As I walk down the streets of these South Asian cities and towns, I see maddening chaos and so many bizarre scenes. It is hard to really paint a picture with words so you can understand what I am talking about, especially if you have never been to this part of the world yourself. What never ceases to amaze is the mindless commotion around every corner. There are some that claim the world is becoming a better place because of the advancements of technology. To them I can say nothing more than, “What? Are you blind?” The technology and industrial explosion of the past two hundred years has only allowed a confused world to run faster than it did before. The evil is only enabled in this world! Technology in no way hinders evil. It only provides greater tools to reach a greater audience to satisfy man’s lust for riches, fame, and power. The iniquity of mankind is reaching a new kind of high, and there is no turning back. The whole of creation groans as it awaits the Anointed One—The Messiah. I just witnessed some of the tremendous effects of the earthquakes in Nepal. That place had village after village completely leveled by the trembling of the Himalayas! The earth is certainly groaning for redemption! And, my friends, the “birth pangs” for the advent of Messiah are a tremendous sign to our generation that the Lord is coming to crush the iniquity of mankind (Isaiah 26:17-21). The seven years of tribulation have not started yet, but I can assure you that we are on the very cusp of their beginning. As we told those Nepali people effected by the earthquakes and as we are now here in India telling Israeli tourists: God’s judgment is coming; flee to the loving Saviour. The Kingdom of Heaven cometh. The question is: Are you a subject joyously awaiting entrance into that Kingdom? Or, are you an enemy of the King stealing time from God before Jesus comes so that you can satisfy your fleshly lusts?

Jesse and I have been in South Asia for more almost six weeks now, and upon arrival, we were very busy getting things prepared for the summer in Delhi and up in Ladakh and helping out a bit with the earthquake relief in Nepal. Those first three weeks involved a lot of travel and some severe climate change that left our immune systems reeling. When you think about foreign missions, be sure to remember the difficult work of logistics and preparation. Our lives are all about the Gospel! And, a part of that means taking the time to facilitate opportunity for other Christians to partake in the labor. This summer, we have a team of seven young adults who have come to volunteer with us (six from the United States and one from India). As was said last week in a training session Jesse conducted for the group, the work of an evangelist differs in a way from the very act of evangelism. Every Christian HAS to DO evangelism or else they are disobeying Jesus. The “gifted” evangelist DOES evangelism. But, his gift is that he must teach other Christians how to do evangelism and give them the tools to do it.

So, Jesse and I arrived in India on May 14th to work out some logistics for housing and outreaches until the end of this year. We had the opportunity during this time to go over to Nepal as well and work with brother Bishnu in two districts of Nepal that were greatly affected by the earthquakes. Bishnu arranged a couple of truckloads of rice and cooking oil to be hauled up into the mountains for villages that had been hit the hardest. We also bought blankets to give to the elderly and pregnant women. Both days that Jesse and I joined him were very long days in his jeep getting to these remote areas. We would arrive and meet the villagers that were all waiting for us. It was honestly quite impressive to see the way it was all organized.

We didn’t simply ride up and throw off the bags of rice and leave. A list was made of each household, and the villagers gathered to hear their names read from the list so that they would all get their fair share. Once everyone was gathered around to receive their portion of rice (65 lbs per household), we told them that they needed to listen to a message first and then they could have the rice. We informed them that many Christians from America had put their own money together to buy these relief materials for the Nepali people. These were Buddhist villages, and after hearing very clearly that the rice was a gift from Christians, and after hearing the Gospel clearly preached to them for more than an hour, all of the villagers received the rice AND a Nepali Gospel of John. If you were a part of sending money to Full Proof Gospel Ministries for Nepal Earthquake Relief, please know that those Nepalis greatly appreciated the help and they certainly heard the Gospel. One old woman up in Dolokha District came squeezing through the crowd of people hoping to receive something. The crowd then started to run her off and told her that she wasn’t going to get anything. She is in her eighties and has no other family. So, she lives alone with no one to take care of her. Bishnu got involved when the crowd was trying to turn her away and we made sure that she had two bags to take home for herself. This should last her many months. Her husband died years ago; and her home was flattened by the earthquake. Do be in prayer for these Buddhist villages lest they be like those that followed Jesus immediately after the feeding of the five thousand:

Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed (John 6:26-27).

Faithful believers came together and raised approximately $30,000 for Nepal earthquake relief through Full Proof Gospel Ministries. Nearly half of those monies have been spent, and many have been helped with rice, oil, blankets, tarps, etc. Several individual Christian families have also been assisted. Some of those monies, for example, were used to purchase tin for an elderly brother in Lamjung District who needed a new roof after the quake caused his to fall. Soon, the monsoon rains will come, and the needs will increase exponentially for people without adequate shelter. We are ready and waiting to administer help to specific needs that will arise, particularly with believers. And rest assured, any aid will never be without the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Please pray for us as we continue to work with Brother Bishnu and a few others, striving to exhaust the relief funds and make use of opportunities to sow seeds of the Truth. As far as Jesse and I working with Bishnu on the ground at the end of May, I deem it worthy to reproduce Bishnu’s words from his own report:

Dear praying friends and families, Greetings from the mountains!

We would like to thank you very much for your continued prayers. We are really sorry for the late report, but we were very tired. God gave us a safe trip and boldness to preach in two villages of Rasuwa and Dolakha districts. The trip to Rasuwa was not bad even though we had to travel through a very hot valley and along sheer cliffs. Many heard the Gospel as if they had never heard such a message. We met only one sister in the Lord there. 38 bags of rice, 75 liters of cooking oil, and 30 blankets were given out to the poor people in Rasuwa. Elderly persons and new moms got the blankets. On the other hand, it was a very long drive to Dolokha. We drove a single lane road in the high mountains over an 8,600 ft. pass. Then we found out that our jeep couldn't cross a river. The Lord provided a bigger vehicle in the middle of nowhere to take us up to Pabati and later bring us back to our own vehicle. Praise the Lord as He really provided for His glory. We were very happy to see 110 bags of rice that we had ordered waiting for us when we arrived. People from 214 houses of that village were already gathered there and we right away preached the clear Gospel message and gave out the rice to the needy ones. The Gospel of John and Sacrifice tracts were given out to all the people. We hope that this will help them for the coming monsoon. One grandma was in real need as her husband died many years ago and they had no children to help them. On top of that, the earthquake had brought her mud house down to the dust. So we gave her one extra bag of rice. Thank you very much for helping us to do this ministry. We departed the village in Dolokha at around 6pm and didn't get back to Kathmandu until 1am, driving over the mountains on single lane and winding road at night. The Lord helped us that day. Glory be to Him alone!

Yours in Him Bishnu and Bimu DSMA, Nepal

After finishing up our time in Nepal, Jesse and I flew back to Delhi to meet up with our summer team. They all arrived safely with comfortable traveling mercies.

For the first few days, we stayed in sultry, hot Delhi conducting introductory evangelism trainings and getting everyone orientated with South Asian culture. We preached out at the famous India Gate Monument, tracted a Hindu slum area, wandered through some intense Muslim alleyways in the Nizzamudin neighborhood, and preached in the affluent Cyber City area where many high caste Indians go to hang out. Delhi of course was very hot and with all of the noise, traffic, and new cultural nuances around us, we were all pretty drained by the end of our short time there.

The day before we left, the group split up and fellowshipped at two separate churches. I was asked to share my testimony and to preach for one church on the western side of the city while Jesse was able to do a martial arts demonstration with Eric Trent, one of our summer volunteers who, consequently, is also one of Jesse’s top martial arts students. It was an excellent platform for sharing the Gospel and some convicting biblical principles for believers. There was a good crowd, and all the young people loved it. Folks, a valuable part of any evangelism or missions effort is the encouraging, exhorting, admonishing, and training of believers—discipleship. Evangelism without discipleship is not the Great Commission. And discipleship without bold evangelism is like a house built upon a foundation of sand.

The next day was quite long! We departed Delhi at 4:00am and headed north in a twelve-seater bus to get up into the mountains. There is a small town at about 6,500 ft. that droves of Israelis pour through each year on their travels around India. Our twelve-hour bus ride to this place turned into 24 hours on the road. Long story short, our vehicle broke down, and we had to spend five hours in a roadside dhaba while trying to figure out a solution to the problem. It was so hot there. Finally, the alternator was replaced, but the A/C was shot. We climbed back inside and endured the heat only to get stuck again for a couple of hours because a truck had turned over on its side and was blocking a part of the road. Finally, things opened up, and as we climbed past the hill stations, the weather got cooler and downright chilly. Such extremes do wreak havoc on the immune system. Anyway, we rolled up to the hotel in Manali at 4:00 AM as the first shades of dawn began to appear over the mountains. What can you do? It’s India! It’s life on the foreign mission field!

Thankfully, we got some rest and salvaged the rest of our day by walking the streets and trying to talk to Israelis. This place was swimming with Israelis who are waiting for the road to open so they can get up to Leh. I spotted a couple, so Jesse and I sauntered off to speak with them. Our conversation went well and one of them might even come over for a Shabbat meal when we get to Ladakh. When I finished speaking to these guys, I turned around to go tell our team about it. Lo and behold, they were all having their own discussion about Moses and Jesus with a group of four Israelis. It was such a statement to me and Jesse concerning the caliber of Christians that have joined us for the summer. They did not need to be dragged into a conversation to share the Gospel on the streets. They took the initiative and started sharing with the Israelis themselves. Their conversation was going well, but they were hitting a wall. The lost sheep of Israel kept trying to claim Abraham for their father and Moses as their prophet. “So, why do we need Jesus?” I had to jump in at this point. I was just way too excited to keep my mouth closed. I explained quickly that they have Moses and that God gave the Scriptures to the entire world through the Jewish people. And, we are not asking them to “quit being Jewish.” All we are saying is that Yeshua is the very Jewish Messiah that the prophets of Israel said would come. And, if they do not believe on Yeshua as the Messiah, then they will never be resurrected into the Messianic Kingdom. The conversation ended well and they took Hebrew tracts.

Over the past few days, we have been able to hit the streets here in Manali and share with Israelis, Indians, and other foreign tourists. We are trying to get up to our base in Leh right now. We have to cross a 17,000 ft. pass in order to reach Leh. Currently, the road over the Baralachala Pass is closed and blocked with snow. Normally, this route is open by the first of June, but heavy winter snowfall is delaying things. Please pray that God would open this road so that we can get to our destination. There is another option: a longer route that runs near the Pakistan border and traverses some intense Kashmiri Muslim areas. The threat of physical danger or terrorism activity is not so much the problem going this other route, but the road is much longer (4 days instead of 2 on the direct route); the transportation is much more expensive; there are no Israelis; it’s filthy, hot, and chaotic; the Muslim culture is difficult to navigate; and frankly, I just don’t want to carry young people into this mess. Notwithstanding, God’s grace is always sufficient. We will do what we have to do. Please pray for divine wisdom, divine provision, and divine protection. We have had a great time in Manali, but we are all itching to move on.

We have an entire summer ahead of us, and things are just beginning. I’m really looking forward to seeing the Gospel go forward in this dark land. We will be hitting the streets looking for any chance to share the Gospel, and we have planned several trips outside of Leh so as to be out on the trekker trails and in the paths of Israeli travelers. Do be in prayer for our team and pray to God for this precious opportunity to speak the Truth of the identity of Messiah. The typical age group of Israelis that we encounter here is at a great time for settling truths in life. The 20-25 year old travelers are experiencing new culture, customs, and religion. To point them to Messiah before they become too hardened and settled on believing a lie is crucial. We just simply want to exhaust our energy and resources to point as many people as possible to a kind and loving Savior: the risen Lord, the manifest glory of God in human flesh! Pray for the Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and other foreign tourists who will hear the truth as well. I recall Full Proof Gospel Ministries’ old motto: Making the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ an unavoidable issue for as many people as possible all around the world and just around the corner. At the end of this summer, I trust we can cry aloud: TELL THEM WE HAVE DONE DO!

The team will return to the United States, Lord willing, on August 15th. Jesse will be returning to his family sometime after our arrival in Leh when the Lord gives him the liberty to go. Please pray for wisdom in this matter. I will stay in Ladakh until the end of September, the end of the Israeli tourist season. By October, Lord willing, I aim to be back in Nepal for the autumn tourist season there. Also, I will be able to help oversee any final distributions of FPGM earthquake relief funds. To tell you the truth, it’s all a bit overwhelming, so if that trumpet were to sound today, I would rejoice. I am reminded of an old 2nd Chapter of Acts song from the 1970’s:

If this were the very last day of my life, I would not cry, for I’ve been waiting for it, waiting for it. Instead I’d jump for joy and reach the sky, for I’ve been dying for it, dying for it.

Notwithstanding, Jesus said: “Occupy ’til I come” (Luke 19:13). Thanks for your love, your prayers, and your support. You may not hear much from us this summer. Internet access is very spotty in Leh, and we will be real busy. Just know that the work is moving forward with your help.

a postscript by jesse

Greetings friends. I meant to get this update posted from Manali, but roadblock after roadblock prevented it, and now, with a few hours to myself, I am able to do so from Leh.  Praise God, the road from Manali finally opened on June 13th, and we were able to take the short route. After almost 500km of hard travel on single-lane roads at elevations as high as 17,400ft. and in the shadows, at times, of snow banks that stood 20ft. high, we arrived in Leh as the sun was setting over the mountains on June 15th. Taking this route, as opposed to the much longer route via Srinagar, was a true step of faith when we departed Manali. Reports of the road opening were just that, reports. And you can never trust anything like that in India.  Notwithstanding, we made it without a hitch. Crossing the Baralachala Pass was a bit sketchy, and we had to help one vehicle in front of us that was stuck in the snow, but the Lord protected us every step of the way.  My family and I, along with Brother Ricky, took this route back in September.  It was amazing to see the difference in seasons. The Baralachala was pretty much bare then, and we left some Ladakhi Scripture portions attached to the prayer flags at the top of the pass.  This time, 'twas an Arctic landscape, and those prayer flags were pretty much buried.  Moreover, it was much, much colder.  At 15,000 ft. in the small Ladakhi village of Pang, the team distributed the Word as we had done back in the Fall.  It's a blessing to scatter seeds once in a remote village at the end of the earth, but to be able to do it twice, well, that's just real nice.  Here are some images from this journey that you might enjoy:

So, we have been here in Leh for a few days adjusting to the altitude and getting our feet wet on the streets. Praise God for a comfortable house in which we are all learning the blessings and trials of communal living. May we be as the believers in Acts 4:32.  Going back to Delhi, Ricky and I have been conducting a number of teachings for the team on evangelism, God's promises to Israel, Biblical eschatology, Messianic prophecy in the Old Testament, and bridges to the Gospel when witnessing to Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and Jewish people. We usually have two sessions each day; and to be honest, both of us are extremely weary.  Pray for our strength.  We want to pour into these faithful young soldiers as much as we can.  Today, I did a 3-hour self-defense course for the ladies, principles for staying safe on the mission field.  I think they all appreciated it. Notwithstanding, I have been battling a sore throat for more than three weeks, and I can barely talk.  I could use some divine healing.

Because of the delayed road opening, the Israelis haven't yet arrived here in droves. Actually, we were the first foreign tourists to travel to Leh directly from Manali this season. We were pretty much alone on that road. So, we are waiting for them and praying they will come. Please pray for this as well. They are the primary reason that we are here. Notwithstanding, these past few days have yielded witnessing opportunities with tourists from the Ukraine, Russia, Germany, California, Texas, the UK, France, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Taiwan, Australia, and the Netherlands. And, five Israelis have been confronted with Yeshua Ha'Messiach. Moreover, there have been many encounters with Nepali laborers, and numerous Project Jagerna Gospels of John have gone out. On Thursday, I found myself breaking my own "security rules" for closed countries as I have often done. A large group of Nepali laborers were working on a house that was in a straight line of sight from our first balcony, yet this balcony is protected from Ladakhi eyes from behind. One of our team members brought an Aker, so I went up on the balcony, cranked up the volume to the max, and preached to these Nepalis in their language. Ricky and some of the guys went over and distributed Project Jagerna Gospels of John and Nepali tracts. The people took them and even stopped working for a few minutes to listen. We trust the Lord used it. This was the first time I have ever preached open-air in this town. The Lord really helped me with the language too; it's been awhile since I preached a message like that in Nepali. I was so encouraged to see the ladies inside praying as this was going on and to watch the distribution from afar.

As for the Ladakhis, we saturated this place with Ladakhi Scripture cards that I designed after dark one night. And, we have left them lying around in a couple of Buddhist monasteries.  The wicked Buddhist Eye of Sauron is always watching; and we have to be careful with Ladakhi outreach in Leh.  Notwithstanding, we have 20,000 Scripture cards to get out. If the devil doesn't like it, well, I'll just follow Martin Luther's example and throw an oil lamp across the room at him.

Yesterday, we climbed up to the old gompa at 12,000 ft. atop Namgyal Hill and prayed over the city of Leh under a tent of Buddhist prayer flags. Things were declared against the powers and principalities of that place, biblical truths that these have no power or authority to stop. Under that tent of useless prayer flags flapping in the wind, we sang Martin Luther's old hymn A Mighty Fortress is Our God. Yes, in this place of spiritual darkness, even still: "The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure, for Lo his doom is sure. One little word shall fell him." That little word is JESUS, a kind and loving Saviour.

It's going to be an awesome summer for the Word of God and Testimony of Jesus Christ.  Please pray for Brother Ricky and this team. I will be leaving to return to the United States as soon as the Lord gives me freedom to do so.  Today, I do not have that freedom.  Perhaps tomorrow, next week, or next month.  I covet prayers for divine wisdom.

Our theme verse for the summer is Acts 28:31 in the context of Paul's bold outreach to the Jews in Jerusalem while under house arrest:

"Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding . . ."

When all is said and done and we pick this team up from the airport in Charlotte on August 15, may we be able to look back and say this is exactly what transpired.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen.