Update and Up-Coming Ministry-Meetings/Teaching Schedule for April 2018 from the Mondithokas (as on Monday, April 16, 2018)
We trust you are all doing well! How are you doing? We pray for you from time to time although we are not able to keep in touch with you regularly. Santhi was away inGuntakal and then Kurnool (Nandikotkur actually) for women's retreats - had some very powerfully impacting ministry with hundreds in attendance. She spoke the whole day in Guntakal and then did two sessions (in Nandikotkur). Now (April 16, 2018)she is teaching Pastors' Wives in Guntur and will teach in a Bible College also for two days (she will return on Wednesday).
I got back from Singapore on the morning of 3rd April and that whole day I was busy working on an article for the Rakshana TV Magazine (in Telugu on Science and Bible/Christianity) and then got busy with the Auditing of the Accounts of HITHA for 2017-2018. It is all done now and we got the Audit Reports and Audited Financial Statements. We have outstanding loans of Rs. 32, 00, 000/ that we need to pay back (because we purchased the facility for HITHA in March last year, 2017 and since then we could not clear these loans - we are trusting in the Lord and praying and waiting).
Here is the Update that I had sent from Singapore on Monday, the 2nd of April:
Greetings from Singapore. Reached safely on Good Friday and finished one assignment in the afternoon - Good Friday Service and then the 2nd meeting (evangelistic). 20-25 people responded to the gospel and others made a commitment to spread the good news. I will return on the 3rd. Yesterday (31st of March) I recorded 4 videos on some important issues and then spoke to 120 people-around 20 responded to the gospel truth and many were challenged to be bold and faithful disciples. Please pray for today/Easter Sunday - a Q&A session - it went well (it was all video recorded) and then one Easter Service - getting ready now -finished and around 20 responded to the gospel and many more dedicated to the task of being witnesses (this was also video recorded). All praise to the Lord. I am leaving for India tonight (Monday) - in fact, I reached Hyderabad yesterday, Tuesday morning (3rd of April).
Santhi has been teaching (two days in every week - Thursday morning and Friday evening) a New Program - Certificate in Women's Ministry at HITHA and some other faculty are just supporting her (teaching some segments) for the last several weeks. This has been very demanding (3-4 hours of teaching each day). There are over 50 women students in each batchor section(PTL) - this is a great encouragement for us.
Please do pray for the HITHA fund-raising event, which got postponed (we wanted to have it on the 14th) and we will fix the date and let you all know again (for prayer). This is the first of its kind - we never had anything like this before and we are inviting just a select few of our friends who know of us and the work we are doing at HITHA (as it was decided in the board meeting in January). We have to clear an amount of about Rs. 32, 00, 000/ (interest-free loans) - we could not pay back any amount from last March (we got the property registered on the name of HITHA on the 31st of March 2017).
Please do let us know of any prayer concerns that you might have - we would love to pray for you all specifically.
Also, please praise God and pray for the following ministry engagements during April (we need much grace) – this is both an Update and a list of Up-coming Speaking Engagements:
April 4 and 5: Santhi - Women's Retreats in Guntakal and Nandikotkuru (Kurnool District) - Praise the Lord that these meetings went well and many women were greatly blessed and challenged by the teachings from the Word of God. There were several hundreds who were blessed in these retreats. PTL.
6: Santhi - Certificate in Women's Ministry classes at HITHA - whole day (again the students are all excited and learning a great deal and they are already experiencing positive changes in many areas of their lives and ministry).
7: Sudhakar - Starting the New Course on "Major World Religions" at HITHA (class meets only on Saturdays) - it was a good start - I gave the students an overview of the course and did some preliminary teaching on the methods of study of World Religions.
9: Sudhakar - CMAG (Christian Men's Accountability Group) Monthly Get-together - four solid hours of saying verses from memory (this is a regular discipline for us), studying, sharing, and then praying and all this topped off with a fellowship meal - this is a discipleship group and we meet once a week knowing that unless we are ourselves being disciple, we cannot disciple others and we were all greatly blessed and motivated to love the Lord and live for the Lord and His Mission (being disciples and making others His disciples).
10 & 11: Sudhakar - BCM (Bible Centered Ministries) International-India Supervisors' Capacity Building Conference - teaching and equipping in Hyderabad - there were 25 leaders and I did 4 sessions on the 10th and 3 sessions on the 11th on Discipleship, Stewardship, Church Growth, and Sustainability of the Church. The Lord blessed the teaching greatly and people were impacted and they have been giving very encouraging feedback. PTL.
12: Sudhakar - Speaking in a Wedding in Kurnool (cousin's son's wedding) - there were some 25 pastors and leaders on the stage and a couple of thousands who attended the wedding and the Lord empowered me to speak from Genesis 2: 15-25 on the "7 principles from the Maker's (and also User's) Manual for a Happy and Fruitful Marriage" and the Lord touched and blessed the couple and also all those gathered and many met with me and thanked me for the ministry of the word of God. All glory to the Lord.
12 & 13:Santhi - Certificate in Women's Ministry classes at HITHA (Thursday morning 9:30 am to 1:30 pm and Friday evening 5:30 to 9:00 pm) - once again the classes went very well with some group assignments and solid teaching by Santhi (Bible Study Methods) and Sai Krishna Gomatam (Biblical Hebrew) and we had to stop taking more students as we already have some 54 students in each section. Praise the Lord for this amazing response to this program. Please do continue to pray for the students and the faculty (mainly Santhi)
14: Sudhakar - Classes at HITHA (course on Major World Religions - 9:30 am to 1:30 pm - -we had a wonderful time on the 14th with 15 students (registered) including 4 women and they were all charged up and motivated to do this course and study hard knowing that this is going to be of great help in the ministry of evangelism/witness, which is a job that the Lord Jesus entrusted to all His disciples (who are identified as WITNESSES). Life In Christ (LIC) Ministries Evangelistic Camp for Osmania University PG Students & P. Hd., Scholars - two talks/lectures (in the evening - 4:00 to 8:00 pm) in Hyderabad – 1) Can we believe in God in this Age of Science and Technology? And What is God like? And then 2) “Are All Religions Really Teaching Us About the Same God? Is there anything Unique About Christ? After each of these talks we also had some time for Q&A and when I gave an invitation about 25 of them invited Jesus into their lives (and some with tears rolling down their cheeks). PTL. Many met with me and shared about how they were blessed. What was very encouraging for me was that most them were present in a Christmas Meeting in Osmania University in which I spoke in December 2017 and this was a follow-up meeting (with 110 in attendance. I could also go online and answer one question in the Asalaina Prashna Sisalaina Jawaabu Live TV program on Rakshana TV (a Live Q&A session on Christian Response to Persecution/Attacks in Telugu language).
18-21: Sudhakar - New Life Associates' Pastors' Conference (teaching along with Rev. Dr. Joseph Kishore on the subject of the "Holy Spirit") in Hyderabad and classes at HITHA (course on Major World Religions on the 21st from 9:30 to 1:30) – I will be doing sessions on 1) The Fruit of the Holy Spirit, 2) Are the Supernatural Gifts for Today? 3) How and for What End should we Use the God-given Spiritual/Ministry Gifts, and couple of other relevant topics in the Pastors’ Conference.
19 & 20: Santhi - Certificate in Women's Ministry classes at HITHA (Thursday morning 9:30 am to 1:30 pm and Friday evening 5:30 to 9:00 pm)
24: Sudhakar - Speaking in the Memorial Service of the Gera family, in Vijayawada
26 & 27:Santhi - Certificate in Women's Ministry classes at HITHA (Thursday morning 9:30 am to 1:30 pm and Friday evening 5:30 to 9:00 pm)
27: Sudhakar - GTCM (Global Telugu Christian Ministries) Board Meeting in Hyderabad (has been the Secretary and Treasurer of the Board of Trustees)
28: Santhi - Sudha Livingstone Gadde Memorial Charitable Trust Board Meeting in Hyderabad (has been the treasurer of the Trust)
28: Sudhakar - classes at HITHA (course on Major World Religions - 9:30 am to 1:30 pm)
29: Sudhakar – speaking evangelistically in the last day meeting of a three-day evangelistic series of public meetings inKothapeta, Near Ravulapalem (in Government Junior College Grounds).
May 1: Sudhakar –A Christian Conclave on the Mission of God (in Telugu language) – a panel presentation and Q&A – will be LIVE ON Face Book – along with Dr. Sudhir Jangam, Rev. Sai Krishan Gomatam, Bro. Suresh Vanguri and anchored by Pastor Joseph Ravi Kanth and Bro. Daniel Solomon
Please do uphold us in your prayers as we need much grace for this season of some hectic travel and speaking schedules. We trust in the Lord for His enabling grace and empowerment.
Warmly in the Lord and His Mission,
Sudhakar for the Mondithokas and for the Community of God’s People at HITHA
1