Mission Update: India 2011

Yes, Diane and I made it safely to and back from India.  Praise God! What an amazing time we had at Grace School!  We are just so honored that we get to be his mouth piece- to be his hands and feet to serve and love the teachers and kids of Grace School.  We have been blessed enormously on this trip along with the relationships that have been built and only hope that we have blessed them as much. 

God is moving mightily in the city where Grace School is located.  The support from both the Muslim and Hindu community for this Christian school is unprecedented and it is only by the hand of God that this has happened.  God chose this city- one of the poorest parts of India to build a top-notch school to showcase His glory.  Nothing and no one can stop His will and it is His will that Grace School be a beacon of light and hope in a place of darkness.  Grace School is a blessing to that community which is felt and seen by all religious backgrounds.  There is no denying that the God we praise and worship in Grace School is Jesus Christ.  The community knows this, yet they still send their kids there because as soon as you walk into the doors of Grace School, there is a sense that something is different.  The parents know they are sending their kids to the best school in this region both for its academic excellence and for the loving care of their children.

This is why the community has rallied and supported Grace School throughout its times of difficulties in the 12 years of her existence.  The community is the one now demanding that Grace School expand and go beyond 5th grade! God willing it could happen because a series of events have led the founders of the school to start construction of a permanent building on a new site.  It's going to be on property they own so no more dealing with landlords who just want to take advantage of them.   While Diane and I were there, we took part in the dedication ceremony of the site where Grace School will be in the future.  What a legacy it's going to be for generations to come and all the lives that will be touched with the Gospel spread far and wide.  The current plan for the school is a four story building that will house up to 5th grade with accommodations for the Principal’s family and a few of the teachers as well as a much needed playground.  Needless to say it's a big project, but is anything too big or too hard for God?

Please continue to pray for Grace School and all the planning and work that will be required to completely transition the school from its current location to the new site. It's going to take a lot of money to build the school and right now we only have a fraction of this money. Thanks to the generous donation of the Valley family, the initial construction has already begun.  We have faith in our mighty God that He will provide it all in due time.  Therefore, it is not with anxiety that we pray, but in hope of His sufficiency that we petition for His will to be done.

Chris and Angela are just overwhelmed with God's faithfulness and goodness as they are now training another team to go to India.  Of course Diane and I were already planning to go back even while we were still in India!  Please keep us in your prayers in this regard too.

Thank you Valley Family for your fervent prayers and loving support.  We never felt fear- only peace that surpasses understanding the whole time we were there. We are ever grateful that God placed us in this church family.

Blessings,

Diane and Judy

Operation Christmas Child is a national project run by Samaritan's Purse that collects shoe boxes filled with toiletry items, toys, and candy for impoverished children all over the world.

In September of this year we went to the countries of Moldova, Ukraine and Transdnestria (a rogue country that rebelled in 1992 and declared itself to be independent of Moldova). While on this trip, we met with a group of pastors in Moldova in order to establish a regional branch of Christian Life School of Theology. We also delivered some degrees for our graduates in Kiev, Ukraine but spent most of our time in Tiraspol, Transdnestria where I taught a course for the school there. 

While in Transdnestria, we were able to go into the countryside and visit and pray with new converts who are the result of a new evangelistic thrust into the small villages. These villages surround the large collective farms of the Soviet System. Each village has a population of 200 to 800. They are located about 3 miles apart and circumvent these farms. There are about 5 to 8 villages around each farm. What I saw in these villages was extreme poverty and hopelessness. The people of these villages have no electricity, no running water (there is a central well in each village so most only have to walk 1/4 mile to draw water), and dirt floors. I met with teenagers who do not know the meaning of bath or shower. They clean themselves from a small washbasin with the whole family using the same water.

 The Holy Spirit has shown Pastor Yuri in Tiraspol that the way to the hearts of these village people is through their children. As the church has began to minister to these kids by outreaches involving health care - de-licing, haircuts, tooth care, and personal hygiene - parents have responded to the gospel message. These acts of kindness has resulted in several families being converted and the need to establish a central church in each village cluster. 

I was asked by church leaders to come to Transdnestria at Christmas and play Santa Claus for children in these villages. I was told that this would be one of the best opportunities for evangelistic outreach. We could give gifts and tell the real story of Christmas. I told them I would go home and pray about this. 

As I began to seek the Lord for His will, I began to feel strongly that I was to raise monies to build a church with adjacent bathhouses in the central village of each region. Also I felt that we should have gifts for 3,000 children to give away during this trip. I began to share this opportunity with those around me and even sent a letter to many friends and churches around the country. By  December 3rd I only received enough monies for our airfare. Janice and I felt that we were supposed to go even though we were way short of enough money to purchase gifts for 3000 kids (if we only spent $10 on each child it would total $30,000 besides the cost of shipping) and on the evening of December 3rd we purchased our tickets. The next day Janice received a call from Susie Williamson telling us VALLEY would be sending a very generous check to support our trip. This call was a real blessing and we were encouraged that God was going to do the impossible. 

On Tuesday December 8th I received a call from Natalie (our interpreter while in Transdnestria) who was in America visiting her mother whom she had not seen for many years. She asked me if I was going to come to Transdnestria to play Santa.  I told her I would be there and that we had already purchased the tickets. She was so happy because she had just received a phone call from someone telling her they had shipped Christmas gifts to Transdnestria for 3000 children and wondered if they would have a Santa to give the gifts to the kids. It cannot be a coincidence that I had sensed the number 3,000 and someone sent 3,000 gifts. God still performs miracles!!  

We leave on the 28th of December and will spend 2 weeks having the time of our lives. We can hardly wait to see what God will do while we are there! Please keep Janice, Shawnita, my granddaughter Amanda and myself in your prayers. 

Gratefully Commissioned, 

Dwayne Lusk