July 4, 2009 Native Missionary Movement reaching children and families for Christ
God is moving mightily among the “untouchables” in northern India. The following report was just received from Native Missionary Movement, one of Hope Builder International’s partner ministries:
God has blessed Native Missionary Movement’s children’s homes beyond anything we could have imagined. We have been given the privilege of bringing the love of Jesus Christ to more than 2,500 boys and girls now enrolled in our 20 children’s homes scattered throughout northern India.
Most of the children are Dalits—the "untouchables"—who are considered lower than animals by the Hindu caste system, and who, for generations, have never had the opportunity to go to school.
But by God's grace, through their sponsors the children in our homes are receiving the message of Jesus' love, a quality education, school uniforms, medical care, nutritious meals, and care and affection.
Unfortunately, as children are brought into the program, there is a delay between the time the boys and girls are enrolled and when permanent sponsors can be enlisted for them. As a result, we are praying for special friends to make one-time gifts to our Unsponsored Children's Fund. This will allow us to provide the benefits of the children’s homes program to the children while they await sponsors. Help give these boys and girls a new life built on the transforming love of Jesus Christ.
The people of northern India have many physical and economic needs. As is unfortunately the case, children often suffer under these conditions. NMM’s homes in here are reaching the children with the life and promises of God. Most children in our homes are orphans or come from families where their parents could no longer care for them. Children’s homes provide for all of their physical needs such as food, shelter, and education.
Above all, we want to demonstrate and teach the love of Jesus and the plans He has for their lives.
Last year two of our children’s home girls, Manjula and Sital, began nursing school to become trained registered nurses. They first came to the children’s home when they were five years old. Before they left for the school, they came to me asking, “Uncle Joy, could you please pray for us? We are planning to start our nursing course next week.” Before I prayed, I asked them why they wanted to be nurses. They replied, “We want to be missionary nurses to the villages to serve the people.”
I felt like crying, seeing their commitment and passion for the villagers. I told myself that it is worth every penny to spend our money and energy for these children. They will make a difference.
Lata’s story: Lata (pictured above) is fourteen years old and studies in grade eight. When she was five, her father died due to excessive alcohol intake. Her mother is severely crippled. She wants Lata to work on the farm instead of going to school, but Lata wants to pursue her studies and become a village nurse. Lata’s uncle brought her to our children’s home so that she could get a basic education and have a secure future. She suffers from severe respiratory illness, for which she is receiving medical treatment, and she is also partially crippled.
In spite of all of these difficult circumstances, she is the happiest and most responsible child in the home.
Native Missionary Movement’s outreach program is designed to rescue thousands of children in India from a life of poverty and hopelessness by giving them an education and introducing them to the love of God. These children, their families, and their community hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Quite often, new churches are planted in villages through this method.
The children receive school uniforms, books, paid tuition, one or two meals a day, and an annual medical checkup. They also learn English, the language that will open the doors of opportunity and help them break the cycle of poverty.
Support from faithful Christians like you makes all this possible.
Native Missionary Movement is also working in Chhattisgarh, a recently formed state in central India (India’s tenth-largest state, roughly the size of Alabama), and home to 21 million people. Chhattisgarhi, a dialect of eastern Hindi, is the predominant language, recognized along with Hindi as the official languages of the state. The north and south parts of the state are hilly, while the central part is a fertile plain—Chhattisgarh is popularly known as “the rice bowl of India.” Forests cover roughly 44% of the land.
Here is a report on NMM’s ministry there:
Twelve Native Missionary Movement missionaries serve the Lord in Chhattisgarh, which is continually threatened by thieves known as Naxalites. But our pastors are serving faithfully and have even won many of Naxalites to the Lord. In addition, the Lord has helped us start three children’s homes that currently care for more than thirty destitute children (either orphaned or completely forsaken by parents). The Lord has blessed our ministry in this place, and we have plans to move out to other districts and spread the Gospel as far as we can.
One pastor has been serving the Lord in this Hindu-dominated area for many years. In one village, twenty-five people turned to Christ and have become strong believers, daily growing in the Lord. These believers continually testify of the goodness of the Lord to the people in this village by their lives of love. In the midst of much opposition, the church is growing. Another village is surrounded by [pagan] temples, yet the Lord has given around 100 believers in this area. Believers often are targeted by the fanatics, but they are not about to leave Jesus. They consider their faith more precious than their lives.
A Christian sister was falsely accused of murder, and for no reason she was kept in jail without any possibility of release. But the church prayed for her, and within a few days she was set free! She continues to secretly attend the church.
Another pastor has been working in a village of traditional Hindu people. They always have been rude to Christians, and often they persecute them.
But the Lord is using this pastor very powerfully, and at present he is ministering to almost sixty believers. The church here is proving to be a channel of blessing for many.
In addition, he is also preaching the gospel in what was an unreached village, and currently there are fifteen believers. He is hoping that the rest of the village will come to the knowledge of Christ. Through the work in this area, the youth are being inspired to serve the Lord; and many of them are being led into the fellowship. In another village, yet another new mission field, six families have been led to the Lord.
And Native Missionary Movement is also reporting extraordinary feats by the Lord that amaze unbelievers… letting them know that Jesus Christ is the true Lord and Savior of the world.
A thirty-nine-year-old man from a nominal Christian family was suffering from cancer for many years. He took a lot of medicines and sought out many doctors, but in vain. Finally he approached one of our pastors to pray for him, and he and the whole church prayed earnestly. Right after the prayer, the dying man felt much comfort in his body. Within a few days he was completely healed. This incident helped those in his family to receive Christ into their lives and become regular members of the church.
Another pastor serves the Lord in a small village. Recently, many new people have attended the Sunday service and weekly prayer meetings. The Lord gave him the chance to speak with them, pray for them, and encourage them. Some of the youngsters are very enthusiastic in various ministries. Since summer vacation is going on, they have a lot of free time; and they use it to do the Lord’s work as much as they can. A good number of people have turned away from their bad living because of the children’s ministry.
Recently, the Lord helped the pastor share the Good News with an influential family of the society. He said that if they turn to the Lord it would help them to reach out to more and more people from their clan, called the Agarwals. Kindly pray for open doors.
Not long ago he lost his mother, and so he is in grief. Kindly pray that the peace of God would be upon this family.
Yet another pastor works among the Dalits, and God is using him in a mighty way. With the help of his son he is ministering to almost 1,000 people in the main church and six satellite churches.
A young woman had been possessed by a demon for more than a year. The family took her to many witch doctors and spent a lot of money. Futility was the result. One Friday, however, they heard the gospel from this pastor. That happened to be the local church’s day of fasting prayer. The whole church was gathered together, so they all prayed for her deliverance. After the prayer, the devil could stay in her no longer; and instantly she was delivered. Then she became a believer and follower of Jesus. At present both she and her husband attend the church and have become regular members.
A villager contracted tuberculosis. He was unable to move and was bedridden for some time. But when he was brought into the house of the Lord, the earnest prayers of the church brought life into his weakened body; and he was completely restored to good health.
In the midst of much opposition, the ministry is growing rapidly. Therefore pray that the Lord would bring multitudes into the saving knowledge and intimacy of the Lord, so that His Kingdom may be established in this land of hopeless darkness.
Please continue to pray for Native Missionary Movement and other ministries that are on the front lines, striving to reach every tribe and tongue for the Lord.
