Dearly Beloved in Christ,
FAMILY AND TRAINING.
I have seen and read of missions/ churches - raise and fall as the second line of leaders/ missionaries/ pastors were not trained. My husband and I from the beginning wanted the local people to be trained and take up leadership. Though God has helped me to complete more than half my life here at Malkangiri - 34 years, yet in Malkangiri I am considered an outsider !! I spent the last fiscal year building good family relationship among the missionaries even under very difficult circumstances [ persecution/ fear of the jungle ] and also training the swedeshi missionaries of RHS to take up leadership.
The finance was the worst that we had faced in the last 34 years, for we started with a Zero balance - first of April with the RHS missionaries being booked for 2 main trainings one on rural development and leadership at Rayagada conducted by the Vijaya Institute and the other at Cuttuck on Prison ministry conducted by The National Prison Ministry of India. Prison work is a very rewarding work with the prisoners accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior . I also took 2 missionaries with me to Vizag , Chennai, Ooty and Hyderabad to teach them and to make them absorb how to do promotional work. How to interact in English with others. Priase God, now the missionaries of RHS can handle both the administrative and field work with very little help from Remo and me.
Praise God that I could take loans to send the misssionaries for the above mentioned trainig. If any one of you would like a detail report of the training, then please let us know and we will send this to you. Unlike before it is very difficult to take loans from the local people , as they do not want to give loans to me as the anti Christian feeling is raising day by day. For the first time I could feel what it is like to work UNDER GREAT STRESS. How it feels when people hate you, even when all my life I have done only good to them. How it is to feel when people avoid you purposefully. Praise the Lord that inspite of all this, I did undergo a full medical check up as I was geting chest pain in the left second intercostal space almost every day - God in His great mercy has given me an excellant medical report. My crying too much has increased my floaters in my right eye BUT still in the vision there is no deteriation.
The missionaries had the JOY of projecting Jesus film to the Khondh people of Sanyasiguda. We have a project proposal for film programme. If any one of you are interested please let us know and we will send them.
Due to lack of finance we have not got invoved in extensive literacy programme in about 300 villages literacy rate is less than 1 % .
We have a project proposal for Literacy, Prison ministry and also creating Health awareness and Legal awareness which is so vital in the present day situation at Malkangiri. If any of you are interested please let us know and we will send them to you.
We need to appoint 2 missionary families , one at Mundiguda and the other at Rabaguda. Because the anti Christian feeling as well as terrorist activates are increasing rapidly and it is not wise to just keep one family in these interior centers. If any of you are led of the Lord please designate your money for the specific purpose of appointing new staff. As and when we get donors for this we will appoint the new missionaries.
Praise Points:
1. Summer has started and snakes are being spoted again. Just killed a python last week during travel . Praise God our missionaries are empowered by God to kill snakes as soon as they spot one as most of the snakes here are poisious ones.
2. Praise God for sparing the life of Dilip's mother after an mycardial infarction [ heart attack ] 10 days ago.
3. Successful leadership training for 11 missionaries at Raigada
4. Successful Prison ministry annual conf and training for 10 missionaries at Cuttuck
5. Mary's back pain is only a natural protection mechanism - this is after all investigations were done - so she is now permitted to play games. She is in her final year at school and she is the school games captain. A special thanks to all who prayed for her healing.
6. For the health that I enjoyed during my extensive travel in April.
7. For God's protection when the Salwar Judung group attack us.
8. Praise God for the money that came form a single donor for one training.
9. For the refreshing Interserve prayer conference at Connoor which I could take part.
10. Praise God for missionary Romesh Khosla who could represent RHS in the IMA Annual Conference at Aizawl.
Prayer Points:
1. For complete healing of Remo's right knee injury following a bike accident on the 12th of April 2006.
2. Laban had symptoms of kidney stones in 1998 - now last few days the same symptoms are coming up and he is getting frightened. Laban is now undergoing investigations. Please pray for full cure.
3. For Joythi's brother in law - Sunam Khora - who is an alcoholic- for God to deliver him and for him to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
4. For Niranjan Kuldeep's wife Prabhati who is in her second trimester [ 5th month of pregnancy ] and is getting on and off abdominal pain. She has already had 1 miscarriage.
5. For Sunath who is possed with evil spirits and he is listening to the sharing about Jesus .Missionaries Swapan and Prakash are visiting him regularly and praying for him.
6. For Adhikanth suffering form end stage tuberculosis. Please pray for a miraculous cure.
7. For finance for the project proposals so that as per the vision of RHS a Total Development can take place among the people in this area.
8. For all the loans taken in April to be cleared.
Thanks a ton for standing with us in prayer and finance.
Love and Prayers,
Iris.