Dennis and Asa Update #3

Here's the latest update from our friends Dennis Greeson and Asa Crow. Please continue to pray for the Lord's guidance a protection. - Tim

As I attempt this last update, I struggle to write for my heart is failing to hand any words to my groping fingers. This letter might be much longer in the making than my last ones. I center myself; quiet the turmoil that has been birthed from the contagious restlessness that hangs in India’s every breath. And as I do this, I find that I have great reason to rejoice: the fog is clearing and I can see the road we have just traveled, and I am thrilled at where the Lord has taken us.
Asa and I arrived in Bangalore yesterday at around 9:30am, having left Kolkatta that morning at around 6am (meaning we woke up and left for the airport at around 3:45). Asa has heard me say this many times, but there is nothing that allows one to appreciate Bangalore more than a week in Kolkata. It feels good to be here. There is silence for the first time in over a week—Asa sits across the desk from me here in the office enjoying the peace and taking advantage of the rare solitude.
Our time in Kolkata since the last update was a mixture of weariness, eventually giving way to rejuvenation; time spent combing the streets, ending in wonderful rest at Matt’s house with much-needed fellowship stirred in; a sense futility, growing into a marvelous faith in the goodness of God and the blessing of knowing He planted seeds through us.
After I sent out the last letter asking for prayer for us, specifically for Asa and his stomach, Asa got better. He was put on some heavy antibiotics and slept pretty hard with the sedatives we gave him. Continuing to eat, his health quickly returned to normal, and he seems to be back to his normal self. Praise God; it was not a crippling experience, and he seems to have journeyed through with little bitterness towards India and all she has to offer. Definitely he did not walk away from Kolkata slighted in the least, he received the complete experience.
The guy that you prayed for, Saleem from the university, met with me at the scheduled time. He brought two friends, all brandishing boldly their traditional beards with pride, and we decided it best to meet in my hotel room rather than in the crowded coffee bar. Isa, one of the two national brothers who worked with us throughout the week, was there with me.
The conversation teetered on the edge of being called an argument; however it remained peaceful and composed, full of love by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and therefore I think a better term for it would be “discussion”. We jumped right in, sharing our views and such, and talked long into the night. They left three hours later, shaking hands with smiles on their faces. It turned out to be a great conversation, no one lost their dignity, and they heard the true gospel several times.
I walked away feeling like we had just spun around in circles, not really getting any where. We all were very set in our ways, believing our beliefs to be undoubtedly truth. However, I know it is not us who change people, but only Jesus Christ who turns even the hardest hearts to flesh. These guys heard the gospel, which I know has power, and it will be all the Holy Spirit’s doing now. They were what we would call apologists for their faith, two of them leaders in Islamic movements on their campuses: very much men like Saul, who we all know became Paul by the miraculous workings of our Lord. Please pray for these guys, pray their hearts would be softened and drowned by the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of Life.
The rest of our days there in the downtown part of the city involved a number of great conversations, with many people receiving booklets and material in their own language about our message. Seeds were planted, all I can do now is trust God will be faithful to cultivate them, working in their lives and sending people likes us to follow up with them.
We spent the last three nights at Matt’s house, which is out on the outskirts of town in an apartment complex. It was a great time of being filled up, pouring into the families out there, playing cards, eating together, doing church together, and diving into deep conversations with people who speak our heart-language. Our last night there we had dinner with two journey-girls, Heather and Kayla, which sincerely encouraged all of us. Sharing our stories, our passions for Jesus, and a Western meal filled us up—physically and spiritually, giving us a taste of community that we’ve hungered much for.
I feel I have no words in which to conclude our time in Kolkata with but that our God is both loving and faithful, He leads and takes cares of His children. We were used by Him in ways we’ll never know or understand, our reason for being there is too great for me to grasp; yet I rejoice knowing that He is present, active, and intimately working our lives.
Christmas at the Greeson’s house this morning was a wonderfully simple time. We awoke to cold toes on marble floors, since a cold front had settled in over night. Breakfast was cooked and enjoyed, as well as steaming cups of tea. Then the whole family, Asa included, squeezed into a small breakfast nook where the tiny Christmas tree was hidden by small mounds of colorfully wrapped presents. Presents were opened, laughs were shared, and paper was strewn about the floor since there has been a shortage of trash bags at the house.
It’s been a quiet Christmas day, in the sense that though there is the constant clamor of life in India screaming all around us, we haven’t done much. And we don’t plan on doing anything much the rest of the day either. Asa and I are working on getting caught up on computer stuff, and might go grab a cup of tea before the afternoon is over.
Tomorrow we will drive deep into the Nilgiri Hills, a jungle-blanketed range of mountains nestled in the heart of southern India, and stay there for three days. We hope it to be somewhat of an escape, a time away from the city and the uncomfortable edge that gives life; yet we also hope it to be a time well spent in each other’s company, as one big family again (with a new addition).
Afterwards we will return to Bangalore for a few more days before we fly to Chiang Mai, Thailand, beginning our journey back to the States. We might send out another update in the next couple of weeks, but then again we might not. It somewhat depends on the access we have to a computer with internet, and our willingness to use it.
Still be praying for the work done in Kolkata, the seeds that were planted and lives that had an encounter with Jesus Christ through the lives we’ve lived and the words we’ve spoken. Pray also for the families of Kolkata, and the work that they are doing there. I have a new-found respect for them; please give them the support and encouragement of knowing they are remembered before the Father.

Merry Christmas,

Dennis and Asa.