Revival is Here – Embrace It!

Posted on by

There is a state in northern India dominated by the great Himalayan mountains. Known as the “Abode of Snow,” and characterized by hills and forests, it is also sometimes referred to as “God’s own Abode.” The majority of the people in the state (98%) are Hindus. For many years it has been India’s least evangelized state. Every mountain in the state is named after a Hindu “god,” so it is a popular destination for Hindu pilgrimages. There is much devotion to idols.

The Lord opened the way for us to start our ministry in this least evangelized state in 1998. Almighty God is blessing the ministry and the work has progressed wonderfully. Over the past 20 years our Lord has enabled us to reach into thousands of villages and share the Gospel with people who had never heard the Gospel. We have established hundreds of house churches and led thousands of people to the Lord.

Revival in the Mountains

Recently, for nine days, two of our leaders traveled to some of the interior mountain villages where our brothers were able to reach and start house churches among the different communities. Wherever they stopped, the local believers joined them in worshiping the Lord. Most of them had been idol worshipers for many generations, living in spiritual darkness, under the bondage of sin, not knowing the way out. But the light of the Gospel has sprung up in hundreds of villages of this state and is transforming the lives of many people, especially the young people.

After a nine-hour drive, down a narrow road full of potholes, our two leaders finally reached the first of these mountain villages, almost 200 hundred miles away from their home. Here, some of the young believers had started several new prayer groups. The trip to the village had been very difficult. They had felt and sensed the attack of the enemy several times on the trip. At the same time, Almighty God was with them, as it says in 1 John 4:4 “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Throughout the trip they felt the Presence of the Lord and His divine protection. As they reached the village, a large crowd of people was waiting for them, gathered together from the surrounding hills and valleys. After quickly freshening up, they joined the meeting. Though they were physically exhausted, their spirits were rejoicing, that so many people walked so many miles to hear the Gospel.

Worship Sets You Free

During worship, the Spirit of God moved mightily in the meeting, setting people free from the bondage of evil spirits and sickness. Almost everyone who came forward for prayer had one of these problems in their lives. Many of them were in bondage to demonic spirits. When our team of brothers began worshiping, the demons threw the people to the ground screaming loudly, both men and women. As they continued to worship, the Presence of God came down to the meeting. They saw the demon possessed people crying out and the demons departing even before they laid hands on them. Our Lord touched the lives of hundreds of people, delivered them, healed them, and many were restored through prayer and the ministry of the Word. The presence of the Lord was so powerful the meeting went on until two in the morning.

The Presence of God Saves and Heals

The following morning they went to another village 22 miles away, where our missionary D is ministering. There again, people from the surrounding hill villages walked many miles to attend the meeting. The Lord helped them to share the Word and minister to the people, who came with many needs. Our Lord in His mercy healed the sick and delivered the demon-possessed, and touched many lives. Many people came after the meeting and shared with them that they were able to experience the touch of God in their lives in a fresh way.

The next destination was a village where they met a young lady, 22 years old, who had been unable to talk or hear from birth. Six months ago she was healed through the prayer of another young lady who was a new Christian. The lady who was healed was the daughter of a Hindu temple priest. Through her testimony, many people have believed in the Gospel and experienced the power of God in their life. The temple priest arranged a meeting in his house and invited the whole village to the meeting. To reach his village, our team had to walk about three and a half miles. They walked through the narrow paths and climbed the hills with God-given strength. Physically they were very tired, and when they reached the village their legs were swollen and ached with pain.

 

The prayer meeting there was a great blessing, with around 200 people attending. Before the meeting, the temple priest told our leader “There are lots of people in the village opposing me for allowing this meeting in my home, but my family has served many gods and goddesses for generations without any answer to prayer. Every day I used to spend 11 hours worshiping the gods and goddesses, but none of the gods and goddesses could help my only daughter. Jesus healed her and opened her ears and mouth, so I want to express my thanks to Jesus by conducting this meeting in my village and giving the people an opportunity to hear about Him.” During the meeting the Presence of God was so real in that place as we shared the gospel, 49 people, including the temple priest and his wife, publicly came forward to receive the Lord in response to the Gospel call. During prayer, our Lord in His mercy healed the sick, delivered the demon-possessed and restored broken families. After the meeting, a good number of people obeyed the Lord in water baptism.

All through the nine days our leaders spent in that hilly area they saw a tremendous move of God drawing hundreds of people to the Lord. In every village, people begged them to share the Gospel or come to their home for prayer. One man who accepted Jesus into his life was very upset. He asked them “Why were you so late coming to our village to share the Gospel? If you would have come just a few months ago, my wife and son, who died in an accident, would have heard the Gospel and would have gotten saved.” They literally cried with him. The “Macedonian Call” is ringing out from the villages of India today.

Answering the Macedonian Call

Paul received a vision that directed his missionary activities: A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Will you help us answer our own “Macedonian Call?” Will you help us take the Gospel to the remote villages of India? Will you invest in the Great Harvest that Jesus spoke of, and is now taking place? Just click one of the links below. Our missionaries will be blessed, and you will too!


Contact us
Support our missionaries

May 2019 Letter

Posted on by

Revival is Here!

Dear Partners and Friends,

We live in a world where every day we are bombarded by TV, newspapers and radio with bad news. Now that the world is connected via satellite, it only takes a few minutes for an event on the other side of the globe to reach us in our living room, in our car, or in our office. Sometimes it gives us the impression that the world is falling apart, seemingly without any attention from God. We have to look harder, but the Good News is all around us, too. In fact, there is at least as much Good News as there is bad.

Revival isn’t coming.

IT’S HERE!

The stories in the enclosed newsletter are just the “tip of the iceberg.” God is on the move, and He’s looking for men and women (and children) to partner with Him. All authority was given to Jesus Christ, and He wants to share His authority with us. Our pastors and missionaries understand this. It isn’t their power that brings salvation, healing, and deliverance to the remote villages of India. It isn’t their wisdom that brings cultural transformation to societies that have worshiped idols for countless generations.

What brings salvation is the Compassion of God, combined with the Power of the Kingdom of Heaven that is Now being released on the earth. We have a choice. We can sit back and do nothing; or we can take action and watch the Kingdom be established before our eyes. It’s time to seek the Lord and take action. It’s time to be an instrument of His Love to the people around you. It’s time to share the message of Hope in Jesus Christ, and the testimonies of what He is doing around the world. This month, if you find yourself discouraged, call out to the Lord. Immerse yourself in His promises. Fill your mind with testimonies of His love and power. And expect Him to do the same in your own life. Keep believing, and keep expecting God to reward you as you seek His face. And send us your testimony when He sends the answer.

Much of what we accomplish is impacted by the amount of funds we receive from our partners. Our teams are ready and willing to work. Will you help us to equip them? If you are able to help, go to the Donate page. If you aren’t able to help this month, please pray. Your prayers are extremely important. And please share this newsletter with as many believers as you are able. Copy it, send them to our website, do whatever you can do to get the word out. We overcome by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the word of our testimony. The more people who receive this newsletter, the more hearts will be touched, and the more God will provide for our missionaries. Without your help, we could do nothing to promote the Gospel.

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

Thomas

April 2019 Letter

Posted on by

Focus on the Positives

Dear Partners and Friends,

Here in the developed world, we take so many things for granted, things that are scarce or completely absent in the developing world. Electricity, clean water, and plentiful food are just the beginning. We expect roads to be paved and well-maintained. We expect free Wi-Fi to be everywhere. When things don’t go right, when we have a “glitch” in our plans, we get upset. Not so in developing countries.

In the villages of India, they are accustomed to problems, delays, and things going wrong. Amid the disappointments, they still manage to maintain a positive outlook on life. They focus on the positives among all the negatives. That’s part of our problem here in America, at least for me. I find myself constantly barraged by negative news stories and negative social media posts, even from some Christian friends.

This month’s newsletter brings us true stories of truly positive things happening across the world. Yes, life is difficult. Yes, there is corruption in society. Yes, there are wars and rumors of wars. But Jesus reminded us that “when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28)

Now is not the time to focus on negative things that can lead to discouragement. Now is the time to share the message of Hope in Jesus Christ, and the testimonies of what He is doing around the world. This month, if you find yourself discouraged, call out to the Lord. Immerse yourself in His promises. Fill your mind with testimonies of His love and power. And expect Him to do the same in your own life. Keep believing, and keep expecting God to reward you as you seek His face. And send us your testimony when He sends the answer.

Investing in the Future

Much of what we accomplish is impacted by the amount of funds we receive from our partners. Our teams are ready and willing to work. Will you help us to equip them? If you are able to help, complete the enclosed response card. If you aren’t able to help this month, please pray. Your prayers are extremely important. And please share this newsletter with as many believers as you are able. Copy it, send them to our website, do whatever you can do to get the word out. We overcome by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the word of our testimony. The more people who receive this newsletter, the more hearts will be touched, and the more God will provide for our missionaries. Without your help, we could do nothing to promote the Gospel.

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

Thomas

Life in the “Graveyard”

Posted on by

Bihar is known as the “graveyard of missionaries” among the Indian missions. Bihar is the third largest state in India with 104 million people. It is one of India’s most densely populated states, with well over 2,850 people per square mile. The vast majority (89%) of the population are living in compact or clustered villages in the cultivated plains. Economically it is one of the poorest states according to the government standards. A large segment of the population lives below the poverty level, and the literacy rate is one of the lowest among the Indian states. Almost 58% of the population is below the age of 25, giving Bihar the highest proportion of young people of any Indian state.

Bihar is also one of the least reached states in India with regard to the Gospel. According to the Joshua Project there are more than 450 people groups, out of which 430 are considered unreached by the Gospel. Idolatry, witchcraft, drug abuse, alcoholism, caste discrimination, looting, fighting, and every expression of spiritual darkness is prevalent in this state.

In the last 10 years we have seen tremendous church growth in Bihar. Many mission agencies are involved in reaching the people groups. Our organization alone has 26 full-time indigenous missionaries working in Bihar.

Over the past five years, the Lord has greatly blessed us and has given us a great harvest of souls in Bihar. Last week our coordinator, S*, visited the mission stations and submitted this report:

Passionate Worshipers of Jesus

On March 10, 2019, Pastor J* (a senior minister in our ministry) and I were picked up at the railway station and were rushed to a tribal area where the Lunia people live. In 2017 there were half a million Lunia people, without even as much as a single Christian among them. That year, we sent our outreach team with 13 young people to this Lunia community to share the gospel with them. In the beginning they met with hardship and persecution. Four of our brothers were jailed for three days for evangelizing among the Lunia community. Now, as we bounced down a dirt road in an old taxi, passing through the different villages, we felt the spiritual darkness in that area. As we reached the village where our brothers wanted to take us, we were led to a school building where more than four hundred people were worshiping together on a Sunday morning. J* and I were tired, but upon seeing the people and the way they worshipped our Lord, we forgot our weakness and with our whole heart we joined the worship. I can say it was one of the most touching worship services I ever attended in my life. There were no musical instruments but people were joining together, lifting their voices and singing, every word worshiping the Lord. During that time of worship we saw people delivered from evil spirits. After the service we learned that these people are from the Lunia community. Over the past two years more than 700 hundred people from the Lunia community have come to know Jesus through our brothers. Fourteen villages have a regular Sunday service, and another 17 villages have regular weekly prayer meetings. We were overwhelmed by what we saw and experienced. With tears of joy, we thanked the Lord for the harvest.

Powerful Move of the Holy Spirit

On March 13 we were led to another community called the Bhar, with over 2 million people also in the state of Bihar. As with the Lunia, there were very few Christians among them. Farming is the main occupation of the Bhar people, and they often work as laborers in fields owned by the higher caste people.

In February we had sent two teams, a total of 14 brothers from different communities, to do outreach for six weeks. By the grace of God, there were a lot people drawn to the Lord. Our outreach team led us to a prayer meeting they had started just a few weeks ago in the Bhar community. A prayer meeting was arranged in the courtyard of a house, and as we reached there around 25-30 people from the village were waiting. As we shared the gospel with them, the Spirit of God moved mightily in the meeting. People were being set free from the bondage of demonic spirits and disease. Everyone who came forward for prayer was afflicted by an evil spirit, and most of them had some kind of sickness that manifested in their life as well. When we laid hands on them and prayed, the demons threw the people to the ground and they began screaming loudly. Much of the same thing happened in all nine of the prayer groups we visited with our outreach team, in different villages in the Bhar community. Through prayer and the ministry of the Word, and by God’s rich grace and mercies, God delivered all of them completely.

We went from one place to another and visited all 9 of the prayer groups that our brothers have started in the last six weeks. We ministered to many people, and over 93 people received the Lord Jesus as their Savior. God is moving in a very special way among the unreached community, through signs and wonders, and deliverance. During the 9 days of the trip, we attended three of our local training centers. Eighty-four men and women graduated from different tribal communities after they had completed our 40- day house church leaders’ training this past year. Four new training centers have been started for this year in different areas, and one of them is among the Lunias.

Partnering With the Father

Jesus told us “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.” (John 4:35-36). When you partner with us, you are a partner in the Great Harvest that Jesus spoke of, and is now taking place. Our missionaries will be blessed, and you will too!


Contact us
Support our missionaries

Heaven Comes to the Slums

Posted on by

Brother P and his family are from the untouchable community. They lived in the slums with their five children. He used to drive a rickshaw and his wife was selling vegetables in the slum. Their youngest son who was four years at that time had a blood infection. Almost twice a year they had to give the boy a blood transfusion. It was a great burden on their life and their finances. They fell into a lot of debt. The family was dealing with starvation. There was no one to help them. Finally they decided to take their other four children to an orphanage where they would have at least enough food, and security for their young daughters who were 16 and 14 at that time.

One of the volunteers who gave blood for P’s son’s transfusion was from a Hindu radical group. He came to donate blood for P’s son. After knowing the situation he said, “In my village some Christians meet for worship every Sunday. They claim that their God heals sickness. I have heard that many people have been healed by their prayers. Why don’t you take your son to them and ask them to pray for him? Maybe he too will be healed!”

There is Healing Power in The Blood

The following Sunday, the desperate P and his wife took their son from the hospital to the prayer group. It was a house church with 30-35 people jam-packed in a small room. They were singing and worshiping the Lord. Brother P shared with them why their family was there. During the service the church came around P’s son and laid hands on him and prayed for him.

After the service when P’s family went back to the hospital, the doctor was very upset because they had taken his patient out of the hospital without his permission. The next day the boy was discharged. The family returned to the slum. People from the house church visited them and prayed over their son again and again. God in His mercy healed him completely. Since that day they have never had to give their son another blood transfusion. P and his wife attended the house church and they accepted the Lord as their personal Savior.

Five years ago, R was in the slum where P and his family lived. They wanted to have a meeting in their area for the people to hear the Gospel. R says he still remembers when they had that meeting in the slum. It was in a small soccer ground where 300 people came to hear the Gospel. The next day we gave baptism to P and his wife and their three older children. After the baptism P and his family joined our house church leader’s training, completed it and became leaders of a house church.

The Gospel Spreads Through the Slums

Through the public meeting so many people were attracted to the Gospel. Our brothers started a house church in P’s home and gradually people from the slum, each with different needs, began to come and attend the house church. Many were delivered and set free from different addictions. The house church in P’s home became a lighthouse in that slum. For many who lived in utter darkness the house church was a light for them. It was a place of deliverance. Last month R was in that area to lay a foundation stone for their planned church building. They are planning to build a shed for the worship meetings. More than 400 people from that slum attended the meeting. Most of them are born again believers. P and his family took R to five other slums around their town, where very poor, untouchable people, who are the lowest in the society, live in plastic tents. In almost freezing cold weather it was a very sad sight. But as they walked through the slum, people greeted them by saying ‘JAI MASIH’ meaning “Praise the Lord.” They were joined by many people in the slum who are born again and live for the Lord, and they were worshiping Him. In all five slums P and his family have started regular worship services, where hundreds of people meet each week. R and his wife were really touched and moved by the way the Lord is using P and his family to draw hundreds of people to the Lord. P’s daughters, Kajal and Sona, have started six Sunday schools in different slums, where more than 240 children attend regularly. Kajal and Sona attend college, but in the afternoon, when their college classes are finished, they teach the children Bible stories, from 3:30pm to 5pm. They also teach the children how to read and write. If that wasn’t enough, they have also started a women’s meeting in the slums!

Blessed to be a Blessing

In P’s own words, he said, “We went to a house church with a desperate situation because no one could help us. We asked the Lord to bless our son and heal him, but we never thought that we would become a blessing. Today the Lord has honored us and blessed us and made us a blessing to our community.”

The Bible says “The people which sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up.” Hundreds of people living in the slums, who sat in darkness for many generations, are seeing the glorious light of the Gospel through one family’s dedication to the Lord. They are able to do this work because of our Lord, and through your prayers and financial support. Ask the Lord of the Harvest to send more laborers into the harvest field, and to provide them with the necessary financial support to be effective.

March 2019 Letter

Posted on by

Dear Partners and Friends,

In today’s “microwave” society, we expect answers to come immediately. We have little tolerance for things that take time. When the Internet is going slow, we complain. When traffic is congested, we complain. On the other hand, when we pray, sometimes we don’t expect God to answer. We tell ourselves “He has other, more pressing things on His agenda.” So we can sometimes miss God’s provision and supply because we are looking in the wrong direction.

Let Your Kingdom Come

In this month’s newsletter, we share the story of Pastor P, a man whose family desperately needed God’s touch. But he didn’t know where to find help. For years, he struggled. But once he found the Lord, God brought healing and blessing into their lives. Once they committed their lives to the Lord, He took responsibility for their care and well being.

This month, if you find yourself in a desperate situation, call out to the Lord. His arm is not too short to save. But, remember, when you call out to Him, believe that He is both willing and able to meet your needs and bring restoration and healing to your life. As it says in the book of Hebrews “he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 NASB So, keep believing, and keep expecting God to reward you as you seek His face. And send us your testimony when He sends the answer.

Please remember us in prayer. We are in the midst of lots of changes. Due to some financial difficulties, I have gone back to full-time secular work. As a result, Teri will be assuming most of the ministry workload, so please keep her in prayer. Meanwhile in India there has been an increase in persecution, along with terrorist activity along the border with Pakistan. We have suspended our travels to India until we have both the vacation time and the money to resume them, and until the terrorist activity decreases so it is safe for Americans to travel there. Our team leaders will probably be coming to the US sometime in the fall of 2019. Look for more information about this as the time gets closer.

Investing in the Future

Much of what we accomplish is impacted by the amount of funds we receive from our partners. Our teams are ready and willing to work. Will you help us to equip them? If you are able to help, complete the enclosed response card. If you aren’t able to help this month, please share this newsletter with as many believers as you are able. Copy it, send them to our website, do whatever you can do to get the word out. We overcome by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the word of our testimony. The more people who receive this newsletter, the more hearts will be touched, and the more God will provide for our missionaries. Without your help, we could do nothing to promote the Gospel.

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

Thomas

Tidings of Great Joy at Christmas

Posted on by

Christmas always brings joy to our families. But for more than 360 men and women in our house church leaders’ training program, Christmas was also a time of harvesting souls. As part of their practical training, they went out to their neighboring, unreached villages to share the Gospel, starting on December 14th through the day before Christmas. With your help, we provided them with all the resources they needed for the outreach. They shared the Gospel and distributed literature to more than 29,000 homes, in 152 villages, in just 10 days! To wrap up the outreach, they conducted 42 public meetings in different unreached villages, and more than 12,000 people attended these public meetings and again heard the Gospel. For most of them, this was the first time they had attended a Christian meeting. Over 1800 people responded to the altar calls and expressed their desire to follow Jesus in their life.

Everywhere the outreach team went, the presence of God was tangible and they could see the favor of the Lord. In every public meeting, Jesus healed the sick, delivered the demon-possessed, and broken families were reunited.

The Power to Heal was Present

A* has lived in the same village since birth. Until he fell ill, he drove cars for a living, and his mother and two sisters took care of the house and small farm they owned. Unexpectedly, A* became very sick. He was admitted into the hospital 3 times, but none of the treatments worked. His last visit was for two months. The doctors did everything they could to treat him but his condition did not improve. Instead, the family fell into deep debt. They borrowed money from the lenders and got into financial difficulties the family could not repay.

During the Christmas outreach, a few sisters visited A*’s home with literature, and shared the Gospel with A*’s mother and sisters, working in the field. They had never heard the name of Jesus before, but the Holy Spirit moved in their hearts. In tears, they shared their problems with the sisters, including their brother’s sickness, and asked them to pray for them. Our trainees went with them to their home. A* was lying in bed, barely able to get up, a young man who had lost all hope. Our sisters prayed with them for A*’s physical healing. Our trainees felt the presence of God in that place. They invited the family to a public meeting. On December 24th, A* and his family, along with four other families, came to the public meeting, which was held in the neighboring village. They met with the sisters who visited them and shared the Gospel with them and prayed for them. A* was walking energetically, happy, and he testified that he had been delivered and healed. He gave his testimony in that meeting, and on that day, at the end of the meeting, A*, his mother, his two sisters, and 9 of their relatives gave their lives to Christ. The following Sunday, A* brought still more people to church.

(Keep reading…)

The Multitudes Hear the Good News

Posted on by

R* is a village with more than 300 families, situated in the middle of a field in a remote area. When our team arrived, there were no known Christians in the village. In December, our Christmas outreach team went to each house, systematically shared the Gospel, and gave out literature to everyone. With the village chief’s permission, on December 23rd we had a public meeting in the village. Our brothers pitched a tent and a small sound system, expecting between 100 and 150 people. By 11am, more than six hundred people had come to the Gospel meeting. Our tent was too small, and the sound system was too small for this many people. Humanly speaking, the arrangements were poor and inadequate.

The Multitudes Hear the Good News

But God was big enough to touch and heal and deliver and meet the needs of the people. The Holy Spirit moved in a special way in the meeting. Many people were delivered from evil spirits; many were touched by the power of God. During that meeting, more than a hundred people responded to the altar call and gave their lives to Christ. In response, our brothers began a Sunday afternoon meeting, where 70 people attended the first week and more than 100 people attended on the second week.

Set Free by the Power of the Gospel

One woman who heard about the meeting was suffering from severe headaches for a long time. She had been to all kinds of treatments, but nothing worked, and she fell into a deep depression. A relative from another village told her about the Christian meeting in the village, and in desperation, she walked 4 miles to the meeting, all the while still suffering with the headache. When our brothers prayed for her, the Lord touched her. She had been tormented by the powers of darkness, but during the prayer, God delivered her completely from the evil bondage, and set her free from the headache. She became very happy, and was overwhelmed with heavenly peace and joy. She shared her testimony with the people, and returned home as a new person.

The Multitudes Hear the Good News

The Bible says “The people which sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up.” Yes, thousands of people who sat in darkness for many generations were able to see the glorious light of the Gospel through the outreach. This was made possible by our Lord, by your prayers and financial support. Agree with us in asking the Lord of the Harvest to send more laborers into the harvest field, and that He would provide them with the necessary financial support to be effective.

February 2019 Letter

Posted on by

Dear Partners and Friends,

As we reflect on the year that just ended, and look ahead to the year in front of us, we have an opportunity to thank God for everything He has done in us and through us in 2018. He has provided everything we need pertaining to life and godliness. In other words, He cares for us both spiritually and physically. Let’s take a moment to stop and thank Him for His goodness in our lives.

Celebrating Last Year’s Successes

Last year, you helped us reach 1700 formerly unreached villages with the message of the Gospel. Our teams shared the Gospel with more than 350,000 people. That’s like the entire city of Honolulu, Hawaii hearing the Gospel door-to-door in 10 days! We started more than 300 new prayer groups and house churches in unreached villages. We gave baptism to more than 6,800 people. We trained 418 men and women to be new house church leaders. We gave away more than 9,000 Bibles, more than 29,000 New Testaments, and thousands upon thousands of Gospel tracts and other literature. We started 11 new sewing centers, where 243 women finished the training and can now provide income for their families. All this was accomplished because of your prayers and financial support, along with the hard work of our outreach teams.

In this month’s newsletter, you will read stories about our Christmas outreach, and how the Gospel message continues to touch and transform all who embrace it. Unreached villages need to hear the message of hope we carry. They need spiritual help, but they also need food and shelter, and sanitary ways to prepare food. God sent the manna from heaven when the Israelites wandered through the wilderness, but today food often comes through believers who make sacrifices and share their resources with others who are in need.

Looking Toward the Future

As you can see, our ministry has impacted more than a quarter of a million people in the past year. How many people can we reach this year? Much of it depends on you. Our teams are ready and willing to work. Will you help us to equip them? As the New Year begins, please remember the needs of the unreached people of India. If you are able to help, complete the enclosed response card. And please share this newsletter with as many believers as you are able. Copy it, send them to our website, do whatever you can do to get the word out. We overcome by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the word of our testimony. The more people who receive this newsletter, the more hearts will be touched, and the more God will provide for our missionaries. Without your help, we could do nothing to promote the Gospel.

Thank you for continuing to pray for all of us here. And thank you to those who support us sacrificially every month. No words can adequately express our gratefulness for your partnership!

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

Thomas

“Sewing” the Gospel

Posted on by

An unemployed person struggles with self-respect and insecurity. When a family’s income is small, they lack food and often go to bed hungry. In order to break this curse and to make our believers independent and provide employment, we started two sewing centers to help local people discover and develop their talent in this area. Our sewing centers provide those in need with tools to increase their income. Our sewing centers have given a new ray of hope for a brighter future, to people who previously had no hope.

Last week two groups of our tailoring center students, 31 students in all, graduated from the program. One group had completed the course four months ago, but had not yet received their certificates. They entered the program as unbelievers, and most are now believers.

Testimonies From The Sewing Centers

Sister S*

Sister S* testified that the sewing center was a blessing to her. She said, “My life has changed since I began attending the sewing center. My husband has been bedridden for the past year and I am now the sole bread winner for my 3 children and husband. We lived in a state of depression because there was no one to support us. After completing the training, you gave me two sewing machines. This enabled me to start my own sewing business in my village. Slowly my sewing skills improved and perfected, attracting many customers from the nearby villages. Now our life is stable, and things are far better than before. Today, prayerfully, and with your help, we have started another sewing center, and 28 students are enrolled so far. More than all this, Jesus has come into our lives and he has transformed our lives and our families.”

Sister T*

T* has now been married for seven years with three children. She lives in a very remote village. The roads are poorly maintained, the people live in poverty, and travel outside the village is very difficult. Her husband works in the nearby town, but he only comes home once a month. Sadly, T*’s three-year-old daughter fell ill and because she could not afford adequate medical help, the child died. Because of this tragedy, she felt the need to earn some money herself, to help the family. She came to our sewing center and completed the six month program. The sewing machine provided by us has been a huge blessing to her family, and now she is able to earn money by stitching clothes and pillow covers. She proudly testified that last week she bought a gas cylinder for cooking. Before that, they cooked with firewood and dried cow dung. She said a gas cylinder has been her heart’s desire for many years.

Sister B*

B*, a Muslim woman, says “I never, ever thought that church would do this kind of social work. It has been my privilege to join the sewing classes. For small stitching needs, we had depended on the tailors who charge a lot of money, which we have been unable to pay due to our financial condition. But from now on, I will save the money, and save for the future of my children. I will also tell others about this training.”

Sister L*

L* says “From my childhood I had a desire to learn tailoring but there was no tailoring center around. Our only source of income has been from whatever my father earns. But now it is a great blessing for me to learn tailoring and help my family financially.”

“Sowing” into “Sewing”

Seeing the life changing impact and the lives that have been touched through sewing centers, we are praying about starting more sewing centers in this area. The only way any of this is possible is through your prayers and financial support. Please consider giving to our sewing center programs. Your investment will forever change the lives of these women and empower them to provide for their families and communities.