INDIA - Binu Thampy
The year 2020 has been one of the most challenging years for many as people grappled with the challenges of COVID-19 and the associated safety regulations that were brought with it. As fear and uncertainty loomed over the people who were watching what was unfolding first in China and then in Europe, we knew we had to make a choice on how we were going to pace ourselves during these times. In early April of 2020 as we huddled together as a group we prayerfully decided that we will not allow what is around us to get inside of us. Rather we will have a positive frame of mind where we will find opportunities within the challenge.
Looking back on the year we are able to turn back and be very thankful to God first for His protection,
His provision and for allowing us to be a blessing to thousands of families during these turbulent times. The main highlights for us during these times have been:
Providing Relief/Aid to the neediest. Through the help provided to us by partners like Imagine Nations Church we have been able to provide Aid to people who were being pushed to the brink of starvation. We identified
12 large communities within Kolkata City and also many communities in the northern region of India that needed help. We have been actively involved in taking cooked food out to the homeless and the street dwellers everyday since April. This has enabled us to build many new relationships and has also allowed us to share the good news with hundreds of people.
Shilpa was one of the women who received the grocery pack which contained 5kgs of Rice, 3kgs of wheat flour, 1.5kg of dal, 1kg of potatoes and 1/2 kg of oil. She said she couldn’t believe her eyes. She thought she was never going to recover from this whirlpool of crises one after the other, but now she has hope. She and her family have survived the crises and are happy.
As kids were not allowed to come to our informal schools within the slums because of the safety regulations we soon realised the potential in doing
the whole curriculum on a digital platform with great presenters and lots of graphics. This could help us reach so many more kids with the same resource. The work is under way and we could take this pretty much anywhere across North India as well. So during one of the largest educational crises we have faced, we have been able to find an opportunity to bless thousands of children who wouldn't be able to get an education.
We have been able to start 7 new church plants through relief distribution in the rural areas. The relationship and trust that was built enabled our pastors to go back and eventually start fellowships in different areas. More than 200 baptisms took place during the lockdown days and many more are still waiting especially in the cities. There have been so many testimonies of salvation, healings and deliverances during these times.
We thank God for His favour during these times. We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Senior Pastors and leadership of INChurch for your generous help and prayer support. May the Lord bless you all abundantly.
Binu Thampy
