Right Hand Ministries
RHM: PO Box 12385 Oklahoma City, OK 73157 rhmhope1@gmail.com
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Visitors from America
February Update
Dear RHM Friends,
Greetings once again in the Precious Name of our Lord JESUS.
I made a mistake in last month's update, saying that giving was way down in 2018 compared to 2017. When I more carefully went over the donations, calculating how many funds have been given which were NOT part of projects, I realized that the downward trend of funds did not begin in 2018, but in 2017. The regular giving for 2018 was only down a little bit compared to 2017. Trusting in our Father in regard to finances. He said not to worry or fear, but to "humble ourselves and pray, seek His Face, and turn from our wicked ways", and then He will "heal our land..." Don't know if there's anything to be repented of, but we must always be open to hear His Voice when there are things happening within our lives or ministries which seem to be contrary to His Promises.
Thankful that we had Brother Russel and his son Sam with us from Oklahoma from the 1st thru 7th of February. Russel usually comes annually, and is part of the HOPE "Governing Body" (Board). It was a great time of connecting between he and the children; his son also. You can see a few of their activities in the photos below.
Continue to pray for the ministries here. The children all seem to be doing well. The widows/elderly ministry is a little bit busy, in the process of taking information and adding new members. But at the same time, the government is about to have elections here, the opposing parties both promising quite an increase for the widows & elderly. That would be great I suppose, but it takes time to know what they will actually do, how long it will be maintained, and how their "generosity" will affect the economy (inflation). Pray for us, that the Lord will grant His wisdom for every situation, and especially that He will help us to find those who are in the greatest need.
Pray for me, as I am scheduled to leave India on the 18th, staying in the States until March 27th. There's a deep longing in my heart to be able to share His Word freely in English. I know it's the leading of His Spirit upon my heart; looking for His will and direction.
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way unto Him. Trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass." "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." Psalms 37:4-5; Proverbs 3:5-6
Scroll down to see some great photos with captions, filling you in on some of what's happening in ministry here. Keep our financial situation in your prayers. Bless you.
Brother Dan
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ABOVE: Mangamma, from the village of Chundi. She's lived in the tarp covered hut in the background for years. Her husband died maybe 60 years ago. Like most of the illiterate widows and elderly in India, she has no concept of dates, years, etc. We're planning to begin support for her in March.
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ABOVE: Brother Russel and his son Sam in our widows/elderly (WE) meeting in Alluru. Russel came with us to 3 of the villages. We shared the Word (in the photo they are singing a song, some clapping their hands), then distributed their monthly support.
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ABOVE: Kotamma, from the village of Chinthayapalem. She must be at least 85, as her daughter, Koteswaramma, is also part of the WE ministry. Her daughter is surely well into her 60's. They both live in this hut. Lord willing, we will start supporting Kotamma in March, and repairing their hut soon.
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ABOVE: Annamma from MR Nagar. She lives in the hut behind her. Her only son lives next door, but is a cycle rickshaw puller with a wife and 2 children, not really caring for them properly. Hope to begin giving her regular support in March.
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ABOVE: This is Ade Lakshmamma from the village of Jampalavaripalem. Her husband died long back, and she has 6 daughters. She stays with one of those daughters, whose husband left her. This woman can't work, and her daughter works in the fields, making very little income. The other daughters may have desire to help her, but in this culture the sons-in-law often are not willing. The above building is where they were staying, half built with govt. funds, but they didn't have the remaining funds necessary to complete it. In the photo below, you can see the work the Lord used us to do for her.
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ABOVE: The front little room which was broken down has been built up, with asbestos sheets added to keep her dry. After this photo was taken, a door was also added. Praise GOD for providing the means to help these poor elderly.
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ABOVE: Brother Prasanth with Kotamma in Nandayapalem. Some people are claiming that she's near 100 years old. Still she has a nice smile, but is very weak and can barely walk. One of her 3 sons died with cancer, actually committing suicide when he lost hope concerning the cancer. That son's wife, still a widow, is caring for her. Kotamma led this daughter-in-law to the Lord.
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ABOVE: 19 widows receiving support in another part of India. All of their husbands died due to persecution, most of them killed. It seems that 2 or 3 died after getting some sickness while hiding in the jungles during time of persecution.
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ABOVE: This also is in another part of India, the names and places we don't mention because of security risks. RHM is helping to support these girls (a total of 11 in a girls home), but 10 of these 12 pastors lost their sponsorship for 2019 support. Pray for them. Brother Wesley, who helps us in ministry, is the 4th from the left. He is not from this area of India, but is near to HOPE in Andhra Pradesh.
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ABOVE: The red brick part of this structure is a new girls home under construction (same girls in above photo). The white building is being used as a meeting hall, but will also serve the girls once they shift to this property. A great property, but they need many more funds. Pray for that.
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ABOVE: Brother Wesley lighting the candles of a birthday cake. One of the 11 girls in this home is Sabita, who was having a birthday 3 days later. Since we rarely get to visit this area, we decided to have a cake and celebrate all the girls' birthdays at one time. It was nice.
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ABOVE: This is in the HOPE boys home, Brother Russel playing carom board with some boys, while his son Sam is playing checkers with Naveen.
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ABOVE: Nice group photo with HOPE children, staff, Brother Russel and Sam. This is in the theme park of Haailand, not far from HOPE. We've been going here once a year or so, giving the children a chance to go on something they can call a vacation.
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ABOVE: Sam on a bull ride (there was debate whether this is a bull or some kind of buffalo). But considering it has a slick surface and nowhere to plant our feet, needless to say, none of us could stay on very long.
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ABOVE: HOPE children, Isaac, Smitha, Russel & Sam on a pirate's ship. Boy, did they shout! Not sure I could recommend this park, as it is pitifully understaffed and doesn't really function as it should; never has that we know of. We wanted to do the bumper cars before leaving, and found that 10 of 14 cars were not working. When starting to negotiate how much it would cost using the remaining 4 cars, we found that they didn't really work either!
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ABOVE: Ending on a more sobering note, this is the "box" (wooden casket) for our precious widow, Kotamma, who lived in HOPE for many years. Her body passed on January 4th. We had the funeral outside the HOPE verandah (girls home). A sad day, but we're happy for her. Revelations 21:4
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"Whatever you do, do all things to the glory of GOD." 1 Corinthians 10:31 |
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