Dearest Friends,
Edward’s School
We are a 5 hour drive from Calcutta, near the border of 2 states, Jamtara and West Bengal. Missionaries from Sweden, England, and Ireland came to this place in the 1800’s. The first missionaries here found life very hard, but they stayed, some serving 40 or 50 years. When they came, there were no roads, no electricity, no way to communicate with the outside world. Even with all of our technology, we are still struggling.
An English lady named Grace George was the last to come. She dedicated her life to these people, determined that they should have the knowledge of God’s love for them. In 1989, she went back to England, after working here for 43 years. Two days ago, she went home to be with Jesus. I saw her picture and she looked radiant. How sweet heaven must be for her!
Today, we shared with almost a 1000 children at Edward’s School. It is named for another missionary who worked in this place for half a century. The programs went very well, especially the second one. I could feel God’s spirit strongly as we shared.
Many children are tribal people, mostly Santhal. They worship the sun and nature, but they also celebrate Hindu festivals. Today, we told them about the one true God.
Problems
This area is difficult to work in because of 3 main problems. The biggest difficulty is the spiritual darkness of this place. Calcutta is the center for worship of the goddess Kali and she is worshipped here. She is called the goddess of destruction and requires the blood sacrifice of goats and chickens. Those that are devoted to her hate Christians. This area also worships Durga, the goddess of prosperity, another evil lie that holds many in darkness. Secondly, this area has bandits so the t Bengal Bible Training Institute where we are staying, hired a night watchman. The bandits can be very bold. They once tunnelled through the side of the pastor’s house. Not long after that, they hired a watchman.
Finally, there is an on-going dispute over the former mission property. This is a troubling matter for the school and has required legal action.
All of these problems need your prayers. Only God can turn peoples darkness to light. Only He can protect His children. God is their defender against those who would seek to take the mission land. Please pray for these friends as they serve in a difficult place. Please pray for us to be a blessing to them.
In Jesus,
Linda for
Hanson
Sam
Santhosh
Rinu