11/19/2018
Dear congregation,
I write this update shortly after Joel and Ellen have left for Chennai and their return flight home. Paul and Kasthuri picked them up this afternoon at the hotel a few minutes ago. They hope to visit Sylvia Carey and her newborn daughter (Dr. Carey is in England for medical studies, and Sylvia and son Sathyan and baby are staying by her parents), as well as Shoba a former GFH child and now a nurse in Chennai. Their flight leaves around 1am and they hope to be in GR Monday night. Please pray for traveling mercies.
Perhaps you took a moment to read the meditation on adoption I sent earlier. The paragraphs that struck me were these:
“A gift from God our Father to His children. A means of grace. Yes, in the life of one lost soul. Multiplied thousands of times, one soul at a time, from all over the world, including nearby neighborhoods. Taken in by love, surrounded by love, raised in love, and pointed to true love. God's, in Jesus. So that that adopted child comes to know and embrace and confess that divine love. And rejoices (glories!) in what God has done. For him! For her! And believing parents and siblings cry with joy, and treasure God's work.
And then you better understand the picture of a higher, greater, deeper reality - what the Sovereign of salvation has done for you (for me!), another lost orphan in this cruel world of sin and darkness. You see, you and I were abandoned by the Prince of this world who promised us everything but left us nothing - destitute, deserted - in reality, dead.”
In our morning worship service today there were 50 plus orphans, plus many other children from the families of the congregation, and from the neighborhood. It seemed that some of these visiting families had very little acquaintance with the gospeL. In all there might have been 200-250 present for the service. This was due to the fact that the service was held at the GFH, out side under the auto porch, and spreading out into the drive way under a colorful canopy erected for the occasion. It was a special service to commemorate the dedication of a price of land on the Eden campus for a future church building.
About 50 people were bused in from various parts of Vellore. The bus arrived a little late and seats had to be found for them. The singing was beautiful. We sang “Our mMighty Fortress, Amazing Grace”, and a new composition arranged by Jason on Psalm 23. Paul is working on putting all the Psalms to Tamil type music and the congregation is learning them. They enjoy sininging them as well.
I chose to preach from I Chronicles 21 where God reveals to David the place where He wanted the House of God to be built, the place where the sword of Justice was sheathed, see verses 26, and 27. The sermon emphasized that the place of worship is under the Cross of Calvary, under the preaching of the saving, Sovereign, and gracious love of God revealed in the cross. A building becomes the house of God only when the word of pure grace is heard within. God’s Word was well received by the congregation and the visitor were also attentive.
After the service we all went out to the field to measure off the proposed building and to place a row of blocks near one corner. Our delegation was privileged to place the first of them. ( I insisted on first making the ground level as I was thinking of you, Tom Schimmel). All of this too was done only after a brief explanation of I Kings 8:60, and prayer.
Lunch was served for all and people stayed until 1 pm. We met former friends here from the past and many of the former young people of the GFH and their parents.
The new children of the GFH are becoming familiar with worship. It was a joy to see the other children, who have been at GFH for a number of years, seated next to them and helping them in worship. They are beginning to sing the Tamil songs and learning the Scriptures.
God is working to gather His family here’s in the PRCV, for which we praise Him. The glory and honor are His alone. - Rev. Haak
“But that Father on the heavenly throne looked on you and me with the eyes of love (because His heart was so full of it for you!), took us up His arms and placed us in His only-begotten, beloved Son, through Whom He bought us and took us home (O, what a family He has!). And then He took the Spirit of His Son and sent Him to change us from dead sinners into living children of the Father, from utterly destitute into the richest sons and daughters in the world, and in the world to come. Deserted no more, we have fellowship with the Father, in the Son, through the Spirit! It is the grandest adoption of all! If you doubt it, read Eph.1 and 2 again. And fall to the ground in praise of that glorious grace.”
