Mark Brister Ministries is expanding into southern India in addition to Bihar. On February 14, Rehoboth Ministries went to a village called Talagadadeevi near the Bay of Bengal. Twenty-five widows and destitute women received food and clothing. The women asked why Rehoboth cares since no one else does and the opportunity opened to share the Gospel. Six of the women came to Christ and the door has opened to start a house church.

Rehoboth Ministries shared, “We wanted to thank Dr. Mark Brister and Mark Brister Ministries for helping us to do this outreach.”

While the majority of us enjoy a simple glass of clean water from an indoor faucet in the USA, so many villagers throughout the world spend a large portion of their time searching for useable water just to survive. We keep helping TIM drill wells in Bihar in order to bring physical water which in turn opens the door for The Living Water.

Here is a well drilled and dedicated late last year at the Ram Nagar village. By the way, we are off to a good start in 2012 having just funded ten more wells.

A village water well transforms lives by providing readily available fresh, clean drinking water. Over time as villagers begin to experience life with fresh water improving their living conditions they begin to ask more about the inscription on their well that Jesus is the living water! They come to understand that He can change our lives spiritually as much as a fresh water well has changed conditions physically in their village. Photos have arrived from India of two new wells just dedicated:

North Lakhnur Mushari Village

Paswan Tola Village

Alka Devi                                                                     Ranu Devi

Neelam Devi                                                             Veena Kumar

Soni Kumari                                                               Hema Devi

Sabina Khatoon                                                       Poonam Devi

Rita Devi                                                                     Anamika Kumari

Sushma Devi                                                             Guriya Kumari

Leelawathi Devi                                                       Rina Kumari

Ranju Kumari                                                            Jaimanti Devi

Mark Brister Ministries sponsored 50 women in 2010 with gifts of sewing machines following their successful completion of the Tailoring School through the Transformation India Movement (TIM). We are pleased that again in 2011 we have been able to sponsor 50 women again so they may begin their own tailoring business and learn of Christ’s love for them.

Transformation India Movement touches so many lives through the Bridge of Hope Tailoring Center for Empowering Women. Hear the story translated into English of Rubi Bharati from Patna, Bihar, India. “I was living a life of depression right from my childhood. Nobody in my family loved me. Even after my marriage, my life didn’t have any difference. I didn’t get any love neither from my in -laws family or from my husband. Many time I thought of ending my life. I was a staunch Hindu and passionately worshiped different Hindu gods and goddesses. Besides, I used to worship the nature, the sun God. One day, worshiping the sun god, I looked up to heaven and said, “I need to know who the real God who loves me is.” As I was leading a very depressed life in my home, one day, a TIM Field worker came to my home and began to share the gospel.” Not long afterward, a TIM sewing center was opened in her area. Rubi was accepted into the Tailor School to receive the 6 month training. The trainer, the wife of the field worker, began to counsel her and helped her know more about Jesus. During the sewing training, her life began to experience the love of Christ for the first time. She trusted Christ, and took water baptism in the river along with her husband. Rubi shared, “After taking baptism, my husband and I threw all the idols that we worshiped for many years to the same place where we took baptism. Today, I am enjoying my Christian life and will never leave Him no matter what happens.”

Rubi now has a business skill in addition to sewing for her family. Mark Brister Ministries is pleased to be able to help sponsor women like Rubi through the TIM Bridge of Hope Tailoring Center.

What an incredible blessing yesterday. While speaking at a fine Texas church the VBS director came forward in the morning worship service to thank all the helpers and children and make a special presentation. To my astonishment she asked me up on the platform to receive a donation from the VBS children. Starting at age two these incredible kids had brought their pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters to help other children. They had heard about Mark Brister Ministries drilling water wells in the poorest part of India and decided to take it on as a project and surprise me when I came to speak at their church. Over 250 kids gave $1000 to fund and support a well! Had no idea that gift was coming! So much of the news is negative in our world. How refreshing to experience the faith of Texas children in behalf of the children of Bihar, India. God is always good, and it is really good when His people live loving Him and others!

Life giving water changes lives. For the last 50 years, villagers from the Bishwamparpur village of Bihar, walked to the river to take water. Water weighs about eight pounds per gallon, so it is never easy to carry a pail or a bucket a great distance. If they ever tried to take water from neighboring personal wells, they faced abuse. Often in Bihar a personal well owner refuses to share and will abuse a neighboring villager for attempting to pump water. Fortunately TIM has now drilled a fresh bore well in Bishwamparpur so the villagers have fresh, clean water where they live. What is also important to remember is that all TIM wells are labeled as “Public Wells” so anyone passing through the village or anyone coming from another village may receive a cool drink and see at the top of the well: “Jesus is the Living Water.” Not only do water wells in Bihar save a village, they save neighboring villagers and travelers while unapologetically announcing Jesus as the Living Water!

Mark Brister Ministries funds a new water well! The villagers in Akhbarpur Dihpar now have fresh water! A gracious Sunday School class collected and donated the funds to sponsor this new well completed June 20, 2011.

With intense heat over much of America, it humbles me to be in an air conditioned room with a glass of iced tea realizing most of the villagers of Bihar, India have no air conditioning, no fresh water, and no transportation as they live their lives in the same heat as we face here. Water saves. Living water saves forever!

Mark Brister Ministries partners with Transformation India Movement in prayer. Recent challenges in water well drilling merit our prayer support. While hand drilling continues, so do struggles. In one village after drilling completed, what Biju Thomas termed, “anti social people” refused it, and forced its removal. The well had to be drilled a second time in a nearby location to help the poorest villagers. In another location, sand clogged the filter 180 feet below ground rendering the well unusable. It had to be bored in an alternate location. In yet another mishap, the driller lost his drilling pipe and the well had to be started again, and took much longer (one month) to complete due to drilling complications. Transformation India Movement (TIM) has drilled several hundred wells in Bihar. Gracious supporters through Mark Brister Ministries have funded many TIM wells. We do more than give. We pray. Remember to pray for a well. Living Water saves lives through fresh well water.

The Sundarban villagers rejoice in their new water well, drilled by Mark Brister Ministries in cooperation with the Transformation India Movement!

Summer’s heat has arrived. Most people with air conditioning dread their upcoming electric bills. The village people of Bihar, India do not. They have no air conditioning. They have no electric bills. They do need fresh water to stay alive and healthy. Right now rains have come to Bihar, but in checking the weather channel, their actual temperature of 93 feels like 104 at 7:20 p.m. in the early evening!

Yes, it has been a great Mother’s Day today. Got to spend it with my precious bride of over 37 years, the mother of our two wonderful sons. Also got to spend it with my dear mom, and share my love and appreciation for her being my mom. Had a great time of fellowship and worship at church today. To top off Mother’s Day today, photos of a newly dedicated well just arrived from Bihar. It thrills me to see moms and their children in the Belthan - Panitanki village receiving clean water in their own village! That is what I call a great Mother’s Day!