Revival is in India. As I close up my final thoughts on our recent mission trip to India, I am more excited than ever to return in January 2016.
During our trip in early April of this year we medically treated more than 800 patients and we saw more than 600 people accept Christ. In the last few days of our mission, we saw 125 pastors receive a message of Revival through Unity in the body of Christ and boy was it received.
These pastors came from all over Andhra Pradesh hungry to hear the word of God. They left inspired and really expectant to see further changes in their communities.
I wish you all could experience what I felt like throughout this trip. I felt the dream of a nation in revival coming to life before my very eyes. However you must understand that this dream has been ongoing since the first time I set my eyes on India, in 2009. I went with a group of about 12 and we had three US pastors with us. During that time we had only eight people come to Christ and only about 25 pastors attend the services.
Our team was somewhat surprised that so few came to Christ. However as I prayed during that time, I asked the Lord why so few, and the Lord answered me that it was because of the hard fallow ground that needed to be toiled. He said to wait and be patient. In 2011, I returned with one pastor and during this time we saw more than 600 people receive Christ. The need for prayer was so overwhelming.
That year we held another pastors’ conference for 100 pastors and the theme was the Grace of God. Churches were beginning to grow. The local church with whom we partnered had doubled in the last 18 months. I felt that India was on the brink of a revival.
I am here to tell you that the India Revival is here and growing. Here we were in April 2014 and not only had the church tripled since 2009 but there is now a Christian church every few blocks. While driving to our second clinic, I even got the privilege of watching a Christian crusade in the streets with all the participants marching with large crosses in hand.
People are flocking to the Christian churches because of The Word of God’s Promises, and to think it started with in-country missionaries willing to take risks in an area that does not welcome Christ with open arms. But they are persistent and they have never given up. Therefore because of their faithfulness, God has not only provided for them but He has given them great favor in everything that they touch. On the last night of the pastors’ conference this year, the 125 pastors left empowered to continue to spread the Gospel and help their people and one another in unity. The power of the Holy Spirit fell upon the church that night and many spiritual reparations were done, not to mention the great strengthening of the body of Christ. The next day was Sunday and the church was filled to capacity with the locals and new Christians. What an honor it has been to serve our Lord.
Another very special honor was to hold a youth rally and conference with more than 50 youth attending.
During the first day and on the Sunday service, we held a special inspirational declaration ceremony. Our Pastor spoke the Word of God’s promises over their lives on that first night. On Sunday morning he allowed them to speak positive declarations and confessions of the visions and desires that God has already put in their hearts about their careers, wishes, and dreams.
It was amazing to watch all these youths say out loud, “I will be a doctor!” or whatever they had in their hearts. This was one of the first times many of these youth had ever verbalized what was in their hearts. Each one of them proceeded to write them down.
God says in Habbakuk 2:2:
“Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.’ ” After the service, we proceeded to work with the children from the Peniel children’s home and orphanage.
These are 25 children of varying ages who have been taken in by the local pastors and their families as their children. They eat and go to school there and just get to be children. We were able to bring them gifts but what they loved the most were the hand-made dolls which team member Myriam Ferrer brought along.
They each had two faces: On one side there was a frown with closed eyes for the person who does not know Jesus, and the other side had a smile with open eyes for the person who has accepted Christ. “Once I was blind and now I can see”
As I look back at all that has been accomplished, I am in complete awe of what God has done. The job He had set up for us was completed better and more abundantly than we ever imagined. In 12 days, we set up four medical clinics, treated more than 800 patients and dewormed and provided multivitamins and superdose Vitamin A for more than 1,000, plus we provided HIV, blood sugar and malaria testing and education. We provided a pastors’ conference, a youth conference, inaugurated the church Hearts Afire funded, evaluated the children’s home for which Hearts Afire provided a grant, provided a feeding program for local children, met with regional governmental authorities, met with Kims medical college and hospital personnel (Kempagowda Institute of Medical Science) and even got to spend a few days at the end with some fun in the desert of Dubai, camels and all.
Do you know what this makes me want to do? I want to shout, “I LOVE YOU LORD.” We serve a mighty God!
“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” Psalm 59:16 New International Version (NIV)
Therefore the great moral of the story is that when it seems that something is so difficult and many challenges come up against you to stop you from doing God’s will, remember that God’s strength overcomes all challenges.
Yes, while preparing for this mission, it seemed that multiple obstacles came up against us to try and prevent us from serving Him in India; there were even some times I almost gave up, but we remained steadfast and faithful to His calling. To all my team: Thank you for helping me serve in the best possible way and for joining Hearts Afire on this dream team … God’s dream mission, India 2014!
By Vilma Vega, M.D.
Hearts Afire Co-founder
