UPDATE - James & Dali Varghese, Vision2020Asia National Church Planter; Truth & Freedom Postal Bible Course Director 3/9/10

Thank you so much to our donors, well wishers and prayer partners in the ministry of the gospel. The Word of God is reaching far and near through our Truth & Freedom Postal Bible Correspondence Course. We have received so many answer sheets in the last month. We grade them and return them to the students for their deep study.

T&F Courses in English and Malayalam:
"For the word of God is quick,and powerful,and sharper than any two edged sword,piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." ( Hebrews 4:12)  I was reminded of this powerful verse when I read through the letter of one of our postal school students on the other side of the country. He wrote, "Thank you so much for enrolling me in your Truth and Freedom Postal Bible school. May the Almighty Lord abundantly bless and guide you for more of such good deeds to others. From 2003, I worked as a volunteer teacher in various mission schools of Manipur and Mizoram. Presently I am working here in a remote village school-mission of Arunachal Pradesh. On seeing the eagerness of our students -the majority Hindu- to learn new things, I really wish to work with my full capacity. But to my misfortune I belong to a hand-to-mouth family, with just B.Sc. and no theological knowledge; it makes me feel hopeless and helpless." Tonight I called him over the phone to encourage him to complete our course and to share what he learned with his students in the school. He told me that our course was very powerful and effective to do the ministry. He has just completed the first four lessons and he has been studying the remaining lessons. His father and brother have also enrolled. I have asked him to connect his students with our course as well.

T&F Courses in Tedin Chin:
God is successfully using this course in Myanmar through our brother Go Lian Pau. More than 550 are now enrolled with more than 175 already completing the course. Five Jews are enrolled, including one Rabbi, and three more Jews want to join. Pastor Pau has distributed all of the lessons he had from the first printing. $1500 US is needed by March 20 to print an additional 3,000 complete lesson sets [25 lessons X 3,000 copies = 75,000 total lessons]. We are expecting a graduation during April. It is our great goal to expand this course to all the Asian languages. This is our first effort  successfully accomplished in the Tedin Chin language of Myanmar, by God's grace. God is shaking and transforming the hearts of many people through our printed T&F lessons. We hope for a great harvest there and in India through T&F. It is our goal to connect with many people there from Buddhist as well as Jewish backgrounds.
 
Truth And Freedom in Telugu:
God is using our T&F in the Telugu language of South India through Pastor Suresh Babu. Currently we have 350 students enrolled and 150 are going to graduate this April. A few days back when a team of my friends from Kerala were in AP for gospel ministry, I told them to connect all of their contacts with our Telugu course, and we expect such people as our students in the days to come. We expect a good harvest in AP through this course. The people are very open minded to the gospel. Please pray that we will be able to use the current positive situation to reach people with our course. I humbly want to remind all the readers of this update that this ministry of correspondence schools in India and Myanmar is very effective and powerful. I strongly believe this is God's idea for reaching the billions of people in Asia. We see a great opening for this ministry everywhere without much opposition.
 
Family News:
Two weeks back I had surgery and by God's grace it went well. I was in the hospital for one week. Our children were also sick in the last week and the younger one is still not better due to fever. It is severe summer now and very hot everywhere.

Points for Praise:

• For the spreading of the Word of God through our T&F courses in English, Malayalam, Telugu and Tedin Chin in Myanmar.
• For the enrollments of unsaved people.
• For the current positive situations for this ministry in different languages.
• For our health.

Points for prayer:

• Some of our graduates to be connected in different Indian states for planting T&F fellowships.
• For the success of our follow-up with students who are slow to complete the study due to different circumstances.
• For our efforts this summer for the promotion of T&F.
• For having good church planters with T&F.
• For a piece of land for the permanent office of our English and Malayalam  postal schools.
• For the first graduations of T&F courses in Myanmar and Andhra Pradesh during this April and for Dr.Jim Starr's visit to these places for the graduation.