Ten years ago, a missionary from India, Pastor Samuelkutty, spoke one Sunday morning at the church  I attended. I shook his hand and briefly spoke to him following the service. After that I had no contact with him for the next 4 years. During that time, the Lord put it on my heart to pray for him and his ministry on a regular basis. Through a series of events that could only have been orchestrated by God, I came in contact with him again and was able to meet with him during his next visit to the United States. During this visit, he also met with the outreach ministries that belong to here in Dallas - The Bread of Life Ministry of Garland. During this meeting, we learned more about the great work that Indian Christian Mission is doing in India and we decided to support his ministry financially.

 I developed a close relationship with both Pastor Samuelkutty and ICM over the next few years and the Lord drew me more and more into their ministry. He finally opened the door for me to visit India and work in the ministry there in October 2003 and again in March of 2004. During these trips, I was able to experience the work that ICM does first hand. ICM is active in Delhi - where its base of operation is - and in the states of Kerala and Bihar. I was able to visit all three of these states on my trips. As I visited these areas, I witnessed ICM providing for the poor, educating the underprivileged, and bringing the gospel of Christ to India. In the city of Delhi, ICM is actively spreading the gospel and planting churches. In the state of Kerala, ICM operates a tailoring vocational school for young under-privileged women. Those that attend the school learn a valuable trade making it possible for them to make a living. While attending, they are also exposed to the Gospel of Christ and the love of Jesus. In Kerala, ICM is also very actively training up Pastors, spreading the Gospel, and planting churches. At the present time they operate 8 churches and have hundreds of members.

I had the privilege of visiting many of the churches there and have witnessed their total devotion to Jesus and their commitment to spreading the gospel. In Bihar, ICM is very active in spread-ing the Gospel through village-to-village evangelism. They do this through much hardship and adversity. They also operate three schools for underprivileged children in Bihar and are looking to open more. I was able to visit these schools during my last trip. They are in the remote rural areas of Bihar and they provide education, food, and the Gospel of Christ to the very poor. Because of these schools, many children and their families are coming to Christ. ICM has planted 14churches in the state of Bihar and on my last trip; I had the privilege of attending the dedication ceremony of one of them. This church was located in a very remote and rural area. Over seven hundred people attended this service from the surrounding villages and over 200 of them came to Christ. Through my years of association with ICM and Pastor Samuelkutty, I have found that they are totally committed to spreading the Gospel of Christ in India no mat-ter what the cost. They do this through much personal sacrifice and by showing the love of Jesus to all they come in contact with. I believe that God will use ICM in a great way in the future to grow His kingdom in India and I am honored and blessed to be associated with their ministry.

Jay Newsom
Dallas, Texas

Hindu priest converted to Christianity

My name is Gariba Das. I was born in a traditional Hindu family in Bihar. Being raised in an extremely religious background, I went on to take up the mantle of serving people through Hindu religion and I became the head priest of 360 villages in Bihar. On March 15, 2000, Pastor M.Samuelkutty inaugurated Indian Christian Mission School, the first school in our village.

I was a shade over 80 years old and I had always desired to have a school in our neighborhood but this was the first time in the history of our village, that a school was established anywhere in its vicinity. Owing to this extremely altruistic gesture, I decided to meet Pastor Samuelkutty during the inaugural ceremony of the school. In spite of the differences in our religious convictions, I found something special in this man and my meeting with him. This prompted me to meet him again.

During October 7-10, 2002, ICM held its general convention in Kochas which I at-tended. I met Pastor again. Life would never be the same anymore. I was touched by the hand of the living God. I decided to give my life for Jesus Christ, left behind a lifetime of darkness and the bondage of evil, accepted Jesus as my personal savior and got baptized byPastor Samuelkutty on October 10th, 2002 along with 27 others. Since then, I have been proclaiming the gospel in the very villages that I was the head priest of. My desire is to see millions of people experiencing the living God as I did, in my state (Bihar) and to see India being washed by the blood of Jesus.