THE VILLAGER, August 2009
“THERE SHALL BE A SPACE BETWEEN YOU AND IT(THE ARK)
…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.