Support the Erwin Family in their work with Serve India Ministries.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
December 2012 - Merry Christmas
Serving with Serve
India Ministries December 2012
Helping to Reach
Millions of People with the Gospel by Building Kingdom Relationships
Dear Freinds:
We
are praying for a successful “Give the Gift of Hope” campaign to finish out
2012 with the campaign we hope to raise support for 4 underfunded areas such
as: New Mission Fields, Unsponsored
Pastors, Stepping Stone Centers and our General Fund. At our current pace, we are about even with
last year as far as support that we have raised for our pastors and stepping
stone children. If you could pray with
us that “Give the Gift of Hope” will do very well, we can serve them.
Our goals:
·
Our goal is to raise vital funds to help us
fund the growth of our ministry in 2012 (300 new pastors) as well as next years
growth. We will need to raise funds for
5000 more children through our egg project, 300 new pastors in 2013 and fund all
of our unsponsored pastors. · Please pray for us to reach these goals, It has been much harder to raise additional capital this year as pressures of the economy and the distractions of the election has made it much harder to raise funds.
· We still have 300 more pastors to find sponsors for, a sponsor is someone who will support a missionary/pastor for $35 per month for the 5 year partnership that we have with these independent pastors.
India
Update:
National Pastors See Prayer Heal, Transform, and Equip
Looking
at the Giving the Gift of Hope campaign,
we reflect on the testimonies of national pastors. Your gift to the Gift
of Hope can sponsor a national pastor, provide a child with one year of
tutoring through Stepping Stones, sponsor a mission field, or fund our
operations in the United States.
Serve
India Ministries’ goal is to reach out to 100,000 villages in India with the
Gospel. In our recent blog stories of unreached villages in India, there
is a common similarity that each of the national pastors share – a belief in
the power of prayer. Countless stories from these national pastors
display how the power of prayer heals, transforms, and equips.
Prayer
Heals.
Pastor
Suraj’s prayers for an unreached village led
him to minister to a woman named Subita. Subita, a mother of two
children, was mentally handicapped and her family continually worried over her
condition.
When
they met Pastor Suraj, they begged him to pray for her. Pastor Suraj said, “I
did not have much faith to pray that God would heal. But somehow, with God’s
help, I told them, ‘I will pray and if you believe in Jesus, Jesus can heal
her.” The family believed, and when Suraj prayed, God healed Subita! Overjoyed,
her family eagerly opened their home for Suraj’s ministry in that village.
Supported by the prayer of his church, he boldly evangelized.
Prayer
Transforms.
CLICK TO VIEW VIDEO ABOUT SERVE INDIA MINISTRIES
Vinod shared how the Gospel brought deliverance and
healing from his addiction to drugs. One day, as Vinod went from door to
door selling clothes, he felt God tell him that if he would trust in Jesus,
then Jesus could heal his wife. With faith rising in his heart, Vinod went back
to the church. In prayer, he confessed his sins. After some time, God
miraculously healed his wife. Vinod’s faith grew! Finally, he accepted Jesus as
his Lord and Savior.
Prayer
Equips.
Pastor
Subey Dar spends concentrated
time in fasting and prayer for the unreached villages in his area of North
India. After praying for a particular unreached village, Pastor Subey Dar
would visit the unreached village and share the Gospel. Subey Dar says
that his prayer life is making him more effective in answering God’s call. He
and his family are committed to continue fasting and praying for the yet
unreached villages.
Support Report – Year End Giving
Opportunity
As we
close out 2012 we want to thank you for your faithfulness to our ministry
through your faithful financial support.
It has been a good year. We
prepare for 2013 with anticipation, knowing that God has a plan for our family
to continue touching lives in India with the hope of Christ.
Thank
you for each of you who give cheerfully and sacrificially to enable us to tell
the story of these village pastors and precious stepping stone children on
India. Together we can be a major part
of 100,000 villages in India receiving the message of Jesus Christ.
As the year-end comes to an end, your special
gift will give us a significant boost as we seek to build our support
reserve. Thank you for remembering the
Erwin family in your prayers and your financial support.
We are also able to receive donations of
publicly traded stock! Please call me if
you would like information about donating appreciated stock, I can send you a
donation form.
God bless you,
Michael,
Jane and Benjamin Erwin
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Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Erwin Family Ministries September 2012 Update
Greetings,
As I write this note, we are preparing to travel to Colorado for my grandmother's Dora Lee Coldiron's memorial service. She lived to be 92 and grew up in Kansas and Colorado; a woman of the frontier and the west.
After we return from Colorado next week, I am busy preparing for Brother Ebey's fall tour which will go from September 26 - November 20th. He will begin in Minnesota at the Desiring God conference hosted by Pastor John Piper. At the conference we will have a booth display and then travel to Des Moines IA for a Sunday meeting. After a few days in Kansas City, Brother Ebey will travel to Illinios, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Our goals:
As I write this note, we are preparing to travel to Colorado for my grandmother's Dora Lee Coldiron's memorial service. She lived to be 92 and grew up in Kansas and Colorado; a woman of the frontier and the west.
After we return from Colorado next week, I am busy preparing for Brother Ebey's fall tour which will go from September 26 - November 20th. He will begin in Minnesota at the Desiring God conference hosted by Pastor John Piper. At the conference we will have a booth display and then travel to Des Moines IA for a Sunday meeting. After a few days in Kansas City, Brother Ebey will travel to Illinios, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Our goals:
- We have 300 more pastors to find sponsors for, a sponsor is someone who will support a missionary/pastor for $35 per month for the 5 year partnership that we have with these independent pastors.
- Raise support for 5000 Stepping Stone Center children through our "Egg Project" Campaign. Each egg represents a $36 donation that will care for a child for an entire year providing afterschool tutoring and biblical discipling. Each stepping stone center opens the doors for our pastors to reach the parents in a community and plant a church.
- Raise support for 15 new mission fields (300 pastors) for 2013 which will eventually impact 1500 villages.
Family Update:
Benjamin has advanced to next level in his homeschool orchastra. He was required to audition for the role and passed with flying colors. His teachers said that he reads music very well has great promise as a violin player.
Janey continues to fight the good fight of faith with headaches and is awaiting continued evaluation from a neuologist. She is also having difficulty with heel spurs that are giving her pain when she walks. By God's grace she will overcome these difficulties with a smile. Thank you for praying for our family.
Support Update:
Our support level has been steady over the summer and we are very appreciative of your generosity. Like many of your, Our utility expenses have been high this summer but God is providing by his grace. I pray that each of you reading this letter sense the blessing of God on your lives and I want to personally thank you for the sacrifice you have made to partner with us so that the nations can be blessed with the Gospel and God will be glorified in thousands of villages in India.
God bless you,
Michael, Jane and Benjamin Erwin
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Happy Anniversary – 30 Years
By the time you read this newsletter, Janey and I will be celebrating our 30th anniversary! What a wonderful journey we have been on ministering together for 23; 6 years as youth ministers as well as serving 9 years at Gospel for Asia, 4 years at Servant Christian Community Foundation and now 31/2 years at Serve India Ministries. And after 20 wonderful years together, we welcomed Benjamin in our family. Truly I am a very blessed man and I have been given the woman of my dreams and an amazing man of God in Benjamin. Pray that I will be a good steward of all that God has so lovingly given me! I posted our family history on the back of this letter.
Ministry News
Once again we are excited to host 45 young people from Global Expeditions on our mission fields in South India. These young people are extraordinary in their love and zeal for Jesus
and are serving our village pastors with humility and are a great blessing! Brother Ebey and our leaders are bringing 300 more pastors into partnership with serve India. That will make 1300 by the end of the year. We are also working to raise enough funding so that we can add 5000 more children to our Stepping Stone Centers through “The Egg Project.” Each child only cost $36 (each $36 donation is an Egg) for a whole year of tutorial center ministry! http://www.serveindiaministries.org/get-involved/the-egg-project/
Family News
Benjamin is doing amazing with his violin. I am amazed at the confidence he has and being only 9 years old. We went to Arkansas last weekend and he got to give his grandparents some private concerts! He is now a 6th grader and will begin his Monarch
homeschoolurriculum in September. Janey continues to consult the headache center and they are piecing together all the clues to why she has headaches, meanwhile she is receiving physical therapy to loosen up tension in her neck. Even with the headaches, she is so amazingly cheerful and her smile lights up a room .
By the time you read this newsletter, Janey and I will be celebrating our 30th anniversary! What a wonderful journey we have been on ministering together for 23; 6 years as youth ministers as well as serving 9 years at Gospel for Asia, 4 years at Servant Christian Community Foundation and now 31/2 years at Serve India Ministries. And after 20 wonderful years together, we welcomed Benjamin in our family. Truly I am a very blessed man and I have been given the woman of my dreams and an amazing man of God in Benjamin. Pray that I will be a good steward of all that God has so lovingly given me! I posted our family history on the back of this letter.
Ministry NewsOnce again we are excited to host 45 young people from Global Expeditions on our mission fields in South India. These young people are extraordinary in their love and zeal for Jesus
and are serving our village pastors with humility and are a great blessing! Brother Ebey and our leaders are bringing 300 more pastors into partnership with serve India. That will make 1300 by the end of the year. We are also working to raise enough funding so that we can add 5000 more children to our Stepping Stone Centers through “The Egg Project.” Each child only cost $36 (each $36 donation is an Egg) for a whole year of tutorial center ministry! http://www.serveindiaministries.org/get-involved/the-egg-project/
Family News
Benjamin is doing amazing with his violin. I am amazed at the confidence he has and being only 9 years old. We went to Arkansas last weekend and he got to give his grandparents some private concerts! He is now a 6th grader and will begin his Monarch
homeschoolurriculum in September. Janey continues to consult the headache center and they are piecing together all the clues to why she has headaches, meanwhile she is receiving physical therapy to loosen up tension in her neck. Even with the headaches, she is so amazingly cheerful and her smile lights up a room .Support Update
We have very good news concerning our support needs. With the reserve that God provided, we have been able to make it through the summer in good shape and cover the higher utility bills. So many of you have been so generous and given sacrificially. I pray that our ministry is an ncouragement to you. Your love, prayer and support is the manifestation of God’s grace. I pray that you and you’re your families are eternally blessed by the love and the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
God bless you, Michael, Jane and Benjamin Erwin
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Support Update
We have very good news concerning our support needs. Thank you for praying and thank you for giving. As we shared with you last month, we have 2 primary goals concerning our support needs:
#1 Monthly Partners. Goal: $300 per month of additional monthly support and #2 a 3 month reserve for our support account.
- Update, we have a commitment for $300 per month of new support.
- Update, we have raised the 3 month reserve for our ministry account.
We give God the glory for His great provision and I pray that God may richly bless each one of you who have been so kind and generous toward our ministry support.As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
God bless you, Michael, Jane and Benjamin Erwin
The Egg Project is Here!
We chose an egg as the symbol of this project for many reasons. In the Serve India Stepping Stone Centers ministry, each child is given the daily snack of one boiled egg—a wholesome snack to fill up bellies that are often empty. Further, the egg is a symbol of life and complete nutrition in all cultures. Among Christians, historically the egg has been seen as representative of the empty tomb and Christ's resurrection. For all of these reasons, in honor of this, we are calling each $36 donation an "egg." What is the Egg Project?
The Egg Project is Serve India's campaign to support our Stepping Stone Tutoring Centers in India. Stepping Stone tutoring is a holistic after-school program designed to develop children in three important ways: education, character, and health. The centers are located across rural India and serve the local villages by serving children ages 6 to 14 from poor communities and various religious backgrounds. The egg as the center's daily snack lends its name to this project, which raises children’s awareness of, and commitment to, a holistic lifestyle centered on Christ, the Creator of life. The goal for "The Egg Project" is to help 5,000 children by receiving 5,000 eggs. Read more at http://www.serveindiaministries.org/get-involved/the-egg-project/
The Egg Project is Serve India's campaign to support our Stepping Stone Tutoring Centers in India. Stepping Stone tutoring is a holistic after-school program designed to develop children in three important ways: education, character, and health. The centers are located across rural India and serve the local villages by serving children ages 6 to 14 from poor communities and various religious backgrounds. The egg as the center's daily snack lends its name to this project, which raises children’s awareness of, and commitment to, a holistic lifestyle centered on Christ, the Creator of life. The goal for "The Egg Project" is to help 5,000 children by receiving 5,000 eggs. Read more at http://www.serveindiaministries.org/get-involved/the-egg-project/
Family News
Jane and Benjamin are doing well, and I am so blessed to have
them in my life. Benjamin has already outgrown his bicycle and his violin. It is a good thing we rent the violin so we can trade it in. Our family will be traveling this weekend to one of our favorite families: the Ferraros in Jacksonville, Illinois. The Ferraros have 10 children; our very social son Benjamin is in heaven when he is around all those other kids.
Janey has had a series of tests done to learn more about why she has migraine headaches. The tests included two MRIs, sleep study and physical therapy. By God's grace she will find some relief and even complete healing. Benjamin is getting some private lessons on his violin this summer and doing very well, making great progress. He is also learning the mandolin and is able to learn a lot of songs because the fingering is similar to the violin.
them in my life. Benjamin has already outgrown his bicycle and his violin. It is a good thing we rent the violin so we can trade it in. Our family will be traveling this weekend to one of our favorite families: the Ferraros in Jacksonville, Illinois. The Ferraros have 10 children; our very social son Benjamin is in heaven when he is around all those other kids.
Janey has had a series of tests done to learn more about why she has migraine headaches. The tests included two MRIs, sleep study and physical therapy. By God's grace she will find some relief and even complete healing. Benjamin is getting some private lessons on his violin this summer and doing very well, making great progress. He is also learning the mandolin and is able to learn a lot of songs because the fingering is similar to the violin.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The Joy of Generosity even Without Money - Non Cash Giving!
For the Christian, giving should be a natural reaction whenGod's grace begins to change our hearts and attitudes. Jesus takes our giving very seriously and remembers what we give. We learn of the Widow's Mite in Mark 12:41-44, and it has been used as an illustration for centuries in the area of giving. The most important thing we can take from this scripture is that every one of us can give and should give. Giving is great medicine and reflects the character of Jesus!
What if we don't haveany money to give? Donate Your Stuff!
When we don't have money to give, that is when our imaginations can kick in. Just this week, Benjamin and I were cleaning our storage room in the basement, and there was so much stuff that we had not even unpacked yet from two years ago when we moved to this house. We were able to put together four large boxes of good stuff that we were able to take to the local thrift store and donate. The thrift store could possibly get $200-$300 for the items. Also located in a corner was our old desktop computer. It is outdated for our needs,
but it still has value so we took it to Integrity Communications http://www.integritycsi.com/cpr), our partner that helps us with donated cell phones and electronics. Integrity Communications will refurbish most items, sell them and give proceeds from the sale to any charity the donor hooses. In my case, I chose for the proceeds to go to Serve India Ministries.
You can click on the link above and see how you can donate many electronic items that can benefit ministries like Serve India Ministries.
Serve India Ministries also has partners that can receive your vehicle donations, and almost any vehicle out there has value to help Serve India Ministries fulfill its mission through the proceeds from vehicle donations. You can also donate jewelry, fine antiques, real estate, business inventory and even publicly traded stock. PLEASE CONTACT ME WITH ANY IDEAS THAT YOU HAVE CONCERNING NONCASH DONATIONS: mikee@sim2020.org or call 913-406-3495.Watch for the Morning Psalm 130:5-6
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,And in His word I do hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning. (Psalm 130:5-6)
During the times when Psalm 30 was written, the city of Jerusalem was a walled city and the soldiers would be required to watch the alls at night to protect the city from attack. If you have ever worked the night shift, you may have observed how eerie and frightening the night is around 2 and 3 a.m. The sentries anxiously awaited the sun’s peeking over the horizon, bringing light and removing the darkness. Light always makes us feel more secure and sure of where we are going. This was the context that the Psalmist was bringing to our attention, that in his deep despair he nticipated the Lord speaking to him and bringing light onto his situation. If you’re in a season right now that seems very dark, watch for the morning—wait on the Lord for His light to shine on your situation. Your answer is coming!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Erwin Family June 2012 Update
Building Kingdom Relationships
"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil 1:3-6
As I am writing this letter, I am in Orange County California following up on some of the relationships Brother Ebey and I established last month during our time here.
One of my life verses is Phil 1:3-6. It flows well with the vision statement for Erwin Family Ministries it is to: "Helping to Reach Millions of People with the Gospel by Building Kingdom Relationships" Paul built ministry relationships as he shared the Gospel.
Building relationships is absolutely key to the ministry that the Erwin Family is called to do. God is very big on relationships, paticularly our relationship with Him! From ancient times, man has establish relationships through blood covenants that formed great alliances and partnerships that changed the world and established history.
Today is no different as I go about the United States sharing the vision of Serve India Ministries with like minded Christians who have a heart to see the Great Commission fulfilled in our generation and the relationships that we have established around God’s purpose will change the history of the world by God’s grace. Thousands of villages in India are being changed forever as God’s message of reconciliation and grace is going into unreached villages in India.
Janey and Benj
amin:
As I write this letter, it is Memorial Day and I am in California for the week. Janey and Benjamin are driving to our hometown in Harrison Arkansas to visit our family. Janey is still doing very well as Costco and has favor with the management and customers. I pray for her every day that God would bless her and give here great joy in her work and she would prosper the company she works for to the Glory of God. She still enjoys working with the children at church in the AWANA program. They have completed AWANA for the season and will begin a new term in August.
Benjam in is finishing up his 5 grade work and will begin 6th grade home school in September. I am amazed at how easily he picks up the complex math problems and once you show him once how to do a problem, he buzzes right through the rest of the homework. He needs very little help with science and history/geogrphy because he loves these subjects and is constantly researching science and history. The pool is open for the summer so he will be excited to go swimming as often as possible. He had taken up a great love for the game of chess so is any of you would like to challenge him to a game, please let us know; he would love to share a game. With the end of May came the end of the semester for violin his orchastra had a great concert on May 19th and Benjamins skill has greatly improved since he began last fall. We hope to continue some private lessons during the summer so he will be sharp when the fall semester comes along.
Former Bootlegger Finds Christ, Amends His Ways
In the fall of 2011, Ebenezer Samuel, Serve India’s director, visited with a new believer in Kerala named Gilbert—a man whose life took a 180-degree turn when he received Christ after conversing with a Serve India pastor.
When Gilbert moved deep into a forest with his wife and children, squatting illegally on several acres of land, his plan was to get rich quickly by making and selling illicit liquor—a lucrative industry across India.
He dug a moat around his house to keep the elephants and other wild animals at bay.
In that secluded spot, alcohol began to consume Gilbert’s life. He brewed it, drank it—almost a gallon a day—and sold it at a good profit. Worst of all, he strong-armed his wife and children into selling the moonshine in nearby towns.
When his wife objected to their dangerous lifestyle, he beat her and sent her away with the children. He would carry on with business by himself.
Troubled over their broken home, Gilbert’s wife began attending worship gatherings led by a Serve India national pastor. The Lord heard her cry and began to work in the hearts of her loved ones. First Gilbert’s wife surrendered her life to Christ, and then her mother-in-law was also saved.
It wasn’t long before Gilbert himself was introduced to the pastor, who spoke boldly to him about his need for Christ. He repented of his sin and gave his life to the Lord.
From the day he received Christ, Gilbert abandoned bootlegging and did not feel the need for even one more drink. After bringing his wife and children home, he purchased a few acres of land close by and moved there—a new beginning for the whole family.
Intent on making an honest living, Gilbert began to cultivate ginger as a cash crop.
"In the worldly sense," said Ebey Samuel, who had the privilege of baptizing Gilbert, "this family looks anything but rich, living in a little shack in the forest. But their joyful faces tell you they are rich in another sense. Gilbert is clean now, and an ardent follower of Jesus.
God has Done Great Things! – Support Update
We have very good news concerning our support needs. Thank you for praying and thank you for giving. As we shared with you last month, we have 2 primary goals concerning our support needs:
#1 Monthly Partners. Goal: $300 per month of additional monthly support. Update, we have a commitment for $100 per month of new support.
#2 Building a Ministry Reserve.
Goal: To raise about $3000 for our ministry reserve. Update, we have raised the $3000 and met o our funding Goal!
We give God the glory for His great provision and I pray that God may richly bless each one of you who have been so kind and generous toward our ministry support.
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
God bless you, Michael, Jane and Benjamin Erwin
****You can see some of our photos from India:
https://picasaweb.google.com/102642539464370347618/April12012
"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil 1:3-6
As I am writing this letter, I am in Orange County California following up on some of the relationships Brother Ebey and I established last month during our time here.
One of my life verses is Phil 1:3-6. It flows well with the vision statement for Erwin Family Ministries it is to: "Helping to Reach Millions of People with the Gospel by Building Kingdom Relationships" Paul built ministry relationships as he shared the Gospel.
Building relationships is absolutely key to the ministry that the Erwin Family is called to do. God is very big on relationships, paticularly our relationship with Him! From ancient times, man has establish relationships through blood covenants that formed great alliances and partnerships that changed the world and established history.
Today is no different as I go about the United States sharing the vision of Serve India Ministries with like minded Christians who have a heart to see the Great Commission fulfilled in our generation and the relationships that we have established around God’s purpose will change the history of the world by God’s grace. Thousands of villages in India are being changed forever as God’s message of reconciliation and grace is going into unreached villages in India.
Janey and Benj
amin:As I write this letter, it is Memorial Day and I am in California for the week. Janey and Benjamin are driving to our hometown in Harrison Arkansas to visit our family. Janey is still doing very well as Costco and has favor with the management and customers. I pray for her every day that God would bless her and give here great joy in her work and she would prosper the company she works for to the Glory of God. She still enjoys working with the children at church in the AWANA program. They have completed AWANA for the season and will begin a new term in August.
Benjam in is finishing up his 5 grade work and will begin 6th grade home school in September. I am amazed at how easily he picks up the complex math problems and once you show him once how to do a problem, he buzzes right through the rest of the homework. He needs very little help with science and history/geogrphy because he loves these subjects and is constantly researching science and history. The pool is open for the summer so he will be excited to go swimming as often as possible. He had taken up a great love for the game of chess so is any of you would like to challenge him to a game, please let us know; he would love to share a game. With the end of May came the end of the semester for violin his orchastra had a great concert on May 19th and Benjamins skill has greatly improved since he began last fall. We hope to continue some private lessons during the summer so he will be sharp when the fall semester comes along.
Former Bootlegger Finds Christ, Amends His Ways In the fall of 2011, Ebenezer Samuel, Serve India’s director, visited with a new believer in Kerala named Gilbert—a man whose life took a 180-degree turn when he received Christ after conversing with a Serve India pastor.
When Gilbert moved deep into a forest with his wife and children, squatting illegally on several acres of land, his plan was to get rich quickly by making and selling illicit liquor—a lucrative industry across India.
He dug a moat around his house to keep the elephants and other wild animals at bay.
In that secluded spot, alcohol began to consume Gilbert’s life. He brewed it, drank it—almost a gallon a day—and sold it at a good profit. Worst of all, he strong-armed his wife and children into selling the moonshine in nearby towns.
When his wife objected to their dangerous lifestyle, he beat her and sent her away with the children. He would carry on with business by himself.
Troubled over their broken home, Gilbert’s wife began attending worship gatherings led by a Serve India national pastor. The Lord heard her cry and began to work in the hearts of her loved ones. First Gilbert’s wife surrendered her life to Christ, and then her mother-in-law was also saved.
It wasn’t long before Gilbert himself was introduced to the pastor, who spoke boldly to him about his need for Christ. He repented of his sin and gave his life to the Lord.
From the day he received Christ, Gilbert abandoned bootlegging and did not feel the need for even one more drink. After bringing his wife and children home, he purchased a few acres of land close by and moved there—a new beginning for the whole family.
Intent on making an honest living, Gilbert began to cultivate ginger as a cash crop.
"In the worldly sense," said Ebey Samuel, who had the privilege of baptizing Gilbert, "this family looks anything but rich, living in a little shack in the forest. But their joyful faces tell you they are rich in another sense. Gilbert is clean now, and an ardent follower of Jesus.
God has Done Great Things! – Support Update
We have very good news concerning our support needs. Thank you for praying and thank you for giving. As we shared with you last month, we have 2 primary goals concerning our support needs:#1 Monthly Partners. Goal: $300 per month of additional monthly support. Update, we have a commitment for $100 per month of new support.
#2 Building a Ministry Reserve.
Goal: To raise about $3000 for our ministry reserve. Update, we have raised the $3000 and met o our funding Goal!
We give God the glory for His great provision and I pray that God may richly bless each one of you who have been so kind and generous toward our ministry support.
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
God bless you, Michael, Jane and Benjamin Erwin
****You can see some of our photos from India:
https://picasaweb.google.com/102642539464370347618/April12012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
********Prayer Alert**********
“Do not be anxious about anything, but
in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. And the
peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:6-7
There are tremendous opportunities available to bless India with the
Gospel but as you know it is necessary for our family to raise our full support
in order to serve. Thank you for reading
our ministry update and praying for us and Serve India Ministries. Please pray in agreement (Matt 18:18-20) with our family as we pray according to God’s Word
to:
#1 Seek First the Kingdom of God (Matt 6:33.)
#2 As we pray
for wisdom in ministry and raising support (James 1:5-7)
#3 God supplies
our needs (Phil 4:19)
Our written support goals or vision for this spring (Hab 2:4) is to raise up a reserve of
$4500 for our support account as well as find additional ministry partners,
this will allow us to have a consistent amount of support each month. Thank you for standing in agreement as we
praise God with thanksgiving for His
future provision! (Phil 4:6)
in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. And the
peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:6-7
There are tremendous opportunities available to bless India with the
Gospel but as you know it is necessary for our family to raise our full support
in order to serve. Thank you for reading
our ministry update and praying for us and Serve India Ministries. Please pray in agreement (Matt 18:18-20) with our family as we pray according to God’s Word
to:
#1 Seek First the Kingdom of God (Matt 6:33.)
#2 As we pray
for wisdom in ministry and raising support (James 1:5-7)
#3 God supplies
our needs (Phil 4:19)
Our written support goals or vision for this spring (Hab 2:4) is to raise up a reserve of
$4500 for our support account as well as find additional ministry partners,
this will allow us to have a consistent amount of support each month. Thank you for standing in agreement as we
praise God with thanksgiving for His
future provision! (Phil 4:6)
Monday, April 2, 2012
*******SEE PICTURES FROM OUR INDIA TRIP BY CLICKING HERE!!!!!!
Serving with Serve
India Ministries April
2012
Helping to Reach
Millions of People with the Gospel by Building Kingdom Relationship
The Inconvenience of Generosity. (Phil 4: 14-19)
Thank you for standing with us the past three years as we have been full time with Serve India Ministries! Many of you have given sacrificially even when it wasn’t convenient. These gifts we receive each month are truly an encouragement to us and help us fight on for another day, week, month and year. This has been a bigger leap of faith for us than other ministries that we have served with, and we need our partners more than ever before. At Serve India Minitries we are similar to traditonal missionaries who receive only the support that com
es in and any shortfalls are not covered by our ministry. As we look back over the past three years, we can see God’s showing us that He is our provider. Just as it has looked like our support would come up short, there would be a special donation that we didn’t expect. Again; as we forcast ahead to this summer, we will have a deficit, but God says in His word that He will suppy our needs according to His riches in glory so God has the final say in our finances.Phil 4:14-19 says it very well: “Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord (Settling back in from India)
We have been able to adjust back to normal life here in Kansas. My last letter was written from India, and it was an honor to be able to meet many of the pastors and leaders that I have been serving over the past three years. It was very enjoyable for me to hear many testimonies from the pastors as they told of the difficulties they overcame to start their churches. We heard stories that they looked at their hungry children but didn’t have any money to buy food for them. One pastor was within hours of dying of HIV/AIDS, and God healed him after his sister prayed for him in the name of Jesus. I remember the story of the Pastor Vaslon who had been in the ministry for over 30 years and had left the 1984 Indian Olympic team to go full time into ministry. I heard several testimonies from pastors who were so blessed by the month-by-month training that they received - how it so strengthened their personal walk with the Lord and their ministries. Another one of the areas that I was able to visit with Brother Ebey is an area that has a large Muslim population where Serve India Ministries has 20 pastors that are planting churches among them.
Janey and Benjamin
Benjamin is getting back in the swing of his home school routine and violin lessons. He will have a concert in late May, and his teachers say that he is a natural reading the music and likes to play fast. Benjamin will finish his 5th grade studies in a couple of months, and we will start up 6th grade school next September. I was able to find Benjamin another flag football opportunity with the local YMCA; they have a spring league.Janey was very blessed by her time in India, being able to visit some of the
pastors in the tea plantation areas in South India. Benjamin and she were able spend a day with Angel Samuel, brother Ebey’s wife, when they were able visit some of Coimbatore, the city where our ministry headquarters. Here at home, Janey enjoys leading the “Sparks” (AWANA children age 5-7) at our local church and has about 100 Sparkies and their leaders that she coordinates. She was also able to meet the AWANA leader of the Bangalore region in India; this was a great honor.Here are some updates of the next couple of months:
Now that I am back from India, there are many challenges that lie ahead. I will spend most of the next two month helping Brother Ebey with his travel schedule. He will be here from April 19-May 25. His travel schedule will begin in Kansas City. From there I will go with him to California for some meetings with churches and business banquets. From California we will go Arizona the next weekend. From Arizona, Brother Ebey will fly to Atlanta, where he will spend his last 2½ weeks traveling through South Carolina, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania and back to Chicago, from where he will return to India on May 25.
The goals for Brother Ebey’s time here in the U.S. will be very significant. We hope to find sponsors ($35 per month) for 200 of our pastors, raise funds to deploy 1000 new pastors, and raise support to add 5000 children to our Stepping Stone program.
Update from India: Hindu Priest gives his life to Jesus after 50 years in the occult
While we were in India, we were able to visit with several pastors and hear what God is doing within their villages. One pastor named Peter, who is working in South India among the tea plantations, was working among five unreached villages by doing evangelism outreach and prayer meetings. Last year we were able to get a “Proclaimer” (audio Bible player) for him through our partnership with Faith Comes by Hearing in Albuquerque, New Mexico - www.faithcomesbyhearing.com . Peter took the proclaimer to one of his villages and left it with a prayer group. A very famous Hindu Priest who had practiced for 50 years was in that village and heard the “Proclaimer” broadcasting the Bible and challenged Pastor Peter. He told Peter, “My god is more powerful than your God; if He is so powerful, then he will speak to me personally.” That night, Jesus appeared to him in a vision and in the vision was giving out bread to people. The Hindu priest asked Jesus for a piece of the bread, but Jesus told him that he could not have the bread and was destined for hell because of his unbelief! The next day the Hindu priest found Pastor Peter, repented and gave his life to Jesus and renounced his pagan practices after 50 years of working in the powers of darkness! God is so gracious and kind and His compassion is beyond our comprehension!
Ministry Partner Support UpdateWe have 2 primary goals concerning our support needs:
#1 Become a monthly Partner. Please agree with us in prayer that we can raise an additional $300 per month support. We have been gaining new partners, but the economy has limited some of our other partners but praise God we’re not losing ground.
#2 Make a One-Time Donation to Help Build a Reserve. Please agree with us in prayer that we might raise a three-month reserve. As in business, it is wise to have a three-month reserve of support to help through the lean months. As we are still praying for more consistent monthly support, we depend upon one-time donations to make up the difference by placing these in our reserve support account. Over the past few months, we have spent our reserve that we built up last year because of the cost associated with our recent trip to India.
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
God bless you,
Michael, Jane and Benjamin Erwin
Monday, January 30, 2012
February 2012 Update. India Tour Update
We are Getting Closer to India
Just a couple of weeks away and Janey, Benjamin and I will be boarding a plane to fly to India to see our ministries work in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. The purpose of our trip is to ignite our vision for reaching India and sending pastors to 100,000 villages. It is so easy to get distracted from the vision while living in the United States. Sitting down with our pastors and leaders in India, hearing the testimonies and enjoying corporate worship; will give us a greater understanding of God’s great love for this nation and how He plans to reach every village that is without a Gospel witness. As many of you have visited with me in the past, I am sure you will recall how much I talk about India and how much I have learned about India. Much of this zeal and knowledge has come from my past 3 trips to India. These trips add fuel to our fire!
As you can see from this map of India, there are 52 districts that we currently have mission fields (groups of pastors) that are equipping 953 pastors to each evangelize 5 villages and ultimately planting churches. With these pastors we are currently working in nearly 5000 unreached villages.
Janey and Benjamin will return to Kansas City on February 27th but I my time will be extended until March 6th. Brother Ebey and I have an important opportunity in Delhi on March 3rd. We will be receiving a leader of a Christian businessmen’s group call the Barnabas Group. He will spend two days with us meeting many of our North Indian missions leaders. While in Delhi, we will also be receiving a group of leaders from a teen missions group called Global Tribes Outreach. This group deploys young people for 2-6 month missions outreaches.
We are very thankful for each of you as you have prayed for us, encouraged us and given generously to support our ministry. We have made important progress during 2011 in many areas. Here are some highlights:
Last month, I shared with you about these following projects: Here are some updates:
* Photo Journalism Tour – Raise funding for travel to and throughout India (need funding by mid-January).
o We have two photographers, one videographer and two writers on the tour. Please pray that they will gather much-needed media content for our website and communications for 2012. We were able to raise about 70% of the needed funds for this project.
* Raised support for an Inductive Bible Study Training (160 pastors in two locations) (need funding by mid-January).
o We have been able to raise enough support to train about 100 pastors. Please pray that we can raise enough for all 160 pastors in the next couple of weeks. This project was completely funded and the training has been completed with the targeted number of pastors. This project was a great success!
* Launch new website and fund the web development project (need additional funding throughout 2012).
o Web site looks great (http://www.serveindiaministries.org/). Pray that we can have 5000 new visitors per month of people who have a burden for India. This website has been launched and now we are ready to build a robust traffic increase!
* Raising funds to travel to India in February of 2012. (We have raised $4500 - only $1000 to go!)
o We are getting ready to go to India on February 15. Janey and Benjamin will return on February 27, but I will travel to North India with Brother Ebey and return on March 6. We have raised the $5500 but I will need to raise an additional $1000 for the extended time in Delhi.
* Year-end campaign that will fund unsponsored pastors, unsponsored children, and new mission fields.
o We have seen good response so far. The campaign will go through next year, and we are praying to raise the funds needed to cover expenses for our unsponsored pastors (300 pastors) and unsponsored Stepping Stone children (500 unsponsored children). We also need funds for our U.S. projects for our website and development. We have raised about $40,000 of the $108,000 goal, we hope to reach the goal by the end of April.
Family News – India Prayer Request
* Health (protection from all sicknesses)
* Safety (protection from accident, injury or attack) as we travel
* Endurance to handle road and air travel
* Strengthen our vision and resolve to fulfill God’s purpose
* Pray as God leads you by His Spirit
Support Update: The end of February will mark 15 years that Janey and I left Arkansas and started full time in missions. Over these years so many of you have cheerfully, prayerfully and sacrificially given support that allows us to bless the nations (particularly India;) Thank you! With your support over these many years we have touched thousands of villages and millions of people through the pastors and missionaries that we have supported. By God’s grace, may we have many more years of ministry and may we see the completion of the Great Commission (Matt 28:19 & Matt 24:14.)
We celebrate that we have been able to raise the needed funds for our India trip later this month. Because my time in India has been extended, I am praying that I might raise an additional $1000 so the it will not cost Serve India Ministries additional money. We are asking if any of you that have interest in investing in this important trip to help us with these expenses.
Our goal in 2012 is to be an encouragement to our current partners and raise up additional partners that will give an additional $300 per month support. In the meantime we trust that God will supply! We are very thankful for all you do and how much you encourage us. Because we are partners, you make us more effective in ministry! As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
God bless you, Michael, Jane and Benjamin Erwin
“Over 1 Billion People are Waiting to Hear the Gospel in India – Let’s Partner Together to Help the Hear the Good News and Bring Glory to God!”
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