HARVEST HERALD

OCTOBER THE MONTH OF FESTIVALS:

It is the month of festivals for both Hindus and Muslims.  Hindus celebrate Dassera - a nine-day festival almost eqivalent to Christmas of the west.  The festival symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. Colourful festivities and cultural programs mark the nine-day long festival. Dandia (a group/social dance) is the most popular event among the young people and celebrities. It is a national festival and the schools have a ten-day vacation. Making use of these holidays, our pastors organized several meetings - for children, youth and believers - and also spread the Gospel through film shows and tract distributions. 

The next major festival in the month was Deepavali - the festival of lights. We had a message to suit the occasion. The message was that "Jesus is the Light of the world and India".  Deepavali was followed by Muslim festival of Ramzan, which is preceded by a month-long fasting. During the thirty day fast which every Muslim does very religiously, Hyderabad is dotted with Haleems joints (Haleem like Biryani is synonymous with Hyderabad).  This dish is made out of wheat and meat, mixed with spices and is cooked for ten hours in an oven. This is available from 5 pm onwards and is primarily meant for the Muslims after they break the fast. It is a very nutritious food and helps those who fast to regain their energy. Haleem is also popular among non-Muslims.

BRAND NEW CHURCH:  A brand new Church is planted in the deep dense forests of Adilabad.  Pastor Sunil, who is working in this area tirelessly, had a vision for an enlarged ministry and it is the fruit of his labour.  The church, which is being planted, is now assigned to pastor David Paul, who is working at Neredigonda and the neighboring villages/hamlets. This church has 40 believers and is growing rapidly. There are a couple of other groups and fellowships that are sprouting up in our field. There are so many people coming forward for baptism that we are not able to visit every place. Hence, we are encouraging the pastors to give baptisms.  By the grace of God, we have Bibles to give to the new believers.

The Pastors' meetings that take place each month is a time of reflection, sharing and encouraging each other, learning together and prayer.  It is a great time of fellowship.  Even as we pray we remember each of you and thank God for every one of you. 

THE HIGHLIGHT STORIES

PAYING A  PRICE:   Alivelu never thought she would be delivered from the evil powers with which she was possessed for the last 14 years. Her parents visited many temples and took her to the witch doctors but to no avail. In these 14 years, she tried to commit suicide many a time. As our pastor came to know about her, he started visiting their house and prayed for her. As a last resort she came to church and then started attending the fasting prayers each week. In answer to prayers, God has wonderfully delivered her from the evil powers.

But she has had to pay a price for her faith. In this region people celebrate a festival during which time a girl carries a decorated pot to the temple so that the gods are appeased and they send rains. Alivelu's father insisted that she carry the pot which was decorated with turmeric and neem leaves to the temple.    When she resisted, her father beat her up. When she couldn't take it any more, she confessed that she didn't want to do it as she had accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour.    

She told her father that Christ has delivered her from the demons with which she suffered for 14 long years. The father was shocked to hear her statement and since then she has had to undergo many trials by her father who strongly opposed her decision. He, in fact, inflicted burns on her body to force her to give up her new found faith. She has been faithful through it all. For the sake of following Jesus Christ she is paying a price.     Please pray for her that God would fulfill His will in saving her. 

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FOES INTO FRIENDS:  Our pastor Samson Raj is facing stiff opposition from the RSS in Somaram village. In spite of these adverse circumstances, God has established His church. The congregation here have donated 1200sq yards of land for the church and also gave their labour and as such the basement and walls and have been raised up and the wooden frames fixed. Every Sunday, 35 believers gather at this place for worship service from five surrounding villages. A borewell has been drilled in this church land and sweet water flows from it even though it is drilled only 60 feet deep. This is a miracle as the government borewells, which were drilled 300 feet deep, give out fluoride water, which is not good for consumption.

Our pastor along with a few church members screened Karunamayudu movie. Within a few minutes of screening the movie, a large group of people belonging to the RSS came and pulled out all the wires and asked the pastor not to screen the movie. This was the same group which tore the gospel tracts when the pastor and others went on an outreach in this village. Also a HIV Awareness program was cancelled in this village because of the RSS volunteers. The RSS office is located in the center of this village and every Christian activity is being monitored closely. 

Venkataiah, a brother of one of the RSS leaders, from Somaram village was suffering for the last two years with a growth on his backbone and was completely bedridden.  Doctors said the chances of his survival were bleak even after surgery, which would cost Rs. 2 lakh.

After coming to know about Venkataiah, our pastor visited and prayed for him and also shared the gospel. Our pastor regularly visited and prayed for him for three months during which time there was a drastic improvement in his health. All glory be to God.  This bedridden man is now able to get up on his own, and with the help of a walker stand. He also started attending the church. 

Seeing this change in Venkataiah's health, the whole village and especially the RSS activitists were really amazed. Many of them have since started attending church. Opposition to the gospel has reduced.  Please pray that God would change the hearts of these people. This way our pastors are now having much liberty to conduct any meeting without interruption or threatenings. God has wonderfully changed our foes into friends.   Please pray for the ministry in this village. 

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CANCEROUS TUMOR HEALED:  A Hindu lady by name Radhamma from Kondapur village was suffering from a cancerous tumor. Despite undergoing radiation, there was not much improvement in her health. Doctors gave up hope and sent her home. They had heard about Jesus Christ but because of their strong beliefs, they never tried to understand the Gospel. But with no hope left for her survival, they brought her to the church at Sundaragiri. For a month she was kept at the church and the pastor and others continued to pray for her. Today she has recovered completely and is back to work.

She accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior, witnessed in the waters of baptism and is regularly attending the church.  Please continue to remember her in your prayers and also that the rest of the members of her family would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.    

NEW DENTAL CLINIC:

All our dental clinics so far had been conducted free of cost. Few of them had been sponsored by the locals and one of them by the local police. The clinics have given us opportunities to share with the people the gospel and also demonstrated Christ's love for them. The upper caste Hindus, who earlier shied away from our efforts to reach them, are now walking into our dental clinics. This is a remarkable turn of events.  A serious thought was given to see how these camps could be made self sustaining and the pastors could continue to use these to enhance the opportunities to serve people and connect them to Christ.  A Dental Clinic is being set up as a pilot project where they charge Rs. 20.

Some of the places we are working in have a number of people affected by HIV/AIDS. We are now caring for 17 patients by providing them with Retrovirals. Three HIV affected children are being provided with a monthly support of $12 for their nutrition.

The medical attention and retrovirals are provided by Dr Sujai - who runs a focused ministry for these and is partnering with us to provide this care.

Now we are burdened to set up a clinic for them so that they do not have to come to Hyderabad for check ups. Hopefully, we will have an HIV/AIDS clinic set up next month - we are exploring this possibility to cater to more people in these areas.

CHILDREN'S HOME: 

We continue to provide foster care to five children.   In addition, this June we had picked six children who needed to go to school and sent them to orphanages and children's homes known to us. Since these were my friends they were able to accommodate the new children.  It has been our long time desire to serve the orphan and destitute children.    After much prayers God has perfectly guided us so that we are venturing by faith that the Lord would provide all the resources to reach these children.  We are negotiating for a house to be rented for $80.00 per month.

The house that we saw is not far from the main city and is an independent house - three bed rooms.  The idea is to give the caretaker one room and the other two bed rooms and available space can be utilized for housing destitute children.

MICRO-ENTERPRISE:  

We were able to extend financial support to two needy people at Jillela village to start up small businesses such as a Tea Shop & Cement Shop. The beneficiaries are coming from poor economical backgrounds and with this help, we believe, they would have a regular income and will be able to support their families.  Now we have nine families who are benefiting out of a seed money provided by a dear brother in the Lord.

BAPTISMS:

There were several baptisms in several of our mission fields recently. 20 people have witnessed in the waters of baptism this month.   Pray that they would grow strong in this new faith.  We have good supply of Bibles to hand them out.

We once again thank you and highly appreciate your partnership along with your prayers, encouraging letters which mean so much to us.   

We covet your continued prayers for the ministry.

In His Glad Service, Caleb

WIN MEMBER NICOLE MOVES TO INDIA TO RESCUE GIRLS: Leaving Colorado Springs on August 15, she arrived in Hyderabad, India, to be hosted by our good friends, The Chinnappa Jacob family, who hosted us during our February 2006 trip to India. Nicole has a strong calling to counsel women and rescue girls sold into prostitution. She told WIN:

Things I’ve learned about this problem:
      *Most victims are under the age of 18 when forced into prostitution.
      *The common false belief that sex with a virgin will cure AIDS creates a constant demand for younger girls. The highest demand in the brothels is for children.
      *About 60% of prostituted girls will be HIV+ by the age of 15 or 16.
        *Many girls are sold to brothels for sums ranging from $330 to $900.  
      *The girls who are sold are not “problem children.” Often a family will sell their prettiest daughter because she can get the highest purchase price. At other times an extended family will sell a child who has lost one or both parents because no one wants to bother with her. Sometimes families are pressured to sell a daughter to pay down debts owed to money-lenders.  
      *Many girls receive little or nothing of what is paid for their services. The brothel owner pays them nothing until they “earn” back their purchase price, which is often impossible as owners charge the girls for room and board as well as any incidents of illness or resistance. If they ever do earn back their purchase price, often a male family member will come regularly to collect the pittance earned.
      *Torture is frequently used to force girls to comply. Methods of torture used include burning, stabbing, strangling, and starving.
      *The majority of girls are from deprived backgrounds. According to the caste system, they would be considered untouchables or only fit to be servants.
      *India had an ancient practice of families giving baby girls to temples to get favors from the gods. The girls would be used as prostitutes by the priests and worshippers starting at the age of five. This ancient practice made it morally acceptable, in many people’s minds, to sell a daughter into prostitution for the benefit of the rest of the family.

*Two films that paint a vivid portrait of brothel life in India are Born Into Brothels (an English-language documentary) and Salaam Bombay (a Hindi film with subtitles).
Jesus longs to redeem these girls physically, socially, and spiritually! Please pray that God will lead her to the exact ministry, location, and people with whom she is to work.

LORD WILLING, THE WIN INDIA TEAM is going back to India, February 26 to March 15!

We have to go—to check on and encourage the workers that we left working with: the Slum School we started for the ragpickers children; the Church in the Slum we’re helping to build; the Literacy and Trade School started for the Fallen Women; the new baby, whose mother died in childbirth that we are now paying a foster mother to care for; and our friends in the Leprosy colony.

And there are so many more, the village pastors, the ministry leaders, the Children at Risk AIDS home, the Orphanage. The OM Publishing House and bookstore where we want to help provide children’s books with illustrations ready to go to press.

The needs are so many. We can’t do much, we can’t do it all—but whatever God allows, whatever funds he wants us to take and distribute in the needy areas and programs, we must go!
We have committed to leading another Christian Writers Workshop in Hyderabad for more than 100 people from across India.

WILL YOU GO WITH US?

To TEACH A WRITERS WORKSHOP? It will be the National India Christian Writers Workshop! There will be around 100 participants from different parts of India, including Goa. The Workshop will be for FIVE days. Children Writers Workshop will be for two full days.

To use your puppetry and storytelling for the children

To teach simple Bible Stories and Bible Studies to challenge and encouraged and further the training of the village evangelists

To write a children’s Bible Story and give it to be published in India? to illustrate a children’s book and give away your talents for kingdom work

To give out of your abundance to those who have so little?

To lead praise and worship, play your guitar, sing and teach new worship and praise inn India

SEPTEMER MINISTRIES REPORT BY DHANRAJ

We are thankful to His mercies and blessings for the past few months. Our Ministry work is going well, and our village pastors are doing an excellent job in strengthening the believers in the faith, and bringing new souls to the body of Christ.

Church construction is in progress. At present we are working on putting the doors and windows.  Nicole’s day’s visit was a blessing to us.  In a single day, she could visit our ministry activities, both schools and the orphanage; Nicole and I ate the food prepared for the orphan children. She enjoyed her lunch with us. She also visited under-construction church. 

Our Home adopted a newly born baby boy who was just two days old. His mother died at the time of delivery and this boy was alive. This boy was abandoned and no one was there to take care of him. So we took this boy and put him in one of our believer’s house. We are paying this new foster mother a small fee for maintenance and regularly feeding this boy. Nicole visited this boy and new foster mother and took pictures. Please pray for this needy and abandoned child.

On 19th August, five people were baptized and we gifted each of them with a Holy Bible at Nandavanam slum church.

At Nandanavam colony, in our St. John’s Grammar School premises we have conducted dental camp for these slum dweller families and for our school children.

EVENTS

September 26-29 we plan to conduct a children’s camp. Every year we used to conduct in the month of October, but due to government holidays we have changed to September. Our activities in camp will include Bible lessons, missionary stories, teaching new songs and memory verses, puppet shows, games and food.  We are expecting 700 children, 50 volunteers and 25 counselors and our regular staff will be there too. 

Leadership Equipping and Development Seminars (LEAD) for pastors. This seminar will be held in October 16-20. We plan to have 30 pastors for this five day camp. The topics for the seminar will be: 1) what the Bible teaches about God, 2) teaching the Bible effectively, and 3) on the book of Acts. We are providing free food and accommodation for the participants.