Jesus knew the tendency for us humans to forget to Thank God for who He is and all He has done and continues to do for us. Read Jesus’ parable about the ten lepers He healed, where only one came back, “threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him – and he was a Samaritan!” Let’s be sure to intentionally “Thank God” as we Celebrate Thanksgiving Day.
I have been working on what I hope will be my tenth book. The working title is, “Serendipitous Encounters,” some of which I have been including in my monthly Updates. I’ve been going through my files, some of which go back many decades. And I have to admit, I’d forgotten many experiences God has graciously allowed me to have. I have been humbled, and often in the process of reading them, I’m overwhelmed with God’s goodness to me, and to Mur as well, and to the now 40 others in our family. I’ve been thanking God and praising Him. God has been so good to us over the years. And I’m confident that what He began to do many years ago, and has continued to do up to the present, He will continue to do until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:3-6).
That confidence and gratitude extends to all of you who receive these monthly Updates. You have contributed much to these experiences, and I want each of you to know: I THANK GOD FOR YOU AND YOUR PRAYERS!!
I continue to let God know each morning that I’m available, and on assignment, as God’s ambassador, seeking to love and encourage others in the work of reconciliation. Check out these verses: 1st Corinthians 9:19, 2nd Corinthians 5:17-21.
I’d appreciate your prayers as I continue working on writing this new book. Also, for me as I lead the next monthly Vesper service here at Countryside Village this Sunday, the 17th. Also, pray for me, Tammi and Bill as we drive to Debbie’s for Thanksgiving.
And now, here is the next Serendipitous Encounter: George and Janet Barathan
The first few paragraphs are excerpted from George’s testimony, published in Billy Graham’s Decision Magazine, 1983.
I was raised a Hindu on the island of Sri Lanka. In our home there was a room filled with pictures and statues of Hindu gods, and my mother worshiped in that room every day. As a child I would go with my mother to Hindu temples, and often we bought fruits or picked flowers which we offered to the Hindu gods.
When I was ten, my father thought I should go to boarding school. There I met students from all religions. A missionary visited our school and shared about a Hindu who became a dynamic Christian. I thought about it, but was concerned about whether my mother and relatives would accept me if I became a Christian.
At 17 I left school and began searching for a job. One day, while reading the newspaper for job openings, I ran across an advertisement about a Youth For Christ rally. I was curious and thought that if I could listen to some music free, I might as well go. The preacher at the rally spoke about Christ, and what he said touched my heart. For two days I was troubled. I wondered if I should turn my life over to Jesus Christ and trust him and totally forget Hinduism. When I heard this preacher was to speak again in a church I went. He said that Christ was willing to come into my life if I was willing to open my heart and accept him as my personal Savior. At the end of the meeting, I talked with him. He prayed with me and helped me make my decision for Christ.
I started meeting with a group of young people at YFC who welcomed me and took an interest in me as a person. They invited me to go to a camp for a week, and at camp I was impressed with how everyone worked in harmony and love. I had never seen this love among my Hindu friends.
A missionary organization, Operation Mobilization, operated a large ship which they used as a discipleship training center geared to world evangelization. When they docked in the port of Colombo I volunteered to help in their outreach. I was encouraged to see that the crew was totally dedicated to God. Thousands of people came on board, and every person received a portion of God’s Word. Every day teams of evangelists left the ship to reach people in the town for Christ. I began to feel that I should be a part of this work. Not long after that I became a part of that ministry. I met my wife on that ship.
I, Lud, was the preacher that had the privilege of praying with him as he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. I had no contact with him after that visit to Sri Lanka. One day, about 15 years later, I received a letter from him. The head of Operation Mobilization, a friend of mine from Moody days, found out about my involvement in his conversion and encouraged him to write me. He gave him a small pamphlet I had put together with 30 brief devotional articles in it. It had my address on the back cover, so he finally wrote to me. Since then, we have corresponded for about 55 years. After many years being involved in the ship ministry, he helped launch an OM ministry to the Dalit people of India (the Untouchables). Presently he and his wife are the representatives for OM in western Canada and have a home in a suburb of (believe it or not) Vancouver, my birthplace. From there they also do compassionate work, helping meet the needs of “war widows” in northern Sri Lanka, where there was a civil war for over 20 years.