The Most Joyful Event in our Orphanage

I asked Pastor Barun Senapati what was the most joyful event in the orphange that he founded and maintains in Orissa, India. Here is what he answered:

The conception most people have of joy is that it means getting something which makes refreshment and gives joy to oneself only. However, that is not primarily what joy is. “JOY’ means releasing someone from social, physical, educational, spritual, and/or emotional poverty.

Bethany Trust in Kessinga, Orissa, India is an organization that focuses basically on social work. Children's Ministry is one of the parts of Bethany Trust. We are taking care of many children who are socialy, physically, educationally, and spiritually impoverished. Most of the children do not have parents. They are from backward and remote areas in Kalahandi as well as other district in Orissa State. They had never gone to a town or city. They have never traveled to long distance places. They knew nothing about Christ. They were living under superstition and according to their parents’ blind belief they were acting as well as they were illiterate.

Indeed it is a Joyful event for us that they are changed. Now-a days they are released from social, physical, educational, spritual and emotional poverty. Though many of them are from Hindu background some of them have accepted Christ as their personal Saviour and their Lord Jesus Christ. Some children have come to know about our true God. Many of their parents came to know about the Lord Jesus Christ. The children are being provided with food meals, uniforms, and other clothes. hygiene supplies and school supplies, all of which are most needed things in their lives. They are being given good education.
As a matter of fact we are so glad to see the changing and progress that are taking place in various areas in the lives of the poor and orphan children. We think this is the real joyful events where by God’s name will be glorified and His Kingdom will be flourished in different parts in Orissa state.


PRAYER REQUESTS:
1.Pray for our poor and orphan children home next year we are planning to increase the numbers of children that so we need the helping hand of God.
2.Pray for our Day care center where 201 children are studying.
3.Pray for our Evangelism and church-planting ministry.
4.Pray for our widow care ministry.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU

Rev. Barun Senapati
Founder – Chairman
Bethany Trust

The Time is Fulfilled

There are lots of different people saying lots of different things, and some of them put us off with their craziness and there are lots of points to argue with them about, but at their best they seem to be acting out of a single profound impulse, which is best described with words like tolerance, compassion, sanity, hope, justice. It is an impulse that has always been part of the human heart, but it seems to be welling up into the world with new power in our age now even as the forces of darkness are welling up with the new power in our age too. That is the bright side, I think, the glad and hopeful side, of what Jesus means by "The time is fulfilled." He means the time is ripe.

- Frederick Buechner
from Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons

as quoted in Sojourners

Slain in the Spirit

I wrote to a friend in Michigan that when people say things like, “God told me to…” or “The Spirit told me…” it causes me to bite my lip to keep from saying, “Don’t blame God for your poor choices.” It is still easier for me than the noisy chattering of tongues. When I stand in a circle with teacher friends in India and elsewhere and the worship director tells us all to pray in any tongue, the circle is filled with chattering. All speak English but in those moments they speak in their mother tongue or in some language that humans can’t understand. I think God must be pleased but all I can do is admit to God that it is too noisy for me to pray.

My friend wrote back, “Poor Gloria. But what can you expect from someone who chooses to worship in churches where, if someone is slain in the Spirit, people call an ambulance.”

It actually happened! At our worship service one Sunday evening (Michigan) a visitor fell to the floor and started to shake. In great horror we moved chairs back to give him breathing room and someone ran to the telephone to call 911. However, the woman with him said, “Don’t worry. He has just been slain in the Spirit. He will be alright soon.”

If someone falls to the floor during a worship service, we should check to see whether that person is in some rapturous state. However, if I fall to the floor, please call an ambulance! It is only me…poor Gloria.

Comment on "Some memories..."

Someone sent the following comment and I found it comforting.

Gloria,like you, I am challenged many times as I walk the streets of Bangalore as I see these lepers.Amazingly, God helped me to understand his Grace more as I see these men and women. It reminds me that I was like these lepers before God saved me by his Grace. I was untouchable, but he touched me.Im not sure when I'm going to muster up enough courage to reach out and touch some one with this handicap, but the truth is 'one touch will make the difference'

Some memories make me sad!

Some memories really do make me sad. Last May at our India conference our friend, Ezekiel, opened with a wonderful devotion. He told us the story of a leper who came to a church and became a Christian.

When he was asked why he had come to the church he said, "A man gave me money and he held my hand when he put the money in it. No one ever touches a leper. He said he was giving the money in the name of Jesus Christ. I wanted to know that same Jesus who would make a man do such a kind thing."

After the conference was finished we had time two hours for shopping on the main shopping street in Bangalore. There was a huge downfall of rain because the monsoon season was beginning.

It was dark after the rain and I headed for one of the stores. A leper came toward me and asked for money. His fingers were stubs and he had rags wrapped around his hands and up on his arms.

I remembered what Ezekiel had said as I gave the man money. But I could not make myself touch him when I did so. I wish so much that I had held his hand.

Some memories make me very sad.

Children and Faith

Children possess naturally the essential elements for having faith. The Kingdom of God is first perceived in the world children know best. Children, therefore, have as much to offer adults as adults have to offer children-perhaps more.


- John H. Westerhoff III
Bringing Up Children in the Christian Faith

As quoted in Sojourners

The time is ripe!

There are lots of different people saying lots of different things, and some of them put us off with their craziness and there are lots of points to argue with them about, but at their best they seem to be acting out of a single profound impulse, which is best described with words like tolerance, compassion, sanity, hope, justice. It is an impulse that has always been part of the human heart, but it seems to be welling up into the world with new power in our age now even as the forces of darkness are welling up with the new power in our age too. That is the bright side, I think, the glad and hopeful side, of what Jesus means by "The time is fulfilled." He means the time is ripe

- Frederick Beuchner Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons

...as quoted in Sojourners

It makes me weep!

Two-thirds of the children denied primary education are girls. A total of 75 percent of the world's illiterate adults are women!

It makes me weep!