World Missionary Press, Inc.
February 2007 Vision letter

LITTLE CHRISTOPHER was born in the mud, "a bad sign," his people said. Surely no good can come from a boy born in the mud. Among the Banjara people of India (Indian Gypsies), Christopher knew only a harsh life of cruelty and poverty.
 But as he grew up in this most humble setting, a loving God reached down and saved his soul. Christopher's heart then became burdened to reach his people, the Banjara, with the message of love and eternal hope that he had found.
 Over the years God has provided for Christopher and his wife to care for orphans and widows, also training young women as nurses and young men as pastors for the many Banjara people who have come to the Savior. Eighty churches have been started by young men trained through Banjara Tribal Ministries and some 35,000 Banjara believers have been baptized. God had a plan for that small boy born in the mud along a remote Indian stream.
  When Christopher Boda visited World Missionary Press to share his testimony and to ask for assistance in reaching his people with the gospel, he asked for Scripture booklets in Telugu to train more young people for the work of teaching their own people the Word of God. Through India Bible Literature, WMP¹s national coordinator in India, WMP will share in this amazing work of grace to the Banjara people.
"The religion of the Banjaras offers them no certainty of salvation and no strength to break the hold which their fears, superstitions, and vices have on them. It offers them no hope for forgiveness of their sins or an afterlife of peace in heaven. More than 32 million of these tribal people in India desperately need to hear the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. Most of them have never even once heard the name of Jesus," Christopher reported.
  A growing sense of urgency is shared by many Indian believers. Although WMP has provided millions of Scripture booklets for India over the years, the need is still so great and the time so short.
  Jacob Matthew of Gospel for Asia shared his gratitude and burden: "We are grateful to the Lord for His faithfulness in providing the resources for producing millions of Scripture portions all through these years. We have literally printed and distributed millions of [WMP Scripture] booklets in the past years, but thousands of villages in India have yet to hear the gospel.
   "India is the largest country in the world with religious freedom. We do not know how long we will have this freedom as the anti-Christian elements are getting stronger every day. We have to get out maximum numbers of gospel literature before it is too late. The booklets that we are producing are distributed throughout India through our 10,000-plus full-time [native] missionaries on the field. Every day they go out witnessing. Literature is used as one of the tools for sharing the love of God with people."
 As funds are available, WMP provides for the printing of WMP Scripture booklets and Bible studies for use by these devoted national pastors and evangelists. In January GFA planned to produce 500,000 copies each of How to Know God in Hindi and Telugu. In February they planned to print A Bible Study on John in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Oriya, and Nepali (a total of 162,000 copies). These printings will cost $30,900.
Another worker in Andra Pradesh, India, wrote, "Please send Telugu and English booklets to the needy and unreached people groups to read and know the gospel and Jesus Christ. As I visited these places for evangelism and outreach, the people are very encouraged to know the Word of God."
  WMP's national coordinator, Brother Velayutham of India Bible Literature, provided these somber facts regarding the urgency and need in India:

l India's population is 1.2 billion people; within 20 years India will be the world¹s most populous nation.
l India contains the largest block of unreached people in the world; 95% of India needs to be reached.
l Anti-conversion law is in force in four states in India.
l While the Christian Church in India is estimated to be growing by 5,000 people per day, the nation grows by 55,000 people per day.
l In 10 years India will be the top in HIV-AIDS.
l 45% of India's population is under the age of 16 (495 million).

  India Bible Literature shares the WMP booklets they receive with thousands of believers working in rural areas that do not have funds, who live on meager income. Receiving such effective literature for free is a great encouragement and blessing to each one. "These booklets carry the light to the millions living in darkness. Every day hundreds and thousands come to know the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. I cannot tell you the number of letters and phone calls of appreciation and how people are coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ through these booklets."
  To help respond to this great need, WMP produces Scripture booklets in 45 languages for India. Currently, we are producing three 40-ft. containers and one 20-ft. container for India. One of these containers will go into the northern region of Kashmir and Jammu for the work of Santosh Thomas, who spoke eloquently of the need for WMP booklets at the most recent WMP anniversary dinner.
  A 20-ft. container is being prepared at the same time for shipment to Sri Lanka, off the coast of southern India. Political turmoil continues to threaten the people of Sri Lanka, making this another area of great need and urgency.
These five shipments will contain 16,414 boxes of booklets in 30 languages, costing about $236,000 to print. Sending these 8 million booklets by container will save WMP over $136,000 in mailing costs, equal to the cost of producing and mailing another 3.4 million topical Scripture booklets on average. That statistic becomes even more meaningful in the light of Brother Velayutham's recent sobering request:
  "Hundreds of thousands of people have been blessed through these valuable Scriptures over the years, and orders are pouring in daily. We have more than 10,000 partners all over India, and IBL distributes-on an average-50,000 pieces of Scripture per working day. We have been out of stock for over a year now, and our pending orders have crossed 2 million booklets."
  A Christian medical college and hospital in Tamil Nadu, India, uses WMP booklets regularly. "About 4,000 patients visit our hospital each day and about 2,000 inpatients are there. Your literature is very useful, especially The Way to God. We use other literature also, but your literature is unique, well-designed, and attractive; and a periodic supply will be of immense help."
  Your help in responding to these staggering opportunities will make a difference for eternity in the lives of many precious people.

Your friends in Christ,

Jay and Vicky Benson

[A gift of $50 will reach 1,250 people; $200 will touch 5,000 lives. An investment of $1,000 will provide the gospel to 25,000 people for whom Christ died.]

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