Working for the Lord in India is by far the best job I've ever had, if I could even call it a job. For it is a blessing beyond compare to have the opportunity to share God's word daily and to live out Christ amongst such loving and precious children. I can clearly see that this is where the Lord wants me to be, as the spiritual needs of these children are ever so great.
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| Praying before handing out Bibles |
One of the big needs I saw for the children was to actually have God's word physically in their hands, as many of them only have a small new testament or don't even have a Bible at all. Thanks be to the Lord for providing the opportunity to purchase and distribute His word. Last week we were able to buy 60 band new full English Bibles (NKJV), 30 of which were the Thomas Nelson leather bound ones and the other 30 were paperback. Over the last week I had spent time explaining to the children the importance of God's word by looking at verses describing the power it, such as the one below and explaining how to use the centre-column reference and concordance. All the children were really excited to be receiving a Bible and would tell me how they had been praying earnestly that God may provide them with one. Almost all of the children from 8 years old and up can read English reasonably well and actually prefer it over reading Kannada.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105
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| 15 year old Sumanth receiving his first English Bible |
Last Sunday afternoon was when we finally distributed the Bibles. I wrote each child's name in the front of the Bible and explained that this is their own personal Bible. Each child received a copy of God's word, a few bookmarks calendars and a small chocolate. 70 Bibles in total were distributed, a few being Kannada versions for the smaller children. I've never seen so many children receive God's word with such joy and excitement before. They all had a real desire to want to open their Bible and start reading it straight away. I pray that it may be a real asset to them in their lives and they learn to trust and follow His word with their whole heart.
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| God's word being received with joy |
The Sunday meetings and evening bible studies continue to be very fruitful and a real blessing to everyone, especially myself. I'm thanking the Lord everyday that He continues to provide me with good health and a focused mind for His work here in India. Praise the Lord.
