We thank God for the successful ear surgery of Fatima(a 7 year girl, who father is leprosy affected).

Fatima is well now  and back at school.

We thank God for the 3 boys we managed to put in a vocational training school, with the help of Turbocam India, at Hospet.

And also for the 22 children in Christian boarding schools in Bangalore, Goa, Chitapur, Hubli and Thane.

2 persons were given aid so that they could be operated.

Saibana was given treatment for T.B., while 2 persons were given spectacles.

8 persons were taken to the hospital to be treated for various diseases.

Strategy for the success of the Abundance has been changed. A rain fed crop of red gram has been sowed.

Also a new breed of goats will be bought by the end of  Sept2010 and the animal husbandry project will be restarted.

This is the first newsletter of 2010 and we want to share with you all the exciting happening of the month of December with you.

The most exciting event that took place was the baptism of a couple of youth, a boy and a girl in the water tank at the abundance project. We praise God that He is using the project for His glory.

Sara and Aurol both brother and sister wanted to get baptized, their father Pastor Rathod who works among the gypsy community approached Michael asking him if he could baptize his children. Taking full advantage of the large water tank at the abundance project, Michael & Rathod baptized Aurol & Sara much to the joy of their friends & relatives.

Christmas Programme

God is a wonderful provider and when we are in the business of spreading His kingdom He will go all out to provide.

We were able to have an excellent Christmas programme for the residents of the Gandhi Leprosy Colony sharing the love of Jesus with them.

A children’s party for the children of the leprosy affected, orphans and rescued child labourers was held at the Gandhi leprosy colony which was attended by 152 children.

Games were held with prizes given to the winners. Cake and snacks were served to all including the mothers who came with the small children. Each children was given a gift. Toddlers upto 3years were given stuffed toys, while the older children were given toiletries and stationary besides a few sweets. The girls’ gift had hair accessories in them while the boys had balls/puzzles,etc.

The Love Meal

No celebration is complete without a good meal. Part of the Christmas celebration was an excellent lunch which consisted of Pullao rice, Chicken curry, curd salad and a sweet, served to all the residents(350+) of the Gandhi leprosy Colony. Our Lord the Great Provider provided for this wonderful meal through the Indian Evangelical Team.

Planting Seeds of the Gospel

A special Christian cultural proggramme was held where christian bhajans were sung in the local language by a troupe, followed by a group of school children preforming dances to christian songs. The gospel was then given by a member from the Campus Crusade team. Also honoured during this function with gifts were 4 youth from the colony who had taken up jobs and held them for over a year.

The Abundance Project

Work at the Abundance project is slowly progressing. Vegetables are now being grown with a small production which is being sold in the market.

Please pray that we will be able to grow more crops. And that The Lord will give us much wisdom to manage the crops and animals.

Prayer points:

Please pray that:

• God would provide for the projects in the coming year.

• The 5 elderly people admitted to the hospital can be shifted to the Abundance project. That the Lord would provide all that is needed for this purpose.

• The Lord would give Michael a good team to carry on the work.

• The Lord would give us a good christian doctor to take care of the medical needs of the Gandhi Leprosy Colony.

• The Lord would provide sponsors so that we can help put more children in good christian schools.

• We would see a spiritual breakthrough in the colony.

• The Lord would bless Michael & Michelle along with their children, that His protection would be upon their family and that God would give Michael & Michelle much wisdom and grace to carry on the work of the ministry.

Story of Nagamma

Nagamma the daughter of a leprosy affected couple staying in the Gandhi leprosy colony is a young girl of 22 stricken by polio in both legs. A few months back she approached us to help her to acquire a new pair of calipers so that she could walk properly as the calipers she had were broken and beyond repairs. In the February newsletter we had requested prayer  for her and her situation.

Last month we were able to provide her with a new set of calipers. A delighted Nagamma had no words to express her joy. Dr Pati who fitted the new calipers for her has also promised her a job in the new rehabilitation centre he plans to open in a few months time.

Providing Drinking water

Water is very essential and at the Abundance project by the grace of God we are able to bless many people by providing water to them. The abundance project is the only place for miles around that has water on its land. Farmers coming to farm their land now have no problem for drinking water for themselves and their cattle. The women feel very blessed as we have now lightened their burden as they do not have to carry pots of water for miles while coming to work in the fields.

A new beginning

Memboob is a young lad of 16 whose parents are leprosy affected. Memboob’s grandparents are also leprosy affected and are beggars. Memboob’s father works as an unskilled labourer. His mother approached us at Karuna to help him find a job as he was not interested in studying. Karuna managed to fix him as an apprentice in a garage where he can learn to be a car mechanic. He is now very happy as he is learning a trade as well as earning a little at the same time.

The work at the Abundance project is slowly picking up with replanting some vegetable crops. Below are some photographs of some of the white pumpkin and ridge gourd plants and their fruits.

The work of compassion among the leprosy affected in the Gandhi colony continues with 8 patients being admitted to the Karuna hospital. 3 of them are quite aged and have nowhere to go after their wounds and ulcers are healed. Please pray that God would provide a solution for these men.

Footwear and walking sticks was provided to 2 patients and a walker was added to the equipment at the clinic.

Please pray that the Lord would provide finances for all the Christmas proggrammes to be held in the Colony.

Please keep the 22^nd of December in your prayers as we are holding a gospel meeting with a fellowship dinner for the residents of the Gandhi leprosy colony. Also on the same day a children’s party for around 150 orphans, rescued child laborers and children of the leprosy affected will be held. We thank God for already providing the finance for the gift hampers for these children.

Please continue to pray for Michael, Michelle and their family, that God would protect them at all times and would give Michael and Michelle wisdom as they lead the work.

We want to thank God for:
1. The jobs got by the 2 boys who finished their computer course.
2. The children who have now settled and doing well in school in Goa. (Photos available in the Photo Section under children’ work)
3. Turbocam India who donated a year’s supply of chlorine tablets for the water filtration plant fitted in the Gandhi Leprosy Colony so that all the residents can now have completely safe water to cook and to drink.
4. The team of doctors who came from Kerala through Campus Crusade and conducted a free Medical camp at the Leprosy colony. (photographs are available in the Photo Section under the Clinic)
5. The successful eye surgeries (cataract) conducted by the St. Luke’s Medical Center on 2 of our leprosy affected patients.
6. The successful appendix operation on another of our patients.
7. The 3 new goat kids and 2 rabbits that were born in the last 2 months.
8. All the fruit trees we were able to plant in the last 2 months. (225 coconut trees, 35 lime trees, 10 fig trees, 10 mango trees, 5 sweet limes trees, 5 chickoo trees, 5 pommergrate trees, 5 guava trees and 5 custard apple trees.) (Photographs are available in the Photo Section under the Abundance project.)
9. The water in the new well that was drilled.
10. His provision & grace upon the Karuna team to do His work here in Gulbarga.

Please pray that:
1. God would continue to bless us with His provision & grace.
2. All the plants we have planted will be fruitful.
3. It would rain. ( we have not had a proper monsoon till now)
4. The colius and chilly plantation to be successful.
5. The animals would be healthy and multiply.
6. The children put in Christian schools by us would learn the right values and that their mind set would change hence bringing about a change in the leprosy colonies.
7. The youth on the skills training programme would continue and finish the course.
8. The general health of the leprosy affected people in the colony would continue to improve.
9. There will be a breakthrough as the monthly prayer meetings continue.
10. God would work a healing miracle in the lives of the widow with HIV and her 3 children(whom we are taking care of at the abundance project), 2 of which are mentally retarded.
11. Give much grace & wisdom to Micheal, Michelle & the Karuna team as they minister and continue to do His will.

We want to thank God for:

1. The first goat kid that was born on the 28th of May. A young healthy black male.
( Photographs can be seen in the Photo section in the album Abundance Project)

2. The new batch of 5 girls who have joined the Tailoring Classess.
(Photographs of the girls training can be seen in the Photo Section in the album Skills Training)

3. The 30 odd children who attended the Kids Club at the Colony.
(Photographs of the children playing can be seen in the Photo section in the album Children’s work)

4. Geeta Basuraj who is only the second student from the colony to pass her SSLC exams and the first to get a first class with 78%.

5. The good clean drinking water that the community nows enjoys thanks to the water treatment plant installed last month.

6. The increased amount of water coming from the borewell at the Abundance project.

7. His provision which helped pay the school fees of 10 children.

Please pray for:

1. Good rainfall as the Abundance project needs rainwater as we plant the coconut trees, jatropha, colius and vegetables plants.

2. The children who are going to the christian residential schools in Goa, that they will get well adjusted to their new surroundings and study well.
(photographs of the first batch of 2 boys can be seen in the photo section In album Children’s work)

3. Ramchandra and Mallappa, both in their 80’s and now suffering with bad ulcers and pressure sores.

4. Mantesh that he would get a good job.

5. The 5 new girls on the skills training programme, that they may continue and complete the course.

6. Geeta Basuraj, that her parents would allow her to continue her studies.

7. To provide finances so that we can continue to help uplift these people.

8. The monthly prayer meetings, that we would see breakthroughs soon.

8. Michael, Michelle and the Karuna team that God would give much wisdom and grace to work among these people.

The month of April has been a month of pleasant surprises for us and also seeing the wonderful work the Lord is doing through us.

We want to thank God for the wonderful Water Treatment plant He provided the Gandhi leposy Colony so that the commmunity can now have pure drinking and cooking water.  This plant was given to us by WMI(water missions international) and installed by Turbocam India. We are grateful to both of them.

The Lord has been been good and helped us to get addmission for 7 children in 2 good christian schools in Goa. They will join in the last week of May.

Also we were able to distribute the Samritian Purse to the children.(photograghs under children work in the photo section)

Another financial year has ended and we want to thank and praise Almighty God for sustaining the Karuna Charitable Trust and all the work we are doing here in Gulbarga.
 We Also want to thank all of you who are involved with Karuna and are praying for us.
 As you all know The Karuna Charitable Trust now has 2 projects. One is the Karuna(compassion) project in the Gandhi leprosy colony and the other is the  Abundance project(an agricultural project) to help the leprosy affected.

A small update on the Abundance Project.

1. A few trees have been planted along with some seeds for vegetables.
Please pray that this will be fruitful.
2.Please pray for the health of the goats. 4 goats are pregnant.
Please pray that they will grow well and bring us much profits.

3.A cement tank which can hold 2500 litres of water has been erected

and will now make it easy to irrigate the land.
4. The rabbits are doing well.
5. Please pray for the 2 families (Devendrappa & his wife, Pandurang & his wife) working on the land, that the Lord would protect them at all times and bless them.

6. Pray for the Jatropha plantation that the plants will grow well and give us an abundance of seeds. We thank God for the first fruits that have already apeared on a couple of trees.

(Photographs available in Photos section the under the Abundance

Project.)

The work in the Gandhi Leprosy Colony continues by the Grace of God.

1. 65 persons were given dressing for wounds and ulcers in the daily clinic.

2. 53 persons were treated for various ailments by the doctor on his bi-weekly visits.

3. 3 patients admitted in the Karuna Hospital, 2 were discharged after been treated. Please pray for Sathappa who has been admitted with an amputed foot. Also pray for Sathappa as we take him to Jaipur to fit him with a Jaipur foot.

4. On an average 65 children were given nutrition daily.
Pray that God would continue to provide for these children.

5. The groundwork has been done to put at least 15 children in good residential Christian schools. Please pray that God would provide sponsors who would come forward with sponsorship so that more childrencould be put in Christian schools.

6. A monthly meeting has now been started with a group coming to the colony singing Christian bhajans (country songs) and praying.
 Around 35 people from the colony attended this month’s  meeting. Please pray that we will see breakthroughs and many people saved.

7. Please continue to pray for Michael, Michelle and the Karuna team that God would anoint them and give them much wisdom to carry out His purposes for these people and His Kingdom.
Also pray that God would continue to meet all the needs of the project.

The month of February has been a rather eventful one.
 We want to thank all of you who are involved with Karuna and are praying for us.
 

A small update on the Abundance Project.

1. A few trees have been planted along with some seeds for vegetables.
Please pray that this will be fruitful.

2.It was a dream come true. The first batch of 25 goats arrived on the land at last.

Please pray that they will grow well and bring us much profits.

3.The second borewell in now operational giving us about 650 litres of water an hour.

4. Some rabbits have also been acquired for breeding.

5. A 5KVA generator has been purchased to solve the electricity problem.
Please pray that God would work a miracle and provide us with an electricity connection.

6. Please pray for the 2 families working on the land, that the Lord would
protect them at all times and blesses them.

7. Pray for the Jatropha plantation that the plants will grow well and give
us an abundance of seeds.

(Photographs available in Photos section the under the Abundance Project.)

The work in the Gandhi Leprosy Colony continues by the Grace of God.

1. 56 persons were given dressing for wounds and ulcers in the daily clinic.

2. 45 persons were treated for various ailments by the doctor on his bi-weekly visits.

3. 5 patients admitted in the Karuna Hospital, 4 were discharged after been treated. Please pray for Sathappa who has been admitted with an amputed foot.

4. Please pray for Nagamma 22 years old who has polio in both her legs, that God would

provide the required finances to buy new caliphers for her.
Also pray for Sathappa as we try to fit him with a Jaipur foot.

5. On an average 65 children were given nutrition daily.
Pray that God would continue to provide for these children.

7. The skills training continues. The youth are happy now that they are earning a little money while learning. We thank God & you for your prayers, the training center have now started stitching material to sell in the market.
A total of 3 youth are now going for advanced computer training i.e. D.T.P. programming.  2 youth have finished their training, pray that they would now find jobs.

8. The groundwork has been done to put at least 15 children in good residential Christian schools. Please pray that God would provide sponsors who would come forward with sponsorship so that more children could be put in Christian schools.

9. A monthly meeting has now been started with a group coming to the colony singing Christian bhajans (country songs) and praying.
 Around 35 people from the colony attended the  meeting on the 12th of February. Please pray that we will see breakthroughs and many people saved.

10. Please continue to pray for Michael, Michelle and the Karuna team that God would anoint them and give them much wisdom to carry out His purposes for these people and His Kingdom.
Also pray that God would continue to meet all the needs of the project.

The work on the Abundance Project is going on well thanks to your prayers.

1. A few trees have been planted along with some seeds for vegetables. Please pray that this will be fruitful.

2. Please pray that God would work a miracle and provide us with an electricity connection.

3. Please pray for the 2 families working on the land, that the Lord would protect them at all times and blesses them.

4. Please pray for the goats that are about to arrive that they will be healthy and grow well.

5. Pray for the Jatropha plantation that the plants will grow well and give us an abundance of seeds.

(Photographs available in Photos section the under the Abundance Project.)

The work in the Gandhi Leprosy Colony continues by the Grace of God.

1. 72 persons were given dressing for wounds and ulcers in the daily clinic.

2. 68 persons were treated for various ailments by the doctor on his bi-weekly visits.

3. 7 patients admitted in the Karuna Hospital, 6 were discharged after been treated. Please pray for Mallapa who has been admitted for the last 2 months for allergies and ulcers. 

4. 1(one) person was admitted to a local hospital for treatment.

Please continue to pray for Mallamma who is 10 years old and suffering from acute Asthma.

5. On an average 72 children were given nutrition daily. Pray that God would continue to provide for these children.

7. The skills training continues. The youth are happy now that they are earning a little money while learning. We thank God & you for your prayers, the training center have now started stitching material to sell in the market. A total of 3 youth are now going for advanced computer training i.e. D.T.P. programming. 2 youth have finished their training, pray that they would now find jobs.

8. Children are doing better in their studies due to the tuitions that have been started for the children who want help with their school work. Between 10- 15 children take advantage of this facility.

9. The ground has been done to put at least 15 children in good residential Christian schools. Please pray that God would provide sponsors who would come forward with sponsorship so that more children could be put in Christian schools.

10. A monthly meeting has now been started with a group coming to the colony singing Christian bhajans (country songs) and praying. Around 70 people from the colony attended the first meeting on the 9^th of January. Please pray that we will see breakthroughs and many people saved.

11. Please continue to pray for Michael, Michelle and the Karuna team that God would anoint them and give them much wisdom to carry out His purposes for these people and His Kingdom. Also pray that God would continue to meet all the needs of the project.