A Glance Back at 2010 and a Look Ahead at 2011:

It’s a Fresh Move of the Lord!

Dr. Narmrata prepares swine flu vaccine

We began the year with Pastor Tony, George and Christine and the India Medical Mission Team opening the Koinonia Medical Clinic (KMC) with Pastor Joseph and Dr. Namrata. Currently we are seeing an average of 140 to 160 patients a month. The Clinic has been a great platform to reach the very needy of the Chinchwad/Pimpri area of Pune. Please pray as we look forward to 2011 with a team leaving for India on December 31st for 2 weeks. We are in the process of purchasing a portable ECG machine, Pediatric weighing machine, otoscope, and other necessary medical equipment to better serve the many in the area. In 2011 the focus is to continue to build trust, deliver improved care with the addition of new tools, establish community health classes, and seek out a nearby village as a medical extension to deliver preventive care and health reform through education and sharing the love of Jesus Christ.

The Koinonia School of Ministry went through a transition in its faculty. By God’s grace we graduated our fifth class and are looking forward towards our sixth graduating class.

New KSOM students in Hebrew class

We are in the process of becoming Associate Members of Asia Theological Association – an accrediting association of Christian Biblical Colleges, Seminaries and Universities in Asia. This independent Evangelical Association, based in the Philippines, reviews the curriculum, faculty, students, and resources, and once we satisfy their criteria, we will be given full membership and can run our programs with their Accreditation. The new faculty of Professors – Pravin, Mithun, Thangboi, Muang, Sumit, and Dipak, who also serves as the Pastor of Koinonia Fellowship, Pune – have worked very hard this entire year to teach the students and, with the help of Dr. Andrew, have diligently labored to create a curriculum that will help us prepare men and women as national leaders to transform the Church in India.

Church under construction in  Jagdalpur

In our faculty meetings this November, Pastor Ray and I were presented recommendations from the faculty on many aspects of KSOM, including working through the curriculum, the students coming to KSOM, our vision, mission, objectives, preparation, criteria for admission, life at KSOM, expenses, growth and accreditation. We are all working together to develop processes that would help execute these important functions so that we reach the vision God has granted us. Please pray for KSOM as these things are worked through, for visiting teams of Professors and Pastors, for building up of library and resource materials, provisions for the many needs of KSOM, and the steps of faith being considered to build a facility that will house KSOM.

The Koinonia Fellowship of Churches across 13 States of India has seen tremendous growth and continues to grow as the pastors faithfully serve our Lord. We have begun construction of one church in Jagdalpur for Pastor Ayyub’s flock. Please pray for God’s grace and covering as this slum church is built, and many who are currently meeting outside on wet ground will have a place that is dry and covered to worship their Lord and bring many into the Kingdom.

We are also in the process of acquiring land and building a church in Ratnagiri. It has been a battle every step of the way to get and keep things moving. Pastor Arvind has had to face nearly impossible challenges and difficulties, including threats on his life, even notes handed to his wife to leave town, and yet he remains faithful and resolved to serve the Lord in this area. Currently he and his flock of 35 families worship in a room that houses cows, goats and other farm animals during the night. Pastor Arvind goes early on Sunday and cleans the entire room, prays, and God provides the freshener; and the flock assembles and worships their Almighty God in spite of fierce persecution. Pastor Arvind has challenged my faith, and his determination to serve God at all costs is an example to all believers what it means to deny self and pick up the cross. The difficulties seem enormous, but our prayers are that the paper work for the land will be processed by God’s grace, and as soon as we acquire all the legal documents on the land, we will be ready to build a church for the flock there. All these families have come from other religions and stand with Pastor Arvind no matter the cost.

The Churches in Andhra Pradesh with Pastor Krupal continue to see tremendous growth with baptisms and many added to the Kingdom.

Pastor Arvind and his wife with Pastor Ben

Pastor Stevenson and his wife are going to step into full time ministry starting in the Spring. Please pray for this young couple as they are already pastoring two churches, and with him going full time, we expect the Lord to tremendously increase the work, but all the glory belongs to Him!

Pastors in Agra, Delhi, Gujarat, Bihar, Orissa, Maharashtra and Manipur all gave wonderful reports of how the Lord continues to bless their churches, and they request prayer that the Lord will continue to give them strength, courage, boldness, and an undivided heart as they seek those who are lost and deliver the Good News of the Gospel.

Our recent Pastors’ Family Conference (from November 6th through the 10th) was a tremendous blessing to all involved. In 2011 we are again planning a Pastors’ Family Conference the first week of November, and we are praying that we would be able to bring a team of men and women to train and equip pastors and their wives in Children’s, Youth, Women’s and Pastoral Ministries. We plan to also have special times for the pastors wives to get together, pray, minister and fellowship around the Word. It is awesome to see what the Lord has done and how far He has brought this entire ministry! Now He is taking it to a fresh place, rooted, grounded, and built in Him!

And - an Orphanage/Girls Home! Yes! We are praying earnestly. God has birthed a vision for a Home in Pune. This has been our prayer for a long time, but now a launch team is forming and we now know what it would take to see this vision come to fruition. The preparation is now to raise the necessary funds to rent a facility, staff it with caretakers, recruit volunteers from the Pune Church and elsewhere, and set up other logistical infrastructure necessities so that the place is operational to take in at least 20 girls. The future vision, as the Lord tarries and as He guides and provides, is to see this become a Home for many needy Indian orphans and facilitate adoptions, at cost, nationally and internationally, and raise these children to be godly men and women, citizens and leaders in India.

The current orphans in foster care are doing well and have become part of the families they are living with. Only the Lord has graciously allowed this entire transition. We continue to support these families, as they are unable to take care of the expenses, but they have given these children the priceless love of family and Jesus, and they are no longer orphans. By God’s grace they will continue to grow in wisdom and stature and will do mighty works of the Lord when the opportunity is presented to them. I am thankful to all of you who support these orphans, as 40 of them are being cared for throughout India and you make it possible.

Last but not least, we as the Hiwale family are so blessed by all of you friends and family. 2010 began with great expectations and opportunities and with that came enormous challenges. We had always prayed that the Lord would make it very clear when it was time to leave Corporate America and step into full time ministry – even though it seemed that we were already full time. As much as it was our prayer, we did not know that it was going to be 2010. In May it became clear that this was His time, and yet as enormous as this opportunity was, so were the challenges. I heard recently that we ought to pray prayers that are bigger than us, and it was so true in this case. Our prayer was much bigger and it required for us to once again take another step of faith, and the Lord, as always, never disappoints. He was waiting in the wings with His outstretched arms, so here we are full time; doing what He called us to, but it took us 19 plus years of preparation. We covet your prayers; we appreciate your love, and thank you for being there. What a journey it has been, but what a journey yet lies ahead…..!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Pastor Ben