WILL YOU BE A PART OF IN THIS MISSION?
OUR VISION
REACHING THE UNREACHED THROUGH THE MEDIA
It’s a Mission about Love. We love God, and we demonstrate our love and live out our Faith by extending Care to others.
I was born and brought up in a Christian family in a small village called Annaparru in Andhra Pradesh. My family background is from Hindu. My father died of asthma in 1990, and I was placed in an orphanage hostel in 1994. I studied within the same hostel for 15 years. I use to like very naughty in hostel. Fighting’s and not studying. But I learned many things in that hostel like discipline and little education. I don’t know how that year’s was paused in hostel. But after I left the hostel and I stopped studying because of my family and financial problems. When my father died my mother remarried, and my grandfather has been taking care of me ever since. I don’t have any sisters or brothers.
After I left that hostel I got my circle with bad friendships. I started drinking and going for field work and earning money. But slowly I became a bad person in my relations home and my village. I don’t know what is happening in my life and what I’m doing with my life. I thought to leave my village and go somewhere and work. Finally I got a job in Hyderabad as a serving boy in hostel. In that hostel my first work is as a security Job and later they put in kitchen as cutting vegetables person. After sometime I worked as a swimming pool operator. I use to get salary Rs.1, 500 per month. And with that money I use enjoy with my friends and wasting money. These works I have done for 3 years in Hyderabad. In 2008 while I was working as serving boy in a medical lab I got a accident. We are taking food by auto to medical lab. While we are going by auto my right foot fell inside the curry and got burn very badly. I was on bed for 2 months taking rest. Even though this things happened to me but I didn’t change my life. I’m still planning to go back and do the same things. But one day my grandfather called me for the further studies.
But I didn’t do my intermediate (+1, +2) course, but I started my computer courses in 2009, specializing in multimedia and animation. For to do this Animation course my uncle he helped me a lot with finances. I use to go everyday 60 K.M’s (round trip) for this course. During this animation course my Mom she had got affected by AIDS virus. Before this AIDS came she was so much healthy and very strong. For me I don’t know when she got AIDS. Before she dies two months ago all relatives came to know about her sickness. We admitted her in the hospital for treatment. We all are shocked to know how she got this virus and when she got.
We admitted her in the hospital June/2010. In hospital she uses to take lot of medicine. She had become very thin and skinny. When relatives came to know about my mother, slowly they all left my mother. But her younger brother he helped us financially to buy good medicine. Even though government giving also we have to pay for them also. In that hospital facilities are not good. Once I took her to toilet the full of rooms are blocked and the entire toilet came outside the floor. In government hospital there is no good treatment.
I never stayed with her before in my life even one month. But before her death I stayed with her almost 2 and half months. In hospital there is no one to help to my mother. I use to take her toilet, washing her dress and changing her dress etc.
In July month she had became sick. Every day she needs to take lot of tablets. In hospital evening times she will get high fever. I thought maybe she will die very fast. Again we took her to our home in village. At home she is so happy. From that day onwards she don’t want take anymore medicine. Day by day days are moving very fast and her health also became too much sickness. While she passes through the urine she couldn’t sense what was happening. She does everything in her dress itself. Even if small drop of urine or toilet drops down on the ground, it smells bad.
At home we have one small shed. It’s made by bamboo shoot. In that home at least two people can stay and sleep. I’m the one son for my mother. My father also passed away when I was 4 years old. There is no good house for both me and my mother. Once I went my mother’s elder brother home to bring one coat for my mother to sleep. As I reached his home suddenly he got angry on me and then he said to me “if you and your mother come to my place to touch anything here I will cut your legs and kill you both”. I don’t’ know why he said to me like that. But he never helped us in every area. Then I said to him “Sorry uncle, we will not come to your place. I just need one coat for my mother to sleep in that small shed”.
During July month in our village more rains started to come. Our shed was one side leaning down .We was staying in that shed in the end of the village. In that shed we don’t have any power system. The full of place became more sticky mud and full of green grass with rains. In our village we were suffering with electric problems. In our shed we don’t have even one light and fan for both of us me and my mother. We have only one small oil lamp. One day my mother younger brother he had given to me some money to use. Then I went inside the village to buy one current wire. I brought that one and then I fixed power from the main electric line to our house. Only then we had electric line for the light and fan. For that one we no need to pay the bill to anyone. It’s just like an illegal electric connection. Once electric connection people came and they saw these things, they said they will report police case on us. Somehow we managed them they were fine with us. Because of the condition there we have finance problem and poverty. I don’t have any option to fix the electric problem that’s why we were together staying in that shed.
When my mother was at home with this sickness no one came to see her. Her younger brother use to come and visit us and help us. For me it’s very hard to stay in one place long time. When she was on the bed I’m so young and like to play games with my friends. But I just left everything and stayed all the time with my mother. Whenever I see her face I use to cry for some while.
In July month again we took her to the hospital for check up, but there is no improvement in her health. Then later someone suggested us about one government organization for AIDS people. There they will provide food and shelter for AIDS people. She has mother, father, brothers and sister but she was staying like an orphan in that organization. I don’t know exactly why they never visited my mom. During that time I was doing my computer course. So morning I will go for class and from 12:00pm to until next morning I will stay with her in organization. In that organization all the people they have to buy all things for themselves. There is nobody to help to anyone but some of them they have their relatives with them.
In that organization every week we have to take them to the hospital for check-up. Once I took my mother for check-up that time I forgot our ration card to take them to show. I left my mother in hospital and I went to organization to bring our ration card by the time that hospital people left my mother outside. When I came back from the organization I saw her she was sleeping on the floor. Suddenly from my eyes tears came down. Because of one ration card they didn’t check my mother, then later from the hospital I took my mother back again to my home. Because I don’t want her to be anymore orphan.
Finally in the month of august we were staying together in our small shed. People from the village the organization from ASHA they came to see my mother and give some medicine to my mother. In august month we had lot of rains in our village and our shed was about to fall down. But we both use to adjust in that shed. It’s very hard to sleep for 2 people, because the shed is very small. During August month she was very sick, she couldn’t walk, eat, and drink. But sometimes I use to force her to drink some fruit juice. In her body there is no strength to do anything.
In August month she started fearing so much. We were sleeping in that shed and no one is with us. I use to expect to someone to come and help us, but there is no one like that. One night my mother not at all sleeping and fearing so much. She used to call me “Ratna! Please come and help me. Here lots of snakes biting me please come and help me” like this she uses to scream and call me. I also use to fear about darkness and snakes but somehow I will go and check, but nothing was there. Sometimes when she was calling I use to get angry but I will go and check. I know nothing is there but she will call me because of fear of snakes and darkness. My mother she is not saved by God and no salvation in her life.
There are lot of things happened within this two months. She became very sick and about to die. In this two months lot of change in my life too. We together we did lot of journey and she had lot of medicine and injections. In my life I never had spent time with her not even one month while she was health but I stayed with her almost two and half months when she became very sick and final stage.
Finally August 14th night I will never forget it in my life. It’s like for me ending day in my life. Every day night as usual she use to call me and scream that night also she calls my name. But she wants to sleep on the ground. I’m alone I can’t move her that midnight. She moved herself and slept on the ground floor. That’s the only last sleeping night. I thought she was sleeping very well. Early morning 15th/ Sunday/2010, 5:15am I woke up and went to one of my friend home to go outside. There I spoke just five minutes with one of my grandmother. I said to her “why God is not taking away my mother life and why he making her suffer like this” I spoke what was in my heart and then after 10 minutes I came back to see my mother and she was lying down already dead.
That time I don’t know what I have to do. But I started calling my mother “mom! Wake up please”. But she already died and she is not alive anymore in this world. I called some people but they didn’t come. After sometime all relatives started to come to see my mother. No one spoke to me and I also didn’t talk to them. By the evening burial service completed. I thought that day is my last day for my life in this world. I don’t know what’s going on in my life. Because both my parents are dead so what is next in my life. I totally felt my life empty and lonely at that time. That day night we had one memorial service and prayer meeting in that shed place.
I finished my animation course in 2011, but I was unemployed because I didn’t find any job opportunities. To earn for my living I had to work in a farm every day. After my passed away everyone is looking at me down. I was become useless in my relations home. If I go for work I will get food, otherwise no food on that day for me. I use to go my friends home for food sometimes. I suffered a lot in the field work. I use to go for Rice, Chilli, Cotton and Tobacco field. I have no strength to work under the sun light. But for food purpose I use to go with my friends. Most of the time I was spent more money for drinking beer and wine with my friends. I searched for job I didn’t get anything. My life was became Hopeless life, and lost life.
At that time I had a friend, and I was unaware that he was from YWAM (Youth With A Mission). When I met him, his testimony touched my heart. I told him that I wanted to do MDTS (Media Discipleship Training School). I don’t know about YWAM anything. But in my mind I want leave my palace and relations and go somewhere. The MDTS it was in JAIPUR in Rajasthan and I don’t have any money with me to go to there. I didn’t have any job that time, but in faith I borrowed Rupees 6,000/-. I didn’t know if it was God’s plan or not but I went to do my MDTS anyway. Before I go for my MDTS I was thinking that the DTS was like 70MM DST like theatre. I was thinking until I reach Jaipur may be I’m going to work in movie theatre. My YWAM life started in July.15.2011. In YWAM I am started to know God and make him known. After 3 week I came to know that was a Missionary Training centre and also I need to pay my school fee. I called to brother that one who sent me to the YWAM and scolded him very badly. But I can’t go back my home because I don’t have money to go back and slowly I started praying, reading the Bible.
The MDTS it was amazing. I never had peace in my heart before but now I am so happy in my life and I got peace. I don’t worry now because our Father Jesus Christ is with me. He has big plans for me in my life! He provided my MDTS total fees. I learned how to speak English too. In my MDTS we went to our outreach in some states in India. In our outreach time our team we have done different kinds ministries. We did children ministry and road side ministry. I never thought that my life is going to become this much busy. I finished successfully my MDTS in 2011. Afterwards again I went to do MDTS staffing in Jaipur 2012/Jan. God provided my staff fees Rs.18,000. One thing I want to say my friends is that I don’t have any support and sponsors. I believe that God will help me. That I am trusting God he will send supports for me. I learned in my MDTS about God characters and most importantly I learned how to use media for ministry. Now I am interesting about photography, designs and film making.
Since I became interested in photography and video editing, after MDTS staffing I got a chance to do School of Design (SOD) in Pune. I didn’t have the financial backing, but God spoke to my heart when I prayed and he said I should do the school. It was a trying time, because I depended on God for answers and then later on, early in the morning 1:00 am I got a call. They told me to check my mail on Facebook and then promptly the line got disconnected. I checked my Facebook and it was written there, “Ratna, we paid your administration fees 6000 Rs/-. Go and do your school”. Early in the morning I woke up and got ready to go to Pune, I was so blessed and happy.
In April 2012 God told me to go for second school YWAM in pune. So when I received call from Him and I took my bag and went to train station and I missed my train. After that I went to Hyderabad that whole night I slept in bus stand in Hyderabad. After next morning I took a bus to pune but that bus it didn’t went to pune, it stopped in another town. From there I took another bus to pune and finally I reached pune by 10:30 pm. Soon after I reached to pune in my pocket left over money only 2 rupees. And I don’t have tooth paste, bathing soap and head shampoo.
That first whole week was I use to brush without tooth paste and without soap I took bath and without shampoo head bath. During that week I’m so much fear to my friends because if I talk may be my mouth will be smell and also my hair became sticky. In bathroom’s my friend’s things will be there but I don’t want touch and ask them also. That whole week I cried a lot in bathroom under the shower. When I’m accepted Christ as my personal saviour and I believed Him with full of my heart. He never made me shame at anyone. He listen my prayers and cry and exactly after one week He provided for me Rs.1,000. I bought 3 soaps and 1 big tooth paste with that Rs.1,000. During that whole school He has done amazing things and miracles in my life. He said me to go there and He gave me a promise. Whatever He said He fulfilled. I want thank my God with full of my heart.
In Pune, I learned lots of things (in my SOD) and one of the most important things that happened was that my proficiency in English improved. The school fees amounted to a total of Rs. 30,000/-. One day, our school leader came to me and asked me to pay off the remaining balance of the school fees because I had paid only 6000/- and had to pay an amount of 24,000/-. I told to him that I didn’t have any money with me to pay my school fees but that on faith I came to do this course. From YWAM Jaipur our leaders and friends they stand with and God made them to help me to pay school fee Rs.20,000. On next day school leader came and told me that I received an extra sum of Rs. 20,000/- because of newsletter that was shared. After SOD school finished I don’t have money to go home, But God open the doors before I got my home. God provided many time train tickets. Sometimes it’s too much funny for me that God knows how much I need and what I need. God exactly provided and till now.
Today I am a media missionary and I am happy and at peace. Having said that, my relatives do not share my happiness because they don’t like what I am doing. They want me to do a job and earn a living. I on the other hand, believe that God has called me to do something for Him with my life. After my SOD (school of design) I went to Jaipur for base staffing where I made films about Jaipur, web/new media designs, marketing and even cooking. I really enjoyed serving people and have found my calling in my life to do “media ministry”.
After staffing in Jaipur I left that YWAM Jaipur base because of the financial problems. I moved to YWAM Trichy in 2013/Mar/12. In YWAM Trichy i have worked as work duties in charge and making website and designs for the schools. I have been as a kitchen in charge also. When I went YWAM Trichy base after one beautiful woman came for staffing. We liked each other and told to the leaders. But they told us to pray and wait upon the lord. During that time I went for the outreach team leading different parts in India for 2 months. And I came back from outreach and after sometime Alice parents came and talked with me and they liked me. And we had fixed the date for the marriage. Yeah finally we got marry in presence of the lord 11/12/2013. From my side there is no one came to marriage but from Alice side many of them came. We married in Trichy and my all co-workers and leaders came for the marriage from my side.
After our marriage we worked in YWAM Trichy for 2 years. We led the Discipleship Training school and outreach teams also. Personally we worked with Leprosy, Blind, Orphans and HIV/AIDS effected people. It’s not about what we are doing for the people, it’s only about how God is doing works in our lives and ministry. Even God provided our staff fee. We have gone through many difficulties and challenges while we are leading schools and teams. But God taught us many things from those problems and challenges. He never had forsaken us and always being with us and guiding us in right path. We together worked for more than 10 schools as staff and leaders. God used us amazingly in YWAM Trichy. We have finished our commitment and we left the YWAM Trichy base in 2015/December.
In April/2016 month we went to Chhattisgarh in India for ministry purpose. Soon after we reached to Chandrapur railway station in Maharashtra from there we took a bus to Gadchiroli and it’s taken to reach 3 hours. And from Gadchiroli we took a jeep to Pakhanjore in Chhattisgarh and it’s taken another 3 hours to reach our place. To go to Pakhanjore there is no transportation. The whole village was only having 3 churches and very less Christians and full of Non-Christian’s. We use to go to another village from Pakhanjore about 10 k.m’s for taking classes for young boys and girls. Classes about computer basics like MS office, adobe Photoshop, adobe premiere, adobe light room and photography.
Even though I’m not a teacher but God gave me a good opportunity to work with those young people. I’m so happy what the Lord has done through me and those young people lives. They are not Christian’s and also we can’t share the Gospel. But we got a chance to show the love of Jesus Christ. In Pakhanjore climate was very hot and also there is no power evening times about for 4 hours. But we had great time in ministry time with people also. We want thanks to Jesus for what He has done in our lives. We want give all the glory and honour to Him.
We love so much travelling around the world or around India and serving Jesus Christ and adventures too. We were working and living by Faith in Christ. But still God is meeting our ministry needs and family needs. We really blessed by many of them through their prayers.
Please kindly pray for to support these ministries as God leads you. We were so much happy to listen from you very soon.
With Love,
Ratna & Alice.
