Abundant Life in Christ

Abundant Life in Christ (A.L.C.) is the ministry and charity that Tina and I (Richard) head up, and the Southampton Healing Rooms are an arm of the outreach ministry of A.L.C.

Although we did not go to India in the capacity of the Southampton Healing Rooms, we felt it would be good to show you another way in which we can serve the Lord Jesus in His Kingdom.

This was my third mission to India and Tina's second and this time we felt it right to take a small team with us and trusted the Lord to show us who to invite. He is faithful and led us to a group of great people who had a hunger for the Lord, a heart for missions and a call from God.

The Team

The team consisted of Myself, Tina Maggie, Maria, Justan and the youngest at 16, Amy. Maggie, Maria and Amy had never been to India before so this was an eye opener and Maria, Justan and Amy had never been released to pray for the sick before so that was a big step of faith for them.

Kingdom Purpose

Often we do not know the full impact that God wants to accomplish through us at the time we are about the Father's business.

The first day we arrived in India we met up with our very great friend and co-worker pastor Prem Babu and we all drove for a couple of hours up to the town of Zaheerabad where we were to hold a four night outdoor gospel outreach.

The meeting grounds were owned by the Methodist church and we had great favour with them because no one had been alowed to use that ground before. They also blessed us with great accommodation for which we were truly thankful!!

Boldness and Breakthrough

God put such a peace and ease on us this time and each night of the meeting I had nothing in my spirit to preach but that was ok because I know the faithfulness of God. Often it was as we drove into the meeting grounds that God gave me the message for the night!

There seemed to be a struggle in the spirit for the first two nights even though people were being saved and healed. We came against a deaf and dumb spirit which would try to stop people hearing the gospel on the third night, and it seamed that all heaven let loose!

At the end of each night, after the Salvation message was preached and many souls came to receive Christ as Lord, we ministered to the sick first by releasing a healing wave across the whole crowd and saw many healed instantly, and then we got down into the crowd and ministered one on one.

It was great to see those in our team who had never prayed for the sick before just jumping into the river of God and ministering like they had been doing it for ages and seeing people healed including a young boy who had not been able to walk start walking! and another young boy with a protruding eye (because of a tumour) get healed as Maggie prayed and she saw the eye reduce to normal size right before her eyes!

God is awesome!!

We are so proud of the team, because we watched them press in, sometimes through tears, to go where they had not gone and they began to see what they had not seen. Be encouraged, you can do it also.

Maggie preached her first salvation message in her life in front of thousands of people and it was as if she was born for it.

On the third night God showed Maria a swirling fire over the crowd and also showed Amy a mass of angels that were swirling over the crowd!

Passion and Purpose

We definitely knew God was doing something more than a four night meeting because of the way that He was with us, keeping things hidden until the last moment and the fruit that was apparent.

By the third and fourth night the precious Methodist leaders were jumping with excitement in their spirits. We heard that they said they had not seen anything like it in 25 years! and were amazed at all the healing miracles that took place.

One prominent leader asked us to return next year which we fully intend to do. Now a great door of opportunity has opened not only for us but also for pastor Prem to work with the methodists as God has already started to touch that region through those four nights. On the last night there were around 8,000 people in attendance. (See Photo below)

 

On to Hyderabad

After the outreach it was off to Hyderabad and the Bible School that pastor Prem heads up. We had the wonderful privilege of being able to teach every day there to a very hungry group of future leaders.

Again I would get up in the morning with nothing i my spirit but I was not concerned as we were seeing the faithfulness of God. The moment I stood to take the sessions it was like the heavens opened and God began to download all this great stuff. There were moments that I was hearing in the spirit things that I have never heard so you can imagine the joy we had there as the fresh bread was distributed among us.

All the team got to share at the School and was a good experience for them.

I also had the great privilege of baptising Justan out there. His grandfather had been baptised in India 60 years ago and it had always been Justan's desire to be baptised there also!

We also had the privilege of going to the home and praying for one of the most famous film stars in Bollywood who is a wonderful Christian lady with a great vision. It was wonderful to see the Lord touch her in a special way.

Unexpected

So all in all, we saw God do things in Zeheerabad that we certainly did not expect, touching a region through it's leaders and we are excited just thinking about the implications of that. In that respect I can see that by touching heaven, earth can be changed and effected for the good.

The trip was only for 11 days but God did so much in and through us. The team are now fired up more than ever for missions and are planning future ones already!

Special thanks

We wish to say a huge thank you to our pastors, Andrew and Debbie White, and the church that support missions so faithfully, and who sowed in finances and prayer. Also to pastor Andy Elmes of Portsmouth Family Church for supporting the mission fainancially as well, and all others who by sowing into this mission are equal sharers in the harvest that they participated in.

A great great thanks to pastor Prem, Neelima and family and all the faithful Bible students that worked so hard in a labour of love with us, bless you all. Thanks to the pastors and leaders in Zaheerabad, God has great things for you.

Thanks to our team who are a family to us, you did great and we are proud of you.

We save the greatest thanks of all for the Lord who is faithful and true.