…they shall call his name Immanuel,

which being interpreted is, God with us. Mt 1:23

Doris and I returned from our North America visit in July. We had a good time visiting churches, friends, donors, and families. We are grateful for this opportunity .

Matilda Education Society (MES) continue to run on a tight budget. Several overseas donors cut down their support due to the recession. There had been many adjustments made to accommodate the existing needs.

We planted more fruit trees on our 10 acre self supporting farm. Growing more paddy/rice and vegetables supplement food for the Bindu orphanage.

Heavy rains came in Andhra Pradesh in the month of October causing much damage to human and animal life besides loss of crops. MES was involved in relief programs in Repalle of Guntur district.

Andrea Buchanan and Julia Guyer from Reba Place Church Evanston USA, came to help out with us on 31 November. They are teaching  fine arts, English, choir, country dance and roller skating at Matilda Educational Institutions. Recently they started dancing classes for high school children. Part of their assignment is to write the story of VEDA ministry.

We thank you for being part of  our ministry and God bless you.

Kindly pray for the following needs:

1. Support for the continuing projects.
2. New sponsorships for 20 Bindu orphans
3. Completion of a guest house for  incoming visitors.
4. Completion of  leftover church work at Gajinagar, and Anjaiah colony
5. School bus

May this Christmas bring joy and peace to you,

In Christ,

Das, Doris, and Nathan Maddimadugu - India

www.matilda-india.org

Article - ‘Flood hit to be moved out’ - http://www.deccanchronicle.com/hyderabad/no-books-10-lakh-kids-589

After initail survey of Repalle township and the surrounding villages Pastor Raja Rao whom we placed in Bapatla which is 45 kilo meters from Repalle  recommends that we undertake the following relief projects as an initial relief involvement. Repalle is a sizable town with govrnment administrative offices and 16 schools. 8,000 people were directly affected by the recent floods causing damage to livestock and crops.
 
Raja Rao is our officially installed pastor and spiritual leader for Bapatla, Chirala,and  Muthaipalem where we have built 20 houses for 2004 Tsunami victims, and and a  prayer hall. Repalle is one of his churches. We are dispatching a team of 5 persons including myself and 10 local volunteers to attend to the following needs in Christian and humanitarian compassion:1. Distribute 500 blankets @rupees 200 each = INR 1,00,000

2. Distribute school text books and school supplies for 1200 children rupees 1000x 1200 = INR12,00,000 ( i.e., notebooks, slates, writing materials, and school bags.)

3. Distribute saris to 500 women @rupees.150 each = INR 75,000

4.Kitchen utensils and water filling containers for 500 families= 500 rupees to each family 500x 50 = INR2,50,000

5. Handling charges and transport and volunteers daily boarding and lodging expenses for 15 days Rupees100×15 days =INR 22,500
Total budget INR 16,475,000
                   CAD 36,6611
1 USD=INR 45

Thank you for your kind consideration,
Blessings,
Das Maddimadugu
For Matilda Education Society (MES)
Devarkonda, Nalgonda District A.P., India

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/hyderabad/no-books-10-lakh-kids-589

…AND COME NOT NEAR UNTO IT,THAT YE MAY KNOW THE WAY BY WHICH YE MUST GO; FOR YE HAVE NOT PASSED THIS WAY HERETOFORE”. Joshua 3:4

January-February:

We praise God for bringing us into the new year. We found many promises in the Bible that need to be claimed, and fulfillments if we surrender unconditionally to His will. 2009 is definitely a new path (Joshua 3:4) that we are going to walk through in our faith journey. Joshua was reminded that there are steep mountains, flat meadows, deep valleys and snaking rivers to cross before possessing the promised land.

On February 19, the 22 member pastoral team got together for a day long praise and worship service at the newly inaugurated Gajinagar church. Our focus was on how to pray and the postures when we pray’.

March-April:

Examination time for all secondary schools in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Matilda schools are conducting internal and government sponsored Board exams for tenth class. The Mallepalli Matilda school is preparing to accommodate 300 external students on it’s campus. The state government has asked us to provide space since we have the facilities.

May- June:

Doris and I visited USA and Canada. We shared about our ministry in many churches, families, Sunday schools, and senior ’s homes. We visited our former friendsfrom Vietnam, and missionaries who worked in India.. God provided financial means to visit our daughters and relatives across North America.

Many people talked about economic recession in America. Contrary to the general feeling some churches we attended were packed with young and old people almost in equal numbers. It seemed like the recession did not affect the church attendance. There is life and outgoing mission spirit. In the province of Saskachuan a young girl just returned from the Philippines after working for two years among the Mindanao tribes. Her testimony was challenging. Another girl from the same region was going to Mississippi, a southener state in USA to work among the street kids. She had to raise money for her travel by selling few things she possessed. Such a sense of Missions!

In Pennsylvania we visited some soup kitchens that feed the homeless street people. Churches provide one night shelter. We didn’t know that there is so much poverty in inner cities. We visited a home run by Mother Theressa’s group and were welcomed by the Kerala sisters who run the outfit with open arms. We noticed a kind of a contentment on their faces in serving the needy.

July- Aug:

We returned to India in the middle of July. The summer still lingered on and there was no sign of monsoon rains which were suppose come in June.

The Matilda schools were re-opened already in June and are well into preparing the children for preliminary unit tests.

While the draught continued, a new threat emerged in the form of swine flu (H1N1)in the country. The government initiated many preventive methods. The health department setup camps to check any threat of the disease on school campuses, and public places.

No drinking water for Matilda schools. The two bore wells which we dug many years ago have dried up. We bring in water through tankers at a high cost but that too is limited. The Bindu orphan children numbering 130 are taking bath every 2 to 3 days.

On August 12 Das underwent an operation on left eye for cataract removal. We praise God for the successful operation.

India celebrated it’s 62nd independence day on 15th August. Economic progress touched many lives but a billion people are still out of it’s reach.

Matilda schools displayed talents in song and dance and artwork.

Heavy rains came in the same evening. It was such a blessing. The farmers went out into the fields with their oxen and ploughs to cultivate the land. There is an apprehension and fear. Will the rains come after planting their precious seed? Will they truely harvest their much needed crop?

The rains continued pouring in for the next few days. The ground water level came up but not enough to give us drinking water through bore wells. But hope persists and people wait in anticipation.

 “ Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims PEACE.  Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfill your vows.” Nahum 1:15

2008 has been a year of many blessings in the life our ministry. We rejoice and praise God for the following:

MAY:

MES conducted a children’s camp at Nagarjuna Sagar Lake in a Catholic retreat center.  Forty-three children attended for five days. Most were from non-Christian backgrounds and were introduced to Christ by their Bindu Home friends. The retreat center would like us to conduct such camps every year.

On the third of May, we inaugurated and dedicated the twenty brand-new houses that Abundant Grace International Church (AGIF) of Shanghai, China, helped build.  Brother Ezra Varghese from AGIF out-reach team, and who represents India on their missions committee, shared in the joy being with us for that event. “These houses are a monument to God’s glory,” he said,”and they stand as witnesses to the living presence of Christ in Muthaipalem, Bapatla, a coastal town in Andhra  Pradesh.” About 100 huts were washed away during the December 2004 Tsunami devastation.

JUNE:

The construction of the Matilda school building had been discontinued two years ago for lack of funds.  But the Schmidt Family Foundation (SFF) of Abbotsford B.C. resumed their support to complete the remaining construction work. The work continues, but the children enjoy the warmth and security of the completed class rooms. We are grateful for this provision.

OCTOBER:

Brother Wayne Lawton and Pastor Steve Huston of Michigan conducted village evangelism meetings in ten days in ten villages.  This we call “quiet” evangelism; it is done without drawing attention from anti-Christian forces. During this time, Brother Lawton inaugurated the 25×45-foot church building at Gajinagar village. Pastor Adam reaches out from this center to eight tribal hamlets in the surrounding area.

NOVEMBER:

The Chinese Christian Dental Society (CCDS) and the Taipei International Church from Taiwan (TIC) conducted a nine-day dental camp in Mallepalli at the Matilda School campus.  Six dentists, five dental assistants and five volunteers from TIC witnessed to the public through their services. Two members of the Chinese team professed Christ as their savior during this camp.   Nearly 5,000 patients were treated, including school children, their parents, and villagers.  Pastor Doug Street was in charge of the team.

We laid the foundation for a prayer-hall/pastoral-home building at Muthaipalem Bapatla. There are 100 secret Christians in the area who request a visible church. The Lord is drawing these anonymous Christians to identify with the living church.

 A new library opened in the Mallepalli Matilda School funded by David Janzen and friends from Reba Place Church

DECEMBER

We poured a concrete slab for the prayer hall at Muthaipalem, Bapatla.

GENERAL:

There have been terrorist activities in major cities across India. Also Christian communities in the state of Orissa and elsewhere were targeted.

A group of evangelists were beaten and their equipment destroyed a by Hindu Youth cadre in Devarakonda, a town seven kilometers from Mallepalli. Two days later, the same group came demanding that we send our school children for their propaganda rally, threatening us of dire consequences if we didn’t co-operate.

MADDIMADUGU FAMILY:

Das and Doris turned sixty-four this fall and are keeping in good health. While Das is busy with pastoral care and the ten-acre farm which we cultivate for the benefit of the Bindu Home, Doris maintains accounts for Matilda schools and looks after the Bindu Home children. 

We receive news from Esther and Brent from time to time. They make their home in Elkhart, IN. 

Jessica and Jeramy Ens live in beautiful Okanagan Valley in B.C., Canada.  We hope to spend time with them in April/May 2009.  Our visit to the U.S. and Canada will also include friends, prayer partners and supporters of MES.

Nathan Anand is in charge of the Matilda schools in Devarkonda and Mallepalli. At present he lives  on the Matilda school campus in Mallepalli.

PRAYER REQUESTS FOR 2009:

–We hope to build six churches (in addition to the existing four churches) in the next two years.

–A vision has emerged to build a summer camp for fifty children between 10-14 years. The camp grounds can be used throughout the year for other activities. A one-acre plot is available at Angadipet village for this purpose.

–Used/new books that can be sent for Matilda libraries at Mallepalli and Devarkonda schools.

–Two  45-seat school buses for schools at Mallepalli and Devarakonda to bring in rural children.

–A five-foot wall around Shalom Ashrama Church at Devarkonda to protect it from vandalism.

–The prayer hall/pastoral home at Muthaipalem needs funds to complete it.

–Requests have come in from 2004-Tsunami-affected Muthaipalem to build thirty more houses in addition to the twenty houses that we dedicated in the month of May this year.

–Doris and Das’s visit to North America in April-May for 45 days.

–Sponsorship for more Bindu Home children.

WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR:

–Many sponsors who came forward to sponsor a child at Bindu Home this year

–The provision of bunk beds for Bindu Home children

–The new libarary facilities at Matilda Schools

–Safety from snakes for the Matilda Devarakonda children

–Das and Doris’s health

A HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL.

from Das

for Matilda Education Society, Bindu Children’s Home, teachers, pastors and ministry workers