Life Mission International

Surprised by the accident

Last week I was travelling to a field in North Tamilnadu, where few hours back this accident took place. This bus was hit by a truck carrying milk. Every house in the near by village got plenty of milk from the truck as the milk was pouring out!

By God's grace none have died! Since the road expansion is going on the vehicles are going in one side, suddenly other side. It is like a puzzle to drive now a days. Pray for God's protection.

Once I too met with an accident while travelling with Prema, our front tyre came off! But it was a miracle nothing happened to us!! Praise God!!

KINGDOM OF GOD TRAINING (KGT)

A training program that trains the committed believers to plant a church in a un reached village.

A. Our objective

"A church in every village, planted by  ordinary members, equipped with practical skills and encouraged to work together".

B. How did I get the vision?

During my college days I was part of a small team that have started many house churches. After completing my Bible college studies I became a Pastor. I was pastor for 6 years. Each year I would examine my life and ministry to evaluate whether i have done justice to what God has given me.

On 2005 December while I was fasting and praying for 3 days, I was not happy with what I was doing and the LORD clearly guided me to leave the pastoral ministry and equip God's people to disciple the entire nation. Not knowing how to do this, I began training 8 people to plant churches. I encountered 2 problem on my journey, I did not know what to teach next? what to do next?

That was the time I came to know about a Church Planting Seminar conducted by one Mr.Ronald Vander Griend of USA. this was my first conference in life, where I got solution for my problems. He shared with us from 2peter 1:1-11 the step by step process. My eyes were opened in that training session. Ever since my life, ministry and method has been changed.

C. The five modules of training

Evangelism-Discipleship-membership-Leadership-Worship

Each of the module training last for 4-5 days. Each of them are taught and shown what to do? Where to do? and How to do? then we will give three months time to practice or implement what they have seen and heard!

We cover the following 5 areas in our training.

1. Vision.  We believe that each of the Church planter needs to get the vision from God as this ministry requires a long term commitment. They need to know the heart of God to fulfil the purpose God. these subjects helps them What to do?

2. Biblical Tools. We provide them basic Bible study tools, and help them to prepare their own bible studies. These key passages of Scripture helps them what to teach next? as they reach out. 

  3. Practical Skills.  This would include cultural relevant ways of sharing the good news, how to make new contacts, how to build authentic friendships and invest in people, how to ask right questions, how to listen in an informed way to people's story and find where God working, etc.this helps them How to do?

4. Character of the Church Planter. We talk to them about the importance of character; it is more important than knowledge and skill put together.  Their life has to be an example to the community they live in.  We also teach them the basics of spiritual formation and how to have a private life with God that can support their public ministry.

5. Administration.  We train the church planters to keep track of how many new people they have contacted, how many people show interest, how many people have accepted Christ, how many people are attending the new small groups,etc. 

D. follow up

In addition to the training, we provide on site coaching in the field.  In each of the districts where we are training the people. we have identified the former church planters who have a heart to help others.  This Church Planters are working as volunteers for KGT training. Each of them will supervise 10-15 Church planters in their district or region. They will visit atleast once in a month, to find out how they are implementing what they have learned and have seen during the training. This visit helps them to clear any doubts, and are encouraged to move forward.

Apart from this we also have a coordinator who will visit all the Church Planters atleast once before they complete the training in 18 months time. The best 50 will be visited by me as they are more productive. I encourage them to pursue their training and enrol them into the Purpose driven training to grow their churches into thousands.

E. The results so for...

God has enabled me to train 600 plus Church planters to plant 650 Churches in Tamilnadu. I have also trained Trainers from Nepal, Srilanka, Malaysia and Mongolia and few states in India to train Church planters. i am thankful to God and all the others who are reason for this.

F.Our Plan for this year 

we are in the process of training 250 Church planters to plant 250 new churches in Tamilnadu.  So for we have trained 2 batches of church planters (108) with module one training form Salem and vellavedu. We are starting module one training in Erode, Tiruvallur, Arumbakkam, and Vellore  in July.

"WHEN WE DO WHAT WE CAN; GOD WILL DO WHAT WE CANNOT"

 

A day after DEPIKA arrived.....

Depika1st day in trichy was memorable one. She would hold her small plastic bag with all old unwashed cloths and does not wanted to leave them. Occasionally she would show her hand towards the road and would cry for few minutes. Once our neighbours came to know that Depika's arrival, everyone came to see her and she was friendly to all. After taking breakfast she was taken to the saloon for haircut.  we also bought dresses, toothbrush, paste, mirror, talcum powder, shampoo, comb and so on. On seeing this she was so happy. She wanted to use her tooth brush immediately. We taught her how to use. She even brushes in the afternoon. She often comes and checks her things, whether they are safe. She is very intelligent and clever.

We also found a sister to take care of the babies. Her name is Puspha. She is committed to take care of the Children. She was married to a man even before attaining puberty. That marriage lasted only few years. Now she is living with her parents. Her sister's husband is a Pastor in Trichy. That is how we came to know about Puspha. She is taking care of the babies as well as cooking food for them. We are looking for a suitable place for them to stay, which will also be closer to a school. Pray that we may find a good place for them.

Depika is good in eating foods. She will eat  nicely sitting on the floor and taking care of herself. She is very watchful and understands whatever we say. She also plays with all the people and makes friendship very quickly.

Kingdom of God established among Malayali

Read the story of Thomas, who changed the destiny of this un reached people group. He is currently working with Life mission in training Church planters.

Background and conversion

I am Thomas Raja Singh, was born in a 3^rd generation Christian family and got the Bible from my grand father when I was 11 years old. I wanted to study this Bible within a year, which I completed at the age of 12. The following year I got an opportunity on Good Friday in my small village Church to speak on one of the 7 words of Jesus spoke from cross. But only when I was 14 years old I have heard message from a preacher that unless you are born again you cannot enter into the kingdom of God. On hearing this message I committed myself to Jesus.

Schooling and life ambition

I used to walk up and down 14 K.M everyday to go to school, on completing my high school studies; I wanted to become a reverend in my Church. The Church committee said only at the age of 22 I can go to the seminary. So I started doing temporary work in the Electricity department then in the highways department. When I became 22, the Church asked me to work as catechist for 2 years. My intension was to go to seminary but they asked me to work as catechist, which I didn’t wanted to do. So I continued my job in the National highway department and continued my ministry in the weekends, where I joined the team with “Blessing Youth mission”. As I continued passion for ministry increased and I wanted to do ministry as full time.

Marriage and the struggle

During this time my parents were looking for a suitable girl for marriage (it is arranged marriage here in India, where the parents along with their relatives will decide, whom one should marry!). Finally they found one. Until I married her I have not seen her, not even in a photo. Finally I was married one fine day. The first thing I spoke to her then was; Are you saved? She did not know what it was! Then I shared with her the gospel and led her to Christ.

After few months I told her that I wanted to resign this job and join ministry. It was a shock to her and to the families. She said, her parents arranged the marriage only because he was working in the government (job security), now how can he speak like this. But I told her that is my life ambition to work for the Lord. She was not happy.

Ministry with Blessing Youth Mission

After completing 11 months of marriage, Blessing youth mission was willing to take me as their office staff to work in their Vellore office. When I shared this with my wife she said; you go and work, I will be with my parents. Once you are settled come and take me. I was there in the office for 6 months. During this time I had an opportunity to go to the mission field “Sitheri”. It is a hilly area of Dharmapuri district and the near by town is Harur 25 kilometre away. The only way to reach this place is by walk. One can hire donkeys to carry the luggage up to a point. When I went there I saw the misery of people and the Lord burdened me to go there.

When I shared this with my in laws family they got shock of their life. But they are left with no options; my wife has to come with me to this area. While claiming on the hills she fell in many places as she is not used to this kind of journey. She started crying on the way, after each fall and she was dejected. That was the time she heard the voice of Jesus; how many times I have fallen on the ground carrying the cross to save you and the people. It touched her heart, she saw the vision of the passion and suffering of Christ and she became a new woman on that movement claiming on the hill for 25 km.

The People and the bad practices

The people groups that live here are called Malayalis. That time there was no building, no electricity, no telephone and no toilets. The girls were married even before attaining puberty. Any one can marry any number of wives.

Swelling is considered as a curse from God and they burn that with fire to get healing. If some one dead they wont burry, throw away the body. If some one gets eye problem they apply clay on their eye and sleep in the hot sun until they are healed. If anyone gets stomach pain they put a line on the stomach with a burning stick.

Women during delivery time will not be allowed stay in the home; they will have to stay away from the home. They will be given a pot of water. She herself has to deliver the baby, give bath to her self and baby. No one can help her during this time. After this for 40 days she has to stay out side the house and then only she can enter the house.

They believe that they have come from god and their god name is Vediappan. They treat all dead people as god. They offer  pig to god and the meat they put it in a pot with tamarind liquid (a kind of vinegar). Then they eat for many days.

The beginning of ministry

When we went there people did not accept us. No one would talk to us. When we tried to speak to people, they came to attack us. But we did not react. They didn’t allow us to take water, because they had very little water. So we started digging a small well and by God’s grace we got the water. Then I approached the government for a bore well for this village.

Community development works

Then I also tried to get electricity to these villages. After a long struggle we got the electricity for the village. Then one by one I approached the government for subsidized food grains, citizen id and so on. This has paved way for the people to speak to us.

Then I sent my wife Vinolia for short term training on basic medical first aid treatment. Now she could help people in their disease. When people saw that they are healed by the medicines, they came back.  We started a school in our house for the children; we provided food for them during Lunch. This attracted the parents to send their children. Then we send them to different Christian boarding schools. When the children came back with good look and spoke other languages they were amazed.

For the widows and aged I collected old cloths from the Christians and provided. We also started caring the widows regularly and provided rice. By this time BYM got the piece of land where we had opportunities for people to work in the land. That time no wages were given only things were exchanged.

Death of a man – a turning point

Then when a death took place, we made a box with wooden pieces and buried them in a nice way. Normally when they throw the body they put a bamboo rod on their stomach, thinking that their spirit will come out of the body through the hole of bamboo. When I tried to burry in the box, they won't allow without the bamboo. I said okay we can put the bamboo above the box in a standing position and burry. Then I made a big cross and lay on the cemetery. People liked this and they wanted me to burry all of them in the boxes when they die. That is where we got the opening.

The team work

When we build relationship with the people, we started praying for the sick and share the gospel in folk songs format. There were villages on each of the hills around this village. The Lord burdened us to reach them. So we used to go for village trip carrying rice, vessels on our head walk for 10-30 km per day. Once we reach a village we cook our food and in the evening we used have skits and folk songs. We prayed for people who were sick. Each trip will last for one week to 10 days. This we did for every month, doing follow up in these villages.

Father death and the arrival of telephone

When my father died in my native place, 300 km away, they sent a telegram which I received on third day. To deliver the mail the postal department in Harur had 2 runners. Each runner will run half of the distance in a day and the other runner next day to deliver the letters. Because of this neither I could see my fathers body nor participate in his funeral service. This has saddened my heart, which forced me to work vigorously to bring a telephone to this village. That is how we got special equipments to set up on the hill, with one telephone in our campus, where every one can use.

The fruits

God has enabled me to work in this field for around 30 years. During this period 9 Churches have been planted and 6 house churches were started. Today those house churches have also became full pledged churches. 750 people have taken baptism and 20 native workers have been raised. The small school has become a middle school (up to 8^th grade). We started with 19 Children now have 220 children. 60 another children were sent to different Christian boarding schools, many are working in a good and influential position. today the evil practices have been eradicated. People live in Joy and freedom. Today there is a good road, buses from Harur comes to this village. This place has become a mission centre for BYM in this region.

God had blessed me with 1 son and 2 daughters. My son and a daughter got married. We are looking for a suitable boy for my last daughter mercy, a trained Nurse, working in reputed hospital in Chennai. God has enabled me to associate with our director Rajendran for last 10 years to train Church Planters. I am happy that my life is spent and being spent for to build Lord’s kingdom.

Depika - A orphan baby - found a family

Today we have got a new member in our family. She is Depika, "the light". 

She lost both her parents due to HIV AIDS. She is three year old. Few years back her father died and last year she lost her mother.

Her grand mother who is a widow was taking care of Depika and her brother. Now she is very old and not able to take care of these Children.

When Rev.Jebaraj, one of our close pastor, came to know about this he found a family to take care of the boy. And no one was there to take care of Depika.

That is the time he contacted us told us about the predicament of this family.  A small Tamil church in Kuwait, where Prema's sister is also part of,  has a burden to take care of female orphan Children. They wanted to take care of 5 children this year. They asked our help to start the ministry. The leader of this Church is Mr.Daniel. He can be contacted at breenzedaniel@yahoo.com. 

Hence Prema is taking initiative to set up a home here in Trichy. Depika is in our house today and tomorrow we are expecting 3 more girls. The people in the Church has vision to help this girls to grow in family atmosphere. Even though Prema is not well for few days, she is so happy to have the baby in her loving arm. Our goal for her is to bring :"true light in her life" as her name stands for!

Girls are married to god for sexual pleasure of upper caste men

Devadasi is a religious practice in parts of southern India, including Andhra Pradesh, whereby parents marry a daughter to a deity or a temple. The marriage usually occurs before the girl reaches puberty and requires the girl to become a prostitute for upper-caste community members. Such girls are known as jogini. They are forbidden to enter into a real marriage. Devadasis are also known by various other local terms. They are sometimes referred to as a caste. Andhra Pradesh has identified 16,624 devadasis within its state. The practice of dedicating devadasis was declared illegal by the Government of Andhra Pradesh in 1988. However the practice is still prevalent in around 14 districts in Andhra Pradesh.

The predicament of Dommra’s community:

Yadagiri Gutta is situated in Nalgonda district. This little town of Yadagiri Gutta has a population of 10000 people. The temple here has a group of temple prostitutes. The people groups who do this are called DOMMRA. They are the Devadasis. The tragedy of this community is that all the female are devadasis. They can not get married to men.

Government effort

In this town there are 55 Dommra families are living in 3 different places. When the government banned this practice they gave small scale business training for the people. Since they did not provide the materials and follow up, this program did not succeed. Since the small scale business has failed they had no other option but to continue the age old practice.

HIV-AIDS

Within last 4 years 30 women have died of HIV AIDS. Now they are aware of using the condom. Now they tell their customers to use the condom. If they don’t use they are not sleeping with them. This town has 3 MBBS doctors and a government primary health center. People don’t go the government hospital, because they reveal their problem to others. So out fear they do not go the hospitals.

DEBTS

They also have debts in each family. The women are the one who takes care of the entire family. Even though they are not married they have to help their brothers and sons to get married. Since all the women in this town are not married they go to other town to get the girls. Women who are married also do this as part time with limited men.  The men are depending on the women, for money as they do not do any work. The women are using them as security person to protect themselves, so they no other choice but pay.

Family pressures

Since they have to spend all the money to get the girls for their brothers and sons they had to borrow money from money lenders with high interest. Only one woman from this community has married so for. They have also built their homes for customers to come. They also have the habit of drinking and eating good foods to keep their body fit and healthy. All this have made them debtors.

Money lending by the Caste People

A Devadasi normally gets $ 2 to $ 5 a day. If she is young and good looking she may earn $10-$12. They spent this money to pay the interest for the money borrowed, drink liquor and eat good food. The dependents in the family also demand good food and pocket money for drinking and unnecessary spending. Due to this they are not able to come out of their debts. The normal interest rate is 120%PA. They also don’t have the habit of savings.

Local People attitude

There are hundreds of lodges in this town of 10000 people. Normally everyday around 5000 visitors would come to this town. During the week ends more than 10000 people come to visit the temple and the temple prostitutes. Apart from the temple prostitutes they are hundreds of commercial sex workers also living in this town. So they are fetching a good amount of money to the Lodge owners, temple priests and local police. It also helps the business people as more people visit their little town. So these people want this community to continue their prostitution, so that they can live luxuriously.

The fatherless

The temple prostitutes are not educated and they do not want their children to study beyond few classes. 

This has doomed their children future. Even though the women in this community are not married but all of them have children. They wear the normal symbol of "metti" "Thali", the wedding lock, as like a married women.

When they go the primary school, the teachers ask their father name. These children are given the local gods initial as their father’s initial. They are considered children of god. 

Cry of a devadasi: Since the day of the initiation, I have not lived with dignity. I became available for all the men. They would ask me for sexual favors and I, as a jogini, was expected to please them. My trauma began even when I had not attained puberty.

A Hope of this community – Kumari and Rekha

When the women are dying of AIDS and the miserable life they are living has bought a spark in the mind of Kumari, who was a temple prostitute. She decided to leave this practice and wanted live a normal life. She wanted to change the curse on her life and family.  Eight years back she renounced the temple prostitution and wanted her children to study.

She is the only one in her community has saved some money and bought a piece of a land. That has helped her to sell it to arrange marriage for her elder daughter. She is the one and only girl got married in this community from this town. The younger sister Rekha who has finished High school wanted to study B.pharm a Para medical course, to help people in health care. 

She had to pay $1875 per year. Her mother sold a property and helped her to join a college. But when the girls from that college came to know that she is from DOMMRA community. They immediately disassociated from her. From that time onwards they looked her down, not sitting on the row where she sits, not sit with her in the dinning hall and will not share the room. This discrimination bothered her so much and she became depressed. She could not bear this after a period and she withdrew herself from the college.

The college has paid back only one third of the money with which she has joined another college. Till now no one knew that she is from DOMMRA community. Now she is getting ready to write her first year final examinations. She has to pay $1200 to get the hall tickets so that she can write the exams and enter into second year studies. She is committed to complete the course and change the history of their community. If she completes the degree she will be the first one to get a degree.

Samuel from this region has a burden to reach this people to Christ. He has lead many people to believe in Jesus. Many people believe in Jesus but they do not know how to over come from this damnation. This pastor has planted a Church in this town and has a burden for this people. He has good rapport with this community. When we went to see them, we prayed with this people. They are open to the gospel and respect the work done by the Pastor. We need your prayers and help to change the destiny of this people. 

Dommra in Andra Pradesh

Marketing Soap business for Poor People

As You are aware that we are on the process of assisting the poor people to start their own small business. One way of doing this is by training them to produce the materials by our former Church Planter Anbumoni.

The people who learn and have learned this skills feared that they may not be able to sell all their product. So we have come up with a plan to do the marketing.

All the people will produce in one name and same quality. Whatever they can market they will do, the remaining we will do.

We have made the designs for the products. The picture you see at the left side is for washing powder front side design.

 

The right side one is the design for the rear side. We have rented a house in Salem for training, production and storing.

We have identified people to market,  manage and promote.

This is going to help many people who are living without proper job and food.

Our network Pastors are looking forward to implement this for the poorest people within their Church.

Anandaraj Joined Life Mission International Today

Today Anandaraj has joined as staff of Life Mission International as administrator. Last 6 years he has worked with me in the previous organization, now he will be doing ministry with us. Yesterday he was relieved from all his responsibility.

He is fondly called "Anand", which means Joy. He is a close friend to all those who know him. He is a Post graduate in commerce. Before entering into the ministry he was working in the bank. He has a big servant heart to serve the people of God and the servants of God. He is an assert to us.

He is married to Selvi and they have a daughter Juniya and a son Alwyn. We welcome him to LMI. May God bless him and use him mightily to build God's kingdom in India.

Need a team to build this village

I have never seen a village like this, which is in utter poverty. This people group here living are called IRULAS. They are considered as the least of the Indian society. They come under scheduled tribe (ST) category.

They used to live in the hills and mountains. The government bought them to this plan land near Kalavai and made this village as a settlement colony. few decades back the government build a small house for each family and they bought 42 families to settle.

They used to catch snakes and sell their skins. Now the government has banned this and they are left with no jobs. They have medicines to heal people who are bitten by snakes.They catch rat and eat them, that is their main food. The houses they built were not so good and the roof started falling, which forced 2 families to leave this village.

Many other houses started cracking, which forced the people to sleep out side their homes with their children. Some of them built a small thatched shed near their house, which is less than 7 ft height. See this video as Pastor.Sam and I tried to go inside of a similar house in a close by village.

The pictures below will show how the houses looks like in this village. We need to do something to change the predicament of this people.

The survival of this community is very tough as they do not get any jobs. One or two people managed to get a cow or few coats. Even though they are living in poverty, they are very friendly and are longing for a light of ray.

Pastor Sam is doing ministry in this village. They occasionally help this people by providing rice and old cloths. One sister LILLY has accepted Jesus from this community. You can see the difference in her face as the light of the Lord shines on her.

When I went there with Pastor Sam, the entire village gathered there and were pleading to us to do something to change their misery. They said if the team comes to rebuild their houses, all of them will join us to build their homes.

Pastor Sam said he will organize a group of young people to build along side with the GCC team.  I am convinced that we need to take this village as a first village for the construction team to start, so that many LILLYS will blossom from this village. 

Here is a video that shows you the rural life of Vellore district. This is what I saw and captured.

Rural Life in Vellore district

Water Project in Kalavai

Last week I have visited Kalavai and Ranipet of Vellore district. In Kalavai I went to Palla colony to see the problem of water in this village. They have a well, but it dries up in the summer. Moreover the water is not good for drinking. Hence they did not take care of the water.

Because of this they approached the government for alternate. The government twice initiated bore wells. But both the time it has failed. The bore wells are situated at 12* 45.775N / 079* 25.428E elevation 438 ft and 12* 43.784N / 0.79* 25.360 E elevation 430ft.

Now they are getting water from pile line in their streets. There are 3 streets in this village and each street has a pipe line. Water will come in this line in alternate days. Each family will get 3-4 pots of water. Because of this they along with their children do not take bath everyday. Even when they take it will be with few litters of water. This water will not be enough to cook food also.

Because this to get the needed water they travel to the close by field where they have deep bore wells for agricultural purpose. Some of the rich farmers do not run the motor during day time as people take the water from their bore well. This has led their life miserable. But some does provide. Women goes out with few pots to get enough water to meet their daily needs. men do not go out to bring water.

David of Living water visited the village. Since this village does not have a Church, he was telling that if we put the bore well in a believers place it will helpful   for  the believer to share the good news. He said where ever we have a Church building it will be good to have there. In that case we can have one more bore well in Kalavai where Nirmal is doing ministry.