how much?

i received this email in the morning from my brothers that live in India. this is not a mass email that read, this is the real thing from someone i know. very cool.

how much does it cost to see a person become a follower of J?

"it's my custom..." that's what i say when i bend over to hug an obc or dalit woman. (love and affirmation is something women seldom receive.) i've found it effective in breaking down barriers and building bridges to people. with tears in his eyes, amit, my indian friend/brother/translator said, "auntie, you don't know how much impact you are having because you just accept people and hug them like you did that lady; you bring favor upon me also in my village."

he told the visiting team, "when they were gone to america, the ladies kept asking, 'where is auntie? when she is coming back? like kanta...she does give her money, she just hugs her and kanta keeps coming back every week. and my wife also...it has been like a ray of hope in her heart. she is different when she comes home all smiling and happy."

what does it cost? a simple hug.

a local leader from the village we visited today came to our easter satsang. he is amit's friend/colleague; a hindu man, had never been in a westerners home, never been to anything to do with J. he came early with his daughter of whom he is very proud because she can speak english. in fact, they came almost 2 hours early. he was going to meet amit here and did not want to be late. he called amit from outside our house on his mobile phone. amit said, "just ring the bell, they will accept you as they would me." so he rang the bell. we invited him in, we sat, we chatted, we drank chai, others came, etc. etc. amit finally came. we didn't even know who this man was or all that was going on in his head. he's a community leader and is becoming a seeker. his daughter loved the song, "mary, did you know" and tries to sing the words for her parents.

what does it cost? an open home, a few songs, a meal.

a small group of us went out to his village this morning...not the kind with thatched roofs, but a village none-the-less. it's nasty and polluted. huge black puddles of sewer water in which children splash to get cool. broken streets, concrete and brick houses, nothing fancy-just some walls, nothing finished on the inside, no screens, no running water, maybe a lightbulb here and there, no outside street lights. this man and his wife run 2 schools with about 100 children in each. he is a recognized community leader. amit is a young man but this older man respects and admires him.

the team from a sunday group in texas sang songs, played hand motion games and generally loved on the kids. we passed out oranges and prayed a blessing in Jesus' name on Lohani and his wife and their school.

how much does it cost? a few songs, a bag of oranges and a simple prayer.

this sunday there will be a social/spiritual rally out there. thom will speak briefly. It's a first step to being able to eventually share the good news. we partner with a national face, encourage him, train him and watch the HS begin to work. the hindus are strong there, but the walls are cracking...thru hugs, bags of oranges, open homes and a few songs.

how much does it cost?

priceless.