Our India Flights Are Booked!
Four years ago a group of men from the Big Timber Evangelical Church went to Bridge City, Texas with the purpose of helping another church recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Rita. In the process they met Pastor Samuel Karunanithi, a native of India and the Pastor of Living Word Church. In 2006 and 2007, we helped rebuild the church building and since then our two churches have maintained a close relationship.
Following a visit from Pastor Samuel in August 2009, we decided that a small group from Big Timber would go to Madurai, India to help sponsor work at an orphanage which is in Pastor Samuel’s care. Many children in India are forsaken orphans and start working at the age of six or seven because of poverty. In 1982, Pastor Samuel gave his only piece of land to build a home for the needy children. With the help of other Christians he built a home for 20 children in Chennai, India. Now there are two orphanages in Madurai caring for 35 children.
Our goal will be to come alongside work at each orphanage, to disperse health care packets, to meet with and encourage local pastors and their congregations, and to research the idea of adding a 2nd floor to the newer orphanage so the two orphanages can be combined into one less costly orphanage in a single location.
These are lofty goals and certainly more aggressive than what we in our own power can achieve. We need as much prayer support as we can get! Would you keep us in prayer as we prepare for this mission trip?
We are also asking for financial partners to help cover some trip related costs, health care packets, orphanage projects and other projects we will be participating in. Each person needs to raise $2500 to $3000 for this purpose.
Now the question why? Why would we want to travel all the way to the other side of the world to be a part of such work?
Jesus tells us that “to whom much is given, much is required.” Luke wrote it down, but Jesus said it and since God inspired it, we are to live it. The truth is none of us have to do it all because all of us can do some. Some are called to go and others can pray and support the work.
Either way, our prayer is that everything that we do is done because of what God has already done for each one of us. Please prayerfully consider joining us as a partner in this mission trip.
Thank you!
Jay and Bryan,
I have a sense of absolute expectancy as I think about this trip! In my prayers for you, I do not pray for your safety. It is not that I pray for you to be unsafe but I believe that undue concern for safety sometimes interferes with God’s plan. Rather, I pray that you will be careful and wise and that God will give you “new eyes” in this adventure.
“A ship in the harbor is safe but that’s not what ships are meant for”
Shalom, Tom