“We praise God for the great changes in the lives of many women”

The Lord provided a van for the students to travel in

Each weekend, 22 female students from the Allahabad Bible Seminary (ABSI) in India are involved in holistic ministry in nearby villages, where residents are non-Christians, illiterate and living in poverty. The relief and development efforts include preaching the Gospel, social awareness teaching (family, health, hygiene, nutrition) and literacy classes. Until villagers can read and write the Bible on their own, biblical teachings are shared through skits, stories with pictures and puppet shows.

The women’s ministry is growing marvelously in the villages. Women are attending programs regularly and sharing their needs with the team, seeking solutions through God’s Word. Many villagers are committing their lives to Christ as a result. “We praise God for the great changes in the lives of many women.” Recently, 140 women from nine villages attended a retreat to fellowship and grow

140 women attended the retreat, "Arise and Shine"

in their knowledge of Christ. For many, it was their first time out of their villages and in a city. After messages and prayer, testimonies were shared, and many committed their lives to “arise and shine” for Christ, as the theme said.

Here are two women who are glorifying Christ through their testimonies:

• Lakhmi and her husband, Prushotham, live in the Sherpur village and have been unable to have a child during their 23 year marriage. They heard about the fellowship and prayer in the village and attended a worship service and the women’s fellowship. Hearing various testimonies of other believers, they shared their problems with infertility, asked for prayer and began attending regularly. Through the prayer of the group, Lakhmi was pregnant within a few months and delivered a baby girl in December. During the Christmas worship service, the couple shared the miracle testimony and said the Lord had brought them to light after 23 years of darkness. They named their baby, Roshini, which means “light.” Through this miracle, many more people began to have faith in Christ and started attending.
  
  
• Miss Kiran, a young woman who regularly attends the women’s prayer fellowship in the Khelwa village, was possessed by evil spirits for many years. “Whenever she attended our prayers, she used to roll on the floor, dance and utter meaningless words and then lose consciousness.” Through the prayer of the group, Miss Kiran was delivered from the clutches of demonic power. Seeing this miracle, her entire family accepted Christ and attends the worship services regularly. She shared her testimony at the Christmas service for many non-believing villagers.

Lakhmi and Prushotham (holding Roshini)

Miss Kiran

The women’s ministry team also serves humanitarian needs. This past winter, they distributed winter clothing to many suffering villagers. A new ministry has started as team members share God’s Word and lead orphans to Christ in a Mother Teresa charity home.

The team asks for prayer for: the women who have committed their lives to the Lord and those who are still being ministered to; all nine house churches; children’s education; local leaders to be equipped; and for future plans to build worship centers and provide free medical care in the villages.

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