Hopegivers News

Posted January 12, 2010

Report: Christmas Hope Chest Distribution and Church Dedication

It was our privilege to be in India at Christmas.  Five of us were there representing our church, Emmaus Baptist Church from Oklahoma City, OK.  Our church has recently funded the construction of a church and we traveled to India to dedicate the church and to visit Hopegivers' Ministry sites in India.

 There were 10 of us on the trip and all of our team were specifically called by God in unique ways to visit India.  This was my second trip and my wife's first visit to India. The trip was amazing and God revealed His Love through the lives and ministries of the wonderful people of Hopegivers in India.

We visited the church and had a wonderful service to dedicate the new church and to worship with the believers.  The singing and the wonderful welcome given to us warmed our hearts.  The welcome included garlands of flowers to thank us for coming and building the church along with many hugs and warm welcomes.

We also visited several orphanages and were blessed with being able to personally participate in handing out Hope Chest bags from the large chest to the children of the orphanage at Kota.  We helped stuff the bags on December 23rd at Kota.  The bags included warm blankets, soaps, toothbrushes, pencils, paper, erasers and other necessities.  On Christmas Eve, we helped pass out the bags and also helped pass out shoes purchased for young children that had no shoes or shoes that were well worn or outgrown.  The Children of Hopegivers Ministries were a blessing to all of our hearts.  They love the Lord and they have wonderful Christian smiles and can sing and pray like little angels.

Our church has been challenged to participate in building a couple of new churches in India for other pastors that have churches which meet under palm leaves or meet in facilities that are much too small for their needs.  The pastors we met were not discouraged by the hardships or persecution they face, but were encouraged and totally dedicated to sharing Christ's love with others in their communities.  Their testimonies were a tremendous encouragement and a challenge to those of us that live in societies that allow us to worship freely and without any fear of persecution.  They spoke of miraculous healing, miraculous provision by God when no help seemed in site and their commitment to their calling even when they and their families were physically persecuted.

We visited leper colonies and spoke with a government official that testified to the tremendous dedication of M.A. and Samuel Thomas.  We were told by the official that he had personally visited M.A. and Samuel when they were sleeping in the floor of a pastor's home in a leper colony while there to minister to lepers.  He spoke of the fact that other religious groups spoke of helping lepers or agreed to pray for lepers, but that Hopegivers Ministries goes to Leper Colonies and ministers directly to them like no others in India.

We visited a leper colony and witnessed a pastor that had lived there for many years ministering to the lepers.  This pastor was committed to the ministry despite the fact that his daughter was disabled and needed special care.  This pastor was a brilliant man and his son is working on a Master's Degree and his daughter is working on a Nursing Degree.  This pastor was very proud of his children and his work in the leper colony.  This man's tremendous love is demonstrated by the continued commitment he has shown to the lepers and the very poor people surrounding the leper colony in the slums of Delhi.

We were accompanied by a young man that teaches at the Bible College in Kota.  He was a tender, loving young man that has been persecuted for Christ and has a tremendous commitment to Christ and to the young people he now teaches.  He cared for us and traveled with us to keep us safe as we visited different sites in India.  He is one of the many wonderful Christians committed to serving Christ and reaching the wonderful people of India with the love of Christ.  He was raised in the Orphanage and now trains other pastors and young women from the Orphanage as they prepare for the ministry and to become "Arrows for Christ" in India. He shared with us that he personally sends money to his brother who lives in a tribal area of another nation vastly unreached with the Gospel so he can teach others there to read from English Bibles.  As they read from these Bibles; there is hope that they will also learn of the love of Christ. We were able to spend some time and hear Dr. Samuel Thomas at the Christmas service and he also spoke to us about his vision for 1 Million Christian Arrows that will come from the Orphanages of Hopegivers.  There are many arrows already in the field in India and we met many in the orphanages that are being sharpened and prepared for service of the Lord.  We visited the bedside of M.A. Thomas at the hospital in Kota and had the privilege of praying for him and letting him know how much we respect him for his service and how much we hope and pray that he is able to recover and serve the Lord as we know he desires.

My trip reminded me of the The Parable of the Talents in Matthew is about the servants that were given 5 talents, 2 talents and 1 talent. 

Today the story might be different if updated to reflect our current situation:

America has received 5 talents and most of us have spent it all on ourselves and have nothing to show for it. The Indian Christians were given only 1 talent and have spent it wisely and are getting a tremendous return with their 1 talent.

 "For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." - Matthew 25:29-30

 Those of us in America have been greatly blessed with many talents, but many of us are wasting the talents which we have been given.  The people of India are like the servant that was only given one talent, but the Indian servants are getting a very good return in souls for money invested.  A church can be built for $10,000 and a child can be cared for for as little as $30 per month. 

Americans can invest some of our talents in India and receive a tremendous return of souls saved by the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the growth of the Church in India.  Be a part of Hopegivers and support the ministry in India.  You will be blessed!

Randy & Connie Chandler

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