TRIP REPORT CGC INDIA DEC.

2017

Trip Report - India Nov. 21 to Dec. 8

Dec. 16 2017

Prepared by: Don Sandusky

Last Friday, I returned from an 18 day business trip to India. My meetings were in the west
part of the country, in Delhi, Pune and Jalandhar, but I took time to travel to the eastern side
of the country to meet with Bishop Joseph Yelchuri, Director of Christ Gospel India for 5 days,
over one weekend.

From the US via Germany to Delhi then Pune India

In 1991 I started a joint venture manufacturing company in Bangalore India for a US Group I
was with. Lalit Pahwa was selected as President, to manage the operation. He remained in
that position until 2000 and then progressed through several other executive positions in
India, before starting his own business, Pahwa Metal Tech, in 2014. We have kept in contact
over the years at one point I did some consulting work for one of the Indian companies he was
managing.

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Pahwa MetalTech has been granted a technical license from the Indian government for a
breakthrough technology to produce non-sparking tools and other industrial products, and
they are offering my Company, 1stSource Product Inc. exclusive marketing rights for the US. I
needed to go to investigate this new technology and the production, but Lalits younger son
was getting married during the same period, so he invited me to the wedding. All of the senior
members of the grooms family wore yellow turbans and the brides side wore orange. I was
fitted with a turban with all of the uncles of the groom. All a wonderful Cultural Experience I
will never forget.

Father of the Groom left. Esteemed Foreign Guest & Uncles right

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From Pune to Chandigarh by air, then by car to Jalandhar

1stSource has imported fence & gate products from a manufacturer in Jalandhar, north of
Delhi near the Pakistan boarder for about 5 years. I needed to visit this company and assess
their capabilities for increasing imports. The owner is a devote Sikh. When I expressed my
interest in seeing the Golden Temple in Amritsar we was happy to take me there. The Golden
Temple is the main Sikh holy site in Punjab, the province where 24 Million Sikhs live and it is
one of the famous sites to see in the world. Now marked off my list.

With Manjit Singh, (All heads covered and all feet bare)
Sikhism is an interesting religion. They believe in one God that exists outside of creation and
that God has placed His name in the hearts of every person. The Golden Temple, located in the
midst of this beautiful lake, is simply a place where the Sikh holy books are read continually
and people of all faiths are welcome. A remarkable experience I will treasure for the rest of my
life.

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From Jalandhar to Delhi 6 hour train ride connecting to flight to Vishakhapatnam

Friday Dec. 1:
Returned to Delhi by train and then flew to meet Bishop Dr. Joseph Yelchuri on the east coast.
On the way to Kakinada by car, we stopped to hold a dedication service for a small Christ
Gospel Church (CGC) building recently competed. This was in a very remote mountainous
place where the people are poor compared to other areas in east India.

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Gourampeta CGC with about 100 excited members

Bishop Yelchuri has constructed (85) CGC buildings over the past 15 to 20 years in east India.
Some are small like this but others as you will see below are larger, seating as many as (300 to
400) each.
Over the past 26 years that I have been traveling to India, I have seen great developments in
infrastructure and the general living conditions. The main cities have developed the most,
while even out of the way towns like Kakinada are much improved, but rural India is still poor
and undeveloped.

Friday evening Candle Light Christmas Service in the Kakinada CGC

For this service, I preached a message on the Star of Bethlehem. Joseph liked this message so I
ended up preaching it a number of times during my stay. D.L. Moody once said that his
sermons did not get good until he had preached one at least 10 times!
The new AC and sound system was installed in the Mother CGC several months ago. It was the
winter season, with temperatures 80 to 85 Degrees F during the day. My original idea was the
we could have multiple services on the weekends and many new people would be drawn first
by the AC and then we could share the Gospel with the visitors. I didnt consider that I would

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be the one preaching multiple services. On Sunday I preached four packed services and held a
prayer meeting in the afternoon for 300 that wanted prayer personally.
Saturday Dec. 2:
Dr. Yelchuri started a program to house and care for Widows about ten years ago. He is now
consolidating three services in the Orphanage building. First is the care for about (50) orphans,
then care for (24) widows and we also hold a free primary day school for about (100) poor
children in the area. We also have two other locations where poor children are provided free
primary education. In total 500 area poor children receive free primary education, meals and
medical care if needed.

Widows live in the building and are provided meals and medical care

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Children in Uniforms are Orphans while children

dressed in street clothes are from poor families
in the area.

This little Orphan girl lead her class in

English recitation

Lunch time at the Orphanage

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Back Packs given to the children as Christmas gifts

We then proceeded to the Lepers Colony a few minutes away. This Colony was originally
established by a German Organization that has long since abandoned support of it. Now area
churches provide ongoing support, CGC being one. I have visited this ministry several times
over the past 25 years and each time I meet with the Pastor of the Leper church. He is now 84
years old having been pastor for 34 years.

With my old friend, Leper Pastor Rev. John Benji

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Rev. Benji speaks very highly of Dr. Yelchuri and considers him a son in the Lord. A remarkable
man called to an unbelievably difficult ministry. We sometimes distribute, blankets, clothes,
meals and rice to the lepers but on this day Joseph gave me an envelope to hand to be pastor
that included
financial support for the ministry.

Lunch time at the Leper Colony

Rev. Benji explained that over his 34 years of service he had seen many of the children of
lepers become educated and they now have responsible positions and families. The Lepers
themselves can only be cared for a few years until the disease takes its toll but with
preventative medication, their children can live in the colony with their parents and avoid
contracting leprosy.
Later Saturday afternoon, Joseph arranged one of his Free Medical Camps in a slum area on
the outskirts of Kakinada. I have attended several of these in the past when medical doctors
that are members of our church offer their time to treat the poor for free. For this occasion
Josephs daughter who is a dermatologist and her husband Sharma, now an orthopedic
surgeon volunteered their time to provide free medical care and distribute free medicine as
needed.

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Hundreds of poor people lined up to receive free medical care and medicine
The camp was held in the midst of a slum where thousands of poor people live without utilities
on dirt floors in grass huts or huts made of tin sheet and other scrap materials. I was given the
tasks of distributing free bread to those waiting in the lines to be treated.

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Distributing loaves of free bread

After the bread ran out, we walked through the slum ministering to any wanting prayer

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The same evening we traveled to another area on the outskirts of the city to dedicate a small
CGC that has been constructed with funds provided by a family in the US, in memory parents
who recently passed away. A small church which will hold about 100 members.

Street View Pastor from his new pulpit

Viewing the building next day Night of the dedication service

The pastor and his family live in a grass hut to one side of the new building and the US family
intends to provide additional funds to construct living quarters for the pastors fixed to the side
of the building.

Sunday Dec. 3:
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On many other visits to India, I had thought

about purchasing one the colorful and
comfortable mens suits, but never had the
time to look for one. I had never mentioned
this to Joseph but the Lord gives you the
desires of your heart. This outfit was my
Christmas gift from the Yelchuri Family.

As mentioned, multiple services were held in

the newly air conditioned Mother Church in
Kakinada. This building along with the
Orphanage building were constructed 30
years ago. Both buildings are in good repair
and both require real estate taxes to be paid
on an annual basis.

Front Entrance Side Entrance

Note that the complete exteriors of Orphanage and Church buildings have been painted since
the last time I visited. All the services on Sunday were packed out and very demonstrative. My
impression over many years of visiting CGC India is that along with the continual growth in
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number of members and church buildings, there is spiritual growth among the 60,000
members there. This is of course the Lords doing but He works through His faithful servant,
Bishop Yelchuri and his Family.
Monday Dec. 4:
Monday morning we traveled about two hours outside of Kakinada for a graduation at one of
the two CGC India Vocational Training Centers where women go thought a 9 month training
program to become professional seamstresses.

Graduates with their Certificates and Sewing Machines

Funds for many of these sewing machines were donated by members of CGC in the US (US$
200 each) and also they were purchased using fund raised during convention and other events
where we sold scarves made by these ladies.
This is a wonderful program where destitute women of many backgrounds learn a new
profession and become self-sufficient. Since CGC India is a registered humanitarian relief

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society in India these certificates can be used to secure positions in garment factories, or
Ladies that start their own sewing businesses, can display them.
We have (10) District Elders in CGC India, each with their own churches and 25 to 75 smaller
CGCs under their care. In this location the Elders had a smaller building that has been
converted to house one of the Sewing Schools and another much larger church building has
been constructed next to it. This is the largest and nicest CGC I have seen other than of course
the Mother Church in Kakinada.

Upper floor is the sanctuary, lower floor is school rooms

and living quarters for the Pastor his family

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Very nice sanctuary for about 300 members

Elder P. Emmanuel and Family

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It seems that this Elder, his family and this compound will be a strong asset for future growth
is this area of rural India. Elder Emmanuel also has a free primary school in this compound so
we distributed new backpacks and packets of writing paper to each child. The sewing training
ladies and the children received a meal the day of our visit.
I have met this pastor on other visits, but had not had time to fellowship with him. He is a
good English speaker and he loves the Lord. We returned that evening to have a wonderful
service with his congregation. Afterwards we passed out Christmas gifts to all of the members.
New sarees for the women and shirts for men. The building was packed, the Spirit moved and I
think my Star of Bethlehem Sermon was well received again.

Distributing Pack Packs and school supplies to the children at Elder Emmanuels compound

Tuesday Dec. 5:

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Bishop Yelchuri, his crew and I hit the road early to visit two small CGCs now under
construction.

Foundation for a new small CGC in Korangi

The pastor of this church lives next to this construction site. I was told that he had been in the
hospital and was very ill. We prayed for him but I had the impression that he had very little
time to live. After we left the church I asked Joseph what would happen should the pastor pass
away. He said that his son was the assistant and it was already planned that he would take
over should his Father become too ill to serve or go to be with The Lord.

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Later in the afternoon we drove to another location in the countryside where another CGC
was under construction. This building was larger and we had a service with the saints that
could come for a week day afternoon service.
We returned to the Yelchuri home for a few hours rest and then drove again for about 90
minutes to another location where one of the older and larger CGCs is. This church was
founded by a lady minister who I was told also planted four other CGCs in the area. She is 84
years old and her sons now support her in the ministry. The building seats about 300 people
but it was simply a roof with no walls. This type of structure has its advantage and
disadvantages there. A very sweet and spiritual lady.

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The 84 year old Lady Pastor and her congregation

Wednesday:
Eleanor stayed in Kakinada while her husband returned to Hyderabad where they now live and
where his is in residency. We took a short flight from Rajahmundry to Hyderabad and said our
good byes. I traveled on later in the day to Pune for business meetings on Thursday and then I
caught an evening flight back to Delhi to connect to my flight back to the Germany and on to
the US arriving in Louisville safely Friday evening.

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Conclusion and comments:

The greatest potential Christ Gospel may have today for growth in numbers, buildings and
especially in terms of spiritual growth and depth is India. We have a sincere dedicated Leader
supported by his family and an organized group of (520) CGCs under (10) District Elders with
several innovative humanitarian relief programs that are admired by the community leaders
and the government. The potential we have to win lost souls and teach them a Message of
growing in God is massive in this amazing land.
If readers wish to contribute to any of the ministries described above, donations are tax
deductible in the US. Please send to the following address noting the program the funds are to
be directed to within Christ Gospel India.
Rev. Colin Langley - Christ Gospel Churches International
PO 786 Jeffersonville IN 47130
Email: clangley@christgospel.org
D. Sandusky dsandusky@1stsourceproducts.com
Feel free to forward this document

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