Pray for India on Sunday, May 10, 2015

Lectionary Selection: John 15:9-17

Prayers for India:
Our loving God, we come into your presence with our hearts full of thanksgiving for the love you have shown us, even though our lives are far from perfect. We thank you and praise you O God, for your eternal love for us.

We pray for our mission partners in India and ask for your guidance in their respective fields as they try to bring about the much needed change in areas of religion, education, healthcare and social work. We pray for India as she struggles to fight poverty, terrorism, illiteracy gender- inequality and female foeticide/infanticide among a host of other evils. Lord, we pray that political powers and processes tainted and supported by narrow religious ideologies do not obstruct or deprive the poor from benefitting from the work of our mission partners in the fields and education. We now put our hospital and the schools under your care and protection, O Lord, bless us and our work so that we can bear much fruit for You and may Your Holy name be praised!

Amen

Mission Stewardship Moment from India:
The Christian Hospital Mungeli has been running the Rambo Memorial School for quite some time. The school now has 850 students and still counting! We are trying to catch up and as the school goes for summer break, we are hoping to add the second floor to the existing building. A year ago, there arose another question – what about the youth, who, for some reason or lack of funds, have left their schooling and have no future except taking up odd jobs? What about the housewives who want a part-time job to add to their family income? For these very reasons, a vocational training school – the Springer Community College (named after Mrs. Springer, who was one of the founding missionaries of the hospital) was started last year in the school premises, the classes being given in the after-school hours. The goal of this college is to promote job-oriented, skill-based, life-coping education to disadvantaged people. Seventeen students have enrolled in this 1-year course and are given classes in Physiotherapy, Nurse’s Aid, Tailoring and Computer hardware and networking. We look forward to adding more classes in the near future as the college progresses.

But let us not forget the Nursing School which was started in 2011 with 19 young girls in the first batch, all from the rural areas of Chhattisgarh, with very little knowledge of English. These students had classes in English as well as General Nursing & Midwifery for three and a half years and they have all passed their exams which were conducted in English. They are now qualified young staff nurses as of April 1st.

For all these and much more, we acknowledge the blessing of God and the support and prayers of those who have been with us in body or mind, throughout these endeavors. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

(Prayer and Mission Moment by Anil and Teresa Henry)

Mission Partners in India:

More information on India:
http://www.globalministries.org/india

Global Ministries Missionaries in India:
Anil and Teresa Henry, are members of Brookmeade Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Nashville, Tennessee. Anil serves the Synodical Board of Health Services of the Church of North India. Anil works as the medical director of the Christian Hospital in Mungeli. Teresa works as an anesthesiologist at the Christian Hospital in Mungeli. Their appointment is supported by One Great Hour of Sharing, Our Churches Wider Mission, Disciples Mission Fund and your special gifts.”