Praise God for His Blessings Even in Difficult Times! Thank you for your Prayers.

FRIENDS OF INDIA REPORT TO SCFWB STATE MEETING- February 2026 "For God so loved the world. He gave His only Son, to die on Calvary's tree, from sin to set me free. Some day He's coming back, what glory that will be. Wonderful, God's love to me! "
Many the world over do not know these truths, but those of us who do know them have a responsibility to share them. We have just passed the three year anniversary of Dad's home going. Many were concerned with what would happen to our work in India and Nepal. The Lord has graciously blessed and you the pastors and churches in South Carolina have faithfully prayed and given, often sacrificially, for our work to continue.
NORTH INDIA After our annual conference in March of 2025 we ordained 25 men to the gospel ministry, bringing the total of our pastors in North India to 50. These men were chosen from among our church planters. We usually average 50-60people monthly who follow the Lord in believer's baptism. We have approximately 300 groups that meet each week to worship in North India. This number varies as 2 or 3 Christ groups will come together to form an organized church. We dedicated a new church building in March and currently 3 churches are under construction, 2 in North India and 1 in Nepal. We hope to dedicate at least two of these in March. When I was a child my Dad walked 7 miles one way, had to cross a river to visit the people in one of these places and n gives me great joy that they will now have a permanent church building. We have many groups that meet, still without any building or structure to meet in. We are seeking to build at least 8 to 10 buildings which are not large buildings but will provide a church building for some of these groups. These buildings can be constructed for $5,000 - $7,000. We have just been given funds to build two of these.
We have 60 boys in the Boy's Hostel. Pray for this ministry as we seek to train and disciple young men, while giving them an educational opportunity. The hostel building and the kitchen for it are in need of repair. We have been given funds for this repair which we are planning to start after the churches which we are building are completed. The Hanna Memorial Mission School has almost 400 students this year. The students are primarily from Hindu and Muslim families and they come to the mission compound daily. This also means interaction with their parents as they bring them to school and the parents attend school programs. This has afforded our Christian people and teachers many witnessing opportunities.
We continue to operate the dairy, the farm and have relief projects going with sewing classes, seeds for farmers, and animal husbandry projects so that we meet the government's requirements to be able to continue our gospel work. Eastern Nepal continues to be vastly unreached with the gospel and we have many opportunities to expand our work here were we to have the funding for this. We have ventured into Bangladesh with 6 Christ groups currently meeting.
SOUTH INDIA We have 17 churches in South India, four of which are new in the last three years. Plans are underway to establish several other new churches. The Volena Wilson Bible Institute was reopened again this year in two different locations, one in the mountains and one on the plains. The students are primarily young people from our own churches. There are 19 students in one location and 14 in the other. Ooty is the district headquarters for the Nilgiri district, the mountain district, and is a resort town. One of the new churches is here and growing well. They have been meeting in a rented room as part of the YMCA, but they have to set up and tear down for each service and have outgrown this space. We have found a property that would work nicely but property is very expensive here. The land and building will cost almost $100,000. They have passed a law in Tamil Nadu that house churches are not allowed to meet but can only meet in registered church buildings.
I went on a survey trip last March to Sri Lanka with Pastor Stanley. About half the nation of Sri Lanka are Tamils, the same as our South Indian people. We met with nine pastors who want to join with us and we hope to help them in their church planting efforts and establish a FWB work here. We are looking to International Missions to help us with funding for teaching of the pastors in Sri Lanka and for funding for projects to help them sustain themselves. Several of them are living in very destitute circumstances.
My wife Milly and I plan to go to India March 7th and we are to return on April 7th. We are to celebrate our 75th annual conference which is dated from when Mom and Dad were appointed as missionaries to India in March of 1951. We plan to visit our work in North India and Nepal and dedicate at least two of the churches under construction. We then plan to visit our South India work. Please pray for safety, good health and open and effectual doors for ministry.
I am overwhelmed with God's faithfulness to us and with your faithfulness as the pastors and churches of South Carolina to stand with us as partners in ministry as we seek to advance God’s kingdom in this very needy part of the world! />