A letter from Michael & Rosaline John
International Leaders of India
Greetings in the awesome name of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ!
We are grateful to each one of you for your prayers and support for Divya Aashray Ministries. Your prayers are a source of strength and encouragement for us to continue to do what God wants us to do in Varanasi and beyond. It was a hot and humid summer but we now thank God for the wonderful monsoon. During the heat and monsoons it is difficult for our church planters to visit villages which often have mud roads, but God keeps us going in all seasons. Villages are continuing to be reached and the Gospel preached to new people every day. Having a house church ministry is a privilege we enjoy. We get to preach the Gospel all through the week; from Sunday to Saturday someone is hearing that Jesus died for their sins, to set them free from bondage and to offer them the gift of abundant and eternal life.
We were in a few of our house churches this month (Choukaghat, Chandouli, Todarpur, Jagardevpur, Khojuwan, Karoundi, Koeli, Ramsipur, Mohansari) are were so blessed by their testimonies and perseverance! Read their testimonies and be blessed:
Sajeevan (from our Jagardevpur house church) is a poor daily wage laborer and takes care of a big family. When the family came to Divya Aashray 7 years ago, they lived in a mud house and the children had no decent clothes to wear. But they believed that God would provide and meet all their needs. Today they live in a two room home with a concrete roof and brick walls. God is meeting their needs for each day and we praise Him for His faithfulness!
Sarita (from our Choukaghat house church) is only 18 years old and was possessed by evil spirits for the last 15 years. They began to trouble her more in the past couple of months. The evil spirit would manifest so violently that even four men could not hold her down. She would roll on the floor and run outside screaming and shouting. The evil spirit told her family that he has come to take her life and will not let her live. Sarita’s family brought her to a Sunday worship, where she was delivered completely from these spirits! Still, there are few of her brothers who do not believe and insist on keeping idols at home. We visited them and shared the Good News; please join us in continuing to pray that God will save her whole family.
Chandramma (from our Khojuwan house church) has a teenage daughter who has been sick for many years. She has been told that someone has done black magic and nothing will heal her. The daughter would sleep constantly, could not eat properly, and had even forgotten how to smile. But one day two sisters (both new believers from our Khojuwan house church) visited her and prayed for her daughter. From that very moment there was a change. Chandramma had been a worshipper of Shiva and had many idols in her home- but now she has thrown away all her idols and has accepted Jesus as Lord! She describes that she was in darkness, but the Lord Jesus has brought them into light. Today her daughter is a new person saved and set free. We praise God for His marvelous work in their lives.
It is always a great joy to visit new believers who have accepted Jesus amidst tremendous social pressure. Most of them are poor but have great love for Jesus. Need is great but our God is greater.
Thank you for being a part of this ministry. Your prayer and support is bringing new people into the Kingdom everyday.
All glory to Him and Him alone!
Photo credit: Russell Board