Welcome to the latest newsletter from the Mission for the Rural People India - October 2008!
The last few months have seen momentous change here at the Mission. We have welcomed the largest team of volunteers that have ever come to Vellatur and they have allowed us to expand our work like never before. Chris Evan’s “Global Green Trotters” completed their first mission to help the orphanage and they also brought with them Richard Beatty who has been a major force in our work of late. Chris and his team allowed the Mission to provide two new bore wells for the tribal villages. They also paid for two medical camps and helped us with the distribution of educational supplies and 500 blankets to Tsunami survivors in the local area. The team stayed for three weeks and helped at the orphanage with a range of classes including English, maths and dance. These guys really performed a miracle here and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts. While the team was here the orphanage was visited by our local M.P, Sri Devineni Mallikarjuna Rao who helped us with the distribution of blankets and spoke to 1500 people who attended our campus.
One member of the team, Richard Beatty was able to bring along four laptops that will help us teach the children about computing and give them a head start at school and in the job market. These were given to Richard by Steak Media and Mike Penny in London whom we thank. Richard has also stayed behind and is funding the construction a new dormitory for the girls of the orphanage. This means that our girls will have the space to sleep on beds and off the floor for the first time in the orphanage’s 8 year history. Richard has also kindly agreed to pay for the construction of a care home for the elderly of the district. “Richard’s Home for the Elderly” will be inaugurated on the 7th October 2008 and we will accept our first residents a few days from this. This is truly the answer to our prayers and will help enormously in our work to bring relief to the destitute elderly people of Vellatur. To cap it all Richard’s financial contribution has meant the drilling of a deep bore well that has provided clean drinking water on the campus for the first time. Richard also launched a head louse eradication programme and one of his official titles is “International Co-ordinator for Nit Control”. We have used gallons of conditioner and broken dozens of nit combs but all our kids are now certifiably nit free so no more sleepless nights from itchy heads!
The Good Samaritan Orphanage now houses over 60 children many of whom have been abandoned or have lost their parent to the AIDS virus. We still seek sponsors for many these children to assist us in their care and education. If any of our supporters wish to sponsor a child or who have a friend or family member who want to do so then please contact Pastor Ratnam at missionfaithbank@yahoo.com. This sponsorship programme is critical to our existence and without your help these children would be forced on the streets to beg for their very survival. Richard’s Care Home for the Elderly will house 20 destitute and homeless elderly people. It is still under construction but if you’d like to see the progress of our new building then please check out www.missionfortheruralpeople.org//ex2.html
We still have not been able to find a source of income to support our new residents and we are aware that our medical bills alone will be significant compared to those for the children. We have an urgent need to resolve this problem and we hope that our supporters will help us bridge the financial gap that we are facing. We desperately need 20 beds and 20 mattresses, blankets, toilets and any medical equipment suitable for the elderly especially machines to test blood pressure and blood sugar, sets of scales, hot-water bottles and anything else that will assist us in providing a comfortable environment for our new residents. If you would like to sponsor one of our elderly residents, make a one-off donation or can provide any of the above items then please contact Pastor Ratnam at missionfaithbank@yahoo.com. We welcome volunteers from any part of the world to come to our Mission. We require teachers of all subjects but especially English, doctors, nurses, dentists, I.T professional, electricians, professionals with knowledge in agriculture, veterinaries (especially bovine specialists). Even if you are gifted with a special skill or talent like singing, dancing, playing an instrument, painting, etc., we warmly welcome your presence among us. If you would like to volunteer with us, please send us an email to: missionfaithbank@yahoo.com, telling us about your skills or profession and which dates you are available to come.
Our sincere best wishes to all supporters and friends of the Mission for the Rural People – India who continue to provide the financial support, friendship, prayers and love that allows us to carry on our work in reaching the unreached.
Pastor P. Ratnam
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