Getting to know you...

In my last post I began the story of how we came to know Madhuri and the Chandra's in India.  Before continuing the story, I want to tell you what I hope you will take from this post:  this is a story of the amazing grace of God shown to me by our friends on the other side of the world.  If you get from this post that I intend to boast about our goodness and altruism, then I will have failed.

Why?  Because in the months that followed our initial exchange of emails, I dragged my feet.  I hemmed and hawed and, at times, suppressed the voice of the Spirit telling me that I should invest in this relationship.  Like many Americans, I am hesitant about charitable activity that isn't well-established.  I was also distracted by life and a fear of getting involved.

The very beginning...

Pastor K. Vijaya Chandra, and some of the children under his care

I don't know how many of you have done this before, but this wasn't our first time.  Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Sunday at the church we were attending was a big deal each November - all of the children carrying their shoeboxes filled with toys and toiletries to the front steps.  We have two kids - John Mark, who is now 15 and Emma, who is now 7.  That year, 2008, we brought two boxes: one for a little girl, and one for a boy.  In each box we placed a picture of our family and a brief letter with greetings for the child that received the box.  We included our home address in the hope that we might receive word.  We had not received any letters from anyone that had received one of our shoeboxes.

This time,  in January of 2009, we did!

The beginning...

This is the first post on a new blog in which we share our work with some remarkable people in India.  The next post will detail how we came to know them, but I write today to show you pictures of some precious girls that live in a slum on the northeastern corner of Bangalore, India.  They are under the care of K. Vijaya Chandra and the Hanna Krupa Memorial Church.  Pastor Chandra and his wife, Manjula give these girls basic needs, and show them a God who loves them and can lift them from the grasp of poverty.  They attend school year-round, 7 days a week in India.  The girls gather early in the morning at the Chandra's flat for breakfast, then they go from there to their respective schools.

We Skype with them frequently, and have come to know some of the girls.  One of them, Madhuri, lives with the Chandra's and was the reason we met them all (more on that in the next post).  It has been so humbling for us to see first-hand a family that devotes every moment of their day and every rupee they possess to care for those around them, and to show that the "untouchables" and outcasts can become children of the King.  For a few years, we have been sending support for this family and these girls, and have been sponsoring Madhuri in her desire to attend an English-speaking school.  A few other families have joined us in this, and now three of the girls are in school.

There are three more girls that would like the opportunity to attend the English school.  Here are pictures of them:

Chandrika

Nandini

Anjali

The registration and tuition fees total $250 per year.  We are working toward establishing a non-profit here in the US will help the Hanna Krupa Memorial Church care for the children in their community and plant churches in many villages in southern India that have none.  At this time, we are looking to incorporate the charity and file the 501(c)(3) non-profit application.  What does this mean?  First, contributions made to the girls are not tax-deductible at this time.  They will be when the filing process is complete.  Second, we need your expertise in the legal and accounting areas to help us get set up.  Third, we need your prayers to help us know how best to help our friends.  We are planning a trip to visit them in person and see their tireless work first-hand.  Pray that the Lord opens doors for that to happen soon!

There are many facets of poverty.  Material poverty is one, but a study done by the World Bank after World War II revealed that those experiencing dire material poverty, in which death by starvation or disease is a daily worry, not only feel the weight of their hunger, but also their powerlessness.  In this sense, these girls are not poor!  God, through the Chandra's and Hanna Krupa church, has given these girls the knowledge that they are not powerless - they are deeply loved, and infinitely valuable.

If you are interested in getting involved with us in establishing Madhuri's Mission, please contact me.  My email address is java.todd@gmail.com.

God bless you!