Kulpahar Kids' Home & Christian School (India)
Greetings to you in the name of Jesus, our Lord. We are well. We are blessed. We are grateful. We are grateful to you for your faithfulness to this work as you continue to send your financial support.
The rains are over. Everything is green, and there should be good crops all the way around for the entire season. We have some vegetables in our garden, and more are being planted. November through February is our best growing season.
Again, thank you for your prayers. We have our FCRA number for another 5 years. God is good!
The children have taken their mid-term exams, and results are mostly good. CBSE, the affiliation board for our school, is putting out new rules and requirements faster than Arvind, the principal, and Sharon can keep up with. Please pray for 2 other concerns:
- The Ministry of Education is recommending several new policies for school that would limit privileges fo minorities, including Christians.
- There is a new civil judge in Kulpahar. He has dug into old case files and seems to think the mission is responsible for all the misdeeds done by all Christians. And of course, the first complaint is always "forced conversions."
As in most families, there are events -- with some being good and some being bad:
- Leela, in her 50s with grown children, had a stroke but is recovering nicely.
- Rahil came home to have a sweet, very tiny, baby girl.
- Matthew, out of college, has been searching for a year for a teaching job but has now taken a job in the office of a shipping company. It is close to home, and he has every Sunday off.
- Subhan had also searched and finally got a job but has turned in his resignation. For some reason, the vice principal took a dislike to him and has harassed him for the past 5 months. He also signs for more pay than he receives each month. This is a common practice here. What is truth? Honesty is a virtue that is lacking in many people. It is very difficult for those who want to be honest.
The children like to go on an outing on national holidays -- rarely taking place in the best weather. Since it was pouring rain on Independence Day in August, Linda promised them an outing later. So on October 11, 2 buses were hired and all 96 children with matrons and wardens were loaded up, prayed for, and were off for a great day at a dam and park. That little excursion cost over $400.
Mr. Lal, senior pastor and administrative assistant of the mission, has started a Bible study on Wednesday evenings for the girls from classes 6-12. We hope they will enjoy it and learn more about the New Testament church.
Bible School classes have begun on Sunday after church. Our teachers are the same as in school. The students sit outside on the ground for class, so during the rains, they have combined session in the church led by Seth Lal, the Sunday School superintendent.
Thanks again for the gift in the third quarter of this year. Christmas will soon be here. Please remember a special gift for the children.
~Linda & Sharon