India Mission Trip 2023 | Update #3

February 21, 2023 | Kathy Smarrella

Dear praying friends, 

Today (Tuesday) in India has been a truly beautiful day. We began our day with our team breakfast; Korie shared a short devotional out of Luke (always good to start the day in the Word with friends!)

After breakfast, we were picked up and met Ranjit at a cool coffee shop in town (he knows all the best coffee spots) where we got our daily dose. We took a trip to see the new Bible College in Delhi. This is Bible College #15 for Christ for India and located in the city (but still took us over an hour to get there!) Our team was able to be a part of the inauguration of the building and college which starts tomorrow – it was supposed to begin a couple months from now, but four students showed up early, so they are starting now and will add more students in July. That’s how Christ for India rolls – if students are ready to learn, they will make it happen. After blessing the building, we enjoyed a great lunch with several pastors and the incoming students served all of us. 

After that, it was off to Bethesda Christian Academy in Delhi! This is the school that Vineyard had raised funds for – through the generosity of so many in the last year or two, we were able to help build the school building. With this past December’s special offering, the church’s generosity paid for computers, buses, furniture, and so many other things needed to get the school up and running! 

I must tell you; the school overwhelmed us. Our church was thanked for our generosity in the lobby of the school (along with other supporters) and seeing our names there brought tears to my eyes. The school itself is amazing; there are colorful, fun classrooms, a big computer lab, outside play equipment, an infirmary, etc. But I’m blown away by the faith that Abraham, Ranjit, and their team had to make it a reality. They stepped out in faith that God would provide all that was needed, and He surely did! 

The school doesn’t officially open until April; however, they are already using two of the classrooms for a community center for this neighborhood. Kids come for educational programming and women are in a new sewing school. I just love how Christ for India wastes no time or space to be a light to their neighbors. We received thank you cards from both the sewing women and from the kids; the kids even had a song ready for us! 

After the tour of the school, we got to go back and see what is being built behind the school. It will serve as an auditorium for the school, as well as offices for Christ for India. It will also serve as their church building by using the auditorium for services on the weekend.

Continue to pray, praying friends. Christ for India has experienced a lot of opposition with this project; people trying to shut it down because of who the school represents – the Most High God. But the people persevere. WHY they preserve is because they have hundreds, even thousands, of their people praying. Can we join with them in this? – That all will go well these next couple months and that there will be no delay in opening this amazing place? Pray that the Hindu families who are on the building crew will come to see and know Jesus in the staff from the ministry and school.

Truly, I wish that pictures could tell the story of how amazing and faith-filled this place is. My words can’t covey how honored I am that our church is a part of this faith venture. But trust me, God is on the move in India! 

Thanks! Tomorrow, we head to an excursion with some of the community center kids from yesterday; our thanks to OUR Vineyard Kids who raised the money for us to take them.

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