About Joel Saripalli, see the June 07 issue of the Examiner. It will tell how we met, and about his ministry.
[He is coming to the US to raise support, April 29, 08. Can you help?]
(I received this e-mail from him just before he returned to India, 6/2/07. Rejoice with us!! I can send you a small CD with a short presentation of his ministry in India. Let me know. There is no charge for CD. You can also contact Bro. Joel by e mail. joelsaripalli@msn.com)
Another piece of information that I wanted to share with you is that which concerns our visa. I had spoken to the Visa Consul yesterday and they had informed me that my family and I can come to the US on a Visitor's Status and then apply for an R-1 Visa while in the US. So, please be informed and also inform Bro. Lloyd Sprinkle that we will keep the petitioning of the R-1 on hold until August. I and my family will, Lord willing, be back by the end of July or early August on a Visitior's Visa and we will need Bro. Lloyd or yourself to apply for the R-1 on our behalf at that time.
I also had the opportunity to speak with our Preachers who are presently taking care of the ministry in India, and they gave a very encouraging report of the progress that they have been making. Apparently, there are another 40 or so people ready to be baptized in the 2 new works that are going on in the mountains. May the Lord be praised.
Do continue to pray regarding my going to India, visiting the mountains, settling things quickly so that we may be able to return and proceed with the other necessary aspects. Our love and regards to all at the church.
Bro. Joel
Dear Bro. Need,
I have some unfortunate news to share with you. I had been away
in and around the villages in Vijayawada this week. Due to the
lack of proper transportation (Four Wheels) I had taken a Motorcycle
and had a very fruitful time in witnessing to people and proclaiming
the Gospel. However, on my way back the handle on my Bike locked
up while I was negotiating a sharp curve and I ran out of pavement
and was thrown off the Bike down a steep hill. Thankfully, the
helmet and the leather jacket that I was wearing had protected
me from sever wounds and fractures, but still, I ended up with
a coller bone fracture. The Doctor has advised me against travelling
for another 2 to 3 weeks. So I am compelled to postpone my engagements
with you folks. I will reschedule my trip for the month of May.
I do apologise for any inconvenience that this might cause. I
will contact the travel agent here and re-book my ticket and I
am hoping to be with you all on the 4th of May, then with Bro.
Waltz and their church in Pa. on the 11th of May and hopefully
with Bro. David's group on the 18th of May. This is only tentative.
I will reconfirm this soon.
Thank you for your prayers. Just moments before the accident I
had dropped off Bro. Boaz, the brother who takes care of the congregation
in Vijayawada. He and I had travelled together and this happened
just after I had dropped him off. I am thankful that no one else
was hurt. God is Good and His Mercy and Faithfulness are Unfailing.
By His Grace Alone,
Bro. Joel
Hello Bro. Need,
The initial x-rays did not reveal most of my internal injuries,
but as the week passed on, I came down with severe pains in my
right rib cage. The Doctor examined me again and found a hair-line
fracture in my ribs. So, I am still in quite a bit of pain, but
am recovering. The bruises and wounds have healed, just waiting
for my bones to come together. As I had mentioned earlier, I do
plan on travelling on the 29th of this month to D.C. and visiting
with you all on the 4th of May. Do continue to pray for a speedy
recovery.
The situation with my Dad has not gotten any better, I'm afraid.
Our steadfastness and productivity in the ministry is only causing
him to envy us more. He has done and is doing all within his power
in order to bring me and our ministry under disrepute. But God
is faithful and is seeing us through many fiery trials.
I thank you for being aware of our situation here and also in
regards to our need of a dependable vehicle. Presently, we have
hit rock bottom as far as our finances are concerned and thus,
we have no money to even think about buying a vehicle. Actually,
I would like to give back the money that my Dad gave toward our
Van and reclaim it from him. But even that would seem as a remote
possiblity.
In all these situations, we are glad and do know whom we have
believed and are persuaded that He is able to keep us by His abundant
grace. We ever thank the Lord for your love, help, support and
concern regarding the souls in India. You are also in our prayers.
By HIS grace alone,
Bro. Joel
Hello Bro. Need,
I will be starting my trip to the U.S. on the 29th of April and
will call you upon arrival. Keep me in your prayers as I travel.
Hope to see you all soon.
By His Divine and Sovereign Grace,
Bro. Joel
Thank you for your prayers, I have reached home safely and we had a wonderful worship service on Sunday. All the folks here were anxious to have me back. I am thankful that the Lord has been good to my family, in providing for them and protecting them during my absence. We serve a Faithful God!
I have several things to take care of during the next two months, so do continue to pray for us that all may go as planned and that God would supply every need. Presently, the biggest need we have is that of transportation. During my absence, my father and his team had used my Van to go somewhere and they met with a major accident in which the Van was totalled. The passengers themselves escaped with little harm, but it devestated the Van. So I am unable to get around anywhere, especially to the mountains which are 700 miles away, due to the lack of my only means of Transport.
The churches and pastors in our ministry here are very encouraged with the report that I had shared with them of how great things the Lord has done for us, by raising up Providence Baptist Chruch. They all wish to convey their greetings to you, your family and church.
I will keep you posted regarding all the developments here, as time permits. You are all in our prayers.
By His Grace alone,
Bro. Joel
We have not as yet received the Examiner, however I was reading it on the web this morning. I am aware that all things will work out in God's time and that He supplies the need as it arises. Indeed He is a prayer answering God.
My father is rather nonchalant about the whole accident. He had the Van put in the shop, knowing that I was coming anyway and that if I needed it, that I would look to it myself. Like President Bush on the Iraq war. Leaving the trouble for someone else to sort out.
They have tried to handicap me in every way, but we are only looking to the Lord to aid us. I had gone by bus to the shop yesterday and had a look at the Van. It does not look good. The estimated cost of repair is somewhere around $ 12,000. The insurance is willing to pay $ 7,000 and we have to come up with the rest of the money. Also, the estimated time of repair will be about another 2 weeks. With my time and resources being very short, it is a real bind. But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory always.
Another need that we have is by way of renewing the passports for our boys. For this I will have to travel to New Delhi, to the British Embassy.
Bro. Need, if there are any funds available, I would appreciate it if you could transfer them either through your bank or through Harrisonburg, to our bank here in India. I will provide you the information that your bank will need in order to do such a transfer.
The transfer method is called - Telex Transfer or Electronic Transfer. And your bank needs to know this information: ...
Doing a Telex Transfer would be the easiest thing, however, if you are unable, you may just forward a check to the address in Louisiana: Joel Saripalli, 135 Cedar Lane, Dodson, La., 71422.
Another bit of information is concerning the church in Texas, that I told you about earlier. The pastor wrote me yesterday and informed me that his pastoral board is not satisfied in supporting a Sovreign Grace and Non-dispensational missionary. Thus they are withdrawing their support.
In all these valleys, we praise the Lord that He has given us perfect peace and His presence. The Lord is indeed blessing the ministry here and the adversary is unable to bear it. But, I'd rather be with my Lord in the fire than to be out of it without Him. And again, I am thankful, so thankful to Him for giving me a Spiritual family and friends such as yourself.
Let me just cite for you one blessing in particular. I had spoken to you about a young man in our ministry named Mark, whose father had beaten him during one of our services, for accepting Christ. After that incident, his folks used his wife in order to try and do him harm. His wife had remained a staunch Hindu for years now, since his conversion and she continued to pray to her idols and even had some gurus perform black majic in secret, in order to make him physically sick or maybe even cause him to have an accident, etc.
In January of this year, I once again visited his home and witnessed to his wife, and prayed with them. I have been told that since my departure to the U.S. in March, she has miraculously turned away from her paganism and has now professed faith in the Lord. She has become a tremendous blessing to Bro. Mark over the past few months of my absence. She attends church with him and is always looking for ways in which to be involved in church activities. She wishes to be baptized and is waiting for my arrival in their area. They live in a town called Vijayawada which is around 300 miles from here. By God's grace, we were able to start a New Testament congregation there in 2004. And so, Mark and his wife attend that church. Her name is Suryakumari - which literally means, "Daughter of the Sun." Do keep her and the entire ministry in your prayers.
Our sincere love and gratitude is extended to you once again.
By His Grace and for His Glory,
Bro. Joel
A replacement Van would cost around $ 25,000 - 30, 000. I am aware that such funds are hard to comeby, and we are only looking to the Lord, that He would take us to the distant places in our ministry, in His own time. We are considering every other possiblity in order to get a make-shift mode of transportation, but the cost of every other option is anywhere from the unreasonable to the ridiculous. Similar to dispensationalism.
I agree with you that the 'god' of the dispensationals is not like the God of the Bible. I must admit, that around April of this Year, I was almost ready to "throw in the towel" as far as the ministry is concerned, due to the ostracizing that I'd faced from the dispensationals. And it was in God's time, that He allowed for our paths to cross. In 1986, when I surrendered to God's calling, the Lord gave me a precious verse from the Scriptures, to which I held on to all these years. It is in 1st Thessalonians 5:24 - "Faithful is He that calleth you, Who also will do it." Indeed, He remains Faithful and True. I am so glad that we do not have to depend upon men!
There are souls eagerly awaiting my arrival in far away places and the Lord is aware of this need far more than we are. I know that He will make a way. ...
Thank you for your willingness to help. I know that our labor is not in vain.
In Christ,
Joel
Thank you Bro. Need for your efforts. Lord willing, we are planning to travel to the mountains by Railroad. There is a train station about 100 miles from our intended destination, but we are looking into travelling there and then maybe hiring some local means of transport to get us closer to the mountains.
Our first "leg" of the journey would be from Hyderabad to Vijayawada, which is around 300 miles east. We will be conducting meetings here and visiting a few families, and possibly even have a baptismal service for Suryakumari and others. Then we move north to Kakinada, which is around a 100 miles from Arku valley, which is our final destination in the mountains. We are planning to leave on the 23rd of this month and will be gone for the entire week. Your prayers are coveted, as always.
By His grace and for His glory,
Bro. Joel Saripalli
I was about to write you and let you know that yesterday (June 19th) we received the copies of the Examiner that you had sent to us. But instead I had found your letter bearing good news in regards to the ministry here in India.
Our hearts rejoice that God is moving in His time to regain the support of like-minded churches. We thank the Lord for Bro. Rick Waltz and his church and their willingness to consider having a part in our work.
There are several expenses presently and we would covet your prayers so that we may find grace in meeting the need. Firstly, one of the pressing issues is that of obtaining Air Tickets for the six of us. We need to book the Tickets atleast a month in advance. Secondly, the renewing of the Passports for the boys, which is another costly affair. Then we have the cost of the Van repair. And yesterday, the staff from the T.V. channel, on which we broadcast, called and informed me that our contract ran out last week. These are just a few of the pressing needs and I just wanted to share them with you.
We are all set to leave for the mountains in a couple of days. However, we are unable to take any Bibles with us or any other equipment, due to the lack of our Van. Usually, our Van is filled with New Testaments, Tracts, Bibles, Used Clothes, etc. We are having to travel by train and so we are limited in our luggage this time. Lord willing, the Van should be out of the shop in another 10 days or so and we will plan another trip for next month, once the Van becomes available.
Our greetings to all at Providence Baptist Chruch and also to your family. Thank you so much for your involvement in the spreading of the Blessed Gospel here in India.
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Bro. Joel
Greetings in Christ's wonderful name. I had been away in the mountains among the tribals since the 23rd of June. Just got in today. Conrad (my eldest son) and few of the men from church accompanied me.
We had a wonderful time witnessing to people. Several made professions of faith. We were supposed to have nearly 40 baptisms, but the weather changed for the worse as a Hurricane (we call them Cyclones in India) hit our coastal area which triggered unseasonal rains and thunderstorms. This led to severe flooding and the rivers and streams denied access to us in returning to the places where we were supposed to have baptismal services. We had to cut our trip short and return. Lord willing, we are planning on returning next month. Hopefully we'll have our Van for the next trip.
Hope you are all doing well. You are all in our prayers and we are hoping to see you all again, soon. I need to renew the boys passports and that is next on my agenda. Do keep us in your prayers.
By His Grace And For His Glory,
Bro. Joel Saripalli
Just wanted to give you a quick update on how things are proceeding here. I have been pricing Air Tickets over the past few days and the cheapest fares that are available presently are in the month of September. August is completely sold out and the seats that are available are too expensive.
I have been able to speak to my father regarding the Van and I have asked him to go ahead and keep the Van and just give me the money. Since we do not have any funds for our tickets, the only option left for us is to dispose the Van. The money that we will be getting for the Van should cover our travel expenses.
Lord willing, we will be travelling in September and not August. Do continue to pray for us.
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Bro. Joel
We are only looking to the Lord for the need of a vehicle when we get back. Meanwhile, if anyone has a vehicle that they are disposing and could pass it on to a missionary family, do put in a word for us, if you know any such people. Thank you for all your help.
In Him,
Bro. Joel
Greetings once again in the Precious Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hope this finds you in good health and in the midst of rich blessings from our Lord.
I had written to you a couple of weeks ago informing you of what has been happening here. Since I last wrote to you, my father has fallen seriously ill. He is completely paralyzed from his hips downward. He had been complaining of severe backaches for over a month now and on the 1st of August, he suddenly lost his walking ability and is now bedridden.
We had rushed him to several hospitals and the doctors performed several tests and MRI scans and found that there is a lesion in his spine which caused pressure on the nerves and resulted in his loosing his legs. The doctors wanted to operate, but when they tested his heart they found that the lower lobe on his heart is not functioning and thus operation would be too risky, since they need to put him on general anesthesia. He had a biopsy done on his spine and now waiting to have a biopsy done on his marrow. He is in severe pain and is suffering much.
Due to this unfortunate family emergency I had to alter our plans of coming to the U.S. Since my mother has limited help, I thought as a son, it is my responsibility to attend to this emergency. I hope you understand. We are looking to the Lord as to when He would have us to come back to fellowship with you all.
Do continue to pray for us and know that you are in our prayers. May God bless you.
By His Grace and for His Glory,
Bro. Joel and family
Note: Please pray for Bro. Joel, and this situation.
Dear Pastor Ovid Need,
Greetings to you and all at the Providence Baptist Church. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ has sustained us thus far in the work that God has called us to and we are confident that it will be grace that will lead us home. We again thank and appreciate the love and the confidence that you have shown in our ministry, by sponsoring and supporting us.
Despite the fact that the lack of support has greatly limited our work (such as halting the T.V. ministry) we have been able to continue and the churches that have already been started are progressing and growing not just in numbers, but in Spiritual maturity.
As you are aware, we have been working extensively among the tribals in Andhra Pradesh for several years now. I and a few men from our ministry will be heading up to the mountains on November 10th in order to encourage the churches that we have been able to start amidst the tribes there and also to venture into new areas with the Gospel. We will be gone a couple of weeks, so do pray for us regarding this treacherous trip. The tribes there view the Gospel as being a hindrance to their spiritism, which many times makes them unfriendly toward us.
Over the past 10 days, we have traveled to other villages, namely Govindraopet, Hanmakonda and Karmanghat. Here also, we have seen a great Spiritual hunger and have been able to sow the precious seed of God's Word and proclaim His Redeeming Grace to many who are bound by their Idol-Worship and Myths. I know that in God's time we will reap a good harvest in these places. We are being invited back by these folks to come and spend more time with them declaring unto them the goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Do continue to pray for us and also certain special needs. We are looking to the Lord to supply the need of Hymn books for our congregations and also the ever pressing need of transportation, since I had to dispose our only Van in order to meet certain other financial needs. We are looking to the Lord in regards to our coming to the U.S. Thank you again for Christ-like love shown toward us. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
By His Grace Alone, Bro. Joel Saripalli
India
India has a staggering racial, ethnic, religious and linguistic diversity. Hindu 79.83%, Muslim 12.50%, Christian 2.40%
In recent years several of India's states have faced religious violence, as radical Hindus have become increasingly open in their conflict with Christians. In the last five years, there have been reports of pastors and priests beaten, nuns harassed and raped, and other violence directed at Christians. In 2006 more than 200 acts of violence were reported against Christians. Several pastors and evangelists were martyred. The remains of Yesu Das were discovered in a gunny sack that had been dumped in bushes near a paddy field. His attackers had used an axe to slice his body into pieces. Police reported they found a blood-stained Gospel tract in Yesu's hand; he had offered it to his murderers. Anti-conversion laws are still on the books in five Indian states. They impose prison terms and hefty fines against anyone who converts Indians by force, fraud or allurement. Christians say their mission to serve the sick and needy is threatened, because any gift or material benefit received by Christian converts can be considered an allurement to convert. (Voice of the Martyrs, Special Issue, 2007. www.persecution.com)
Foreign missionaries are forbidden in India, but Brother Joel is a national. Thus, he is permitted to spread the gospel, which brings persecution from the Hindus.
It is indeed sad that he had to discontinue the T.V. ministry, which was over a Hindu T.V. station. Many Hindus and Muhammadans, especially women, were able to hear the gospel in the privacy of their own homes while their husbands were out and around.
I realize that some may not like the idea that Bro. Joel is a "Sovereign Grace" (Reformed, Calvinistic) preacher, and maybe some other things, but he is preaching a gospel that we all should be able to support; that is, the free grace of God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
As the economical well-being produced by Christianity continues to deteriorate (gold is well over $800, and silver over 15. [a silver 1964 dime is now worth $1.30 in paper money. Inflation created by the Fed's book keeping entry. The Federal Reserve has nothing to do with the Federal Government]), the money for discretionary spending is greatly reduced. However, as times get difficult, tithing to God-honoring, Kingdom-building causes is even more important.
Bro Joel is worthy of our support. If you would like more information, let me know. I will send the addresses of the churches mentioned above, and you can "check him out" with those who know him better than I. You can also contact him directly, Joel Saripalli <joelsaripalli@msn.com>
You may send funds to him through Mr. Shawn Barnett, 135 Cedar Lane, Dobson LA 71422. It costs $15 for each funds transfer from the US to India, so please keep that in mind. Or you can send funds through us here at Providence Baptist Church of Moorefield.
Dear Bro. Need,
Greetings to you and all at the Providence Baptist Church in the Mighty and Most Lovely Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I and 6 other men from our church returned on Sunday from our Gospel tour. The Lord blessed us wonderfully in allowing us to penetrate some interior places during our last visit to the mountains on the eastern side of India.
We visited 6 different places, spending 2 days in each area and witnessing to people. One of the villages that we visited is called “Pinjirkonda.” The very name of this place translates into English as “Caged Village or Hill.” It grieved my heart to find out the irony in that name, upon reaching that village. Hidden away in the mountains, and hard to access, the name of our Savior had never been taken there. But the people were so warm and hospitable and received the Gospel with all readiness.
Winter is setting in here in India and it was biting cold in the mountains. We had to cross a couple of rivers by wading through the waters in order to reach some of these places. However, it was a fruitful trip and I pray that the Lord would raise up men who are willing to localize themselves in these places in order to lead the congregations that we are hopeful of starting.
Let me name the places that we visited so that you may remember to pray for them along with us. Cherkumpalem, Guntiwadipalem, Velagalapalem, Pinjirkonda, Dommeru and Vanthadu. Another place that I would like for you folks to remember is Karmanghat. This place is a slum and there are over a 1,000 families, totally neglected by society and the government, all living in destitute and deplorable conditions. Without clothes, without homes and without food. They were very recipient to the Word, but their living conditions behoove us to do something more than just share the Word. God is good to us and may we be His vessels in sharing His goodness with the less fortunate.
Our prayers and thanks are once again extended to you. Please continue to remember the special needs that we have in this ministry.
By His Wonderful Grace,
Joel Saripalli and family
Dear Pastor Need,
Greetings to you and all at Providence Baptist Church.
This past week has been very trying for us. We have been busy
with the ministry and the Lord has been blessing. However, we
request you for special prayers concerning one of our preachers,
Bro. Daniel in Raipur, Chattisgarh. Last Wednesday, as our believers
there were having their prayer meeting, they were raided by a
group of Hindu activists. 40 young men from a Hindu fundamentalist
group called "Dharma Sena" (Army of God) attacked the
believers and took hold of Bro. Daniel. By God's grace, one of
them called the police from their mobile phone and about 7 Police
vans arrived and took a few of the ruffians into custody. But,
Bro. Daniel and others in that town are still very much under
threat.
This is the same place where I also was held by the Police for
over 5 hours in a Police Station, last year. Chattisgarh is one
of the most volatile places, as far as the preaching of the Gospel
is concerned. Hindu terrorists groups have become a major force
in this country in opposing the Gospel.
I request you folks to kindly make this a matter of special prayer.
As we draw close to the end of another year, the battle still
rages. But we are thankful for each opportunity and door that
the Lord has opened to us this year in bearing His Word to different
parts of our country.
Thank you again for your invaluable support of this ministry.
By His Grace Alone,
Bro. Joel Saripalli and family
9 dead in attacks by Hindu gangs.
90 churches, 600 homes torched during violence
Dear Prayer Partners,
NEW YEAR greetings to you all from the land of many gods and yet without GOD. It is only by the grace of God that we greet you in 2008. We are indeed thankful to the Lord for His great Salvation and for the wonderful opportunity that He has given us to serve Him, individually and as a family.
As we desire to press forward with the Gospel work, we are constantly reminded of the reality of the perilous conditions, which we encounter in t:e'hing our fellow countrymen. Over the past 2 weeks, nearly 200 believers and 4 preachers were killed in separate incidents in the states of Chattisgarh and Orissa.
Chattisgarh is the state where there was an attack made on the local church that we had started a couple of years ago. I had mentioned it as a matter of prayer in November 2007. There have been stringent restraints enforced by the local governments in crippling all religious activities, especially against Christians. There have also been threats made against Americans, due to which the U.S. High Commission has issued warnings against visiting certain parts of the country.
Orthodox Hindu groups still view Christianity as an American/Western influence on our culture and are thus opposed to it. They are more severe in their actions against those who have converted to Christianity from Hindu backgrounds. However, this aspect has a positive side to it. That is, that those who come to Christ from Hindu backgrounds in these areas, do so knowing the price they have to pay.
We are headed to the mountains again on February 10th. We will be venturing into new areas and also spending time with those whom we have previously reached. We covet your prayers in all of our endeavors. We are still in need of transportation and are presently depending on public transport facilities. Our thanks go out to you all this year for assisting us in our service to the LORD.
By His Grace and For His Glory,
The Saripallis (Joel, Gaynor, Conrad, Cameron, Christian, Carlton)
2/17/08
It's a beautiful Monday morning as I write
to you and thank God for keeping us alive. All good and perfect
gifts flow from our Heavenly Father.
We had a blessed Sunday with several visitors and the church we
have started in the city is surely growing. I had been away in
the mountains over the past several days. I have not been there
in over 3 months now. But, we have visited new places and have
seen the Lord at work in the lives of many. Unfortunately, we
had to cut our trip short due to severe violence that broke out
in the bordering state, Orissa where 16 policemen and 5 civilians
were killed in clashes with a notorious terrorist group called
"Naxals."
I had especially wanted to visit with our old congregations since
I am planning on heading to the U.S. sometime in March. I may
not be seeing them for a while. But God saw differently.
I am planning on coming to the U.S. around the middle of March.
I will probably be landing in Dallas, Texas and then working my
way up to West Virginia. I will give you more details as I purchase
the ticket, etc. Do pray with us that God might raise other churches
that would be willing to get behind our ministry here in India.
I also appreciate the wonderful job that you have done in posting
our ministry on your website, in trying to help us.
May God continue to draw us together and to Himself as we strive
to proclaim His name among the heathen.
Yours in His Kingdom,
Bro. Joel and family
Pray for Bro Saripalli as they labour for the Lord in India.