Ministry of the Word to Kolkata

Kolkata is one of the metro cities we have been praying for. For decades we have been burdened for this city. A couple of ministry and gospel trips have been undertaken. Yet till date, the testimony of the Lord on the ground of oneness is still just in prayer. This city was planned this time as brothers from Chennai were to come too. But, at the last minute they could not make it due to the cancellation of their train because of the cyclone Michaung that flooded the city and caused havoc. Therefore, we planned to just meet my old classmate's family and some seekers.

In fact, when I sent out prayer requests, my classmate enquired if I could minister in their congregation on the Lord’s day, the day we planned to arrive the city, which happened to be their "Mission Sunday." But the Lord did not give me peace at all. So we decided not to accept the offer except to just come to visit the family.

As we spent time with my friend and brother's family in Kolkata, we had a wonderful time of fellowship on the truth concerning the Christian life and the history of the church, and the proper church life in the Lord’s recovery. My friend and his wife were very interested to learn more. They have opened their home for the ministry and in just a couple of hours we were able to meet whoever we need to meet in the city for this time of visit. At least for the day we were there, I told them that their house has become a "Mission Centre" which was their way of understanding what we call as propagation center. When I left, I sent a note of thanks to both my friend and his wife:

Thank you for your love, care, and hospitality. The Lord enabled us to accomplish our burden through your open home for the ministry as we could meet the key local Bengali contacts by inviting them at your home within  a span of few hours. 

Jehovah bless you and keep you; 

Jehovah make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

Jehovah lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

(Numbers 6:24-26, RecVer)

Thank you! Praise the Lord!

Even in our planning, we planned to visit a seeker but due to Uber cab booking cancellation we had to change our plan and asked the seekers to come to meet us instead. That turned out to be the Lord’s perfect plan as another seeker just came before the appointed time to meet with us. We enjoyed a time of fellowship, enjoyed lunch together, and also learned that the Lord opened a new door for His move in Kolkata among the local seekers. 

In the morning, a brother from Asansol called me to enquire my whereabouts and also to request for free Bengli books. As he learned that I was in Kolkata, he introduced me to his friend who later came to meet with us. And another local brother also joined us. Therefore, we all enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship as the two local Bengali speaking brothers shared their testimonies. Another new door was opened for the Lord’s further move in Kolkata.

After these meetings, I became quite clear what the Lord has been doing in Kolkata all these years. He has been preparing the local believers and gradually bringing the ministry to them and also introducing them to us. What we have been trying to do over the past decades, the Lord has been doing it in His way and at His time. Now, the time has come for us to reap the harvest. Now, with the churches in Tamilnadu picking the burden for Kolkata, the stage has been set for the raising up of the Lord’s testimony in Kolkata. 

On a lighter note, my departing flight from Kolkata was postponed thrice. I booked the last available flight from Kolkata to Delhi to give me sufficient time to meet people and minister during the day. This postponed flight gave me sufficient time to finish recording my experiences and also gave me enough time to enjoy dinner at the airport lounge. Even in little things, the Lord was sovereign over all! Praise Him!

Lord, raise up Your testimony in Kolkata!