Colleen's Prayer Emails

Dear Praying Friends,

Warm Greetings to you in His Precious Name.

Across the road from us we have the most pitiful picture. Over 200 hut house flattened to the ground, still people living on the side of the road and many of these our own children from Bethany School who have lost their uniforms, school books, etc., in all the shifting and also who have not been given an allotment for alternative housing. It has affected 30-40 of our sponsored children and we are faced with the most pitiful situation.

Some of our children have been shifted 20 kilometers outside the city and the parents are working in this area and they have a ration card and also a voter’s card for this area. Three slum areas have been bull dozed to the ground in our area. The reason is they are planning to have a Metro Railway system around the city which will take 10-15 years to build. The entire rail track is going to be along the Coovum river and we have heard a station is going to come up across the road outside our building. It is very distressing to us and we need the Lord’s wisdom. The sponsorship department are very busy checking up on the children and their circumstances. Some of the families are going to need advance rent to get another place nearby. If there is no other alternative, these children cannot go to any other school until June of next year. So, the situation is quite urgent.

Many of you reading this may be having a sponsored child involved. Please pray with us and if your child is involved we will let you know eventually.

The monsoon is not over as yet and the weather report says there will be more rain and we can expect rain up till the 15th of December.

We had the TV crew from America with us only for two days as they were delayed coming to Chennai by one day. It was a very busy time trying to fit in everything, and confusion. There are many things that have not been covered, but in the end I am sure it is going to be very worth while for the glory of God.

We need prayer for health. Some of us have been very ill with a very bad cold, including myself. There is a lot of illness going around Chikangunya is spreading very fast.

In our Bethany Higher Secondary School, because of the rains, the walls have been literally blackened, covered with mosquitoes. They have been trying to spray them out, but it is impossible for the children and even the teachers to sit in the class. To put mosquito netting on all the windows will be very expensive and when the class room doors open, this is not going to help.

My son-in-law, Swamy, husband of Dora, has had a motor bike accident. It is a miracle his life was saved. In the same place the next day a woman was killed. Swamy is in bed and will not be able to walk for at least a month. Dr. Jayaraman has done a skin graft on his leg. Today Vimala has had a further X-Ray and healing is taking place, but she still has to be very careful. Because she is indisposed, I have been spending a lot of time with our sponsorship staff, buying the Christmas clothes for every sponsored child. We give all the children in the Sponsorship programs new clothes for Christmas. We still have two or three more days to complete the shopping.

Every evening this week, we have been having practices for the Christmas program which will be held tomorrow night in the Museum Theatre. Today as well as tomorrow morning, there will be a main practice. Our program is at 6 p.m. tomorrow night the 21st. Then, from Monday, 23rd November, we start all our end of the year programs which involves a special program nearly every night, and some in the day time. So, I need a lot of strengthening from the Lord as all want me to attend their respective programs. We also need to do this in order to encourage all the others in the ministry.

In regard to the Tsunami Housing project, the re-building of the housing cannot start until the rainy season is over.

We realize in these days that the evil one is working over time and we need to be very strong in the Lord and on guard all the time and be powerful to overcome the evil one. We are also human and it means so much when prayer partners stand with us and encourage us. In the modern world we are living in, there are very few who write letters and emails have become so business-like. Sadly, we have lost out terribly on the personal touch.

With warmest greetings,

In His Joyful Service,

Colleen

Christmas Gifts for Sponsored Children

Dear India Sponsors,

It is that time of year to think about sending your child in India a Christmas gift package. Thank you so much for caring about these children and especially thank you for your prayers for their well being and their spiritual walk with Jesus. This little gift will bring a smile to their faces and create even more of a connection with you.

Packages need to be sent as soon as possible so they will be there when the children have their Christmas party before their Christmas break.  Please mail to:  CMCT - 72(59)Spur Tank Road  Chetpet,Chennai-600 031. India.

They have asked that we send by registered mail.  They would rather we spend less on the gift and spend on the shipping to make sure the gift arrives.

Here are some suggestions of what to send if you need ideas:

• If you know the size: a T-shirt, cotton night gown with sleeves, a cotton skirt or blouse (remember how hot it is in India)
• Photo frame
• School supplies: all the same as our USA children (except for electronics)
• Inexpensive watch
• Small purse
• Personal photos of you, your family, your pets
• Photo album
• Toilet items: towel, shower gel, powder, comb/brush/clips/hairbands/toothbrush &paste
• Ribbons
• Wrapped candy or sweets in a tin
• Story books
• Diary
• Small toys (no war toys)
• Puzzles

Please don't send expensive items.

God bless you for making this sacrifice of your time and funds to make this a happier Christmas for these sweet children.

Judy Bell
tojudyb@aol.com

Dear Praying Friends,

Warmest Greetings to you in His Precious Name!

This is a short email to ask for continuous prayer for the ministry of CMCT. This is the time when much prayer is needed because when staff become too busy with Christmas programs and practices, it is very easy for them to become short-tempered and highly strung.

The accident matter was settled, but sadly we had a second accident on Thursday, involving another school bus and also another Advocate’s car. This case was mutually settled and closed after paying an amount to them. We are issuing strict instructions to our drivers to be more conscious on the roads.

Vimala continues to need much prayer, and because she is a diabetic, the healing is very slow and her toes are still very swollen. Praise God we have been able to wrap gifts for 8 Rally break-ups. I went along with some of the sponsorship staff to buy the Christmas clothes for Cedar Fund and ‘Help the Children’ today. This is a tremendous job and will take many, more days.

The last few days we have had no rain, but the sky is very overcast and therefore it has become very humid. Still many places have no electricity and no proper water supply.

The Christmas program on the 21st needs much prayer. Please pray for our speaker, John Williams. There is still a lot of practicing to do, but I am sure in the end it would turn out beautifully. In the Rallies also the leaders are practicing special items.

On Monday we are having a TV crew from America here for 3 days to do a program to be telecast on a station in USA that has millions of viewers.

Pray for Jean Bertram and Emma Givens as they arrive here on Tuesday.

With love and prayers,

Colleen

P.S From lunch time today it is again raining very heavily. Heavy rain forecast for all Tamil Nadu. Also today the co-operation sent police Bulldozers and trucks to wipe out the slum across the road from C.M.C.T. Those of you who have visited will know. The shouting, fighting and crying has been awful. They are giving them tokens to go outside the city to a slum clearance building. So many are refusing to go. Many have jobs in this area and children have school. So many of the hut houses are now flattened.