Over 12 million orphans live on the streets of India today - one million will die within a year. Those who survive are sold into prostitution, the slave trade, or are forced to have limbs amputated to make them more effective beggars. ICM's Church Builders India work is providing homes for these children through the Church in India by building orphanages.
August 04th, 2010
Mallela Ramesh lived a bad life in his youth. He never stopped playing cards. He played day and night and made many bad friends. He never had real joy in his life even with all that he thought was fun. On a Christmas day his mom asked him to go to church with her, since it was a festival. All the church gathered and waited for the pastor, who had to come from nearby town, since they did not have a pastor. But no pastor came to their village on that day.
Since Mallela Ramesh went to school and knew how to read, the church people asked him to read the bible. He read the Gospel according to Luke - 2:11- a Savior is born for you today… Those words really touched Ramesh and he realized that the Savior really was born for him to save him from all his sins and bad lifestyle.
That day he prayed and asked God to help him. God healed his sinful life and changed his heart and life. Jesus gave him a new joyful life. Since there was no pastor for his village, Ramesh, who was the only person who could, had to read the Bible on every Sunday. After many weeks like that (reading the Bible to the church) Ramesh wanted to know more about Jesus. He eventually went to Bible training where God taught him many things about the ministry and church planting. Now God is using Pastor Mallela Ramesh in many places to preach and stand for God.
Here are pictures of the church built for this congregation.
