Last Day

Pastor Pavel picked up a violin for the first time in several year and led the children in singing several songs one evening!  Music indeed is the universal language!

Pastor Pavel is going through the book of Daniel with the local pastors and wives and workers at the orphanages.  Their language is much more complicated than Russian (which is more complicated than English!), and it took them 10 minutes to read Daniel chapter two!  He also noted that they read very loudly.

The team finished the work in the two rooms they were repainting and did a third room, too.  They also bought slippers for the children, since the stone floors are ice cold, and even though winter is very short there, it's important to keep warm!  The need for warm clothes had been announced earlier in Russia, and several older ladies took it upon themselves to knit socks for the children.  The children really enjoyed receiving the colorful gifts, made with love and prayers for them!  Thanks to a gift from a family in Moscow, the team gave vitamins for the children, as well.

Two of the guys worked at getting laptops set up with programs for the children to be able to learn.  The team also had time to go up into the mountains and enjoy the view from there, pray for the people of the needy countries of India and Nepal, and even step inside a couple of church buildings.  Early in the morning of the 20th, they will make their way back to Delhi and fly back to Russia.  Thank you for praying for them during their trip and as they return!

Help

On Tuesday, December 17, the men of the team plastered and painted two rooms in the children's home.  This was very important, as there was mold growing on the old walls, so remodeling was urgently needed.  They were able to do almost everything, with just a little left to finish up tomorrow.  Then they spent the evening in fellowship with the children, and one of the men shared his testimony with them.  The team asks prayer for their health, as some of them aren't feeling good.

On the Road Again

The men spent time in the mountains of southern Nepal in primitive conditions -- no electricity or Internet/phone service, where time is measured from sun-up to sun-down and the people live in extreme poverty.  35% of the children die before the age of 2 because of the living conditions.  There is a local pastor working among these people to bring them the gospel, but the needs are so great!

Back in the city, the ladies spent time with the children, teaching them handcrafts and English (one of the ladies in the group is an English teacher), and they decorated a Christmas tree to surprise the children when they came home from school one day.

The team flew back to India on Sunday, however they were delayed several hours because of fog.  They finally arrived, though, and then set off on an overnight train ride to another city, where they will spend their last week ministering in a children's home there.

Upon arrival early Monday morning, they we warmly met with a good breakfast, hot showers, and comfortable beds for everyone.  After a brief rest, they bought groceries, and the ladies fixed lunch, and they planned out their activities for the week.

The workers in this last city want to open a fifth children's home but still have many needs before that will become reality.  With money that had been given to the team before leaving Russia, they were able to buy a gas stove burner, dishes, chairs and stools, and other necessary kitchen items for the new children's home.  Praise the Lord, and thank you for your continued prayers for the team as they work together with the team of missionaries ministering there full time!

Three Days Away from Civilization

The team is doing great in Nepal.  The men went up into the mountains to visit tribes that live in isolation from society as we know it.  The women stayed in the city but did not have Internet access for several days.  They bought winter clothes for children in a children's home and were able to spend some time in the mountains as well, watching the people worshiping false gods and praying for them.  The team is grateful to those who are praying for them!
Don't forget to look at their pictures on the Russian version of their blog.

Into the mountains

The team is doing well in Nepal.  They have bought things for a village church and headed up into the mountains.  Check out their pictures on the Russian version of the blog.
http://oninevinovaty.blogspot.ru/

Sunday, Dec 8

The team was warmly welcomed in Nepal today.  They played with the children in a children's home there and purchased a large-screen TV so the children wouldn't have to crowd around a computer screen to watch things.

Another year, another trip

A year has passed since the last group went to India and Nepal, and another group has recently been making preparations to go this year.  They were busy gathering the necessary items an finances they would need to minister to the needy people of these countries, and on December 5, 4 brothers and 3 sisters set out on their adventure.  They had 9 bags and 9 backpacks, weighing a total of 350kg (over 770 lbs!), and two of the team members took different flights from the rest of the team, but all eventually arrived safely in Delhi.  Praise the Lord!

They jumped right into their program, spending some of their first hours with children in the slums.  More than 10,000 people there in horrible conditions -- basically living in a dump.  A local pastor has taken on the care of 35 children in a home he calls Immanuel.  Pastor Pavel told the children about the birth of Jesus, and the team played with the children and gave them presents.  The group was glad to see the boy whose face is the symbol of this yearly project (on the banner) and to see how he is growing.

The next day, the group visited other people who live in the slums.  These people are called "the untouchables."  Many of them have incurable diseases, and they live in wretched conditions, but they are people who God loves just the same, and they need to be shown His love.  The group was joined by Indian pastors as they prayed a prayer of dedication over and opened two wells of clean water for these people to be able to drink and wash in.

Then there was a meeting with the Indian pastors.  Pastor Pavel shared a word of encouragement with them from the life of Joshua, who led the people of Israel into the Promised Land.  They had dinner together, and the team gave gifts to the pastors, too.  They spent more time with the children at Immanuel, also.

There are several pictures on the Russian version of the blog.  Thank you for your part in this ministry through your prayer support!