Dear Friends,

The birth of Jesus was declared by the angel Gabriel to be “good news of great joy for all people.” We are blessed to share that same Good News with the people of India. This month IEM-supported churches will be conducting Christmas programs for children and adults in order to share the story of Jesus’ birth with many who have never heard it. I look forward to sharing photos with you next month of these Christmas programs.

One of those Christmas programs will be in the state of Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) in North India. There, a pastor and his wife have been ministering in various villages near the capital city of Lucknow. As I have shared before, U.P. is a state where the Christian believers suffer more severe persecution, due to anti-conversion laws and radical Hindu fanaticism. Recently, he shared an experience in which a local pastor was jailed for several months for engaging in Christian activities. Now he has been released from jail. However, his family and Christian community have suffered. He recently visited them and was able to distribute food kits in the community. They were greatly blessed and encouraged by these gifts.

In the state of Himachal Pradesh (H.P.), a pastor is faithfully serving a small Christian community. He recently reported they had a need for a new roof, due to leaks from the heavy rains. We are very happy that we are able to replace the roof and be an encouragement to the believers there. God willing, I will be visiting this mountainous state in North India on my trip to India in June. The Christian community there is small, but vibrant.

I am excited to travel to India next week with two of my sisters, Mishal and Sheela, and their entire families. This is the first time Mishal and Sheela and I will be together in India since we were in our 20’s. This is the first trip for Sheela’s sons Sam, Ray, and Ben (ages 11, 9, and 5). Please pray for us as we travel throughout India, experiencing various aspects of the ministry. We look forward to sharing photos and videos with you in the coming months.

As we approach the end of the year, we are thankful for God’s blessings of health and safety, and we pray that God will give you a Merry Christmas and bless you richly in the New Year.

In His Service,

Dayan Mathai