Deva Anbu Illam Update

On our latest trip, Cathy and I focused most of our time on the children’s home. Cathy taught English and prepared for the new library. I worked on Bible training and vocational. For educational purposes, we purchased a television at DAI. After finding the movie “Dinosaurs,” the children were all invited to “cinema night” on the roof of our apartment. It was a highlight of our lives to watch eighty-one children watching, what was for many, the first movie of their lives. Each had to memorize and quote John 14:1-3 to get a ticket to attend. Pictured to the right, Cathy, Mark, and Stan set up the television. The children who are seated have completed their memory work and are waiting anxiously. God is Great!

Four Widows Needing Help

Pictured to the left, Cathy stands beside a widowed sister in Christ. The grass house behind her is all she has. On this particular evening we visited four widows. Their situations are much the same. They sleep on a grass mat on a dirt floor. In the floor, in the corner of the dark hut, sets a battered cooking pot above black ashes. With so many widows in India it would be impossible to care for them indefinitely. But in the goat program, they can make their own living for the rest of their lives. In this program we purchase five goats at $30 each ($150). We also supply $10 per month for eighteen months ($180) to furnish food until the goats can reproduce offspring and milk. At that time the widow will be financially independent. The total cost for each widow is $330, and we have four for which we need to care.

Polarai Church of Christ

I called in advance to arrange an afternoon meeting with Ariveligan. We needed to check on some widowed sisters.

Passing through Dharapurham (about thirty minutes away) I remembered how these meetings often go. I asked Stan to phone and ask Ariveligan to meet me in the village. If we met him at the church building, the entire church would be waiting, and we did not have much time. Sure enough, when we called back, all of the brethren were gathered, but Ariveligan understood and agreed to meet me by the road side.

Passing through the village I searched to spot Ariveligan. Suddenly I saw a large group of people, and could not believe my eyes. The whole congregation had walked to the main road, about ½ mile, and were gathered and waiting. Cathy and I were very thankful to see them all. We rejoiced together as we discussed all of the new works in which they are engaged.

Singathurai Church of Christ

The sun was about to set as I walked along the shore of the Bay of Bengal. Within minutes I was surrounded by brethren. Just off of the shore, fishermen were bringing in their harvest. Some men waded out into the water to collect the fish in baskets. One brother dove into the water, swimming out to sea. Another brother explained that the swimmer was going out to one of the seaweed rafts to retrieve a sample. Within minutes, the wet proud seaweed grower stood before me exhibiting his product. The waters are producing seaweed at a rate thirty percent above projections. But enthusiastic growth predictions are not making the program move faster. If you are remotely familiar with Asia you can understand why things are moving so slowly.

After praying together on the shore, the brothers wanted me to see their new church building (pictured above). Six months ago, this new congregation asked if we would help them build this. I explained, as kindly as possible, that we do not build buildings and that they would have to build their own facility. They just smiled and gave a nod of agreement. These fishermen are generous and determined. Complete with a concrete floor; I don’t know who was more proud of this building, the Indian brothers or me. Singathurai saw some of the first converts after the tsunami relief program started. This is also the congregation where twenty-five of our new brothers were withdrawn from by the village because of their baptisms.