Running to the Darkness

Oh, What a Night! Indian Creek Gives All the Glory to God for 25 Years!

 

How could we ever say enough thanks for 25 years! How could we even begin to thank THE GOD who has been Faithful, Povider, Healer, Waymaker and more! On September 16, 1985 Indian Creek Community  Church took her first breathe of life in the form of a public worship service! And God began writing His Story of life transformation all over Olathe!
So on Thursday night, September 16, 2010 we rolled out the red carpet for all of those who were participating in A Night of Thanks!
So 25 years later to the date we wanted to honor God by honoring His Story in every story of life transformation!
What a fun and life-giving time! We invited as many of the original Indian Creek founders as we could. And thankfully some are still in the area and close enough to be here!
We were all much younger then!
Many returned to enjoy a night of food, fun and fellowship!

 
Three different rooms were set up with many interesting pictures of eras long since gone! Along with the pictures there was delicious and gorgeous food all around!The evening climaxed with a worship service purposefully designed to tell God's Story in His  Body!
Many special guests came just to help celebrate, a wonder filled God! What a grand celebration it was! Lots of praising and shouting and telling of His goodness as He supplied in so many ways!
Before and After testimonies written on cardboard were moving expressions of people's gratitude for His narvelous work in their lives!
Only God! Only God could create SOMETHING from nothing! Only God!
I was delighted to share praise for God's incredible provision over the years! Here is my talk:

Good evening Indian Creek

What an awesome opportunity to welcome you on this 25^th Anniversary to the date of the very first service at Indian Creek Community Church! 25 years ago the doors were swung open for the very first time and people were welcomed in! I welcome you here to share this evening together!

God tells us in His Word that He will do more than we can think, hope, dream or imagine and this place and His Body here testify to the overwhelming truth of that!

Ephesians 3:20 (The Message and New Living Translation)

 ^20-21God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

 ²⁰ Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Wow! Only a God like You!! Only God could take 27 people and in 25 years multiple their efforts to more than 2500 families!

My name is Belinda Kendall and it is awe-inspiring to me that 26 years ago a small group of people dared to believe that God would provide a body of people who would be a place of grace, love and acceptance in their own community so that they might bring their families, friends, neighbors and co-workers to a place where they could come to know of such great love and provision for themselves!

It is amazing to me that they dared to believe that they could BE the Body of Christ and God would create a place of hope and healing for so many! They dared to believe that God wanted to provide through them healing for the broken hearted, freedom for the captives and life for death!

Tonight it is my pure pleasure to welcome you to a time of thanksgiving to God for His miraculous incredible transformation work in the lives and hearts of thousands! Indeed He is the One who did it and He is the one who deserves all the praise and glory!

Would you help me to give it to Him?

Truly Indian Creek’s story is His Story and His Story is our story! Tonight we will share in some time and tell just a few of the thousands of stories of God’s transforming power and work! The stories will not be in any particular order, chronological or otherwise and will be snapshots of glimpses of a few of the attributes of God! Truly God has proved Himself to be more than faithful and has provided all along the way for His people here at Indian Creek for 25 years!

Personally, for me it has been a joy to have had a front row seat for all these years to God’s continual display of Who He is—Provider! Why wouldn’t we trade our lives for a cause that would outlast us! Our family has been on this ride and witnessed God’s faithful provision for 25 years.

A story that goes way back to the beginning before there was ever a single service is the way God provided the property this building as a future home for His people!

One day Gary Kendall, my husband and Gary Burrell were having breakfast, as they often did, and eagerly anticipating the day when the small group that was meeting in a home in Olathe would become a Body of believers who would be housed in a facility that they could utilize to glorify God. The two like minded visionaries were looking for land. Afterwards Gary Burrell went out to drive some of the outlying areas in search of available property. He saw this property on Black Bob road and he thought it was the right space in the right place. He was thrilled when he learned that the owner was a good friend of his wife, Judy.

Gary investigated the land and discovered that it was a seven acre piece of property and that it was available for a very reasonable price. Gary Kendall and Gary Burrell went to look the prospective land on Black Bob road. At that time the road was a two lane road narrowing to a one lane bridge across the creek south of 127^th. Across Black Bob was pasture land with cattle. Gary Kendall loved the land but was unsure if it was right because he believed God told him not to settle for less than 10 acres.

When Gary and Gary actually saw the plat for the land Gary Burrell said the property looked larger than the seven acres it was listed as. Gary Burrell felt so confident that he volunteered to pay to have the land resurveyed. And so it was! How big do you think the acreage was? Absolutely, it was NOT a mere seven but actually TEN acres!  They learned that it was listed as seven because three of the acres were in the flood plain. Those could not be built upon but they could be used for a parking lot. When the owner, Leroy Ellsworth, learned about the difference he said he would sell the ten acres for the price of seven. And then Leroy decided to give seven more acres he originally planned to give to the city of Olathe for a park. All total we received 17 acres for the price of 7!  Definitely a provision of God!

And the story isn’t over yet! The city decided to upgrade Black Bob road from a two lane to a four lane road. So they served Indian Creek a $52,000 road assessment fee. YIKES! There didn’t seem to be any way that this new church could pay it! Mr., Ellsworth, the owner, stepped up and gave a gift of $26,000 to pay for the extra land he gave in the first place. His reasoning was that we were a brand new church and he didn’t want the church to have to pay an assessment on the gift that he gave! He didn’t want it to cost us anything but it did cost him...

Leroy then revealed that during this whole process that when he first bought the land years earlier he imagined creating a development to the north which became Foxridge North and a development to the south which became Foxridge South. He thought to himself at that time—and right here in the middle would be a great place for a church. Over time he developed both of the other properties and even specked out this property for homes because the original purpose slipped his mind. But when Indian Creek entered the picture it all came back to him, he was moved to tears and desired to be a part of making it happen.

God has provided for Indian Creek from start to finish. God is the Provider and He is perfect in His provision. Will you join me in giving God a clap offering for being the Provider!

Oh, what a night of giving thanks to many who played a part but most of all to THE ONE GOD who transforms lives and hearts and does MORE than we can think or imagine! To HIM be the Glory forever and ever, AMEN!

Dilly-Dalling in Delhi!

Wheeeee!!! What an adventure! It is never over until you reach home soil! We prevailed through ticket confusion, double bookings, conflicting schedules, all day in Chennai, loading all luggage on the International 'coach' and just when we thought the finish line was in sight, we learned that our flight out of Delhi was delayed 6 hours! But here we are rebooked and awaiting a 6:00 a.m. departure! Good news--we are all flying BUSINESS class for 16 hours! God is good! Thanks for praying us through!

Sharon Gardens & Office Tour and Children's Program

What a great day touring the campus and India Gospel League offices and then program presented by 250 children! They pray, sing, recite memory verses and study! They recite whole chapters of the Bible that they memorize--very humbling!

Tomorrow we spend the morning shopping and then drive 6+ hours to Kerayla where we partner in two more women's conferences before heading back where we came from--America. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to speak through our hearts where no words are needed. Please pray for the women to have open hearts for God's Word, open ears that they might hear Him speaking to each one of them. Also pray for strength and inspiration. We long to be vessels for His glory!

I will try to get to another internet cafe so that I can post more pictures.

Finally See What is Happening in India!

 
Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the ocean! It is always a treat to get to spend the night in Negombo at Camelot on the Beach. No time to sun bathe but we can always get in a walk on the brown sand! Katrina is surprised by the wave.

 

The first conference in Negombo was a Leaders Conference with women from regions in Sri Lanka.
Stella Rahjas is a National Leader with the Women With a Mission. She encourages and prays with a pastor's wife who is needing her support.
He has turned their mourning into dancing, their despair to joy!

 
The pastors of the area are always serving the women during these conferences! Pastor is serving tea to Katrina. Sri Lanka and India influenced by Great Brittan produce the world's finest tea so of course tea time is always observed!

Really, It Has ONLY BEEN a Week!

It is difficult to believe that it has just been a week today since Katrina and I departed KCI for India, reluctantly leaving Paula still in St. Louis as the VISA agency searched for her passport at the India Consulant.(Our representative told Paula that in the 18+ years that she had been serving in VISA's that she had only LOST her passport. someone was leaving her. I have been trained to "keep going" until you reach your final destination and trust that the others will make it there eventually as well! So on Katrina and I treked! When we landed in Chennai we were pleased to see good friend and partner in ministry Pastor Bennie. He seems to always draw the short straw to make the late night/early morning runs to retrieve the women's team members! Pastor Bennie was quick to inform us of a schedule change! Instead of heading to Sri Lanka at the end of the trip, we were leaving the next morning, very early. So off we went to the hotel for a few hours and then up and back to the airport for a short flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka! What a delightful experience to see women at the Leader's Session with whom we have partnered over the years! That is when we learned that the reason we could travel freely in Sri Lanka was because the war was over! We certainly were celebrating the freedom gained! Later we learned that the Tamil Tigers had been shot as they were surrendering in cooperation with the UN...This was the reason for the women's somber faces we greeted later that day. Please continue to pray for peace in Sri Lanka, spiritually as well. Many women leaders, less than 100, gathered in Negombo to hear God's heart and voice speaking to themselves through one another and other ordinary women leaders. So Katrina and I filled up and boarded the plane withthe rest of the team.!

What joy to arrive at the same hotel where we had once been  and to find the women already praising God! Though they lost much God is fulfilling His promise to heal their broken hears and set thecaptives free! Certainly, God moved powerfully and touched the hearts of women so that they were encouraged and inspired at the outcome!

The next morning we traveled to Battocolea, the same village that I had traveled to in 2005 shortly after the tsunami with Sam and some friends to deliver relief items. The church facility was only a shell at the time and now it is a beautiful sight! Completed and full of some 300 women praising God for His faithfulness!

The next day we traveled about an hour and a half to another village and encouraged another 300 women. God demonstrated His love powerfully through Paula French's telling of the woman at the well and her need to leave her "water jar" and proclaim what Christ has done for her. Katrina encouraged the women with Proverbs 31 as she assured women that our worth is not wrapped up in our works.

We traveled back to Negombo in preparation of flying out of Colombo, Sri Lanka to India. So we gave up a day at the Elephant Orphanage to visit the India Gospel League Island Mission Base which serves as a home for some 80 girls! And we were so very glad that we did! The children were beautiful and their faces reflected the joy that they were learning about at the base! Prati reminded me that even though we had visited the base before its completion, of another visit there prior to all of that when a team of American women walked the property and prayed for the project! God certainly did more than we could imagine at the time!

We had also visited the site where they were beginning to construct another base that would include a facility for boys. (The government won't allow a facility to house both male and female orphanages.) As we started to drive across the sandy foundation it began to rain, harder and harder. We were disappointed as we realized that the van wouldn't be able to drive through the wet sand and neither could we. So we sat in the van and waited until the wind lessened. And we were amazed at what we experienced! Several pastors were approaching the van under the protective wooden makeshift umbrella, holding it over their heads with one hand while sporting a china teapot and tea service so that they served us tea from outside in the rain, standing in the pouring rain, pouring the tea from an exquisite tea pot. What a humbling cup of tea!

Monday morning we arose at 3:30 to be ready to leave our beloved Camelot on the Beach in Negombo for the paradise oasis of the home of Prati and Sam Stephens as houseguest and family! So we flew out of Colombo and in less than two hours were on our way to Sharon Gardens, our home away from home!

But first a trip to the village that Indian Creek partners in the Adopt-a-Village project. We prayed over and dedicated a spot for a water well that will provide clean water for the less than 3,000 people.  We gathered in the Community Center of the village to hear reports about how IGL's partnership encouraged, inspired and strengthened the people of the village and non believers testified about how they benefitted. It was an honor to welcome and greet the people! Afterwards we were invited to eat lunch in the pastor's home. But first off to the LIfe church to encourage and inspire the believers. We sat in a circle and I was honored to commend and encourage those who came. We heard a powerful testimony of a woman whose eyesight was healed and God gave her a child when she had been barren.

Time for lunch we traveled to the pastor's house where he and his wife served us on banana leaves a meal prepared especially by her for us!

Now it is 12 hours after we embarked upon our day's journey and time to begin the 3 hour drive to Salem and our beloved Sharon Gardens! This is when we are grateful that we are served by a driver and he is the one who will be doing the driving dance in the maze of traffic!

What a fully pacted day! We just pray that we made an inpact on some for God's glory and kingdom advancement! !

Finally, we arrived at Sharon Gardens tonight around 7:00 pm and enjoyed dinner in the elegant dining hall that allows Prati and her family to have their dinning room back to feed their hungary family while hosting teams of guests as well.

Since I have been utilizing internet cafes, I have been unable to connect camera so that I can post pictures because I have many to share!

And We Wanted to See Elephants!

Wow! I am constantly amazed at the good the India Gospel League accomplishes in Sri Lanka as well as in India! We had one day to either visit the Elephant Orphanage or IGL's Sri Lanka Mission Base and Children's Home. Since Paula and I had been to the base when they first began to construct it, we were not as excited to go there and Katrina really wanted to see an elephant. Plus the last time Paula and I had ventured to Sri Lanka there was too much fighting going on that prevented us from going even the two hours into the country to visit the Elephant Orphanage so she had really been anticipating seeing it this trip.

Prati, however, made the call since we could not manage to travel to both the Elephant Orphanage and the Children's home she decided for us that we would go to see "her children". We were a bit disappointed but had a great time singing, talking and praising God for the couple of hours drive. Since we couldn's convince Pastor Paul to preach Stella presented a scripture and we discussed it!

And then we arrived at the gate Beautiful. I mean beautiful gate with the Island India Gospel League logo. Then I remembered coming a few years prior and prayer walking the property as they were planning to purchase to start a mission base.

As we drove onto the campus we saw beautiful palm trees surrounding four family cottages, a new kitchen and dining hall, and offices! There was even a small playground! The most precious part was 65 gorgeous faces welcoming us to their home! They were lined from the youngest and smallest to the eldest and tallest--darling daughters of the King! We couldn't wait to spend time with them!

What elephants? We were enthralled by the discipline and dazzling smiles of the children who recited scripture memory verses and offered prayers and praises as we drank it in! Prati greeted them and told them how she longs to see them when she is in India with her other 250 children in the orphanage and school at the original Sharon Base in Salem. They beam at their "auntie" and ask her about her daughter, Becky Stanley who visits them often as the Children's ministry arm of IGL is her primary responsiblity. Samita taught them a simple song about friendship in English and Tamil, accented with special actions that delighted them all. I got a chance to share with them how beautiful they are and reminded them that we have the same heavenly father so we are sisters! I commended them for their memorization of His Words of love to them and Paula came and taught them "Hal-hal-la-u-jah! Praise the Lord" with the accompanying standing and sitting. They loved it!

What a delightful day and to think that we thought that we wanted to see elephants!

 

 

He Trades Mourning for Dancing! The War is Over!

 
What joy to be with sisters who we have not seen in so long! We are here and His Spirit is as well! We have rejoiced at the freedom that has come and the 90+ women's leaders whose hearts were encouraged with ours! And just as we were concluding in walked Paula!

I must close now for we are on to the north to a conference in the previously war-torn area where they have not been able to hold a women's conference! Praise God for freedom and peace!

Thanks for your prayers! They are valued and make all of the difference!