December 2004

It’s hard to believe it’s December already… what a year we have had! The Lord has moved mightily this year in Kenya, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Zimbabwe and India where I am now.

The first two weeks of my India trip began at the foothills of the Himalayas at the New Theological College where I was preaching as early as 6:00 am and then teaching three hours of classes on Worship and Spiritual Gifts. A firm foundation of studies has been laid to prepare the hearts of understanding of the students for a solid faith. The students have been so hungry. They come from various directions and areas of India. Some have come from Hindu families, some from villages, and others as far away as Kerala in south India. They are so precious and thrilled to hear the deeper things of God’s Word. Each class was completed daily with prayer and a crying out for more of God and his presence in their lives. They are all preparing their lives for ministry in the Northern areas of India. All of them are readying themselves for sacrificial service and ministry, with most going into new areas and preaching and building churches where no other churches exist. There are over 300 students at the New Theological College. The campus is such a great place, preparing these young men and women for front line ministry. There will be no easy path for any of them as they step out from the campus to minister to the peoples of India.

India is a land of 300 million gods in the Hindu faith, with almost one billion people, and 3,000 different languages and dialects. It is said the population is less than 1% Christians. The Christians in the Northern areas of India are often harassed and persecuted. Missionaries are no longer allowed to enter India with visa’s that permit evangelism and ministry outside the churches - street preachers can be promptly arrested. Still, so much is done in the midst of persecution and unrest in the spiritual and political arenas of India. It was a joy to step out with these young people in faith and preach and teach in local areas and churches. On Sundays we had great opportunities to step into areas that hear very little of the Gospel.

The second Sunday I was there, I had the great privilege of preaching to a church of lepers. The Pastor and his wife are so sacrificial and loving to the people in the local Leper Colony. It is so heartbreaking to see the condition of the lepers, yet so exciting as they join in worship to the Lord and display and genuine and sincere desire to know Him and serve Him. This church is in desperate need of a building to meet in. It has become a burden on my heart. Please be in prayer for God to open up a building for this precious Church.

In my third week in India I traveled to Oressa which is south and west, below Calcutta. There I ministered with a young pastor, I.D. Suna. This part of India is not a jungle area as much as bush country in a high mountain area. It was very remote and got rather cold at night. We went way, way back in the rural areas. As far as i have ever been. Off the highway, to the road way, and then byways, then roads so rough the Jeep hardly could make it through the ruts in the roads, then came paths and we walked the rest of the way into the villages. It took hours and hours to get there. These villages are so remote that they don’t have any electricity or running water, and they have rarely seen white people. The people of this area are all kinds. Ladies with such rings in their noses and ears, and really wild Bushmen who are dressed only in loincloth. Pastor Suna has done a great job in this area. He has started 40 churches and oversees a total of 100. We were able to preach two to three times a day, and afterwards there would be crowds lining up for healing and prayer. God moved greatly in this area with wonderful miracles of blind seeing, deaf hearing, skin problems and asthma problems, healed, and lung pains and hearts pains relieved. It was amazing all God did amongst these precious hungry people! The young are on fire, and a real Revival is taking place right in the middle of the strongest Hindu area in India where there is so much persecution and yet Christians are getting stronger in the Lord, and churches are growing so wonderfully. The last two villages we were in had more than 50 percent Christians - highly unheard of in India. It was a blessing and a privilege to work with Pastor Suna amongst these people.

This was also the area where Pastor Suna had originally planned on taking me to minister to the people in the cannibal village. Before I arrived, he was advised that they have been “rowdy” lately, so the plans were changed, but they lived all over the hills where we were. We could even see them in the town at the market and at the meetings. It was really interesting. For those of you who prayed about me being in the area, thank you.

As I write this letter via e-mail to Judy, I am on my way to the Madras/Chennai area of India where I will spend a week. After that I will be headed to Zimbabwe to be with David Curle and speak at the Zimbabwe national CEA Convention, along with preaching in area Churches. I will not be able to communicate very frequently from these areas so i will have to give you details of those trips in the next newsletter.

As this year comes to a close, I want to thank all of you who have supported this ministry through finances, prayer and encouragement. The number of people who have been reached for the Lord has been incredible, and you are all a part of that. Thank you for being such a blessing to the ministry and to us personally. Without you very little would have been done to reach so many people in so many areas across the world. Words cannot express how so very much we appreciate you. We pray that this Christmas will be a wonderful one as you celebrate the birth of our Savior, and that you will be blessed in the New year.

P.S. The lord has blessed us with an opportunity to purchase a house here in the Louisville area, something we were not looking to do for at least a year, but God had different plans for us and we were able to close on the house the day before I left for India. Please be sure to write down our new address that is listed below. Our phone numbers have stayed the same. Have a wonderful Christmas!

November 2004

This month has been a month of real change; renewing old acquaintances, and making new friends. We have used this time to get everything at home base settled in, and to start planning and preparing for the 2nd year of this ministry. On November 1st, I will arrive in India where a year ago the Lord really spoke to my heart that we “must needs” go this way - stepping into full-time ministry. It’s been an incredible year!

I will be in Duhra Dun, India; upwards in the Himalayan Mountains, near the China border for the next couple of weeks teaching at the New Theological College and preaching in the nearby village churches. This will be the third year I have spent this time of year with the school. Many of the students and faculty I have grown to be dear friends with.

After two weeks in Duhra Dun, I will travel to Oressa, India to spend a week (Nov. 16 - 23) in the rural jungle churches in one of the more primitive areas of India with Pastor I.D. Suna (this is where the cannibal village is). After that, I will be off to Chenai (Madras) for a week in the big city churches, and another Bible College.

After my four weeks in India, in the very early hours of November 28th, I will be headed to Zimbabwe. For my flight there, I will be flying on Air Emirates (an Arab airline). Please be sure to keep me in your prayers at this particular time! While in Zimbabwe I will be with David Curle at the Christian Evangelistic Assemblies Zimbabwe Convention. I was with David & Rhetta in August and have this added privilege this year to speak at their Convention. While in Zimbabwe I also will be speaking in local churches.

This trip will cover a pretty tight schedule of almost seven weeks. Please be praying for me, and also form y family at our new location in Louisville. We so appreciate and covet your prayers.

Orphanage Project Report

While Pastor Joey Chetty, of Johannesburg, South Africa was with us in October, we laid out our plans for the orphanage we will be starting there. We have obtained a local bank account (here in Louisville) that will only be sued for the orphanage donations. These funds will be wired directly to Pastor Joey’s bank in South Africa, and wil only be used for what they are designated for. We have also begun procedures to apply and get permits from the South Africa government. A few very simple buildings will need to be built for the orphanage, and we will begin with around 20 orphans. Since the orphanage will be located on the church grounds that overlook the valley of over 4 million living in the Midrand - Johannesburg slum (the Willie Mandella Slums) there will be many children who have been made orphans by AIDs and extreme poverty, that will be ministered to.

You may wonder why you should consider being a part of this special project. Let me explain “the gospel according to your doing.” In Matthew 25 there are three things about “your doing”:

1. I am responsible to do whatever I can with whatever God has entrusted me (v. 14-23)
2. I am rewarded with a “well done” when I invest my best for Him (v. 21)
3. God takes it personal regarding what I have done when involved with the “least” (v. 34-40)

I would like to encourage you to get involved in this special project opportunity.

To help us get it started and running, you can send a donation with a notation in the lower left hand corner designating it for the orphanage. You can also specifically designate if you are sending it for startup costs, or the ongoing costs of feeding, clothing, sheltering and schooling the orphans (this will not take place until the buildings are ready, but can be held until that time). It will take many thousands of dollars to build and prepare - then only about $50.00 a month to give total care for each orphan. I am praying that God would raise up a “team” of folks who would support such a project.

Over the next year we will have a few other projects we would like to begin and complete and will mention them at later times next year.

Thank you so much for considering helping in this special project and for all of your help, support and prayers for Dave Walker Ministries, International. We are so grateful for you and the many ways each of you help us in getting to and helping at places where few will go. Also a special thanks to all those who donated suits and ties to be taken to the student pastors in India. You have overwhelmed us with your generosity!