India (MNN) — When India is featured in a film or on TV, viewers usually see a scorching hot, vibrant atmosphere. Yet in many regions of India, especially northern areas, the climate quickly gets frigid, and many impoverished people are left without so much as a blanket to keep out the cold.
Global Action has been taking trips for years to better ensure that people too poor to afford any form of warmth in the harsh Indian winter do not freeze to death. That may just be a saying in the States, but death by freezing is indeed a fate that awaits many who do not have proper protection from the elements. Global Action tries hard to prevent this by distributing blankets all throughout northern India.
"Blanket distribution is a way to actually be hands-on, helping people who otherwise would probably freeze to death during the winter," explains ministry CEO Lars Dunberg. Dunberg recently returned rejoicing from a blanket distribution. "You come in as a saving angel, so to speak, and provide a blanket that will provide them warmth during the horrible winter months."
During the recent trip, Global Action distributed a couple hundred blankets to people, many of whom had never sat in a chair before, much less owned a blanket. "Usually these people are treated like dirt, and they sit in the dirt," says Dunberg. "We brought our chairs and made them sit, made them feel special. One man said, ‘I have never in my life sat in a chair.'"
As volunteers distribute blankets on these trips, they also share the love that Christ has for each person receiving one. In the past, the combination of meeting a tangible need and explaining that Christ is the reason for doing so has brought many people to the Lord for eternity.
The blanket distribution has been enormously effective in terms of meeting physical and even spiritual needs. Now Global Action needs you to get involved. This last trip was a precursor to the bigger trip that will take place from December 26 to January 6. Global Action needs at least 10 people to go, and so far only has six.
If you join the trip, you will get to share the love of Christ in a hands-on way, and maybe even have the privilege of watching new life be born into the Christian family.
"You'll have the chance to share the Gospel," says Dunberg. "You're meeting with kids everywhere. And at the [Global Action orphanage] India Hope Center, of course, we have a whole bunch of orphan kids that live there. You'll be able to minister with them, teach them, and have fellowship with Christian workers who are working literally like saints for what we are doing in those areas."
Global Action needs four more people to join by the end of this week. "We have four slots empty that we want to fill. And if we get 14, we'll send you too, don't worry," says Dunberg. "But there are four slots we really want to fill this week. So take the time right now to say, ‘Lord, I hear Your Spirit nudging me to go. I'm going to go.'"
It's a quick decision to make. If you feel the Lord calling you to bring tangible hope and eternal truth to some of the poorest in India, consider this trip with a purpose. Click here to learn a little more about the cost of the trip and about how to apply. If you prefer to discuss it over the phone, call Global Action at 888-725-3707.
