And what a group it was. Teenage twins from Ontario and their proud parents joining their cousins to come to Mount Kailash, the believed home of the Hindu god Shiva. The mountain worshipped by Hindus, Buddhists, and Tibetans from 2,500 BC had never been host to a public Christian worship. From its snow melt flow the Indus, Ganges, Me Kong, Yangtze, and Lhasa Rivers. Here, in the literal High Place of the earth, the team had assembled, found favor with the local police, and were ready to use the allowed two hours to lift up the name of Jesus.The twins played violins and Greta, a member of our team, led the worship. Gifted with a beautiful voice and a great set of lungs, she recovered from the effects of 17,000 feet and led the others in songs of praise. Her color changed from a greenish yellow to glowing pink and her voice echoed from the hills. The local people came as if drawn by magnets. They had never heard such a voice or felt such an anointing. The team members blew up balloons and wrote Jesus Loves You in Chinese and gave them to the people. Some of the men assembled around Dan Taylor and he began to minister healing to people. The first was amazingly touch of the Lord and the crowd grew rapidly.Prayer team, worship team, children’s team all functioned in unity of purpose and power. It was one of the most amazing teams I have ever served. Each member had struggles with the altitude and spiritual environment. We had been on the top of the world across the Tibetan Plateau, sleeping in bags in two-person tents, traveling in Land Cruisers, and loving each other.

Now we were at the summit of the experience. And we were not disappointed.

Many were healed, all prayed to know Jesus. All received the gospel in a way they could understand and then the police arrived. They came in two cars, right on time, blinked the lights, and we immediately moved along. Cooperation with authority releases more authority. Moving to the guest house in which we stayed, we answered a million questions for other guests and local people. More were healed and many more received the Lord.

The Lord inhabits the praises of His people. He rides on high as they lift Him up. His name is above every name. As you follow Greta and overcome discomfort with praise, your change will affect your environment and those around you. Working together with other gifts makes a synergistic whole greater than the sum of the parts. Jesus is the increase.

When I think of one of my past ESL students, Jenni, I am reminded of a tightly closed rose that continues to blossom into a colorful and fragrant flower.Jenni came to Pittsburgh as part of SEAPC’s arrangement with the Chinese government, an agreement to help provide training for Chinese teachers working with students living with autism. As part of the training, the teachers received tutoring in English.When Jenni first arrived here, it was hard to get her to say much more than a couple of sentences. Adjectives such as “meek,” “shy,” “introverted,” and “unsure” could have been used to describe her. It didn’t help that her English proficiency level wasn’t so high.However, there was much more to Jenni’s character. As she began her English studies, I saw a determined and tenacious young woman slowly starting to emerge. She applied herself to her English studies. As Jenni’s English skills increased so did her confidence. She soaked up the lessons, and even tried her hand at cracking a joke or two! Her attempt at humor was sometimes “interesting” because of language differences, but it did give us all a chuckle.I was inspired as I watched Jenni change from a wallflower sitting quietly in the back of the classroom, to someone opening up to offer help to a fellow classmate. The Bible and Christianity were totally foreign to her, but many seeds of truth were planted within her during her time in the US. It was a blessing to see her blossom and grow.The bulk of Jenni’s training while in the United States was in the area of Applied Behavior Analysis. She received practical training from experts in the field of teaching children with behavioral and learning disabilities. She was given the opportunity to see cutting edge teaching techniques modeled, and then put those techniques into practice in situations where her own teaching was assessed.As Jenni returned to China it became obvious that her training had taken root. In her home country of China, Jenni is at the cutting edge of the teaching world. Her classroom is one of the first to offer new teaching techniques to children living with autism. She has a better understanding of her students, and is able to teach them skills that will enable them to reach beyond their diagnosis and lead more rewarding lives. Just like a rose in full bloom, Jenni really is having a beautiful impact on her home country of China!As for me, I am honored to have had a part in supplying Jenni with some of the tools she is now using to infuse godly hope for the future into children living with autism.

He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.John 3:30

My first ever mission trip. To Kenya. My husband and I had been there on a safari two years before, so I already loved the country, the people, and the idea of mission work. It would be fabulous. I would share my knowledge with the team. I would be compassionate to the least and the lost. I would do food distribution, pray, build relationships between Kenyan believers and me. It seemed obvious that God had called me to this particular trip at this particular time so that I could return home with endless stories to tell.The plane was on time and we boarded with no issues. Good start. Shortly after we took off from Dulles, I turned to my seatmate, Shirley, and shared that at times I suffer from a non-serious medical thing that makes me faint. We banked into the night sky and headed over the Atlantic Ocean. At which point I passed out. Cold.The details are not important, really. When I woke up, the urge to faint again made me sick. I took my blanket and lay on the galley floor, hoping to recover enough to sit upright. Until we landed for refueling in Rome, people stepped over me to get in the bathroom, cold air leeched in through the door, and anyone who happened into the area almost tromped on my head. All through that long, long night, I prayed to just get through it, knowing it would be my one and only mission trip. Never—NEVER AGAIN—would I put myself in this position.I considered disembarking in Rome and flying home, but decided to hang on since missions were obviously not in my future. During this stop I returned to my seat, lying prone with my head in Shirley’s lap and my feet held aloft by Pastor Bill Ellis while he fanned me with the in-flight magazine. I had no dignity left, felt totally dependent, and had no idea how to make it through the next ten minutes let alone the next ten days. But I grasped that God had delivered me and He—not I—had to be in charge.Our arrival in Nairobi was a relief. I had made it and wouldn’t think about the return flight. Not right away. The business of God began, and with it, my attitude adjustment continued. As a team we packaged food into family-sized meal bags. Kenyan Christians worked with us to prepare for our outreach into the Rift Valley with the Maasai. Once set up in the middle of the valley, camping in tents with no electricity or running water, my comfort zone had been left far, far behind. Prayer became my constant companion. And as I surrendered, His strength prevailed.

A huge group of Maasai women came for food, since a four-year drought had decimated crops and livestock. Each woman received her family-sized bag. As they left the line, they opened those bags and shared what they had with children whose mothers had been unable to come. Even though it meant less for their own children. It struck me full-force. These needy people didn’t arrive with the thought, I will provide for my loved ones because I am willing to walk twelve kilometers in the hot sun and sacrifice my time and energy because I’m so wonderful and compassionate.And I realized that passing out on the plane and all that went along with it had been God’s way to humble my spirit. This trip had nothing to do with me, with what I could do, or with my anything. Because there is no I in God. It was—and is—all about Him and Him alone.There were too many highlights on this trip to write into one blog. So much wisdom gleaned from a simpler society who already understood that God provided for them—and were obedient to letting it happen in His time. Even if it took four years or more.Then on a Sunday we attended a Maasai church. The small, tin-roofed building held the heat. Crude benches provided precarious seating. I worried about fainting again. The pastor sang a refrain over and over in Maa, as the brightly clad and beaded women surged forward and back through the aisle, chanting, chin-jutting, worshipping the same God I now understood to be the One through whom I could serve.

Since I don’t speak Maa, I closed my eyes and let the music carry me. I whispered prayers for the Maasai, for rain, for their ongoing trust in the Lord. Suddenly, a small breeze wafted through the tiny window, lifting my hair a bit. The words coming from my mouth were no longer in English. My mind continued to think in my own language, but to speak odd syllables. Unbidden and unaware, the baptism of the Holy Spirit came upon me.Our gracious and loving God blessed me way beyond anything I could ever deserve. He humbled my proud spirit on the plane. He introduced me to believers who lived out the true model of faith. And when my heart had been made right by Him, He sent His Holy Spirit to bless me even more.This ended up being my first, but not my last, mission trip. Since then, I’ve been back to Kenya and to Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Mexico, Haiti, Nepal, and India—some more than once. This year three more medical mission trips are planned.I still battle pride, independence, and sin that is part of the human condition. But God has led me to a place where I understand that missions—and life—only work well when I am left out of the center. And when He is put there instead.Because there is no I in God.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3

It was so hot you could boil noodles in the puddles.

The afternoon shower had just added to the humidity and even along the Pearl River, there was no cooling breeze. Our team of six short-termers and two full-timers had found a place to get a Coke with ice. Reveling in a day well spent, we estimated that we had brought several hundred much-needed Bibles into China through the very porous southern gateway. With only a change of clothes in our bags and boat tickets in hand, we took time to rejoice over serving the Lord.These were the days thirty years ago before China started printing and selling Bibles. Change would come, but on that day, it seemed very far away.Gathered around a rough-hewn wooden table and perched on oversized chairs, we began to sing praise to the Lord. Perhaps it was the relief of not carrying anything or the joy of thinking of Hong Kong and the Golden Arches, but we grew louder as the songs progressed. Praising Jesus among the nations had become a core value of our lives in those days.We never really noticed the group of laborers sitting next to us. They had been drinking for much of the afternoon as evidenced by the rounds of giant beer bottles on their table. They were quite curious about this group of westerners. Our teams had been thoroughly briefed on social interaction. We had declined the beer and with Cokes in hand had started the rejoicing.The leader spoke to our full-timer but was not understood. The men had put down their beers. They had extinguished their cigarettes and some had begun to weep.Our leader answered in Mandarin explaining that he did not understand the man’s dialect.“How can that be?” the man exclaimed in Mandarin, “You are all singing about Jesus in our dialect. You are telling us about His love that He died for us. You just all sang that if we are sorry for our sins and invite Him in, He will forgive us and receive us. Please pray with us now.”We had been rejoicing in tongues, but they heard us in their mother dialect. We as well as they were amazed and as they repented of their sins, our leader prayed with them. Each of them gave their life to Jesus. Then the rejoicing began.

You never know how God is going to use you.

You can never plan it in detail because He is so much greater than we are. He is limitless.

Throughout the past few years, I have had some interaction with the SEAPC CARE project. The CARE project is a team of individuals from the USA working with a team of individuals in China to learn how to educate a special population: children diagnosed with autism. This special population of kids is very near and dear to my heart, as I have worked with this population for many years. I believe the Lord has helped guide me in my decisions with my career to help others in so many different ways. I started as a teacher, where the first few teams from SEAPC CARE visited. I felt honored to demonstrate my educational skills utilizing Applied Behavior Analysis. The team members were able to see how my classroom at the time operated and how I made decisions for each individual learner.Less than a few months later, I was granted the opportunity to travel to Beijing, China, with the assistance of SEAPC, to help educate a variety of educational teams from all over the wonderful country of China.

Over the course of the trip, our small team held a training for the teams in China about effective teaching methods for learners diagnosed with autism. From the second I stepped foot in the hospital classroom, I was amazed with the individuals in the training. They challenged the team, and myself especially, to educate them in new ways and think outside of the box. The questions they posed were well thought out and wonderful questions. I had been in their shoes a few years ago, and the questions they thought about were questions I may have never thought of just learning the material and techniques. The passion and dedication the Lord instilled in every individual was evident.

The Lord has taught me to help others no matter what. He taught me how to be who I am today. He gave me the patience and the passion to educate others to then educate the students with disabilities in effective ways. Throughout my time in China, I learned so much about their culture. I was able to see the wonderful landmarks they are known for and that he created. I also created life long friendships that will continue to grow with the help of him.Above all, I was able to see the classroom that is mimicking the Applied Behavior Analysis classroom setting I once taught in. I was amazed with everything the teacher had done, and the skills that were taught to these young learners. The Lord has helped me help others, but those others have gone on to educate these special little people.

I will never forget these wonderful and amazing people I came into contact with during the course of the trip. I can’t wait to go back and to see the incredible skills that I assisted in teaching to teach other children.

God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25

In Genesis we learn about God’s creation, everything from the formless void becoming earth and sky, to animals, to mankind. We often use animals as metaphors. Sly as a fox. Big as an elephant. Happy as a pig in mud. The one we love to think about is the butterfly. The whole larvae, cocoon, winged beauty thing is appealing. New birth, new life, triumph. Good stuff. God stuff.I know of no one who longs to be an amphibian, say, a frog. There’s nothing wrong with frogs; God made them and saw that they were good. If good enough for the Lord, then okay.But think about frogs. We all have heard the story. If a frog is in a kettle of tepid water, it sits. As the temperature of the water rises gradually, the frog doesn’t notice and stays in the water. In fact, it will stay there until it dies—never noticing the subtle changes until it’s too late.Are you a frog? Many people today seem to be willing to sit through the subtle changes sin continually brings to our society and our world. A frog is not inherently bad. But if, instead of sitting on the lily pad snapping up insects and singing a song to the stars it wallows in the heat, it will never be of any use. We must aspire to more.There are endless ways to begin, small steps, big steps, gigantic leaps. If we are open to where God is calling us—and are willing to answer—there might be some heat, but only through the fire of the Holy Spirit. Any gift can be used. I know a guy who teaches yo-yo tricks to a kids’ club. He has raised over $20,000 for local charities. With a yoyo. He also plays the ukulele. Who knows where God will take that?SEAPC has been blessed with so many saints who have answered God’s call. They serve in places all around the world. Dan and Zoe Anna Shorthouse are making a difference in Cambodia. Zoe Anna’s background in the medical field is leading young women to pursue nurses’ training under her guidance. Hector Zetino, touched by the need of young people in a difficult environment in Guatemala City, has launched a ministry to serve both physical and spiritual needs of at-risk youth. Carol Missik cares for souls in Mexico and Central America. These and so many more live and serve long-term.But serving doesn't have to be a call to uproot one’s life, sell everything, and move to a foreign country forever. Short-term mission trips are of tremendous benefit. And short-term medical mission trips accomplish so much for people and for the Lord.

What is a medical mission? Who can go? How can different skill sets be used? Why do it? Why spend the money? Does anything really change? How can it happen without labs and tests? These are a few questions asked when a medical team is being assembled. I am happy to address any and all questions: laurel@seapc.org. Or over coffee (tea for me), on the phone, or any other venue. Because this is an area of true passion for me—and of true need. Led by the final words of Jesus before he ascended into heaven in Mark 16:18: …they will place their hands on sick people and they will be healed, SEAPC sends out medical practitioners to serve.On a medical mission, the medical component is a way to get people in so that they can receive prayer and be introduced to Jesus. Staffing of a team may thus include physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, and related disciplines, as well as prayer partners. In this way, every patient not only receives physical treatment, but also spiritual care. People are needed for crowd control, registration, errands, and pharmacy.

As SEAPC seeks to grow its healthcare platform, medical personnel are being sought. In clinics we provide basic examinations, with treatment based on history and symptoms. Appropriate medications are provided free of charge along with patient teaching. Nurses do triage. Doctors do exams. It’s a simple process carried out most often in rural areas where there is little to no access to healthcare. Trips are usually seven to ten days. The cost estimate is airfare plus $100.00 per day for lodging, food, and in-country transportation.Camaraderie is high on a medical trip. We have fun, are inspired, and have seen true miracles through prayer. Cataracts have disappeared. Heart murmurs healed. Shoulders mended. Most trips include from a few hours to a day of rest and relaxation at the end of the trip, a time to pack, shop, and debrief. Once on a medical trip together, we are bonded for life. It is intoxicating—in the best possible way. And the results are incredible. On a recent trip to Haiti, two nurses and one doctor saw 600 patients in three and one-half days of clinic!Your gifts and skills can be used, no matter what they are. God knows how to put everyone to work for the Kingdom. Relationships are built at the local level that make friends from all over the world, a tight knit group of believers that continue to shepherd the flock long after the medical team goes home. Yes, money could be sent for medicine. But getting to know fellow believers and to share the gospel is a one-on-one endeavor that accomplishes so much more than a pill.It is likely that many patients do not refill prescriptions for blood pressure medicine or diabetic supplies. But they know what they need, and—most important— they meet Jesus. Acute injuries, infections, and other issues are resolved. And teaching on diet, lifestyle, and wellness builds healthier lives going forward.Your time and treasures are valuable. Getting off work, taking money from savings, finding child care or a kennel, stepping out of your comfort zone—none of these things are easy. Your medical specialty may be radiology, but you find yourself doing the first well-child exam since med school. It’s okay! We are all there to support one another. And the Holy Spirit makes sure that we are able to give our best. When He calls us, he truly does equip us!So, the question remains. Are you a frog? Are you sitting in the tepid water as it heats up, feeling the call of the Holy Spirit but not responding? It’s always easier to go with the status quo, to be comfortable, to avoid jumping out of the kettle. But the pathway of life, although not always easy, is the most fulfilling and God-honoring road to travel. Even if you end up in hot water.

As part of SEAPC CARE, a team from the US traveled to Beijing in January to conduct trainings for autism professionals. Today, our friend Yuwei—part of the SEAPC CARE team in China—is sharing about her experience assisting with the trainings and reflecting on what it meant to everyone involved.In ancient China, the proverb says “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”The recent training in Beijing provided us with a big view of God who is sending such a professional training team to equip the teachers from different parts of China by teaching us how to “fish” in a professional way. These teachers who attended the training have a willing heart to serve kids with autism. They are hungry for the knowledge of applied behavior analysis, and they are humble to learn and grow in this area so that they can give more professional teaching to the kids they serve. It’s really a big blessing for all the teachers here! I was so lucky and blessed to be part of this mission.Honestly, it’s not easy work. We had four days of intensive training without any break once we were in Beijing. Because the trainers were English-speakers, the interpretation part was very challenging. By the end, my brain was burning up! I can see how God has used “little me,” young and inexperienced, to bless the teachers here in this training.

The structure of training was very clear and effective, and the training itself was very practical. It indicated so many mistakes I have made in the past during my own teaching. I was so appreciative to be here and find out a better way to serve my kids! I had a great time with such capable teachers although they are in different age grades. They shared a strong passion for ABA, they showed their love for kids, they inspire me with their professional and scientific attitude. I was exhausted before I came to this training. This is because we neither have well-established policy for kids with autism, nor professional training and oversight. This means, through my whole day teaching in Chengdu, no one is around to offer supervision or counseling after my four kids leave for the day. There is a girl with aggressive behaviors who head-butts me, slaps me, and pinches me with her nails almost everyday. Even after I found out the motivations behind her behaviors, I still I couldn’t solve the problems. The parents need healing as well, as they often take out their emotions on me. I was feeling burnt out from following God’s calling for me with these kids. But, I know He is always faithful! I was brought to Beijing as an assistant for Sister Gail and to help with interpreting during the training. At the end of the training, we had another two supervisors who followed us back to Chengdu give us training in our center. I was so blessed.

The people I met during these few days of training equipped and refreshed me. It helped me to restore my relationship with God in His clear calling. I, as a small piece of this puzzle, am feeling strengthened by His power and love. I know He is always my provider.

We’ve all been there. Take the airport, for example. Up early, frenzied last minute packing, weaving through rush hour traffic, standing in interminable security lines, and finally arriving, breathless, at the proper gate. Only to sit for hours in uncomfortable chairs awaiting the plane which has been delayed in Atlanta.The Bible addresses this very thing, as it does anything of importance. In Proverbs 16:19 it says, “The mind of a man plans his way. But the Lord directs his steps.” The LUV (Laurel’s Unauthorized Version) reads as follows: “Hurry up. And wait.” It is a difficult verse of Scripture because it is counter-intuitive to the way we (I) do things. Planning is good, right? What would the world be without it? And yet the Lord’s timetable is always the one to follow.The key is to know when to move and when to stay. So we pray, research Scripture, and if there is no red flag that stops the process, we proceed. When there is peace in the decision to move on, we can feel confident that it is of God.February has been a month that SEAPC dedicated to Kashmir, India. We did so to focus on two important projects the Lord placed in our hands. One of those is the School of Nursing at John Bishop Memorial Hospital. If you’ve been keeping track, you know the history. One-hundred-year old mission hospital for women. Bastion of Christianity in a Muslim region. A bright light shining in the midst of the deepest darkness.And you know that unless ground is broken in 2019—that would be this year—this particular outpost of Jesus’ light will close forever. Forever is a very long time.In the way of humanity, we have implemented our plans to accomplish this goal. As always at SEAPC, we began with prayer. Prayer is integral to everything. Prayer led us to proceed in coming alongside JBM to support their Christian-based needs within the Muslim world in which they live and function. The SEAPC medical team visited, served the community with the student nurses, and saw God at work in their lives.

Articles were written in the SEAPC magazine. Blogs were posted. A video was put together. More prayer, in a weekly group as well as on an individual daily basis. A campaign began last week on Mighty Cause to be intentional about raising the $185,000 needed. It has been shared on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And right here, right now, at the risk of being redundant, it is being shared again.The response has been wonderful…in principle. Good comments from one and all: worthy cause, important, inspiring. Now we must come together to make the construction a reality. We are in touch with our friends at JBM to ascertain what is needed initially to break ground. It is important to work within regulations by submitting to local authorities in such matters. It’s a Biblical principle after all—as is our mandate to further the Kingdom. Hand-in-hand both goals can be accomplished.Building a nursing school in a region few have heard about and even fewer will visit is a challenging vision to cast. It does function on two separate platforms that are fundamental to SEAPC: healthcare and education. You could think of it as a two-for-one special. In 2018 the land, the nursing school, and the people received prayer as this project was dedicated. Stones were laid, symbolic of the edifice that will rise.You can lay your own “stones” as you partner with SEAPC, the Church of North India, and JBM to make this dream a reality. And to assure that this Christian institution becomes a permanent fixture in Kashmir. A popular hotel chain advertises, “We’ll keep the light on for you.” Let’s keep Jesus’ light on in Kashmir. Together, it will happen.We are reaching out in the coming weeks to healthcare institutions in Pittsburgh and to other businesses, hoping to catch their interest. It is highly likely you will read more blogs and hear more pleas. This project goes beyond a fundraising effort. It hits at the very core of what it means to serve the lost. And to go beyond giving to sacrificial giving for the Lord’s work.Chances are good that the nurses educated at JBM will never care for your mom or dad. They won’t be the faces you see when you awaken after surgery. Or the hands that cradle your newborn. But they will be carrying Jesus in their medical kits, as the program lives out the Great Commission on a daily basis in an area that harbors the largest unreached people groups in the world.We need YOU to keep Christ in Kashmir.

The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

China in 1985 was a land of shadows, blue tunics, and secret police. One fall evening we were led by Curtis Jones through the back alleys of Shanghai. Moving from shadow to shadow, avoiding even the dim street lights, we made our way across this once great city. Decades of decay made each alley an adventure. Hushed, not speaking at all, our shoulders brushing against the brick made centuries before, we came to a courtyard.

Curtis motioned for us to wait and deftly made his way to the dimly lit door. His knock was slowly answered and he motioned us to come quickly and quietly. Our group of four hustled across the yard and through the door where we were met with such warmth and joy that the damp chill of the autumn evening quickly gathered its bundle of fear, and fled.Welcoming us to this humble flat was a couple so old that I felt a bit embarrassed to barge in on what must have been an evening of repose. He had cataracts on both eyes and from his ears hung a hearing box, that sort of amplifier used for those who were nearing complete deafness. She was as radiant a lady as I have ever seen. Youth’s beauty had fashioned the round face of a China doll. Her eyes sparkled with such joy as she invited us to come and sit with them and have tea.Following him as he shuffled along, I was amazed that this frail old man could move at all. He landed in “His Chair,” the Bible and other reading materials at his right hand on a low end table between “his” and “her” seats. There was no way he could see the words. I wondered how many hours they spent with her reading the precious verses to him.His hands caught my eye as he reached for his tea. Gnarled with arthritis and every finger broken in several places, they bore witness of Chairman Mao’s brutality to Christian writers and the fanatic frenzy of the four years Cultural Revolution that had swept China in the 60s. Now, 20 years later, we were having tea with the man many called the father of the House Church Movement. On that evening conservative counters estimated that the House Church (also known as the unregistered church in China) had passed 100 million current believers in the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit since Pentecost.

“Sir,” I asked the question that would forever change my life.

“How did you do it? How did you keep the faith alive in the face of such persecution?”

He had been in jail 22 years and ten months. He called it his honeymoon with Jesus. He had refused to sign a confession or to join with the State Church. He had refused communism and its atheistic teachings. He had stood when thousands had given in to the persecution. Regularly beaten, knees destroyed through torture, ear drums punctured with wooden splinters and beaten badly about the eyes, Wang Ming-Dao had never given in. He had remained faithful to His Lord. I wanted that.“Oh,” He smiled my way as he answered. “We learned the power of small. This is the way to multiplication. Make a small number of disciples, we use 4, and teach each of them to disciple 4 and soon you will reach the whole world. If we have a big gathering the police with come and put us all in jail; but, 4 reaching 4 who will reach 4 and then train them to reach 4 will never draw attention and will never be stopped.”And that was the birth of our Core 4 Dynamic, our EDGE training, our Strategic teams, and our multiplication. How has SEAPC reached so many people in so many places with a small budget and very little fanfare?

Find a man with gnarled fingers, cataracts, and an iron will for Jesus and do what he says.

I just flew back to Pittsburgh from Srinagar, India last week. The main purpose for this trip was to meet with our team in Kashmir concerning the location for the new school for the blind and commitments from our friends in India, like Dr. Q (for security his name is withheld).Dr. Q is an amazing man with a dream to see a high-tech school for the blind and visually impaired in Kashmir, India. Every day he sees children and adults with eye problems throughout the mountains and valleys of Kashmir. He is the man that challenged us to help the blind in Kashmir. As I was praying for him, the Lord convicted me about having a greater heart of compassion for my friend Dr. Q. What would it be like to put his shoes on for a day? Then I thought to myself “isn’t that what we are called to do as Christians?” We are called to have hearts of compassion for the people around us. It may sound a little crazy, but take time every day to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Take a look at the world around you and pick someone and think about what it would be like to be them.

I just came back from Kashmir, India during the dead of winter. Most people in Kashmir have no central heat and the only heat they have is from a little pot of burning charcoal called a kangri that they put under their coat to keep them warm. The kangri is a versatile and portable warmer that Kashmiris keep in their pheran, a long woolen shroud that comes to down to the knees. I always think about what it would feel like to be a Kashmiri shepherd in the snow-covered mountains with only a little kangri and a pheran to keep warm. This is a way that we can develop a heart that cares about other people. We don’t need to think, “That must be awful!” but we do need to develop a heart of compassion. This will help us to relate to those who suffer, in the words of the apostle Paul, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15).So, what are the next steps for the school for the blind in Kashmir? We are in the process of finalizing a good locality for the school in the city of Srinagar. We have located one site that we are working to finalize and work out a long-term agreement that represents the beginning of a long and rewarding relationship for all our friends and partners both in India and the States.We need your prayers for this agreement, then for the funds for the equipment for the school, a work team to prepare the building for the school, teachers, and most of all for peace in Kashmir through the power of the Prince of Peace.