Growing Ministries in Spring
Hello faithful brothers and sisters in the Lord. We have just entered Spring and God is already moving in powerful ways through His church in India, bringing new growth to ministries at work. This pandemic may have caused most of the world to shut down, but God has shown us the His ways are higher than ours. We are eager to serve Him in what He is doing. “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase,” 1 Corinthians 3:6.
After much prayer and patience, Imli has a chance to take a trip to India. He plans to leave on June 18th and to come back July 10th. Please keep this trip in your prayers. Imli is excited for the opportunity to go encourage and meet with people he has not seen in a year. One person Imli plans to meet with is a newer GGH contact we will call Camden who is in charge of church planting with the Karbi Angloung Baptist Convention {KABC). This group of local churches has quite a few members, but they are not actively involved in church planting. GGH is working with Camden to recruit, train and equip at least thirty new church planters. “Up till now GGH has been kindling a bonfire, but we want to see a wildfire start.” Training for new church planters takes about thirteen months. The majority of training takes place in the field. Hands on experience has proven the most effective way of preparing new church planters for what to expect while serving the local villagers. If they were to spend more time studying in a classroom setting, they soon become too complacent and comfortable by expecting a routine every day. But church plantinbg does not follow a routine.
By God’s amazing grace, all kids involved with the GGH sponsored school passed final exams, even with the challenges they faced due to Covid. Imli also plans to check on the new school that is currently being built with the Garo tribe. The road to the school has been completed and the water drainage system installed. Currently, the foundation for the playground is being built. More funds are needed to complete this project. Please pray that God would supply what is needed.
We all know knowledge is essential in understanding how to do basic things, like practicing good hygiene. This is something people in the villages do not readily know; such as washing food, dishes and hands properly before eating. Villagers are getting sick with typhoid, cholera, malaria as well as other diseases. Then they have to travel far into the nearest town in order to see a doctor. This means they miss out on work and are not able to eat for that day. The doctor they see will prescribe them an expensive medicine to remedy their illness without informing them about any preventative care. The villagers will go home, take the medicine and feel better; but then they do the same things that got them sick in the first place and the cycle starts all over again.
To help with this problem GGH has started a telemedicine program with the villagers. Using a cell phone connection and church planters as interpreters, volunteer doctors that support GGH are meeting with villagers who are sick. These doctors not only help diagnose what the villagers are suffering from, but they are able to educate them on best practices to prevent from getting sick with the same illness repeatedly. This saves the villagers a lot of time and money as well. When these villagers start putting into practice what they learn via the telemedicine program and stop getting sick so much, other villagers see this and start practicing the same good habits. GGH is currently looking for more doctors to help with this new ministry. All that is needed is a smart phone with Zoom or WhatsApp downloaded on it.
Ministries have been started with certain people groups and we do not hear about them until much later. A surprising report has come out of the underground church for former Muslims. Back in 2012 a goat ministry was started amongst the former Muslims as a way to help them earn a living. The idea was that a goat would be given to a family in order for them to get milk and make cheese which they could sell or eat. After two years of raising the goat and hopefully having more by gathering with other goat farmers at the same watering hole, the family was supposed to give a goat back to the ministry so it could be given to another family in need. One family reported they have been blessed with 28 goats and have been able to give multiple back to the ministry.
It truly a blessing to see all the amazing ways God is working through Go Give Hope. We are so thankful to be a part of what God is doing in India and to see people coming to Him through the various doors God has opened for us. We are also very thankful for your continued prayers and support of this ministry. Please know that we are praying for all of you. As we are still in the midst of this pandemic and people are experiencing it in different ways it can feel overwhelming at times. If you have any specific prayer requests, we at Go Give Hope are happy to pray for you, just let us know. God bless you all.
Because of Christ,
Go Give Hope team
