One last meal ~ this time they asked us to eat instead of serve. We obliged. Lunch Menu: Rice, Chili Chicken Curry and Samba all on a banana leaf. I was looking forward to this culinary adventure. As I started to eat, I thought an angel had taken a coal from heaven and touched my lips ~ Whoa ~Hot hot hot!!!! Pastor Paul laughed and called for more rice. He taught me to eat just plain rice to cut the heat. It was all good! Just intense heat!!!!!!! Did I mention eating here is done with out silverware, Samba is interesting to eat without a spoon 🙂

Pastor John and I talk about the quantity of food that is prepared. All total, over 15,000 meals were prepared and served. Here are some numbers:
20,000 lbs of rice (imagine the bags!!!)
10,000 lbs of Curry
1000 gallons of Samba
15,000+ banana leaves
SELAH!!!

All of the above is cooked in big caldrons over open fires on a back part of the property. Now that is a pot of rice!

Today’s service is a special one, there will be a water baptism in the canal. 78 people are to be baptized ~ it is their outward commitment to go all out for Christ. It was shared that when they receive Jesus as Lord, many families tolerate it as He’s just “another” god to them. No big deal and others really don’t know about it. But when an individual gets water baptized, they are put out. The baptism takes place publicly and the entire village knows. It is the declaration saying they will only follow One True God ~ Jesus and are no longer following the way of Hinduism. This is really the dividing line and individuals are disowned.

I have never been to a water baptism like this before. Pastor John taught about the meaning and the importance. Then all of the 3000+ people walked down to the canal ~ about a ½ mile or so ~ singing hymns and songs all the way there. It was definitely known by the village what was going on. People lined the Canal to watch the event. We were asked to pray for individuals once they came out of the water. It was beautiful and such an honor to be a part of such a special day! One I will always remember.