Author: David Grisanti

Made it to Nepal. Our flight took off about 2 hours late, then circled Kathmandu for about an hour as there were 3 flights ahead of us. I have never seen so many people packed into that small airport terminal! It took about an hour to get the entrance visa, get my suitcase and go outside, where I found my friends among many hundreds of people waiting for passengers, then the harrowing 45 minute to the hotel. But now I am safely here and just ordered dinner. Whew!

It has been a crazy couple of days! I will try and get this all in before I lose wifi.

My flight from Delhi  to Kathmandu, Nepal was cancelled yesterday. Five days ago, a large Turkish Airlines jet slid off the runway and got mired in the mud. It was only this morning that it was finally out of the way. Meanwhile, no flights in or out of Kathmandu all week. So, this morning, I finally got rebooked and now am waiting to board, and it has now been delayed another 45 minutes. Oh, well, it’s only about a 90 minute flight anyway. I will be met at the airport by Pastor Dev and his wife Maya, who run the orphanage. Tomorrow the pastor’s conference begins. I am looking forward to it. There is so much more craziness to this episode, but all is well.

Thanks  for all the prayers. More in the next day or so (depending on the Internet reliability where I will be staying!)

The 3-day conference outside Delhi has ended. Once again, what a privilege to be a part of such a significant event! It was my pleasure and honor to teach at about 5 or 6 sessions. It was also great to see so many familiar faces and spend time hearing about what is happening in their cities throughout the north of India. A couple of highlights from the final day were:

Hearing that HMU now has a ministry to the blind, in the state of Maharashtra. This is something new for them and I am glad to hear that they have ventured into this needful area of service.

Hearing from the wife of Pastor Sanjay, the leader who passed away last year. I have attached a photo of her and her daughter.

Being given the very first copy of a Pastor’s Handbook published by HMU, explaining to the young pastors how to conduct weddings, funerals, baptisms, and much more. (I wish I had had access to one of these as a young pastor!)

Talking to a 60 year-old pastor whom I have known since I began coming to India. He is ready to step out and begin something new, after leading his church for 18 years. He was thrilled to hear of the transitions going on in my life, so he wanted to speak with me and pray with me. He is very excited about what the future holds for him as he moves ahead in his life.

Seeing all the women who pray for all the pastors of HMU and for the conference. They know all the names of all the pastors, the names of their wives and children, and have devoted themselves to constantly praying. What an honor to see them!

I have also attached a photo of the graduation participants and the group who attended the conference.

Tomorrow, I fly to Kathmandu, Nepal.

Today is called Holi in India, and this is where everyone puts dry paint on each other. I can hear the music outside and see the multi-colored faces. Pretty crazy!

 

Thanks for all the prayers!