(hopeful music)
00:00:00.53\00:00:03.20
- Hello, and welcome
to Jesus for Asia Now.
00:00:21.95\00:00:24.25
I'm Natalie Wood and I
have Jon here with me today.
00:00:24.25\00:00:27.16
Hello, love. - Hi,
darling. How are you?
00:00:27.16\00:00:29.02
- I'm doing fine. How are you?
00:00:29.02\00:00:30.59
- I'm doing great. - Good.
00:00:30.59\00:00:32.23
I want to comment on
your clothing, my love.
00:00:32.23\00:00:36.00
You look very handsome today.
00:00:36.00\00:00:37.93
- Thank you for
the word handsome.
00:00:37.93\00:00:40.80
I am doing this for
the people of India.
00:00:40.80\00:00:43.34
'Cause I love India.
I love the people there.
00:00:43.34\00:00:46.07
We have like family there
00:00:46.07\00:00:48.24
and this is what some of
them wear at certain occasions.
00:00:49.74\00:00:52.58
- Right, it would be a very
dressy occasion like a wedding.
00:00:52.58\00:00:56.72
- Yes. And this is traditional.
00:00:56.72\00:00:58.75
This is not modern, so to speak.
00:00:58.75\00:01:01.69
- We wanna know, I wanna
know where we're going today
00:01:01.69\00:01:04.23
and I'm assuming it's India
because of how we're dressed.
00:01:04.23\00:01:07.10
- Yes, we are going to India
00:01:07.10\00:01:08.40
and India of
course is located in Asia.
00:01:08.40\00:01:11.33
It's the largest population
00:01:11.33\00:01:14.87
of any country
in the world today.
00:01:14.87\00:01:17.51
- Wow.
00:01:17.51\00:01:18.87
- It's more than four
times the population of America,
00:01:18.87\00:01:20.48
almost five
times the population,
00:01:20.48\00:01:22.84
but about one
third the landmass.
00:01:22.84\00:01:25.38
So you can imagine the
population density that's there.
00:01:25.38\00:01:28.38
And so we're going to
the western coast of India,
00:01:28.38\00:01:33.02
which is the city of Mumbai.
00:01:33.02\00:01:35.32
And we're gonna go look at
what we consider a victory.
00:01:35.32\00:01:38.59
Okay, so I hope our viewers
00:01:38.59\00:01:41.76
will give us a
little patience as we gloat.
00:01:41.76\00:01:45.23
'cause we're so
happy about this victory.
00:01:46.50\00:01:48.70
This is a long
battle with a hard fought
00:01:48.70\00:01:51.81
and hard won victory.
00:01:51.81\00:01:53.24
- Right.
00:01:53.24\00:01:54.71
But it's not really us
gloating, it's us rejoicing
00:01:54.71\00:01:59.61
for a victory for God's kingdom.
00:02:00.48\00:02:02.58
So it's really
not about us at all.
00:02:02.58\00:02:04.42
- Sometimes we take
it a little bit personal
00:02:05.62\00:02:07.06
because it feels like
the battle's a bit personal.
00:02:07.06\00:02:10.19
- Right, because there's
been a lot of prayer invested.
00:02:10.19\00:02:13.03
- Yeah. - A lot
of prayer invested.
00:02:13.03\00:02:15.10
- And, you know, Satan
wages his war against God.
00:02:15.10\00:02:18.27
But he goes
after us to hurt God.
00:02:18.27\00:02:21.80
And so it
sometimes feels personal.
00:02:21.80\00:02:24.54
- Right.
00:02:24.54\00:02:25.97
- And people that are dying
without knowing who Jesus is.
00:02:25.97\00:02:29.24
I take that personal. - Yeah.
00:02:29.24\00:02:31.01
- And when we get a
little bit of a victory,
00:02:31.01\00:02:35.08
we like to celebrate.
00:02:35.08\00:02:37.05
- Right. - Rejoice.
00:02:37.05\00:02:38.45
- Okay. - And so
this is in a city
00:02:38.45\00:02:40.76
on the western coast of India
00:02:40.76\00:02:43.39
and there's 20
million people in this city.
00:02:43.39\00:02:46.86
- 20 million. -
20 million people.
00:02:47.96\00:02:49.80
- Okay. - Okay.
00:02:49.80\00:02:51.03
Now we're looking
at this little map
00:02:51.03\00:02:52.60
and you can see it looks
like there's like a blank spot
00:02:52.60\00:02:55.60
in the middle, right
next to the green spot.
00:02:55.60\00:02:57.61
The green spot's
a big golf course.
00:02:57.61\00:02:59.67
But if you zoom in
on that blank spot,
00:02:59.67\00:03:01.51
you'll see hundreds of houses.
00:03:01.51\00:03:04.31
And then you zoom in
on this little corner
00:03:04.31\00:03:06.82
and you'll see right there,
00:03:06.82\00:03:08.32
you see in that little
tiny corner is our church.
00:03:08.32\00:03:11.82
- Wow. - Yeah.
00:03:11.82\00:03:13.29
We first visited
there, this is 2011.
00:03:13.29\00:03:16.06
And these are the
people that we met.
00:03:16.06\00:03:19.13
Now notice the lady in
the center, just to the right.
00:03:19.13\00:03:22.26
Just to the right of
the center. That lady.
00:03:22.26\00:03:24.27
Okay, we're gonna see
her again pretty soon.
00:03:24.27\00:03:26.27
Do you remember
what it was like there?
00:03:26.27\00:03:27.84
- Well, I remember we
had a beautiful worship time
00:03:27.84\00:03:30.04
with them.
00:03:30.04\00:03:31.34
There were a few of the
local, 'cause it was a weekday.
00:03:31.34\00:03:33.98
There were a few
of the local members
00:03:33.98\00:03:35.71
and then a few of
our Bible workers.
00:03:35.71\00:03:38.08
And we got a chance to
talk to one of the Bible workers
00:03:38.08\00:03:40.62
and do a more
extensive interview.
00:03:40.62\00:03:42.82
And she said, because
this is right at the end
00:03:42.82\00:03:46.35
of when we hadn't been
able to pay them in full.
00:03:46.35\00:03:49.46
- Yes.
00:03:49.46\00:03:50.69
- For several years
because funds were so low.
00:03:50.69\00:03:52.23
We had been sending
anywhere from a third
00:03:52.23\00:03:55.33
to three quarters most months.
00:03:56.67\00:03:59.03
It was somewhere between there,
00:03:59.03\00:04:00.17
it wasn't full pay for years.
00:04:00.17\00:04:02.04
- And sometimes
we'd miss a month.
00:04:02.04\00:04:03.54
- Mm-hmm.
00:04:03.54\00:04:04.61
She said, "God
first, money second."
00:04:04.61\00:04:07.44
- That's right.
- And so that's why
00:04:07.44\00:04:08.81
she wanted to be a Bible worker.
00:04:08.81\00:04:10.18
That's why she
continued to be a Bible worker,
00:04:10.18\00:04:12.81
even through this
hard time of lack of pay.
00:04:12.81\00:04:15.95
- Yeah. Incredible.
00:04:15.95\00:04:17.19
And so we had such great
memories from that place.
00:04:17.19\00:04:19.42
Then I went back in
2019 and discovered,
00:04:19.42\00:04:23.93
now this is the walkway
going down to the church.
00:04:23.93\00:04:28.63
'cause you have to go
down this little tiny alleyway
00:04:28.63\00:04:30.60
passed some
houses to the church,
00:04:30.60\00:04:32.97
and I walk in and
look at the entrance.
00:04:32.97\00:04:35.30
You can see it's
not been kept up.
00:04:41.08\00:04:43.11
This is walking up the
stairs. Quite dangerous.
00:04:43.11\00:04:46.68
- [Natalie] Yeah.
00:04:46.68\00:04:47.58
- [Jon] Very steep.
00:04:59.06\00:05:00.73
And then here's
the main door into the-
00:05:03.06\00:05:05.77
- [Natalie] Sanctuary.
00:05:06.84\00:05:07.97
- Yeah, the
sanctuary is on this level.
00:05:07.97\00:05:09.74
Then locked.
00:05:11.24\00:05:13.64
And then they had this balcony
and that's the church, right.
00:05:13.64\00:05:17.18
What is this place?
00:05:17.18\00:05:18.85
- This is Chembur.
00:05:18.85\00:05:20.25
- Chembur. - Chembur. City camp.
00:05:20.25\00:05:22.82
- Okay. Very good.
00:05:22.82\00:05:24.39
On the other side,
00:05:31.66\00:05:33.06
the neighbors are right up
against sharing the same wall.
00:05:33.06\00:05:36.10
And so we discovered
that the city had come in
00:05:37.33\00:05:40.74
and condemned the place in 2012.
00:05:40.74\00:05:42.94
So we were there in 2011,
the next year it got condemned.
00:05:42.94\00:05:46.68
It was unsafe and
we were heartbroken.
00:05:46.68\00:05:49.84
And it's like what
happens to the people
00:05:50.98\00:05:52.68
that were worshiping there?
00:05:52.68\00:05:54.15
They had a nice group.
00:05:54.15\00:05:56.02
- Yeah.
00:05:56.02\00:05:56.99
- We got to go inside,
00:05:56.99\00:05:58.12
you can see this is the
inside in the sanctuary.
00:05:58.12\00:06:03.02
And so I had talked to
the president of Mumbai Metro
00:06:03.02\00:06:08.06
Section and asked
him, what's your plans?
00:06:09.06\00:06:09.83
He says, we can't afford.
00:06:09.83\00:06:11.83
Well you haven't
even priced it out,
00:06:11.83\00:06:13.13
but we know we can't
afford to replace that place
00:06:13.13\00:06:16.44
or to fix it,
it'd be too expensive.
00:06:16.44\00:06:18.97
And you remember
we'd found another church
00:06:18.97\00:06:22.11
that was falling apart and
to rebuild that one was gonna,
00:06:22.11\00:06:25.91
and add a second
floor, was gonna cost $7,000.
00:06:25.91\00:06:29.88
And they couldn't do
it. It's just too expensive.
00:06:29.88\00:06:32.02
And so it's
like, well we did it.
00:06:32.02\00:06:34.72
And we raised the money,
people were happy to donate
00:06:34.72\00:06:36.89
and we were there
at the grand opening,
00:06:36.89\00:06:38.39
it was just packed
out, it was awesome.
00:06:38.39\00:06:41.06
And so this one
being that much larger is-
00:06:41.06\00:06:44.20
- And that much worse.
00:06:44.20\00:06:45.47
- Yes. - And yeah.
00:06:45.47\00:06:46.57
- And so we asked
them to get a quote
00:06:46.57\00:06:49.27
and they got a couple bids
00:06:49.27\00:06:50.67
and we're looking at $80,000
to rebuild the whole church.
00:06:50.67\00:06:54.64
And we thought, wow,
that's a lot of money,
00:06:54.64\00:06:56.91
but we prayed and
we felt impressed,
00:06:56.91\00:06:59.15
we should let our viewers know.
00:06:59.15\00:07:01.18
- Right. - And so people,
00:07:01.18\00:07:03.35
a little bit came
in, a little bit came in.
00:07:03.35\00:07:05.29
And then one trucker said,
I didn't wanna donate to this,
00:07:05.29\00:07:10.36
I wanted to donate
to another project,
00:07:11.46\00:07:13.26
but God told me to
donate to this one.
00:07:13.26\00:07:15.33
- Yes.
00:07:15.33\00:07:16.23
- And so he started donating
00:07:17.37\00:07:19.03
and I think he
donated probably two thirds
00:07:19.03\00:07:22.10
of the total amount.
00:07:22.10\00:07:23.74
And when we got
close to that amount,
00:07:23.74\00:07:26.37
we said, let's go
forward, let's start building.
00:07:26.37\00:07:29.31
And they couldn't find the,
they couldn't, COVID happened.
00:07:29.31\00:07:32.58
and the contractor
just wouldn't move forward.
00:07:33.75\00:07:35.25
He couldn't get permission,
00:07:35.25\00:07:36.38
I mean, it was just
one thing after another,
00:07:36.38\00:07:38.42
just getting
stalled and stalled.
00:07:38.42\00:07:39.79
And then we were
told about another church.
00:07:39.79\00:07:41.89
- Yes.
00:07:41.89\00:07:43.06
- Gokulpur.
00:07:43.06\00:07:44.56
And we were taken to
this church in 2019 again.
00:07:44.56\00:07:47.93
You can look at
that, this is the church.
00:07:47.93\00:07:49.60
The bottom floor
is split in half.
00:07:49.60\00:07:52.20
And the right
side is the church.
00:07:52.20\00:07:54.47
The left side is just storage,
00:07:54.47\00:07:56.30
but there's a
wall down the middle
00:07:56.30\00:07:57.77
so they can only use one side
or the other for the worship.
00:07:57.77\00:08:00.38
Upstairs is the living
quarters for the family,
00:08:00.38\00:08:02.88
pastor's family.
00:08:02.88\00:08:04.48
This is the church
from the inside looking
00:08:04.48\00:08:07.08
towards the front door.
00:08:07.08\00:08:08.98
You can see how narrow it is.
00:08:08.98\00:08:10.29
And this is the doorway
between the two compartments.
00:08:10.29\00:08:13.49
- Scary. - Yeah.
00:08:13.49\00:08:14.66
And this is the other
side of the downstairs,
00:08:14.66\00:08:17.39
you can see those
trusses are rusting out
00:08:17.39\00:08:19.69
and starting to bend and
the family's living upstairs.
00:08:19.69\00:08:22.66
- Scary. - Scary.
00:08:24.13\00:08:25.57
And so they found a
different contractor
00:08:26.70\00:08:29.97
that said, we
can rebuild Gokulpur.
00:08:29.97\00:08:31.91
Now, Gokulpur,
the second church,
00:08:31.91\00:08:34.44
seemed to me to be a
slightly larger church
00:08:34.44\00:08:37.05
than the first
one, Chembur, okay.
00:08:37.05\00:08:39.55
And he bid on
Gokulpur at $28,000.
00:08:39.55\00:08:43.72
And I thought
28,000, that's a great deal.
00:08:43.72\00:08:47.76
So why, why don't you go
ahead and rebuild that church
00:08:47.76\00:08:52.23
while we get permission
for rebuilding the other church
00:08:52.23\00:08:55.13
and just trust that God will
provide by the time it's built.
00:08:55.13\00:08:58.00
- Replace the funds. Yeah.
00:08:58.00\00:08:59.60
- Yeah, and so they
went and rebuilt Gokulpur,
00:08:59.60\00:09:02.47
and check this out.
00:09:02.47\00:09:04.14
- [Natalie]
Beautiful. That's beautiful.
00:09:04.14\00:09:05.31
- Oh man.
00:09:07.58\00:09:08.84
And I got a picture here
comparing the before and after.
00:09:08.84\00:09:13.15
This is inside, so they
took out that middle wall
00:09:13.15\00:09:16.15
and now the whole-
00:09:16.15\00:09:17.32
- [Natalie] The whole
thing is the sanctuary.
00:09:17.32\00:09:18.29
- [Jon] Yes. I
got to preach there.
00:09:18.29\00:09:20.52
And this is the
group that showed up.
00:09:20.52\00:09:22.19
- That is
beautiful. - It's awesome.
00:09:22.19\00:09:24.26
I was so happy.
00:09:24.26\00:09:25.66
Now this is a before and after.
Which one would you choose?
00:09:25.66\00:09:27.73
- (laughs) The after.
00:09:27.73\00:09:30.10
- Yes. - The blessing from God.
00:09:30.10\00:09:31.90
- Yes. Huge blessing.
00:09:31.90\00:09:33.27
And we want to say
thank you to our donors.
00:09:33.27\00:09:36.17
And I hope that
they're rejoicing with us,
00:09:36.17\00:09:38.74
because this is
a shared victory.
00:09:38.74\00:09:41.21
- Right.
00:09:41.21\00:09:42.81
Yes. It's beautiful.
00:09:42.81\00:09:44.55
- But you know who's
happier than anybody?
00:09:44.55\00:09:46.61
- Right. - Yeah.
00:09:46.61\00:09:47.72
The angels in
heaven, - Right, God himself.
00:09:48.92\00:09:51.02
- Yes, and so
this is a real witness,
00:09:51.02\00:09:52.92
because the neighborhood
is very densely populated,
00:09:52.92\00:09:56.02
a lot of people really close.
00:09:56.02\00:09:58.06
And so it's a witness
for God on an ongoing basis.
00:09:58.06\00:10:02.10
- Right. That's awesome.
00:10:02.10\00:10:03.60
- So then we
thought if that building,
00:10:03.60\00:10:05.60
which was slightly
larger than the first
00:10:05.60\00:10:07.30
one only costs 28,000,
00:10:07.30\00:10:09.60
maybe we should ask that same
contractor to bid on Chembur.
00:10:09.60\00:10:14.68
And so he went and
looked at it and he says,
00:10:16.08\00:10:17.58
oh yeah, this will
cost about $29,000.
00:10:17.58\00:10:20.98
So we're getting two churches
00:10:21.82\00:10:23.82
for less than the price of
the one original contractor.
00:10:23.82\00:10:27.69
- Wow. - And I
can't help but wonder
00:10:27.69\00:10:29.32
if that original contractor
was not being untruthful.
00:10:29.32\00:10:34.03
- Yeah.
00:10:34.03\00:10:34.83
- Was gonna make a lot of money.
00:10:35.76\00:10:36.90
And maybe it was God
00:10:36.90\00:10:38.40
that actually
stopped him from rebuilding,
00:10:38.40\00:10:42.64
from from doing the work.
00:10:42.64\00:10:44.71
And so now we've
got the two churches
00:10:44.71\00:10:46.98
for less than 60,000
with money left over.
00:10:46.98\00:10:50.11
- Wow.
00:10:50.11\00:10:51.38
- So guess what we
did with that money?
00:10:51.38\00:10:53.11
- Then we built
another one. - Yes, exactly.
00:10:53.11\00:10:55.58
That was in the Wadala slum,
and they added another floor
00:10:55.58\00:10:59.95
and it's beautiful.
00:10:59.95\00:11:01.92
So this is Wadala before,
and this is Wadala afterwards.
00:11:01.92\00:11:06.23
- Wow.
00:11:06.23\00:11:07.86
(hopeful music)
00:11:07.86\00:11:10.57
So we got three churches for
the price, the original price
00:11:12.87\00:11:17.31
that we were
given for just the one.
00:11:17.31\00:11:18.87
- Exactly. - That's
God's multiplication.
00:11:18.87\00:11:21.21
He's the one who says,
00:11:21.21\00:11:22.91
let's give this
other person the work.
00:11:22.91\00:11:24.81
Let's give him, he's got
the heart to do the work.
00:11:24.81\00:11:27.52
- Yes. - And wow.
00:11:27.52\00:11:29.58
- Yeah. - Praise the Lord.
00:11:29.58\00:11:30.75
- So now we get to the
victory point, Chembur.
00:11:30.75\00:11:32.82
Chembur was the one
that we had been praying for
00:11:32.82\00:11:36.56
from the beginning.
00:11:36.56\00:11:38.19
So I wanna take you
with me in January of 2025,
00:11:38.19\00:11:42.30
I'm gonna go there and
be at the grand opening.
00:11:42.30\00:11:45.13
- Okay. - Get on the plane.
00:11:45.13\00:11:46.74
This is a picture of
the seat in front of me.
00:11:46.74\00:11:48.64
You know, I have
the TV in front of you
00:11:48.64\00:11:52.67
and they have a camera.
00:11:52.67\00:11:53.94
Some airplanes
allow you to see cameras
00:11:53.94\00:11:55.48
from different
parts of the airplane.
00:11:55.48\00:11:56.95
So this airplane had that.
00:11:56.95\00:11:58.51
This is leaving
Atlanta, rainy, cold.
00:11:58.51\00:12:01.62
This is arriving in France.
00:12:01.62\00:12:04.42
And then this is getting
on my next flight from France
00:12:04.42\00:12:07.72
to landing in Mumbai.
00:12:07.72\00:12:09.59
I spent a couple days in
a hotel to get over jet lag.
00:12:09.59\00:12:13.70
And then the day of the
grand opening, they said,
00:12:13.70\00:12:15.73
can you be there at one o'clock?
00:12:15.73\00:12:17.37
So I'm trying to figure
out how am I gonna get there
00:12:17.37\00:12:19.67
and what time should
I leave and everything
00:12:19.67\00:12:21.20
to make sure I was
there a little bit early.
00:12:21.20\00:12:23.47
So I figured out if I leave,
00:12:24.51\00:12:26.17
it's about 40
minute ride and everything.
00:12:26.17\00:12:29.81
So I left about 12,
12:10, hired a local taxi,
00:12:29.81\00:12:34.88
which is like a
three-wheeler thing.
00:12:35.88\00:12:37.32
Call 'em auto rickshaws
and driving down the road.
00:12:38.55\00:12:41.49
This is normal India.
00:12:42.72\00:12:44.09
(engines rumbling)
00:12:45.56\00:12:48.50
(horns honking)
00:12:54.34\00:12:56.97
We didn't end up
hitting that truck. (chuckles)
00:13:05.85\00:13:07.65
- Good thing you said that.
00:13:07.65\00:13:09.05
Looks like it. -
We went around him.
00:13:10.12\00:13:11.69
- Okay.
00:13:11.69\00:13:12.59
(hopeful music)
00:13:12.59\00:13:15.32
- So then I arrive and they're
all looking at me anxiously.
00:13:43.15\00:13:47.49
And they said, you're late.
00:13:47.49\00:13:48.62
And I'm like, I'm early.
00:13:48.62\00:13:50.33
Now usually in India,
00:13:50.33\00:13:53.09
if they say the time
is like seven o'clock
00:13:53.09\00:13:55.80
for the evening meeting,
people start showing up at 7:30.
00:13:55.80\00:13:59.17
You know, eight o'clock things
will start to get rolling.
00:13:59.17\00:14:01.47
The kids will be early,
but the adults will be late.
00:14:01.47\00:14:04.31
But what I found out is
that people had started arriving
00:14:04.31\00:14:06.98
at 10 o'clock that morning.
00:14:06.98\00:14:08.38
The program was supposed
to start at one o'clock.
00:14:09.61\00:14:12.28
People started
arriving three hours early.
00:14:12.28\00:14:14.25
I'm like, what? What's
going on here? (chuckles)
00:14:14.25\00:14:18.59
And they had the big- -
They were excited, I think.
00:14:18.59\00:14:20.59
- They were so excited.
00:14:20.59\00:14:22.26
Look at this hallway,
this is the same alley
00:14:22.26\00:14:25.73
with all the neighbors.
00:14:25.73\00:14:26.70
Remember how
dirty and dark it was?
00:14:26.70\00:14:28.53
You can still see
where the neighbors are.
00:14:28.53\00:14:32.47
It's all cleaned up.
00:14:32.47\00:14:34.04
That's the president on the
right of the union, pastors.
00:14:34.04\00:14:38.24
That's the president of
the Mumbai Metro Section
00:14:39.61\00:14:42.21
on the right.
00:14:42.21\00:14:43.45
You can see they're all
welcoming me, so excited.
00:14:43.45\00:14:47.52
- They have no heads. - Sorry.
00:14:47.52\00:14:50.05
I was trying to shake hands
and video at the same time.
00:14:50.05\00:14:52.05
- Yeah, it doesn't work. - Yeah.
00:14:52.05\00:14:54.02
Good to see you.
00:14:55.49\00:14:56.76
And there's the ribbon.
00:14:56.76\00:14:57.99
- [Natalie] Awesome.
00:14:59.46\00:15:00.63
- You can hear
them singing upstairs.
00:15:00.63\00:15:02.73
And so they got
to cut the ribbon
00:15:02.73\00:15:05.03
and then they have this plaque
that they put in every church
00:15:05.03\00:15:08.80
commemorating it and saying
who built it and all that.
00:15:10.17\00:15:12.14
And they asked
me to pull the cord.
00:15:12.14\00:15:14.41
(worshipers
speaking in foreign language)
00:15:14.41\00:15:18.28
For the glory of God
00:15:18.28\00:15:19.41
and on this rock I
will build my church.
00:15:19.41\00:15:21.32
So then we go
around and go upstairs.
00:15:22.72\00:15:25.19
The stairs are much
cleaner, much more safe.
00:15:25.19\00:15:28.69
And this is the group
that's worshiping there.
00:15:29.86\00:15:32.63
- [Natalie] Beautiful.
00:15:32.63\00:15:33.80
- [Jon] They've done
it a much more open plan.
00:15:33.80\00:15:35.06
They have windows along the side
00:15:35.06\00:15:37.07
and they put the sanctuary
on the entire top floor.
00:15:37.07\00:15:40.37
- Okay, there's not
that balcony anymore.
00:15:40.37\00:15:43.20
It's the whole
thing. - The whole thing.
00:15:43.20\00:15:45.17
I think they had about 150,
00:15:45.17\00:15:46.47
almost 200 people
up there that day.
00:15:46.47\00:15:48.51
- [Natalie]
That's a lot of people.
00:15:48.51\00:15:50.38
- [Jon] That's a lot of people.
00:15:50.38\00:15:51.88
And they did the whole ceremony.
00:15:51.88\00:15:54.48
(worshipers singing
in foreign language)
00:15:55.62\00:16:00.39
- So these people have been
sitting there since 10 o'clock.
00:16:17.91\00:16:20.78
- Wow.
00:16:20.78\00:16:21.78
- And so you can
imagine they'd be tired
00:16:21.78\00:16:23.14
sitting on the floor, but
look how energetic they are.
00:16:23.14\00:16:25.45
- Yeah. They're
excited. - So excited.
00:16:25.45\00:16:26.92
- I think they're happy
to have their church back.
00:16:26.92\00:16:29.48
- So happy.
00:16:31.59\00:16:32.62
- Praise the Lord. - Amen.
00:16:34.46\00:16:36.32
(pastor speaking
in foreign language)
00:16:40.53\00:16:45.20
- There was another slum
00:16:45.20\00:16:46.84
that we were wanting
to build a church in.
00:16:46.84\00:16:49.10
But with this church built,
00:16:49.10\00:16:50.54
now that takes care of that
slum also, 'cause it's nearby.
00:16:50.54\00:16:54.24
- Wow. Praise the
Lord. - Nearby only.
00:16:54.24\00:16:57.01
- Nearby only, yeah,
they say that in India.
00:16:57.01\00:16:59.91
Oh, it's not
far. It's nearby only.
00:16:59.91\00:17:01.62
- Yeah. (chuckles)
00:17:01.62\00:17:03.95
And so the president
of the union was there
00:17:03.95\00:17:06.39
and he used to be the president
of the Mumbai Metro Section.
00:17:06.39\00:17:09.89
And he was the one
that took us around
00:17:09.89\00:17:13.13
to Mumbai originally in 2016.
00:17:13.13\00:17:17.53
Didn't take us to Chembur,
00:17:17.53\00:17:19.27
but he took us
to many other places
00:17:19.27\00:17:21.04
and we fell in love with Mumbai.
00:17:21.04\00:17:23.74
And he told us
the story of Mumbai
00:17:23.74\00:17:25.44
because he
actually grew up in Mumbai
00:17:25.44\00:17:27.88
when the
missionaries were there.
00:17:27.88\00:17:29.88
And he tells us a story
00:17:29.88\00:17:32.31
that when the
missionaries were there,
00:17:32.31\00:17:33.82
they lived downtown Mumbai,
00:17:33.82\00:17:35.98
but they did all the
evangelism in the outskirts.
00:17:35.98\00:17:39.32
So they established
churches in the slums
00:17:39.32\00:17:42.69
on the outskirts,
but nothing downtown.
00:17:43.83\00:17:47.20
So they only had one
church for downtown Mumbai.
00:17:47.20\00:17:50.37
And that was an
English church, okay.
00:17:51.40\00:17:53.84
Now guess how many
people live in downtown Mumbai
00:17:53.84\00:17:56.97
versus the surroundings?
00:17:56.97\00:17:59.31
- I don't know. I
don't think I can guess.
00:17:59.31\00:18:00.94
It's millions, I'm sure.
00:18:00.94\00:18:02.41
- 12 million. 12 million people.
00:18:02.41\00:18:07.05
Now this is the
cultural center of India.
00:18:07.05\00:18:10.62
You know, you've
got Bollywood there.
00:18:10.62\00:18:12.92
And so the movie
making, financial capital,
00:18:12.92\00:18:16.73
it's a very strong downtown.
00:18:16.73\00:18:19.59
And to think that there's
one church for 12 million people
00:18:19.59\00:18:23.73
and it's in English,
it just broke my heart.
00:18:25.03\00:18:29.14
- Yeah. - And so I was there
00:18:29.14\00:18:31.01
and I was praying,
Lord, there's only one church
00:18:31.01\00:18:33.48
for 12 million people.
00:18:33.48\00:18:34.84
How can we let that be?
00:18:35.78\00:18:36.98
How can we be okay with that
in the 21st century, you know?
00:18:38.81\00:18:43.65
We need to do
something about that.
00:18:43.65\00:18:45.29
- Right.
00:18:45.29\00:18:46.19
- And so as I was
praying in my mind,
00:18:47.29\00:18:49.86
just walking in that
church downtown Mumbai,
00:18:49.86\00:18:54.20
the Lord says, "$2 million."
00:18:54.20\00:18:56.93
I'm like, wow.
00:18:58.40\00:19:01.74
And I know how
expensive it is in Mumbai.
00:19:01.74\00:19:04.21
Land is extremely expensive.
00:19:04.21\00:19:06.81
You know, a
little place like this,
00:19:07.78\00:19:09.34
this set would
probably cost $50,000.
00:19:09.34\00:19:12.38
And so I went to the
president and I says,
00:19:13.55\00:19:15.38
could we build
another church like this one
00:19:16.55\00:19:18.75
in downtown Mumbai for,
00:19:18.75\00:19:20.96
and in my mind I'm
thinking 2 million,
00:19:20.96\00:19:23.39
that's that's way too
much, for a million dollars.
00:19:23.39\00:19:26.13
And he thought, he says,
00:19:26.13\00:19:27.73
"For a million dollars we
could build six churches."
00:19:27.73\00:19:31.53
- Whoa. - Yeah.
00:19:31.53\00:19:33.50
And so I thought,
well for for $2 million
00:19:33.50\00:19:36.97
you could build 12, one
church per million people.
00:19:36.97\00:19:41.51
That doesn't seem like too many.
00:19:41.51\00:19:43.11
- No.
00:19:43.11\00:19:44.01
Also doesn't seem like enough.
00:19:46.28\00:19:48.28
- Right. Right.
00:19:48.28\00:19:50.89
So we have been
working on a plan
00:19:50.89\00:19:54.16
to reach the
downtown city dwellers.
00:19:54.16\00:19:58.93
And we're praying about it.
00:19:58.93\00:20:00.33
We just haven't had the
funds to follow up on it.
00:20:01.53\00:20:04.80
But there is a man
who's a pastor in Manila
00:20:04.80\00:20:08.40
who's doing church planting
among the big high rises
00:20:09.67\00:20:12.17
of the financial
districts of downtown Manila.
00:20:12.17\00:20:15.18
And he does it by starting out
00:20:15.18\00:20:16.81
with stress management classes.
00:20:16.81\00:20:18.85
He says, they're like clubs,
00:20:18.85\00:20:20.78
and they meet in little
restaurants or coffee shops
00:20:20.78\00:20:24.49
and they talk
about, teach people,
00:20:24.49\00:20:26.72
that are like
young professionals
00:20:26.72\00:20:28.72
that come in from the
countryside to get an education,
00:20:28.72\00:20:31.43
to get a job downtown.
00:20:31.43\00:20:33.16
The family's depending
on them, a lot of stress,
00:20:33.16\00:20:35.50
new job, separated from
their family, on their own.
00:20:35.50\00:20:39.63
They fall into
problems and difficulties.
00:20:39.63\00:20:42.30
And so they have these
stress management classes,
00:20:42.30\00:20:44.31
attracts them,
they make friends.
00:20:44.31\00:20:45.87
And of course one of the
best ways to manage your stress
00:20:45.87\00:20:48.61
is to build your trust in God.
00:20:48.61\00:20:50.21
- Mm-hmm.
00:20:50.21\00:20:51.48
- And we were
there when they baptized
00:20:51.48\00:20:54.55
some people in a
jacuzzi. (chuckles)
00:20:54.55\00:20:56.32
- Right. Yep.
00:20:56.32\00:20:57.25
- 'Cause they had
church in the activity room
00:20:58.49\00:21:00.49
at the bottom of
this big skyscraper.
00:21:00.49\00:21:02.69
And somebody wanted to
give their life to Christ,
00:21:02.69\00:21:04.59
so we're thinking if we
could do that type of approach.
00:21:04.59\00:21:07.73
Now, it's very
difficult for our pastors
00:21:07.73\00:21:10.90
and Bible workers in
Mumbai to reach the upper class
00:21:10.90\00:21:14.24
because they only earn a
hundred dollars, $200 a month.
00:21:14.24\00:21:18.64
- Right. And they're not from
that same caste, most of them.
00:21:18.64\00:21:22.24
- Correct.
00:21:22.24\00:21:23.61
And so we need to bring in
some training, some classes,
00:21:23.61\00:21:27.18
and provide extra
funding to rent places
00:21:27.18\00:21:30.05
in better district
where our target group lives
00:21:31.42\00:21:34.79
and we're talking,
you know, $250 a month
00:21:34.79\00:21:37.53
for a nice apartment in
a luxurious neighborhood.
00:21:37.53\00:21:42.56
- Yeah. - So not a huge amount.
00:21:43.53\00:21:45.33
But there is some cost involved.
00:21:45.33\00:21:47.40
But once we get that going
and we get fruit from that,
00:21:47.40\00:21:51.91
then that can support all
the other work in the area.
00:21:51.91\00:21:56.91
This is what Mrs. White
tells us, is the city work
00:21:56.91\00:22:00.32
will support the work that
needs to go everywhere else.
00:22:00.32\00:22:04.95
- Interestingly enough,
00:22:04.95\00:22:06.12
they do actually
have now a second church
00:22:06.12\00:22:09.72
that meets in that same
building, but it's overcrowded.
00:22:09.72\00:22:13.63
- Yes. - So it's in Marati,
00:22:13.63\00:22:15.46
which is the
local language there.
00:22:15.46\00:22:17.53
So that's neat.
But it's overcrowded.
00:22:17.53\00:22:19.93
They don't have room.
00:22:19.93\00:22:21.14
So now they're
asking for a church building
00:22:21.14\00:22:23.84
for the Marati church.
00:22:23.84\00:22:24.94
- Exactly. - So we
need more churches.
00:22:24.94\00:22:26.98
More churches, more churches.
00:22:26.98\00:22:28.48
- Which is a
good problem to have.
00:22:28.48\00:22:30.48
- Right.
00:22:30.48\00:22:31.78
- I love how
they value the church.
00:22:31.78\00:22:34.72
I love how they value the things
00:22:34.72\00:22:36.62
about being able
to worship together.
00:22:36.62\00:22:39.05
They put a big value on that.
00:22:39.05\00:22:41.02
Being able to meet
together, sing together,
00:22:41.02\00:22:43.16
pray together, hear
the gospel together.
00:22:43.16\00:22:46.26
They just love that. - Yeah.
00:22:46.26\00:22:47.83
- And I wonder if we
haven't lost something
00:22:47.83\00:22:50.60
in our not valuing the
ability to go to church.
00:22:50.60\00:22:54.50
- Right. - And to
have a nice church.
00:22:54.50\00:22:56.34
- Yeah, it seems
like a lot of people
00:22:56.34\00:22:58.44
after COVID
especially lost that.
00:22:58.44\00:23:01.84
Many more people stay
home and watch online.
00:23:01.84\00:23:04.71
'Cause it wasn't as convenient,
00:23:04.71\00:23:06.05
not as many churches
did the online thing.
00:23:06.05\00:23:09.22
And this, there
is no online thing.
00:23:09.22\00:23:11.59
But even still
they value it so much.
00:23:11.59\00:23:15.06
- Yes. When we first
started Jesus for Asia,
00:23:15.06\00:23:17.36
we were not
going to build churches
00:23:17.36\00:23:19.63
because we just wanted
the movement to keep going.
00:23:19.63\00:23:22.13
But then we saw
congregations rise up
00:23:22.13\00:23:24.77
and they're looking
for a place to worship.
00:23:24.77\00:23:27.00
And we'd say, we'll
just have a house church.
00:23:27.00\00:23:28.80
A lot of times
it's very difficult
00:23:28.80\00:23:30.21
for a Christian to rent a house.
00:23:30.21\00:23:32.24
- Right.
00:23:32.24\00:23:33.48
- And then when they
have a gathering together
00:23:33.48\00:23:36.04
and they sing
songs about Christ,
00:23:36.04\00:23:38.91
the owner will kick 'em out.
00:23:38.91\00:23:40.12
- Right, 'cause it
disturbs the evil spirits.
00:23:40.12\00:23:43.52
- Yeah, it does.
00:23:43.52\00:23:44.95
And so having the
church, it's their place
00:23:44.95\00:23:46.82
where they can go
and worship God freely.
00:23:46.82\00:23:48.72
- Right.
00:23:48.72\00:23:49.89
- And so let's go back
to our church in Chembur
00:23:49.89\00:23:51.83
and the
celebration that we had there.
00:23:51.83\00:23:54.10
Do you recognize
that lady? - Yes.
00:23:54.10\00:23:56.16
- [Jon] It's the same
one that was there in 2011.
00:23:56.16\00:23:59.93
- Right. - Still
our JFA Bible worker.
00:23:59.93\00:24:02.84
- Wow. - Yeah.
00:24:02.84\00:24:03.91
- That's awesome.
- She was glowing.
00:24:03.91\00:24:07.11
I have a picture of her,
this young lady, so excited.
00:24:07.11\00:24:10.55
She's got her son.
00:24:10.55\00:24:12.28
This is the president and
these young people, so excited.
00:24:12.28\00:24:15.55
Okay, there's our bible
worker in the orange dress.
00:24:15.55\00:24:19.35
So happy. - Yes.
00:24:19.35\00:24:21.26
- Another one of our
Bible workers, this young lady,
00:24:21.26\00:24:24.26
she told me later
that she's very sad
00:24:24.26\00:24:26.16
because she got engaged and
her fiance broke up with her.
00:24:26.16\00:24:30.30
- Oh.
00:24:30.30\00:24:31.47
- And so she asked me
if we could pray for her.
00:24:31.47\00:24:33.30
- Right. - So
her name is Prethi.
00:24:33.30\00:24:35.10
So if our viewers
could please pray for Prethi,
00:24:36.24\00:24:38.87
who is looking
for a godly husband.
00:24:38.87\00:24:40.71
- Yes. - She had
an offer of a man,
00:24:40.71\00:24:42.98
but he was not a Christian.
00:24:42.98\00:24:45.05
And so she's asking
for a Christian husband.
00:24:45.05\00:24:47.85
- Yeah. - Then we had food.
00:24:47.85\00:24:49.98
- [Natalie] Mmm, food.
00:24:49.98\00:24:51.92
- (chuckles) So good.
00:24:51.92\00:24:53.76
Everybody sat down
and we all had a meal.
00:24:53.76\00:24:55.99
You don't have a
real good celebration
00:24:55.99\00:24:58.06
unless you have
a good full meal.
00:24:58.06\00:24:59.56
- Yeah. - With some spice.
00:24:59.56\00:25:01.10
- [Natalie] Yeah, of course.
00:25:01.10\00:25:02.56
- Some more pictures
of the group together.
00:25:03.73\00:25:06.37
And here we are leaving.
00:25:06.37\00:25:08.77
Now this is the same place
00:25:08.77\00:25:10.91
that we saw the other
pictures that look so bad.
00:25:10.91\00:25:14.58
Look at the
before and the after.
00:25:14.58\00:25:17.01
Which one looks better?
00:25:17.01\00:25:18.48
- [Natalie] Oh,
of course, the after.
00:25:18.48\00:25:20.15
- When I left there,
00:25:20.15\00:25:21.32
I was so elated that
it's like I was dizzy.
00:25:21.32\00:25:25.72
I was actually
feeling kind of dizzy.
00:25:25.72\00:25:27.59
Like it was too
much joy to bear.
00:25:27.59\00:25:31.69
Too much fulfillment,
too much happiness too.
00:25:31.69\00:25:35.30
I'm like, I
kept pinching myself.
00:25:35.30\00:25:36.77
Is this real? Is
this, I mean, am I,
00:25:36.77\00:25:39.93
I was afraid I was gonna faint.
00:25:39.93\00:25:41.57
Yeah, it was
almost too much to bear.
00:25:43.20\00:25:44.87
- Overwhelming. - Overwhelming.
00:25:44.87\00:25:46.88
So the thing is that
there is another church
00:25:46.88\00:25:49.74
that needs, we just learned
that it's roof is leaking
00:25:51.11\00:25:54.02
and then another
church beyond that,
00:25:54.02\00:25:57.55
that is right on the
edge of a big, you know,
00:25:57.55\00:26:00.69
bank going down into the canal.
00:26:00.69\00:26:03.39
And the roof is
really low, sloping.
00:26:03.39\00:26:06.53
The quarters for the
pastor is very small.
00:26:06.53\00:26:09.63
And so they're
asking that we need
00:26:09.63\00:26:11.13
to reinforce the
foundation on that bank
00:26:11.13\00:26:14.64
to make sure the whole
thing doesn't slide into the,
00:26:14.64\00:26:17.61
and I'm thinking it'd be awesome
00:26:17.61\00:26:19.41
to put a second floor up
there and do an evening school
00:26:19.41\00:26:22.68
or a sewing school or something
to serve that community.
00:26:22.68\00:26:25.65
'Cause the community is
incredibly densely populated.
00:26:25.65\00:26:28.98
It's one of those
communities where you just,
00:26:28.98\00:26:31.19
there's a lot of
neat people around here
00:26:31.19\00:26:34.12
that you wish you could serve.
00:26:34.12\00:26:36.22
A lot of children,
all that kind of stuff,
00:26:36.22\00:26:37.99
so here's some photos of that.
00:26:37.99\00:26:39.79
So there's that one.
There's other churches.
00:26:39.79\00:26:41.76
But then my heart again goes
back to the downtown of Mumbai,
00:26:41.76\00:26:46.30
the Bollywood of India.
00:26:46.30\00:26:48.30
The place with the
financial district,
00:26:48.30\00:26:51.34
the center of art
and craft and culture.
00:26:51.34\00:26:55.51
- Yeah. - Who's
reaching that place?
00:26:55.51\00:26:57.38
And the thing is that if
we don't reach that place,
00:26:57.38\00:27:00.52
nobody will.
00:27:01.32\00:27:02.55
- Yeah. - Yeah.
00:27:02.55\00:27:04.02
- So we have
need to pray. - Yes.
00:27:06.72\00:27:08.99
- Just like we prayed for
Chembur for so many years.
00:27:08.99\00:27:11.99
And then we saw God work.
00:27:11.99\00:27:14.20
Just like we prayed
for so many other places
00:27:14.20\00:27:17.53
and saw God work,
00:27:17.53\00:27:19.37
we will be praying
for downtown Mumbai still.
00:27:19.37\00:27:22.07
We've been praying for
downtown Mumbai for a long time.
00:27:22.07\00:27:25.21
And we will keep
praying and God will work
00:27:25.21\00:27:27.01
because time is short. - Yes.
00:27:27.01\00:27:29.11
- But he is bigger than
all the obstacles we can see.
00:27:29.11\00:27:32.15
- Absolutely. Praise the Lord.
00:27:32.15\00:27:34.32
- All right.
00:27:34.32\00:27:35.58
Well I would like to
invite you to pray for Mumbai.
00:27:35.58\00:27:38.35
Pray for this
dream for the downtown,
00:27:38.35\00:27:40.79
that there can be
more churches there.
00:27:40.79\00:27:42.39
Pray for more Bible workers
that can serve in these places.
00:27:42.39\00:27:45.69
And if you would
like to be involved,
00:27:45.69\00:27:47.73
please contact us at
Jesus for Asia PO Box 1221,
00:27:47.73\00:27:52.03
Collegedale, Tennessee, 37315.
00:27:52.03\00:27:55.97
Call us at 423-413-7321
00:27:55.97\00:28:00.54
or visit our
website at Jesus4asia.org.
00:28:00.54\00:28:04.35
May God richly bless you
until we see you next time
00:28:04.35\00:28:07.22
on Jesus for Asia now.
00:28:07.22\00:28:09.22
(hopeful music)
00:28:09.22\00:28:12.02