| Battle for Christ Please remember to pray for Dr. Jay and the ongoing legal battle he is facing. The opposition has a very weak case but has been successful in dragging the matter out for over a year. Several Hindu political parties are joining forces in the fight against Dr. Jay and two of his faithful staff. Motivated by hatred for Christ and greed, these enemies are seeking to publicly punish Dr. Jay while also extorting money. This is all possible because justice in India is not dependent on truth or facts, but upon who you know, what caste you are from, how much money you have to throw around, and who happens to be in power at the given moment. Yet the outcome of this current battle is sure because the opposition has made it a matter of God’s honor. Miss Christy personally went to meet one of the ringleaders when Dr. Jay was in prison a year ago. He said, “I know your husband is innocent and that he cares for 2,000 orphans. But I don’t care. I don’t worship your god. I want money and your problems won’t go away until I get it. And if you go to the law, I’ll cut your throats.” And he means it. Everyone in the city is afraid of this guy – everyone except Dr. Jay that is. Pray that the Lord will protect Dr. Jay and other two accused men while giving the leadership here wisdom and endurance. Their final court date was recently postponed to April 26th. Pray also for Dr. Jay’s wife Miss Christy and for his children, Neva, Bright, and David (David is studying at Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth) as they bear the burden with him and help take up slack in the ministry.  The young man standing to the left of Dr. Jay came to know the Lord while in prison with Dr. Jay last December.
| | Answered Prayers A few of you got an emergency prayer request for a little girl here who was near the point of death with Typhoid (not everyone got it b/c my email update lists were corrupted and it has taken me time to piece them back together). Elavarasi, whose name means princess, is a tiny 8 year old sweetie with long eyelashes, a quiet spirit, and a cute lisp. It appears the Lord graciously spared this little princess and Elavarasi’s health has improved significantly. After a week in the hospital and another week of recuperation here in town, her energy has returned for the most part and the organs affected by the Typhoid seem to be functioning much better. Right around the time she came down with Typhoid, Elavarasi was separated from her father, who had worked at the Promise Land making brooms for the past six months. He left promising to return in a day or two, but never did. This left Elavarasi heartbroken and much more vulnerable to the Typhoid bacteria. Having been moved to a hostel here in town, Elavarasi is in a new environment and spends a significant part of the day without much to do because she hasn’t started going back to school. Thank you to those who have been praying for Elavarasi. Please pray that as her physical body rejuvenates, her heart would be healed with a supernatural revelation of the Lord’s love for her.  With Elavarasi (Photo by Sarah Zook).
| www.icmcindia.org - NEW Website! Take a look at ICMC's updated website at www.icmcindia.org. A number of the pictures on the site I took with the camera my church provided. Thank you Community Bible Church! You can now sign up to sponsor ICMC children online. Simply click on the Donate Now option on our home page.
| | Thank you all for your love and prayers. | | Back in Salem  Teaching a Bible lesson at a rural village church outside of Salem with a visiting team led by Jeanne Zahn from Spring of Life Church in Phoenix (Photo by Colleen Hosey). Greetings from south India! I am back in Salem, Tamil Nadu and our first month here has been a profitable time of transition. Jetlag was minimal this time, and the sights, sounds and smells seem less foreign. We have been graciously welcomed by Dr. Jay and ICMC as a whole. I have two primary goals for our first three months here that are designed to set the stage for a long-term return this summer. The first goal is to spend extended time with Dr. Jay as he goes about leading the day-to-day operations of the ministry. The opportunity to serve and be mentored underneath his leadership is a priceless gift. As the team here learns from him, we hope that our (our meaning committed ICMC supporters in the US) understanding of the work here will allow us to more strategically partner with ICMC. Another desire of mine is to be a source of fellowship and encouragement to Dr. Jay as he continues to carry a heavy load. Please pray for me that as a younger brother I might be a blessing to this leader.
| Team Intros and Tamil:101  I, Colleen and Sarah on our front porch (Photo by Elongo). On this trip I am joined by Colleen, a teacher and recent college grad from the Phoenix area, and Sarah Zook, also a recent college graduate with experience in both ministry and advertising (Sarah’s home is Plymouth, MN). Colleen is teaching English in ICMC schools and Sarah is working with office here to complete the online database for our sponsorship program. Sarah has also joined me in language study as I start down the road of learning Tamil. Making a serious attempt at beginning to learn Tamil is my second focus for this trip. Learning a language in an unstructured environment is tough, so this is definitely and area where we need prayer. The next week or so will bring a few changes to the team. Colleen will be heading home this week to pursue a teaching career in the US. Lord willing, two translators with join Sarah and I for our work at the Promise Land. Please pray that the Lord will bless Colleen during her transition home and that the new translator(s) will be a tremendous asset to the work here.
| ICMC Contact Info Send support to: ICMC Brendon Hollingsworth PO Box 530758 Henderson, Nevada 89053 To send letters/cards/packages: ICMC Dr. S. Jayaraj Krishnan Brendon Hollingsworth House of Peace Vasanthapuram, Chinna Thirupathy PO Salem - 636 008 Tamil Nadu India A regular envelope cost .80 in stamps. Write "airmail" on the envelope. To call Brendon's cell in India: 011-91-944-264-6221 India is 11:30 hours ahead of US Central Standard Time. | | |
