Dalit Village

Today I visited a village where we have one of our Dalit Education Centers. The morning had me visiting the school, telling the story of David and teaching them my favorite kids' song, Making Melody - thumbs up! I was then taken around the village to the different homes of some of the children. The fascinating thing that I keep hearing is that these students, who are in an English medium school (very prestigious), have actually started to teach their parents English as well as manners. They learn to speak and act correctly at school and then they go home and teach their parents the manners they learned from school. This has made the parents very grateful although they don't teach the children themselves. The children are given an incredibly low cost education with very high standards and the parents are told that the teachers will be teaching them Biblical principles, morals, verses, songs and stories throughout their education. This hasn't received a lot of opposition because of the 1st class education that their children are receiving. Learning English and having access to the different vocational courses (computer and tailoring) is something that could help to launch these children from a desperate impoverished village into much higher paying job somewhere in the city which is only 30-40 km away. The drastic changes in these students homes when they get married and have their own children are going to be astronomical as they will be able to be educated, speak English, teach proper manners and etiquette, understand hygiene, read and understand the Bible and many of them will be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Gospel is incredibly redemptive in this situation. The teachers are all very qualified and love Jesus and were so happy to be working with these students because of the drastic changes they were able to see in the lives of the students and the families. I asked them what their greatest joy was. One teacher who is a MBB (Muslim Background Bel....) said that it is totally worth it to live under the difficult conditions that they do as teachers so that they can see what happens with the children and what changes Christ is making. They don't make anywhere near what a regular teacher makes but they know why they are doing it. The problems they have are getting to and from the school each day and not having electricity as well as poor access to water at times I'm sure. Some of our schools are in the most remote areas of India. That is the Gospel and they are doing the real thing. Here it is very important to be baptized as it signals to the community your decision to be set apart from all other religions, from polytheism, from your old religion, etc... Through the local pastor (who's wife is pregnant and sick and doesn't have money for medicine - he asked me to pray for him about this but the need was so evident) and the teachers, many have been baptized and many more are ready to receive baptism. This truly is a Biblical culture. Please visit, http://www.usa.om.org/omindia/dec.htm to find out more about the Dalit Education Centers as well as http://www.usa.om.org/omindia/partnership.htm if you would like to sponsor an Indian pastor or a Dalit Education Center. The work is overwhelming and the living conditions even more so. Many are really out on the frontier. The schools are popping up all over the place and the need for more is outstanding as well as qualified teachers and pastors to accompany the school work. OM has about 1200 pastors out in field, many in conjunction with these schools as they minister to the whole family. If you want a huge bang for your giving buck, this is definitely a way to make it happen. There are huge outcomes from this giving as well as huge needs. So little can help so much - I've seen it first hand. More and more I believe in the Church and her role in this and it is great to see that the Church is caring for the practical needs of the people that they are reaching. This is opening so many hearts to the Gospel and the change in these communities, though already evident, is going to be exponential within the next generation and on. I have never wanted people to offer their giving to something more than this incredibly powerful and effective ministry. It is education and Church planting all in one package which brings health awareness, empowerment and responsibility, awareness of hygiene and disease related issues, and it brings to the people the face and love of Christ! I have heard so many stories of instances where these pastors are being beat up by fanatics and some are having their lives threatened as well as sometimes having family members killed. I am preparing to post some stories about them soon. It is happening all the time! Prayer, finance and your love. The opportunities are endless! Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Blessings!