Perseverance
In Times of Adversity

Missionary to India
The growth of the church in India is a blessing. God has been faithful and by His grace we will continue to help in a significant way to encourage and expedite the work in India. A new home church is going up, our farm project is moving forward, and the street feeding and education program has helped many people.
I thank the Lord that I can communicate with our leaders in India by phone and video every week. I wish our conversations were all positive; however, persecution has continued to rise against Christian churches, orphanages, and programs.
Currently India is a hot spot for COVID. The capital city, New Delhi, is now totally closed except for two hours each day where people can purchase food. This means we must temporarily pause the street feeding and education program and close the bakery. Many church members have contracted COVID and we praise God that most of them have recovered. We recently lost two pastors and a church member to the virus. Please pray for the Lord’s intervention.
Before my husband Ron passed away we purchased a piece of land in a remote area. This land is being used to build a home church on it. The government is not issuing permits to build churches. You can build a house with a church attached to it. This building will be 10 percent house and 90 percent church. The government in this area is not as oppressive as in larger cities. Many members of this home church have sold as many personal items as possible to build the church faster. They are still in need of $10,000 to complete the house church.
The brand-new girls’ home is still being targeted weekly for inspection by the government. The inspectors have new rules each week that make the girls’ home out of compliance and we are required to make each and every change. I believe they are trying to close the orphanage; however, with your faithful support we will be able to keep the doors open even with weekly improvements.
I praise the Lord for our plentiful vegetation and trees. This farm provides a sanctuary for the children in the girls’ home and any of the boys or church groups that want to get some fresh country air. We recently repaired a large water well and built an irrigation system to the hundreds of fruit and nut trees.
A fence and solar lights have been installed to keep the elephants and other animals out of the farm. This will keep our trees from being damaged and trampled and keep the fruit and nuts for our church family to eat and/or sell.
The shops around the city have been closed due to COVID. Sadly, so has our bakery and café. Currently the bakery is the only source of income right now for our pastors and leaders in India. Once the bakery reopens, an additional oven will be needed as the orders start to come in for baked goods. A new oven costs $12,000.
We have a significant presence in the city through the Street Feeding and Education program. Hundreds of adults and children have been fed through this outreach and many children are receiving a quality education.
Thank you for your prayers for me and for India this year. Ron and I have always known that India is where God wanted us to be. To service our facilities and projects in India we need to raise $7,000 per month. I appreciate your faithful financial support.
For more than 20 years it has been my privilege to share the Gospel, encourage believers, and fellowship with the Open Bible Church members in India. My goal is to bring their message of gratitude to you and explain how we can prayerfully and financially support their ministry endeavors such as building churches, operating the boys' and girls' homes, directing the Bible school, digging wells, purchasing scooters, and providing self-help projects.
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The coronavirus pandemic has caused more than 3,426,517 deaths in over 219 countries around the world. It has brought a major halt to business and has caused severe economic hardship in many countries. In addition, thousands of our Open Bible churches around the world have had to stop in-person services, which has been very difficult.
Even now, many churches are not able to meet in person because of the COVID restrictions in their country. Our Open Bible pastors and other church leaders are suffering hardship. Many are struggling to feed their families and provide them with basic necessities. A lot of our churches overseas do not have the technology to be able to hold online services and it is difficult for them to keep in contact with their church members.
Would you join the Pandemic Aid team? The funds received will help hundreds of pastors and their families and communities. Our priority will be to provide food and necessities for their survival during this time of crisis.
Together we can make a lasting impact through Pandemic Aid and help our brothers and sisters around the world cope and succeed during this time of crisis.


Overcoming
in Jesus Name
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is a single nation in the southern Caribbean. It is comprised of St. Vincent, which is the main and largest island and several smaller islands. The Kingstown Open Bible Church is located on the main island. Kingstown Open Bible has an INSTE group that met regularly in the beginning of 2020. The students supported each other in prayer and study time and enjoyed meaningful discussions during class.
As with most everyone else, the group’s meetings were interrupted due to COVID-19. The students and INSTE facilitator were forced to make changes and practice social distancing regulations. Worship and weekly exams were held in the church parking lot. The students would stay in their cars and Annette Kennedy, the INSTE facilitator, would stand outside in front of the cars to observe and facilitate worship and the weekly exam. Annette shares: “The students taught me how to use Zoom to hold online classes and times of prayer. The experience was great, and the new method of facilitating was strange but enjoyable. The fellowship is wonderful, and the atmosphere is breezy. Thank you, God, for allowing me to function in this capacity, to bring joy to the faces of others as we study God’s Word. It has not been easy to facilitate my first INSTE group in these new times; however, it is bringing out the best in me. I give all the praise and thanks to God.”
The SVG INSTE group not only had to deal with the coronavirus this year, but there were several eruptions by the La Soufriere Volcano in April. Volcanic ash covered a substantial portion of the island. Many people were displaced, and more than 16,000 people had to be evacuated.
A side-by-side look at Richmond Vale in Saint Vincent after the eruption of La Soufrière. (Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies)
Despite the national crisis and the continual spread of COVID-19, the SVG INSTE group graduated on Sunday, May 2, 2021. This group of students was the ninth, Level One INSTE graduating class since the program was initiated in 2000. To God be the glory!
Please pray for these students’ ministry going forward.
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