SERVE India

Dear Prayer Partners with SERVE India,

We have been having a good summer and enjoying time as a family.  I have also been preparing for my next trip to India, which will be in October.

The situation with the shipment remains the same.  The people in India who have been trying to work on it have continued to run into delays.  Please keep praying for whatever the Lord has planned. Thank you for your continued prayer.

I have been keeping in touch with our team leaders (lead Pastors) in India.  It has been very exciting to hear some of the stories from what has been happening in their ministries this summer.

In India they have a break in their school schedule during May and June.  They have had a Summer Vacation Bible School program in most of the village churches.  In early March, Pastor Solomon Raj and Pastor Paul had conducted a training program to prepare teachers from all of the SERVE India churches (about 160). The training was held at the Pastors Training Center and about 200 teachers and volunteers gathered to pray, learn, prepare and collect materials. I have been hearing some great news, which I want to share with you.

Pastor Prabudas writes, ‘We thank God for enabling us to conduct VBS classes in our area from June 10 – 20 and nearly 1800 kids in 6 different centers participated. Thank you SERVE India for providing teacher’s guides and illustrated charts and song books. The day started with prayer and singing and was full of learning lots of songs, dances, skits, and Bible stories.  We also provided a snack and they had fun play time. There were many non-Christian kids there along with some curious parents.  In some villages the church buildings were too small so the Pastors asked permission for the public places.  The Lord worked amazingly and in many villages it was approved.

In some villages, on the final day, the Leaders of the village were invited to participate as guests.  They enjoyed and appreciated the children’s performance and were amazed of the Christian kids who shared long chapters reciting from the Bible by memory.  Rachel, who is 17, served as a teacher and told of how grateful she was for the wonderful ways God worked in these kids’ lives.  She said that God opened the door of many of their hearts for the things of God. We also thank God for several non-Christian friends who received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.’

We are so thankful for the faithful workers in the churches and I am so glad to share these stories with you.  We are grateful for your partnership with us and with these Pastors who are working tirelessly for the truth of the Gospel to be known in these rural villages of India.  Thank you for your continued prayer!

In His work,
John Nanda