Trip Update

Hello!

I just wanted to give everyone an update on our current plans to travel to India. :)

Originally, mom and I were hoping to go to India in May, but as March went by, and then April, we weren't any closer to leaving. I started wondering at that, because usually when God wants us to do something, everything just falls into place, and this time it was if we were trying to force everything to happen. June and July went by and we still weren't any closer to leaving, and now it’s August.

We have no intention of leaving a moment before the Lord wants us to leave, or has provided for our departure.  So, now we are joyfully waiting on the Lord and enjoying all of the adventures He has for us in this season. I have been grateful to the Lord for allowing us to be here this summer (instead of our plan to leave in May) because of some different (important) family events along with some other unforeseen occurrences. There have seemed to be more opportunities to share God with people here, also.

We have talked to Pastor Diwakar about going in January and he said that that would be a good time as it is cooler (40-50 degrees), and they always need the most help during the school year.

We don’t know why God postponed our trip, but we know we can rest in His timing since He is the One who sent Pastor Diwakar to us, and when it is time for us to go, He will make a way!

We would appreciate your continued prayer as we wait on the Lord for His plan, provision and timing! We also want to thank those of you who have contributed to our work in India and to let you know that all funds have been put aside to be used strictly to minister to the people of India.

In Christ, 
Sara

Pastor Diwakar Visited us from India!

Namastē! (Hello!)

From July 10th-16th we were blessed to host Pastor Diwakar Wankhede from Mumbai, India! Pastor Diwakar is the one that invited us to come and minister with he and his wife in India. It was a wonderful time discussing the Word and getting to know one another better, along with learning even more about his heart for the people and the vision the Lord has given him.

On Sunday, July 13th, he was able to speak to our church about India and share about his ministry in the slums, along with meeting more of our friends and family. Then that evening we took him over to the local Assembly of God church (where we teach children on Wednesday nights), and Pastor Sam invited him to speak to the church for the evening service. Below is a recording of the evening presentation. If you would like to know more about India and the ministry, I would encourage you to watch it! I learned a lot listening to him.

We are so grateful that Pastor Diwakar was able to come and stay with us, and we are excited as we learn more about India and wait on His timing for us to leave!

Phir milēngē! (Goodbye!)

How This Trip Came To Be

Welcome!

Now, right about now you’re probably wondering how this whole trip came to occur. Well, it’s a pretty exciting [and long] story!

In January, mom was praying about going to Kansas City, MO to the International House of Prayer (IHOP) to learn how to facilitate a 48 hour prayer vigil. A couple days later one of our friends called and invited us to go with them to IHOP; needless to say mom was ecstatic with the opportunity and I was excited about learning about IHOP and the different ministries they had. You can read a more in-depth description here at my blog about the trip. Basically while we were there, I was given the opportunity to attend Youth With A Mission’s Discipleship Training School, along with having learned more about IHOP. And mom was able to connect with some people there about doing the prayer vigil. It was a wonderful trip all around.

Fast forward two weeks.

God told me not to go to YWAM; He wanted me to give it to Him the same way Abraham had given up Isaac on the alter. You can read about that here. It was kinda one of those, “Okay, God, what is going to happen now?”

Amazingly, we did not have too long to wait until He answered!  

One week later I was contacted by Pastor Diwakar Wankhede. He had found my blog and read about my going to YWAM and then not going (he has worked with YWAM teams before and his wife attended a local DTS in Mumbai years ago), and since I was not going to be gone for 3 months at YWAM, he invited me to come and serve alongside he and his wife for three months in Mumbai, India instead. How he found my blog, I have no idea, but we started talking back and forth about what his ministry is doing there, etc. We learned about his heart for the families in the slums, and his desire to help them and teach them about Christ.

Pastor Diwakar contacting us was also another answer to prayer that mom had had - she and I were feeling led to minister overseas, and she was praying specifically for a personal connection with someone somewhere to invite us to serve with them instead of going with an organization for only a couple of weeks. God gave us that connection with Pastor Diwakar.

Fast forward to today.

Many emails have been passed back and forth between Pastor Diwakar, my mom, and myself over the last several months. We have skyped with him and his wife, and continued learning more about what they are doing. From the get-go, mom decided that she would be coming with me, and Pastor and his wife were delighted that we will both be able to come. We will be living with he and his wife in their home for our stay there; they live on a main road with one of the “improved” slums opposite of them.

We are looking forward to how the Lord will allow us to serve while we are there, and we thank you for your prayers! Please follow this blog so that we are able to keep you updated about our journey! For His Glory,
Sara & Allison Pennington

Our Prayer Letter

Dear Friends,

We have been blessed with the opportunity to serve the poorest of the poor in Mumbai, India. We have been in contact with a Pastor and his wife who have served in the slums of Mumbai for 30+ years. They have invited us to serve alongside them, and our plan thus far is to to stay from August until sometime in the fall.  We will know more as the Lord directs us.

The women and children of India’s slums are destitute and severely lack the most basic of needs. Children often cannot attend primary school because they are needed to scavenge in the streets. They struggle to have enough to eat each day. Human trafficking is also rampant; children as young as 2 years old have been victims of this heinous crime. Most of the fathers in the slums are drunkards, and spend the evening gambling with the other men to cope with their feelings of hopelessness. There is often domestic violence and child abuse within the homes.

Our primary goal for this trip is to spread the good news by using various ministry outreaches.

We hope to find those who are willing to be taught the ways of the Lord and make disciples of them. Sara has been invited to train women to use sewing machines so that they can become self-supporting. We will also be helping with a kindergarten nutrition and education program for the children in the slums who have been unable to attend primary school.

We have also learned that 2014 is a special year on the Jewish calendar - it is the Year of the Dalet. “Dalet” means “open door”, and is described as a tent door being open for entrance and exit. We are excited because we know that many people may make the decision to “come in” to the kingdom of God this year. Even more amazing is that the people we will be ministering to in India are called “Dalits”!

The Lord calls us to lay down our lives for our friend. Sometimes this means going on a mission trip. We want to put our plans aside and serve the Lord. On behalf of the poorest of poor in India, we humbly ask for your support in prayer.  We ask that you pray for India right now and also put our picture on your refrigerator to remind you to pray often for the needs of the people of India. Please also pray for their government. Colossians 4:2-4 says, “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ.”

May God bless you for your prayerful support.

For His Glory,

Allison and Sara Pennington                                         

Matthew 28:19-20    
                      
Allison’s email is: integritypets@gmail.com                               
Sara’s email is: forever4hisglory@gmail.com