Sudhakar was looking for a good place to kill himself, wandering on the mountainside, carrying a piece of rope. Having cancer gave him unbearable pain. No relief had come from what medicine he could afford with his limited finances. No relief had come from appealing to Hindu gods and goddesses. He knew of only one other way to end his suffering.
But he happened to meet another man on the mountainside, a pastor making his way toward a nearby village. The pastor, learning about Sudhakar’s suffering and what the rope was for, prayed for him and told him the good news of the gospel. Sudhakar was comforted by the prayer and responded to the gospel by giving his life to the Lord. Now he has a hope with which to carry on living.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Please Pray for our Serve India Ministries Christmas Letter
I have spent the past two weeks working on writing and mailing our annual Christmas letter to our donors of Serve India Ministries. Our heart is to build a long-lasting relationship with our donors and to always encourage them with stories and updates. Whenever we mention needs of the ministries to our donors, we want to be sensitive to allow them to be led by God in their giving. If we accomplish this with all of our communications, then we will be successful because God will be our supply, not a fancy written letter.Here is a copy of our annual Christmas letter. I hope it encourages you as much as it did me as I wrote it:
Merry Christmas
As the end of the year approaches, we pause and reflect on the goodness of God. 2009 has been an amazing year for Serve India Ministries. We can imagine the smiling faces of the people whom God has granted us the privilege of serving. The message of the Gospel has penetrated the darkness of their world with its beacon of hope. As we approach Christmas, we rejoice knowing that many people in India will be celebrating their first Christmas as believers. And many more will be hearing from their village pastors about the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We can also imagine the faces of children that will be learning the Christmas story as they attend their local Stepping Stone Program sponsored by Serve India Ministries. These centers are serving the children of India because of the generosity of many of our donors.
As the end of the year approaches, we pause and reflect on the goodness of God. 2009 has been an amazing year for Serve India Ministries. We can imagine the smiling faces of the people whom God has granted us the privilege of serving. The message of the Gospel has penetrated the darkness of their world with its beacon of hope. As we approach Christmas, we rejoice knowing that many people in India will be celebrating their first Christmas as believers. And many more will be hearing from their village pastors about the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We can also imagine the faces of children that will be learning the Christmas story as they attend their local Stepping Stone Program sponsored by Serve India Ministries. These centers are serving the children of India because of the generosity of many of our donors.
Read an update about Shanti, one of the children from one of our Stepping Stone outreaches in India. It is not just the hearts of the villagers that are opened up by a Stepping Stone Tutoring Center, which provides the children of the village with care and education, but the hearts of the parents are opened up as well. Bible verses, one each day, are given to the children, who enthusiastically learn their meaning and memorize them. On Saturdays, the day of the week when songs and Bible stories are used to bring the gospel to the children, the children are encouraged to recite the verses that they learned during the week. They are also urged to develop a personal walk with God, to pray for their needs, and to share their testimonies about answered prayers.
Shanti, a Hindu girl who had learned a Bible verse one day, attended a prayer meeting that night in her neighbor’s house. When the pastor spoke at the meeting, he used the same Bible verse that the girl had learned earlier in the day at the Stepping Stone Center. Shanti, struck twice in one day by the same verse and feeling astonished by this and puzzling over its significance, described her experience to a woman attending the meeting. God’s word is living and active. When we store it up in our hearts, it speaks to us. After the woman had explained this to her and had given her encouragement, Shanti felt that she had been spoken to by God. Feeling excited and happy, she rejoiced the whole night.
The struggles of our daily lives sometimes overwhelm us, but the realities of what God is doing everyday in India overshadows any hardships we face. India is a nation with 500 million children, and each one can be changed just like Shanti. There is nothing more precious than helping a child learn about the God who loves them and wants to be their eternal savior. Serve India Ministries has channeled your support to pastor-missionaries who have, in turn, spread the message of the Gospel and the love of God. A simple “thank you” seems so inadequate. You have faithfully stood with us. Because of your help, there are new smiles on faces, new hope in hearts, and lives forever changed. Thousands of people in hundreds of villages now have a new eternal destiny. Your gifts of time, talent, and financial support made it possible.
We, the USA staff, thank you along with Brother Ebenezer Samuel and the 638 pastor-missionaries that are part of Serve India Ministries. This is “the body of Christ” in action, the fulfillment of His mandate, and the light of His love that so brilliantly shines in darkness. At this time of the year it’s good to remember.
Thank you so very much for your faithfulness. You mean so much to me and to our ministry.
Yours in Christ,
Michael R. Erwin, Development Director, Serve India Ministries
P.S. We are so grateful for your generous support that has enabled us to accomplish great things for the glory of God. As our work in India continues to grow, our cost in our U.S. office is going up. We are praying that we might see an increase of $800 per month for our U.S. general fund. Your one-time donations or monthly support of our “Where Most Needed” fund will be a great blessing to help us serve on behalf of our pastor-missionaries in India as well as our friends here in the United States.
Shanti, a Hindu girl who had learned a Bible verse one day, attended a prayer meeting that night in her neighbor’s house. When the pastor spoke at the meeting, he used the same Bible verse that the girl had learned earlier in the day at the Stepping Stone Center. Shanti, struck twice in one day by the same verse and feeling astonished by this and puzzling over its significance, described her experience to a woman attending the meeting. God’s word is living and active. When we store it up in our hearts, it speaks to us. After the woman had explained this to her and had given her encouragement, Shanti felt that she had been spoken to by God. Feeling excited and happy, she rejoiced the whole night.
The struggles of our daily lives sometimes overwhelm us, but the realities of what God is doing everyday in India overshadows any hardships we face. India is a nation with 500 million children, and each one can be changed just like Shanti. There is nothing more precious than helping a child learn about the God who loves them and wants to be their eternal savior. Serve India Ministries has channeled your support to pastor-missionaries who have, in turn, spread the message of the Gospel and the love of God. A simple “thank you” seems so inadequate. You have faithfully stood with us. Because of your help, there are new smiles on faces, new hope in hearts, and lives forever changed. Thousands of people in hundreds of villages now have a new eternal destiny. Your gifts of time, talent, and financial support made it possible.
We, the USA staff, thank you along with Brother Ebenezer Samuel and the 638 pastor-missionaries that are part of Serve India Ministries. This is “the body of Christ” in action, the fulfillment of His mandate, and the light of His love that so brilliantly shines in darkness. At this time of the year it’s good to remember.
Thank you so very much for your faithfulness. You mean so much to me and to our ministry.
Yours in Christ,
Michael R. Erwin, Development Director, Serve India Ministries
P.S. We are so grateful for your generous support that has enabled us to accomplish great things for the glory of God. As our work in India continues to grow, our cost in our U.S. office is going up. We are praying that we might see an increase of $800 per month for our U.S. general fund. Your one-time donations or monthly support of our “Where Most Needed” fund will be a great blessing to help us serve on behalf of our pastor-missionaries in India as well as our friends here in the United States.
Merry Christmas 2009 From the Erwin Family
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Greetings!
I pray that you are having an enjoyable Christmas holiday and your knowledge of God's love is growing each year as we serve God together and look for his soon return. I heard Pastor Tom Nelson of Christ Community Church, who is known for his great knowledge of the Bible and the end times, preach a sermon today. Pastor Nelson said that he is often asked about when he thinks Jesus will return for his Church. He will always tell them, "I don't know the exact date of His return, but I know that it is closer than ever!" Jesus said that we will not know the day or the hour of His return but we should work while it is day. Your wonderful generosity toward our ministry has allowed us to work effectively while it is day!
Major Changes - Same Vision
2009 has been a major year for change for our family. What hasn't changed is the vision that God gave us back in 1996: "Help Reach Millions of People with the Gospel."
In March of this year we took a major step in fulfilling that vision by beginning our service with Serve India Ministries. In just 3 short years of existence, Serve India Ministries is now working in over 3000 unreached villages as we are honored to serve 638 pastor-missionaries seeking to plant 5 new churches apiece.
Great Generosity
We have seen our ministry financial support stay amazingly steady in 2009 even through the difficult economy, and I know that it is because of the sacrifice of our friends who know the urgency of the days we live in and they are motivated by the Love of God for us and the lost world.
We have seen our ministry reserve grow continually in the past months and are now very close to our goal of 90 days of reserve. This reserve will allow us to maintain our momentum serving our Brothers and Sisters in India without getting too distracted with our personal support needs. It is a great blessing to see God provide month by month by month.
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