We begin and end each day with Daily Devotions and Prayer. We invite you to join us as we ask the Father to bring salvation and glory to our friends in India. Thank you!
TIME ZONES NOTE –This prayer guide is developed to reflect the day’s activities as we will experience them in India. Because Pune India is 10.5 hours ahead of Kansas City, it may be that some of the activities listed will have already occurred when you are having your early morning prayer time. Two options for you to consider – pray a day ahead of the listed date beginning on May 26th (when we arrive in India) and/or trust that our God is a God outside of time and He will hear and know the prayers before you’ve ever voiced them out loud (Psalm 139:4).
May 24, 2023 Wednesday
Twelve of us leave for India. Please pray for smooth flights and transitions. Please pray for Madeleine McCully as she travels by herself all the way from Tulsa to Mumbai. Start praying for the people we will encounter in India that God would soften hearts to hear about Jesus. Pray that God would use this trip to grow and change Zach and Samantha Wiggins and that they would be bold in sharing the Gospel.
May 25, 2023 Thursday
We continue to fly. Pray for smooth flight and transitions again. Pray that God would protect us throughout this trip. Pray for Beth and Vance Hampleman as well as Becky and Nellie Graham as they leave for India today, that their travel would be safe. Pray that God would use this trip to grow and change Beth and Vance Hampleman and that they would be bold in sharing the Gospel.
May 26, 2023 Friday
We will arrive in Mumbai just after midnight and then will take vans for a 4 hour drive to Pune. Please pray that our vans show up at the airport and for driving safety. We will be tired and will sleep a few hours before we start our work. Please pray that God would give us deep and restful sleep so we can awaken refreshed and ready to work. Pray that God would use this trip to grow and change Chuck and Ann Delair and that they would be bold in sharing the Gospel.
May 27, 2023 Saturday
The Grahams and Hamplemans arrive in Mumbai just after midnight and take the 4 hour drive to Pune. Today several of our women will be going into the Ramtekdi slum at 9am. to do a Women’s Health seminar focusing on menstruation and pregnancy. This is our 2nd year of doing this ministry. We are super grateful to the Women on Mission who provided over 120 drawstring bags with underwear and 10 reusable pads for each young lady attending. Please pray for Stacey as she speaks to the women through an interpreter. Please pray that they are able to encourage the hearts of these young women that they are special and that what is happening in their bodies is a gift from the Father who loves them deeply.
We will also be discussing the possibility of starting a cottage industry for women in the slum to make reusable pads. We will also be purchasing Bibles in the Marathi language today for our discipleship class. These are purchased through the generosity of the BigKids Bubble gum machine!!!
Pray that God would use this trip to grow and change Becky and Nellie Graham and that they would be bold in sharing the Gospel.
May 28, 2023 Sunday
We will be attending an English/Marathi speaking church service with our brothers and sisters at the YMCA church in Pune. We will possibly spend time with Pastor Timothy, Joyce, and the Happy Home orphans and prostitutes’ children today. We will also be prepping for our first day of VBS. Please pray that all of our supplies arrive safely, make it through customs, and that preparations would go smoothly. Pray that God would use this trip to grow and change Liz Nichols and Donna Powers and that they would be bold in sharing the Gospel.
May 29, 2023 Monday
Today is our first day of Vacation Bible School for approximately 400 children of the Ramtekdi slum. Today’s theme is God/Jesus is Creator. Please pray that we would show each child gentle and loving care and that they would feel the love of Jesus through us. Pray that God would break through the language barrier so that each child and adult would hear the message each day. Pray that we have enough supplies for the children to all receive. Pray for our Day One leaders (Stacey, Donna, Ann, & Rob) to be clear in sharing the stories. Today, in the afternoon, we will continue another ministry - discipleship of the teenagers/ young adults who are considering following Jesus. We will do this the next 4 afternoons. Today’s sessions are on Who is God? Pray for Ann and Zach as they disciple these young people. We will be ending the day prepping for day 2 of VBS.
Pray that God would use this trip to grow and change Scott Ferguson and Madeleine McCully and that they would be bold in sharing the Gospel.
May 30, 2023 Tuesday
Today’s VBS theme is God/Jesus is Provider. Pray for today’s leaders (Becky, Stacey, Zach, & Samantha) to be able to clearly deliver the message of God’s love and provision to His people. The afternoon Discipleship class will focus on Who is God? and Who is Man/Woman? Pray for Beth and Scott as they lead these sessions. This evening we will join our friends in Ramtekdi for church service. Pray for Chuck as he will be delivering the message. Pray that God would use this trip to grow and change Greg Martin and Henry Bradford and that they would be bold in sharing the Gospel.
May 31, 2023 Wednesday
Today’s VBS theme is God/Jesus is Healer and that He Sees and Cares for you. Four hundred children is a lot of children!! Pray that we will have patience, energy, and understanding as we work with them. Pray that they would feel Jesus’ love through us and that we would break past the language barriers to teach them about Him. Pray that we would be a source of encouragement to the people who daily work with these children. Pray for today’s leaders (Samantha, Ann, Beth, & Vance) that they would be able to clearly teach about our Savior. Discipleship sessions will be: We are Made to Glorify God/ What Does That Look Like? and How Do we Glorify God?/ Falling Short. Pray for Donna and Greg as they deliver today’s sessions. This afternoon, we will have the opportunity to visit Old Pune and Red Light District to pray. We will end the day prepping for Thursday VBS.
Pray that God would use this trip to grow and change Rob and Stacey McCully and that they would be bold in sharing the Gospel.
June 1, 2023 Thursday
We are winding down our week and I am sure we are exhausted. Please pray for renewed energy and spirit as we minister to the children on Day 4 of VBS - God/Jesus is Protector. Pray that the children would truly see that Jesus is different and one of love and compassion. Pray for today’s leaders (Donna, Beth, Becky, & Greg) that they would teach with enthusiasm what Jesus did to show He was God’s Son. The last day of Discipleship focuses on God’s Plan - His Son, Our Redeemer for both sessions. Please pray as Vance, Chuck, and Stacey clearly give the Gospel message of the One True God and that hearts would be convicted to turn to Him.
We will spend the afternoon in the slum visiting the children’s homes and meeting their families. Please pray that they would feel the love of Jesus through us as we visit and ask to pray for them.
We will end the day by preparing for Friday VBS.
Stacey will celebrate her birthday today in India. Pray she would feel the Father’s love over her. It is also Donna and Brad’s anniversary, so pray for them as they spend it apart that they would both feel the love and closeness of the Father.
June 2, 2023 Friday
Today is our last and most important day of VBS - God/ Jesus is Savior! We will be sharing Jesus’ Death and Resurrection, and an Invitation. Please pray for our leaders (Stacey, Ann, Rob, & Zach) that God would speak through them to speak directly to the hearts of those hearing today. Pray that many would come to know Him as the ONLY Lord and Savior, the ONLY God of their lives! We will finish the day with a sit down meal for all the children and the workers and spend time saying our goodbyes. It is always a sad day for us.
June 3, 2023 Saturday
Today we will be spending the day at Pastor Timothy’s farm and Happy Home. Pray that we would be a help and a blessing to Timothy, Joyce, the children in their care, and those they employ to help them.
June 4, 2023 Sunday
We will once again attend the English/Marathi Church service with our Indian brothers and sisters at the YMCA church. Oh, what wonderful services they are!!!! We will be able to get up and give testimony of God’s goodness and faithfulness this week and thank them for their love and prayers for us! It is such a blessing to worship in a global church!!
We then have a few hours before we take the vans back to the Mumbai airport. We head for home today and it is a LONG flight. We fly from Mumbai to Paris and then the US. Please pray for safety in travel. Pray for each person by name: Rob, Stacey, Ann, Chuck, Donna, Madeleine, Vance, Beth, Samantha, Zach, Greg, Scott, Becky, Nellie, and Henry, that we would use this time to decompress and to process what God was teaching us through our journey in India.
We also have 2 birthdays today~ Ann and Greg are both celebrating their birthday today! Pray that they would feel the Father’s love over them!
June 5, 2023 Monday
We are due to arrive home at different times late today and tonight, depending on where home is for everyone! Please pray for safety as everyone returns home and also that they find time to spend with Jesus this week, processing what He wants us to take away from our trip. May God be glorified through our testimonies in the weeks and months to come!
Today is Rob and Stacey’s 41st Wedding Anniversary. Please pray that God would continue to grow their marriage into one that glorifies Him.