THANKFUL for His Many Blessings
November 21, 2023 Update
Dear RHM Friends,
Greetings in the Name of our Precious Lord JESUS.
"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of GOD for you in Christ JESUS."
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Since Thanksgiving Day will be in a couple of days, it seems appropriate to give thanks to the Lord for so many blessings related to this ministry in India. Since our last update in October, we have asked you to pray for many needs. Most of those, the Lord has already given us good results: we asked you to pray for Joseph, the father of 2 of our children; he had high fevers for days, and had to stay in the hospital and was in critical condition. Now he is at home, doing better. PTL. We asked you to pray for Kavya, a little girl in a motorcycle accident, she and her Daddy injured. She is better. We asked you to pray several weeks ago for a young man named Samuel, also in a motorcycle accident. He still is having treatment for his shoulder, but is doing so much better. We don't have any more info in regard to the police case unjustly filed against him. We asked you to pray for a 13 year old girl named Baisa, who has some kind of nerves problem. She suddenly was falling down, lost her strength and was talking and acting like a small child. Within a couple of days she began to get better, and is now okay (needs ongoing prayer). We asked you to pray for 12 year old Abhinaya (story below), who is doing better, but needs ongoing prayer for a thyroid problem. So many healings, provisions and different helps He is doing for the people, all because of His great mercy.
We especially thank the Lord for spiritual growth and awakening which is taking place among some of the children and adults we're involved with. Those of you with children, grandchildren, or who work with children in any capacity know that it requires much patience and steadfastness of faith as they are growing. We don't always see the growth as we would like, but our GOD, our Father, is faithful! We thank Him for every one of our donors, and continually pray for His blessing upon your lives; without His work in and through your hearts, there would not be this ministry to the poor in India.
A couple of special blessings in the provision area recently:
* We have shared with you about losing a sponsor for the widows & elderly ministry, who was giving more than $35,000 a year for the last 5 years, more than 70% of our annual budget for that ministry. We asked you to pray as we move into 2024, not knowing what kind of changes will need to take place. The Lord has touched the hearts of a few donors, who have given an extra $19,400 above the normal giving to RHM in behalf of the elderly. Praise the Lord! These are all one-time donations (no promise or commitment necessarily for the future), but for now we can move forward without having to make any drastic changes in the immediate future. Pray for us, that the Lord will continue to provide, and that we will have wisdom when any changes are needed.
* In our November newsletter just 2 weeks ago, we asked you to start praying for our 2023 Christmas Project, sharing with you that approximately $3,500 was needed to meet our goals for this year. That very day $4,100 was given! Hallelujah! That might not be very exciting for others, but it sure is for us! It is refreshing to be able to move forward in making plans and purchases, knowing the funds are actually there. Many times that has not been the case, so we didn't make some of the purchases or do some of the activities until Christmas was actually over. This year, we hope to be able to do everything before Christmas Day reaches. For those of you who still would like to contribute toward the Christmas Project, please feel free to do so. The surplus funds will go toward helping someone in need, or perhaps to meet some ministry desires we have been praying about. One such desire which the brothers have had for the children's ministry is purchasing a projector and accessories, using visual aids to enhance that ministry. If we still have a surplus after meeting our other goals, then that could be used for a projector.
Please scroll down for precious photos and captions of the work in India. There is much information within these captions about what the Lord is doing in India via this ministry and through your donations and prayers. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, giving thanks to the One from Whom all blessings flow.
Bless you always for your prayers and support!
Brother Dan
"So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." Galatians 6:10
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ABOVE: Widows & elderly when receiving new clothes for Christmas last year. The sister in the front and middle comes in behalf of her bedridden mother-in-law. I think all the others are widows or elderly.
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ABOVE: Sister Mary giving a new Bible storybook to Sathish during last year's Christmas Project. We gave these nice storybooks to the children of more than 30 of the families we work with. Pray for Sathish's mother, Pavani, who is having serious back pains. She learned tailoring via the ministry more than a year ago, but currently isn't able to sit and do that work. Sathish's father is also not working to take care of the family, so they have some needs.
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ABOVE: Mary giving cake to Sreeya, who had her 13th birthday about the same day the Christmas program took place in their town. So after the program, we celebrated Sreeya's birthday. Sreeya is one of 5 children, her Daddy not a believer, but he is working and providing for most of the family's needs. Your donations are helping 3 of the children with education, and giving some monthly support.
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ABOVE: Not a good quality photo, but nice nonetheless, the city of Hyderabad in the background. This is Brother Raju, who oversees the children's ministry, and his wife Pavani, who normally goes with him for ministry. Now Pavani is pregnant, I believe in her 3rd month. Please pray for her.
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ABOVE: Pradeep (left, now 14) and Jone (15). Pray for Jone, who has a skin rash problem, which keeps reoccurring. It became more serious recently, and he is again undergoing treatment.
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ABOVE: Widows (one widower) and elderly in the village of Chinthayapalem. Pray for 2 of the women, both on the first row. Nirmalamma (far right) has been struggling with cancer for about 2 years now, and Koteswaramma (3rd from right, next to the man) is having a problem with her kidneys. Brother Prasanth's wife, Prasanthi, has also had kidney stones (Prasanth in the upper right of the photo).
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ABOVE: Precious young people listening intently to Sister Mary as she shares at a gathering in Veni's home. We are thankful that both Veni and her mother are now seeking the Lord and wanting more of JESUS in their lives. Veni (14) is the girl with the white head covering.
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ABOVE: Brother Marthababu is praying in a meeting that took place in Shine's home (Shine lost her Daddy in an accident in July). Marthababu and his wife are also working fulltime with the children, so most all the children know them well.
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ABOVE: Precious children singing in a meeting at our 18 year old twins, Martha & Mary's home. Cute to see Divya (child in the middle) and little Gifty looking at each other.
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ABOVE: More people in the gathering at Mary & Martha's home. Pray for the boy who's looking at the camera, Jeevan, who recently had some small kidney stones. We have been very thankful for the Lord's work in Jeevan's heart in recent months. Previously he was out of control, his mother very discouraged. Now, by GOD's grace and love, Jeevan is going to school daily, and coming to prayers (services and house gatherings) faithfully. And he's not roaming the streets with bad friends, as he was previously. Pray also for the woman next to him, who is Veni's mother (don't remember her name), who has been suffering with asthma and some heart issues.
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ABOVE: Some pastors and Bro. Raju (blue or green shirt) praying for Karimun at her baptism. Karimun is mother to one of our boys, Johnny (15). Previously, she only had some religious knowledge, but now is walking with the Lord and trying to please Him.
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ABOVE: A group of about 30 who started to go to a nice park (the men on the back row regularly help us with transportation, as they are auto rickshaw drivers). When they reached the park, it was unexpectedly closed, so they ended up at the beach. They were very happy to go to the beach instead!
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ABOVE: Two girls, Abhinaya (left, 12) and Akshaya (13) with their mother. Your donations have been helping with some medication for Akshaya (previously had many seizures) and some food. Abhinaya has often been sick with various illnesses, and was recently diagnosed with a thyroid problem, which the doctor says is the cause for the other issues. Pray for these precious girls.
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ABOVE: Some of our girls singing during a recent meeting. Continue to pray for these weekly meetings, usually from 60-80 attending, about half of them children whom we minister to regularly, and the other half being youth, parents, etc..
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ABOVE: Praying during a Sunday School meeting in the village of Nandayapalem. A children's minister, Bhaskara Rao, helps us in ministry here once or twice a month. Brother Marthababu and his wife Pavani also visit here on a weekly basis.
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ABOVE: This is a pastor named Hanock (Enoch in our English Bibles) with his wife (from Holland), and 13 children they have in their hostel (children's home). RHM does NOT support them, but I have had nice fellowship with this brother for several years. He also has helped us with ministry in different ways. They get their support through donors in Holland, but we stay in fellowship with each other and pray for each other's work in the Lord.
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"Whatever you do, do all things to the glory of GOD." 1 Corinthians 10:31 |
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