For I am not ashamed of the gospel…

for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”  Romans 1:16

Thanks so much for your prayers and support for our recent trip to India.  We really saw the Lord’s power and love in action!  We began in Southern India in the city of Machilipatnam with our host, Johnson.  Johnson has a great passion for reaching the untouchables and caring for the widows and orphans.  He also mentors and trains pastors throughout the region.  He organized a pastor’s conference where Pastor Richard Cooper and I were able to encourage 225 pastors and elders representing over 400 village churches on the Spiritual Life of the Pastor/Leader.  After the conference, we held a mini-crusade where many Hindus heard songs, testimonies, and a message that focused on the exclusivity of Jesus as the only way to a right relationship with the one true God!  We had a great time ministering as our team had the opportunity to pray with and visit with hundreds of people.

 

We also visited an orphanage that Johnson started.  I have visited these children many times over the past six years and they are precious children.  Johnson has been faithful in caring for these “fatherless” little ones and continues to care for them and teach them about Jesus.

After our time in the South, we traveled North to Darjeeling and even crossed over into Nepal. Our host, Dawa, was a former Buddhist who served in the Dali Lama’s personal army.  He took us to share a meal with some local Nepali believer’s and on a tour of where John Monger ministered and introduced us to leaders in the local village church.  He also arranged for Richard and I to teach at a local Bhutanese Bible College where we shared with about 80 students from God’s Word!

We then traveled back from Nepal to Darjeeling where we met our host, Jinoy.  Jinoy leads an organization called FACT (Foundation for the Application of Christian Truth) that serves as an umbrella organization to a regional autonomous Church planting movement in the Bengali region. He has a great heart for reaching the hard-to-reach places of India with the Gospel.  Jinoy took us up into the mountain villages one day and then out to one of the poorest areas in all of India the next.  We went village-to-village and hut-to-hut where different members of our team shared about their personal relationship with Jesus and then the Good News of Jesus!  In one remote village, after we shared, two of the village elders abruptly got up and left, but nine people said they wanted to follow Jesus!  In fact, they invited the local host pastor to return and bring them Bibles and teach them what the Bible says about Jesus!  We praised God and gave Him thanks for opening their hearts to the Good News!!

*Recently, Johnson’s financial support for the orphanage in Machilipatnam ceased and after talking with our board, we agreed to partner with him to help take care of these children.  It cost about $70 per month to care for each child.  If you or someone you know would like to sponsor one of these precious ones:  You can

1. Send a check for $70/month to HisLight Int’l Ministries, 40 Ramona St. , Ponte Vedra Beach, FL  32082. ..Designate India Orphan in memo section, or
2. Go to our website and click on the partnership and more info link and you can give electronically.Just remember to designate India orphan on your check or in the comment section.

Finally, a quick update on Rachel!  We are still waiting on a heart.  She is number 1 on the B positive heart transplant list for this region and in the top three on the O positive heart transplant list.  The doctors are hoping she will get a heart by the end of the summer.  Russ has created a website called www.Hopeforrachel.com that you can go to for updates and to support and encourage Rachel.  You can also click on Lori’s blog for more detailed and insightful updates.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support!  Hope ya’ll are having and continue to have a great summer!!

 

Keep sharing HisLight,

Doug