Pray for India on Sunday, May 1, 2016

Lectionary Selection: John 14:23-29 or John 5:1-9

Prayers for India:

Dear God,

We in Mungeli thank you for giving us the opportunity to be able to serve you in such a special way.

We know that there are millions of people around the world who suffer due to not being able to get the education and care to be able to break free from the bonds of poverty. They are all around the pool waiting to be enabled but each time the water gets stirred, it is only those who are rich and powerful who are able to reach first.

Mungeli is privileged to be able to provide low-cost English medium education to over 700 village children, many who are from the lower caste, with parents who are neither literate nor educated.

These people were frogs that now have a chance to be able to jump out of the pool, be healed, and be able to reach the dreams and aspirations which we all take for granted.

It is in this special way that we make a difference; through visits from Global Ministries friends and volunteers who come to share their lives and knowledge with these young children.

Thank you God for helping us in this very special ministry.

Amen

Mission Stewardship Moment from India:

When we got here in 2003, the Rambo Memorial English Medium School, which was being run by the Church of North India, had about 80 children and was about to close. My two little boys came from Nashville, Tennessee and joined the first grade here.

In 2004, the Bishop of the Diocese asked us to help revitalize the school. It was with prayer and faith that we got involved in the leadership of this school. Our vision was to provide “low cost English education for village children.” We bought our first school bus in 2004, to go where no public transport exists, so that kids could get to school. From then on, the school kept growing.

Today, we have over 700 children who get an education in English. Over 650 of them are from the neighboring villages within a 30 mile radius of Mungeli. In 2015 we graduated our first batch of 12th graders with a 100% pass rate. They exceed our expectations: some have been accepted in to business school, engineering and nursing. Six school buses do the job of ensuring that all of them never miss a day of school. The majority of students come from challenging backgrounds, where neither of their parents have been to school or completed school. None of the students come from families that have had an education in English or that are exposed to English TV channels, newspapers or native English speakers. It is in this field that volunteers, college students, church groups, and short and long term missionaries add the most value just by their sheer presence. The children love to learn and interact with them and try out their English. People from different cultures open up their horizons and bring new ideas to light. They are like frogs in a well who are now given the opportunity to jump out and conquer the world.

The community now recognizes the value of the education that the school provides. However, due to a lack of infrastructure, last year the school had to turn students away due to lack of space. We have been operating out of a renovated 1950s bungalow. So we are constructing a new three-story school building with an indoor gym area. We have completed the foundation and first two floors.

Our latest and very special endeavor is to have Aswan Korula join us this year. He is a retired submarine commander from the Indian Navy, where he specialized in war game simulations and programming. He is starting a Robotics department at our village school. It will be the first of its kind in this State, in one of its most underdeveloped and neglected district. It is through the help of Glenn Crocker of Country Club Christian Church Kansas City that we got our first Lego Mindstorm kits to get the department going. We are excited to be able to offer this special tool to kids, that will open their horizons to create a new world for themselves. Under Nancy Lear and Carla Aday’s leadership, Country Club Christian Church Kansas City brought two mission groups this year to interact with the hospital and school community. Sandy Finney, a teacher stayed for over a month and brought with her interactive tools from her vast experience of teaching English as a second language. Hannah Fennley brought her flute which was the first time that the children had heard a musical instrument played at school. We are eternally grateful for the support of Global Ministries and through connections of the Church that we are able to share God’s love with thousands of people in this region.

(Prayer and Mission Moment by Anil Henry)

Mission Partners in India:

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

Global Ministries Missionary in India:
Anil Henry serves with the Church of North India. His appointment is made possible by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund, Our Churches Wider Mission, and your special gifts.