Saturday, November 05, 2011

Hearty Autumn Greetings to all GSH Friends and Supporters!!

Fall weather has finally arrived. I am watching the snow fall and preparing to change my clock, once again. I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying the change of the season. I had the privilege of talking with Pastor Joseph last week and would like to share a few recent events from Rajahmundry, India.

To begin with, the Gospel Crusade that took place last June was a wonderful success with all the glory going to Jesus Christ. Many people came forward to commit their lives to the One True God, forsaking the Hindu religion. Most of those who came forward have become a part of Jesus Prayer House Church and are continuing in their faith. Thank you for all your prayers for this crusade. Please continue to pray that all will hear the Gospel in India and put their faith in Jesus Christ.

God is continuing to bless Jesus Prayer House Church and use it to proclaim His love and glory. The church has begun a ministry to homeless people in Rajahmundry by providing food and clothing to the needy in Jesus’ name. A Hindu “holy man” recently came to Christ as a result of this ministry. The church has begun to meet at Mercy Colony, rather than continue to spend resources on renting a building in the center of the city. Over four hundred people came to the dedication of the church at Mercy Colony last week!

All fifty children in the GSH Children’s Home are in good health and continue to be educated spiritually and academically. Sadly, we have lost some child sponsors within the last year. Please pray that God will touch the hearts of His people and raise up additional sponsors to bridge the gap.

Two of the young ladies in the home, Rani N. & Satya Ch., have graduated from tenth grade and are now attending nursing school.  

We are confident that God will continue to provide for these children, just as He has so recently shown His love and provision on behalf of Prasad K. Prasad K. has finished tenth grade and is well suited for engineering studies, a highly rigorous but greatly rewarding course of study in India. Eleventh and Twelfth grade education in India are not free of charge and are used as pre-university preparation courses. Pre-engineering school costs almost $3,000 a year in India, and this amount of money is not covered by the monthly sponsorship for Prasad. By God’s providence, Prasad placed extremely high in his state math exams (first in his school) and qualified for consideration of a state scholarship. There are many in India who score as highly as Prasad did, and very few receive a scholarship. However, God moved the state to award Prasad a full scholarship for his pre-engineering classes! God is faithful to take care of His own and we praise Him for that!

In other news:

1. The Medical Ministry is now serving 920 to 950 people every month. Please pray that God will continue to use this ministry to proclaim His name.

2. The leper colony has received electricity to help make the daily life of those in the colony more comfortable. Please continue to pray for the perseverance of these precious brothers and sisters who are definitely the “least of these.”

3. The Widow’s Ministry continues to be fully sponsored. Praise God!

4. The church on the Island Godavari continues to meet every week with more of the villagers coming to Christ. This has been and continues to be a great spiritual battle against the forces of darkness who would like to keep that community in idolatry. The solar lights on the Island that were donated by GSH about four years ago now need replacement batteries. Pray that God will provide that which is needed to replace the batteries and continue to keep a physical reminder of His light on that Island.

5. Work on the new children’s home has been temporarily halted as we wait for the property’s neighbor to decide whether or not to exchange a portion of land with GSH that would make the property more usable. Please pray that a decision is made in God’s timing and that the funds are received to continue with construction.

Thank you again for all the support through your prayers and finances. May God continue to bless you and your families with hearts fully committed to Him as we enter the Christmas season.

Bro. Gregg

Hearty Spring Greetings to all GSH Friends and Supporters!!

It has been about six months since we have updated you on how God is working through our friends in Rajahmundry, India.  This is a short update with a few prayer requests for some exciting upcoming events.

To begin with, work is continuing on the building project for the school, church and children’s home.  Because GSH was able to purchase additional property for an amazing deal last year, the ground preparation and boundary wall construction is still in process.   However, Bro. Joseph estimates that the additional fill should be in place within a few weeks and construction of the remainder of the wall will commence.

Bro. Joseph has been away from home preaching at a Gospel Crusade.  When he returns home he is planning to meet with an engineer to commission the preparation of plans for the children’s home.  Please pray for wisdom and foresight for Bro. Joseph and the engineer as they work together to design a permanent home for the children.

From June 7^th through June 9^th, Bro. Joseph will be hosting a Gospel Crusade at Mercy Colony in Rajahmundry.  Please join him in prayer for at least 2,000 people to attend and hear the good news.  Pray also that many will not just hear the news, but that many will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.  Bro. Joseph has invited a famous actress to attend and share her testimony.  This actress is a former Muslim who was recently saved by the One True God, and her presence may help to bring in an even larger audience.  Please join in prayer with all those in Rajahmundry who are working so hard to share the good news, that God will pour out His Spirit during this Gospel Crusade and save many Indian souls.

GSH India will soon be sending GSH USA a DVD with updated photos of the children.  We will be able to share those with you as soon as they are available.

Thank you again for all the support through your prayers and finances.  May God continue to bless you and your families with hearts fully committed to Him as we enter the summer season.

Bro. Gregg

Sept 11 – 5:30 – 8:00  Lake Shastina Community Bible Church BBQ

Sept 12 – First Baptist Church of Mt Shasta for Sunday morning worship services

Sept 19 – Grenada Berean for Sunday morning worship services

Sept 25 – Mountain Christian Fellowship

Sept 26 – Evangelical Free Church of Mt Shasta Sunday morning services

Thank you to everyone who attends any one of these opportunities to hear from Brother Joseph, and thank you for your support of his ministry.

You can look forward to seeing Brother Joseph at a Sunday service at one of the 5 supporting churches soon.  You can also celebrate his visit with us at the 2nd Annual Brother Joseph BBQ.

Brother Joseph BBQ

Hearty Spring greetings to all GSH friends and supporters!  Spring has been battling Old Man Winter around here lately, while summer is in full swing in Rajahmundry, meaning temperatures in the mid to high 90s with extreme humidity.

God is continuing to work through His people in and around Rajahmundry.  I was able to speak with Bro. Joseph on the telephone today and he related the following news to me:

Prayer Request for Uncle Prabha:
I called Bro. Joseph at 11:30 pm his time and he informed that he had just returned home from the hospital.  Uncle Prabha had a kidney stone that was removed last week at the hospital.  It appears that he was put under general anesthesia for this routine procedure.  However, upon waking from the anesthesia, Uncle Prabha had trouble breathing and was close to death before he was put into ICU on a ventilator.  He spent almost a week in ICU and only today was able to breath on his own.  Now in the general hospital area, Uncle Prabha is slowly recovering and needs continued prayer support.  Please take time to pray for a full recovery for Uncle Prabha to the glory of God.

New baby due SOON:
Brother Joseph says that Sister Sowmya is due to give birth to their first child any day now.  Please pray for continued strength for Sister Sowmya, the health of the baby, and a safe delivery without any complications.  Thank you for keeping her in your prayers. God has been answering them by giving her a relief from the anemia she was suffering earlier.

Jesus Prayer House (JPH):
JPH is continuing to grow as the gospel message is preached and the church continues to pray for their city.  Seven new children of God were baptized in the early hours of the morning on Resurrection Sunday.  The church is also continuing to see a response from the television broadcasts of the gospel message.  Bro. Joseph had a busy day Sunday as follows:
1. Early morning (7 am?) baptisms.
2. 8 a.m. service at the original JPH building near the quarry.
3. 11:30-1:30 service at the large hall.
4. 2:00-2:30 television broadcast, followed by questions and answers.
5. 4:30-6pm service at the Island Church.
6. 6:30-9pm second service at the large hall.

Island on Godavari River:
Thank you for your continued prayer for the Island.  The opposition from the Hindu leaders that Bro. Joseph was experiencing during the winter has subsided.  God is slowly growing the Island church as He overcomes the ignorance and alcoholism that is prevalent on the Island.  One of the Islanders’ fishing boats recently was lost, greatly hurting their ability to make an income from fishing the Godavari.  GSH used this opportunity to help pay for a portion of the cost of a new boat in the name of Jesus.  Please continue to pray that God will overcome the spiritual opposition to Christ on the Island.

Boundary Wall & New Land:
GSH was given the opportunity to purchase the one-acre parcel of land adjacent to the previously purchased 2-acre parcel.  The purchase of this parcel not only gives GSH more room for future use, but helps to protect the land from noxious neighbors; the one-acre parcel was an ideal site for a noisy, traffic-increasing, diesel-fume emitting petrol station.  The owner of the one-acre parcel approached Uncle Prabha while the boundary wall was under construction with an offer to sell.  Uncle Prabha wisely declined his initial offer and indicated that GSH was not interested in more land.  However, the owner repeatedly approached Uncle Prabha with lower offers until the deal was almost too good to be true.  After prayer and consideration, GSH purchased the one acre.

As a result of this purchase, the GSH land is now bordered by the village on one side, a two-lane highway on another side, and government-owned agricultural land on the other two sides.  The boundary wall has been completed on two sides of the property, and construction has been halted until enough funds are raised to complete the other two sides (the purchase of the additional land used the remaining boundary wall funds).

Medical Clinic in Vadlamuru:
The medical clinic in Vadlamuru has been treating many cases of dehydration.  Most of the patients have been older women who are more susceptible to dehydration as they work in the rice fields during this time of extreme heat and humidity.

Children of GSH Home:
All the children are healthy and continuing to do well in school while preparing for and taking state exams.  Thank you for your support to help give these kids a home where they can receive a good education, full bellies, and, most importantly, knowledge of our Creator.

Bro. Joseph’s U.S. Visit:
Brother Joseph is scheduled to visit our area in September.  The tentative plan is that he will be here from September 8th through the 27th.  We are looking forward to his visit and praying that God will use the trip to glorify His name as people are made aware of what He is doing in and around Rajahmundry, India.  As Bro. Joseph’s schedule is solidified, we will keep you updated.

Thank you again for your faithful prayers and support in the Lord’s work in and around Rajahmundry.

God bless you,

Brother Gregg

Hearty New Year greetings to all GSH friends and supporters!  It has been too long since I last sent an email update, and I apologize for the lapse.

Last year was an exciting year as we watched God continue to grow His ministry in and around Rajahmundry, India.  Brother Joseph, Sister Sowmya, and all those who are helping them have been very busy doing the work that God has prepared in advance for them to do (Ephesians 2:10).  We in America are privileged to be a part of this work through the grace of God.  As you read the updates below, please keep GSH Ministries India in your prayers.

Miraculous protection for Bro Joseph

As has become his tradition, Joseph and some of his church members distributed wool blankets to the homeless on Christmas Eve. Not wanting to waste a blanket on anyone who isn’t truly in need, Joseph typically waits until the wee hours of the morning to go out, and looks for people who are sleeping on the ground without any covering. He quietly lays the blankets over them as they sleep, blessing them and praying for them. On the evening of the distribution, he noticed some people sleeping on top of a roof. He climbed up, and as he walked around, covering people, he said it was as if the Holy Spirit just halted him in his tracks. He froze and slowly turned to find that his head was within one inch of a high voltage electric cable running over the top of the building. Contact with the wire would have killed him instantly. He says it was as if a hand was placed between his head and the wire, and God surely preserved his life. He has been giving this testimony ever since. I know you are praising God with me for this miracle. If Brother Joseph had gone to Heaven this past Christmas Eve, it would have been his gain, but our great loss.

Opposition on the Island

Joseph has been encountering an obvious spiritual battle on the Godavari River Island. People are continuing to come to faith in Jesus slowly and steadily. However, staunch Hindu leaders there have been spreading lies about Joseph to plant mistrust among the people. They claim that Joseph has been receiving millions of dollars from America for coming to teach and preach on the Island but that he is keeping the money for himself rather than sharing it with the people. Such lies make it impossible for Joseph to meet any physical needs there, because doing so would only validate their lies and show the opposition leaders that the Christians can be manipulated. God is working there, and the enemy opposes it. Please pray for wisdom for Joseph in this situation.

Recently, a wife in a Hindu family on the island became deathly ill with an antibiotic-resistant bacteria. At the hospital, she did not respond to any treatment and was told she would live only a few more days. Though the family was Hindu, they asked Joseph to come and pray for her, which he gladly did. They claimed, “If God heals her, we will renounce our other Gods.” Joseph prayed and anointed her with oil, certain that God would heal her. She was healed and left the hospital within 3 days! The family repented, professed faith in Christ and was baptized. This miracle has prompted the intense slandering from the Hindu leaders.

Jesus Prayer House (JPH)

Brother Joseph’s church observed Christmas with a dinner and celebration.  Approximately 1,000 people attended the celebration, and everyone present heard the Gospel message.  God continues to grow the church as more people give their hearts to Him in repentance.

A local Christian has committed to sponsor 2 of the 4 monthly, televised sermons which Joseph preaches from Jesus Prayer House. These sermons are broadcast on the local Rajahmundry station, and Joseph is still praying for sponsorship for the remaining 2, at a cost of $200/month. He says that many “closet Christians,” mostly women, are benefiting from God’s Word coming into their homes because their husbands will not allow them to go to church. Many people are also hearing the Gospel for the first time via television and then coming to JPH to hear more.  Bro. Joseph asks us to pray that God will give JPH the opportunity to broadcast the sermons on a statewide network.

Children’s Home Construction and Political Unrest

Boundary Wall and Motor Room

Half of the boundary wall for the new children’s home has been completed, and construction of an out-building for equipment storage is in progress.

Storage / Motor Room

Electrical and water lines have been installed in conjunction with the building of the wall. Progress has been very slow because there has been much political unrest in the area.

Bro Prabhakar Supervising the Work

Plumbing work for construction

There is currently a movement to divide Andhra Pradesh into two states (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana). Disagreement over the split has resulted in violence, riots, and the shut down of government offices and private businesses. Please pray for peace in the area.

Sister Sowmya and Baby

Sister Sowmya is about six months pregnant and doing well. Joseph reports that her “womiting” has stopped, which is probably a good thing. An ultrasound revealed a healthy, normally-developing baby.  Bro. Joseph asks for continued prayer for the new baby and for Sister Sowmya, who suffers from anemia.

Video Ministry

The video ministry team continues to faithfully show videos glorifying God and spreading the Gospel message one night a week.  The elders of JPH have been trained to run the video equipment, provide commentary during the video, and distribute bibles after the video.  This gives Bro. Joseph the chance to preach the Gospel or take part in prayer meetings at JPH during the weeks he does not go with the video ministry team.

Children’s Home

All the GSH children are doing very well and are very healthy.  Sister Sowmya is continuing to disciple and train the older children.  All the children enjoyed a wonderful time of celebrating the birth of our Savior with a Christmas party.  Included with the party was a gift for each child (a new dress for each girl), dinner, cake and dancing.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support in the Lord’s work in and around Rajahmundry. Please continue to lift up our Indian brothers and sisters in your prayers and ask that the Lord of the Harvest would continue to draw more souls to Him.

God bless you and your families this New Year,

Brother Gregg

The story about the video was pretty funny.  We were expecting a short video from Brother Joseph, but in his enthusiasm he ended up recording an hour long video that included scenes from all his different ministries. Then on the day of the BBQ Brother Joseph called to say that the video was in California and asked if someone could just pick it up but since California is a pretty big state and the drive time to Sacramento or Redding is too long we did not get the tape quite in time.

GSH is going to have the tape edited and sent out to the churches. We’ll keep you posted for an update on the viewing.

The BBQ was a great success in raising awareness and funds for GHS ministry – $4200 were raised! Thank you to all who gave!

Please remember Brother Joseph and GSH Ministries in your prayers and if you’d like to be added to the email list for updates from India simply subscribe to this blog.

Hearty July greetings to all GSH friends and supporters!  I hope all are well and enjoying (or at least enduring) the heat of this summer month.  I spoke with Brother Joseph Tuesday morning (11 pm his time), and he informed me that the hot season is now past in Rajahmundry, and they are experiencing constant, heavy rains during the current rainy season.

As reported last month, Brother Joseph and the Jesus’ Prayer House Church (formerly JEM Church) have been reaching out to the city of Rajahmundry with weekly gospel meetings in a large, rented hall.  They have been attempting to draw in non-Christians with a movie, followed by a time of worship and music, followed by a gospel message.  God has been blessing the meetings with 300 to 400 people in attendance each Sunday.

Last week, the Church showed a Telegu-dubbed version of the Ten Commandments (with Charlton Heston) during the Sunday night gospel meeting.  God has been blessing these gospel meetings, and four people who had been living in the Hindu religion gave their lives to Christ and were baptized last Sunday!  Brother Joseph asks for your prayers that God would continue to bless this ministry, bringing many more Hindus to the meetings and opening their eyes and ears to the Gospel of Christ.

I need to make a correction to last month’s update; I misunderstood Brother Joseph that the boundary wall for the GSH land was already under construction.  It appears that the boundary wall had not been started when I wrote, and I apologize for the misinformation.  The construction of the boundary wall was scheduled to start during late June.  However, due to the advent of the rainy season, start of construction is delayed until the rains abate.  Uncle Prabha has been assigned the task of managing and overseeing the construction.  Bro. Joseph believes that construction may be able to begin in two or three weeks when the heavy rains are forecasted to diminish.

Romoving Telephone Poles from Land

All of the GSH children are continuing in good health.  The new school year began last month, and all are doing well in their studies.  Padma D., who graduated from tenth grade this year, has begun studying at a local junior college for her plus-one year of education.  After completion of the plus-one and plus-two years at the junior college, she will start her university education in a four-year Bachelor of Nursing program.  Srinu P., who also finished tenth grade this year, is waiting to begin training at a local technical school in Rajahmundry.  Gopi, who has not lived at GS Home but has been supported by GSH Ministries, passed his first year of engineering (not an easy task in Indian universities) and has begun his second year of the program.

Both medical clinics (the clinic at the leper colony and the clinic in Vadlamuru), continue to serve many people.  On average, the clinic in Vadlamuru has been serving around 1,000 people every month.  The clinic in the leper colony is not open every day but continues to serve the people of the colony and other lepers from the community.

Although the heavy rains had made the Wednesday night video ministry difficult this past month, the Video ministry team is continuing to faithfully visit areas in and around Rajahmundry.  Last Wednesday, the video ministry team visited their ninety-fifth location since beginning the ministry in 2007.  Please pray that God continues to protect the team and works through them to spread the Gospel.

Brother Joseph reports that although it is difficult to visit the Island during the rainy season, he and his team are continuing to visit them every week.  The children of the Island are still being taught daily in the school and are being given a chance for education that their parents never had.  Bro. Joseph assures me that he and Sister Sowmya have been faithfully wearing their life jackets when crossing the river to the Island.

Bro. Joseph asks that we pray for the beginning of a TV Ministry in Rajahmundry.  He has been recording his Sunday gospel messages and is pursuing airing them on the local Rajahmundry television channel.  The channel reaches 150,000 households, and while not every household will watch, it will be a way to reach many non-Christians who would never set foot in a meeting hall to hear the gospel.

Finally, I would like all of you to mark your calendars for Saturday, September 12th.  On this day, we will be having the first annual GSH barbeque at the Lake Shastina Bible Church.  We are in the planning phases of the event, and I do not have many details at this time, but it will be in the evening on Saturday, Sept. 12th.  I will email the specific details as soon as the plans have been solidified.  Please plan to attend if you can, and bring a friend or family member who would like to know more about God’s work in Rajahmundry, India.

Thank you for taking the time to stay updated and for your continued prayer and support.

Bro. Gregg

Hearty June greetings to all GSH friends and supporters!  I spoke with Brother Joseph and Uncle Prabha late last week, and they are both excited by the direction God has been leading Bro. Joseph and the JEM Church.

As I mentioned in an earlier update, the Sunday services at the JEM church have been overflowing with people, many of them having to stand in the hot sun outside the building, sacrificing personal comfort in order to hear God’s Word.  Brother Joseph has been praying about this situation and was directed by the Lord to rent a hall which can seat 1,000 people for Sunday evening services.  In preparation for these services, he has been conducting the video ministry at various locations within Rajahmundry, in order to spread the news and reach more people.

Bro. Joseph was able to connect his DVD projector into the sound system of the hall and plans to offer a free movie every Sunday night.  Following the movie will be a time of worship songs and of preaching the gospel.  Sister Sowmya has been training the children from GS Home to sing in a choir and to help lead worship during the services.   Bro. Joseph’s prayer is that many more unbelievers will be reached with the gospel message through this step of faith and will be saved by Christ.

Brother Joseph and the leadership of the JEM church were also led by the Lord to change the name of the church from Joseph Edwards Memorial to Jesus Prayer House (JPH).  Although Joseph loves the memory of his grandfather, he and his family want to give all honor to Jesus.

All the children of GS Home are continuing in good health and have passed their end-of-year exams successfully.  Padma G. and Srinu passed their final school exams with “good marks” and will be entering “plus one” this month.  In India, school is offered free of charge through tenth grade.  Following tenth grade are “plus one” and “plus two” grades. Then, if the student is qualified and has the financial means to continue, college/university follows.

The other areas of GSH ministry continue to serve in Jesus’ name.  The water tank at the Leper colony is half completed and will be finished in two to three weeks.  The two medical clinics (at the Leper Colony and in Vadlamuru) continue to meet the basic medical needs of many.  The Island ministry is continuing to educate the islanders, and the Island Church is growing.  All the widows’ physical needs are being met, and they are all attending JPH church.

Sister Sowmya sends her thanks for the prayers for her health.  God has answered your prayers; she is feeling much better and has the energy she needs to instruct and care for the GS Home children.

Progress is being made on the two-acre orphanage/school/church building site.  Construction of the boundary wall has begun, and the “bore-hole” will be drilled once the wall is completed.  The original plan was for the bore-hole to be finished before construction of the wall took place, but the village elders advised against that plan; they believed some of the locals would quickly strip the property of the above-ground bore-hole accoutrements without the protection of the wall.  I am not sure how the workers are obtaining the needed water for construction.

Praise the Lord for his unfailing love and mercy for the people in and around Rajahmundry, India.  Thank you for your continued interest in and support of God’s work.

Brother Gregg