Moreh, the 25th and 26th September, 2010: 
The Food Fest: The nondescript Bethel Girls High School of downtown Moreh, Manipur's border town, played host to a never-seen Food Fest at their school premises on 25 September, 2010. Mrs Lhingboi and Thangpao Haokip who run the all girls high school were the chief organizers. Supposed to be the chief guest of the occasion, I made it clear to the host that I'd rather be called the Cheer guest instead. I make myself cheaply available. There was nothing chief about me. I was there in the school, if for anything, to cheer the novel idea for the small town with big problems, only.

Of Food And Local Mood: Talk on food, I could be no good. I never did that. But holding centre-stage as the CG, I had to say something to save face. I was preoccupied with an official headache that day. So, I mumbled a few lines extempore on dietary habits. Out here in this town of low living standards and purchasing capacity, under-nourishment is a rule and maintaining a balanced diet, an exception.

The Kuki Practices: To the average Kuki, whose community forms the largest ethnic entity at Chandel district's only border mini cosmo settlement, having good food everyday is a bourgeoisie luxury other pressures of life relegate to the back of one's mind as an unfordable priority. Waxing eloquent on gourmet delicacies will not gel well with the mental make-up of a community the majority of the members of which eke out a living out of selling charcoal, bamboo shoots and manual stone crushing.

Event Mismanagement: In the charmed circles, a cup of tea is served in style with options to add sugar and milk or otherwise as desired. But here, for all the exposure to the world through cable TV, more often than not, all the sugar, tea-leaf and milk at one's disposal in the make-shift kitchen of an event, are poured into th tea-pot at one go to boil. Tea-addicted diabetics, who avoid sweets like a plague, who are on the look-out for a refreshing cup of plain tea, have to bear the brunt of the unabashed mistake of the kitchen of the bash. Equally disastrous is taking the guests for granted that they would come to the feast tables without repeated reminding.

LEF Meeting On 26th September: The Moreh ward no. 3 Laymen's Evangelical Fellowship Church may be poor in infrastructure and attendance; but when it comes to the spiritual ambiance and warmthof worship, LEF, anywhere, anytime, is second to none. Preaching there in the morning meeting, today, was a joy. The Pastor, Thomas Papao led the meeting. A youth trio presented a Gospel song item before the message was delivered.

The Message: My text was taken from Nehemiah Chapter 1, verses 1 to 10. The remnants of the exile who returned to Jerusalem sent word to Nehemiah, the king's cup-bearer in Susa in foreign land, that the Jewish city was in disgrace and distress. The wall of Jerusalem was broken and the residents were at sixes and sevens; and vulnerable to enemies' attack. Nehemiah did not panic. Neither was he worried. His reaction was heavenly. "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven ( neh 1:3)".

Local Application: Moreh does not have a wall like Jerusalem's. But it does have border fencing. More than the portions of broken porous border fencing, the invisible wall of truth, righteousness, mental peace and brotherly love had been torn to pieces. All attempts to mend outside the scripture failed miserably. We need a leader like Nehemiah who can involve his people in the vision he formulated and guide them to mass repentance, confession of sin and rebuilding of broken obedience.

Increase of His Government: The topic was my pet. I could narrate anecdotes after anecdotes on broken social virtues vis-a-vis the awesome township I administer. But I had to rush to Tamu, across the border for another meeting at 9 a.m, MST. In winding up, I gave an exposition on the 7th verse of Isaiah Chapter 9, "Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end". The increase continues worldwide every day.

The Appeal For Verdict: The point driven home, as a final appeal for verdict, was that a change for the better can only come about through winning souls for the Lord, one by one, like Paul and Silas did in Acts 16. The government of Christ and His peace come into effect wherever one accepts Him as one's personal Lord and Saviour. The broken spiritual wall of our Developmental Block can only be mended with the super-glue of the Word of God.

AG Church, Tamu. I had Pastor Thomas and brother Shopao as company to AG Church (Benjamin), Tamu. Lively song items were presented one after another. Benjamin, the builder, took the preliminaries in the lively worship service. I was given time to preach. So as not to be mentally dubbed " a bad preacher, who, like the bad rain, does not know when to stop", I cut short my sermon. The message I succinctly gave at the Thadou AG Church was about life's choices. Choosing God or the things of God over the world or things of the world will always pay rich dividends eventually. Suffering, in doing so, will be well-compensated.


Moses Chose To Suffer: The son and heir apparent of the daughter of Egypt's Pharaoh, Moses had every reason to continue to enjoy the perks and riches that were entitled to the prince of Egypt, then. Mind you, Egypt was highly advanced in science and technology in Moses' time. But the born leader gave up all. "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be ill-treated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time (Hebrews 11:24 & 25". God did not give up Moses. He made Moses the indisputable hero of the great Exodus.

Love to my Blog followers;

~ Lunminthang Haokip