My friend, Dr. George Chavanikamannil, of Uttarakhand, India says his northern state is experiencing unprecedented rain and flooding. You may remember George from my January, 2013 blog posts. I spent a week with George at his home in Dehra Dun, on the campus New Theological College, a school he founded over 20 years ago to train men and women for Christian ministry.
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| George and Don at New Theological College with the Himalaya mountains behind us. |
George reports, "Hundreds of people have died. Many villages have been completely washed away. A town that surrounded one of the holiest Hindu shrines, Kedarnath, was almost completely destroyed. Almost all the buildings in the town have disappeared. It is reported that a branch of the State Bank of India was washed away with all the employees inside!"
BBC News India reported on 7/2/13, "More than 100,000 people have been rescued from the Himalayan mountains after floods and landslides that left more than 800 dead. At least 3,500 people have officially confirmed as missing. This year's early monsoon rains in the Uttarakhand region are believed to be the heaviest in 80 years."
New Theological College suffered damage from the flooding. George said, "A portion of the campus road is washed away opening a large chasm in the back part of our campus."
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| Flood damage at NTC, northern India. |
George asks for our prayers, "Please pray that the Lord would help us to repair these [roads] soon and that no further damage would happen due to the rains that are forecast."
Good News for India is reaching India with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I would encourage you to learn more about George and the work God is doing through him at www.goodnewsforindia.org.
Dr. George will visited Emmanuel Baptist Church, Johnstown PA to speak at all services the weekend of September 28-29, 2013.
