Sewing Centers Report from Gloria Shaw March 2019 

It has been another great season of seeing the Lord at work especially among the women in DBI. We just finished our February Sewing Conferences. The Lord is moving in amazing ways.

Maybe it would help to recall why we established the sewing centers:

1. Sewing Centres are a platform to share the Gospel with unbelievers
Time after time we experience this to be true, as you read the testimonies below you can see that many women who came in for sewing classes continually hear the Gospel and many make commitments to the Lord.

2. We are giving women skills so they can help their families by making their clothes
This saves money and gives a better standard of living to the family. I am amazed how in six months ladies are able to learn how to make their families clothing. The fact is that the Indian dress is not so complicated as the western designs but it does take skill.

3. We are giving women skills so they can earn money for their families
Many have gone out and started home businesses. They get paid to do small sewing jobs to begin with and as they get better they start earning a regular income to support their homes. 

A few women are able to develop a business from their home doing sewing jobs for neighbours.  They can then supplement the earnings of the family without having to leave home like SM in the testimonies.

4. Because the course is for 6 months, we cannot only share the Gospel but if they come to know Jesus we can disciple them if they are not allowed to come to church on Sundays.
Some women are not able to come on Sundays because their families are not Christian or because of sickness in the family. The meeting time during the sewing classes becomes their only source of fellowship as is the case with S in our testimonies enclosed.

5. As the ladies come to the sewing centres, we have found that they also do not know how to read and write. We have taken this opportunity to have adult literacy classes for them and for their children.
Each sewing centre is different in this respect. According to the needs of the community we are able to have literacy classes, tuition classes for the children, computer classes and others that may be helpful to grow.

6. The biggest expense is the support of sewing teachers and secondly the machines. We are very grateful for the provision of both. 
We continue to be very grateful for your love and support, financially and in prayer. We know that without partnerships the work will not be able to go forward. Thank you for your continuous support. 

7. Very poor ladies can come and learn because we waive their fees.  
We will always have a seat available for a woman who wants to learn regardless of race, color or social status. 

8. It is a place where Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian ladies can meet without any barriers.  It brings our communities together in a neutral place where they don't feel alienated.    
There are always a mixture of ethnicities among the students. This has brought richness to the program and also teaches the community to get along with each other.                                         

9. It is a bridge to share the Gospel with the ladies and invite their families to other church programs 
Opportunities continually grow as family members of the sewing ladies get curious with their change of attitude and testimony. Also appropriate skills training bring others to the Ashrams. 

10. Many times the ladies ask us to come to their homes to pray for their families. 
Our pastor's family is able to visit them and pray for them. Prayer to our Great and Almighty God attracts many who are used to praying to many gods and idols without any hope or answers.  There are endless testimonies of answered prayers.

11. The ladies who finish the course usually go and bring others with them. It is an effective way to multiply the teaching to others. 
Our sewing ladies are some of our great evangelists. They will surely go out and tell others of God's love, his mercy and the good news of salvation.

Personal Stories

SC

I am SC from a Hindu background. After my marriage my life became much difficult and complex. Behaviours of my husband, mother-in-law and sister-in-law were not good towards me. I used to spend several days in weeping and grief. I worshiped other gods hoping my situation would get better but it was totally in vain. One day I came to learn sewing at Ranchi Anugrah Ashram. There I came to know about Jesus. People prayed for me. I grew in the knowledge of God and learnt praying. I started praying. The Lord Jesus worked in my life as well as in the life of my husband. We both started coming to the church and believed in the Lord Jesus. We both surrendered our lives to the Lord and took baptism.

Currently I am helping in the sewing centre. I help in teaching sewing to students as well as praying for those ladies who come to the sewing centre. My prayer is that many more women will come and hear about our great God, the one who helps those of us who are suffering, that they would learn sewing and be able to help their families as well.

B

My name is B and when I was not a believer I was involved in worshipping idols. I would easily get manipulated and whenever someone told me to worship idols in different places, I would agree. There was no peace at home. All I remember is that my family members were always fighting. I was frustrated and angry. I was spending my time and life in superstition and I didn't have peace in my spirit.

My elder sister once told me about the Lord Jesus. She got married soon after and there was no one to tell me and guide me. I was still in darkness but after a few years my elder sister took a room to rent in our neighbourhood. We all were very happy and my sister and I opened a beauty parlour together.  

One day a girl who was our regular customer saw us reading the Bible. We only had the New Testament and didn’t know much about Jesus either. She gave us a complete Bible and told us to join one of the Bible meetings nearby. There people told me that Jesus gave his life for us, for our sins. They told me everything about Jesus and I gave my life to him. When I confessed Jesus as my Lord I experienced peace in my heart, peace and joy I had never experienced before. Everyone was against my faith and I had to go through a lot of persecution. As I started growing in my faith, my family saw the difference in my life. I am very glad that they accompany me to church every Sunday.  We go to SV Church and  I am thankful to God for saving me. It was here that I met my husband who was also a Hindu. He heard the good news from his brother, is now a believer and he has become the pastor of the church. I now work alongside him. 

Before I came to Christ I knew sewing and beautician work. We had one beauty parlour shop. But after coming to Christ I started going to church and I closed my shop. We opened a sewing center in the church. Many women have come and found Jesus at the sewing center and we are able to disciple them and also teach them sewing. Whenever a new lady comes I am reminded of my own journey and pray to the Lord that more women would come and hear the good news and learn sewing in our church. We presently have 9 ladies in our sewing class.

It is our prayer that we would serve the Lord  all the days of our life. Please pray that we would continue to grow in Christ and we are grateful to the Lord as I am pregnant with our first baby.  Please pray for our health and that the baby would be well and strong and grow up to love and serve Jesus.

M

M is from a Hindu background. She came to know the Lord in her village and she is doing a one year Ashram course at Dehradun Anugrah Ashram where she is learning the Bible and how to teach it. She was happy to be the part of sewing conference which she attended for the first time. Her mother is a sewing teacher but M never wanted to be a sewing teacher. While attending her course she saw that at DAA there was no sewing teacher who could teach sewing and share the good news among ladies. Our previous teacher had some problems at home and had to suddenly leave. M started teaching sewing in the Ashram. She is very gifted and is deeply burdened to teach the ladies sewing and Bible. For this she is thankful to Lord. 

R

R is from a Hindu background and she was the addict of tobacco when she was in her place. In July she came to the Jaipur Anugrah Ashram to do a Bible Ashram course and slowly we have seen she is very good in sewing skills and started counselling her towards this skill. During the sewing conference, she went to Delhi and Dehradun to learn sewing and her mind is totally changed. She would like to grow in sewing skills and wants to teach ladies sewing as well as she wants to share the good news to them. She is helping in teaching sewing at JAA sewing centre. She is thankful to God for this wonderful opportunity.

S

S is from a Hindu background and she is a sewing student. She comes regularly to sewing classes with her daughter. 

She has shared to us that for many months she had no peace at her home and her family was suffering financially because her husband left work because of some problems at work and he was searching for new work. All day he sat at home empty and because of not getting new work he started drinking and fighting with the family.  

She said during the Christmas program she came to at JAA she heard about sewing classes and started coming to the sewing centre. There she saw we prayed every day and heard about the Lord Jesus. Then she has shared to us about her family problems. She asked us to pray for her husband's work and family. In sewing classes, she learned to pray herself. A few days ago she told us because of God's grace her husband got a job and now has stopped to fight and drink. She comes to every program of church and her children are the part of our junior church. 

She would like to attend church regularly but her father-in-law is suffering from cancer so she is not able to come church every Sunday. She has asked us to pray for the good health of her father-in-law. 

She loves to learn sewing and would like to teach sewing to her daughter and to others too. 

She told that she was encouraged by the sewing conference and wants to attend it again. And said God has given her this talent for His glory and she wants to use it. From next month, S will bring  three more new students. Kindly pray for her salvation. 

SV

SV is from a Hindu background but now she believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. When she started learning sewing, she didn’t like the sewing skills and said "I don’t want to learn" because she thought this is useless to learn and she will not get anything in the future by this. But as she started learning sewing, she found that sewing is interesting work and she can do it. Now she has became a very good student of sewing. She was part of the sewing conference at JAA as well as she is now doing the Ashram course there, for this she praises God.

AM                                              

My name is AM. I live with my husband and my 5 year old boy. I wanted to learn sewing so I came to Ranchi Anugrah Ashram in 2018. At that time my life was very miserable as my husband was not kind to me so I was very sad and didn’t know what to do but when I came to the sewing class I heard about Jesus. Every Friday we prayed in the class for our problems. So I know how to pray and then after I had started praying in my home. 

Suddenly I feel peace in my heart. Now I pray and read the Bible every day and I’m happy.

I got a job in a school. Since last February I have attended every Sunday church at Ranchi Anugrah Ashram. Thanks to the Lord for everything He has done for me. Please pray for my husband and family and for their salvation.  

SM

My name is SM. I came to Ranchi Anugrah Ashram for sewing class. My family’s financial condition wasn’t good at that time. My husband’s salary was very little to fulfil all our needs. So after I had learnt sewing from Ranchi Anugrah Ashram I started sewing in my home. Now I’m able to help my husband and my family. So I’m very happy, and I amd grateful to God and my teachers and to  Ranchi Anugrah Ashram.

SK

My name is SK and I belong to a Hindu family. I am the eldest daughter but was facing problems to get married due to a lack of money so my parents were very upset for me. I used to feel sad to see my parents in that situation so I attempted suicide in 2016 but I was rescued by my family. I came to Ranchi Anugrah Ashram to learn sewing. I saw the ladies were praying, so I also prayed here for my marriage, and I cried to God.

This is so wonderful to have a sewing centre in our nearby home so that anyone can come and learn the sewing and can help their families. 

And after a few weeks suddenly my marriage situation was fixed. Now I am a married woman and my husband and his family members treat me very well. I have a baby girl now and my life is very joyful.