Life is Full of Surprises

With all my heart I will praise you O Lord my God. I will give you Glory forever. Psalm 86:12

I can’t believe summer is over! I had a busy summer and now the beginning of a busy fall.

In August, I was blessed to spend a week with my children and their spouses in Rhode Island commemorating the 10 year anniversary of the passing of my husband John. After living through the past few troubling years that kept so many family members apart, being able to have my children come together in my husbands home state, was a treasure that will be held close to my heart for years to come. My daughter Kristen and my son John is seen here standing on the water where we placed my husband John's ashes 10 years ago. The love my children have for their father is always deeply touching to me.

After this glorious time together filled with laughter, meaningful conversations and of course good food...lol :-)

I headed off to the mountains of Talking Rock, Georgia to my friend Sandi’s home, while Mike and Lori went to Tennessee. Sandy and I then drove to Tennessee for the weekend to spend some time with them at Boone Lake. After some great BBQ and enjoying the beauty of Tennessee. We headed back home for a few days of rest, before my friend Sandi treated me to a cruise to the Bahamas. I had never been on a cruise, so this was a special treat. On our way home we stopped in Charleston South Carolina. What a charming town full of history.

We are now back in Georgia and I will be sharing about Learning to Hope on the 19th at Bible Study to some local women from Sandy's church. I am always excited to do that. I pray that God will use this time to spread awareness of Grace English School and the work God is doing through this ministry.

Even though I have not been able to go to India this fall, I continue to work with the staff and communicate with them multiple times a week. God has been blessing our school of 200 students and growing staff. The students have been busy this school year with science projects and held competitions with each of the classes to help them prepare for exams to start this week.

We want to send our congratulations to one of our students Arpita Bhagat a 4th grader. She was in a Kung Fu competition, and won a gold medal!!! We are all very proud of her.

It has been a VERY hot summer this year which has resulted in many days without electricity, consequently, NO FANS spinning, YUCK! We don't have air conditioning, most homes and small commercial structures don't either, this is why the fans are critical. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we were able to purchase a generator (seem here) for the school. The staff and students are excited to have the fans and lights continue to stay on in this heat.

Unfortunately, we had one of our teachers resign this week, so we are seeking God’s direction for a new teacher. Please keep us in your prayers as we seek God's best for this position.

As many of you know things are very bad in India right now. The current political party is very anti Christian and turns a blind eye to any form of persecution against Christians. India is suppose to be a democracy with freedom of speech and religion but many Christians suffer under great persecution. Recently news media who do not agree with the government was raided and in some cases shut down. Christians are at risk everyday. Authorities come into church services and start arresting people and in some cases burning down their churches and even their homes. Elections are coming this spring which is often a time of great turmoil. Please pray that people vote for change and new leadership is voted in. For more information on what is currently going on you can check out this article. https://www2.cbn.com/news/world/hindutva-radical-hindu-ideology-seeks-push-christianity-out-india?inid=5c0ed751-2db9-4e87-a4f0-ad9bd1f22b6b&utm%C2%A7source=news&utm%C2%A7medium=email&utm%C2%A7campaign=news-eu-cwn&utm%C2%A7content=20231007-7902784

We are praising God that our village and school are safe from persecution right now. But we continue to be cautious as we go about our daily lives.

My plans are still to return to India next year after their elections, when things are quieter.

Finally, at the writing of this blog we are learning about the horrible news coming from Israel. My heart is breaking as I continue to hear from friends in the region, about the murderous and unlawful attacks against civilians. God have mercy and we call on you to protect your people. You, Oh God, are our only hope.

Praises:

For a great summer to enjoy family and friends.
The joy of seeing our students grow and enjoy learning.
Our staff who have poured into our students lives daily.
For your continued support of Grace English School, both in prayer and finances. This ministry could not continue without each of you.
Thankful for communications that provide ways for me to stay in touch with India on a regular basis while I am home.
For the opportunities I was given to share about India this past summer.

Prayer Requests:

For Raju and Sanu as they seek your direction for a new teacher.
For the 19th when I have the opportunity to once again share about what Learning to Hope and Grace English School.
For travel over the next few weeks. Heading to Florida and then back to Lodi at the end of Oct.
Protection for the people of Israel and wisdom for its leadership.
For my continued financial support.

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