India Mission Report
For the past several
years, the work established by Bro. Dhana Raju Bonthu
in southeastern India has been under the capable oversight
of the elders of Church in Columbus, Mississippi. More
precisely, bro. Max Johnson and bro. Barry Sanford,
assisted by June Dobbs and Nan Morrow, have provided
wise, effective and successful leadership that has resulted
in the Gospel of Christ being taught in areas of India
that otherwise would still be without hope. The result
of that leadership is that literally thousands of lost
souls have been washed clean in the waters of baptism.
Additionally, over the years hundreds of orphans have
been provided the love and care that they so desperately
need, street children have been provided clothing and
hot meals, widows have been given garments, food and
shelter, victims of various disasters have been cared
for – I could go on and on.
Approximately one year
ago our congregation in Plainwell, Michigan was asked
to assume the responsibilities previously performed
by the Columbus, MS brethren. Since 1994, eight of our
current or former members have traveled to India to
see the work firsthand, so we were happy to assist in
any way possible. It is our current intention to send
at least one of our members to India every year so that
we may provide to each of you an up-to-date assessment
of the work being done, as well as to explain the needs
that currently exist.
What follows is a list
of activities in which our Indian brethren have been
involved this year. This certainly will not be an all-inclusive
list, but we hope it will give you an idea of how devoted
to the spread of the Gospel these brethren are.
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TSUNAMI
It was just one year ago that tens of thousands
of lives were lost in Asia because of this horrible
disaster. In addition to the loss of life, thousands
more became homeless and hundreds of fishermen
lost their only means of earning a living. While
most of the casualties in India occurred far
to the south of where Bonthu lives, he had compassion
on those affected and asked us all to help.
Thanks to countless individuals and congregations,
we were able to send to Bonthu approximately
$ 80,000 for providing aid and comfort to those
who experienced significant loss. Truckloads
of clothing, cooking utensils, food, water,
etc. were given to those in need. Hundreds of
fishing nets were purchased and given to those
fishermen whose nets had been lost or damaged
beyond repair so that they might be able to
go back to work to support their families. As
always, the recipients were informed that the
gifts were given by members of the church of
Christ. On behalf of Bonthu, please accept my
thanks for coming to the aid of these people.
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CHILDREN’S
HOME
I wish that all of you could have the opportunity
to experience the joy that is found in these children.
When I was in India in February there were 160
orphans in care. They are all given food, clothing,
shelter, education, medical checkups, etc. It
is visibly noticeable that these children are
happier and healthier than the children we see
as we travel around various towns and villages.
It is my understanding that, as a result of the
Tsunami, there are now 40 additional orphans in
care. We are very grateful to all of you who have
taken the words of James 1:27 literally and show
“pure religion” in action. |
SCHOOLS
There are several types of schooling going on in Amalapuram
started by Bonthu. The Telugu School is for children
in kindergarten through 10th grade. It is the school
which all the orphans attend. It is also available for
any child in the community to attend. Education at this
school is provided free of cost to all who attend. The
two primary reasons for making it available at no cost
to students are as follows:
1. By not accepting government money, Bonthu can require
children to attend chapel so they may be instructed
in God’s Word:
2. The free education is used as a tool to get involved
with the parents so they may be taught the Gospel. All
children in India attend school 6 days per week.
There is also an English
Medium School. It has the same type of curriculum as
the Telugu School, but English is the language spoken
in all classes. The parents of these students pay for
their children to attend. Again, no government money
is accepted by this school. My observation is that both
of these schools have capable principals and administrators,
as well as caring teachers.
There is also a Technical
School. This is a school whose students pay for the
privilege of attending. The students are older that
any of the students in the previously mentioned schools.
The purpose of this school is to provide a skill to
each to so that he will be able to secure a job upon
completion. This has a 2 year curriculum.
A Bible School was
started just a couple of years ago. It is available
to anyone who wants to commit themselves to a thorough
study of God’s Word.
WIDOWS
Housing, food, medical care clothing is provided to
any widow who comes needing help. Over the years I have
noticed a significant fluctuation in the numbers of
widows for whom care is being provided. I am sure that
the numbers vary because some of these ladies go to
see and/or live with relatives at varying intervals
during the year. When we were there in February there
were more widows being cared for than I have ever seen
at any one time.
CHURCH BUILDINGS and WATER TANKS
As funds are available, church buildings or water tanks
are constructed where needed. In India, the church building
is the hub of village life. And in those locations where
a water tank has also been built to provide an ongoing
source of useable water for all village residents, the
positive influence cannot be measured. I can tell you
that when both structures are in place, there have been
more conversions. Villagers see that Christians are
concerned about the less fortunate and try to address
their needs. That is not the Hindu way, but it is the
Christian way!
There is so much more
that I would love to tell you about the work in India,
but time does not permit. Please accept my sincere “thank
you” for your involvement in this work. It is
directly because of your and your financial support
that many people who are less fortunate than ourselves
are being cared for and that, more importantly, many
souls are being won to Christ. I believe the number
of baptisms year-to-date are more than 250.
Many individuals in
the southern U.S. have recently experienced severe devastation
of their own (Bonthu gave 50% of a month’s salary
to help victims) and financial support for the work
in India has been affected. If you are able to increase
your support for this vital work, or know of others
who may want to become involved, please consider.
Orphan support------------------$ 35/mth
Street child support------------- 25/mth
Widow support------------------ 20/mth
Preacher support---------------- 100/mth
Church Bldg. or Water tank--- 5000
2nd floor on orphanage--------- 25000
The greatest need at
this time is for more support for preachers. Sadly,
many former preachers have quit because of lack of support.
We currently have about 120 preachers that we would
like to provide $100 each month, but we receive only
about half of the needed amount.
Bonthu continues to
be very active and vigorous. He is constantly on the
go, traveling to various congregations to encourage
and edify the members in outlying towns and villages,
as well as conducting Gospel meetings. On January 10,
2006, he will celebrate his 78th birthday! Much of his
time is spent in correspondence with people who write
or call with questions about the Bible. He continues
to have a burning desire to reach his countrymen with
the Good News so that they may have the hope of living
in eternity with our Savior.
My wife and I will
return from India in late January, 2006. If your congregation
is located in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa,
Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia (possibly other mid-western
states), I will gladly come (at no expense to you) to
present to your congregation an updated video presentation
of this recent trip. If you would like to schedule a
time for me to visit, please call me at 269-382-5091,
or email me at: jtucker@jaquarealtors.com
Again, thank you for
your ongoing financial support. Poor people are being
helped, children are being cared for, lost souls are
being saved, and God is being glorified!
For the elders,
John Tucker
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