Waldron Mission Fund

 

Under the oversight of the elders of the Crossville church of Christ, PO Box 211, Crossville, TN 38557

 

Vol. 41                                                           May  2007                                                                              No. 5

MONDAY MORNING MAY 7, 2007

 

A vicious tornado like storm has struck the northeast of India!  This was the news received yesterday from brother James Guyton, who lives in Georgia and is a member of the church at Chestnut Mountain in that state.  This he had learned from Billy Simmons, who is an elder at Chestnut Mountain and is presently in Shillong, NE India, where he is in the midst of a six week tour to the northeast, teaching in the Bible school in that city.  This morning I phoned brother Simmons and learned that the concrete block homes in the area had for the most part stood against the violent wind but that 139 homes made of bamboo and plastered with mud (sun dried) had been severely damaged.  On his request the Chestnut Mountain church was sending $1,200.00 to aid the victims.  One can hardly imagine the poverty. 

 

Billy said the brothers in the area wanted to follow the example of aid and evangelism used on the Tsunami ravaged coast of south India two years ago.  By the grace of God that effort was blessed immensely because saints, such as you, from the U.S. and other countries sent aid for the victims in Tamil Nadu and trained native gospel preachers distributed the aid and taught them the gospel.  Thus I recommended that our students in Shillong be released after the morning session of class on Tuesday (May 8^th) to go to the villages to ascertain exactly how many victims there were.

 

Just here it might be good to point out that carrying on such a work is not easy as we learned in Tamil Nadu.  Not only are the financial resources necessary, but there must be trained brethren who can do the initial work and the follow up; even then it often takes the wisdom of Solomon to determine who are the true suffers and who are not.  So before any food stuff or other items were distributed Tamil brothers went from door to door in each village and interviewed family members.  If it was determined that the household had been victimized by the Tsunami a small slip of paper with brief instructions was given to the mother or father as a “token” to present when the truck would come with rice and other needed items.  Those with the “tokens” would then line up at the appointed site and quietly wait their turn.  A real problem came with people from more interior villages who were poor, but not Tsunami victims. Often these would come by the dozens and a time or two by the hundreds demanding that they also be helped.  Several times we had to move the distribution site in an area to keep from being mobbed by such people and on one or two occasions the police had to come to ward off the crowds.

 

Knowing these things I recommended to brother Simmons that our Shillong students visit the area where the storm had struck wearing name tags in the local language that identified them as members of the church of Christ, learn who were victims and who were not and to give those in need a “token.”  Also I indicated how we had bought rice wholesale from rice mills in Tamil Nadu and said that we would send $2,000 to help also with the need.  The fifteen students in the school were divided into four teams.

 

Tuesday, May 8: When I phoned Billy this morning it was about 8:30 p.m. in Shillong.  He, the students and a local gospel preacher (a graduate of the school from 2004) had just returned from a day of walking the hill country visiting 135 of the 139 homes – many of them very isolated - damaged by the storm. 

 

Four of the families lived so far back in the hills it was impossible to reach them today.  Their plans for tomorrow (May 9) are to buy and deliver each household 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of rice at a cost $9.35, along with other food items and staple needs.  Then on Saturday they will return to the area and begin follow up work.  God willing when I arrive there we can have several gospel meetings in the area.  More next month.

 

TRAINING PREACHERS

 

Presently the brothers in India are holding selection classes for the school year of 2007-2008.  Through the encouragement of our colleague and fellow laborer, Don Iverson, faithful Tamil brothers by the grace of God will open four new Schools of Preaching (SOP) on June 4th.  These four are being opened along the Tsunami ravaged coast of Tamil Nadu.  Thanks to our heavenly Father and others like you, whom He has stirred up as senders (Rom. 10:14-16) we now have seventeen SOP in the state.  This seems like a lot, but when you calculate that it has a population of more then 65,000,000, then they appear to be a drop in the bucket.  By the way, since the Tsunami hit December 26, 2004 nearly 3000 have obeyed the gospel and 72 new congregations started and that is just in the coastal area.  I intended this month to report the number that would be enrolled as of the 4th of June, but the selection classes are still going on and will not be completed until the end of May.

 

AN EXAMPLE OF FRUIT BEARING

 

In April 2004 we had our first graduation from the Northeast Bible Institute, Shillong.  Three of those young brothers asked me last fall if I would help them conduct a Bible camp and evangelistic effort over a two week period during the school holidays in December.  They said they needed about $110.00 to cover their expenses.  Here is their report:

 

“EVANGELISM REPORT: Bible class:  (5 days)  conducted in two places.  One at Checkon and the other one at Chingmeirong.  Lessons taught:  Introduction to Faith.  Students:  Both classes in each place had around 15-20 young men and women coming each day.  The teachers were Simeon, Siam, David, and myself, Lian-joy.  (David is a brother, but not a graduate of the school. JW)

 

“Apart from this we also went for preaching in different places like the National Game Park Village, Khayangthang Village, Mothung Village, Thangmeiban, etc.  We also had debates or discussions with denominational people from Baptist, Seventh day Adventist, Church of Jesus Christ and Pentecostals on issues like 1000 years Reign, Sabbath Day, Jesus alone (Trinity in Godhead), Faith alone, Miracles, etc.

 

“From our work we had two baptisms in different places.  One from Mothung Village, his name is Seiboi, who is a farmer from a Baptist background.  Another came from Chingmeirong, whose name is Ringki, he is a student and from Hindu background.  Also we established a new congregation in Khayangthang Village, it is the only church in that area and the village is inhabited by Hindu community.  This new congregation at present has 6 members and they are looked after by brother Simeon and his family.

 

“We are very much grateful for your support and cooperation.  It is all because of your support that we are able to do this evangelism work.  Looking for your continual support and cooperation.  Thank you.”

 

My next trip for India will start May 18th.  Thanks be to God and His Son we have schools of preaching in four states.  While there I expect to travel the length and breath of the country visiting them and scouting areas where others are needed.  I indicated last month the possibility to some change in the cost of student support, but after getting a report from the brothers in Tamil Nadu, we are still able to support a preachers student for $60 a month (by far our greatest need, buy a goat for a widow for $35, buy a bicycle for a preacher for $60 and so forth.  By the way we thank God for those who have sent for bikes as we have bough nearly 200 in the last four months.  Using the words of Isaiah to God, “Here am I send me.”  Please do what you can.

 

With much love,

 

Jim Waldron