God first gave us our burden for Timothy Ministries while on one of our numerous trips to India. The year 2007 brought a few changes to our relationships in India and God has honored our commitment as He continues to expand our work there. New Hope Pastors Fellowship was begun with 36 pastors and bible women in March and today the fellowship has hundreds attending each month. Praise the Lord for great things always has new and small beginnings. Light is being brought into a dark land where Hinduism keeps people in captivity. The saving grace of Jesus sets them free and their lives are drastically changed. Our primary work in India is now supporting pastors and their ministries. These ministries consist of churches, orphanages, widow shelters, lepers and feeding the poor. Our desire is to continue to link relationships between church congregations, businesses and private donors with pastors, congregations and ministries in India. Board members Gary and Ardele were in India in December of 2007 and over 1000 pastors were in attendance at the NHPF. Here are some accounts of their trip.

We had a great time in India. We had many great services in small churches, single visits to some pastors and orphanages. Again visiting 2 leper colonies and were able to give them a simple Christmas gift but to them it was so special. At this time of year it is cold for the Lepers. We were able to buy 50 blankets and give to the ones who did not have one. We traveled some distance away and made a visit to a pastor who ministers in a fishing village who are some of the poorest of people. At this time we gave out rice and Bibles. One mighty miracle God does for these uneducated people is that he will teach them to read the Bible. Their desire is so strong to know His word that it will be the only thing they can read. PTL. We walked to nearby villages and had many opportunities to witness and pray with souls that lived there. Most of the people nearby us were Hindu’s.

We had a great time getting reacquainted with some pastors that we have supported for years. What a joy to see the growth of their ministries. Some of them already need a bigger church. God used our team in many ways encouraging and strengthening the Indian Christians. God used team member David in a miraculous healing of an old crippled man. He could not stand but got around by his hands on the ground moving from place to place. Now he is not only walking with a cane but has come to Jesus and all his family. Praise the name of Jesus!!

We stayed at a combination Orphanage and Christian School with facilities on the 3rd floor for missionary visitors. It truly was a spiritual place with the children so polite and ready to greet you with their love. In the orphanage were 170 and about 35 were from the Tsunami. Now they are happy and well adjusted, feed, clothed and serving Jesus! What a testimony!

We preached 4 times to Pastors and bible women at fellowships to encourage them in the Lord’s work. Two of them were 40-60 and then at New Hope Pastor’s Fellowship we had a wonderful crowd that was just over 1,000. We heard many testimonies of pastors getting very happy and blessed. I think we were blessed most of all just being there in their midst. They love the Lord and many are serving him with less then what we ever had. On our way to the USA we were in another city, Hyderabad and preached at another fellowship of just pastors that numbered 260. The Joy of the Lord fell in such a way that tears of joy flowed and our jaws were all sore from laughing.

After we arrive back here in this great nation of ours, we begin to hear of miracles that God had done while we were there. God in his love and mercy always reaches out and touches these people in special ways. The greatest miracle of all is his salvation. There were about 50 to 60 souls born into the kingdom. PTL.

As we left India we had that assurance that God had His way and we could only Give God ALL the Glory. After a couple weeks in their country it is always good to come home, it isn’t long after our return and we find ourselves wanting to go back.