Sally Blotzer, one of the Rock Harbor leaders shares, “this year, I was blessed with the opportunity to return to India, to reunite my feet with the dust that forever changed my life, and my heart with hundreds of familiar smiles, exclaiming “Akka! Akka!” (“Big sister! Big sister!”): a Kingdom moment, a taste of heaven, and an invitation into organized chaos for the next three days. 

My responsibility for VBS was to coordinate the different stations. While doing my rounds during day two of VBS, a little guy, age ten, runs to me, proudly extending a picture of Joseph that he colored for his craft. My journey with Subini began by me extending my hand to him, guiding him to his proper station. Subini grabbed my hand, and asked “Akka, you Rock Harbor VBS leader?” To which I replied with an affirmative smile.

His eyes widened and he exclaimed “Wow!”

From there on he became my partner in making sure everyone else was in line.

We first walked from Bible memory to games, hand in hand we continued to the crafts area, to check on the mayhem occurring. As we were walking, I hear a sweet little voice singing “Jesus is my super hero, he’s my friend…”

When we arrived, I noticed a little boy laying down, separated from the rest of the group. I sat with the boy and asked if he was ill, the temperature of his forehead definitely spoke for itself. Subini quickly came to my rescue to translate. I asked the little boy if he wanted us to pray. After he said yes, I asked Subini if he would like to pray for him. Reluctantly, Subini told me his English was not very good—so I encouraged him to pray in Telugu. He immediately reached his hand out to me, wrapped my Chuni scarf around my head, and laid his hand on his friend, and prayed.

As we go on to check on Bible memory, Subini and I notice another little boy, lying in the back. We walk over and, once again, I invite him to pray for this boy. However, this time, we were joined by about ten other Dalit children—lifting up their brother in prayer.

I cannot tell you the beauty that my ears have been captivated by in listening to those prayers. We read in Proverbs 15:29 that God hears the prayers of the righteous. To imagine the smile on our Heavenly Father’s face as he watched his precious boy lifting up other children simply strips me of all words. What a sacred, sovereign, delightful moment this was—with a lasting impact on my heart.

As I was talking to one of the Harvest India workers, she informed me that Subini, before he was orphaned, was raised by a Muslim father. His mother passed away when he was young, and then he lost his father. Subini’s faith is a living testimony to God’s work at the Harvest India Children’s Home. His love for the Lord shines in his radiant smile, his songs of praise, and his reverence in prayer. I am thankful that through the partnership of Harvest India and Rock Harbor, Subini gets to experience a life based on a foundation of Christ’s love.”

It’s been an amazing time of learning, praying and seeking God’s direction as we’ve shared what God’s been up to at Harvest India and learned more about the phenomenal work being done in Uganda. It quickly became very clear that we were going to working together in India and we turned our prayers and attention to developing a product and sourcing raw materials that would be needed in our venture. Meeting with fabric wholesalers, sari shop owners, metal smiths, hide tanners and artisan hand block printers should have taken months, but in the course of three weeks we accomplished nearly every connection needed to move forward in product development in the US. Praise God!

 We are excited to see the way that God continues to work and move in both 31 Bits and Harvest India. We are moving forward in partnership, trusting that the Lord will continue to provide through what we all hope to be a generous and successful Christmas season. We are proud to announce that 31 Bits is coming to India in 2012!

He recalls, “Just weeks after Bishop Suresh prayed for abundant blessings in my life I inquired about hiring a small boat and taking a crew out for a deep sea trip. When we cast the nets they immediately filled with fish. Again we cast them and the boat became heavy with fish. The single fishing trip provided enough fish, which we sold for enough money to completely re-establish my fishing business. I knew that day that Jesus was Lord and I surrendered my life to Christ.” 

He had returned to the Harvest India campus to bring the best of his catch as an offering to God’s work through Harvest India. He has visited several times over the last year, often coming for prayer before his fishing trips and bringing fish from his trips after they have concluded. He’s been sharing about how God is good in his life. His business is growing again and the Lord is blessing him one hundred fold more than ever before. Last month he caught word that Christina’s birthday was approaching. He vowed to freely give 500 fish as a gift to Harvest India. His desire was that every child in Raj Kumar’s children home would have a fresh, hot fish lunch to celebrate this joyous day. Today, on Christina’s birthday, he kept his promise and arrived early this morning with over 135 pounds of fish (over 500 fish) to give to the children at Harvest India. Every child in our children home in Tenali was served their own fish today for lunch, marking the first time ever we have been able to give such a lavish treat! It was a beautiful day, a beautiful picture of God’s blessing through prayer and a beautiful way for a former Hindu man to boldly and faithfully declare his love for Christ through his heart for God’s children.

Sunday, May 1, 2011 at Revolution Church in Long Beach, CA
Sunday, May 15, 2011 at Grace Fellowship Church in Tehachapi, CA
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at the Garden Church in Long Beach, CA
Saturday June 4, 2011 at Rock Harbor Central in Costa Mesa, CA
Sunday June 5, 2011 at Rock Harbor Central and South Orange County Campuses in CA
Sunday June 12, 2011 at Cornerstone Church in Chandler, AZ
Tuesday June 14, 2011 at Scottsdale First Assembly in Scottsdale, AZ
Sunday June 19, 2011 at The Way Church in Scottsdale, AZ
Sunday June 26, 2011 at Collision Church in Cerritos, CA
Sunday July 3, 2011 at Immanuel Church in Gurnee, IL
Sunday July 17, 2011 at East Leesville Baptist Church in Leesville, LA

He will also be visiting::
Bend, OR May 26-June 1
Scottsdale & Chandler, AZ June 9-21
Atlanta, GA July 9-11
Charlotte, NC July 12
Nashville, TN July 13-14
Dallas, TX July 15-16

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

          Our 24 children homes worshiped Jesus and prayed for all of our patners on Christmas Eve.

On Christmas morning, all of the children recieved new uniforms for school.

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We also gathered with our Staff to bless their families and gave clothing to the widows and elderly in each village we ministered to throughout the Christmas Season.
     

THANK YOU! Through your prayers and support we watched many receive Christ’s love and find the true meaning in Christmas.

Pradeep is a young boy in Harvest India’s children home at Telaprolu. He and his older brother are both studying in the home. Pradeep was born tongue tied. Tongue tie occurs when the tissue on the underside of the front of the tongue is positioned too far forward, making it difficult to move the tongue. Without the ability to speak Pradeep was having difficulty communicating and his opportunities looked dim. Through Harvest India’s partners, who financially stand behind procedures that will benefit the quality of life for those deemed candidates, Pradeep underwent a reconstructive surgery last month. He now has greatly increased movement of the tongue and is beginning to learn proper pronunciation and spoken sounds. His studies have greatly increased as well as his spirits.

“I am staying and studying in Telaprolu at Harvest India’s children home with my older brother. My parents were not able to care for us or get me surgery due to financial problems. One day my Harvest India Dad took me to see Bishop Suresh. After some medical exams I received the money for my operation. Now I am able to talk freely with anybody! I thank God for His help and also thank all the donors who made this possible.”

Name: Shake Saahina Bee
Age: 65 years old
Harvest India Ministry: Elderly Home

Shake Shahina was born and brought up in Visaka Patnam. She is from a strong Muslim background, and has two children. Her husband worked as trucker. This is her story:

“After his(her husbands) sudden demise my family scattered. I was able to sustain myself for a few years, but when I grew old my children pushed me out of my house. I was left with nothing, no food, no clothes, no shelter. I was starving for food but nobody would help me. I decided to visit some of my relatives in another region in hopes they would offer me shelter. I got to the local train depot and headed for Tenali. When I went to my relative’s house they also rejected me. I didn’t know what to do. I was so alone; I decided to die. I came to the railway station with fear in my heart, trembling in my body and hunger in my stomach. I spent ten days at the station and grew weaker each day. I started to beg. The police began to hassle me for begging. They could see I was getting near death and they asked me my story. Then a miracle happened. They told me about Harvest India’s elderly home in Tenali. I went there and they didn’t reject me. They provided for my needs, gave me food, shelter, fresh clothes, medical examinations, and nursed me back to health. Now I am very happy to stay in this house. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord and I’m enjoying life growing in the knowledge of God and praying for this ministry and those who stand behind this work; to give hope to those in need. I know that my life is nearly finished on this earth, and soon I’ll meet my God. I have requested my Harvest India family grant my wish to be buried, following Christian custom. I thank God for restoring my health, my hope, and my future. I pray continually for Harvest India, for the donors, and for the lives that must still be reached through this work.”

Name: Chelaka Naveen
Age: 18 years old
Harvest India Ministry: Children Home & College Financial Aid

Chelaka Naveen is now studying his second year at Intermediate College (M.P.C.) He and his two sisters have all been a part of Harvest India ministries as they have grown up. His eldest sister recently got married and his younger sister is in 9th grade at the Harvest India Orphanage at Vadlamudi.

Five years back Naveen joined Harvest India’s children home. At a young age, his father deserted his mother leaving the family in a desperate situation. His mother was concerned with how she could possibly provide for herself, let alone her three children. When she heard about Harvest India’s children homes she inquired a way to enroll Naveen and his two sisters. Harvest India provided hope in what seemed to be a hopeless situation and allowed for her to work and provide for herself, resting easy in knowing that her children were under superior care. She visited often and was continually blessed to see the ways that her children were growing into amazingly gifted young adults and establishing a relationship with Jesus Christ. Naveen has completed his time under Harvest India’s care and after graduating 10th grade he continued his education at M.C.P, a local intermediate college in Tenali. He spends his days studying hard and planning for his bright future. With endless possibilities on the horizon he still volunteers his free time to help at the orphanage, continually building relationships with those that invested so much in his life and helping set the younger kids on the right path.

“I was very happy in this children’s home, I still love to visit and help out. I am receiving everything that I ever needed and more. I’ve accepted Christ as my personal Savior and Lord and I thank God for His goodness in my life, for Harvest India, and for God’s grace on my family.”

God used Pastor Andy Silva (a partner from New Mexico), Pastor Kevin (a partner from Arizona), and I to train, equip, and encourage these faithful men and women in the work they endeavor for the Glory of God. We are encouraged to see the faithfulness and strength of our pastors and leaders working in Tamil Nadu. We are overjoyed to hear the stories of the harvest that is coming from the laborious years of faithfully planting seed and prayerfully protecting that seed as the Lord grows the believers in this state.

God spoke to our pastors and leaders about the authority they have been given in Christ Jesus. He led us to specifically pray over our younger ministers who are laboring for the Lord; that they would not be hindered in their work and that they would rise up to stand as an example of right living for the next generation. The theme of the conference was “wah” the Tamil word for “come.” We encouraged our pastors to walk in faith and speak out their desires to the Lord; to pray unceasingly for the things they need to effectively run the ministry and to call those things to “wah” in Jesus name. Above all else we gathered to give ourselves to the Word of God and prayer. We also had much time of praise and worship. The spirit of the Lord broke out and we all rejoiced with praise and dancing to honor God for His faithfulness and thank Him for His grace on our lives. We are so thankful for the work the Lord is doing in Tamil Nadu, for the ways He has revealed himself to us over the last few days. He has given us encouragement through His Word and in revelation through the Holy Spirit to continue to run the race. Anyone can begin the job, can start to walk in the Christian life, but to those who faithfully press forward, seeking first the Kingdom and remaining focused on the eternal prize, will be rewarded greatly.

Please continue to pray for the harvest in Tamil Nadu.

Specifically that:

• the 400 plus pastors and leaders in attendance would be strengthened and remain encouraged.
• we would be able to conduct more ministry in Tamil Nadu as the Lord provides resources.
• Pastor Mony and his team would remain focused on the Lord and not be distracted or hindered by the enemies schemes.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support, glory to God!