LEARNING WITH PATIENCE

Great time at Nepal with family!!

It has been a great month with hearing the voice of God so well in my life and ministry. I have been praying to God about so many things in my life and during my one week break that I got this month I was able to hear him clearly. The Lord has been teaching me to trust him completely for my future especially and to believe him that He knows what he is doing. It was encouraging to hear him speak to me particularly because I needed that. We had an amazing prayer walk during our bible study sessions and it was a blessing praying for our city Ranchi as we walked proclaiming the word of God upon this land. One of my favourite things to do have always been the prayer walks.

Having fun with the kids at the slum.

I got to visit the slum kids after a long time again as it has been challenging to go due to the rainy season and few festivals here where they block the roads. I was so happy to spend time with them and could see the joy in their faces. I’m in love with them and they are such a joy to my heart. I can see the bond we have developed over the years and now they look up to us for help and guidance. I can see them going in the right track so far and my prayer for them is that God would protect their little hearts from the evil one.

Playing drums at women's meeting.

House fellowship at one of our pastor's house.

The women’s ministry has been going well. We had our monthly fellowship meeting and it was amazing. I had the opportunity to play the drums after a long time. We also had our house visiting this month to one of our pastor’s houses. It was truly encouraging to hear their testimony and it was a blessing to encourage them with the word of God. It is encouraging to see the love most of these women have for the word of God and they are eager to stand strong for their faith regardless of the challenges they face each day. We are now preparing for our next two day seminar for the women and our topic would be on worship. We are excited for how the Lord is going to lead us this time.

Intercession for the districts of Ranchi.

We had a day of fasting as a church and it was so amazing. We did it a little differently with more creative ideas of intercession and I had the opportunity to lead the people in prayer. We specifically prayed for all the districts in Jharkhand and had all the names stuck around the church and people went around laying their hands on them and praying for each of the districts. We had the population and the Christian percentage of each district written on them. Many of the districts had zero point something percentage. Looking at the statistics it encouraged us to pray more for these places and we believe that God is going to raise leaders to reach out to these areas that need him. We got the opportunity to pray over all the present problems going on in Jharkhand. It was a great day of worship and prayer.

It was a great month and I am thankful to the Lord for his goodness and I can see the church growing in the right direction. It is a blessing to work among these people and I know that I am in the right place.

Some of my prayer points would be:

·       For our Women’s seminar that is happening this coming month end that the Lord would lead us in the right direction to reach out to the women of our church.

·       For God to continue helping my kids at the slums to stay strong in doing right even when things get hard.

·       For me to keep trusting the Lord for the impossible and that he would continue to work in and through me. I need his grace more and more especially on my tough days.

SERVING WITH TRUST

Teaching from the book of John

This past month has been a good one with God’s grace upon my life and I needed a lot of it. God continues to be so faithful in my life and he has always been a great father looking after me and teaching me to stand strong in many areas of my life. He has been teaching me to stand strong in all situations no matter how hard they get.  I have been teaching a lot this month to the students in our Bible College from the book of John and it has been a great experience for me because as I teach them I am also learning so much. God has been helping me understand his word deeper and I love teaching since I know that it’s one of the gifts God has given me. I thank Him for his wonderful grace upon me though I don’t deserve it. The students have been responding well too and they also ask lots of questions which helps us to be prepared at all times.

During classes - older batch

The women’s ministry is going on well and God has been helping me be bolder as I lead worship in Hindi and I enjoy it now. We were able to do our monthly meeting with the women and had our house visiting and it was a good time of fellowship and encouragement to all. This family that we visited this month was a catholic family and it was a good experience sharing the word of God to them. They happily accepted us and it good to reach out to families not part of our church too. The main reason we have these house fellowships is to encourage the women in all aspects of life. One of our believers shared her testimony and the struggles she went through for accepting Christ and it was a great encouragement to all of us.

Womens' fellowship -Sharing God's word

Even with all the struggles people are so strong in their faith and that is amazing to see. Working with women has been a joy too and now we are getting ready for our seminar in August which my team and I will be leading for two days. I have been enjoying ministering to the kids at Sunday school and it has been so great developing a deeper relationship with them. I feel like at times I am not just a teacher but their friend as well. They are able to build that level of trust in me and I am so blessed to have this small group of kids that God has entrusted to me to help them grow in their faith. I have been unable to go to the slums this past month as the rainy season has started and my schedule has become tighter so the challenges have been more. I am hoping to start going back there when things settle down. God has been so faithful in my life and each day His grace is all I need.

House fellowship at one of the catholic houses.

Some of my prayer points would be:

·       Pray for me as I take one week of holiday from work that the Lord will refresh me spiritually and emotionally as I need it big time.

·       For Gods wisdom as I teach students the word of God and that they would be able to grow deeper in his word.

·       To be faithful to God no matter what the situation is and to trust him for the impossible in my life.

PRAISE GOD IN ALL SITUATIONS

Amazing team of volunteers.

This past month was an amazing one with laughter and joy watching people of all ages enjoy .We had our family night as a church to fellowship with families and have lots of fun. We enjoyed watching the families’ together showing off their talents and just having fun.it was a wonderful night just seeing a smile on everyone’s face. Another big event we had this month is our Vacation Bible School which we conducted for the kids this summer. It was for four days and the kids enjoyed a lot. Our topic for this month was “Power Praises’’ teaching them to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Each day we had a main theme: Freedom, Peace, Faith and Praise.

Worship time

Craft station

According to the themes for each day we had crafts, stories, songs and games for them. This year we were able to do it a little different. We had three stations which the kids would attend each day in rotations. First station was the Recital cube where they hear the bible story and enact it out and learn that day’s memory verse as well. Second station was the music box station where the kids would learn the action song that is related to the theme and play a game too. The final station was the do it yourself station which was the craft station. Every day the kids enjoyed learning and experiencing the word of God through different means.

playing  a game with the kids.

The kids were very responsive and we as a team of volunteers enjoyed working among these amazing kids. We had around 80 kids and 25 volunteers to help minister to these kids. Some of the kids came from far place out of Ranchi just to enjoy the VBS with us. The kids learned a lot from the word of God and enjoyed dancing and singing for the Lord. I have conducted three VBS so far and I can say that this time by the grace of God it went really smoothly with less tension and more fun. Everything was so well organised with my core team of three. We can testify that it has been one of the easiest VBS we have run so far. The volunteers were very cooperative and a great blessing to us.

Preaching on peace.

Large session time

We definitely saw the hand of the Lord on each one of us and on the last day we felt the presence of the Lord during our worship session. God has been so faithful this time also on providing our every need. As an accountant for three years in the VBS I can say this time we never ran out of money. God has helped us serve these kids well with all the resources we needed. It was a blessed time for all of us and it has always been a great joy working among the kids. They have so much to teach us and no matter what mood you are in or how low you feel they give you a reason to smile. They are a true treasure that I cherish a lot.

Recital Cube station

This season has been good and a little challenging in my personal life. God has been teaching me to continue loving and trusting him even when it gets hard and people treat you indifferently. God loves me no matter what because he knows me inside out. I’m fully known and loved by him. I don’t have to prove myself to anybody.  From the beginning till the end I know He will choose to stay even when I fail in many ways he is never done with me. He’s faithful to the end even when your loved ones leave you He is there. God is the only reason worth living for and I enjoy serving him with all I have even with my shortcomings. I am so grateful that He is my daddy forever.

Enacting the story

Action song

Some of my prayer points would be:

The game station

·       For God to work in some areas of my life where I need healing as well and to pursue him no matter what the situation is.

·       For God’s wisdom as we are starting our new session with the bible college kids that as we teach them they would grasp the truth of God’s word.

·       As I continue to work among the kids that God would show me more of his heart for them and how I can do better.

GROWING TOGETHER IN UNITY

It has been a great month of ministering to the people here in Ranchi. Every day it has been a time of growth spiritually and in leadership too. I have been learning so much through the Bible study with the young girls and the staff as well. It has been a time of refreshment and understanding God’s heart deeper for us. One key thing God has been reminding me through the scriptures is that he chose me way before to be Holy and blameless in his sight and how he brought me out of darkness to the light and how I need to show that light to others. To guide the children and youth to that light.

Ministry at the slums with Pastor

The slum ministry is going on well. This past month it was a blessing to have the pastor of our church come to see them and spend some time sharing Gods gift to the children- His son Jesus.  They were so happy to listen to God’s word and we had the opportunity to hand them gifts from the Samaritan’s purse. The kids were so excited to receive them as they hardly get to see these things before. It was a blessed time to see the joy in their faces and how they were so grateful for them. They are such a joy to my heart and I love working among them.

women's fellowship prayer time.

Women in the literacy program.

 The women’s fellowship has been going on well and the house visits also. The new literacy program that we started is going good so far and the women are happy learning the basics of reading Hindi. It is a joy to see them doing their best to learn and grow. The house visiting is an encouragement to all of us. We got the joy of hearing the women’s testimony and knowing how God is so faithful in taking care of His people. He never leaves anyone but holds their hand and leads them on a road of trust. God is good and through all situations he is there making them stronger.

House fellowship in a believers house.

I got the opportunity to lead worship in Hindi in the women’s fellowship and I have been learning and growing a lot in that area now. The women’s meeting this month was amazing . The word of God was a great encouragement   to all the women and as women of God how we can serve God faithfully as mothers or as a single. To always speak the word of God over themselves and never give up but to be bold and strong in heart. This month God has been showing me again and again to stand strong in times of loneliness and confusion, to just trust Him in everything. Serving him has been my joy and God has been taking great care of me. I am grateful to Him.

worship leading in Women's meeting.

Some of my prayer points would be:

·       To trust the Lord for my future especially as I am praying for it and to believe him in the present as he is using me each day.

·       For the upcoming Vacation Bible School program we are preparing for that God would guide us and lead us as we minister to the kids this summer.

·       For all the programs we have planned this coming month in our church to go well and that God would continue to expand our vision for the people of the church to grow in the word especially.

TEACHING WITH LOVE

This past month has been a great one with celebrating Easter with the church here in Ranchi. God continues to be so faithful in my life. He has been teaching me to hear His voice above all and even when there is so much pressure or stress sometimes to know that He is right there to guide me. This past month I have felt lonely quite often but even during those times Gods strength has been the only thing that has been holding me together. His presence is what I rest in when I feel low. God is the only one who is there from the beginning and till the end He alone will stand by me and in that I have no doubt, so this season God has been teaching me to depend on Him totally and expect greater things from Him alone. I enjoy ministering to the people here in Ranchi and they are such amazing people. They are very teachable and humble.

Leading worship at women's meeting.

preaching the word- women's meeting

We had our monthly women’s meeting and it was really a blessed time. We had a speaker from the states that came to encourage the women here to be strong and courageous in all situations and the women were encouraged. This coming month we will be beginning our literacy program for the women and the prayer cell groups in each area for the women alone and we are excited for these to happen. The house visiting has been going on well too. We continue to visit the women’s houses and encourage them with the word of God and pray for their family and also get a chance to hear their testimonies.

Teaching kids hygiene and good habits at slum.

The slum ministry has been going on well and the kids are able to learn so much from us. We have been focusing on teaching them to follow good habits and not follow bad ones they see their parents do. The children are used to seeing their parents get drunk each day and also taking other unhealthy things. So we have been encouraging them to do the right thing and what God teaches us in the Bible to do. They have been learning about hygiene too which is much needed for them. The greatest thing is their parents are coming to us and telling that even when they tell them to be clean they would not listen but they listen to what we tell them and teach them to do. So what we teach is important. These kids are so special to my friend and me. We enjoy ministering to them.

Action songs with kids.

Altogether it has been an amazing month of trusting the Lord to guide me as I minister to the women, children and youths. The bible study that I started has been going on well by God’s grace and I am encouraged to see the youth girls respond well and enjoy the fellowship. We have been growing closer in fellowship and deeper in the word of God. We completed the book of James and we are planning to start the book of Ruth and we are excited. It has been a great joy teaching them from the word of God and I learn more as I teach. God is faithful in continuing to guide me in every way. I am grateful to God for his unconditional grace and love over my life.

Bible study group- worship time

Some of my prayer points are:

Women's house fellowship.

·        For God to give me more wisdom as I teach others scriptures and to handle his word correctly.

·        For the kids at the slum that God would help them make the right choices even when they don’t have great examples before them as it is harder where they live that they would still choose right.

·        For God to help me continue to serve Him faithfully though it gets hard sometimes with less help that I will depend on him always.

GOD'S HAND IN ALL.

Bible study group 

It has been a great month of serving the Lord and Him teaching me how to keep growing in Love with him and to show that love to people around me. I had the opportunity to start a new Bible study group this past month and it has been wonderful trusting the Lord for this new step. So far we had five girls join us and it has been a great blessing teaching them from the word of God. Teaching has always been my favorite thing to do and I enjoy it so much. Teaching the word of God is even more exciting and as I teach I realize that I learn more and God is calling me to go deeper in understanding his heart for me and his children. One of the things I have learned here in Ranchi is the lack of the word of God in the lives of the youths.

Worship at Women's fellowship.

Many have come to me and told me that they don’t know so many things that are in the bible and they want to know more. Many of them have never been to any Sunday school so they don’t know even the common stories from the bible. They are so happy that this bible study is helping them now and they make sure they never miss it even once. We have this class each week on Saturday for two hours and it has been going on well. God has been putting this new idea in my heart from past December and I thank Him for helping me to start it. My prayer is that we will grow together in word and have a strong Godly fellowship with one another. I love this group and they are amazing. I am so encouraged to see their hunger to learn the word of God more.

Women's fellowship- Sharing time.

We also had our monthly women’s fellowship and it was really good. We have been trying to minister to the women more efficiently and have come up with some new schemes to help them more as many of them are from far places out of Ranchi. We are going to start small prayer groups in each area where the women stay and they will have it each month once just to come together and spend time praying. Another thing we will be starting is a literacy program for the women so they will be able to read the Bible. Last month as we have been teaching them the importance of the word of God we realized that most of them don’t even know how to read or write. So this training will help them to at least learn to read. We will be starting this in April and we have got some teachers to teach the women to read Hindi and we will have this once each week since they come from far places. We are excited to see God lead us as a church towards helping the women and encouraging them to go deeper in the word. So far we have got good response from them and we are glad.

Fun time at the Slums- Happy kids.

The Slum ministry has been going well too and I enjoy ministering to them with one of my good friends who has been a great help to me in serving the kids there alongside me. We have been helping the kids with their studies as their exams are almost near and mainly helping them with their English. Our goal this year is to help them be aware of the bad habits and things they see their friends or parents do like drinking and so on. My friend and I are planning to take small sessions to teach them the right things and to teach them to live for Jesus though it is challenging and tough for them at times. We have taught them already before but we want to keep reminding them and help them to choose right always. Altogether it has been an amazing month with God leading me and teaching me to always believe in the impossible.

Women's house fellowship at vilma's place.

Some of my prayer points are:

·       For the new programs we are planning to start for the women that God would lead us in the right way.

·       For the slum kids that God would protect them from the influence of their environment and that they would choose the right path.

·       For God to help me as I lead that I would be a good example to the people around me.

SERVING WITH LOVE

Teaching the kids action songs with the team at the slums.

This past month has been a good one learning to serve the people through His love and grace. God has been teaching me to trust him in all the situations even when times get difficult. This month it was wonderful to have three people from America come and help us minister to the kids and the students of the Bible College. It was wonderful ministering with them. We took them to minister to the kids in the slum. The kids in the slum were so excited to get to meet them and play games with them and learn more of God. They are such an amazing group of children full of joy. This month has been great spending time with them a lot and getting to know their hearts.

action song and dancing with kids at Surda- Jharkhand

Fun group of kids at the hostel in Surda- blessed time

We had the opportunity to go visit a children’s home at a place out of Ranchi which is four hours or so to reach there. It was amazing meeting the Indian couple working there with those kids who need love and education. They are doing a great job and it was fun seeing how God is using his people to be a blessing to many. I was happy to see that the lady in charge was my senior in Bible College and I was happy to see her after many years. We got opportunity to talk about what the Lord is doing in both of our lives and ministry. It was such a blessed time.

Group discussion- Women's seminar

We also had our first women’s seminar this month and it was based on the topic ‘word of God’. It was a good day of investing our time and resources to help them study the word of God in a better way. We had wonderful time of game, teaching, quiz and so much more. The women were happy to learn the history of the bible, bible study and so much more. I had the opportunity to lead worship for the first time in Hindi and that is by the grace of God. The Lord has been helping me grow more in faith and teaching me not to limit him to a box. He will use us in anyway and all we have to do is be ready.

Teaching the history of the bible at women's seminar.

This first month of this year I can tell has been so good and I am blessed to serve the Lord more faithfully this year. Even when times get hard I need to learn to lean on him and believe him for the impossible. God has been so faithful in my life and I am very grateful to him for his goodness. I enjoy working among the kids a lot and they are a great joy. The Sunday school has been going well too and I am happy to see the kids growing in the Lord and responding well at church. They enjoy coming to church and that’s a good sign. It has been going on good and I am happy for what God is doing in the lives of these children. My main focus has been to help them share the gospel to their friends and close ones. Working with children is amazing each day and i wouldn't trade this with anyone. They are so much joy.

Sunday school- English service

Some of my prayer requests would be:

·       For God to help me as I start a new bible study group this coming month. For the youth girls to come and grow in fellowship and the word together.

·       For Gods strength in times when it gets hard and lonely at times. To fully depend on his grace every day.

·       For the kids to live for God each day and share the gospel to their friends and be a light wherever they go as that is what I have been asking God for the kids this year.