Ricky and Family at the Kelly's

Just days away now and things are moving rapidly. Ricky and Sudeepa and Justin have been staying with us a few days while speaking around the States on the work in Kakinada. They have been raising money for the orphanage there and now have returned home. We really enjoyed having them and look forward to our work together. Lord willing, we will be at their place in a few days.

We are leaving shortly and want all of you to keep us in your prayers. Here is a look at our schedule: We leave at 2:05 Tuesday and Return Home on Dec. 12 at 7:00 P.M. During those times we are scheduled very heavily so keep us in your prayers.

I will try to keep some postings here on the BLOG. Our time is pretty full, so I don't know if we will be able to do so daily, but will try.

GOING BACK

We have been invited to return to India and again speak at the lectureship in Kakinada December 1-4, 2009. In addition to the lectures, it is requested I teach in 3 additional all day preacher workshops. Our key supporters have encouraged us to take advantage of this opportunity, so, Lord Willing, we will again make the trip in 2009.

I am now in the process of reporting to the churches and individuals who make this work possible.  I will complete those reports by the end of February. Reports have already been made to the churches in Asher and St. Louis, OK. and will be at Stratford, OK on February 8 and the Westside church in Muskogee, OK, February 22. We are beginning to get ready for the 2009 trip.  Since we have been there already and know what to expect and what is expected of us, we should be even more successful. We appreciate your prayers, support and encouragement.

"KELLYGRAM"

We arrived home safely at about 9:00 P.M. Tuesday night.  We are tired but glad to be home. It is so nice to turn the tap and have drinkable water, to sleep in your own bed, to see family and enjoy our wood stove in  the Oklahoma cold weather. We thank God for a beneficial trip, a safe journey and for all YOUR support.  

On Our Way

Well, we are packed and ready to go to the airport.  It's a few hours yet but soon.  We are ready to be home but have truly been blessed by our time here.  To all of you who have helped send us, THANK YOU.  Anything we have been able to do in helping this work is because of your generosity.  We could not have done this without all your help and prayers. I have been invited to speak again at the lectureships December 1-4, 2009.  I don't know about that but we'll see. Raising funding for myself is not something I do well, but we could not do any of this without it. If those who oversee our work and those who contribute to it choose for us to come again... well, we will see.  Right now we are ready to be home. While it has been thrilling for us to participate in the spread of the gospel in India, it has been very strenuous as well. We dread that long flight but anxious to get started. I don't fit well in airline seats! But, we would not trade this experience for anything.  We have really "connected" not only with the American missionaries here but particularly with the native preachers.  I spent hours talking and encouraging them when not speaking somewhere.  We discussed scripture, the church in America, and they felt free to discuss anything with me.

I was really miffed to have to try to explain things like: "Why are some churches in America turning to instrumental music."  My only explanation is that some preachers and some elderships have chosen to do things not authorized in scripture.  I assure you, the average Indian preacher is better grounded than such preachers and elders.  They KNOW BETTER and you will not fool them into worship in a way which is an abomination to the Lord.  I wish some of them could come and preach to such churches!  Believe me, they would be kind, but would take such false teaching APART! They just don't understand such apostasy---- well I don't either.  It is just that some seem to not respect the authority of scripture. And NO, I won't apologize for my thinking about those who have taken the church down that road. THEY KNOW it's in opposition to the will of God and have done it anyway......

Thats enough soapbox.  We love you all and look forward to seeing and reporting personally about all you have made possible.  I'm sure I will talk too long! God bless us all in His service.

Bidar and Back

We traveled Saturday morning about 3 hours north of Hyderabad to the city of Bidar, India, a city of 500,000 people.  I taught preachers all afternoon and Elaine taught the ladies-- many also preachers wives. The daughter of one of the preachers translated for her. These are amazingly intelligent people.  One of my translators  can TRANSLATE in 5 different languages and is FLUENT in 8 languages. Saturday night I preached at 7:00 and at 8:30 in two different congregations in Bidar.  Then Sunday morning I preached for one congregation at 10:30 then at another at 12:30. We really enjoyed this last or our preaching appointments in India.  There were all the members of that congregation and 8 preachers and their groups from some surrounding villages.  The building was packed and we really enjoyed them all.  We observed the Lord's Supper there and after services they covered us with flower garlands as is customary when they greet a guest they consider special.  It was Great! ---- and we were thankful as they spoke about how we had helped them.  That's what we came to do and it was nice of them to tell us we had encouraged and helped them.  This is a marvelous group of Christians in a difficult work area.  Bidar is dirty and the lives of these Christians are a daily trial.  There is no persecution here (as yet) but their work is full of hardships.  The building are set so close on most streets it is impossible for more than one car to go up them.  The streets are all just red dirt and the buildings appear to be very old.  But their spirit is great and we had some great assemblies. Robert Hall, a regular here from Hamilton, Alabama went to Bidar with us and he preached at several other places in the area while we were at ours.  Robert comes here for a month twice a year to help and preach. He is a great guy and lot's of fun to be with.  We have had some great OU and Alabama "battles." I told his it was too bad OU was playing for the National championship while Alabama was relegated to that "inferior" bowl!  One of our driver/translators went back to his village after a Saturday night service there, studied with 12 people until 4 AM, baptizing 8--- 4 being denominational preachers. John is a marvelous person, a great preacher and about as hard working an individual as I have known.  We will miss him! We are all (Me, Elaine, Robert, and John) are exhausted after a long trip but elated we were able to serve the Lord in Bidar. We fly out at 3:35 AM on Tuesday--(Monday Night!) so tomorrow will be very busy.  I will try to post one more time before we go to the airport.  God bless us all in His work!

Thursday/Friday in Hyderabad

THURSDAY:
We are spending the rest of our time in India with the Clayton team in Hyderabad.  We are going to try to make the most efficient use of our time left.  They would like for me to speak at the school in Bedar and then in Several congregations Sunday.  Trouble is, at this point I have no voice.  I have never experienced not being able to talk above a whisper but yesterday and today---nothing. My voice has always been strong so I don't know how to deal with this.  My mother always said I had a STRONG VOICE, Elaine says I have a LOUD MOUTH!  Oh, well.  The Lord will lead us where he wants us to go.  We stayed last night, and the several days we were here earlier, in the home of Kyle Clayton and his family. They have made us feel very much at home and we love them for it. Sony is native to India and Kyle is a full time USA transplant. Sony's father was B.D. Emmanuel, a great preacher here in India. (Left to right) Preethi, Sony, Sunshine, Kyle, and Jordan are in one of the pictures.  They have made us feel like family.  Karen and Ron (in the other picture) are going to Bangladore today and then back to the states in a day or two so we will spend our remaining time in their apartment at the church office.

FRIDAY:

Since my voice won't work, we went this morning for a little sightseeing to Golkanda Fort here in Hyderabad.  Truthfully I have never seen anything like it in my life! It is a Fort they began building in 1363 and huge parts of it remain.  It has two hugh walls made to repel about anything including gates elephant battering rams could not penetrate.  Then the inner wall. The inner wall is over 80' high, 5' thick and 7 Km around it.  I have been to many ancient ruins---the Parthenon in Athens, etc.  But this Fort dwarfs anything I have ever seen.  I have some good video and PIC's a couple I have posted.  We leave in the morning for Bidar, 3 hours north of here.  I am to teach in the school of preaching in the afternoon and Elaine will again teach the women. Then tomorrow night we will hold a gospel service there in Bidar.  Sunday, I am to preach at several churches on the way back to Hyderabad.  I hope my voice hold out.  I am better and think it will be OK. And, to paraphrase Jesus statement: "We must work the works of Him that sent us WHILE WE ARE HERE for the airline cometh and takes us away so we can no longer work."