India Pastors Audio Bible Project (update)

We're getting excited, for sure! The CD players are in a box right in front of me as I type this. We have purchased small gifts for the rest of the pastors so they don't feel left out--we found some nice-looking Bible covers marked down at Christianbook.com. We're making some laminated bookmarks to include with their Bible covers, and we will include some pens and little notepads for them to take notes on. All that's left is purchasing batteries, packaging everything, and get it in the mail. The goal is to have this accomplished by Tuesday (October 30th).

So, you can see why we're excited! This has been a project we've been working on for a while and suddenly everything fell into place.

I just love God's "suddenly" work. We think and plan and even worry some and nothing seems to happen. Then "suddenly" everything falls into place in God's timing, according to His will, for His glory. Hallelujah! We serve a "suddenly" God who isn't stressed out by our time tables--He has His own and it always works out better than how we planned!

We still need some donations to cover the expense of the shipping. Please consider sharing in the joy of providing audio Bibles for these pastors who cannot read or write. You will for a certainty be investing in the Kingdom of God as the Lord establishes Himself in the hearts of men, women, and children through these men as they are empowered by the spoken Word.

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(c)Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

India Pastors Audio Bible Project

As you may know, we’ve been in constant communication with Pastor, the leader of our ministry outreach in India. We’ve seen God move in miraculous ways in the lives of the pastors we support, their families, and their villages … to God be ALL the glory!

While we were in India this past March, we learned that several of the pastors were never able to attend school of any kind as they were growing up in their villages. Their families were poor and the children worked from very young ages to help provide food and the means of survival for the entire family. Because of this, however, we have identified several pastors who are illiterate. That’s hard to believe, especially when education is so available to us here in the USA!

Being called to pastor in areas deeply involved in many forms of Hinduism, these men felt it important to answer God’s call and begin teaching the people in their villages what they could as they learned from other pastors. This is why our pastors meet together once every month (on the 10th) for teaching, prayer, mentoring, encouragement, and more. These monthly meetings are the only source of scriptural teaching these men have. They own Bibles but they can’t read them without help.

We have made a promise to those who labor with us in India to provide these pastors with the Bible on CD and portable CD players to carry with them as they walk from village to village to minister to the people. Because of compatibility issues between CD’s manufactured here in the States and equipment manufactured in India, it was best for us to purchase the CD players here and ship them to India along with the CD’s containing the entire New Testament in Telugu.

This is a costly endeavor but worth every penny considering the benefit it will be to those who are so hungry to learn the Word but do not have the benefit of an education. Here are the details of the expenses for this project:

8 - CD/s in MP3 Format Containing
Entire New Testament in Telugu
provided by Faith Comes by Hearing
$112.00

8 - CD Players (Supports MP3 Format)
with Headphones
$257.00

Batteries
$25.00

Shipping & Insurance (FedEx)
$215.00

Total = $609.00

To be very honest, we need your help with the cost of the CD Players and Shipping. In other words, we need to raise $472 by October 29th to cover this expense.

By shipping on October 29th, the pastors will receive their CD/MP3 players and Bible recorded in their native language at their monthly meeting in November.

Won’t you help us supply the Word of God to men who are called to preach the Gospel, who have the ability to reach men, women, and children in areas most of us will never visit—villages most of the world doesn’t even know exist? These men are dedicated servants who sacrifice much in order to fulfill their calling … they need us to help equip them for the tremendous task before them. Without access to the Word of God, their task seems impossible yet they do the best they can because they believe that even the little truth they know is better than the lies of the millions of Hindu gods and superstitions holding their friends and neighbors and loved ones hostage.

Click on the button and make your donation today. Be sure to include your mailing address so we can send you a receipt for tax purposes.

Or, mail your check or money order to:

Heart of God International Ministries
India Pastor Bible Project
P. O. Box 248
Willard, OH 44890

Remember, ALL gifts are 100% tax deductible. This is a good time of the year to increase your giving, not so much for the tax benefit but because it’s the time of harvest—the time we realize our bountiful blessings, the time we thank God for all He’s given us, the time we reach down into our hearts and meet the most desperate needs of others who have nothing and expect so little.

Please, we don’t ever want to beg and we certainly don’t always want to come to you with an appeal for financial help. But, how can you be aware the depth of the need unless we bring it to you.

God bless you for your faithfulness in prayer and support. What an incredible group of friends and partners you have become!

India Leper Colony Update

While we were in India, we had the privilege of visiting a village of lepers, gifting them with rice and fresh fruits. To meet these people face-to-face, to greet them in the name of Jesus Christ, to listen to their stories, see their pain, and understand their plight was one of the most memorable parts of the trip. Our hearts were truly touched by these precious souls.

But, their needs are great--greater than most can imagine. Aside from the housing situation which we've shared with our partners and friends, these people have daily needs. They are unable to work and make a living. They receive a pension equivalent to $1.50/month, hardly sufficient to feed them let alone meet any other needs. They need our help.

For only $10.00/month you can make a huge difference in the lives of these men and women. That is such a small amount to us, but it would be such a tremendous blessing to each one of them. With a monthly commitment, we can help to provide food, clothing, and transportation for medical treatment. Our goal is to raise a total commitment of $100/month to support the lepers in this village.

Please pray and ask the Lord what He would have you do. Thank you for your compassionate heart toward these who suffer unimaginable physical pain from leprosy and emotional pain from their rejection by society. God bless you!

Bibles for Kenya ProgramBoosted by Anonymous Donor

We are so excited to share with you that an anonymous donor has offered as much as $250 in matching funds for every donation that comes in toward Bibles for Kenya between now and November 15, 2007.

This is an incredible opportunity to stretch your donation dollars, make a bigger impact with your giving, and provide even more people with Bibles--people who are desperate to develop a deep relationship with the Lord through the reading of His Word.

Bibles are translated into Swahili and are made available to us for $7.00 each. The more we purchase, however, the more Bibles we will be able to provide. For instance ..

$7.00 ... One Bible
$68.00 ... Ten Bibles
$134.00 ... Twenty Bibles

These Bibles will make incredible lasting gifts that will impact people for a lifetime. Our contacts in Kenya have stated that they will hand-deliver them to people they know will use them and are eager to own their own copy of the Word.

When we were in Kenya this past July, we were teaching women about developing a strong and abiding relationship with Jesus. We mentioned daily reading or daily devotional time. A bold woman stood up in the middle of a large crowd of attentive listeners and said:

"How can we read the Bible if we don't own a Bible?"

Much to our embarrassment, we learned that only a very, very few people in the tribal areas of Kenya own a copy of the Word of God. This should not be! We believe that anyone who desires to have a copy of the written Word should have a copy.

Thank you for your generous giving toward this project. Our goals are lofty -- we'd like to be able to provide 1,000 Bibles for Kenyans by July of 2008.

Will you help us? Can you afford $7.00 to purchase not one, but TWO Bibles for people who are starving for the Word of God?

What an awesome project this would be for your Bible Study group or your Sunday School class. Parents, use this to teach children stewardship and giving to your children.

Whatever it takes, help us provide these Bibles. Don't wait till later, don't wait until tomorrow. Do it today! Click on the banner below. You will be taken to a website with all the information necessary to purchase Bibles.

Thank you and God bless!

September in Kenya

We are excited about our goal for Kenya this year. We've initiated a project to provide Bibles to as many people as possible in some of the remote villages such as Bukhoholo, Chavakali, Mayanja, etc.

We believe that the Word of God is the foundation of every Christian's life whether they live in America or in the remote villages in Kenya. Without God's Word, there is no opportunity for growth, no way to learn to hear the voice of God, and no hope for a transformed life ... the Word of God is essential to all.

While we were in Kenya, we were teaching how to live a life of integrity, being holy and set apart for God. Suddenly a woman spoke out, "How can we know the Word of God when we don't have Bibles?" A silence fell in the meeting and the Spirit of God spoke ... "How can they hear without the Word? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. But spiritual growth comes from personally seeking Me in the Word."

Because of that, we have made arrangements with our contacts in Kenya to provide them the money to go to Nairobi and purchase Bibles at their cost. They will then personally distribute the Bibles to people in the areas where very few have access to or own a copy of God's Word. The Bibles are translated into Swahili so the people are able to understand and comprehend as the Spirit gives illumination.

Each copy of the "BIBLIA" in Swahili costs about $7.00. If we were to purchase them outright, they would cost nearly $20.00 each. By allowing our contacts in Kenya to purchase the Bibles for us, we will be able to get nearly three times as many Bibles as if we were to make arrangements to purchase them directly.

We praise God for those who have given sacrificially to help launch this program. So far we have $250 to purchase Bibles in Swahili. We still have a long way to reach our goal, but as God provides, we will put Bibles in the hands of as many men and women as possible who are desperate to know God intimately through reading His Word.

Please refer to the website at http://www.heartofgodinternational.com/ for more details, or email us at info@heartofgodinternational.com with your questions or comments.