Right Hand Ministries
RHM: PO Box 12385 Oklahoma City, OK 73157 rhmhope1@gmail.com
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Problem with RHM's PO Box
Kumari's Marriage
Fixing Teeth
Dear RHM Friends,
Greetings in the Name of our Precious Lord JESUS.
About our RHM PO Box, NOT an issue we really want to inform you about, but very important if it applies to you. Brother Russel, our friend and RHM board member who handles finances in America (I'm here in India most of the time), went to the ministry PO Box the other day. His key didn't work, so he went inside to inquire with the post office staff. They informed him that the box had been broken into, the ONLY BOX in the post office that was broken into that night. They changed out the lock and gave a new key. In over 20 years of ministry, this is the FIRST time this has ever happened. Three checks were still in the box, which have already been deposited. I still must inquire when was the time frame between Brother Russel's visits to the PO Box, but if you wrote a check to RHM anytime from about the 10th to 30th of July, please notify me by email. Sorry for any hassle this may have caused anyone. Pray with us that no money is stolen from any donor as a result of this theft. I have notified 3 donors by email, those whom I know were likely to have sent a check during that time because they are regular donors, or had already notified me that they were about to send a check. Again, sorry for any inconvenience; very sad and perplexed about this matter. Pray also that the post office will take the necessary precautions so that none of their boxes can be targeted by a thief.
A little difficult to go from the above issue to the next, but here we go: We have 3 children who have dental work that is needed, all of them having braces put on their teeth. On the 22nd of July, the preliminary work started, placing the braces on their upper teeth. Two of the children are part of HOPE, Naveen (boy, 13) and Chandrika (girl, 12). One child, Preethi (14), is not from HOPE (scroll down to see all of their photos). Some of you may remember Preethi and her sister Pinky, both losing their father in late January of this year in a motorcycle accident. The cost for all 3 children (an approximately 18 month process for each one) is between $750 and $800. This is not including pain medication, or any future work, such as cleaning the teeth after removing the braces, or placing a temporary retainer on the teeth if necessary. I think $850 may cover the expenses of all 3 children. If any of you only want to donate for the HOPE children, it would be approximately $570 for only those 2 children.
Even with so much of India being locked down, we have been blessed to be very active in ministry throughout this lockdown season thus far. Unfortunately, our Brother Wesley, who handles the widows & elderly ministry in his part of India, has been stuck in lockdown 3 different times since March, including now also. But for Brothers Prasanth, Raju and I, almost daily we're involved in some kind of ministry. Only by His grace, as there are villages, streets & neighborhoods blocked off in different places wherever we go. But we've continued to be able to share Christ and His Word via the food distributions (mostly in April and May), and now having prayer meetings/Bible studies in the villages and people's homes. Pray for continued favor.
The most exciting event that's happened over the last month (good excitement) is the marriage of Kumari, a girl who was previously in HOPE for at least 10 years, but staying with her mother & other relatives for the last several months. Her mother and stepfather made a decision to get her married (she is either 17 or 18 years old; birth records perhaps not accurate). It was actually the boy's family (his name Yesubabu) who took the initiative in this arranged marriage. This family attends Brother Peter's church in the tribal village of Chilakala Colony, Peter being their pastor and also overseeing the HOPE boys home. Peter and others gave a very good testimony about Yesubabu and his family, so Kumari's family felt good that this was GOD's plan. Many thanks to our donors who contributed for Kumari's marriage expenses. Both families are poor, and have expressed much thanksgiving to the Lord, but also to all of you who have given and prayed. The money donated (over $3,000), plus another $400 given by RHM general funds, covered most of the marriage/reception expenses, and is also being used to provide a room for Yesubabu & Kumari to live in, attached to the boy's parents' home. Praise the Lord for all His provision through precious donors!
Please pray fervently that there will NEVER AGAIN be a repeat of what has happened at the post office recently. Remember, if you give to RHM General (or write a check to RHM with nothing in the memo), then those funds will be used at our discretion and according to the Spirit's leadership. If you want your gift to go specifically for the widows & elderly ministry, to the HOPE ministry, for the children's dental work, or for any other particular need which you read about, then you must designate specifically where you want it to go.
Thank you always for your love, prayers and support! Bless you.
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: Kumari making vows to Yesubabu, and putting the wedding ring on his finger. The pastor is Brother Samuel.
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ABOVE: I don't know if I have ever seen Kumari so happy. She's renewed her commitment to the Lord since going to her relatives several months ago, and now recognizes how the Father's Eyes have been upon her all along. He provided everything for this marriage, reception and a room for the new couple to live in (the construction possibly starting during this week).
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ABOVE: The happy bride after the wedding, going with another relative to change clothes, then have another photo session.
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ABOVE: Yesubabu & Kumari after the wedding, having more photos taken, and waiting for guests to give their greetings, some giving gifts also.
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ABOVE: The wedding took place in Brother Peter's church in the boy's village. This is the reception in Kumari's parents' village, their house just to the right in this photo. Brother Samuel (pastor) was also so happy, as he was the pastor in the boy's village when that family came to Christ. Now Samuel's brother, Peter, is doing the ministry there.
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ABOVE: Brother Prasanth in a small tribal colony which is in Karlapalem (one of his and his father's churches nearby). There are 8 or 9 families who are part of this village. By GOD's grace, RHM provided new huts for all these families recently, all of their huts previously in pathetic condition. Through the food assistance during the Corona lockdown in April & May, and other helps, some of the people are coming to salvation in this village, or at least being drawn in that direction.
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ABOVE: Normally, these 2 brothers, Simha & Gani, would be at the HOPE boys property in Chinthayapalem (same property where I stay). But because of government restrictions, most of the HOPE children have had to return to their relatives until school starts up again. Their mother's hut was badly leaking. We're thankful for His provision to build a new roof for them a couple of weeks ago.
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ABOVE: A new widow for the widows & elderly ministry (most of the widows cared for via World Challenge, which is funneling their funds through RHM), and a new child for RHM to assist. The woman's name is Subba Lakshmi, about 54 years old. Her husband died about 2003. She works when she can, but is having many health problems. Work also is hard to find during this Covid time. One of her daughters died with HIV, the husband also dying with HIV, leaving this little girl as an orphan. Her name is Bhavya Sri, both of her parents dying when she was only about 1 year old. From that time she has been staying with her grandmother. She's now 7 years old.
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ABOVE: HOPE recently did a 3rd distribution for various people. These are some pastors who received via HOPE Corona Relief funds.
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ABOVE: This man and his wife are from the Karlapalem ST colony mentioned a few photos above. The parents are coming to our weekly prayer meetings, as the Lord did a real miracle for them recently. These parents (they actually have 5 children) and the little girl in the Dad's arm were in an auto rickshaw a couple of weeks ago which went off the road, a big dropoff to the field below. The Dad fell out of the rickshaw, the auto hitting him as it came to the ground. We heard that the driver lost both of his legs because of this accident, the auto landing on top of his legs. This mother held her baby girl all the way to the ground! Even as the auto rickshaw overturned and hit the ground, she never let go of that child. The parents both had to spend at least 2 days in the hospital because of injuries. The baby girl? Not even one little scratch or bruise! Hallelujah for a mother's love!
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ABOVE: Sadly, the widows & elderly's literacy classes were discontinued from March thru part of July because of the Corona lockdown restrictions. Any gathering like this was forbidden by the government because of "social distancing". Actually, the rules are still there, but you can see how many of the villagers follow those rules. Brother Raju recently started going again to the villages which are willing for the classes to resume. Only one widow attended this class, but in this particular village (where most of the children don't attend school), it's the children who are benefitting most from the classes. We've concluded that Corona could possibly NEVER go away until Christ returns, so through Him (and with His wisdom) it's better to do what we can while we can until that Day.
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ABOVE: Amrutha and Rani (sisters) are leading children's ministry in Madala Narayana, about 40 kids attending this particular night. We're thankful for the Lord giving an opportunity to share in this village. We had never came to this village before April, but through the food distributions the opportunity came. In a separate part of the village, the adults also are meeting at the same time.
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ABOVE: This is Rani (blue dress) and Sindhu having children's ministry in a village very near to a beach of the Bay of Bengal. Sindhu and some of Brother Prasanth's youth group are also doing very nicely in teaching the children.
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"Whatever you do, do all things to the glory of GOD." 1 Corinthians 10:31 |
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