MISSION TRIP TO INDIA AUGUST 2015 I honestly don t know where to begin. A short-term mission trip is an intense experience in many ways. By God s grace I was able to reach out to hundreds of people from Banzara tribal community in Repudi Thanda, Krishna District under the invitation of Banzara Tribal Ministries (BTM). My brother Pastor David Gitogo, Snr Pastor Nairobi Christian Centre Kenya, accompanied me. (He likes being called Pastor GG). We went to India covered in the prayers of our family, friends, intercessory teams and the Church. I can confidently report that God answered all those prayers in a mighty way! Before the trip I had much anticipation about what God wanted to accomplish through us. When I linked up with Pastor GG at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Hyderabad, I realized that he had the same enthusiasm and I knew for sure that we were going to impact Repudi Thanda with the Gospel. Mark 16:18 they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover There were many memorable moments. I am eternally grateful to God for the opportunity he gave us to be used of Him. Salvation decisions were recorded these were mainly conversions from Hinduism to Christianity. We witnessed miracles, healings and deliverance. There was a manifest apostolic and prophetic grace during the mission trip - the gospel was powerfully proclaimed and well received. We also showed The Life of Jesus film for two nights and almost everyone came forward to accept Jesus at the end. We spent quality time ministering to BTM Pastors from all over A. Konduru Mandal. We encouraged them to continue serving God amidst the persecutions and other challenges for their labour is not in vain. Pastor GG and I in Repudi Thanda, India Upon arrival, we were humbled by the love, sincerity and warmth of the Banzara tribal people. They may not have much in the way of material wealth by most standards but the joy and passion that many of them have because of Christ reminded me that Jesus is all that you need. Every day, we visited the children and orphans being cared for by BTM. The children there are so precious. We taught them about Jesus, played games and taught them a few songs about Jesus. We also prayed for them. The Banzara tribal community was very happy to see us arrive after many months of preparation and anticipation. We had opportunities to visit with the village people and we did intensive one-to-one ministry. Page 1 of 5
We went for home-to-home ministry every day. We prayed for many sick people. The miracle worker, Jesus Christ healed those who were sick. A 16 year old girl who was dumb since she was a child was totally set free after we cast out the dumb spirit oppressing her. She beamed with the joy after being set free. She cried tears of joy and we couldn t help crying with her. She went home saying the Name of Jesus, which she couldn't do before. It was glorious. As I watched the faces of the children and the adults when we told them about Jesus and after they received their miracles, I knew that God had truly sent us there. We prayed together, cried together and we hugged one another with a Christian love that I cannot explain. This lovely girl got delivered from a dumb spirit that had oppressed her since birth. The first word she uttered after being set free was JESUS, her first word in 16 years Testimony: Miracles in Bhukya Family I went to India with a prayer in my heart that I would be a fruitful minister of the Gospel. I had a burning desire that the lives of the people I was to minister to would be transformed more into the likeness of Jesus. I desired and prayed that my message and my preaching would not be with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power (1 Cor 2:4). The glory of God was manifest throughout and we declared the Gospel under a heavy unction. During our first meeting, we prayed for a dumb boy named Prabhas Bhukya. God touched him instantly, loosed his tongue and gave him speech. We laid hands on him and prophetically declared in the name of Jesus that he will become a great preacher in India. The following day, we went to the boy s home and we learnt that his dad, Lalyu Bhukya, was admitted at Vijayawada hospital with multiple organ failure. The boy s uncle told us that when the man was being admitted, his liver and kidney had failed and that he was bleeding from the TOP: Pas GG (Left) and Victor (right) with Prabhas after praying for his healing. nose and the mouth. We prayed for Lalyu BOTTOM: Victor leading the family in giving thanks after God healed Prabhas dad and stood on Psalms 107:20. That very moment, Jehovah Rapha showed up at the hospital bed where Lalyu was admitted and healed him immediately. Later that evening he was discharged and went home. All the glory to God! We serve a miracle working God. Page 2 of 5
Children Ministry BTM operates in a very economically deprived area. The ministry has a children s home where they look after poor and needy children who are without anyone to take care of them. The first category of the children they look after is that of orphans and children abandoned/disowned at birth. In India, adoption is rare and these children are taken to orphanages because they have no place to go. The second category is that of children that have parents but the parents have no means to support them. In most of BTM education centres, classes are conducted in sheds and children sit on the ground. During the trip, we found the children with torn clothes, without shoes or sandals, without notebooks, pens or pencils, and without desks or chairs to sit on (see photos). Moreover, they have no games and sports equipment in addition to lacking many other important resources available to other school going children from affluent areas. Worst of all, there were no toilet and washroom facilities. The children (and teachers) use the bushes to answer the call of nature. Consequently, hygiene and sanitation standards are very poor which often leads to cases of ill health. There is a very big disparity between these conditions and those of children who come from middle class and rich These schools are well equipped with adequate learning resources. BTM s goal is to help the poor children get educated by providing access to basic education opportunity for the poverty stricken children. They have the support and goodwill of the tribal community because they do not discriminate on the basis of religion unlike other organisations. BTM s education centres require all kind of education resources from furniture, books, stationery and sports equipment to hygiene and sanitation facilities. A few of these education centres still run in ramshackle sheds and during adverse weather conditions, e.g. heavy rains and floods, they are usually closed schools are closed. They need proper buildings. families who have access to separate fee-paying schools. At present BTM is in the process of constructing two new buildings for the children (classroom and hostel). Unfortunately, the project has stalled due to lack funds They are also planning to build a water treatment plant in Repudi Thanda village. The villagers currently fetch water from a well that is 5km away. Of late, the villagers have been falling sick after drinking water from the well. The water from most boreholes is untreated and not for human consumption. BTM have already acquired a piece of land but they do not have enough money to build the plant Page 3 of 5
Lakshmi The woman at the well. On the first day, Pas GG and I were out visiting Repudi Village when we saw at a distance two Hindu ladies fetching water at the village well. We went close to them, shared the Gospel with them and invited them to the evening film show - (The Life of Jesus). One of them named Lakshmi came and watched the film. The Holy Spirit convicted her and she gave her life to Christ during the alter-call after the film show. Glory to God! Pray for her, and all the others that got saved, that they will get rooted and established in Christ - Our mandate is to make disciples not just converts. Clockwise from top: Lakshmi (with water jar) and her friend at the community well. With Lakshmi after praying for her salvation. During a follow-up visit two days after she got saved. It s always difficult to put into words the experience that one has on a mission trip. There are so many ways that God reveals Himself to each and every individual. Most always a short term mission trip is more life changing and life giving for those that go than those that are being served. My trip was no different. My purpose was to be available as God s vessel, His hands and feet to every member of Banzara Tribal community. I glorify God that seeds were sown and lives were touched as much as my life and heart were touched. I have come back to England with a renewed desire to seek after the Lord daily. My life is nothing without Jesus. Unfortunately, it s easy to lose sight of that sometimes with the speed of our life here. My experience in India was a reminder to cut through the busyness of life and to focus on the important things of life beginning with my relationship with Jesus. I urge you to continue praying for the church in India. The church in India is currently going through a difficult phase but I thank God because He is leading them in triumph in Christ (2 Cor 2:14). Patha Repudi Branch of BTM led by Pastor Gundala Jesus. Page 4 of 5
The Host Team. (Picture 2) John Banavathu BTM Founder and visionary, Ravi Kumar, Gundala Jesus, Stephen Banavathu These are great men struggling on for years in narrow, remote situations, but with mighty effects. Their love for God and devotion to the work of the ministry is contagious. They share a passionate commitment around a common purpose of impacting their community "To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" (Rev 5:13) VICTOR E. K. MURIITHI Crawley, West Sussex, UK Phone: +447799441041 Email: info@lwam.org Website: www.lwam.org Page 5 of 5