On Opposite Sides Of The Globe

Dear Friends,

As I write this update our family is on opposite sides of the globe. Asha and I (Dawn) are in Canada. I am here raising funds for our budget. While my dear husband is in India caring on the work there. Hannah is not too far away in Toronto working and gearing up for her next year of college. 

The weeks of summer fly by as I work on our fund raising. I have watched God work and so many times in our lives and it amazes me how he continues to provide and we are still able to continue to our work in India. 

Even though the church headquarters is now only half way finished we are able to hold services in the building. Just before we left India at the end of June we were honored to host a free eye camp. People were able to receive free eye exams and will be able to receive free eye surgery if needed.

In July Asha took part in a mission trip! She was part of a VBS team that went to Sussex NB. For five days the team of 5 teens and preteens lead VBS. 
The VBS was held in a local church and they averaged 15 children a day. Many of these children were unchurched and broken homes.














This week  Hannah will is volunteering as part of summer camp that is held in our home church Highway Gospel. The theme for this years camp "Lego". It is amazing to see our girls to continue on taking part in ministry.

My summer is being spent fundraising a few years ago God started me down a road of selling scarves and bags made in India I called this idea “Scarves of Hope”. I have watched as God has taken the 5 suitcases of scarves that I brought to Canada and often miraculously help raise funds for our budget, Christmas and so much more.



I am still looking for opportunities to sell scarves bags and the many other items that I have. If you are interested in Scarves of Hope or would like to host a Scarves of Hope party please let me know. 


Looking ahead: 
Please pray as Asha and I continue to travel and head home to India the first of September. Hannah will start her second year of college in September pray that God will continue to be with her. Please pray that we will see the completion of the church building that God will provide the funds for us to finish. 

In Him,

Prasad and Dawn

What We Did On Our Summer Vacation.

Dear Friends,

May in India brings many things the Tamil words "akkni natchathiram" literally translated means "flaming star". It also brings summer vacation and of course the much awaited mango season. 

In the Samson household, it brings dirty hand prints and foot prints on walls and floors toys scattered through out house and yard, the sound of small children laughing, fighting and playing. For the past eight years it is our tradition to have all the children from Hope for the Children that can’t or don’t feel safe going home to come and stay with us for the month of May. This May we had a total of six children from 6 to 15 years old with us. They have spent the summer playing, laughing and relaxing. Here are a few highlights: 

A trip to the local mall for some fun at the arcade "Fun City". It was lots of fun, playing games going on some rides and stopping for lunch and ice cream at KFC. 

          

They also spent time in the pool cooling off and having fun. We finished the summer with a trip to the local amusement park. 

Work has continued on at the church. Thanks to all that prayed for the past problems we were able to move forward and have the bottom half of the church completed.

In recent months there have been many changes happening all around us in India in the past months over 750 orphanages have been shut down, the vast majority being Christian orphanages. The children in these orphanages are being packed up and sent to newly opened government run homes. The state government continues to bring new regulations and demands that orphanages are expected to meet. Making it more and more impossible for orphanages to stay open. This is being done in the name of children's safety which is of course most important but the underling reason is to stop the spread of Christianity amongst children. 

 At the same time India has just finished federal elections. Over a period of a month India voted, it was quite amazing to be in the middle of the worlds biggest democracy as they went through the election process. In the end India elected a new Prime Minister desperate for change the BJP party and Narendra Modi are the new ruling party and Prime Minster of India. The BJP are know as Hindu fundamentalists and have a record of being hard on minorities like Christians and Muslims.   They are also known to block “western influences”.

With all of these changes "Hope for the Children" will be moving in a new direction. We will be moving towards residential care, supporting children in their homes with their parents and extended families. We feel under these circumstances that this is the best and safest route for the children and our family. This allows us to still continue to support  and make a difference in the lives of children with out the threat or influence of the Indian government. Please keep our family in your prayers we are unsure what impact these changes in government will have on us and our work. 

Reading our last blog I gave a few prayer requests: 1, That the work would continue on in the new church. Praise God it has and we have finished the bottom floor!

2 Hannah was finishing her first year of college pray as she wrote her final exams. You may have seen my Facebook announcement she finished with all A's!

So two amazing answers to prayer.

Looking ahead, Asha and I (Dawn) will be traveling home this summer from June 24th to Sep 12 I am looking for opportunities to speak, hold scarf parties and to raise funds for our work. If you are interested in having me speak or would like to host a party please let me know.

Please keep our family in your prayers and India moves forward under new leadership. Also pray that the last of the funds needed to complete the church project will come in. 

In Him,

Prasad and Dawn

Church construction and a trip to the zoo.

Dear Friends,

Summer is just around the corner in Chennai last week the thermometer reached 39C 102F. This and we are still weeks away from the real hot season. Despite the heat our work continues on as we press forward in the work of the Lord. 

 After a brief down time at the new church headquarters work has restarted. It seems sometimes that the enemy works over time to make things more difficult but his success is only temporary. First the work stopped because of a lack of building supplies specifically sand. Sand is needed to mix the cement that is used in the building process.                             

 Next we faced a problem with our builder. He demanded money for work that was not finished. We were taken to the police station the dispute went on for a few months. God is so good in the end the builder who took us to the police station has been warned by the police that he should stay out of our property.  Now this situation has been resolved and the new builder has started the work again at last. Please pray that there will be no more set backs. 

On a much lighter note the kids Hope for the Children took a trip to the zoo. What a great time to get away and enjoy some of Gods creatures!

Both those behind the cages and those that ran free. The zoo was followed by a trip to the beach. That night everyone was returned home safe and sound although a little wet and very tired. 

It is an honor to be a part of these children’s lives down through the years God has allowed us to play a small part in hundreds of children's lives. We struggle with letting them go but trust that the seeds of love that we planted in them and lessons that they were taught will always stay with them.

Looking ahead, Please pray that in our next update we will be able to report on more progress at the church building project. 

Hannah will be finishing her first year of college in a few months and will have a busy summer working at our home church Highway Gospel. Please pray that she will do well on her final exams and that God will continue to guide her. 

Asha continues to be home schooled with the help of a tutor. With the traveling that we do it is hard to always keep up. 

God Bless,

Prasad and Dawn

Fashion Show and Christmas Fun

Dear Friends,

After such a long time I have finally gotten around to bringing  you up to date on what has been going on. In July we headed home to Canada for a time of rest and itinerating. We want to thank all that made our stay such a time of fruitfulness. While we were home we were able to spend some time with Hannah who is now studying Early Childhood Education in Centennial College Toronto. I was also able to raise funds for the work here in India through Scarves of Hope. Thanks to everyone that hosted a party or women’s event. 

The beautiful models. 

One very special event took place on Nov 16th. The first ever “Scarves of Hope” fashion show. Held at our home church Highway Gospel Church Scarborough. This event was a huge success and so much fun! A big thank you to Emjay Duran, Fe Gatus and Niki Reindorf all our models and to all the lades that put in time and energy to make this dream a reality. 

Prasad opening the widows meeting with prayer.

We headed back home to India on Nov 20th and hit the ground running. December was fast approaching and we knew that there was little time to spare getting ready for all the Christmas events. 

On Dec we held our annual Widows meeting. Every year we gather our widows for a day to appreciate them and to show them we care and love them. What a lovely group of ladies and what a fun time we had. 

The ladies playing a game of hot potato. 

On Dec 18th we enjoyed the first of five Christmas concerts. After weeks of practice it was great to see all the children’s hard work pay off. We watched as the kids dance recited scripture verses and put on dramas. The audiences were made up of mostly non Christians so this is a great out reach to share the joy of the Christmas season with others. 

On the 24th we held our annual Christmas party at “Hope for the Children”  thanks to “Scarves of Hope” we had a great party. There was candy, toys, cake and of course fireworks. 

We rang in the new year with a New Years service and lots of fire works. 

Looking ahead to the months to come. Construction will begin again on the new church headquarters. God continues to provide finances in a miraculous way. Work had slowed down over Christmas because of the busy season. Now we are ready to move on again and to start the next phase. Please pray that all will run smoothly. 

In Him,

Prasad and Dawn

Summer Fun And Church Construction

Dear Friends,

For several weeks our home has been filled with the voices of children playing in our back yard. It’s summer in India which means school holidays. It is a tradition at the Samson household that all children at “Hope for the Children” that can’t go home don’t feel safe at home or don’t have homes, come to stay with us. So for all of May and into June we had had up to 6 extra children with us. Noise, dirty hand prints, tattle tailing and scraped knees are all part of the fun of summer.

This summer we took the kids to a arcade/play area where we spent the day. Talk about a day of firsts. First time at a mall, First time on an escalator (almost as much fun as the arcade),first time trying KFC. In the end it was a great day and something the children will talk about for a long time to come.



























In the past we have had the privilege of hosting many teams from Canada but this month we hosted our first team from India. We were approached by a local summer camp to have a team of children visit “Hope for the Children”. The team brought snacks and cakes and spent the morning playing and talking with our kids. We were very blessed to have them with us.









As this goes on on the home front construction continues at the church headquarters. This is God’s project and he is building His church. I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matthew 16:18

So far, we have seen the old church building demolished, the basement and columns raised and in the next few weeks we will begin to poor the floor. Praise God! We are now trusting God to provide for the walls of the church.

In just a few weeks we will be heading home to itinerate. We are looking for opportunity to share about our work in India and to raise funds for the new church headquarters. We pray that you will join hands with us with this project which is the primary purpose of our mission abroad.
If you are interested in having us share please contact us through email. I am also holding “Scarves of Hope” parties again the summer. If are interested in hosting a party please let me know via email or Facebook.
Looking ahead please pray for our family as we travel and itinerate. Also pray that all will run smoothly with ministry here while we are away.

In Him,

Prasad and Dawn

Dear Friends,

The past few weeks have been full! Revival meetings, a retreat, specials guests and laying a corner stone for a new church. We wanted to put together a update of some of the highlights of the past two
months.

Over the past few weeks the godess of death visited "Hope for the Children". In North America we would say they had the chicken pox. So far over 17 and one of our staff contracted them. Thanks to all the prayed for the kids they are now for the most part on the mend.

Prasad welcomes Pastor Dan

On January 29th our pastor Rev Dan Colantonio Highway Gospel Church Scarborough arrived in India for the first time. It was such a blessing to have him with us. We want to thanks Highway Gospel Church for sending him.




 On Feb 1 we started 3 nights of revival meetings with Pastor Dan as our special speaker. We saw many come forward for prayer and healing. One young man was healed of a bladder infection he testified on the second night of feeling a burning sensation in his body. After a visit to the doctor he was told that there was no infection.

 On the fist night Pastor Dan spoke on the prodigal son. With out him knowing, there was a woman in the audience who had left the church become discouraged and began to support her self as a prostitute.  On the second night that same woman lay weeping face down at the alter seeking God’s grace and forgiveness. Hallelujah!






 From February 6th to 9th we were honored to host our third Indian Field retreat. The retreat is a time for the PAOC Indian team to come together to refresh and renew ourselves. What an amazing time of fellowship with our team! 










We were extremely blessed to have Rev Peggy Kennedy as our special speaker this year. She encouraged and edified us blessed and taught us. We are so thankful to Peggy and Jack Kennedy for attending the retreat. We were also blessed to have Pastor Dan share during of the sessions.









 On January 10th Peggy and Jack Kennedy along with Pastor Dan were our special guests at our cornerstone service.  After the  service by faith we laid the cornerstone of our new church headquarters.








Some funds have some in for this project but we still have a ways to go. Construction will start in the coming weeks. Until the construction is complete we will be holding services temporally on the of the girls dormitory at Hope for the Children. If you would like to play a role in this church project contact us at prasaddawn@hotmail.com.
We are believing that God will build his church.  Please pray as we start this new project.







Looking ahead to our next update we will be filling you in on how we celebrated Easter and the great things God did. Until then may God Bless!

Prasad and Dawn

Dear Friends,

It's winter in India and there is a slight chill in the morning air. We look forward to this time of year not for the weather, although it is nice to be cold for a change, but because it is the time that we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. I have put together just a taste of what took place this Christmas. 

Widows enjoying their Christmas diner.

Ladies playing musical chairs.

On Dec 15th we had our widows Christmas party. We love spending the day with our ladies. We played games gave out prizes shared the word and gave them their Christmas sari and Christmas meal along with some extra money for the holidays.




This year we were blessed with 4 Christmas concerts two of them were made even more special. One in our new church building in Avadi. I am reminded of several Christmases that the concerts were held out doors because we had no church building. This year we held the concert inside the beautiful completed church. Praise God! Thanks to everyone in Canada that made that the building of this church possible.

Boys preform at Thayur Church

The Church in Thayur packed to the rafters.

Another program was the church in the village of Thayur. For years this church was closed to us and we were not able to hold a service in the building while the case made it's way through the Indian court system. This was our first Christmas program in Thayur in 3 year. 

Children decorate their first Christmas tree.

Starting with prayer.

On Dec 24th we held the annual Christmas party at Hope for the Children. Thanks to Trinity Pentecostal Church in Greenwood N.S. and "Scarves of Hope" the kids enjoyed a great party! Which included their first Christmas tree that everyone got a chance to help decorate. A visit from Santa who brought candy. New clothes and toys. A cake and we ended the night with a great show of fireworks.
This was the first Christmas for some of our children they had never seen a Christmas tree or heard the Christmas story.  Making Christmas even more special for us. 

We ended our Christmas with a midnight Christmas Eve service.

Stopping for some ice cream after lunch.

This month along with all the kids "Hope for the Children" we joined the circus! At least for the afternoon show. We started the day at Guindy Children's Park, right here in Chennai. The kids got to see animals and reptiles. They also got to play on a huge playground.

Next we went straight to the circus. It was great watching the kids enjoy the show. Many of the kids had never seen the circus and a lot didn't even know what it was. Boy were they in for a treat!

Looking ahead in a week our pastor from our home church in Scarborough Ontario Rev Dan Colantonio will be visiting us. We are planning revival meetings and special services during this time. February 6th to 9th we will be hosting the PAOC Indian Field Retreat. Our special speakers are Peggy and Jack Kennedy, Dan Colantonio and Peter McIntosh. Please keep this busy time in your prayers.