February 1, 2009
Dear [FIRSTNAME],

The transition back to home has been a whole lot tougher than going to India. If I counted correctly, I was on 13 flights between January 18 and 30. I got out of bed Thursday morning in Agra at 6:30 am (that’s 5:00 pm Wednesday PST). I next got into bed over 49 hours later in Paso Robles on Friday at 6:30 pm. A little sleep on the plane, and some naps since, and I’m tired. And I’m still trying to process what I saw.

We are just finishing up support for ten church planters. It’s time to start another multiplication project. I’m hoping we’ll hand out $10 to each person on Transfiguration Sunday, February 22. The goal is for each person to multiply it by five to ten times by Pentecost three months later.

But why should you care about India? I’ll give a few reasons.

1. God loves the people of India, and Jesus died and rose for them. India has a fifth of the world’s population, most of whom don’t know the love of Jesus.

2. God is doing amazing things in India. I want to be a part of it. Listening to little kids quote Scripture, give testimony to God’s work in their lives, and sing God’s praises is a moving experience. Seeing women aged 14 to 60 learning to read and write is powerful. Hearing church planters talk about God transforming communities almost leads me to tears. I’m amazed at what God can do with so few dollars.

3. India has more Hindus than any other country. India has more Muslims than any other country. Both are exporting their religion to America at a rapid rate. The only solution is the Gospel of Jesus. You might not be affected now by these religions. But the heartache and emptiness they bring will one day affect your children and grandchildren. These groups are wealthy and passionate in spreading their religions of hopelessness.

4. Politically and economically, India is becoming a world leader. What America is today, India may likely be for your grandchildren. Also, the center of Christianity is rapidly moving from the West to the East.

5. I say this half-jokingly, but when our dear president gives us universal waiting-for-health-care, India is where you’ll go if you don’t want to die on a waiting list.

So, the idea is to support ten church planters for $17,500 per year. I cannot list what we get out of this here for security reasons (how sad is that?). But to me, the greatest benefit will be for our congregation, as we see and hear how God is using us, both in India and at home.

Thanks for all your prayers.

In Christ,
Pastor Steve

swillweber@trinitylutheranpaso.org 

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