Steadfast Love, August RHM Update

Right Hand Ministries
RHM: PO Box 12385 Oklahoma City, OK 73157 rhmforhim@gmail.com

Steadfast Love

August 4, 2023 Update

Dear RHM Friends,

Greetings in the Name of our Precious Lord JESUS.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:58

In these last days Satan will do everything he can to tempt, side-track and discourage the Lord's people from doing what the Lord has called us to do. Don't let him do it! By His amazing grace and Spirit, no matter what pain, guilt, sorrow or busy schedules we may encounter, we need to recognize the serpent's crafty and sinister plans to try and move us away from being useful in the kingdom of GOD. Ask the Lord for the strength and fortitude to rise up (no matter how you feel) in His power and steadfast love to reach out to broken people, both in and out of the church. He will help you! Read Isaiah 41:10

Here in India we don't need to go very far or wait much time before running into more broken people. As I have often thought, almost every family (including close relatives) is like a soap opera, having multiple trials and sorrows going on almost continually. Please pray for me, as pressing needs are being presented to me (sometimes right before my face) on a regular basis. I need the Lord's wisdom to know which needs He would have us to meet. For whatever reason, our Father has never given us the super-abundance of funds to be able to freely assist with whatever needs we encounter. I long for that day, but so far that hasn't happened, so we have to set limits. As many of you might remember, last year we came to the first-time-ever position of literally having almost nothing in the bank! The problem was simple, spending more than what we're taking in. From the beginning of RHM we have always operated primarily by faith, not necessarily making decisions according to what we can see in the bank account. So WHY we got into that position is still an unsolved mystery, but it has certainly caused me to be more cautious and prayerful about meeting the needs. I covet your prayers.

Just 2 days ago (or yesterday, I don't remember) I had to say no to a brother who was asking help for 2 housing needs for different believers. About the same time, another believer was asking help for their church's doors (needing repairs). As our Lord JESUS said, "The poor you will always have with you" (Mark 14:7), and no matter how much money we have, and no matter how much of His love we have to meet those needs, there will always be MANY more at the door looking for help and hope. Of course, there are also MANY who aren't truly in need, but are looking for a handout or trying to cheat us; for that we also need discernment. Thank you for your prayers!

Continue to pray for our widows & elderly ministry. Sorry for repeating the info again and again, but as some of you know, our main sponsor for the WE ministry is not continuing to sponsor beyond 2023. The funds they gave for this year is lasting a little longer than expected, taking us into early October. One gracious donor gave $4,400 for this ministry, and another trustworthy pastor committed to give $5,000 later in the year. These 2 donations should carry us into the early part of 2024. Hallelujah! We rejoice in the hope that we shouldn't have to cut any monthly support or medications through the remainder of this year.

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.

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

ABOVE: Bullamayi in the village of Chinthayapalem. She's standing in front of the small one-room home which the Lord provided for her via RHM. She's completely deaf, but still very faithful to attend all the prayers (services).

ABOVE: Kamalamma's body passed about 2 weeks ago. She was bitten by a rabid dog about 2 months before, but didn't have any symptoms. Because of the lack of symptoms, perhaps she didn't think it was serious. Once the symptoms began, the rabies quickly went through her body. I had the blessing of attending her memorial service, and many people testified of her Godly life and example which she lived for about 5 decades as a believer. "The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot." Proverbs 10:7

ABOVE: Ashirifin is another one of the widows which RHM funds has been helping with monthly support and some medical needs. We recently used close to $500 to help her with constructing a new home. We praise the Lord that another donor also gave an additional $500 for this project. Thankfully, there are 2 other ministries (both in India, but one based in the Netherlands) which have also helped with this, so it looks like it will be completed within a month or so. Praise the Lord! She has suffered for years with her Muslim neighbors harassing her because of coming to Christ.

ABOVE: Chandramma (left) is one of our widows, her daughter next to her, along with her 2 children on the right: Deborah (7) and Vijay Kumar (3). Don't know who the other child is. Chandramma's daughter's husband left the family in early 2020 for another woman. Pray the daughter will not get side-tracked by temptation; so far she has been faithful to her children and to attending the prayers.

ABOVE: Two pastors, Brothers Reinhard (blue shirt taking signatures and thumb prints) and Hanock (organizing the medications for distribution) are helping with widows in a town called Bapatla. This particular meeting was on the verandah (porch) of Sister Kamalamma (2nd photo above), whose body died about 2 weeks after this meeting and distribution.

ABOVE: Shivangi, one of our younger widows, is looking on as her son, Prem, is admiring his new baby boy, born July 22nd. They are in the hospital, the mother, Chandrika, taking rest. We are very happy for this family; the Lord has made a big investment into their lives in both time and money over the last 2 years. In mid-2021 (the Daddy died of Covid in 2020) they had no walls on their home, electricity, running water, etc., but now have a normal home (small for 6 people, but like typical India, they adjust). Prem's younger twin sisters, Mary & Martha (17), we've shared with you many times in photos and stories. If the Lord enables us, we would like to build another small room for Prem, Chandrika and the baby to stay in, so that they can have at least some amount of privacy (the twin girls really don't need to be in the same room, either). I'm guessing their current situation is maybe 300 square feet or less, 2 rooms, one of the rooms used for the kitchen. They wash clothes & vessels outside and have an outside bathroom (it previously had no door or roof, but now is enclosed). Prem is driving an auto rickshaw, the mother is cleaning vessels at a restaurant (2 or 3 dollars a day), and RHM is helping with some money and food. An approximate amount for the room is about $1,200-1,500.

ABOVE: We're thankful that our latest monthly gathering of children, family members and elderly had the best turnout we've seen for a while. Most of the children we work with came. Praise the Lord!

ABOVE: In this latest monthly gathering in July we had a guest speaker, Brother Vijay, a pastor from Visakhapatnam. His son, Benny (maybe 10 or 11 years old), has an unusual talent of playing the keyboard, having had lessons for only about 2 months, although his father perhaps has been laying the foundation for years since he also is a musician. Here we are having a great time of worship.

ABOVE: Our latest excursion in July, when we took many children to what is called The Prayer Gardens. Most of the property is set apart for people to come and pray, but there is also some space for children to run around and play, and see some geese, ducks, rabbits and other creatures. It was a very edifying time with the children.

ABOVE: On June 23rd both Shiny (left) and Sirisha had a birthday, precious girls, both with a tender heart for the Lord. Pray for Shiny (11), whose Daddy died a couple of weeks ago in a tractor accident. She has a mother and older brother. We're in the process of praying and trying to discern whether or not the need is real to help them in tangible ways. Sadly, many people will tell so many lies, hiding their true financial status (and their money) in order to try and get some support. We don't think that is happening here, but we need your prayers for all these situations.

ABOVE: 7th grade students and teacher in a school where RHM is sponsoring 21 children's education. We sponsor only 2 boys in this grade, Arun (2nd from right) and Samuel (4th from right). The girl in the middle is from a Muslim family, but most of the children in this school are from Christian or Hindu families.

ABOVE: 5th grade in the same school. Again, 2 boys we are sponsoring in this grade, Paul (tall boy on the far left by the blackboard) and Abhishek (of all the boys, he's the 5th from the left).

ABOVE: 4th grade in the same school. Might be difficult to pin all our children, but we sponsor Divya (2nd girl from left), Prem Kumar (1st boy from left), Moses (near the middle of the bunch in a yellow shirt), and Jaison (3rd from right with the big smile).

ABOVE: In another school, these girls received an award for the project that they created here. Our girl Akshaya is in the middle. This project was done in the 8th grade; she's now in the 9th.

ABOVE: The mother of these 2 girls, Sister Sandhya, is giving cake to Abhinaya, who turned 12 on August 1st. In the background is 13 year old Akshaya, whom we're assisting (through His grace and your donations) with medication and some nutritious food. Akshaya previously had many seizures, but hasn't had any in a long time. Praise the Lord! She has some mental impairment, but is cute as can be.

ABOVE: Samuel & Moses, cousins whom we are now helping with education (7th & 4th grade photos above). Samuel's father is an alcoholic and not caring for the family properly (with 3 children). Pray for his father, Timothy, who asks for prayer, but hasn't yet found freedom in Christ. Moses' mother, Esther (whom we asked you to pray for last month) recently had major seizures (which she had not had since childhood) and was in critical condition. But our Father's grace, she came out of that and is doing much better now. Moses has one little sister.

"Whatever you do, do all things to the glory of GOD." 1 Corinthians 10:31