May 1, 2002
Dear
Friends of Christ:
It is with much joy that I write to you.The
Lord is good.I want to share some of the
recent photos that I just received from our missionaries Athem
and
Indu Khyiang in East Sikkim, India.I
first met Athem at the Calcutta Bible College in 1999.I
was introduced to him by Mohan & Leina Zagirdar who are missionaries with
ABWE on their way to England to work with the Bengali people living in England.The
above picture is our first Vision2020Asia students.We
will be having our first graduation for these students in June.I
will be in India from June 2 - 21st.I
have changed my plans about going to Khazakstan.The
photo to the right is our newly organized and growing First Baptist Church of
Ranka.Pastor Athem is the 2nd
from the left in the front row.His wife,
Indu, is standing third from the right.
Indu’s
mother is seen standing second from the left.She
is an early riser and spends many hours daily in prayer for our ministries.Baby
Grace is being held on someone’s knee.The photo below is of the students and staff at our Vision2020Asia center of
evangelism.We are very excited about the
potential of these young people.There
are thousands of people in the Himalayan region who have NEVER one time heard
the true Gospel message of Jesus Christ.
These
young people have ALL surrendered their lives to reaching these vast tribes of
people.We need sponsors who will commit
only $35.00 per month for a single person. Married couples need $70.00 per
month.This would enable them to focus
full time on their ministry.Two of the
young people pictured have come from the neighboring countries of Nepal and
Bhutan.Very few people are willing to
trek these mountains.It is our vision
and utmost desire to reach this vast region with the true Gospel.Will
you help us by sponsoring one or more of these young people?We
also need sponsors for the teachers.If
you would like more information about how you can have your own personal
representative in this region write or call us today.My
cell number is 864-303-8029.
We
will provide you with a complete file of information on the missionary of your
choosing.The file will contain their
name, their testimony of salvation and calling to full time service, doctrinal
beliefs, their DOB, and much more pertinent information.Each
file contains a personal photograph of your missionary /evangelist for you to
keep in a visible place to remember to pray for them daily.The
photo to the left was taken last year just after Leon and I had the joy of
leading Ashok to Christ.He was formerly
a Buddhist.On June 23rd, 2001
Ashok was baptized and he is now assisting Athem with many of the duties of
running the Grace Academy.In the photo
below on the right, Ashok had just been baptized.Two other young converts seen here were also baptized.These
were the first members of the First Baptist Church of Ranka.Pastor
Joseph is seen on the right of the picture.He
is the Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Gangtok, the capitol of Sikkim.The
picture on the left is Athem and Indu with baby Grace.This
photo was taken last year at the helipad at Gangtok.Please pray for Indu.She has been very
sickly and the doctors do not know what is wrong.
It could be very serious so please uphold her daily before God’s throne.This
last photo is a picture of four children that Athem and Indu have taken into
their family in order to provide a Christian environment and training for them.It
would be a great help should God so lead you to sponsor one or more of these
children.In closing, I would like to
thank you for your interest in our ministry.All gifts are fully tax deductible and should be made payable to Open Door
Baptist Missions for Vision2020Asia, 1115 Pelham Road, Greenville, SC29615.Please indicate your desire on your
check.
Yours For Souls,
Brother Jim Starr, Psalm 2:8
Ministries of First Baptist Church of Ranka, E. Sikkim, India
First Baptist Church of Ranka
First Vision2020Asia Graduates
Above Photo is the Grace
Present Facilities for all Ministries