Featured News

Northeast India Report

During the India Missions Workshop held in Ft. Worth, Texas in April, team members Jerris & Juanita Bullard (who live in Manassas, Virginia) gave team members Ron Clayton, Robert Hall & Ben Renegar an update on the progress of the Lord’s work in Northeast India.  This is in the area of India that is called the “7 Sisters”. 

To everything there is a season” (Eccl 3:1-8). “A time to be born—a time to die,a time to  plant—a time to pluck what is planted,a time to gain—a time to lose…a time to keep silence—a  time to speak.”God made every thing beautiful in its TIME. A multi-national company in the USA works during the day & at night turns over its work to India. In this way the company is working around the clock. God gave 24 hours each day for everyone—& if you don’t do the important things while you have the time, you may live to regret it.

A profile of churches

NEW DELHI, INDIA - The nimble rickshaw puller squeezes between street vendors on the narrow streets of India’s congested capital.
Peering between the stands selling samosas and chai tea, two American church members glimpse a service at a Hindu temple. Worshipers, on their knees and covered in flowers, wait to get a blessing from the priestess.

Dear Brethren,

DENGUE FEVER. The sound of it strikes an ominous note. The reality of having it is unimaginable. Yet that is what Dr. D. D. said when he reported my lab work. That’s not all he said.   He told me I had one of four Dengue viruses: It is caused by the bite of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito (which is related to the mosquitoes that cause Yellow Fever and West Nile Virus—Fever). All of these fevers may be fatal. Dengue Fever causes the body to use up an excessive number of its platelets in its fight to kill out the virus. In doing this the platelets may be depleted and hemorrhagic bleeding will occur. Once that happens there is no way to stop it so the patient dies.    

One thing I like about Indian doctors is their directness. There is no long wait for answers. I had a lab test and knew the results and prognosis within three hours.

Dr. D. D. is a Neurologist. That was good because Dengue Fever attacks the brain and nervous system. The doctor said that I would likely have problems with the use of my arms, hands, and legs. Within two days I could not write…or print my name. I could barely walk and found it almost impossible to take a shower…my legs trembled like jelly, and Juanita had to help me dress.    

From being told I was possibly in a fatal condition, to hearing, eight days later, “you are going to survive” was a journey of faith, hope, and fervent prayer by numerous brethren, plus the merciful grace of our loving God.

We were only half-way through our Summer Mission to India, but Dr. D. D. said, “You must get out of India…it is essential that you reduce your risk and not get Dengue Fever again or Malaria or any other disease from which you will not survive in your present weakened condition.” Following ten days in the hospital we needed no more motivation to return home, but Dr. D. D. had provided the added incentive. We left India three days later via Paris (where I had to rest for three days) and on to London where an additional rest stop, as recommended by Dr. D. D., was made.

The effects of Dengue Fever have lingered longer than I expected. Dr. D. D. said my leg muscles would likely be the last thing to recover and “that might take months or even years.” Here I would like to say, “I am doing mostly ok and am finally, after eight weeks, able to do a full day’s work. God has been gracious. Many have prayed for both Juanita and me, and God has heard you and raised me up from the deathbed.   We are grateful.  

During all this time Juanita was also a patient with me, and in the same hospital room. She had a burning fever but not Dengue Fever. In fact, though lab tests were performed, her fever was never diagnosed. She responded well to her medicines (which were little more than guesses—shall I say, “intuition” on the part of Dr. D. D.). She did require 5-6 days of care, and then it seems that the good doctor just thought it best that she remain in the room with me for the duration. I was so glad he did that!   There’s no better medicine for a sick man than to have his loving wife with him.

No doubt you would like to know the cost of all the above. The total cost for two patients with all the lab tests you might mention, medicines, IVS, doctor’s bill, and ten days hospital bill in a room for two, was a total of $785.00 dollars. The LalithaSuperSpecialtyHospital, in Gunter, Andra Pradesh is well recognized, certified by a government qualified Indian Medical Agency, and with excellent equipment.   Enough good cannot be said about their staff of nurses, doctors, and interns.

THE HOUR FOR REPORTING AND FUND RAISING IS LATE—WHAT CAN BE DONE?

Since 1978 I have not faced such a situation. Normally we do reporting and fund-raising from the third week of October until the first week of January. This year we cannot do that. On the job illness has taken both our time and our energy. Therefore, we must appeal to your understanding and ask for your patience with us.

We want desperately to see all of our supporters, but that cannot happen this year. Again, we are late getting on the road, and there are not enough Sundays and Wednesdays to get the job done. So we must appeal to you through this newsletter, telephone calls, e-mails, and any other creative way we can think of …though Juanita says she is not getting into a hot air balloon and waving a banner promoting our need for funds for the India work over the whole eastern USA!   Please send me your ideas, we need help.

Allow me to simply say, we need your support for the India work. What you have done in 2012 is commendable. However, we have experienced some losses due to the economy and to at least four congregations losing members from moves and deaths. Please consider for 2013 continuing your help as an individual or as a congregation. If God has prospered your way we would ask that you consider increasing your gift to help make up our losses. The Apostle Paul urges us to remember our brethren in Macedonia:

Who voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints—and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us.

--2 Corinthians 8: 3-5            

We plan to return to India leaving the USA on January 8, 2013. We have $27,000 dollars on hand and must raise $45,000 to meet our budget of $72,000 by December 31, 2012. The budget is ambitious, but realistic when we consider the growth of the work.

GOD GIVES THE INCREASE

January 1, 2012---October 29, 2012

Average number baptized per meeting = 1.

(My thanks are expressed to Ron Clayton, our co-worker, and to his office staff in Hyderabad who collect the Statistics from 25,000 Indian preachers in 15 states of India. The above figures are the combined results of our entire India Mission Team, and not my individual efforts alone, which again, are included with the reports of our entire Team of both Indian and full and part-time American workers.) To God is all the glory.

PAYING FOR “THE PIPER”

All of the above results were made possible by your prayers and monetary gifts. Mission work is our response to the Lord’s Great Commission, but it cannot be done without money…a lot of it. Someone has noted: “The Gospel is free, but we have to pay for the ‘piper’ ”.

Briefly, we must pay for our air-fares, hotels, and meals. Then there are the needs of Indian brethren who travel with us, serving as interpreters and organizers of campaigns for Christ—again costs involve hotels, meals, transportation, and a small “gift” for their work. There are larger outlays of cash for construction costs of church buildings and/or schools of preaching. Benevolence—eye glasses and payments for various life saving surgeries are often requested.   We supply bicycles for preachers, and Bibles (printed in their native languages) which are purchased in India. This year, 2013, will see us print some 10,000 copies of a hardcover song book (which we have carefully and thoroughly edited over a period of four years) with hundreds of hymns written by our India brethren as well as favorite English songs which they have translated. Our new song book will be primarily in the Telegu language, but will also contain from 15-40 songs each in five other major native Indian languages as well. Printing of the songbooks will cost about 0.75 cents per book. Thanks for all you do.      

INTRODUCING STEVE AND RENEE GAUDREAU

It is a great pleasure to inform you that brother and Sister Steve and Renee Gaudreau will be with us in India during January and February 2013. The Gaudreau are faithful members at the Manassas, Virginia Church of Christ (our sponsoring church and Eldership). They are both known for their knowledge of the Word of God, and for their ability to teach the Bible as well. Please be in prayer for them as they make this first journey of what we hope and pray will become a regular annual evangelistic effort of theirs to India. May the Lord bless them with a wonderful and productive work in His field that is white unto harvest?

Grace and Peace,

Jerris Bullard, Missionary  

In Memory of Those Who Encouraged Our Work

September 26, 2016

Dear Brethren,

Greetings in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ.   We are partners in likely the greatest evangelistic mission that history has experienced.    God is doing a mighty work in our own time and with you and us as His co-workers.    We have experienced nearly one-half of a million souls baptized this year.  We are praying that by year's end we will have seen one million baptisms in 2016.   

Juanita and I have had several health issues this year.  We thank you for your patience with us as the Lord has rebuilt our health.  Juanita is completing her therapy to learn how to walk again following her left hip replacement.  Her recovery from this surgery has taken much longer than we had anticipated.  Your prayers, cards,  and other forms of encouragement have meant so much to us.  God has been gracious and we are both able to be doing the work again.  Of course, much has been done in the interval and we feel that we have accomplished most of our goals for the mission work which we had planned with the Indian brethren  while we were with them during January through February.  The Indian brethren have been very wonderful in communicating with us by telephone and Email in order to accomplish all the work we asked them to do.     

We are planning to visit as many brethren as we can during October, November, and the first half of December. Those supporters whom we cannot personally visit during this time will receive a CD which will provide much of the same information as we would share with the congregation in a personal visit.  The Lord willing we will return to India on January 12, 2017.  Following our return home sometime in March, we will do our best to visit those supporters whom we have not been able to see in 2016.   We really want to do this.  We miss the person relationship with each of you. 

BUILDING THE KINGDOM...ONE SOUL AT A TIMe

• Above Statistics are for January 1--August 19, 2016.
• Average meetings per day 1,044
• Average baptisms per day 2,015  souls.
• Average baptized per meeting 1.93 souls.

(Our thanks to Ron Clayton and his office staff in Hyderabad for the above campaign report.)   

TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY

1 CORINTHIANS 3: 6...GOD GIVES THE INCREASE

Please be in prayer for our Indian brethren and for their nation which has experienced  severe flooding as a result of monsoon rains.   Many  brethren have lost all of their personal effects:  clothing,  cooking utensils,  television sets, books, and bedding.   In some homes water has been as high as six feet.  (This is very similar to the floods in Louisiana.)  There is a shortage of food and medical supplies including their daily tablets.  There  are large scale outbreaks of malaria and denque fever (denque is carried by the same Egypti Mosquito that causes zika).  We need to supply funds for benevolence.   We  have several brethren who wish to provide medical camps for their affected neighbors and church members, but they have no funds with which to purchase needed medical supplies and medicines.  Please be as generous as possible and help us with this need.

YOUR HELP IS URGENTLY NEEDED

We do not maintain a large back-up of capital.  Every month we send your gifts directly to our bank account in India where it is immediately dispersed to the most pressing needs.  On average we send $18,000.00 dollars per month to our Indian brethren.  This is for every conceivable expense that one may think of for operating a large mission work.  As an example consider these urgent needs, and as the Indian brethren say, "pray...and then do the needful."

1.  Completion of construction of two buildings in Bagdogra (China border area)--   $30,000.00 dollars.

2.  Printing of 10,000 song books in the Telegu language at $1.25 per hardback copy.  $12,500.00 dollars. 

3. Benevolence for flood victims; eye glasses, numerous serious medical problems,  food and clothing.  $12,000.00 dollars. 

LOOKING AHEAD: 

Evangelism-- winter Campaign 2017--beginning January 12, 2017:  Airfares for the Bullards--$8,000.00 dollars. 

Eight major 2017 campaigns involving hundreds of Indian preachers--daily support, travel, meals, hotels, Bibles for distribution, and bicycles for preachers.  $18,000.00 dollars.

The needs are great and urgent.  Please help as soon as possible.  Thanks...your gift is appreciated, needed, and we do not take your sacrifice for granted.                           

CONCLUDING  APPEAL:

I am reminded of a note received from Hollye Clardy.  In the note,  Hollye  wrote, "I am praying for the Billions of lost souls."      Is it too much for us to pray that one million souls may be baptized in India this year?  May we all have the faith of sister Clardy.

The gospel is free, but we must pay the "piper".  Please pray and give as generously as possible...souls are at stake.   We are on the Master's  business!

"Give Me Souls Or I Die."--"Praying"   John Hyde

Grace and Peace,

Jerris Bullard, Missionary

ANNIVERSARY MILESTONE

 Joe and Rosemary Capshaw-60TH--Boerne Texas

IN MEMORY

Bobby Redd--Lake  City, Ga.                                               Jerry Wilson --Manassas, VA

PSALMS 116: 15.....REVELATION 14: 13

Dear Brethren,

God has heard your prayers! By His grace Juanita and I are enjoying good health, maybe not 100 per cent, but well enough to be about the work. We plan to return to India on January 15, 2007. Our tickets have been purchased. We are packing bags, and are ready to go (Matthew 28: 18-20).