---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Good Life Ministries" <
glmindia@gmail.com>
Date: Jul 18, 2016 6:36 AM
Subject: What's Happening?
To: <
philandkelly@gmail.com>
Cc:
 | This issue: VBS: Reaching 15,000 children October 2016 VBS
School News: New Boarding School Students Need Extra Help
Training Center: Sony's story of loss and finding hope
Church planting: Trusting when circumstances don't make sense |
| | VBS Prep for October 2016- Reaching 15,000!
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| | | Top left to right: "Onstage!" Ready to ride to VBS! Making a joyful noise! |
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| | We are seeing that there is a lot of ground work to cover in preparing for Vacation Bible School (VBS) coming up in October. I met with some of the guys who have been with us for a long time and have a heart for children and the ministry. They have a burden to do whatever it takes to reach out to the children knowing that if we don't: who will? We would like to meet with key people from each of the following groups: village leaders, pastors, youth from the villages, children taxi drivers, cooks, and other key people. Lord willing, we plan to have 5 of the young men we met with go out and arrange the meetings with key people. In this way we hope to improve in various areas of VBS; maximizing our outreach. We are hoping to add 2-3 centers reaching into 30-45 new villages. Each of the 5 young men will cover 20-25 villages each month until VBS. Going ahead and preparing the way. Pray with us that we could prepare the way effectively so many children will be blessed and be able to come and safely hear the Word of God proclaimed and go away with changed lives! |
| P&T Bridge School-Bridging the Gap
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| | | Children excited about coming and studying at the Boarding School |
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| | New students studying at P&T to catch up with their classmates
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| This year saw us bringing 20 new students to the Boarding School. Most of them have not had much exposure to life other than village life and in the Stone Quarry where their parents work. We saw these children need "a lot" of training in "a lot" of ways. Something to "bridge the gap" and help them transition to living at the Boarding School. Even in areas like knowing to use the bathroom rather than finding somewhere "in the bush" to go. And you know we don't have many bushes around our Boarding School! We plan to have the students live at the Youth Training Center where Srikanth and Mamatha can watch over them. During the day they will come to P&T (Sam and Becca's home) for training in the basics of life and receive teaching to help them catch up to other students; giving them a good foundation. |
| Making a Difference at the Training Center
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| College is again underway and many of the students we see applying at the Good Life Training Center are students who didn't get a seat at college and yet have a deep desire to learn. Quite a few young ladies have not gone on to college because their parents would like them to marry or a family member is sick. Sony was among the students who came for a recent interview. Her story gripped my heart. She had taken a previous class and had brought her application to apply for another advanced class. I looked at her application; the picture on it looked very sad. I jokingly said, "You know we tend not to smile for pictures in India. Is that something with the culture? You look pretty sad." Just like that she burst out crying. I said, "I'm sorry! What happened?" Her story was very sad. She said, "Sam Sir, I never smile. Smiling is not my every day thing because of what I am going through. My in-laws torture me and my husband doesn't treat me right. They continually want more dowry from my parents. I get up very early to work but nothing I do pleases them. After such a long time I was able to smile only after coming to GLM when you shared in an introduction class." She shook my hands and thanked me many times as she was crying. I asked what her impressions were of GLM and she said two things: it is the place I looked forward to coming to.The teacher's are like sisters and brothers to me. I look forward to coming to GLM for there I can laugh. I feel something different. After coming to GLM she wanted to talk to Jesus. She saw this Catholic church and so she went into the church and bowed in front of the cross and came to Jesus and poured out her heart and felt like Jesus helped her. Sony is learning computers so she can please her husband by bringing in a little money and to be able to give money to her in-laws so she doesn't need to ask her parents for more dowry money. We ended our time together with prayer for her family. Pray for Sony and students like her that they would find Jesus and meaning to life at Good Life Training Center. |
| | Our Youth Center computer teacher and Sony along with Sam in his office.
Thank you Jesus for SALVATION and SMILES! |
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| Church Planting: Trusting When Circumstances
Don't Make Sense |
| Sometimes situations happen in all of our lives that are hard to understand and we're not sure how they fit into our view of what we think of God and His ways.
Recently we have experienced this In Sai Reddy Guda. Pastor Samson and his wife have been ministering here and reaching out. Andanalu and Laxmi, are a strong Hindu couple, who were unable to have children. She always miscarried before she reached 6 months. Samson and his wife met with them and prayed with them concerning their desire for a child. We were so happy when Laxmi became pregnant and passed 6 months. Other unbelievers in the area wanted to know more about this God who would answer their prayers. Our team had met when Laxmi was close to nine months and gave a clap to the Lord when Samson reported that Laxmi was very close to nine months. We all rejoiced when a beautiful baby girl was born. Then we received the tragic news that not many days later the baby died. We were devastated. Samson was devastated. How do we explain the death to this couple? How do we explain this to all of those who were wanting to know more about the Gospel? What will this do to Andanalu and Laxmi and the rest of the unbelievers so close to believing. I spoke with Samson encouraging him from my grandfather's past as they faced similar things, encouraged him from the Word and sent another pastor to spend some time with Samson, his wife, Andanalu, Laxmi and the other believers in the area. We don't know what the Lord has planned for Andanalu and Laxmi or what he intends to do with and through this great loss. I encouraged Samson that the Christian's walk is not a bed of roses and we cannot love the Lord just for what He will do for us. We can't accept Him just so He will give us a job, or healing, money or a good life. Right after the incident the group of believers in Sai Reddy Guda gathered to pray. Pray with us for Samson and Esther for wisdom, for Andanalu & Laxmi and other unbelievers to come to God and trust Him in the midst of all their questions. Pray also for the believers to continue to trust and grow even when they don't understand. Romans 11:33 says, "Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! NLT We know ultimately the Lord is able to use this situation for His honor and to bring much glory to His name! Praise the Lord! |
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| Good Life Ministries, PO Box 382, Plain City, OH 43064 | | |
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