Meet another Harvester in India

Get an inside look as we interview one of the many men who have answered God’s calling “…The harvest is great but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37 We thank you for your support and faithfulness in prayer. God is equipping and sending out new workers daily to share the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ!

Location: Donapudi
Church Plant Date: March 2000
Pastor: Jayaraj Moka

In the midst of temples and idol worship there lives a family of five. A white, brick home with a thatched roof sits in the midst of many multiple story homes in the village of Donapudi. The surrounding homes are inhabited by high caste members of the Hindu faith. In this particular home lives a family who has dared to plant themselves in Donapudi. Their main focus is to live out the action of love in a biblically rooted, revolutionary way, amidst a culture that opposes them. In a place where the belief that of no matter what you do in this life can change your destiny, live the Moka’s, under an entirely different belief. This is their story.


THE MOKA FAMILY

Now a Pastor, Jayaraj Moka was born into a Christian family. His mother and his father were fishermen and raised their son well, instilled a solid foundation, and spoke truth and affirmation into their son during his development, through biblical teachings. As Jayaraj matured and reached working age he also began a career as a fisherman. He found the challenges of fishing enticing, enjoyable, and productive. The work was continuous and gave a means to aid his parents financial circumstances. He recalls the happenings of 1996 as the year God placed a clear call on his life in ministry. In April 1996, Jayaraj had a vision in his sleep in which he was tending to a flock of sheep. A voice called out to him to “feed the sheep.” When he awoke he disregarded the vision as nothing more than dream and continued in his work as a fisherman. In May of the same year, he went on a late night fishing excursion. While at sea he fell from the side of the boat and was quickly carried down current. He struggled to swim back to the boat, but was unsuccessful and drifted further and further away. Growing tired and losing hope of survival, he began to sink. In that moment, he was visited by the same voice from his vision with this instruction, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” and then the voice again instructed him to “feed the sheep“. This time the calling was clear and in that moment Jayaraj surrendered his plans for his future and pleaded with the Lord to spare his life so that he could give himself to the Kingdom work of God’s plan. Although he cannot recount how he survived, he is indeed a survivor of that near death experience as he awoke on the deck of the boat, soaking wet, minutes later. Jayaraj counts this miracle as the turning point in his life where the scales fell from his eyes as he was awakened to God’s calling. In the days that followed Jayaraj retold the happenings of his fishing trip to countless friends and sought the biblical counsel of Sambasavarao, a well respected and Godly mentor to many men in the area where Jayaraj had grown up. Sambbasavarao advised Jayaraj to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and study the holy scripture daily. He referred him to a bible college run by Harvest India near Vijayawada. In late 1996, as though the year had not brought enough life changing moments to Jayaraj, he met and married Usharani, the young woman whom his parents had arranged for him to wed earlier that same year.
Life has changed quite drastically since 1996. Jayaraj did seek out the opportunity to study scripture and has fully embraced the call the Lord so clearly placed on his life. He studied at Harvest India’s bible college near Vijayawada from 1997-1999 and upon graduation he fully immersed himself in ministry. He has, since the completion of his degree, begun and continued ministry programs in three local villages near his home. In order to gather materials for his village ministry in the early years he had to travel quite a distance to obtain tracts. Tracts are preprinted materials that tell the story of Jesus Christ. During his return travels from a ministry conference, gathering materials, Jayaraj encountered an boy on a train ride from Vijayawada. The boy was panhandling on the train. Jayaraj’s heart moved with compassion as he inquired how the bow had come to panhandle at such a young age. He learned, in what became a lengthy conversation, that this young boy’s parents had passed away and there was no one to look after him and so he, at the young age of eight, was caring for himself. Although the current living condition of the young Moka household was not without struggle or opposition, Jayaraj welcomed the boy to come and stay with him and he would look after him as one of his own. That day Jayaraj and Usharani were blessed with their first child, an eight year old boy whom they later named Sampson. Jayaraj and Usharani now have two more children; John is 10 years old and Teja is 8 years old. Sampson is now 21 years old, away at school, and receiving high marks in all areas of his education. All three of the Moka children have received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Together, the family faces extreme adversity in the local village where they both live and conduct ministry. They rent the home in which they reside and the cost of living in Donapudi often causes them to go without other necessities in life. But the Moka family is deeply rooted in their faith and their destiny is clear. While their service to God often leaves them with hungry bellies and empty pockets, the Moka’s are a family that faithfully press forward in the work God has placed in their path. Their needs cause them to fully rely on the Lord and grow their faith. In tribulation, they rejoice over those in their ministry who have crossed from death to life, through Christ‘s ultimate sacrifice.

DONDAPUDI CHURCH

If you feel called to join the ministry God is doing through the Moka family, they have asked for prayer and support. Please pray that God would provide the funds for a larger church building. The Harvest India funded church plant seats about 50 women and children shoulder to shoulder as we witnessed in holding service with the congregation on Wednesday evening. But, as the service progressed a crowd began to form and gather outside the open doors of the small church. At the moment, Jayaraj holds a number of services to “feed the sheep” of his growing flock but he is prayerful that God will provide a larger building so that he can hold the additional services in other surrounding villages that have not yet heard the good news of Jesus Christ.


It is through men and women like these that we will take the name of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. Please visit Harvest India online at www.HarvestIndia.org or e-mail Suresh@HarvestIndia.org for further information on how you can get involved.

Father's Love

In Luke Chapter 15 there are three parables that are taught in church frequently. The parable of the lost coin, the lost sheep and the prodigal son. Remarkably the three stories touch an aspect of the responses of God’s children and show the various relationship we experience as children of the Father. His role remains the same, as a loving Father God. The first is the parable of the lost sheep. The shepherd has one hundred sheep. But one stays from the flock. The sheep was with the shepherd and wanders off, so the sheep knows it’s lost, but regardless it continues to walk along it’s own path. The shepherd comes to know that the sheep is missing and leaves the ninety-nine sheep to seek the one who has gone missing and when he finds it in trouble and alone He picks up the sheep and carries it back to the flock where it belongs. The sheep has the opportunity to stay again but the shepherd has acted in love and sought the sheep for a safe return. The lost coin tells of a woman who has ten silver coins and loses just one. She sweeps the entire house in search for the lost coin leaving nothing unsearched and when she finds it she calls her friends and neighbors to rejoice for the coin has been found. This parable can teach us so many wonderful things about the true heart of the Father God who longs to have an intimate relationship with his children. The coin did not know it was lost it simply was, but the woman was not fulfilled in the remaining nine coins. She searches everywhere until she has found the coin which belongs to her and when she does she rejoices. She would not have label the one that was lost to identify which had been missing, she would just include it with the other nine and all would be restored, as it was initially. This conveys that our Father seeks his children who do not know they are lost. He pursues the missing leaving no place unturned until all of his child have returned and are again in the possession of the Lord, and each time he finds one he rejoices. And the prodigal son, which over the last few years has become one of my favorite stories in the bible, tells of a son who forsakes his wealthy father and asks for his great inheritance before it is rightfully time. The father who loves the son gives him the inheritance and the son squanders it on the foolish, wild living in the world. The son finds himself broke and in desperate need of work so he seeks employment and is offered a job feeding pigs. (This was disgraceful occupation because pigs were considered unclean) Yearning to eat the food he is feeding the pigs it says “he comes to his senses” and decides to return to his father to tell him he has sinned against him and is no longer worthy of being called his son. The father sees the son far off, which leads us to understand that the Father must have been looking, waiting for the son. And while he, the son, is still far off the father runs to him and embraces him. The son tries to tell his story of his disgrace but the father immediately puts the signet ring on his finger, which during the time would have been the seal that when stamped acted as a method of paying anything to the father’s estate, thus reinstating the full inheritance to the son. This is one of the best examples of our Fathers love. The child has been foolish, ungrateful, unloving and completely disrespectful. The father, who loves the son, gives him what he asks for and lets him go, with his blessing. While the child is gone, the father waits and seeks his return and when the child returns with nothing left of all he has been given the father runs to him. He throws his arms around him, says nothing about the child’s disobedience and instead as the greatest act of love, restores full inheritance to the child. I am quickly realizing that it is imperative that I learn all that I can about my Father’s love. The bible paints a beautiful picture of His love. But until I step fully into a intimate relationship with the Father I will not be able to full comprehend His ultimate, unbreakable, everlasting love!
Our Father loves us when we do NOTHING! But His love compels us to do EVERYTHING!
I have a great relationship with my earthly father and our relationship in turn allows me to understand a father’s love much easier than if I did not have such a father. Suppose I had not had such a great parental, father-son relationship. Suppose my father was violent or consumed with rage. God has moments in scripture where he is forceful and firm in his correcting, as my father has also at times in my development, but Gods love never diminishes even when He corrects. He rebukes with a righteous and consuming love. The Father’s heart is always loving in the best interest of His child.
This story was shared at a conference I attended recently. A young boy named Tim is very adventurous. He loves going to play in the park across the street from his home. His father tells him that he can only go to the park if he or the boys mother are with him. He warns that it is very dangerous to cross the busy street. “Do you understand what I’m telling you?,“ says the father. The boy, looking up at his father responds, “Yes papa, I understand.” Later the father is wrapped up in another matter and the boy is longing to go to the park. He looks to see if the father is paying attention and then gazes across to the park, looks back to the father and then again to the park. Consumed by his “now mentality” he steps out into the street and heads for the park. He forgets to look to his right and a car which is traveling fast, tries to stop, but cant stop in time. Tim and the car collide and the impact sends Tim flying through the air and landing on the asphalt. A neighbor, who has seen the entire incident runs to the boy’s father and yells, “Come quick! Tim has been in an accident and he needs you!” The father immediately drops everything and runs out to his boy. By this time a crowd is gathering and the police have arrived. He yells out “Please move that‘s my son that’s my son!” As the crowd parts the image of Tim’s motionless body is revealed. The father approaches his son, their eyes meet and he sees the blood starting to puddle around his son’s head. He points down at him lying there and yells, “You see what you‘ve done Tim! Look at yourself! I specifically warned you this would happen if you didn‘t listen to my instructions and now you see it‘s true. Hear that? The ambulance is coming to get you and you‘ll probably have permanent damage from this disobedience!” NO WAY A LOVING FATHER DOES NOT TALK TO HIS KID LIKE THAT! He would have rushed to his son’s side and knelt down right in the puddle of blood, placed his hands softly upon his son and in his ear with tears forming in his eyes whispered, “Oh my son! Daddy‘s here! I‘m so sorry that your hurting but Daddy‘s here. I love you son! Everything is going to be alright, Daddy‘s here. You hear that? That’s the ambulance and they‘re coming to help you! Don‘t be afraid, I‘m going to go with you to the hospital and I promise no matter what happens I‘ll never leave you! I love you!” And that is the postured response of our loving Father in Heaven. No matter what happens He will never leave us nor forsake us!
The father would be just and truthful in the first response to the son. The father had warned that this could happen if the child did not obey the guidelines set in place by the father. But the child is broken and lying in a puddle of blood, scared and hurting! The child does not need to be reminded of how he’s messed up, the child knows that this is not good. The child needs love from the father. God the father, he loves His children. He loves them so much that He promises to never leave us no matter how we disobey, no matter how much damage the disobedience causes, no matter what happens, HE WILL NEVER LEAVE US BECAUSE HE LOVES US AND WE ARE HIS CHILDREN!

Holy Spirit Rain Down

I overflow with the Father’s love as I write of the lessons learned in the last few days of being here, in His love, in India. I have had the divine appointment of joining in ministries and outreach with some of our brothers and sisters visiting us from the Netherlands. It has been an amazing opportunity to experience the Holy Spirit in my own life through the openness and filling in theirs. They have experienced “the Church” in a completely different construct than I and therein has been a revelation for me. I realize that I find much of my understanding, knowledge, and belief, both in the Trinity and in my relationship, through Christ, with my Heavenly Father, in my comprehension of the teachings in “the American Church”. I am a part of said church for we, the body, are the church. There is nothing negative relating to the teachings I’ve received; they have been deep rooted in scripture and biblical teachings and have grown and cultivated my faith. The revelation is in the ways I have allowed the teachings to inhibit my personal growth in my Fathers love. In the teachings of the church I have missed the greatest teacher; The Holy Spirit, Might Counselor! The Holy Spirit dwells within me, renewing my mind that I might test and approve the good, pleasing and perfect will of God. I possess this teacher! I have longed for such a teacher and God has faithfully sought me to become a willing student. During my years of development God allowed me to stray from the perfect path He created. Through my years of darkness God walked with me. In the deepest depth of my brokenness He wept with me. In my surrender of all things which I had planned for my life He rejoiced over me and now walks with me along this ordained path going before me and making the crooked places straight. He has awaken me to the beauty which rises from the ashes. His Holy Spirit is living, correcting, rebuking, and teaching me to crucify me flesh daily, to walk in closeness to my Father, and to rejoice in the eternal salvation through the blood sacrifice of my brother, Jesus. I will not waste precious moments lamenting over lost time. For as God has no record of wrong, I will strive, in the Spirit, to erase the recollection of my wrongdoings against Him. Fixing my eyes upon the road ahead, allowing myself to be reconciled through Christ, I honor the call of my Heavenly Father. I will put my hand to the plow and not look back upon my transgressions for they are removed and cast as far as east is from west. With the cross before me I press into the Lord. I seek more grace from Christ, more revelation from the Spirit and more of the Father’s love! As God sees fit to bestow more of His character, power and love to me, I will wait expectantly and make room for Him to do with my life on earth as it is written in Heaven.

GOD IS LOVE

In my time spent in India I've been awakened to a number of lessons that have changed me and made my ministry more effective for the Kingdom. One of those lessons is living out love as an action. I have been reading a book by Andrew Martin, called Love Is an Orientation, and while the book was written to elevate the conversation between Christ followers and the GLBT (Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender) Community, it has really opened my eyes as a means to elevating the conversation with all those missing from the Kingdom of God. Jesus advised the followers in his midst to love and it's been the overarching lesson for my time in India.

An expert in the law asked Jesus, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matt 36-40

In his book Andrew writes,
The Bible is full of stories that teach us how to love, instead of just giving us instruction on how to verbally communicate love. Love is to be an action-not a word. Love is recognizing the power of Christ to do what we could only imagine, like physically going to him with the faith of a Roman centurion-greater than all other faith in Israel. Love is stepping outside the boat to meet your Savior by walking on water, when every ounce of your body is telling you otherwise. Love is cutting a whole in a roof and lowering your crippled friend to Jesus when there are no other accessible means to the one who can heal. Love is a poor widow dropping all she has-two very small copper coins worth nothing-into God's treasury with no guarantee she'll make it another day. Love is stepping out of all cultural norms to help a beaten-up man lying on the side of the street, despite the fact that his culture despises yours. And love is being the first one to drop the stone because you know your life and sins are no less than any other.

That's all I have to share today. I pray we have ears to hear the message Jesus died to convey.

I love you all!

A Month Ago Today....

I boarded a plane headed to South India on a two week mission trip that was scheduled to land me back in the states on January 10, 2010. I never could have guessed that a month later I would be writing this blog from South India, but even more unpredictable was how remarkably easy this whole adjustment would be. A month ago, I by no means was a get up and go do a mission trip in the remote villages of India kind of person. Before India I questioned if I could even get through the two week journey. It's been almost too easy to do this, live here, eat the food, adjust to the drastically different culture, and not have my friends or my family nearby... I'm continually baffled that our God is so big and loves us so much that He can solely be responsible for making me feel so at home half way around the world because He's with me every step, everyday. I've never grown this much before in my whole life so to have so much growth in such a small period of time feels so weird. I feel like a different person and yet I know I'm the same. Today I wore a crazy outfit that is sooo unfashionable. I had a bad hair day and used no flat iron, blow dryer, or hair product. I ate food that I didn't recognize nor did I particularly like how it tasted. I slept in a mosquito net and yet counted over 50 mosquito bites. I hung out with people who are living in tents made of trash/straw huts and have nothing but Jesus. I learned life lessons that I never knew before India. I stored treasure in heaven. I counted someone else as more than myself. I loved bigger than I ever knew possible and I LOVE LIFE MORE AND MORE EVERY MINUTE! Talk about the old has gone and the new has come... WOW DO I FEEL NEW!!!

My HIstory Lesson in India

Today marks the 59th anniversary of the Republic Day of India. It celebrates India's transition from British power to a republic on January 26,1950 and the final construction of the Constitution of India.



Courtesy of Wikipedia:
Although India obtained its independence on August 15, 1947, it did not yet have a permanent constitution; instead, its laws were based on the modified colonial Government of India Act 1935, and the country was a Dominion, with George VI as head of state and Earl Mountbatten as Governor General. On August 29, 1947, the Drafting Committee was appointed to draft a permanent constitution, with Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar as chairman.

A draft Constitution was prepared by the committee and submitted to the Assembly on November 4, 1947. The Assembly met, in sessions open to public, for 166 days, spread over a period of 2 years, 11 months and 18 days before adopting the Constitution. After many deliberations and some modifications, the 308 members of the Assembly signed two hand-written copies of the document (one each in Hindi and one in English) on January 24, 1950. Two days later, the Constitution of India became the law of all the Indian lands. The Constitution of India came into effect only on January 26, 1950, at 10.18 AM IST.

In honor of such an occasion we went to the HI Campus this morning to celebrate what would most resemble an American "Flag Day" ceremony. The children sang songs and proclaimed their loyalty to the land and people of this great nation and at the conclusion of the ceremony some of the history teachers re-told accounts of the happenings leading up to India's republic structure. Then the flag was lifted high on the flagpole. As it was raised a small string bound the flag,, which was neatly folded, but as it reached it's destination the string broke, releasing hundreds of pink marigold petals as it stretched out to wave proudly. It was beautiful and yet another moment I'm amazed that these are the moments of my life here in India.

When Lukewarm Ceases to be Enough

I realized something today. I guess I’ve known for a long time now. I’ve been a lukewarm Christian most of my life and I’m tired of being lukewarm. Experiencing anything lukewarm is terrible in everything I have ever known. Lukewarm food and beverages are a unsatisfying and so are lukewarm Christians. In American culture we like to think lukewarm is a step in the right direction; that it’s better than being cold, right? No! The bible clearly tells us otherwise.

Revelation 3:14-22 “…These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

As we began ministering in India, for the first few days, if you felt led to do something at an outreach you asked if it was okay before you made a move because you didn’t want to offend anyone or disrupt the culture. But Harvest India is grounded in scripture so you are always affirmed to do as you feel led by the Holy Spirit. Eventually, you stop asking and you just do as you feel led, or at least it is there hope that you respond this way. It’s probably the best lesson I’ve learned in being here. It’s this sense of feeling as though because these people don’t know me and because I probably won’t be here permanently (and even if I am, the likelihood I‘ll ever see most of them again is rare) your feel free to speak openly however you feel led. That freedom has developed one step further in me, during my time in India. I now take that freedom with me wherever God calls me. The worst case scenario is obsolete because it just doesn‘t matter what people think about you when you’re being obedient to how the Holy Spirit is leading you. At home, in the states, this is not the case. Everything I do is up for scrutiny. I allow myself to be consumed by the fear of how I will be viewed if speak out openly and honestly as the Holy Spirit is leading. I let this fear hinder my potential for spiritual growth and rob Christ of moments He should be shining light into darkness, through his chosen child. God commands us to be hot. Not just at church, on Sundays, when we are in our element and free to be fired up about how amazing God is, but all the time. I know that there are times I’ll be waiting in line somewhere or in traffic with the windows down in my car and the car next to me and I just think… wouldn’t it be cool to just share the gospel with these people right now? And then terror strikes and I get consumed by how crazy I’ll look for speaking out in such faith. But that’s what get’s God so fired up about His kids! It’s when we are just crazy in love, in reckless abandon to His message of love, sacrifice and salvation that we are reflecting Christ’s love best! When we are acting out foolishness to the world we are living out scripture.

1 Cor 3:18-23 “Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a ‘fool’ so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness;’ and again, ‘The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.’ So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

It’s all throughout scripture. I feel compelled to share it often. I’m given opportunities regularly. Yet, I miss them almost every time. I’m crazy for God in India! Why does it feel like it can only exist here. I’m praying that God let’s me return to the states in March but there is much to learn in the coming months about how to live out my faith in all moments of my day. I hope and pray He doesn‘t let me leave this spiritual place of growth until I can grow in Him in the next place he takes me… wherever that is.

Convicted and growing, John