Blessed and encouraged!!!

Yesterday afternoon our team was having yet again, another boring meeting that seemed to keep dragging on and of course there were a million distractions. One of the things that we just get a kick out of is how we will be having a serious meeting and suddenly one of the Indian's phone will ring (LOUDLY, I don't think they know how to turn them on silent) and they will answer and they will start chatting way right in the middle of our meeting. We thought of it as rude at first be realized that it is very cultural and we needed to get over it. The main reason being that you have to pay extra for your cell phone to have a voicemail, so everyone just tries to pick up right away.
After about an hour into our meeting I realized Chris had disappeared so I slipped out to look for him. I found him down stairs chatting with 4 guys who are all staff of Harvest India in some way, two being pastors. When I peeked my head in the door they all invited me in and right away Chris said, "Guys, you have to tell Lizzi all the stuff that you just told me!"
They started off by saying what an impact Chris and I have made in all their lives! I was immediately taken back because the Indian culture is not huge on affirmations. Then one by one they each told me how specifically mine and Chris's marriage has taught them what a loving marriage looks like. They all gave specific examples of different thing they have seen Chris and I do for each other that has blessed them. One pastor in particular said that he sees the way that Chris takes care of me and he admitted that he doesn't treat his wife that way. He said that he has seen Chris make me soup a number of times, and he has never made anything for his wife. He also mentioned the time a few weeks ago when I brought something for Chris to eat before one of our events. It was incredible to hear all the different examples that each man gave and why they stuck out to them. They all said unanimously that they admired our marriage and wanted to be a better husbands because of us. I could hardly believe what I was hearing! I was brought to tears! What we heard in the few moments in that room were enough reason for Chris and I to have ever come on this trip!
Then to top all of that off, they had encouragements for us as individuals. They all encouraged Chris with his music and said how they can see that God has blessed him and that he will definitely us his gifting to further the Kingdom. Then the pastor that has been our translator at the churches we have gone to, told me how powerful the words I spoke were to him. He translated for me at two different churches and both times I only spoke for 5 minutes to give a word of encouragement. He said that even though I only talked for a short time, I said everything that he needed to hear. The first time I spoke about praying to God for everything, but never expecting Him to show up in a certain way because He will always surprise us with His goodness. The second church I spoke about hearing God's voice. He also said that he thinks Chris and I will have a powerful ministry together of Chris playing music and me speaking!
I was pretty speechless after that....
I think one of the coolest things about this is, God has completely given us a reason for His timing of me being pregnant on this trip. Of course Chris would still be taking great care of me if I were not pregnant but the truth is, he basically waits on my hand and foot (It's incredible what a servant he has been) and it just wouldn't be necessary if I wasn't sick all the time. These men have never seen a husband that loves and cares for his wife like Chris does for me and it has completely rocked their world!! One thing I made clear to them though, Chris is an amazing
husband, but he learned what an amazing husband looks like from his Dad! I love you Al! Thank you for being an example to Chris, so he could be an example to our friends in India!

Lots more to come, I still haven't posted on my doctors visit! I will get on that soon!
Lizzi

Chris singing at a college outreach  event




 

Another college outreach, find the white girl!

So much

As I sit here this morning amidst a brief time of quiet, I was thinking back to the past few days and how significant they have been. God has shown Himself faithful in so many ways. A praise report for all those wondering is Lizzi hasn't thrown up for about 4 or 5 days now. Things are gradually getting easier for Liz and she has been able to participate in just about everything we have done. She still gets tired but God has given her supernatural strength and I see it!

Last Friday we held our first college outreach. It was at a college called Ambedkar College. I have never seen Indian's especially students smile and get so excited. I did a mini concert and then we played a "Minute to Win It" game with the students. Lizzi led that and she did so amazing! She is a natural on stage...especially with games! After that, Cory brought the word of the Lord about Faith. That was awesome because he doesn't feel comfortable on stage and even public speaking. God spoke through him very powerfully and it was awesome to watch. I came back up and played a worship song to end out the night. It was a great night! ...did I mention that we had about 200 students show up? Awesome! We are doing possibly two outreach's this week at colleges on Thursday and Friday. As well as doing these outreaches we invite the students to a big event that we are hosting at the Harvest India Campus on February 25th. We are praying for at least 1,000 students to come and bring there friends! Pray that as we engage these students that a new and wonderful relationship will be formed between the youth and Harvest India so that the youth in the campuses can be ministered to with the Love of Jesus.

Saturday (as with every saturday) we taught conversational english at the KSK college which is run by Harvest India. It's been going very well but I'm a bit of a distraction to my class at this all girl school. It was Lizzi's first time at the campus and I was thrilled! She really is feeling so much better.

Sunday we went to our friend Daniel's church. He works for Harvest India as a translator and more. He is also on the Residential team India side. We work with him closely and has become a dear friend. I was privileged to give a message at his church. I gave a sermon from Ephesians 2:1-10. Afterwards we went to his house which is across the street and where his family had prepared lunch for us. It was a wonderful Sunday.

Monday was a day of preparation as we were going to be celebrating an old testament tradition of passover. It's not passover yet traditionally but John had been reading in the old testament and was so drawn by it that he wanted to do it ...except that he leaves in a little less than two weeks so we did it earlier. According to the tradition on the 10th of the month you find a 1yr old male sheep or goat that is pure and without blemish. Take it home, care for it, and on the 14th kill it and eat it. There is more to it but you can read about it in Exodus 12. We did this as an act of obedience to God when he spoke for us to experience this, an act of worship to our Great God, and an act of Faithfulness as God has been so faithful to His people from generation to generation. So as God would have it on Valentines day we slaughtered a lamb and ate it. To me it really drove home the kind of love that God had for us sending His son to the Cross for us. On all days, Valentines day, I understood a little better what love really means. Jesus was our final Sacrifice and Atonement for sins. We no longer need to sacrifice animals to Atone for our sins. Jesus was a Sacrificial Lamb that was slain for all of us! It was a heavy night of worship for me and also great tasting fresh lamb kabobs. Actually, it was some of the best lamb I have tasted ever and we had bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms to go with it; as well as bitter herbs and unleavened bread. We made sure to prepare the food in an "American" way so that it would actually taste good to us. The Indians just started throwing curry all over everything else. It was nice to have a meal without curry.

So that kind of gets you caught up on what's been going on here. We are taking a couple days rest at the beach. We leave tonight and come back on Thursday to do the college outreach. We will also be practicing or dance routine at the beach. Yes I said it, dance routine. The whole team is preparing a dance routine for our big event on the 25th. Indians like dance routines, just watch a bollywood or tollywood movie. We'll see how it goes....

Thanks for your prayers and commitment to us! We are so blessed! Also thank you to all of you who God put on there hearts to support us! We have raised the $9,000 that we committed to RockHarbor that we would raise. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts! I leave you with this for now. A charge to continue persevering in your faith.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the JOY set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart...strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather HEALED." Hebrews 12:1-3; 12-13

Embrace the will of God. Obey the call of God. Receive the power of God. Reflect the peace of God. We are God's witnesses and belong to Him. Our purpose is to praise the King of kings and make him known. If this is our desire, He'll surely show us how. Amen and Amen! God's spirit is living inside of you ready to release the power of heaven in you! "Ask and you shall receive, knock and the door will be opened unto you, seek and you will find." Old or young we can and must run until we are finished. I've come to realize that there is no retiring in ministry. We are "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." Go in God's grace and power to love and to serve others for the world will know that we are Christians by our love.


Chris

It's Hard

Life in India isn't the easiest. Sometimes you feel like you are doing really good and the next hour things are very difficult. Today and yesterday were very difficult days for Liz. The nausea and tiredness in her body have been very taxing. Nothing sounds good to eat and it's hard for her to get excited about anything to eat because there are not very many options; curry here isn't exactly what it's like in the states. I spent an hour and a half riding around town on bicycle trying to find something places that something that should could eat that would give her a little taste of home. That was hard in and of itself. There's just not really anything that looks or tastes appetizing here. Pray for us as we try to do mission, and pregnancy in India. It's definitely a up and down roller coaster but there are fun times in between. In all this we desire for God to be glorified. We are at 11 weeks tomorrow! That's exciting! We will be attempting to have a doctors appointment this week as well for a check up. We read in our baby book today that our baby's vocal chords are developing right now and he/she is two inches long. We're crossing our fingers for a singer in there!

This weekend we are doing our first outreach at a college. Pray that all of our preparation will be God pleasing and that we will do it with the excellence that God deserves. These events are designed to bring engage the young people at the colleges and begin relationship with the youth and Harvest India. There literally is nothing to do in Tenali and video games just arrived here. We're hoping for a big turn out at this first school. Pray that people will come to the event and that we will continue to build moment towards our big even at the Harvest India campus at the end of the month. Thank you all for your support and continued prayers! (WE NEED THEM!)

Love,

Chris, Lizzi, and Baby McCall

Already February?

I'm not sure where the time went, but it feels like it's been flying by! Last week was marked by lots of illness as almost our whole team went down with fever, diarrhea, and whatever else. Only myself, Taylor and Lizzi were not sick. Unfortunately, Liz was down with the worst morning sickness she's had to date. I happen to believe that God planned that so that she wouldn't catch what everyone else had. God has shown Himself faithful and Liz is beginning to feel 90% better than she was feeling.

Yesterday evening (Feb 4th) I had my first experience riding a bicycle through town to go to a Pastor's Conference. Best part was it was at night! India is Crazy! It was so much fun but seriously who try's to strike up a conversation riding down a busy bridge on a motorcycle with a guy on a bicycle? That's definitely what happened to me. The Pastor's conference was an amazing time of worship and getting into God's word and being encouraged as a child of the Heavenly Father. Only Taylor and I went to the conference while the rest of the team began planning for our college outreach events. I will be doing music at these events. Gonna be a great time I'm sure of it!

We also went to the last day of a Crusade that the team from Holland put on. That was the turning point for Lizzi as she stepped out in faith that God would take care of her and keep her from gagging and throwing up all over the place. We were privileged to pray for hundreds of Indians. 

The team is doing VERY well now! We are all feeling good now and we are thankful to God for that! Thank you for all your prayers and continue to pray for us as we plan to reach students at the universities in and around Tenali for the Glory of God. We love you all! Talk again soon!!

Chris, Lizzi, and Baby McCall