An International Ministry  -  An Indispensable Message

 

Christians in India have come under increasing persecution since the election of a radically-Hindu government in1998. Grace & Gladness was led to join hands with a group of pastors in the state of Orissa, beginning in 1997, to help strengthen their outreach to the tribal people of that region. G & G is the sole supporter of 28 pastors, a leprosy hospital/residence facility, an orphanage for 75 boys and girls, 8 schools and 6 medical clinics, and the work continues to grow at a rapid pace.

This page will tell you about the most recent developments of Grace & Gladness in India.  You can double-click on each of the photos to get a larger view of them.

In 1996, a group of pastors and evangelists in the state of Orissa, India,  were faithfully sharing the Gospel and were seeing many come to know Christ.  Their resources were limited, but they did not let that hinder their efforts for the Lord.   At just the right time, God led us to meet and join them, and by each of us giving what we have to give, God is building a vast outreach ministry for the people of this poor, rural, mountainous region of India. 
Double-click here to read more about the history of Grace & Gladness in India

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One of the medical dispensaries. 
Each morning a cot is brought
outside and medicines spread there.
People begin arriving at dawn,
and the GGI staff minister prayer
and medicine until all have been helped.

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Hemant Tandi and Pastor Carolyn Volentine
from Louisiana, baptize a new believer.
The "baptistery" is the city well, down a
steep embankment and out into the muddy
water.  Baptism is the "final step" in conversion,
a sure signal to all the world
that you belong to Christ.

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This is Hemant Tandi, director of Grace &
Gladness in India.  Here, he is playing a native
drum, helping to lead worship during a church
service.  He is a man of great gifts!

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This is  Rajani Nayak, director of the girls orphanage.  She is
enjoying treasure boxes sent for the children  from a United
Methodist Church in Newton, Iowa, filled with goodies.

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These children are in the first grade class of the English
Medium School in G. Udayagiri, one of 8 schools we now
support.  We hope to help them construct a new building
within the next two years, complete with electricity!

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This church building was renovated with funds sent by a family
in Newton, Iowa.  In 1998, gifts were supplied which enabled
the construction and/or renovation of 10 church buildings.
This is an on-going need; many congregations meet under
the trees or in a family home and each needs adequate
facilities.

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This dear fellow is a resident of the leprosy hospital
in G. Udayagiri.  Because he could not feel it, a rat
chewed off his toe in the night, while he slept.  He is now
receiving treatment, which will halt the progression of
the disease, but cannot replace his toe.

  Grace & Gladness Ministries is the sole sponsor of Grace & Gladness in India.  Our support includes a number of on-going, ever-increasing monthly projects, as well as a variety of individual one-time projects.   Currently, these are the monthly ministries:

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Support of pastors in their work of church-planting and discipleship training.  Each pastor receives approximately $35/month, which covers all the needs of his family.  We currently send $575/month for pastors.

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The Leprosy Hospital and Leprosy Awareness Camps -- The hospital is a temporary residence facility for those who are being treated.  The Camps are conducted to help villagers understand the early symptoms of leprosy so that they can be treated before the disease advances to crippling stages.  This ministry is funded with $500/month.

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Because much of population of the state of Orissa lives in remote mountain villages, medical care is difficult to obtain.  We have thus far established six dispensaries, each of which serves 8 to 10 villages.  Each clinic is maintained with a monthly stipend of $360, and in addition, we support a doctor to oversee all of the medical work for $250/month -- and he is a fulltime employee of GGI!

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The official literacy rate in India is 52%.   Functional literacy is probably nearer to 15%.  Our schools not only prepare children for greater opportunities as adults, but the ability to read also gives them access to the Word of God, and thus, the Truth that sets men free.  Each of the eight schools is supported for $100/month.

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The Grace & Gladness Orphanage is currently home to 90 children.  Until this year, they have lived in rented native houses -- stucco construction, with grass roof and dirt floor.  They will take residence in the new orphanage in June of this year, thanks to the generosity of many American believers.   This facility is supported for $800/month, or $12.50/orphanage.

Special projects for the India mission this year include:

bulletCompleting Phase Two of the Orphanage, which will hold the kitchen, dining hall, and lavatories.  The permanent structure will cost $24,000, or approximately $9.50/square foot.  Would you like to put a few feet on our orphanage?   A temporary bamboo structure is being erected to meet government requirements so that the children can move in. 
bulletPurchasing a mini-bus for the director, Hemant Tandi, a cost of $15,000.   This vehicle will enable him to transport supplies to the clinics and schools, as well as providing transportation for the pastors for their monthly meeting, and the orphans for special trips.  Currently, vehicles are rented each time there is a need.
bulletProviding motor scooters for each of the 10 Area Directors -- $350/scooter -- and bicycles for the other pastors and staff -- $50/bicycle.
bulletOne of the crying needs of the remote villages is clean water.  For only $400, a well can be dug.  We hope to provide new wells for 2 villages each month this year.
bulletStarting 4 new medical clinics ($360/clinic/month) and 2 new schools ($100/school/month).
bulletBuilding permanent school buildings -- cost is approximately $1000/school, but will vary with the size of the student body, and the ability of the local village to help.
bulletOther projects include providing beds, bedding, kitchen supplies, clothing, and medicines for the orphanage.  These needs are being met by a number of Vacation Bible School groups in the United States.

During our annual board meeting in February, we decided that each of these projects and ministries was a valid need, but also a tremendous opportunity to open hearts to the message of the Good News of God's love for all mankind.  We prayerfully committed ourselves to completing each project, as God provides.  If the Lord touches your heart concerning one of these needs and you would like to have more information, just send us an e-mail and we will be happy to supply answers to any questions you might have, and materials to help you publicize the need to others in your church and community.

We have a 15-minute video that describes our work in India.  If you would like to have a copy, just send an e-mail and request "Mission Video."   You can use it as long as you like, then return it to us so that others can use it.

 

 

Orphans Take Residence in Their New Home

June 18, 1999

"God makes a home for the widows and the orphanage!" We are thrilled to tell you that in the middle of June, 65 orphans took residence in their new home at Nanda, G.Udayagiri, Orissa, India. All of the staff members, including house mothers, watchmen, cook and tutor, moved with them to the new facility, and all have found a wonderful new and happy home together. The boys had been living in a community high in the mountains, while the girls lived in a small village not far from what would be the county seat here in the United States. The orphans had met before, but this is the first time that they have lived together, and they are eagerly anticipating the arrival of yet more children in their home, within the next few weeks. We praise God for this happy dwelling place, and for your participation in making it possible.

We would like to share with you a few photographs that illustrate the development of the orphanage for the last few months, and the final pieces that made it possible for them to move into the orphanage. Enjoy these photos, and let us know what you think about what God is doing in India.

Double click on photos to expand view.

india1.jpg (51854 bytes)Before the government would allow the children to move into the orphanage a boundary wall had to be completed which measures 700 sq. meters in length. It surrounds the entire orphanage campus, but does not cover the entire property, which means there is plenty of space for additional building, beyond the orphanage, in the future.

 india2.jpg (57548 bytes)Because of the number of orphans and staff members present, a new well had to be dug. Water was struck at approx. 65 feet deep. From other photos, which are too dark to post here, it seems that the well was dug by lowering men one by one down the long shaft. The men would dig the dirt, put it into a basket and it would be raised outside the well. It was a long and tedious process, but water is flowing freely now.

india3.jpg (59960 bytes)This photo shows the site of the original well, located 40 feet in front of the orphanage building. You can also see the boundary wall going around the east and north sides of the building. On top of the building is a temporary lavatory, from which there is not drainage. The lavatory is cleaned by hand on a regular basis. We hope to eventually be able to build a permanent lavatory, which will include several rooms for the children to use.

india4.jpg (64124 bytes)It was essential to have a kitchen and dining hall to make life in the orphanage more pleasing. We had hopes to have the permanent dining hall and lavatories finished before the children moved in, but funds were not available. So we decided to go ahead with the temporary dining hall and kitchen, and this is the beginning of that structure. As you can see it is made from handmade bricks.

india5.jpg (52989 bytes)In this photo you see that the dining hall is nearing completion. The bricks are covered by a stucco material and white washed and the roof is of tin. This will serve sufficiently for a while, until we can build a permanent facility. After that, this building will be used for class meetings and other needs.

india6.jpg (57587 bytes)This photo gives you a perspective of the entire orphanage campus. There’s a large mango tree in the center of the campus. The orphanage sits to the right and the dining hall is down and to the left. The empty lot in front of the orphanage also belongs to Grace & Gladness Ministries in India, and there are many plans for that land in the future, including perhaps, a farm on which the children can work, school facilities for a bible college and training Christian workers, and perhaps a medical clinic.
india7.jpg (55499 bytes)The big day has finally arrived! Here you can see a number of the children arriving at their new home, carrying paper sacks and cardboard boxes filled with all of their earthly possessions. The adults that serve as their house parents and other helpers love these children deeply. india8.jpg (55910 bytes)The children stand in front of their new home offering to us their contributors, the traditional gesture of greeting, called "namaste". The jeep at the left is a rented vehicle, and we hope to be able to purchase a vehicle for the ministry sometime in the near future. This has become a more urgent need every day. india9.jpg (58766 bytes)This Hindu cook served us while we were there for our mission team in January and he has since become the full time cook for the orphanage. As you can see the cooking is done over an open flame with huge metal pots and the children are served in simple metal plates and bowls.
india10.jpg (52650 bytes)In this photo the children are enjoying their first meal together in their new home. What a joy to break bread as a family for the first time. india11.jpg (49181 bytes)Because these children are moving from the mountain villages into the city, they need some additional help with their schooling. A tutor has been hired to assist them and in this photo you see them preparing their notes for the next days schooling. Already, the local school officials are very please with the orphans progress in school. As Hemant Tandi say, "these are bright young children". india12.jpg (43273 bytes)The orphanage facility is serving not only as a home for children, but is serving many other useful purposes as well. In this photo, Hemant is teaching in a short youth camp, in which morals and ethics were the subject matter. Over 250 young people attended this camp, and much favor was won with local officials and leaders as a result of this well done meeting.
india13.jpg (56799 bytes) Regular training meetings are also held for the staff of Grace & Gladness Ministries in India. In this photo, the staff is sitting on the roof taking an exam over the subject of Missions. As Hemant said, no one was exempt from the exam. india14.jpg (51449 bytes)In this photo, Hemant Tandi, standing on the left, is joined by two of our staff members who have recently been married. These young adults are both orphans, and had no one to help them with their wedding ceremony. By Indian custom, the wedding feast is the most important aspect of the ceremony, and so it was with great delight that we were able to provide $150 in order to celebrate the feast of their marriage. This is just one of many ways that your dollars are making a difference in the lives of orphaned and abandoned people in India. india15.jpg (57799 bytes)As you can see here in this photo, where people are enjoying the marriage feast, no spoons or plates were provided, only leaves. Large flat leaves were used for the main course of the meal while smaller leaves were fashioned into a cup and sown together with grass in order to form a small bowl. Into this little bowl a bit of "dal" was placed. This is a soup like mixture that Lori finds very delightful.
  india16.jpg (62701 bytes)Here you see just a portion gathered for the marriage feast. What a day! God truly provided for all of their needs and allowed them to have a joyous celebration together.  

We are thrilled with what God is doing in India in so many large and small ways. The orphanage has had a tremendous impact on the entire region, as the people have seen these young children given a warm nurturing environment. But the gift of the marriage feast is just as important to meeting the needs of the people in India. Nothing is too small for our God to care about, and the happy beginning of life together for these two young people is just one of the many ways that he chooses to bless his children.

There are many needs in India, and we are only just beginning to scratch the surface of the needs in this particular region of India. If you would like to help there are some urgent needs. Hemant Tandi, the Director of Grace & Gladness Ministries in India, is in desperate need of a vehicle. There are new jeeps available for between $8,000-$10,000 or a used jeep can be purchased for about $4,000. If you would like to be able to help Hemant be able to oversee his work, which covers an area that takes as much as six hours to reach, in one direction only, we would love to forward your funds onto Hemant so that he can purchase a vehicle.

Another great need is the completion of the initial phase of the orphanage building, which is the lavatories, kitchen, and dining hall. This portion of the building will cost approx. $24,000 and so far we have only $700 toward this project. If you would like to help, just send your gift to Grace & Gladness Ministries at the address found on the web page.

In a phone call with Hemant this last week, we were blessed to hear all that God is doing in the hearts of many, many people. That very day, he was leaving for an adventure through the sites of the ministry to include the baptism of 35 new converts to the Lord Jesus Christ. Baptism is a tremendous step to take in India, often resulting in persecution and isolation in many different ways in life, and so it is always with great joy that new believers are received into the kingdom. Please be praying for these new believers, as persecution against Christians is at the most intense it has been in a number of years.

We will keep you posted on the growth of the ministry.

 

 
Send mail to gleeglo@graceandgladness.org with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 1999 Grace & Gladness Ministries
Last modified: August 20, 2004