Dear Friends in Christ,

I greet you all in the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

After my mission trip to Kenya in 2017 I could not physically travel to third world countries as I had some physical limitations related to my health and age. I developed severe osteo arthrits of my left knee while I was in Kenya. When I came back I was told by my orthopedician that I have to go through knee replacement surgery within next 2-5 yrs and I have to limit my long hours of sitting in the flight. I was disappointed of this restrictions and pain but I asked the Lord to guide me how I can serve Him going forward without much traveling. Conducting medical camps in remote villages overseas all by myself was becoming difficult and so I asked God to show me how I can serve Him without much traveling. God directed me to another level or phase of my ministry wherein I can help people in third world countries to plant churches by way of buying a place to build a sanctuary or if they have a piece of land help them to build a sanctuary. In 2016 mission trip to India I had the privilege to preach standing on a piece of land which had  no concrete building but just a tent. I stood there in the tent and declared in the name of God that the next time I visit that place there will be a concrete building. Today I am glad to inform you that God enabled our ministries to sponsor financially the completion of the sanctuary construction. By zoom God enabled me to dedicate that church on the eve of Christmas 2020 as I could not go because of Covid to attend the dedication service. God willing in Nov 2021, I am planning to have three days ladies meeting in that church. I am so excited that I will be making a ministry trip to India in Nov-Dec 2021. 

In 2018, 2019, and 2020 God enabled the ministry to help many orphan families, Orphanages, pastors, evangelists and provide Christmas meals to more than 1500 people in Africa and India. In December 2020 we provided 200 families in a very poor village in India with groceries as covid relief. We are planning to adopt that village going forward as they have many needs like no drinking potable water, no proper roads, run down school building, no sanitation, no doctors for their medical needs. Covid relief food distribution was the first small step of love and compassion of Christ that we showed to that below poverty line village. The village leaders expressed their gratitude that somebody remembered them and brought a smile on the faces of those villagers living in utter poverty. We trust in the Lord that going forward God will enable us to meet some of their urgent needs.

This year we provided Christmas meals to two churches in Kenya and Tanzania. Also gave Christmas gift to four orphan families in Kenya and four orphan families in India to celebrate Christmas.

As I could not travel because of Covid God opened another door for me for preaching ministry. Now by way of zoom and Youtube Faith Ladies International Ministries channels God is using me to preach to different groups of people and churches here in US and other parts of the world. I was reminded by the Holy Spirit that if we have the will to truly serve the Lord He will make a way where there is no way. He is looking for people who are availble for Him to use for the extension of His Kingdom on Earth. So let us all strive to be yielding vessels to serve Him in whatever way he wants to use us and bring Glory and Honor to His name.

Please continue to pray for me and my family as we labor for His Kingdom through this ministry of evangelism and charity. Also that God may bring likeminded people to support this ministry going forward. 

In His service

Dr. Rachel Varghese

Christmas is all about sharing your joy and blessings with others!

Recently I heard over a christian radio channel the story of a grandmother which brought tears to my eyes.

This grandmother was very lonely and she had no relative to spend the Christmas day with and the thought of spending the Christmas day all by herself made her feel very painful and very depressed. So she decided to go on social media and invite herself to any family who are willing to receive her as their guest. She also mentioned in the comment that she can cook for them and also bring gifts for their grand children. She was anxiously waiting to hear from somebody that she is welcome to their home. Instead to her unpleasant surprise she got some unexpected comments like.... Why do you want to live off of others and Christmas is all about family celebrations! so do you want to be an intruder??? Well after reading those heart breaking comments she finally put her comment on the Christmas day on social media which read like this....

"Thanks for one more shot of pain!!!

Friends it is exciting to have all the fun we want to have on a Christmas day but are we taking a pause to think of all the people who are less privileged than you and me and have we taken that extra mile to make their Christmas joyful and memorable! It does not have to be finances. There are different ways you can make somebody's Christmas joyful and memorable. Think about it next Christmas if you did not have a chance to do it this Christmas!

This was our best Christmas as we as a family could share our blessings with most poor and less privileged people in Kenya, Tanzania, and India by giving them a delicious Christmas meal.  I want to specifically thank my husband, our children and their spouses and my friend teacher Mrs. Teisa Auvaa who all went an extra mile to make this happen. It is my sincere prayer and desire that God may enable my family and my friends to do more every Christmas than the year before going forward.

Merry Christmas 2019

Dear Partners and friends in Christ,

Greetings to you all in the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

As you all know from my previous blog I went to Kenya on a mission trip along with my brother Rev. Abraham Philip for two weeks in the month of November, 2017. We had a very powerful ladies ministry, pastors leadership conference, and medical camps. I examined close to 200 patients and gave them all free medications. We were able to distribute some clothes to poor people of Masai community, support some pastors financially to complete their unfinished church constructions and also help some poor women.

I am posting below the testimony I received from the pastor who invited us to Kenya and also who coordinated our whole mission trip. I think his own words will speak more than I can express to let you know what a blessed ministry we had there. All glory and honor goes to our Lord Jesus Christ who gave us the unique opportunity of sharing the love of Christ with our dear brothers and sisters in Christ in Nairobi and Narok in Kenya.

Dear Dr. Rachel,

Greetings in Christ from Narok Kenya which is currently hot and dusty. The Lord has surely been good to us. I am so glad to hear that you made it back safely to the USA. Thank you very much for such a wonderful and heart-warming message. Our Church elders were talking about you yesterday that you are a good teacher, good preacher and full of compassion. They miss you very much. We appreciate great sacrifices you made and many risks you took to be with us in Kenya and in Narok. All of us here will never forget you. The love offering you gave us enabled us to buy mattresses for the youth in our annual Church youth camp 2017 which we held from 5th to 9th December at the Olooltoto Nassau village Church. Thanks for such a generous support. We also held another annual event on Christmas day called Big Meal 2017 in which we celebrate together and enjoy meals with needy children and their families at the Church. This year we did that in four of our branches in Kenya, at Narok prison and in two of our branches in the country of Tanzania. The Olooltoto church had the largest number of children in attendance at 350 children. We fed about 850 children in the 2017 Big Meal events in Kenya and Tanzania. Glory to God. We also had a Thanksgiving celebration in Narok on 16th December.

We thank you very much for preaching to us and for treating us. One Nassau woman whom you treated at the conference venue in Narok gave a testimony in Church one week after you left saying that she has suffered for a long time with womb complications but when you prayed with her and gave her drugs she used them and got healed. That was amazing. Many testimonies have been said by many who were healed and transformed by your teaching and treatment. They are asking when you and Dr. Abraham are coming back. They cannot wait to welcome you back. Your love for the people in Kenya was life-changing. Please tell your husband that we appreciate him for allowing you to come to Kenya. We are sorry for the cooking time he had to spend in the kitchen while you were away. But let him know that it was worth doing that. Lives were changed for the glory of God.

We trust God to prepare you for the India mission in 2018. We also trust God to bring you and your children to Kenya for a powerful mission for a longer time. Your time in Kenya was well spent with us. Please greet your children for us. Please give special greetings to your husband. Send our greetings to your grandchildren. Send our greetings to friends who knew that you were coming to Kenya.

My wife, my children, Joyce and all your friends send greetings.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND PROSPEROUS 2018.

PASTOR TOM OPIYO

Dear Partners in Christ,

Greetings to you all in the matchless name of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. 

As I wrote in my blog earlier I went on my 4th medical mission and evangelistic ministry trip to India on Oct 25th and returned on Dec 22 after 10 wks of very fruitfull, amazing ministry in southern India. 

God gave me great opportunity to go to some of the worst slums in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and examine and give free medications to close to one thousand patients who are living below poverty line. I was able to visit a couple of orphanages and examine some precious children and give free medications besides meeting financially some of their immediate needs like repairing leaking roof of their dorms and give the kids Christmas gifts. God also enabled me to bless some widows financially to take care of their personal needs. God gave me amazing privileges to share the Gospel to many women by way of holding ladies seminars in several churches, could bless more than 300 women with one time lunch after the seminars and had many speaking engagements in several church congregations. Overall it was a blessed ministry. People were touched by our acts of compassion and many non believers came to attend the Gospel meetings after the medical camps because we could demonstrate the love of Christ through our acts of compassion.

The whole mission trip this time was very challenging but I could sense the hand of God upon me and my team all along the way. Though the places where I went had many infectious and mosquito transmitted diseases like Dengue fever, Chikengunya and Malaria God warded me off from all those dangerous infections. In fact while I was there some of the people who hosted me in their houses were down with dengue fever after I left but it did not touch me. I know the presence of God surely went before me. Otherwise there was no way I could have avoided those infections as mosquitos were rampant wherever I went. It was very hard to avoid those infected mosquitos. Many mosquitos bit me all along my way but God made sure that no infected mosquito bit me!  I literally experienced God's care every moment of my stay in India and I am so grateful to God for His protection and His timely provision.

I will be posting some pictures and videos of my mission trip for you to understand better all about my mission and vision. 

It goes without saying that without your intercessary prayers and financial support I could not have done what  God enabled me and my team to do in this mission trip. Thank you, thank you for your love and partnership for missions and love for the less privileged !! 

May God bless each one of you who supported me with your words of encouragement, hosted me in your houses( friends in India) with so much of love and affection, for your intercessary prayers, and for your financial support. Without your involvement and participation I would not have been able to go to these places with the Love of Christ and the good news.

God Bless you for your partnership in this out reach ministry of compassion.

In Him,

Rachel Varghese

Dear Partners in Christ,

Greetings to each one of you in the matchless name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

By His Grace and all your prayers I am back from my mission trip to India. I had an amazing ministry both evangelistic and medical for 3 wks in different parts of India. Along with my local partner, Dr. Christopher I could conduct medical camps in six villages and towns in Chennai, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. We examined a total of thousand patients and gave them free medication. We performed few major and minor surgical procedures as per the need. God enabled us to conduct evangelical meetings, Ladies seminars, and revival meetings in every place we had medical camp. God gave me opportunity to preach the Gospel in five churches in three different states of India. Many came forward to accept the Lord as their personal Savior, many recommitted their lives to become His disciples, many were motivated to evangelise, and many got healed both from physical, emotional, and spiritual bondages.

 Though the whole trip was challenging in terms of very exhaustive hot weather, unsafe road ordeals, and absolutely unhygienic conditions we could clearly witness the Lord going before us wherever we went to make the way clear and safe for us. He made us realize at every step all through the trip that whatever we have accomplished in this trip was only through His strength and His Grace.

 I want to take this opportunity to thank first all my partners from the bottom of my heart for your ardent prayer support. For sure I know that only because of your prayer support our mission trip was successful hundred percent. I also want to thank all those who have gone an extra mile to support financially the medical mission. In this trip other than giving free medication to more than 1000 people we could also give financial support to many deserving widows, evangelists, children's orphanages, and free lunch to more than 200 ladies who attended the Ladies seminar.

 I have invitations to go to all the places I have gone the last two years and also to many other states in the Northern parts of India next year where there is more persecution of Christians. It will be another kind of challenge but God always prepares His servants before He sends. I am extremely excited and look forward to make the trip in 2016. I have already started praying asking him to use me with the double portion of His anointing and add more team members both from here and from abroad who have the same vision to physically travel with me and witness the great things God is doing through our obedience and submission to His call and be encouraged to take the step of faith to serve Him in future as the Lord leads them.

 All through the journey God kept me and our team safe and in good health. He also kept my family safe while I was away. Thanks once again for your precious prayers and financial support.

God Bless,

Your sister in Christ,

Rachel Varghese