Living Hope Ministries - India 2006 Report

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	India trip April 2004
Dear Friends, The trip to India has proved very much to be in the plan of the Lord for us in LHM. My foray into Malaysia in 1992 proved helpful and also there are quite a lot of similarities with Africa. Perhaps the most difficult thing to adjust to is the longer flight and the greater time difference. The first day went very well. Matters were uncomplicated as we negotiated the entry into the country and very soon met Thankachan, eager to greet us. We went straightaway to his brother Alex who was recovering from a suspected blood clot on the brain. This seemed to have been aggravated by much stress as he serves in a strong Hindu area. It was interesting to see how there were parallels between his building and the work of my friend Bishop Bonnet in Nigeria. Both men have ambitious plans for a large church in an area hostile to the gospel. Both new buildings need a lot of resources to complete but by God’s grace and the eye of faith I see them both complete. We prayed that Alex, like Epaphroditus in Philippians ch.2 would recover to encourage the saints with tireless service. We also saw an area devoted to older saints with a good amount of land used to grow all sorts of crops. This is a great project and is already starting to feed Bible college students, orphans and the elderly. We met the Bible college students and encouraged the 12 to go into the entire world and turn it upside down as early disciples were recorded as doing. We saw a widows’ sewing machine group and exhorted them like Lydia to be open to the Lord and be blessed in their clothes’ making.The orphans at the school were a smashing bunch of kids and again a brief word of encouragement was well received. The evening meeting saw 30+ gather in a village like atmosphere and at the end 7 people professed faith in Christ. People were very receptive many wanted prayer for healing and were eager to receive the word of God. Afterwards we were invited to the home of the local president, a village leader who was very seriously ill. David led him to Christ and we prayed for his healing. Praise the Lord! The second day was spent with about 130 pastors and leaders. We had very good fellowship with them and spent time in the word as well as giving testimony to the Lord’s goodness and leading. The worship style here is very different to anywhere else I have been but clearly these people love God and express it as fervently as anyone we have met. We made contact with Thankachan’s son to pray for his journey to the UK and also have been in touch with a man supported by the URC church in Lewes Road, Brighton and passed their gift to him. We spoke to our two Kumar brothers and the way was paved for our visit Sunday. David was in his element and clearly has established excellent contacts here. The curries went down well and their sweets were very tasty, clearly I exercised restraint, well some! Sunday proved to quite an amazing day for us both. Catching a train from Chennai main station was certainly an experience. Mobile phones do have their use though and we managed to locate SJ Kumar, after a few minutes, in our air conditioned carriage. G.Kumar joined us. The long journey went without incident and we had time to get to know our new brothers. Amazing that although we had never met, we enjoyed very good fellowship and I departed with G.Kumar and David travelled on with SJ. He had a good meeting and two professed salvation. After a 2-hour car journey I arrived to an amazing reception of garlands of flowers and people running to serve in any way they could. Apparently I was to speak at the first ever crusade these folk had arranged and saw for myself a certificate stating they had police permission. The turnout was estimated at 3000 people arriving till very late. The response to the appeal was reckoned to be about 300 people professing faith in Christ. The second night of the crusade David saw 4000 attend and about 400 respond, the third night saw 8000 attend and another 1000 professed faith in Jesus. The evening meetings at Rajamundry were also well attended. It was mainly an opportunity to bless God’s people and they received the teaching well. Sunday and Monday evening saw people give their lives to Jesus and Pastor SJ was very encouraged. He was very interested to publish literature and so he will be sending me 200 books in English and have 800 in their native language. We would like to offer at a donation of £10, these books, which will cover the costs and enable us to bless the ministries of brothers Thankachan, SJ Kumar and GS Kumar. The book will be called “LIVING HOPE ARROWS” and it is a compilation of the Pastors’ Handbook, Leave your nets and follow Jesus - a discipleship Course, Esther and Sick believers based on James chapter 5. The book will be available after Easter. Further editions of Living Hope Arrows, God willing, will follow. Wednesday we had a day with pastors, which proved very encouraging. We gathered about 30 and they were happy. Later that night we received some C.DS and a video of the crusades. Each night was videoed and then edited. It was then shown at 6.30am the next morning so up to a million people could hear the gospel. It was an amazing opportunity. The cost for this was met locally. We would like to bless our brother GS Kumar and so will make the video and C.DS available at a modest donation. It was an unbelievable opportunity and you almost have to scratch your head to think it really happened. Thursday we travelled back on the train to Chennai and had good fellowship and a meal out with Thankachan where he turned the tables on us and paid. Friday I set out at 6am for home after an exhausting and demanding trip. David had another week with Thankachan. The spiritual impact of this trip may be quite phenomenal. Clearly a door has opened in India. The privilege of teaching pastors, hungry to be fed the word but standing on the platform addressing 1000s is a dream. A person coming to Christ is always wonderful but these numbers are a different ball game. Praying for the sick afterwards was both exciting and daunting. The need is unbelievable and people longing to be touched grasping your hand to touch them was amazing. This was another step back into the Bible and one is very humbled to be part of this. Clearly the literature will help follow up this response but we need a lot of wisdom. To speak of rides on motor bikes, wild monkeys jumping around the roof of the houses (I almost shook the hand of one who crept up on me!) hours on trains and planes and in airport lounges, sleepless nights and massive meals would take too long but suffice to say it was an unforgettable experience and Jesus was very real to us. How can we cope with India as well as everywhere else? Well February 10^th was very encouraging. 27 churches came and all the reports are very positive. I will be actively speaking with all those churches individually to see what can be done as together with them we take Jesus to the world. The Gift Day was very encouraging. The total of £7222.55p includes over £1530.39 for the Nairobi fire appeal, gifts that came to LHM between December 31^st and February 29^th, gift aid from all those gifts and the 6-month gift aid return for the last 6 months. (Included because regular givers are not always able to contribute to the gift day as well and it is good to honour their faithful regular gift. A gift of £200 for Bibles in India meant we could buy 200 Bibles PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR APRIL TRIPS We are sending David April 14^th – 28^th to see some key people on a personal basis rather than a meeting or conference basis. Living Hope is very much built on relationship and not organisation. David will spend time with Peter Kasozi who is doing a great job in Uganda, with his school, church, church planting and local influence. Nearly 30 people sponsor the work in his school through Living Hope. We want to encourage more help for Peter in this great task. David will also visit James Osare’s orphanage in Kisumu. New Life Community Church at Horsham have very much taken this to their hearts and David will spend time talking through the progress with James and look at ways for development including the resource centre which goes from strength to strength. We also have been helping our good friend Ambrose Wasunna with his hospital and school project in Kappedo, Turkana. Some money is regularly being given now & some time with Ambrose will be good. With the successful appeal for funds for the victims of the fire in a Mukuru Nairobi David will spend time with Stephen and meet some of the families whose homes were destroyed. April 15^th – 19^th I will be going to Bosnia with one of the EPIC trustees Bryan Hilton. The situation in Bosnia has been very challenging and we will visit and encourage a very new church. We have meetings planned Friday – Sunday, other churches have been invited. Gathering God’s people is not easy with the current economic plight. Please pray that we will bring teaching and support to Jelko and Leila and that visiting the believers as well as teaching will be effective Jesus filled ministry. As always pray for our safety and health and especially pray for Elaine and the boys to know Gods grace protection and provision. Please also remember SheiIa Hilton and David’s wife Laureen. I am mindful you have much to read so we have confined things to two sides. I know there is much to take in but thank you so much for praying God bless. ::Back to reports menu Back to top Living Hope Ministries 4 Carisbrooke close, Lancing West Sussex. United Kingdom BN15 0HF Tel: +44 (0) 1903 522694

Last updated
09 March 2008

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