SCP Newsletter: India's Spiritual Background

Keep an eye out for a soon-coming article i co-authored with my roommate and fellow traveller of the Asian continent. We both work for an apologetics ministry called Spiritual Counterfeits Project, and our upcoming newsletter includes a feature on our trip.

You'll be able to purchase it from the website, or contact me for a copy. It should be available for purchase by the end of April 2006. Check back for a link to the purchase webpage.

love,
evan

stroll

stroll
Originally uploaded by evan_rosa.

finally, i'm going to add some pictures to this blog. make sure to check out the set entitled "india" on my flickr page. there's more photos there than i could ever blog.

i chose this photo to represent the set because i don't know where this child is walking. but his pace and place and form and garb tell me alot, as i believe they tell you.

i dream of his own voice:
"my name is Revital. i'm 7 years old. my mother asked me to pick up some lentils on the way to my job this morning, but when i got there, i realized i didn't have enough money for anything. when i took off my sandals before entering the idol-shack where my family's god is, i couldn't find them on the way out. now i'm going home, and there's this tour bus to my left. a bearded man is photographing everything he sees. my life is alot simpler than his - i don't carry much around with me, just a heavy heart and a smile. i hope you listen to the picture the bearded man took. it's all i can really speak to you, besides the words that he puts in my mouth. what is his picture of me saying?"

well, we've just started...

...even though we're leaving.

that's the one thought which i think must be ingrained in both me, the team, and you all.

it's pretty tempting to try to find a moral of the story. to find a bottom line. a "oh-that's-what-this-was-for!" declaration. i think i'll find out what this trip was for when i get to heaven. maybe the way i live when i get back to america will shed some light.

a remarkable thing is we've seen that the GFA staff and ministers didn't just put up with us. we've experienced their love and common fellowship, and they've said they've felt blessed. either their lying, or they mean it. i think the latter, and if that's the case, then God be glorified.

if you would please respond with prayer, i would be very happy. if you would support a dalit (untouchable) child with Bridge of Hope (www.gfa.org), i would be even more happy. let me know what you think of all this - really. email me directly at evanrosa@gmail.com, or post a comment. i might keep the blog going about this issue so that more unreached people will come to know God and exalt Him, and be saved.

May God be glorified above all other things.

so long India. see you in my prayers.
evan

hi.

hi guys,
i taught from colossians 1 today. i'm about to run out of time on my internet connection. please pray for pastor mohan (he was "trapped"). he will be in jail in 2 days. pray that he will be alright, and his ministry continued.

love you,
evan

i am unfit to loose the strap of his sandal...

my sandal strap broke today. bummed at first, since that was my first true mishap. found some string and mended it, but that broke after 20 minutes. then our driver, a brother on staff with GFA, Philip stole my sandal from me and insisted on fixing it.

i could only have expected. you see, the staff and students of GFA are bent over one thing, well two manifestations of one thing maybe: loving and serving the Lord. as the Lord is in His body, the Church, the brothers and sisters are deeply committed to serving us. so our meals have been absolutely stellar and they take us around in their offroadvehicles (which, unlike in california, have true offroad use) to their bible colleges and where ever we need. service is so ingrained in their lives. really, it's because Jesus is so ingrained in their lives. we cannot outserve them, no matter what. they say it's because they only once or maybe twice a year get visitors. i think they just love GOd that much.

so Philip fixed my sandal. i am humbled.

the other (and most impacting) thing of the day was Pastor Daniel's (the pastor over the bible college here in Jaipur) words while he was telling us his testimony. his mother was a great woman of GOd, and he loved her (she died in 2004) very much. she always told him: never preach what you do not practice.

i think every Christian in the united states has heard that quipped often. so it's not the words that i'm impacted by. i experienced something in Pastor Daniel that i don't experience AT ALL in the US: Pastor Daniel actually lives that out. and he preaches alot. thus, i am humbled and brokenhearted even more.

in all this, the Lord's grace and truth in His son Jesus are being magnified more and more.

so, how was practice today?

love,
evan

smells like a diapur, here in jaipur

actually, that's a lie. i'm sorry. it doesn't smell like a diaper in jaipur. i love it here so far. more trees than delhi, and more tribal. more hills too. it is a famous tourist spot, but we are in a very nice hotel, and doing ministry withthe believer's churchhere.

please pray for an unfortunate change of plans:

we were supposed to be travelling even further into the state of Rajasthan, but 2 pastors were very seriously threatened. one was warned not to conduct a service today, or he wouldbe killed. the other was framed into the lie that he killed his own daughter of 2 years. a hindu extremist political group is behind both of these persecutions. both of hte pastors are safe, but one is in hiding, and they are both continually in danger. your prayers are very important.

being this close to persecution tends to intensify and clarify my perspective of the persecuted Church - this is much overlooked in America. but what a shame. the international Body of Christ is in great need of our support. Now meeting these very precious people of God, i've been very humbled about my prayer life and my financial giving towards this ministry.

i'm safe, don't worry about me. the team is doing well, and i'm over my sickness.

i may update again in jaipur - there's an internet cafe which i found exploring on my own this evening.

thanks for your prayers and all your support. i am vey eternally grateful.

remember: pictures are coming your way (average: 300/day).

love,
insane picture taker

ps. please remember to pray for the pastors. do it right now if you can.

things are swelli, here in delhi.

hi friends.

yes. i'm in delhi, india at the GFA headquarters, where the missionaries and staff here have been overwhelmingly hospitable. our rooms are clean and the food is truly amazing. and i thought i had indian food in the bay area.

today we completed our 2nd day of ministry with the Dwarka Bible COllege very close to delhi (45 minute drive through very thick traffic). just a note on traffic here. left side drive - right seat driver. don't need to stay in a lane. don't need to obey any rules. everyone honks. pedestrians have no rights. scooters are rampant (i love this, as i drive a vespa...). bikes compete for the same lanes as buses. NO ACCIDENTS.

i'm a little sick - a little tired. but really, those things don't bother me. i'm not thinking about those things. i am thinking about the Dalit ("untouchables") children we visited today. their smiles outshine any spoiled kid in the U.S. i taught them the alphabet song, and they laughed when i tried a Hindi phrase. they're some of the most beautiful kids people i've ever seen.

something i've been having a hard time with is expressing my feelings and thoughts in my journaling and even talking with the other team members. it's a little hard to describe. so it's just nice to think about and listen to God inform my perspective about it.

there are 23 men at teh bible college, and i've led some worship songs for them. on our very first day, the morning, after being in the classroom only 5 minutes, i was leading the song "refiner's fire". a student just came up with me and started to play the bongos. perfect rhythm - grooving beat. they loved that song, so i've played it twice more since yesterday. they also love "it is well", the hymn by H. Spafford. i gave a devotional this morning about that hymn, and compared it with John 6. if you research the history of the hymn, it's quite great.

i've been taking lots of pictures - close to 2000 already. i'm kind of over the top with that. but honestly, i want to record every moment, because this is becoming so important to me. and the sunsets are rad.

i want to continually thank you for your support for me on the trip. we raised enough for everyone, and even more - so we'll be leaving the left over sum in india at the brige of hope schools, and the bible colleges.

i'll get another chance to update you soon, after visiting Jaipur. that should be around feb. 23. in the meantime, if you'd like to get a great idea of what it's like here, and what the children are like - watch teh documentary, "born into brothels" - excellent film.

please keep us in prayer, especially that i would be well soon, and that our impact would be an eternal one, begot by the Lord.

i'm still learning to mean this phrase emphatically: God be glorified.

love,
evan

just 14 hours away.

well, i leave on a plane in 14 hours. i'm both excited and nervous. maybe they exist in a symbiotic relationship, feeding into each other.

studying for the messages has really been humbling, and my support is complete. i'm very grateful. the Lord is a God of provision and faithfulness.

see you soon,
evan

Documentation

i'm excited to document the trip - you know... taking pictures (and a little video too, because my camera is really sweet).

once i get back, i'm going to upload ALL the photos to my www.flickr.com account - i don't have anything there yet. but you all will be able to view the pictures.

i don't have much insight today, just a good feeling about heading out for the trip. so please pray that my bags will be packed well before sunday afternoon (the flight's this sunday night at 12 am) - and pray that i don't forget anything, like toilet paper or immodium ad. :)

also pray that the persons going on the trip will all rend their hearts and minds, bowing to the Holy Spirit, and bending to His will. and of course please continue to pray for the lost of India, who will greatly benefit from the ministry of the students in the training facilities who we'll be teaching.

oh, maybe a little insight... i see the work of God's kingdom in this trip, and in this kind of mission work. moreso than in other situations. here, there is a unity of purpose, but an acknowledgement of responsibility - ours is to equip and support (we hope to leave some extra financial support when we part ways), and theirs is the reaching of people who we'd otherwise never get to interact with. hands and feet and spleens and joints and veins - all different parts of the body interacting in a specific, but quite noteworthy and significant way.

in His blood,
evan

Authority: Already, but Not Yet

Disclaimer: please do keep in mind that my mind is constantly ransaked by philosophical questions. and i don't mind that, but some others do. :) i like the struggle of thought. there is much worth there. i'm convinced it grows the heart and mind, and rounds off the balance and wholeness of a person.

As i've been continually thinking about the messages that i'd like to prepare, and praying about which set(s) of words will bring God the most glory when said before the indian students training to be native missionaries - i find i am very convinced that a teacher should deeply know and experience his lesson. you can't teach something you haven't learned. at the very least, for the parties involved (learning and teaching), everyone is better off when the teacher knows and experiences his lesson.

QUESTIONS:
conflict then arises, battling in my the regions where my head and heart connect - a conflict over authorization. what i mean by authorization is: by what authority do i teach these sets of words? i think i know the answer, but i must tarry. because there's another question of mine - what authority says that i've sufficiently learned or experienced the lesson that i would like to teach?

THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE QUESTIONS:
these two questions are important to me - i guess because i know that i've been in possibly compromising teaching positions, in which i'm worried God wasn't honored, or glorified. i think i should note here that God's glory seems to motivate (i hope and pray dear Jesus) my worry over these questions.

SOME ANSWERS (SORT OF):
as Christians, we live this life in an "already, but not yet" state. we're already saved, but not yet (since we are also being saved); we already know God, but not yet (since His fullness is mysteriously and gloriously hidden from us); we already experience God, but not yet (since someday, we'll be in His presence). So this "holy limbo" (i don't know what to call it) relates to the teacher, because he already has authority, but not yet.

CAVEAT LECTOR (let the reader beware):
if i were reading this (as i just did), i might all of a sudden start getting worried (as i just did). did evan just question all authority by positing some "holy limbo" between "already" and "not yet"? i don't want to be misinterpreted - i very firmly believe that conclusions can, and should, be made in teaching. what a horrible epistemological state to be in, where we can only settle for limbo.

so i don't think the "already, but not yet" affects making conclusions - and herein lies the answer to my first question: i teach my sets of words by God's authority given in the perfection of His word. that's great! the authority isn't based on me or my standards. conclusions are established by God, in His word.

and the second question, well, i think that the "already, but not yet" affects that - but in a good way. and as i've written this, and thought about that - i feel more free given that. i can teach sets of words - the words are ordained by God through His prophets. i already know and already experience them. it is truth. but there is quite alot of space (representing potential, as far as i'm concerned) which i can grow into, which is the not yet aspect of my limbo. it's graceful to the teacher - not an excuse for erroror flippancy (we're not to receive God's grace in vain); it is both the authority of God's truth, and the patience of the Lord to further conform me to that truth.

2 Corinthians has been a great blessing to me concerning these questions, and so i think i'm going to teach out of some of those chapters along with my message on Ecclesiastes.

please pray for the health of our team today! and for safety in travel and eating!

may the love of Christ constrain us (2 Cor. 5:14),
evan

Less than a week!

i am pretty pumped up about the trip. so is everyone. my financial support is going great - i'm at around 70% or so. some of the rest of the team is in need too. if you've already supported us financially - THANK YOU. this experience has been extremely humbling for me. and to think that giving is better than receiving... verily verily.

if you'd like to give, just comment, or contact me at evanrosa@gmail.com - but really, we need lots more prayer than just for money. so for today, please pray for the native missionaries of delhi and jaipur. those are the people we are visiting, and those are the people we hope to bless, and to see blessed. so please bless them yourselves by praying for them. visit www.gfa.org if you'd like to find out recent events, and needed prayer requests.

i'm updating each day this week, so talk to you tomorrow!
evan

2 weeks and counting...

one of my friends was thinking... hey, evan, if your trip were to Hades, to retreive lost souls, you might call your blog "to hell with evan"... i liked that. :)

though the trip isn't to Hades, India offers perils of it's own. my boss became a Christian in India in the 70s, and on a more recent trip back, he encountered "The Dehli Belly" - i don't need to know the symptoms to know that i don't want it.

and then - no drinking tap water, which by consequence you can derive: don't open your eyes in the shower, don't brush your teeth with sink water, and only consume well boiled tea and fizzy drinks. i like fizzy drinks, so maybe i'll brush my teeth with diet coke.

and no fruit without a peel. no cut open stuff (like watermelon). and nothing from a street vendor, unless it's quite obviously well cooked...

i'll keep my eyes open as things enter my body (unless it's shower water). maybe just no showering is the answer. my girlfriend Lani would disagree with that solution, as might my roommates.

as far as prayer goes, i'm still preparing messages and sermons along with the rest of the team. Please pray that our words are guided by the Holy Spirit and the grace and truth of the Gospel. Also, our team is still in need of financial support, so if you'd like to help us in any way, please contact me at evanrosa@gmail.com, or post a comment. Donations are tax-deductible: just write them out to REGENERATION, and write my name on the memo line. Currently, I'm at 50% of my support goal, which is great - God is providing.

What i'm learning most about this process of support raising and preparation is the humility it brings. You all have blessed me greatly with your support, whether in prayer or finances. May we advance God's kingdom through this ministry.

The Messages I'm studying for...

For this trip, each of us will be preparing lessons or messages or sermons, or lectures, or whatever you'd like to call it before hand, and during the trip, when we get the opportunity to teach, we'll deliver these. In thinking and praying about what messages to prepare, I've thought about a few different things.

Over the past several months, I've been really interested in the book of Ecclesiastes - I've read some commentary on it, and have written a little on it, and I'm blessed by it's simple goal - to find the meaning in life. I think it's a universal message, and so I think I might use my study of this book when I teach over in India.

I'm also going to deliver my own testimony of faith and salvation. Which is a ever-changing one, really. My faith swells, and diminishes, but God's faith remains quite steadfast. I change over time - the Lord doesn't. I'm quite impressed with that. So I think I might give a message that's based on my own testimony, which might exalt God's glory in His permanence and consistency and faithfulness to me. And maybe I'd share with them the hymn - "Great is Thy Faithfulness."

As for some prayer needs - unity for our team, that we'd get everything straight before we leave, and that the Lord would guide us through this entire process, and ultimately that He would be glorified by our ministry to India - may His name receive the blessing for our humble work.

Let me know if any of you are in any need of prayer or just want to talk with me - you can either post a comment to the blog (anyone can do it, even with out an account), or you could email me...

Soli Deo Gloria,
evan

Something New!

As for recent news about the trip, the team has been meeting each Saturday, to learn more about India, and the people we're going to be serving over there. We've learned that the students who we'll be teaching, and the missionaries of GFA are concerned with just a few things. Serving God and serving His children. With that said, supposedly, they'll be seeking to serve us at every opportunity. So our plan is to beat them at there own game.

The purpose of our trip truly is to go and be a blessing to these workers of the Lord. It wouldn't make sense to just stand back and be served continually by them. We want them to gain in God's grace through us. So immediately, we plan on showing deep respect for their culture and we hope to surprise them with service that they are abundantly blessed by. I think this means we'll need to know and live something of God before them. Nothing of us can really bless them. They will be dragged down by most of our Western blessings. What blesses us doesn't really bless them. But what we have of God can certainly bless them. God's blessing of study resources, which can bring a person into deeper and fuller contact with God is mainly what we'll offer.

But I also hear that they're interested in prayer - but believing prayer is the only kind that could bless them. Their situation sometimes comes to life or death. Unbelieving prayer wont be of much good for them. And really, unbelieving prayer wont ever be any good to us either. That brings up a good point...

Really, why do I (among others) hold Western Christianity to less of a standard? That only keeps us at a 2nd or 3rd rate connection to God. hopefully I'll learn how to not do that through this trip. That said, we'll need to engage in pretty wholehearted offering to God. Like Romans 12:1-2 connote. That's my invitation to you, kind reader. That's my invitation to myself, wretched evan.

Learning, of course. Still learning.

Support Letter

Here's a letter I've written to inform my friends and family and maybe strangers about the trip. It's definitely a support letter - I'm asking for money. I mean, I only just graduated from college, and don't exactly make much money. But I've tried to include as few as possible patronizing appeals for funds... the kind which might insult someone's intelligence or spirituality.

Regardless of anyone's ability to give towards my trip, I still want them to know about it. I think it's an interesting opportunity, and well worth the time to become more familiar with Gospel for Asia. I'll post more about them soon, too. I think their right on in their approach. Very winsome and very Godly. They're kingdom minded.

So here's the letter...

Hello friend!

As you might know, since June of 2005 I have been interning with my church, ReGeneration, in Oakland, CA. It’s been a time of much learning and service – and hopefully all unto the glory of God and His kingdom. Between February 12 and 25 I'll be travelling with my pastor and a few others throughout India. Our church has had a long relationship with an Asian missionary association called Gospel for Asia (www.gfa.org). GFA raises funds for native missionaries to bring the gospel of Christ to their own people, in their own language and in the context of their own culture.

To reach the billions of people throughout Asia, the organization educates and trains young men and women for missionary work and starting indigenous churches throughout the many unreached villages. Currently, there are over 8,000 students enrolled in GFA’s 54 biblical seminaries. For the work to be done effectively, truthfully, and gracefully, the GFA students are in great need of Bible teachers with experience in ministry. The purpose of my trip to India is to equip, educate, and encourage the students in training for the difficult work God has placed before them.

Uncovering truth is one of the central purposes of my life. To know the truth of our Maker, His redemption of our lives, and consequently live in awareness of His glory means a great deal to me. This trip offers an opportunity to come alongside students like myself who have the calling to serve their own people of India by delivering to them the gospel of salvation. Although my language and culture bar me from directly sharing Christ with the lost of India, in February I’ll be able to take a crucial role in bringing the truth of Jesus to a lost nation.

And if you’d like to take part in this purpose, you’re welcome! I’ll be raising around $3000 in order to get there (and back). God blesses us all in different ways and proportions, and I’d be very appreciative of your consideration and giving towards my trip. If you feel the desire to do so, you can make checks out to ReGeneration and make a memo with my name and mail them to either address below (or you could just hand it to me when you see me). And if you’d like to ask me any questions and just chat about the trip, or about truth, or anything really, my email address is evanrosa@gmail.com. I’ve also set up a weblog with information for my supporters and those interested in my trip at http://toindiawithevan.blogspot.com.

Thank you for your prayers, and I hope to here from you soon,

Evan Rosa

evanrosa@gmail.com
219 E. 15th St.
Oakland, CA 94606

ReGeneration
P.O. Box 5387
Berkeley, CA 94705

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog page for Evan's 2006 trip to India with ReGeneration. Have a look around! And thanks for visiting.