Sharon India Foundation

 

"I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

(Luke 15:10)

Pastor Venkata Rao – October 17

Former Hindu woman who now possesses inexpressible joy for she once

was blind, but now she sees!  Pastor Venkata Rao ministers in a remote

area located in the Medak District.  On this day, 9 new believers publically

repented of their sins and called on the Name above all names – Jesus Christ!

 

 

Dear Friends of SIF:

 

I pray you are all having a wonderful Thanksgiving Weekend.  Thank you for your continued prayers for our brothers and sisters in India.  My wife and I recently watched an astounding biography of Dr. Paul Brand and his wife Dr. Margaret Brand.  They both were amazing pioneers for their research and work with lepers in India. Dr. Margaret Brand made a profound and humbling comment having to do with the fact God "trusted" her those many years she worked with the lepers.  As I have reflected on her comment, so too has the Lord trusted all of us with this great gift of being involved in the lives of our brothers and sisters in India!  If you would like to see the three Brand biographies, you can click on this link:  Day of Discovery

 

As we quickly approach the Christmas Season, I want to encourage you with a rich supply of God's miraculous mercy and grace as He and He only makes the dead alive through the finished work of His Son, Jesus Christ.  I hope the photos of new believers and ministry activities bring delight to your heart!

 

If you wish to send support, you can either mail a check to the address below or you can use the PayPal feature on the website (http://sharonindia.org/), which will transfer funds from their secure account to the Foundation account.  Please pray for our precious friends in Indai……………. 

 

Mail your checks to:

Sharon India Foundation

133 E. Warm Springs Rd #102

Las Vegas, NV  89119

 

Note:  Due to Christmas, the pastors have humbly asked if they could have their monthly meeting earlier.  The Pastor's Fellowship Meeting will be held on Dec 17th.  The bank wire will be sent to India on the 13^th of Dec.  Please plan accordingly.  The pastors "All Night Prayer" meeting will be Tuesday evening (Dec 6th) starting at 10pm.

 

Grateful for the Cross,

Dan

702-595-6868 (c)

 

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.  For our God is a consuming fire."

(Hebrews 12:28-29)

 

 

 

 

IDOL FACTORY

My son John took this photo when we were in India.  As you can see it is an actual "Idol Factory."  It always reminds me of the law given to Moses on Sinai:  "You shall have no other gods before Me.  You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;  you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me."  (Exodus 20:3-5)

 

 

 

Please pray for this daughter and her mother (center) that are Hindus and idol worshippers. Both Pastor Satyanandam and his wife Lilly have befriended these two and share the love of Christ with them.  You will see in the bottom photo, the food offering they made to Narasimha – "Man-lion" that is known as the "Great Protector" and protects those who "worship him" in times of need ……………. pretty creepy!!

 

 

 

BAPTISMS

 

Pray for these new believers and the humble church and congregation of Pastor Joseph.

 

 

 

Pastor Satyanandam said the following: "Yesterday the Lord gave me opportunity to baptize 3 new believers in the church of Pastor K. Samson at Rajivgandhi Nagar, I request you to pray for these people so that they may stand for Christ as witnesses until the end of their lives. These 3 new believers were "idol worshipers" and convicted by God the Holy Spirit as they hear the Gospel of Christ. In his testimony Pastor K. Samson shared that he was in many troubles while doing his ministry before he was introduced to SPWF and now able to survive as the Lord providing him through SIF. When I heard how SIF changed his life I had tears with joy came down from my eyes………"

 

 

 

Pastor John Paul had baptisms as he celebrated his church anniversary.  Please pray for these wonderful people.

 

 

 

Satyanandam said:  "Early in the morning we left for a village called sirisnagalla near Medak district in the church of Pastor P. Timothy. The presence of God was with us to Baptized 14 people and present the Gospel of Christ Jesus there. The Lord is merciful to participate in this church event and I request you to pray for all these 14 new believers, so that they may be witness for Christ in the days a head.  This Pastor Timothy is working in this remote area among the village people and doing His ministry in poverty for the sake of Christ. He also mentioned in His testimony that with the financial support of SIF he was able to come and minister in such difficult place and very grateful to you and SIF for this encouragement. Glory to God and God only."

 

 

 

BAPTISM CANCELLED!  Due to Hindu hostility from the village people and RSS, Pastor Kristudas had to cancel the baptisms.  The pastors that attended held a special worship service instead.  Below is Pastor Raja Ratnam praying for Kristudas' church and congregation.  Please pray that Satan and his followers would be defeated.  All that attended gave Glory to God for He is the Sovereign Lord of the Universe.

 

 

 

 

GOSPEL MEETINGS

 

God blessed Pastor Abraham (below with grey jacket) with a child after waiting on the Lord for 11 years of married life.  To celebrate this event, he made a commitment to hold a gospel meeting.  Over 500 people showed up.  Please pray that God will use His Word that was sown for a great harvest one day!

 

 

 

On the 13th of Sept, Pastor Sunil Samuel of Rajendra Nagar performed water baptism as these new believers gave witness.  Pastor Sunil Samuel is a faithful brother in the midst of very hostile Hindus.  He has to contend with the RSS who are against Christ and the Gospel.  After the baptisms, he arranged for a Gospel Meeting and over 300 gathered.  Our Living God protected the entire meeting.  Please pray….

 

 

 

Pastor Rama Chandra Rao on the anniversary of his church (13th of Nov) had a Gospel Meeting that many Hindus in the neighborhood attended and heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  At that time he also shared his testimony and told that he was a workman in private company and at the same time distributed news papers to every home of that area as paper boy, since that time facing many troubles and hardship he continued ministry as a pastor.  SPWF came into his life and is now encouraging him.

 

 

 

 

Odisha

(Formerly Orissa)

 

Very poor Hindu girl carrying water in Odisha

 

 

 

These Odisha brothers and sisters are walking up a trail after proclaiming Christ, as Savior through water baptism.  Several years ago, in this very spot where they were baptized, there was great persecution and many were killed and hundreds of churches were burnt to the ground throughout Orissa.  In spite of great tribulation, they continue to be "witnesses" for Jesus Christ!

 

 

 

Osisha church.  They were great encouraged by the Hyderabad pastors that visited our Odisha brothers and sisters.  While this service was going on, the Hindus were celebrating the Diwali Festival which was a good distraction to the activities of this church.  Not too many churches like this one in the USA!

 

 

Sewing machines for 2 poor women of Odisha.   Satyanandam said:  "I heard from the pastors that these 2 women lost their husbands in the youth and in very need of money for running their families. Through this money they are able to earn lively hood for their families."

 

 

Bold brothers for the Lord!  Odisha Pastors working in His Vineyard………..

 

 

 

ADDITIONAL BLESSINGS

 

 

Children receiving free education and Bible Study through Sharon India Foundation.  Many are from Dalit (untouchable) Hindu families and they go back to their homes and tell their mothers about Jesus.

 

 

 

Pastor Christopher's son, Ishmael Paul was married on the 12th of October.

 

 

 

Pastor Chinna Raju distributes Bibles to church members and sarees to widows

 

 

 

Another faithful brother and his wife (right side), Pastor Boaz with several new children in Christ

 

 

Pastor B. John – Amazing Grace!  (November 14th)

 

 

 

Pastors in the State of Karnataka had a 3-Day Bible Training put on by the Haggai Institute.  This was the first time to have such a concentrated training for these wonderful brothers.

 

 

 

Another baptism held this Wednesday………….( As you can tell, I never get tired of looking at these photos and hearing all about these wonderful brothers).  Here is what Pastor Satyanandam said about Pastor G. Moses:  "This pastor Moses once worked in the ministry without any kind of support from anywhere but now God has showed him away through SIF and he is able to run the ministry and draw some souls to Christ with the encouragement, support and cooperation from SIF. He also shared in his testimony that God and God only brought him to Sharon fellowship and grateful to God and thankful to SIF."

 

 

 

 

We will never know on this side of eternity what impact

2 widows will have in proclaiming the Good News for Christ.

Both these women are prayer warriors and serve their local churches!

 

 

 

 

Pastor's Fellowship Meeting – HELD TODAY!

These men are so grateful to the Sharon India Foundation

with thanksgiving in their hearts.

(November 26, 2011)

 

 

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. (2 Cor 9:12)

Orissa now  Odisha

 

The State of Orissa has officially changed its name to Odisha.  The radical BJP

Party pushed this name change through to remove any history of British colonization. 

Needless to say, the Indian state of Odisha is currently the most corrupt, poverty

stricken, and known for the most severe persecution toward Christians in all of India. 

 

You may not be aware, but Section 153-A of the Indian Penal Code makes is a crime to

promote "disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religions,

racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities." Of course, seldom are Hindus

ever prosecuted under this statute!  Numerous pastors are jailed due to this law.

 

 

 

Dear SIF Supporters:

 

Thank you for your continued prayers for our brothers and sisters in India.  In 1 Peter 4, we come across the familiar verse: "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you."  I'm sure there are not many, if any, that would voluntarily desire to go through a "fiery trial," but when we do as co-heirs of Christ, we are not to think it as something strange.  The next verse says: "but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."  A pastor in India recently said: "Persecution is not an accident, it is the expectation."

 

There are many amazing things going on with our friends in India.  We continue to give praise that their boldness for the Great Commission continues to increase as God is working profoundly in their midst.  I hope you are encouraged by the photos below.

 

If you wish to send support, you can either mail a check to the address below or you can use the PayPal feature on the website (http://sharonindia.org/), which will transfer funds from their secure account to the Foundation account. 

 

Mail your checks to:

Sharon India Foundation

133 E. Warm Springs Rd #102

Las Vegas, NV  89119

 

A bank wire will be sent to India on the 21^st of this month.  The Pastor Fellowship Meeting will be held on Saturday, June 25^th  Note: The pastors "All Night Prayer" meeting will be this coming Tuesday evening (7th) starting at 10pm.

 

“The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.” (Psalm 25:14)

 

Your grateful slave in Jesus Christ,

Dan

702-595-6868 (c)

 

 

 

Medak District – 100 km north of Hyderabad

Pastor Sanjeeva Rao's "outdoor" church.  This is what Pastor Satyanandam had to say this past Friday (6/3):  "Yesterday I went to the baptismal programme at Medak in the church of Pastor Sanjeeva Rao and 2 new believers added to the church of God after baptism. This pastor is doing ministry in remote area faithfully. He also received a bicycle from SIF and working for the Lord in and around the area and preaching Gospel to the unreached with help of that bicycle. The place where we baptized this 2 new believers is 2 km far from his church and we reached there by foot. The whole village is filled with idol worship and pray that the Lord would draw that people to the cross of Christ from the terrible idol worship and receive gospel of truth in the days to come."  

 

 

There have been several marriages the past couple months.  Below is a very typical

wedding announcement.  This was the marriage of Bro. Srinu's  daughter, Anusha.

Please pray for this couple.

 

Marriage of Pastor U. Joseph's daughter last month.  This new couple are receiving

a blessing as they are prayed over by the attending pastors.

 

Last month some of the Hyderabad pastors traveled to Orissa (now Odisha) to encourage

and stand with these pastors that are on the front line of persecution.  6 pastors received

bicycles to assist them in proclaiming the Good News to such a dark and idol infested area.

Please pray for these brothers of ours in Odisha.

 

Great photo of newly baptized members of Pastor Sheath's church.  Pray that these new

brothers and sisters of ours will be strengthened in the days ahead and be bold witnesses

for the amazing new life that they have in Jesus Christ…………wow! (Pastor Sheath far left)

 

4 young widows received sewing machines and financial support for some medical conditions.

This was an amazing event yesterday (Saturday) as these young women shed tears of joy as

they gave thanks and praise to God for His love and kindness showered upon them.  These machines

will be so useful as they embark on their own financial support.  Widows are extremely mistreated in

their current work environments.  Please pray for these precious sisters of ours.

 

In May, Pastor Jacob had an anniversary celebration of his church.  Also, that same day he

organized a Gospel meeting.  Many responded to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Pastor Raju and his wife (far right) stand with 2 new members of his humble church.  Pastor

Raju ministers in a remote area.  The 2 new children of God's family were rescued from the

the darkness of Hinduism and idol worship.  All new believers receive Telugu Bibles from SIF.  

 

Pastor's Fellowship Meeting, May 28th

 

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen

 

 

A SIF Story of God's Grace on Easter

 

In closing, I wanted to share an amazing story with you.  Below is an email I sent to Andy Fetsis on Thursday, April 21st, just prior to Easter Sunday.

 

Dear Andy:

 

I have to tell you that something bizarre happened yesterday.  We forgot to make a deposit into the SIF checking account.  Therefore, when I made the wire on Monday, it was cancelled due to inadequate funds.  I didn't find out until Satyanandam emailed me yesterday (Wed) telling me the funds had not been added to the account.  Friday is a bank holiday in India, so I knew it was impossible for the funds to arrive in time for this Saturday's SPWF meeting.  As you know, many of the churches already had planned Easter programs and outreaches to the Hindus, so the timing was very important and we were very grieved about this oversight.

 

I went ahead anyway and had my controller make a deposit at 1:30pm Wed.  I sent the wire instructions at 2:30pm PST (6am Thursday morning in India) to BofA.  There is always a "minimum" 12 hour hold from deposit to wire transmission before it begins its journey from BofA (east coast) to Mumbai to Hyderabad.  In business terms with the time difference ——— absolutely impossible for the funds to get to the State Bank of Hyderabad by Thursday.  The bank manager even told Steve that the wire would not be sent until Thursday – too late for an India wire.

 

They were praying in India, my controller & I were praying and by God's Grace only, He sent the wire through.  And to make things even more amazing, the funds were received in India in the MORNING!  That means the wire took less than 4 hours to reach the bank in Hyderabad from start to finish!   People can say what they want, but this was a miracle from God.  He rained such loving favor, again I am humbled and speechless.

 

Just had to tell someone………………………………stricken with gratitude, Dan

 

 

 

 

Life in a Third World Country

Economist Robert Heilbroner describes the luxuries a typical American family would have to surrender if they lived among the one billion hungry people in the Third World:

We begin by invading the house of our imaginary American family to strip it of its furniture.  Everything goes: beds, chairs, tables, television sets, lamps. We will leave the family with a few old blankets, a kitchen table, a wooden chair. Along with the bureaus go the clothes. Each member of the family may keep in his “wardrobe”, his oldest suit or dress, a shirt or blouse. We will permit a pair of shoes for the head of the family, but none for his wife or children.

We move to the kitchen. The appliances have already been taken out, so we turn to the cupboards; the box of matches may stay, a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt. A few moldy potatoes, already in the garbage can, must be rescued, for they will provide much of tonight’s meal. We will leave a handful of onions and a dish of dried beans. All the rest we take away: the meat, the fresh vegetables, the canned goods, the crackers, the candy.

Now we have stripped the house: the bathroom has been dismantled, the running water shut off, the electric wires taken out. Next we take away the house. The family can move to the tool shed. Communications must go next. No more newspapers, magazines, books, not that they are missed, since we must take away our family’s literacy as well. Instead, in our shantytown we will allow one radio.

Now government services must go next. No more postmen, no more firemen.  There is a school, but it is three miles away and consists of two classrooms. There are, of course, no hospitals or doctors nearby. The nearest clinic is ten miles away and is tended by a midwife. It can be reached by bicycle, provided the family has a bicycle, which is unlikely.

Finally, money. We will allow our family a cash hoard of five dollars. This will prevent our breadwinner from experiencing the tragedy of an Iranian peasant who went blind because he could not raise the $3.94 which he mistakenly thought he needed to receive admission to a hospital where he could have been cured..

Taken from “Revolution in World Missions”, by K.P. Yohannan

 

 

 

Little boy praying with his mother at the

dedication of Pastor Veeraiah’s church

 

 

Dear SIF Supporters:

 

I can’t believe we are already halfway through the month of January.  Happy New Year to all of you!

 

As always, there are so many things to share with you, and like the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”  So I will try to keep my words brief and insert enough photos that you can get another glimpse of how God is working in the lives of our brothers and sisters in India through your prayers and kindness toward to them.

 

The most amazing thing currently being reported back to the foundation is the outreach of the SPWF (Sharon Prayer Warriors Fellowship) into the states of Karnataka and Orissa.  There is a growing group of pastors in both of these states now part of the SPWF.  They even have “all night prayer” at the same time the pastors in Hyderabad gather (1^st Tues of every month).  I have added a few photos below.  In addition, there are pastors in the state south of Andhra Pradesh (Tamil Nadu) that also desire to be part of SPWF.  On the 19^th (this Wednesday), some of the pastors will be traveling again to Orissa State.  They ask for your prayers in this hostile area.

 

If you wish to send support, you can either mail a check to the address below or you can use the PayPal feature on the website (http://sharonindia.org/), which will transfer funds from their secure account to the Foundation account. 

 

Mail your checks to:

Sharon India Foundation

133 E. Warm Springs Rd #102

Las Vegas, NV  89119

 

A bank wire will be sent to India on the 25^th of this month.  The Pastor Fellowship Meeting will be held on Saturday, January 29^th

 

“For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Phil 1:29)

 

Broken and Dependent in Christ,

Dan

702-595-6868 (c)

 

 

The pastors from Karnataka receive white safari suits for Christmas from the foundation.  Karnataka State is just west of Andhra Pradesh.  The pastors below have been traveling (by bus) for fellowship and encouragement every month.  Please pray for these brothers who labor in extremely poor and backward areas of India.

 

 

 

BAPTISMS

Touched by the Lord, this young man commits his life to Jesus Christ.

He is now part of Pastor Joseph’s church (wearing glasses).

 

 

Pastor Moses had to ask if he could use this very small cement tank that is owned by a Hindu man.  Amazingly, it was granted to him for the baptisms below.  Pray for Pastor Moses and these new believers in Christ because this area has very tough opposition toward Christians.

 

 

Last Thursday, some of the SPWF traveled to the Warangal area for baptisms and visited 2 churches of Pastor Rahel Babu and David Babu.  You will see below the newly baptized people and each of the pastors’ churches and humble congregations.

 

 

Below are some of our new brothers and sisters in Christ from 4 different churches.  This is what Pastor Satyanandam had to say:  “On Tuesday the 11th we thank God for the dear ones who are rescued from lack of fire and entered into heaven to God! God bless them. God bless His beloved servants all the pastors of these congregations. Let us pray that these dear ones newly baptized will grow in spirit and stand as a faithful witness. May God bless them, fill them with His spirit and use them for the extension of His kingdom.”  See the next set of photos for the names of the pastors.

 

 

Baptized people from above with their respective pastors

 

 

Pastor’s Fellowship and All Night Prayer

 

 

Pastor Fellowship Meeting the week before Christmas.  Due to your support, many of these pastors were able to reach out to their Hindu neighbors and invite them to hear the life-changing story of Christmas.   “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”

 

 

They are all so very grateful!

 

Singing Hymns in Telugu

All Night Prayer Meeting

 

As mentioned last month, many of the woman are also joining the men at the “all night prayer” meetings.

 

 

Orissa

 

 

Prayer Request:  As mentioned above, please pray for the upcoming journey that some of the SPWF pastors from Hyderabad will be making this week.  They will be departing Jan 19^th and returning on 22^nd.  They travel overnight by train to the state of Orissa and will join up with the pastors ministering there.  Orissa is controlled by the powerful BJP Party (Bharatiya Janata Party) that is extremely hostile to Christianity.  Below is a photo of the Orissa pastors during their “all night prayer” meeting they started last month.  

 

All Night Prayer meeting in Orissa.  The pastors from Hyderabad will be encouraging these brothers this week.  They are also starting to receive a small amount of financial support that helps them as they share the Good News to tribal people – some that have never heard the name of Jesus.

 

 

Due to support from USA donors, SIF was able to get funds to India to purchase Bibles for the Orissa congregations in their native tongue of Oriya.  This is a huge blessing!  These precious people could never afford to buy a Bible for themselves.

 

 

 

CLOSING COMMENT

The photo above is Sis. Shanthi with her mother and 10 yr old daughter.

Sis. Shanthi is a widow that had a life-threatening medical condition that needed immediate attention.

The surgery was performed and she is now out of danger.  As you can see, the post-recovery room had no beds.

Sis. Shanthi and her family are so grateful to our merciful Lord that He provided for her during this time of great need.

 

The Gospel of our Lord is going forth in many different ways.  Thank you so very much!