GOD IS NOT LOCKED DOWN

“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!

Another Journey Begins

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.

Transformation

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. 

Continue Reading…

The God Who Breaks Through

It always amazes me that God equips us with exactly what we need to fulfill His assignments, and for us that is the spirit of breakthrough.  As we go to the nations to make Jesus known to those who have never heard, we feel we are on the forefront of the Kingdom of God being advanced.  To accomplish this, God has given us authority to bring change, to shift the atmosphere, to open up the heavens creating portals of His Presence.

We have heard story after story that after we came and prayed the impossible became possible. “When you came to Thailand with the prayer team everything has changed.  Churches are growing, souls are being saved, there is more unity and faith.  We are experiencing breakthrough in many areas for the first time.”

“When you came to Cambodia, even before you left, everything changed.  The roadblock to ministry that we thought was impossible to move was removed. Now there is freedom, joy and much fruit.”

“You came and prayed for a woman who was the only Christian in her village.  She had a tumor on her neck.  She was healed and now there are 20 believers in that village.  Everything has changed.”

Continue Reading…        

Speaking of Breakthrough…

God just did an amazing thing for us on our last trip. On August 5th the Indian army seized Kashmir arresting all of the government and business leaders. Nearly 1,000,000 soldiers flooded the area.  The entire state was on lockdown with no press, phones or internet (and is still very much affected).  We were very concerned as we have done much prayer there and have some dear friends that were caught in the middle of this military takeover. 

I kept asking the Lord to open Kashmir to me before I left India so I could go  there and pray.  And the God of breakthrough answered!  A week before I was to leave India, Kashmir opened and we quickly bought tickets, jumped on a plane and landed in Kashmir.  For three days we were able to stay with our Muslim friends who took us all over the city to pray. Literally, there was a soldier dressed in riot gear with a machine gun every 50 feet. Obviously, God wanted us to go there and pray at this crucial and strategic time.

Please continue to pray for safety for all our friends in this region. Please pray for the people to turn to Jesus in the middle of all their pain and fear and that there will be a great harvest of souls in Kashmir.

Training and Equipping Leaders

Recently we were able to establish our first ISOM (International School of Ministry) training with 10 pastors. There are 160 classes on video with some of the best teaching available anywhere in the world.  If you have a computer you can have a Bible college.  There has been a move of God in this region and there are many pastors in leadership that have no solid training.  Through ISOM we will be able to train and equip hundreds of pastors to become strong in the Word. Please pray with us that many more training sites will be quickly established and that many pastors and leaders will enroll this coming year. Pray for these leaders to grow in knowledge, wisdom and faith and have fruitful ministries that will multiply!