India Conferences
2009
November
For the first time we were able to take a second trip to India in the same year. The main reason we went again this soon was to be a part of the 10th anniversary celebration of Abundant Life For All Ministries in Bangalore. ALFA Ministries is our main partner in India and one we have worked with over the past five years. We have not only partnered with them on these conferences but have also funded the construction of an orphanage and a school on their property. On this trip, we were able to once again hold a pastor's conference on the ALFA campus and be a part of the 10th anniversary celebrations as well. We also held a one day pastor's conference with Ebi George of the Full Gospel Church in India. We have worked with Ebi for several years and funded the construction of his pastor training facility in Malaysia. Once again, Martin Halberg and Badu Bediako went with Jerry. The team was used to encourage the amazing men and women who are serving the Lord in small villages all over India.
January
The January 2009 trip was different in two major ways. First was the team. This year we took three people from the United States (Jerry, Jeff Lacey and Martin Halberg) plus for our first time ever someone from outside the US. Badu Bediako from Ghana, West Africa was the fourth member of the team. Because of his first hand experience with persecution in Africa, he was able to reach the Indian pastors in a way the other team members couldn't. The second change was that this trip started in Mumbai. While there, we were able to hold a one day pastor's conference, preach in various churches and check out a location for an orphanage. We then flew to Bangalore where we held a one day pastor's conference with Pastor's Susainanthan and Pinto. We then held the fifth annual pastor's conference in Yelahanka which is co-hosted with Pastor Krupananda Gollapalli of ALFA ministries. With all the persecution the Indian church has been experiencing recently, this was a great time for us to encourage them and remind them of the faithfulness of God. It was a great week!
2008
In January 2008, Jerry, Jeff Lacey and Martin Halberg teamed up with six guys from Houston, TX to hold the 4th annual Pastor's conference with Abundant Life For All Ministries (ALFA). Approximately 300 pastors stayed on the ALFA campus, run by Pastors "Krup" & Victoria Gallapalli, and attended the 3-day conference. The attending pastors shepherd small churches around Southern India. For the second year in a row, the dedicated group from Houston held a Vacation Bible School for the orphans who live full time on the ALFA campus and the pastor's children that come to the conference. These men poured out their hearts daily; from teaching the Vacation Bible School curriculum to playing red rover with the kids. It was a great week full of God's blessings!
2007
In January 2007, Jerry along with an incredible group of 11 other missionaries, embarked on a 10-day trip to Yelahanka, India. The group split into two separate teams for the first half of the trip. Jerry took a group of five to minister with Pastor Ebenezer "Ebi" George. (Pastor Ebi is a 3rd generation pastor who oversees more than 150 churches in southern India.) The other seven members of the team, under the leadership of Jason Baker, went to the ALFA campus run by Pastor Krupananda "Krup" Gallapalli. (Krup is the leader of ALFA ministries where A Time To Buildfunded the construction of a boy's home in 2005.) Mid-week, everyone joined back together and finished the week ministering on the ALFA campus. During the trip, the team held two separate pastor's conferences; a vacation Bible school, preached two Sunday's in multiple churches and spent time with the orphans who live on the ALFA campus!
2006
In January 2006, Jerry and a team of eight other ministers spent 10 days in Yelahanka, India. The team held two separate Pastor Conferences that were attended by over 200 pastors from all over India. One pastor, along with his wife and children, took a train approximately 50 hours, one-way, to attend the event! After Jerry returned, he had several emails from Pastor Krup stating that some pastors were on the verge of giving up and quitting the ministry before they attended the conference. During the 3-day event, they were so touched by the Lord that they rededicated their lives to fulfilling their God-given ministry. One man had left the ministry a couple of years ago, attended the conference, and has now started his ministry again!
2004
The first opportunity to go to India originated because of a building project after our good friends, Jason and Susannah Baker, expressed their willingness to raise funds specifically for India. Shortly after, we began working closely with Pastors Krup and Victoria Gallapalli to build an orphanage on their property in Yelahanka, India. After a time of getting to know each other, Pastor Krup asked Jerry to speak at a pastor's conference he had planned. On November 4, 2004, boardmember Billy Murdock and Jerry boarded a plane and headed to India. They stopped for several days in Germany to minister and then flew to Bangalore for seven days. They preached for four days to over 200 pastors who attended the conference. As a bonus, they broke ground on the new boy's orphanage. Construction began shortly after the trip and the building was completed in December 2005.