Latest Update:
June 2010
Using God-Given Gifts in India
Originally published: Lifeline Volume 8, Issue 4
(Editor's note: The focus of this LIFEline issue is BCF’s fourth
foundational principle and value: Our purpose is to develop fully
devoted followers of Christ. One characteristic of a fully devoted
follower of Christ is the knowledge of one’s gift mix and usage of
those gifts in ministry. The following article describes how this
characteristic was seen in BCF’s ministry in India this past
January.)
All who are members of the BCF church body that meets in
both St. Paul and Minneapolis belong to a community much
broader than just their fellow worshippers here. The arms
of BCF are embracing souls in distant lands, changing
lives, and inspiring faith in those who are witness to their
efforts.
One such place is southern India, where four members of
the BFC family—George and Kay Varghese and Tom and
Millie Iverson—combined their gifts to serve God and Evangel
Ministries this past January. They have shared some of
their experiences from their ministry time in India, telling
how God used their gifts to help see Evangel Ministries
along and to reveal to them the work that He is doing there.
Of course, no mission trip is born in a vacuum, and the
context for this adventure started thirty-two years ago.
George Varghese and his brother John, who was living
in their native Tiruvalla, India, saw the need to provide
Christian literature there. They started a publishing
business called Evangel Press, and because of the good
quality of their work, outside contracts came their way.
Soon, George said, it was making a profit.
About twenty years ago, Tom Iverson took a trip to
Tiruvalla to visit Evangel Press and support the efforts of
George and John. Tom returned with quite an impression
of what he saw and felt. His wife, Millie, said, “God planted
a love for this [Evangel Ministries] in Tom’s heart, and it
flowed to me. We used the gift of prayer to determine how
to move forward.”
As they waited for the right time to move forward in their
love for Evangel Ministries, Tom and Millie prayed and
listened. The result was that God showed them this year
was the right time.
In the meantime, much had been happening over in India.
The profits from Evangel Press were sufficient to establish
a school for training future church leaders. Soon the Calicut Theological College was open, preparing young men to
start new churches throughout southern India.
George and John had also been praying about the need
for a hospital for the poor. Soon the Home of Hope and
Bethany Medical Center were part of Evangel Ministries,
both located outside of Coimbatore. The Home of Hope
functions similar to the Ronald McDonald House in
America, helping to house those who are in need while
illness or injury affects them or their family.
Thus, when Tom, Millie, George, and Kay went to India this
past winter, there were four places to see and much to take
in and experience. Evangel Ministries had blossomed. As
Millie stated it, “You put a little bit into Jesus’ hands and He
multiplies it.”
Up to this point, the gift mix of George and John is very
evident in their work with Evangel Ministries. John and
George are talented administrators, so handling the
operations of business (paperwork, funding, communication)
is something they are good at. On top of that, their
gift mix features an ability to see opportunities and act on
them. This helped to establish the foundation of Evangel
Ministries and give life to its beating heart.
The four—Tom, Millie, George, and Kay—went to India
with their gift mix, making themselves available to help
others find their own gift mix. “When people become
Christians, they want to do something for the Lord,” Tom
said. “They just feel excited about it.” Millie added that
interaction is key to helping one’s gifts come to fruition.
“People will start seeing your gifts and encourage you in
that area,” she said.
And they weren’t going to let cultural or even language
differences get in the way. “We wanted to go and fit in
wherever we could,” Millie said. “We knew there would be
a language barrier, but we knew that we could still express
the love of Christ.”
Millie particularly remembers the Home of Hope, telling
how she wanted to start cooking and making the meals.
She wanted to sit and talk to the people. “I couldn’t do all
of that, but I could hug them and love them and pray.”
The January missions trip revealed how combinations of
gifts are used to complement one another. John is the
patient Varghese brother, while George admits that he’s
the talker and the go-getter. As for George’s wife, Kay, her
understanding and selflessness makes it possible for him
to be away on trips to India. Her extraordinary spirit of
service led her to bring suitcases of items that she knew
were needed in India. And finally, as a nurse, Kay makes
a great fit for helping run the hospital!
Tom and Millie readily recognize their combination of gifts.
“Tom is the handyman and great at encouragement,” said Millie. And Tom says that Millie is the entertainer. “She can
literally serve hundreds of people; I have trouble getting
together milk and cookies!” he declared.
It wasn’t just the gifts of these four that were on display
during their missions trip. They witnessed the gift giving of
all the Indians involved with Evangel Ministries. Tom was
moved by the workers at the hospital and at the House of
Hope. “There was something spiritual that led them
to minister to the people in need,” he said. “I could see
Christians building their lives around things that are
eternal.”
Each of the four saw their gifts being used by God. It wasn’t
a chore to be of service to the people they met at the
places they visited. Rather, it was, as Millie described it,
“such a flow.” That flow is broadening the scope of BCF.
Now back in Minnesota, Tom, Millie, George and Kay
continue to seek ways to be of service to the ministry back
in India. “You just want to explode and share it with everybody,”
said Millie.
Indeed they are, using their communicative gifts to
continue the exciting mission of Evangel Ministries. Its next
goal is to build a special mother/baby unit at Bethany
Medical Centre.
--Brandon Ferdig
May 2010
My Cup Runneth Over
Dr. K Muralidar
Special guest speaker Dr. K. Muralidar is a well known evangelist, born into a high class Hindu family in India. He became a Christian while in medical college. He worked as a cardiologist until God called him to serve the tribal people of India. He resigned his well-paid position 20 years ago and began ministering to the poor in a small clinic in Tamil Nadu. Bethany Medical Centre has now grown into a full-fledged referral unit. Dr.K's life is a powerful message and will inspire you.
August 2009
This ambulance was purchased for a Christian Mission hospital Evangel Ministries partners with called Bethany Medical Centre. Thank you to all who have given to this project.
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