Please pray for the dozens injured and the families of those killed in a train accident that occurred about 125 miles north of Calcutta this morning, July 19.  At about 2:00 a.m. an express passenger train slammed into another express train as it left the platform at the Sainthia station.  Currently it is being reported that 67 people were killed, and about 120 were injured in that crash.  Let us lift in prayer everyone traumatized by this terrible accident, including the injured and the rescue workers.  But let’s pray especially for those who lost loved ones.   This crash is the second in two months in the state of West Bengal.  On May 28, 146 people died when a train derailed as the result of sabotage on the tracks.  You can read more about today’s accident on The Hindu web site.

If you live in Central Kentucky and you care about India, mark your calendar for Sunday, August 15.  On that day beginning at 5:00 in the afternoon, Fishhook will be celebrating India’s Independence Day with a picnic at Shilito Park Shelter #4.  We are calling it “Lexington India Day,” and we are inviting all our friends to come join us for an evening of fun.  We’ll have a taste of Indian culture with cricket, kite making, henna body art and sari fittings.  It’s a pot luck meal, so bring your favorite picnic food to share.  We are hoping for a mix of Indian and American cuisine so there should be something for everyone to enjoy.  If you love India, don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate with your friends and make some new ones as well!

We need each other on this journey of life.  During my last trip to India a heron, a goat and some fleas shed new light on this truth.

On our last morning together, Richard, David and I drove to “His Rest” retreat center for a time of conversation, meditation and prayer.  I had been looking forward to this time for over two weeks.  This incredibly scenic and quiet place is so unusual in the noisy, hectic and crowded places typical of India.   But sadly, as we approached the retreat center, we found that the last narrow section of road was impassable due to construction.  I was extremely disappointed. More »

“I need a trash bag - a clean one!”  These were the words of a 7 year old Lexington, KY, boy named James when he heard about children in India who had no toys to play with.  James wanted to gather up the toys that he no longer used to help these children.  Not only do they lack toys, but these kids, who are being ministered to by the Samuel family in South India, are in families where one or both parents is living with or has died from AIDS.  Sometimes the children themselves are HIV positive. More »

Signing up to sponsor a child on the Fishhook web site is as easy as 1-2-3!  Rich in California recently discovered this when he signed up to sponsor not 1, not 2, but 3 children at the Living Hope Children’s Home in South India.

Rich, an adoptive dad and former foster dad says, “I really have a heart to help boys.  I had visited the Fishhook site several times, considering sponsoring a child in India.  When I saw three teenage boys, I prayed about sponsoring one, More »

Malar came to Living Hope in 1998 when she was 14. She told Ghuna that she was without parents and destitute. She was from a village close to Tirunevelli and it turned out to be the village where Ghuna’s family was from. Ghuna says the village is small and chances are she is related to him. This can only happen in a country of 1.2 billion people. So, Malar became one of Ghuna’s first adoptions and came to know Christ and was baptised. Ghuna found he could give her responsibility and trust her with many jobs. Malar could get things done, but with a twinkle in her eye. After spending time with her in a few clinics I had sensed that she shared Ghuna’s intensity. More »

Our visits to the older destitute women at the Sahayam Home are always
special. These women have been abandoned by husbands, sons, or
daughters and after living on the street, find love and acceptance in
this home. Many of them are in their last days. After they sang for
us we asked if they could share something the Jesus had been doing in
their lives recently. Jeya Mary told us she had recently been feeling
guilty about her granddaughter whom she did not have a good
relationship. Chances are it would never be healed and she was very
bothered by this. Just the previous week Jesus had appeared to her in a dream and
told her that Ruth Selvi, a much More »

When we arrived at the Fathima Pharmacy College in southern India, they were still cleaning the auditorium where we were to meet.  While we waited, we were invited into the manager’s office where he very graciously offered us delicious nuts and dates in the Arabic tradition.

The Fathima Pharmacy College is run by Muslims, and the students come from various locations, even as far away as Sudan and Yemen.  Included in the student body are many Muslims and several women.  Dr. David was to speak to them on bone health, specifically about the new drugs that are available to treat osteopenia and osteoporosis.
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I just finished reading the book When Helping Hurts in December. One of the programs it promotes for village development is Savings and Loan associations.

So I was amazed when visiting India in February to find that one of our ministry partners is already providing training and mentoring for these types of groups.

Raymond calls the groups of village women who pool their savings to help each other “Sangams”  which is the Tamil word for “the place where rivers meet and combine”. More »