Smiles Across the Miles

The Community Child Care Programs serve as an alternative to orphanages. Through these centers poor children get the same nutritious meals, educational help, and biblical instruction that the orphanages provide without isolating them from their families. The Lord blessed us to start two new centers this year bringing the number up to four of these centers.
 
Angiam
The first new center is at Angiam. This facility formerly housed the Angiam Orphanage which was forced to shut down this year because of undue regulations imposed by the BJP government. This child care center is being sponsored by Grace Primitive Baptist Church, Jackson, Mississippi. There are 40 children enrolled in this center.
 
Poosaripatti
The other new Child Care Center is in Poosaripatti and is sponsored by Grace Chapel Primitive Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee. This center also has 40 children enrolled and receiving food, education, and spiritual instruction.
 
Pottiapuram
The Pottiapuram Child Care Center is not a new center but we have made some changes. Rather than giving to support the center in general, donors are now sponsoring individual children just like sponsors of orphans. The children at the Pottiapuram Center as well as orphans at Shady Grove who need sponsors can be found on the Good Samaritan Trust website. Please consider sponsoring a child. 
(www.streamsofmercyindia.com)

Sikkanampatti
The Sikkanampatti Center was sponsored largely by a church in Virginia until that church disbanded in early 2015. Since then $500 of the $600 needed to operate this child care center have been taken each month from the general fund. If you would like help support the Sikkanampatti Child Care Center in any monthly amount please let us know by filling out the form on the Good Samaritan Fund website (www.streamsofmercyindia.com).

The Lord has done greater things in our work during this year. I praise and thank God for His Sovereign guidance in all areas of our work in South India. Our Lord said in John 15:5, “.....for without me ye can do nothing....”. Yes, we experienced the hand of the Lord was upon us in every step of our path.
 
Evangelism & Church Planting:
Three years ago, the Lord opened new doors to preach the Gospel and plant Churches in Krishnagiri, Poosaripatty and Reddiyur. All the members in these Churches are from Non-Christian background and got converted and baptized and joined in the Churches. The preachers Jude Madesh, Ebinezer and Paramanandam were Ordained as Elders on the day of Constitution of these Churches. We built a Church building only in Poosaripatty, but in other places, already they have built the buildings by their own efforts. Please remember these new Churches in your prayers that they will continually grow in the knowledge of grace.

 
My Church in Chettipatty has a good Evangelism Team consists six members. They launch out to villages and preach the gospel and distributing the New Testaments, gospels and tracts. According to Acts 13:48, whoever touched by the Holy Spirit, they come forward to know more about the Lord. Then through the Follow-up we help them to grow in the knowledge of God. Then we baptize the converts whoever got saved and become members in the local churches.
 
Orphanage and Child Care Program:
During the past years, we had much freedom to run Orphanages in the State. But in recent years, our freedom has been taken away in many areas and the whole administration has come under the purview of the Government. Accordingly, we are accountable to the Social Welfare Department in every aspect of the Orphanage. After the thorough examination, the Government has extended the recognition to run the Orphanage till 2020. Presently, we have only 45 inmates and ten other children are being supported while stay with their families. We thank God for the good results of the Orphanage during the past years. Our Old Boys and Girls who graduated High School and Colleges are working in different parts of Tamil Nadu. It is a joy to see them who are faithful in Following the Lord where ever they are. Every year, during Christmas time we have a get together to renew the fellowship.
 
The Community Child Care Program is an alternative Project through which the poor Children are still helped to get nutritious meals and education and Spiritual Care without isolating them from families. It does not involve much administrative and maintenance cost. But still serves its purpose.
 
The Lord blessed us to start two New Community Child Care Programs. One is in Poosaripatty sponsored by Grace Chapel, Memphis, TN. and the another one is in Angiam village which is sponsored by Grace Primitive Baptist Church, Jackson, MS. There were 40 Children admitted in the each Centre. Two committed teachers and one Cook are appointed in each of the Centre. The Local Churches are in-Charge in monitoring the Program by delegating responsibilities to the local Pastors and Deacons. Uplifting the poor children in the Community through the Holistic Care is the Primary object of the Program. The Pottiapuram Child Care Program has been moved to another building in the same Community as the contract of using the property has been over. One of the Teachers of the Program himself gave his house and the property to run the Program.
 
The Sikkanampatty Program keeps going well.  Bro.Rajamanikkam the one who was teaching and in-charge of the Program for the past ten years has died in heart attack on the November 29th. He was a good Christian and faithful worker influenced in lots of young lives. He has a wife and six children alive. One of his boys named Prakashraj is teaching the Children together with another teacher. I would appreciate your prayers for this bereaved family.
 
The normal Tutoring Centres are being functioned as usual in 20 villages under the Supervision of the local Ministers.
 
Literature Ministry:
The Literature Ministry is an effective tool in reaching the people with the word of God. We keep publishing Baptist Witness but only once in three months due to the lack of competent staff in the Office could not publish every month. But will catch up soon to publish on monthly basis from next year forward. We praise God for the powerful messages reaching many many more Christian in the State. So far, we have translated 15 books and Commentaries and published in Tamil. Not only Primitive Baptists but also the other Christians in Tamil Nadu are also being benefited by these wonderful books. It is our goal to translate many more good books and Commentaries and publish them in Tamil in the days to come.  We supplied Tamil Bibles to the poor believers in the village congregations through the support of an individual friend which is a great blessing.
 
Community Health Care Program:
The Health Care Program is keep going in ten villages together with Tutoring Program. They mainly teach the Community to get a general Health awareness for the preventive Care. Sometimes, we distribute vitamin tablets and do first aid on minimum basis within the limit set by the government.
 
The Fair Haven Health Clinic built in Veppamarathur village is not functioning on regular basis  due to the lack of support but the building is being used for conducting Medical Camps and Health Care Seminar now and then. My son Richard and his wife Portia are keep teaching the Health workers and conducting Medical Camps. As Richard is still doing his post graduate studies on Maxilla Facial Surgery with his influence he is able to help many poor patients to get free surgeries in his College Hospital. His Clinic in Omalur town is getting much number of patients and serving them with very reasonable charge to the normal people. Poor people get free treatment. We are planning to set up an operation theatre in the first floor of the Clinic in God’s time in future.
 
Economic Development Program:
Our Micro-Financing Program helps individual families to set up Self Help Projects to alleviate poverty in the rural Community. We issue loans for very lowest interest to the families to buy Milk animals, equipping people to start business according to their ability. Few people were enabled to set up Petty Shops. The beneficiaries are selected from poor Community irrespective of   caste and religion. Even though the repayment of the loans is slower than we expected, still we keep helping different people through the revolving fund established. Some of our old boys from the Orphanage were also helped to set up Cell Phone Shops etc. The love of Jesus Christ is being shown to the underprivileged people in practical way.
 
Devestation of Chennai:
We had a heaviest monsoon in Tamil Nadu State since 100 years. The coastal cities particularly the Chennai was flooded. Airport was closed for 6 days, no trains, no buses, no electricity and no cell phones; everything was shut down. As per the latest Hindu News paper, 347 persons in Chennai have died (drowning or electrocution), 1,16,000 huts damaged, 1. 74 Million Persons evacuated, 6605 relief centres, 600 boats used for rescue, 12.8 million food packets distributed. From the Primitive Baptist Ministries, we collected cloths, food commodities etc. and sent to Chennai through the local YMCA. Still I would like to help some more people by collecting donations from who are willing to extend helping hands to those who lost their houses and belongings.
 
Indeed, I had a great time in visiting different Primitive Baptist churches in the States from September 22nd to November 9th. I travelled in six States and preached in 20 Churches. I am thankful to all the Churches for their kind hospitality extended to me and the love offerings made for the Lord's work in India. I would appreciate your continual prayers for the ministry of the GSPBT for the furtherance of spreading the Gospel in the subcontinent of India.