Reflections from India 2025

Grady and May - First Time Team Members

This year’s trip took place this fall and involved seven persons from ACC and a Maryland

pastor and wife. We arrived in Delhi to weather similar to central Texas. However Delhi was

another world with an opaqueness from a combination of pollution, burning of nearby rice

fields, and low indistinct clouds. Add into this, a constant blaring of horns from congested

traffic and colorful people everywhere. Welcome to the mission field!

This was my second time to India, my first being in the southern part of the country several

years earlier. This time my wife, May went on her first mission trip. India, like its love of many

colors, is an eclectic place of religious beliefs with Hinduism, Buddhism, Islamism, along the

primitive animistic beliefs, and even Communism. It remains the country with largest

unreached people groups in the world.

Our purpose was two-fold: we were there to evangelize to those who had not heard or not

understood the Gospel; and we were there to encourage those believers that were part of the

various churches we visited. We did also, as part of a holistic ministry, give talks on some

basic heath concepts, along with mini-clinics seeing patients for various complaints, along with

praying for them for various concerns. An example was a woman with complaints of dizziness

and headaches, with findings of significantly elevated blood pressure as likely cause of

symptoms, and at risk for stroke.

Verses that came to mind during this time, include Matthew 11:7, “... and the poor have the

gospel preached to them”. Also Isaiah 61:1 “... the Lord has anointed me to bring good news

to the poor”. That certainly happened during our time in India. India is very poor in many

areas, and the word “squalor” came to my mind often. We traveled to remote areas of cities

and villages, in teams, sharing the gospel through our testimonies and the word of God. We

also shared in drug and alcohol rehab facilities in the city. The response to the Gospel was

often very positive, with several indicating a desire to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. As a

rough estimate, I would say easily over a hundred total made such a decision. Baptism and

prayer followed with sprinkling of water as there was no where safe to immerse anyone. Small

churches would be started in some homes. One very touching moment was after we gathered

an offering for the new church in a woman’s very humble home, she insisting on giving a small

part of that back to our team, even though they had very little means.

Some of our travel was into the northwestern states of India, where along with evangelism, we

continued ministry to local churches. This involved teaching primarily with encouragement

from God’s word. But also with a very active children’s ministry. The children were very

responsive to lessons, songs, and games. They have a simplicity and friendliness towards

adults, not often seen in the US, not distracted with electronic devices and content with what

they have.

We traveled to northeastern part of India, where the landscape changed from miles of rice

fields to miles of tea shrubs beneath scattered trees. Warning signs of elephant crossings or

leopards in the forest, were seen alongside the road. Here we continued the same ministry,

first to children as part of a large private school in Kolkata, stopping briefly to see former

missionary William Carey’s church, along with Mother Teresa’s ministry compound. We then

traveled into more remote beautiful tea farms to local churches to learn more about their

ministry work and needs.

Finally we finished in Darjeeling, with a wonderful view of the Himalaya’s and Mount

Kanchenjunga the third highest mountain in the world. As we joyously worshiped with local

believers that last day, I was reminded of Psalm 95:4, “For the Lord is a great God and a great

King above all gods, in whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are

also His.” And Revelation 7:9 “... I looked and behold, a great multitude, which no one could

count, from every nation and all tribes, peoples and languages, standing before the throne and

before the Lamb ...” We don’t know this side of heaven all the small corners of the world

where God has and is working in peoples lives and the millions of stories of grace. It is a

privilege to be a small part of God’s history in the world.

Wei - Second Time Returnee

When the opportunity for this year’s short-term mission trip to India came up, I honestly didn’t have much desire to go. Still, I invited Sister May from our fellowship. To my surprise, she immediately agreed—and her husband wanted to join as well. He is a doctor, and when I realized a doctor would be traveling with us, the resistance in my heart began to soften. It seemed as though God was preparing me to take this step of faith. I gradually shifted from unwillingness to willingness.I began praying in June, and throughout the process I experienced many spiritual battles. My first visa application to India was even rejected. But through the encouragement of brothers and sisters, I chose to obey the Lord and be willing to complete the work God was calling me to do.

As soon as we landed in Delhi, I was shocked. The only words I could think of were “dirty” and “chaotic.” The mission field truly felt like a battlefield. Yet every morning our team of seven clung tightly to God through early devotions. His Word became our daily strength. We happened to be reading Acts 2–4, and it felt like Pentecost all over again. The Holy Spirit filled us each day and led us into countless gospel opportunities. Despite the severe air pollution that caused all of us to cough daily, none of us fell seriously ill, and no one had stomach issues. This was entirely God’s protection—praise the Lord.

India has the largest number of unreached people groups in the world—an estimated 1.394 billion people. God opened my eyes to see His heart for this nation. In Delhi and the northwest region, we visited house churches to share testimonies and proclaim the gospel. One day, while sharing my own salvation testimony, something unexpected happened—my mouth simply stopped following my prepared notes. Words poured out as I confessed before the Indian brothers and sisters that I had not loved the Indian people and had been unwilling to come to India. The Holy Spirit revealed to me Jesus’ deep love for them. I wept uncontrollably as I spoke. Afterward, I felt such affection for the Indian people—God’s love had filled my heart. The verse God used to call me was Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses... to the ends of the earth.” This time, I had flown from Austin across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East to the other side of the world. In my spiritual understanding, this journey truly felt like stepping onto “the ends of the earth” to be His witness. God’s works are wondrous and beyond measure.

Our itinerary took us through Delhi, the northwest region, Kolkata, and the northeastern areas of Siliguri, Nagrakata, Kalchini, Kalimpong, and Darjeeling. One of the most memorable experiences in Kolkata was serving children in the slums. A single school bus carried children from three different slum communities. These precious children brought their own bowls onto the bus, and after their lessons they received a free lunch. They joyfully greeted us and shook our hands. Sister Florence felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to teach them Father Abraham, and the children sang with such delight! There are 1,000 slums in Kolkata. Jesus became our example: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me... He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor...” (Luke 4:18–19). Later, we traveled to several villages to help local churches with discipleship training. Believers there were equipped to share the gospel with neighbors, relatives, friends, and surrounding villages, planting churches and developing children’s ministries. We also offered marriage counseling, community health education, and free medical clinics. We served from morning until night, yet none of us felt tired. Our faces were filled with joy that came from God. Church facilities in the villages were often very simple, and power outages were common.

Worship consisted of only a guitar and a hand drum. One day, as I stood among them during worship, God gave me a vision like the one in Revelation: “Every nation, tribe, people, and language... standing before the throne...” Although I didn’t understand their language, I was touched by the Holy Spirit, fell to my knees, and wept through the entire worship service. Again, I marveled at God’s work—His glory truly fills all nations.

On our final day, we traveled to Darjeeling, near the border of Nepal. Our driver skillfully navigated steep 45-degree climbs, countless sharp turns, and narrow cliffside roads. It was terrifying, but God brought us safely to Darjeeling, at an elevation of 6,710 feet. None of us experienced motion sickness. We served at a Nepali-speaking church, and although our lodging was very basic—no heating and no hot water—none of us complained. Instead, we marveled joyfully at God’s magnificent creation. After we finished our ministry, we drove three hours straight to the airport. Looking back, I thank God for His guidance every step of the way. This journey was full of challenges but even more filled with God’s grace. We completed our mission in India with hearts overflowing with joy.