November 20, 2025

I am now writing this update to you from my own home. Yes, I am home! Both flights were very good, and everything went quite well. My luggage came after only a couple of minutes, and it took me about two minutes to go through customs. Nice and smooth.

Val was there to pick me up and we made it home with no problems. So, now I have unpacked and will soon be sleeping.

Thank you all for all of your prayers. I know my time in India was more profitable and effective because you were praying. This Sunday, I plan on giving a report with pictures. Perhaps you can join live on-line, or watch at another time. You can go to the church website, http://www.thenccu.org or wait for it to be uploaded to this website under the media tab.

Michael

November 19, 2025

Wednesday evening and all is well! Yes, we are back from our trip to the Taj Mahal. It was a wonderful trip and very impressive structure. Quite amazing actually. I am glad we went.

It is now 10:15pm. You are experiencing Wednesday morning as I write. I have taken a shower and packed my bags. I am almost ready to go. We will take an Uber around midnight and arrive at the airport somewhere around 45 minutes later. My flight departs at 3:35am so, if all goes according to plan, I should have 2 1/2 hours before the flight. Hopefully the airport will not be too busy, and I can get through security fairly quickly. Last year there was only one other flight. I think that there are a few more flights leaving this morning though.

Please continue to pray for me. Do not stop now! Pray for a good flight – which means a good person to sit next to, or not at all! A good flight is also one that is not too hard on my back and one that goes by quickly because I will sleep for a while. I did not get much sleep on the way here, but I am more tired now, so I might sleep on this flight.

Pray that my luggage arrives with me and that all goes well as I make connections in Frankfurt. I have a two-hour layover and my flight is in the same terminal so it should not be a problem. Pray for Val as she drives the one and a half hours to pick me up. Then, pray that I will adjust back to a different time zone, a different culture, different food, and a different world than what I have been living in for the past couple of weeks.

For those of you reading this that live in the same place I do, see you Sunday! And for those who don’t, you can still see me Sunday on our Facebook live service at 8:15am! Or you can watch it later.

Looking forward to home.

Michael

November 18, 2025

I am writing to you on Tuesday morning in India – your Monday evening. The wedding yesterday went very well. The ceremony was a Christian wedding with some Punjabi traditional elements mixed in. The wedding ceremony lasted for around two hours.

I was honored to be able to pray a blessing over the couple and then called back up to the stage to share in the family ceremonies after. As part of the family ceremony, the bride and groom cut the cake and share it with the family. So I got to have a piece of cake! And it was good cake too!

After the ceremony and the dinner, the couple left to change into traditional Indian wedding dress and came back for the final send off from the bride’s family. Mandeep hugged each one of us and cried as she did so. It was very emotional for the whole family. Then, the bride and groom got into the car and the men pushed the back of the car in a symbolic act of sending her off on a new life.

After that, everyone went home and Alex and I headed to the hotel. Surprisingly, we were back by 7:30pm. So, we ate supper and soon were asleep.

Today is a rest day. Tomorrow we will take a tour of the Taj Mahal. A car will pick us up at the hotel at 7:30am and travel the three hours to Agra. We will visit the Taj, the Agra Fort, and the baby Taj. We will eat a meal while there also and then be back to our hotel by 7:30pm.

My flight is Thursday at 3:30am so I will not be sleeping after coming back from the Taj. I will eat, pack, take a shower, and head to the airport around midnight.

Please continue to pray for health and strength. I am so glad to be healthy and feeling well. Also, continue to pray for safe travel to Agra and back. And then, pray for safe travel back to Seattle and then home.

I will try for one more update before I leave. If not, then I will write to you when I arrive home.

Michael

November 17, 2025

It is now Monday morning here in Delhi. The drive from Bathinda to Delhi went very well. Alex did a great job getting us here and I enjoyed the scenery along the way.

In a short time I will be going to the wedding, which takes place at the college which I have previously taught at. I am looking forward to participating in this wedding. For my part, I will be praying a blessing over the couple.

It will likely be a long day. I am not sure when I will get back to the hotel. Please pray for my health, strength, and safety; as always.

Michael

November 16, 2025

It is Sunday morning here in India – your Saturday evening. I have just a bit of time for an update before I need to go.

The meeting yesterday went very well, and a number of people prayed to ask Jesus to be their Lord and Saviour. The meeting was in a village that I had not been in before. The church is very new and just beginning their journey of discipleship. It was a pleasure to preach God’s word to them.

I will be preaching in about an hour from now and then we will begin our journey to Delhi. Please continue to pray for safety as I travel, health and strength, and for the message to be impactful and helpful this morning. I will try to update you tomorrow.

Michael

November 15, 2025

As I write this to you, it is Saturday morning here in Bathinda, your Friday evening. Yesterday was a day of shopping in preparation for the wedding. Alex and I spent half the day together going from store to store. After shopping we went back Alex’s home to visit the family a bit.

Most of the family left early this morning to travel to Delhi by train for the wedding that will take place on Monday. I am sure they have all sorts of things to do to prepare. And, of course, they want to spend time with their daughter before her wedding day.

This afternoon and into the evening, Alex and I will be travelling to one of the villages nearby for an evangelistic service. I enjoy these services and am glad to get a chance to preach the gospel and invite people to Christ. Please pray for open hearts and minds as they hear about Jesus and His death and resurrection. I expect we will be back to the hotel around 8pm.

Tomorrow will be a long day. I will check out of the hotel around 8am when Alex picks me up to go to his home for the church service. I will preach and then we will leave for Delhi at 11am. We are travelling by car, which will take around 6-7 hours. This means that I will get to the hotel around 8pm if all goes according to plan. One never knows though…

Please pray for today’s event, tomorrow’s church service, and tomorrow’s travel. I am not likely to update you tomorrow, but I will when time and energy allow.

November 13, 2025

It is now 8:10pm Thursday evening in India. I preached at the tent meeting this afternoon, though there was no tent. We met at a house that was newly constructed and now it doubles as a church. The owners desired to used their house for more than just themselves, they wanted to use it for others – to build the kingdom of God.

As is typical, the service began long before I arrived and continued while they sang, and sang, and sang! When the time arrived for me to preach, I preached the story of the Bible – God’s redemptive work for all people through His Son, Jesus. At the end, I invited those there to receive Christ for the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. Many prayed. And some did not, but God is working. They have heard the gospel and will grapple with the truth as the Holy Spirit continues to call them unto Himself. I am looking forward to hearing how God will show up for this group of disciples and how they will grow and mature in Christ.

After the service, we were treated with some great food and many people came and asked for prayer, which we gladly did for them. This is a group of people that know the importance of God’s work in their lives. They know that the answers to healing, and suffering, and blessing are found in Christ, so they gladly seek Him.

It was a good day today. I am glad to be part of this group of disciples as they continue serve Christ and change their community in which they live.

Thanks for praying.

Michael

November 12, 2025

Thank you for your continued prayer for me. I am returned to health and even strength. Yesterday, November 11th, we decided to take our trip to Rajasthan. I was feeling well enough for it and we had the time.

The trip began at 4am and ended around 5pm. We went by car and, though it was a long trip – about 4 hours – I enjoyed the scenery along the way. We visited the fort/palace of the Maharajahs. It was built around 200 years ago and was really quite impressive both in size and how it was built. I would say that the maharajahs and their families lived well. For the maharaja’s rooms, dressing tables from France were brought in – a gift, I believe, from the French.

Rajasthan is mostly desert, at least the part I saw. There was lots of sand and heat! Yet, there are lots of trees in the landscape. These trees are able to survive and grow because they have very, very deep roots. It is quite a beautiful landscape, at least in my opinion.

Though we saw camels along the way and in the city itself, we did not ride any. The local people suggested that the camel riding was not a safe endeavor for us to be doing. They suggested a different place to ride camels, but it was 250 kilometers away, so we definitely passed on that!

Tomorrow, Thursday here, I will be preaching at the first tent meeting. Many of the believers have been inviting their families and friends to come and here the gospel. Please pray that I will preach well and that I will make the gospel clear and compelling for those to hear. Please note that the time has been changed to the afternoon instead of the evening. The meeting will now take place from 11am – 1pm, or somewhere around that time.

I will let you know how the meeting went tomorrow evening.

Michael

November 10, 2025

The Pastor’s conference went very well. When the time had come to conclude the conference, the pastors did not want to leave and wanted to hear more. I am glad for their response and it is clear that we need to do more of these times of teaching and training for the pastors of Punjab. Perhaps God will expand this ministry to other places as well both in India and other countries of the world.

The preaching at the Sunday service went also, as far as I can tell. I believe the words from God were received well and I pray that they will be helpful for their spiritual growth in days to come. After the service, we spent a good amount of time praying for people as they lined up for prayer. We prayed for healing, provision, protection, release from addiction, spiritual growth, as well as a variety of other things. It was good to ask for God’s blessing and grace to be poured out upon them.

Early this morning, we were planning to travel to Rajasthan, which I was very much looking forward to, however, last night, I became ill and decided that a long day trip was not the wisest thing I could do since I needed to be close to the toilet. As I write this now, I am still feeling somewhat off, with a headache and a bit of a bad stomach, but the need for close proximity to the toilet is no longer a factor.

So, please pray for my recovery of health and strength. I will take time to rest today, as well as tomorrow. The tent meetings are yet to come, so please pray for me as I prepare for these meetings.

Michael

November 8, 2025

Today is the second day of the two-day pastor’s conference. There are 21 pastors/elders/leaders here at the conference. We had three sessions yesterday of about 1 hour each. We will do the same today. The topic of the conference is, “Speaking Truth in the midst of false voices”. Some of the material comes from 2 Timothy and today’s sessions will be about interpreting the Bible correctly.

So far my health remains good. I am eating well and sleeping well. My body knows this is different food, but it is adjusting well enough so far.

So, please pray for my continued health and strength and for clarity in teaching today.

Looking ahead, I will be preaching at the church tomorrow and then on Monday, we are planning to travel to Rajasthan for some sightseeing.

Michael

October 28, 2025

Although the trip has not officially started, I am really beginning to feel the pressure of packing, planning, and preparing. There is so much to do, both to ready myself for the trip and to get the church that I lead ready for my absence.

I am starting to make decisions about what clothes to bring and how much I need to bring. I am trying to pack as light as possible while not leaving myself without things that I will wish I had brought! I have also been preparing the lessons for the pastor’s conference, the sermons for Sundays, and the messages for the evangelistic services. I am not yet done, so I certainly need some prayer for these things.

Please pray for me as I get ready to go.

Thanks for praying,

Michael

November 2, 2025

It is now Sunday Evening, and I am feeling like I am ready for the flight tomorrow. I spent a good portion of the day figuring out what to take and how to pack it best in the suitcases. I have two suitcases, one that I will check, and the other which is a carry-on bag. I also have my backpack.

Val is taking me to the airport in the morning tomorrow. I am flying on Lufthansa and am scheduled to leave at 2pm. It is a 10 1/2 hour flight to Frankfurt where I layover for 4 hours and then another 7 1/2 hour flight to Delhi. When I arrive at 1:30am in Delhi, it will be November 5th.

I spoke to Alex today and they are all prepared for the pastor’s conference and for the evangelistic services. I am looking forward to reconnecting with Alex and his family and their church.

So, please pray for safe flights and for my back as I sit for great lengths of times. Please also pray that I find my way around the Frankfurt airport and that I can find a good place to relax while I wait for the next flight. Please pray for my health and strength over the 35 hours of travel. Finally, please pray that my luggage arrives with me and that Alex arrives at the airport and that we find each other easily.

Thanks for all of your prayers! I will write in a couple of days.

Michael

November 5, 2025

I am currently sitting in my hotel room in Delhi. I arrived at the hotel at 4am in the morning. I slept for a few hours, showered, ate breakfast, and now, after this update is written, I will sleep again for a couple of hours.

Alex, his brother Ajay, and his father, Ram, will be picking me up around 2pm today and we will travel by car to Bathinda, Punjab where I will check in at the hotel. The journey is about 31/2 hours, so I am told. I will rest a bit more and then we will go out for a family dinner tonight.

Tomorrow turns out to be a preparation day as we moved our trip to the Taj Mahal to the end of the trip instead of going today. Friday and Saturday is the pastor’s conference and Sunday I will be preaching at their church.

I remain healthy, though quite tired.
A story of note: on the plane from Frankfurt to Delhi, the flight attendant dropped a tray of food next to my seat. The green chutney splashed all over my shoes, socks, and, as it turns out, my pants as well. I looked at them this morning and they are not wearable right now. Not sure if that will come out or not, but we will see. Anyway, down a pair of pants- I only brought three!

Please continue to pray for the upcoming days.

Michael