Saving the Lives Ministry
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Bethel School Children Singing Christmas Carols
Bethel Children’s Ministry is the children’s ministry arm of JFA in India. It was started in 2006 and has grown to include 8 schools (2 are brand new) which help to feed and educate anywhere from 250 to 500 kids on an average evening, 6 days a week. These schools are targeted specifically to the poorest of the poor, the “outcaste” children. Visit BethelChild.org for more info.
James and Mary Ann
Saving the Lives Ministry is what James (9) and Mary Ann (6) started last year because they wanted to do something to help the kids they met in the Bethel Children’s Schools. It was actually Mary Ann’s idea but she wanted James to be the President, a role he is happy to fill. :-) They’ve got some songs recorded and sermons on video on their website, SavingtheLives.org.
Saving the Lives Self-denial Box
The Self-denial box (little plastic church) is to help the kids (and grown-ups) to remember the children in India who have less than we do. Less food, less education, much less chance to learn of Jesus. Each quarter placed in the church will give a child a meal, 2 hours of teaching, and a half-hour of Bible instruction. Mrs. White recommends that everyone should have a “self-denial box.”
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Want to learn more? Last December, Adel Torres was traveling through Amritsar, the City of the Golden Temple, with her husband Jose and Jon Wood when they stumbled across a very destitute little slum village. They stopped and took a tour and what they saw changed their lives. The utter poverty and filth was repulsive, yet the sweetness of the children – so much like our own children – drew their hearts out in compassion. When they got back to the van, Adel immediately wrote a story about what she saw there and entitled it “Laksmi’s Village.” This sparked the Kurnuck’s to get their Kindergarten class involved in raising money to start a school in that village. The little tykes raised over $400 and were having so much fun that the grown-ups started wanting to know what was going on. They got involved and before long had over $3500, enough to not only start the school but to support it for the first year! Then at FaithCamp these little “Self-denial Boxes” were handed out and so many people responded to the call that we gave away nearly all of them. Adel felt a burning call to go back to India, despite the fact that she was 5-6 months pregnant, to help find the village again and make sure it got started on the right principles. You can read about her journey at ThisJourneyMyHome.blogspot.com.