A Church to Call Home

If you cannot see the PhotoShow, please make sure you have JavaScript enabled and that you have the latest free Macromedia Flash plug-in. Click here for the free plug-in.

---

Text from this PhotoShow:

Pastor Rishi Manaat and his wife, Gitika, were assigned to minister in a rural area in Andhra Pradesh, nine years ago. The people they minister to live an agrarian lifestyle...
Rice is the major crop raised in this area. Paddies, like this one, cover the landscape for miles in every direction.
The people also raise goats. They use the hair to make blankets. The goats are also a source of meat that the people eat and sell in the marketplace.
In spite of all the hard work, the profits from their labors are small. Most of the people are very poor and have little hope that their situation will ever improve. When Pastor Manaat shared the love of Jesus, they hungrily responded.
Neelam was the first person to receive Jesus as her Savior. She was freed from demon possession and the influence of witchcraft. Today, Neelam is a happy wife and mother whose entire family follows Jesus.
There was no church in this area, so Christians met for worship on the porch of this rented house where Pastor Manaat lived. The growing congregation soon overflowed into the yard.
One of the new believers donated a plot of land on which they constructed a large, thatched-roof hut, much like this one. The hut was an improvement over the porch, but it still left worshippers at the mercy of the elements.
Thanks to the generosity of GFA World supporters from around the globe, the believers soon received a new, permanent church. The simple, sturdy building accommodates 125 worshippers.
Pastor Manaat's congregation is overjoyed to have a church to call home. It's a place they can meet for worship, protected from the scorching hot summer sun and the torrential monsoon rains.
posted 01/09/2007