Trip to Tamil Nadu - 2-7 Dec 13

My wife Jeya and I went on this trip. The purpose of this trip was:
  • Celebrate Christmas with the boys at Shadrach Home
  • Meet our church planters for a time of sharing
  • Bring some of the boys to a church planters work in the village and expose them to the ministry
We arrived in Trivendrum on  2 Dec in the evening. Pst John Signey was at the airport to receive us. My friend Suresh, an HI alumnus, was gracious enough to arrange our accommodation at one of the resorts in Kovalam. 

On 3rd Dec morning, we had a meeting with our 10 church planters. The pastors shared their joy and challenges in the church planting work they are doing. All of them are working in remote villages in Tamil Nadu where there are no churches. The main challenges were from hostile religious people. They have been threatened and even refused houses for rent. They religious fanatics also threaten other villagers from attending the prayer meetings. It was hurting to hear theses reports, especially to hear about their humiliation and sacrifice. But in spite of all the threats God has been blessing the work and at least three of them are ready for a church building. I encouraged and challenged them from the Word of God to persevere like Paul, who also faced similar situation like our church planters ( 1 Cor 4:10-13). But towards the end of his life, Paul was able to say, "I have fought the good fight". We prayed for one another and I presented a Christmas gift to everyone of them. Later we had a good Christmas lunch, sponsored by friends from Praise Evangelical Church, Singapore.

 That evening, we had the Christmas celebration with the boys. They have grown in stature and also in wisdom. In the afternoon the boys helped my wife to decorate the Christmas tree. They were so excited as it was the first time they are doing this. My wife had a hard time restraining them.
The Christmas program began in the evening. The boys led the worship. We had an awesome time of praise. My heart was overwhelmed at seeing what these boys are doing. When I first saw them about three year ago, they were so demur and afraid. Today they are so bold and even leading in a wonderful time of worship. , The boys , also presented a skid, a dance item and recited memory verses in English. They are improving in English. Jeya taught them an action song which they picked up very fast. She shared with them a message on the meaning of Christmas. We then presented them with gifts which was sponsored by friends from Singapore. A new pair of pants and shirt, and a pair of shoes. They also had sweets and other goodies. You must see the joy on the faces of these boys. For us it was overwhelming. We also presented gifts to all the staff and helpers of the Home.

The next day, we decided to take some of the boys to a village to visit our church planter. It was a five hour drive. You must see the excitement on their faces. This is their first outing on a field trip. They were also going to present some items at the service. It was Pst Wilson's church in Thenkasi, Trinalveli. By the time we arrived it was about 5.30 in the evening. 


The boys gathered for a time of devotion and prayer before the service. I shared with the boys, the story of Daniel's three friends, how they remained faithful to God in spite of the difficult circumstances. Pst Wilson's church is growing amidst some challengers. Later in the service the boys gave some special items during the service and I shared the Word. We had a blessed time. By the time we returned back to our hotel, it was 4am in the morning. Dead tired but filled with joy.

It was heart warming to see the boys on the right track to serve God. They are well disciplined and God fearing. Our prayer is that they will eventually fulfill the purpose that God has for each one of them. 

We spend one day in Chennai before heading home.


This year we have made so many trips to the mission field. So many joys, so many challengers and many obstacles. But I can say that God is a good God. He has seen us through thus far. We thank God for giving us the privilege to serve Him. We are also thankful to all our sponsors and friends who have supported us and prayed for us though this roller-coaster journey God is taking us.There is so much more to do. Please pray that more people will rise up to take the challenge in serving in missions. TO GOD BE THE GLORY

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