In March, we will be praying especially for the outreach work at church (including the coffee morning, badminton evenings, Parent & Toddler group and youth club outreaches.) We will also be praying for the church mission trip to India.
Eight people will be going on the mission trip, with Garry and Julie staying for one week and the others staying for two weeks. We leave on Palm Sunday (9th April) and arrive in India at 7:50 a.m. on the Monday morning. Prayer for travelling mercies and for smooth entry to the country is appreciated! Garry and Julie will be back in church for the evening service on Easter Sunday (16th April) and the others will return on 23rd April.
We have a preliminary itinerary from Fredrick:
- Monday 10th April – settling in and speaking at a church revival meeting in the evening
- Tuesday 11th April – meeting with local pastors and being involved in the slum children’s ministry (working with children on the streets of Bangalore)
- Wednesday 12th April – a sightseeing day visiting Mysore (Mysuru)
- Thursday 13th April – visiting the tailoring programme run by Reeba and attending a gospel meeting in the evening
- Friday 14th April – taking part in Good Friday services
- Saturday 15th April – a shopping day and taking Julie & Garry back to the airport
- Sunday 16th April – involvement in Easter Sunday meetings
- Monday 17th April – a drive to the forest to spend time sightseeing there
- Tuesday 18th April – visiting Ooty (in the next state, Tamil Nadu)
- Wednesday 19th April – ministry at Ooty
- Friday 21st April – youth ministry at church & visiting people in their homes in the evening
- Saturday 22nd April – a shopping day before going back to the airport to return home (arriving at London Heathrow at 7:30 a.m. on 23rd April)
Please pray for us as we continue to make arrangements for this trip. We are all having the regulatory vaccinations and will soon be sorting out visas for the trip. Fredrick is working hard behind the scenes sorting accommodation and transport for us while we are there. Please pray for him and Reeba as they make all the necessary arrangements and for each one of us as we prepare, continue to save money for the trip and make all the arrangements we can at this end. We are very grateful for the church’s financial support in providing for the visas and transport while we are in India, but we do still need to see God provide for individuals and we know He is able to do this!
Pray for:
- all arrangements still to be made to go smoothly, especially organising visas, and for God’s provision for individuals
- travel arrangements to go smoothly
- the health and safety of all before, during and after the trip
- Fredrick & Reeba as they make arrangements for accommodation, transport and ministry during the trip
- each member on the trip to be a blessing, encouragement and help to the people we seek to serve
- unity and encouragement for each member – many of us feel we will be very much out of our comfort zones on this trip, so we need God’s help, guidance, provision and protection in practical ways!
- God’s anointing and blessing on all we say and do while in India and on the ministries involved (tailoring programme, children’s slum ministry, church services, church outreaches, work with local pastors etc.)
- Dave and Stephen as they look after the church in Goldthorpe while we are in India