Ballu Ram and his wife watched as their 3 children rummaged through the bags of food laughing and squealing with delight as they pulled each item out. Rice, dhal, bread and vegetables came tumbling out of the bags.

“Who are you? Why have you come? No one comes here.  No one has cared about us.” They stood in shock and disbelief.  “How can this be possible?” “We come in the name of Jesus Christ,” answered Daniel.  We come because we want to give you food and tell you about the God who loves you.”

This family is one of many very poor day laborers. They are not beggars.  They ask for nothing, but because of the shutdown there has been no work and there has been no food.  Each day they work collecting garbage and plastic bottles to sell for recycling.  They make $2-$3 per day.  They live in the slums of Solan in a hut made of sticks and plastic tarps.  They dug a hole into the dirt floor for a place to cook their meager food.

Most days they have found enough rice for one meal.  Other days they have no meals at all.  Daniel and his team told them about Jesus and prayed with them.  They not only were given physical bread but also the Bread of Life.

This story is being multiplied in five different regions of India as we are able to send money to our partners who are distributing food.  The poor are being fed.  The gospel is being shared.

Sometimes I weep over these stories.  Sometimes I weep that I can’t physically be there myself ministering during this time of suffering.  But through people like you who pray and give, our ministry partners are reaching those that have never heard.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!  THANK YOU FOR GIVING. Together we are changing lives for the Kingdom.  As you partner with us, our partners in India are able to become the living Jesus that the people can see and experience. You have no idea whose life is being changed because you chose to say yes. We pray that God will bless you, comfort you and provide for each of you above all you can ask or imagine.

If you are able, and would like to give toward this project, please designate “Food for India” when you give. We thank you in advance for partnering with us, and we thank all of you who have so generously responded to this need.

YES, I want to help

A Simple “Yes” by Shema Kallimel

Their eyes widened as the man asked the 2 sisters if they could cook a simple meal for him and the 2 others with him. The men had been out all day long distributing groceries to far flung villages, and as the thunder rumbled overhead so did their stomachs. The girls haltingly explained that their mother who was the sole bread earner of the home had been ill for a few months, and because she had not been able to get to her daily-wage job due to the national lockdown, there was no money or food. Their supplies had run so low that they would forego 2 meals and eat just once a day….

Remind you of something? Someone, rather. That odd prophet in the Old Testament who went to a widow during a national famine and demanded some bread. What a rude thing to do. Especially after she embarrassingly explained that she and her son were going to eat their last meal with that fistful of flour. And yet, despite what she may have thought, the widow baked some bread and fed Elijah – not just for that day but for as long as that famine lasted. Somehow it didn’t remain just a fistful of flour. Somehow, it was always enough to feed her and her son and the prophet of God.

The 2 girls and their mom up in the hills around Shimla were given a month’s worth of supplies. Their eyes filled up as they picked up the bags from our friend’s hands. They could scarcely believe what was happening to them. Ashish was able to spend a little more than an hour with them, sharing a meal and telling them about a God who loved them and would go to great lengths to save them.

Another person who they were able to help was a man who was stranded in the woods for over a month. He was almost paralyzed in both legs and had lost his job about 3 months ago. When he decided to go back to his hometown which was over 150 miles away, suddenly the government imposed a nation-wide lockdown. Having nowhere to go, and no way to get there, he decided to live in the woods, in a temporary shelter where they used to keep dogs. The place was filthy beyond measure. He had a little food that would last him a few days. He had put together a makeshift stove with some sticks and bark and had a small bowl with some lentils that he kept boiling over and over. Ashish was able to provide him with groceries and when asked if he had any other basic need, the man asked for a small oil stove to cook food. (At present, it is cold and rainy in Shimla and it gets hard to light a fire with damp twigs.) This man has a wife and 3 daughters waiting for him back home, but because his existence had become so miserable that he was sleeping on an empty stomach several nights in a row, he had begun contemplating death. What rocked Ashish was that if they had not reached him in time, that man probably would’ve died right there in the woods. Ashish told him about the love of Jesus and the man wept as shared his brokenness with him.

For people like Ashish, as it was for Elijah, they are not concerned with who gets the credit. Numbers don’t matter to them – is it for the one, is it for the nation? And after all, isn’t the nation held within the one? And so, they appear on the horizon of the famine with no prior announcement or warning. They just land up with Heaven’s assignment in tow. And because the ink flows with ease from the pen offering no resistance to the Master’s authoring hand, they are used with a flourish. And to be used by God in times of great need, is probably one of life’s greatest rewards. All it takes, is a simple ‘yes’.

If you are able, and would like to give toward this project, please designate “Food for India” when you give. We thank you in advance for partnering with us, and we thank all of you who have so generously responded to this need.

YES, I want to help

Thank you for praying and giving towards this ongoing need in north India. This video gives you a “boots on the ground” perspective, bringing their world into ours for just a few minutes.

We have three different contacts that are distributing food now, able to reach 600 families this week.  Lives are being touched in the deepest way possible. The gospel is being preached and the love of God is being manifested in very tangible ways. You and I may not know each individual but God knows…and loves. I am so thankful that you and I get to be a part of that manifestation of His love…THANK YOU!!!

If you are able, and would like to give toward this project, please designate “Food for India” when you give. We thank you in advance for partnering with us.

Donate Now.

“You are god! You are god!” the Hindu woman said with tears streaming down her face and clutching the large bag of rice to her chest.  Because of the lockdown her family had run out of food and had not eaten in several days.  All of a sudden out of nowhere a young man arrives bringing them food. “No, no!!” the young man said. “I am not a god but I can tell you about the God who loves you and brought me to you”. The young man sat on the dirt floor and began to tell about Jesus, the Son of God..

India has been on total lockdown since March 24.  Many people have suffered bitterly not being able to get enough food to survive.  This is especially true amongst the poor who work as day laborers and get paid daily for their work.  Now there is no work, no money and no food.

My friend Ashish knew of a family in his church that was suffering very badly but he had no way to get to them because of the lockdown.  If you go out without permission the police can beat you with sticks or even arrest you.  But Ashish felt that God was telling him to go.  So with a little fear in his heart he gathered some groceries from his own house and set out.

Sure enough, he was stopped by the police who began to speak very harshly to him but with great humility he was able to calm them down and one even went with to deliver the groceries.

Once the policeman saw the condition of the family and what Ashish did to help them God touched his heart. He took Ashish to his superiors who asked him, “Can you help more families like this? Do you have money to help them?”  “Yes,” said Ashish, “I can help many families.” (Actually, he had nothing and was speaking by faith but he knew he had a rich Father and this was His will.)

Now in the middle of this lockdown, this young man with no position, no title, no sphere of influence has obtained permission to travel freely all over the district delivering food to people who had been starving. Because he was obedient to reach out to one family he now has access to thousands.

Ashish has gained a great favor and influence amongst the government leaders and the people of Himachal Pradesh.  He has even been interviewed on national television giving glory to God. With every delivery Ashish takes time to pray and tell them of the love of God through His Son, Jesus.

God is not locked down!  The Gospel is being preached and the poor are being fed. We now have more access to people and villages in North India than at any time of our ministry.  What an amazing God we serve!

Each day, Ashish goes to the government warehouse and purchases food in bulk then takes it home and divides it into smaller bags for delivery.

Would you consider helping us take advantage of this great opportunity to reach families with food and the love of God?

$15.00 feeds a family for one month.

$100.00 feeds 7 families for a month

$500.00 feeds 35 families for a month.

5 Rivers has committed to sending $500.00 a week until the lockdown is lifted but we would like to do so much more.  The need is great and immediate. Our goal is to reach at least 1000 families with food and the good news of Jesus during this time.

If you are able, and would like to give toward this project, please designate “Food for India” when you give. Donate Now or let us know you’ll be sending a check and see address on our website. We thank you in advance for partnering with us.

Almost daily Ashish is in contact with me sharing miracle stories. In the days to come we will share these stories with you so you can rejoice with us over what God is doing.

We understand that many people are suffering all over the world at this time, and this is just one small effort to bring relief – but it’s the door God has opened for us, allowing us to touch hearts and lives with His love. If you also are hurting right now during this season, we pray He provides for every need in your life, and blesses you in a beautiful way. You are so very loved!

Dan will return to North India for a four week journey leaving March 8.  He will be going on a 10 day prayer journey with dear ministry partners into two states that he has never been to before.  One of these states is listed as having the highest amount of persecution against Christians in the nation.

He then will be visiting mountain villages in two more states helping to establish more training points for the International School of Ministry (ISOM) and helping pastors plant house churches.  Please pray for God to protect, lead and use Dan to advance His Kingdom in North India.

Pray for these devoted brothers and sisters who are pouring out their lives as a drink offering in some very difficult places.  They risk so much to faithfully continue to share the Gospel knowing they could pay a very high price for it.  Pray that they will remain faithful, will never deny Jesus and bear much fruit.

by Jenni Taylor

The rice fields lining the roads of Cambodia are a constant miracle. No matter how many hours I stare at these fields, I am always surprised by them. See? Suddenly the floods have come and the water is sparkling in the sunlight, white birds diving for fish. Now they are dry, the same yellows and browns as Van Gogh’s sunflowers. I look again and like a magic trick, every field is a shade of green stolen straight from The Wizard of Oz’s Emerald City. 

The farmers understand the transformation much better than I do. To me, it seems like an instantaneous miracle. Water, water, water, dry. Brown, brown, brown, green. It seems to pop up, overnight, and the world rolls on as if a miracle hasn’t just taken place over every blade of grass across the land. 

Five Rivers sent a powerhouse team to Cambodia one year ago, with one goal – to bring transformation. I’ve been lucky enough to be the “farmer” in this situation, an inside witness to the miracles taking place on a daily basis since their visit. I’ve seen the land go from brown to green, from dead to fertile. I’ve seen the power of prayer and resurrection breathe new life into people, places and systems ever since the team came to pray. 

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