January 2024
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”
Galatians 6:9
Dear Friends,
On New Year’s Eve, I landed in India, along with three of my nephews—Schuyler, Ethan, and Luke (Mishal and Len’s sons). It was very meaningful to have them with me after the recent passing of my dad. On that first day, we participated in a morning worship service, and in the evening there was a Watch Night Service, in which the local church members gathered and gave testimony to God’s faithfulness in the past year, and then brought in the New Year with prayer. It was a wonderful way to begin our journey in India and to start the New Year. During our four days in Mumbai, we visited several slum areas and met with pastors and Sunday School leaders who are ministering in these impoverished communities. We had the joy of bringing food kits to some families in the slums and praying with them. My nephews are all gifted musicians, so they had prepared some special songs to sing as Schuyler played his trumpet.
From Mumbai we traveled to Lucknow, the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) in North India. This is a state where IEM has recently begun a ministry with evangelist Robin and his wife, Goodie. Robin arranged for us to travel to several remote villages, where we distributed food kits and blankets to needy people. The blankets were especially appreciated during this time of the year, as it gets very cold in North India. We also met with several pastors and heard many stories of severe persecution that is going on in this state against Christians. We sang and prayed with them and sought to encourage them as they face these difficult trials.
We flew to Kerala for our final week in India, where the Workers’ Conference was held on our IEM campus. IEM evangelists and workers from several states of India gathered for the four-day conference. It was a blessed time of encouragement and edification. The workers heard from prominent speakers who spoke on the theme taken from Galatians 6:9, quoted above. This theme is especially relevant in India right now as there is much concern about the increasing persecution of Christians and anti-conversion laws being passed in many parts of the country. It was exciting to hear what the Lord is doing in various parts of India, despite the opposition to the Gospel.
While in Kerala, we also traveled to a remote mountain village where we conducted food kit programs. It was such a joy to engage in all these ministries with my dad’s grandsons, and to see them participate in the ministry in India. My mom and dad would be very happy to know their grandsons are helping to carry on the work.
I pray that the Lord is bringing you joy in the New Year. We expect great things from the Lord this year. Thank you so much for your continued prayerful support. We love you all.
God bless you,
Dayan Mathai