Ashirwad: Blessing

Ashirwad, or blessing, is the word, for the past seven weeks of our experiences in the historical, victorious, and marvelous proofreading project of the New Testament Recovery Version Bible in four Indian languages- Malayalam, Mizo, Tamil, snd Telugu. Sans God’s "ashirwad" this project could never have been accomplished. It was purely the grace and mercy of the Lord that enabled us to face the challenges in the midst of the ongoing pandemic; the magnitude of the works done, the acute pressure endured, and the spiritual battle fought were all by the Lord's secret and hidden hands behind the scenes. The invisible presence of the Lord, the wisdom and leading He had been gracing us step by step, day by day, are beyond verbal description and human imagination. It was the Lord and His blessings that led us through and through. To such an "ashirwad", we can only worship the Lord, thank and praise Him, and give Him all the glory! Amen and amen!

The Lord had sovereignly arranged a Christian campus named "Ashirwad" in Hyderabad for this proofreading project. Though we had options in Chennai and Madurai, the final choice was this venue. Initially, we had no idea what the actual physical needs would be. But whatever we needed, the venue had it all or got it arranged. All the volunteers, coordinators, and serving saints from abroad were all accommodated on the campus with food service. Therefore eliminating the need for commuting and extra work. Besides, the staffs, from the top management to the workers, were very cooperative, helping us out in all that we requested. Overall, the campus has a good ambiance where the saints can fellowship and pray.

In the second and third weeks of the project, many saints got sick,  including me for two days. But once I got well, the Lord graced me to coordinate with a couple who both are medical doctors to care for the sick. Surprisingly, all who got sick were healed within a few days. The concern was when three of our saints from abroad fell sick and two of them had to self-quarantine for a week each. The outward pressure was high but the Lord graced me with His inward peace all along. Amidst trials, the Lord fought the battle on our behalf and led us through!

Due to such unexpected circumstances, we faced I had to cancel my trip back home which was already planned. I am glad that I was graced to participate in the function assigned to me in many administrative responsibilities though I did not actually do the proofreading per se. The Lord gave me a few local brothers to coordinate all the help I needed. Though the responsibilities were heavy, the executions were light. And I always got timely help. Looking back, I can only worship and praise the Lord.

Ashirwad is the experience and Ashirwad is the place where the word of the Lord was brought out and the work of the Lord was carried out. Praise the Lord!