September 2021
“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another,
be compassionate and humble. ~ I Peter 3:8
Dear Ones in Christ,
I am so thankful for your prayers as I have been recovering at home from stomach surgery. It has been a slow process, but I am gradually regaining my strength. Your sympathy and compassion reminded me of the above verse in I Peter. It also reminds me of the need to continue to spread Christ’s love in India.
Our Food Kit programs in Kerala and Uttar Pradesh are going well, and the people are encouraged. These kits are helping needy people, including some local pastors and evangelists who are struggling during this pandemic. The pandemic has caused restrictions to be placed on churches in Kerala, and these pastors and evangelists are not able to minister in the same way and raise support.
This month we have launched another program to help families as they struggle to get through this pandemic. It is a small tutoring program for poor children. We have started with three locations in Kerala, ten students per location. At each location there is a teacher and a coordinator, who have been trained for Christian leadership at IEM’s Leadership Training Institute. Although there are restrictions on schools and churches, we are allowed to have small gatherings of children as long as safety protocols are taken. We maintain social distancing and other Covid safeguards as teachers help kids with their studies for an hour a day, in order to support and improve their education. Then, on Saturday the teachers and coordinators gather their students for a special program, including songs and stories with a Gospel message. We are praying that this ministry will have an impact on these families and their communities.
Please keep praying for our Bible College as we continue with online classes. Our students and our faculty are energized as they study the Word of God. Covid remains a significant problem in Kerala State, so our campus remains closed. But we thank God that the ministry of IEM continues.
Because the Covid crisis persists, we have decided to avoid our usual Fellowship Dinners again this year. We are so thankful to have, in the words of the Apostle Peter, like-minded supporters who are sympathetic and compassionate to the people of India.
Yours in His Service,
G.V. Mathai and Dayan Mathai