Dear Friends,

On May 31, I set out for my second trip to India this year. As I traveled through the country, this verse from Galatians was in my mind: “Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people.” The Lord has presented so many opportunities, especially in India, to do good for many people.

I arrived in Kerala just in time to see the start of the new school year at the Bible College. I was able to welcome new students from several states of India who have come to our Bible College on the recommendation of their local pastors, with the hope that they will grow in their faith, learn the Bible, and return to become helpful in the ministry of the local church. It was a joy to see seven of our students graduate with a three-year degree, and one graduate with a one-year certificate. This was our largest group to graduate since the Covid Pandemic. In addition, we had a graduation ceremony for fifty-five participants in our Leadership Training Institute. LTI is a six-week intensive Bible training program geared towards older professionals who desire to learn scripture and to be used in ministry. I heard wonderful testimonies from these LTI students, who are now inspired for ministry based on the training they received. We have included photos from the graduation ceremony in the Insert.

I also had the opportunity to travel, along with two IEM Coordinators, to three northern states where we have ministry centers. In Rajasthan, we visited the house church of a pastor who graduated from the IEM Bible College in 1980. He has been faithfully serving the Lord since that time. I was so happy to see three generations of Christians worshiping in his house church. In the state of Punjab, we visited a local church, and we also did a food kit distribution in a very poor area where laborers live in makeshift huts. The pastor has an ongoing outreach with these laborers, and they were very happy to receive the food kits. Finally, we traveled by car several hours to a mountain city in the state of Himachal Pradesh. There, we visited a church where we had recently helped the pastor purchase and install a new roof for the church building. On the night that we had service in the church, it was pouring rain. As we heard the heavy rain hit the roof, the congregation shouted their gratitude for having the new roof and a dry and safe place to worship. Some pictures of my journey though North India are included in the Insert.

As I visited these churches, Paul’s words came to my mind: “As we have opportunity let us do good… especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” I was so blessed to visit these congregations and encourage the believers in these northern states of India, where there is much opposition to Christianity. Please continue to pray for them, and also remember the Bible College and the LTI graduates as they enter into ministry. We are so grateful for your faithful prayers and support.

In Him,

Dayan V. Mathai

Executive Director