1

From the Editor’s Desk

Hello Dear Reader,
Greetings in Jesus’ name!
Since you’re reading this, it’s very likely that you
are, or want to be, involved in missions in some
As we work among some of the poorest and most
way.
marginalized people in our country, we have
The pandemic has been a challenging time for often seen for ourselves over and over again the
everyone, but disproportionately so for those truth of Hudson Taylor’s statement: “God’s work
from impoverished backgrounds, and even more done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply”.
so for the children of these families.
As you read on, it is our prayer that God would
Heeding our Lord’s call that “whatever you do for move your heart to see the work that He is doing
the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for in the lives of these indigenous children and their
Me”, Global Head Start Mission (GHSM) works caregivers in different parts of India for His
with missionaries in different parts of the glory.
country to provide, among other things,
Dr. Bennet Anchan
opportunities for children from rural and
Dental Surgeon in God’s vineyard
disadvantaged backgrounds to continue in
school, progress through college and give back to
their communities through their work and
service.
Started in 2011 by three young men with a
passion for God and a desire to serve children,
Global Head Start Mission (GHSM) began with
providing a handful of Bibles and school bags to
children in a little village in Andhra Pradesh.
By God’s grace and through His faithfulness, in
2019, GHSM was able to provide 790 Children’s
Bibles, 465 Regular Bibles, 1170 school bag kits,
304 pairs of Shoe-That-Grows and 98 dresses for
girls. We were also able to have 11 medical and
6 dental treatment camps in children’s homes for
the glory of God.
During the pandemic, GHSM worked to provide a
month’s provisions to 100 families of the urban
poor in Bangalore and Chennai.
GHSM also helped transport 50 children of
missionaries stranded in different parts of Orissa
to their homes in South India during the
lockdown.

2
3
 The Tamarisk Tree

"Abraham planted a tamarisk tree …” Genesis 21:33

Is the school bag project significant enough? Should we continue to invest more in terms of time,
money and energy? Is all that we are doing for children through GHSM, making a difference? These
were the questions I was wrestling with a couple of years ago. My wife, Ranjani, and I were praying
about GHSM, specifically about the School Bag Project, asking God to speak to us clearly about this.

 In the days that followed, one evening, we were at our weekly Church’s home group Bible study.
We had been doing a series on "Lessons from the Desert" – how God meets with us in our desert
experiences. We arrived at this verse from Genesis 21:33 which says, "Abraham planted a tamarisk
tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God." 

 At first glance, it seems like it is just another verse, recording what Abraham did. But when we
further meditate on it, these are some observations: 
- The place is Beersheba; dry with nothing more than sand and rocks. 
- The only mention in the Bible of Abraham planting anything. 
- The Tamarisk tree is very slow growing; 1 inch per year; 400 years to attain full height.
- The needles have salt, which help absorb moisture and provides a cooler shade; protects from the
blistering heat. 
- Insects turn the juice of the tree to a sweet edible substance called manna.
 

Abraham.
Beersheba.
Tamarisk tree.

Why did Abraham take the time to plant such a tree? We might deduce that there was much to
celebrate in Abraham’s life and so he creates a monument to declare God’s provision. The tree
represents the Lord, the Everlasting God who has blessed him with a child, a peace treaty and a
water supply. That would be a logical explanation. But when you put it all together – a tree that
takes almost 400 years to grow, a tree that provides shade, cool air and sustenance, a tree situated
in the desert,

4
a tree planted by Abraham – another thought occurs. Who comes through the desert some 400 years
later in need of shade, cool air and some manna? Abraham’s descendants. Rescued from Egypt and
headed to the land God had promised Abraham, they would be in need of all the things the tamarisk
tree would provide some 400 years after it was planted.

While Abraham may have indeed planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba to celebrate what God had
done for him, he may have also planted a tamarisk tree with the future in mind. Even though he would
never find rest in its shade, never feel the cool of the breeze and never eat of its sweet manna, he
planted the tree. While he would not reap the fruit of his labour, generations later, his descendants
would. 

And there sitting in a corner, listening to all this, I could clearly see how God was answering that
lingering question on my mind about the School Bag Project. I shared my learning with the rest of the
GHSM team and explained how God had just answered something that we had been praying about and
waiting on. The whole team was thrilled to hear about how God was using us through the School Bag
Project. I am certain that each of the backpacks that we give away are like a Tamarisk tree that is
being planted. 
 As He did in the past, God has yet again reminded me and confirmed to me how this is something that
is definitely making a huge impact. Praise God for the way he has enabled us to work for His kingdom
and His glory, touching the lives of children through the School Bag Project!
Jerry Manuel
Founder and President, Global Head Start Mission
Only one life, t’will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.

5
 One Tablet - A Dose of God’s Grace
Testimony by a Team Member
I’ve been a part of GHSM since 2015. A salient
feature of GHSM is that members are born again,
and have a passion to share God’s love in a tangible
way to indigent children so that the Gospel may
reach the far corners of our country to every tribe
and tongue.
Over the course of multiple mission trips during
the last half decade, God in His mercy and grace has
enabled me to be challenged and inspired by the
life stories of missionaries serving sacrificially in
far flung areas of our nation.
Amazing as their stories are, no less awe-inspiring
is what God has been doing in our own lives over
the course of these mission trips.
I’d like to share one such incident of God’s
miraculous power that happened in August 2019.
I had recently bought a new tablet, and I couldn’t
wait to use it in the mission field. We had been led
to serve in the hard-to-reach hinterlands of
Jharkhand and obeying God’s call, we prayerfully
set out – first to Kolkata and then to Jharkhand by
train.
As happens far too often, our train was
overcrowded and people were packed together like
sardines in a tin. This meant that despite our
reserved seats, we had to stack our luggage in the
overhead racks wherever we could find the space
to do so.
After a four-hour journey, we were glad to arrive at
our destination and disembarked, checking our
respective luggage as we did. As we took stock, to
my horror I realized that my bag with the brand
new tablet was missing!
We rushed back into the teeming mass of bodies
(the train had still not left the station) and made a
frantic search for the bag, but it was nowhere to be
found.
At that point, I had two choices – to either be
despondent and angry at my friend who’d left the
bag behind, or to choose to have faith and believe
that God would work a miracle for me.
And so we stood there, right in the middle of the
platform as a team and prayed aloud – praising God
for His goodness, faithfulness and power, and
praying that our living God, the God who delights in
doing the impossible for His children would come
through for me. I could not see how, but I chose to
believe.
Strengthened by prayer, we registered a report
with the railway police. What complicated matters
was that our stop had been the last in Jharkhand
and the next stop was to be across state lines, in
West Bengal.
There was nothing to do but pray and wait. And so
pray and wait we did, faith and Scripture staring
down doubt and anxiety.
The call came a little after lunch. Sure enough, God
had answered our prayer - my bag had been
found, with the tablet intact!
“Praise God!” and “Hallelujah!” rang out, and we
bowed our heads to say a fervent prayer of
thanksgiving – God had indeed performed a
miracle for me!
I had much to reflect upon during the 7 hours
between the time my bag was reported found to
the time I had it in my hands, and the two thoughts
that resonated in my mind over and over again was
that:
a) God was teaching me not to be attached to
material things, and
b) the hand of our faithful God was with us and in
our mission work.
I am writing this testimony on the same tablet that
God graciously restored to me.
I invite you to come and see for yourselves the
wonderful and miraculous ways God works in the
lives of people as they choose to be His hands and
feet for the cause of the Gospel.
6
 In His Love, COO Hallelujah Cab
Brendon Wasdell, Child of God for the Children of God

7
 School Bag Project and Evexia

August 2019

When: 10th-14th August, 2019

Where: Jharkhand
Our journey started at 4:55 am from Bangalore by flight to Kolkata. We reached Kolkata at 7:30 am
and rushed to the Kolkata railway station to catch the train scheduled to depart at 9:05 am. By God’s
grace we made it in the nick of time!
We had to deal with being split into three groups in an overcrowded carriage, leading to a bag getting
left behind with Brendon’s tablet in it! This is the incident Brendon refers to in his testimony.

11th August
The first home we served at was the NSM Boys’ Hostel, hosting 101 boys, which was being taken care
of by the missionaries, Mr. & Mrs. Kali Padh Dalai.

8
Vijaya shared a message on how to maintain
good personal hygiene.
This was followed by the distribution of
children’s picture bibles in Hindi for children up
to class 4 and whole Hindi bibles for the older
children.
A rain-proof school bag with stationery was also
given to every child. GHSM also provided the
home with sports equipment for the children.
Dr. Vijaya attended to children with various
medical ailments and handed out appropriate
medication.
Dr. Bennet attended to children with dental
issues while Dr. Roshan worked with the
missionaries explaining stretching and
strengthening exercises for their aches and
pains.

12th August
NSM Boys’ Hostel - 100 boys
Missionaries: Mr. & Mrs. Vikas Chandra.
A hundred pairs of curious eyes greeted us as we Vijaya gave the boys a health talk emphasizing
arrived, and Brendon’s the importance of good hygiene practices.
Birdie Dance brought
The children were each given the school bag
the house down!
with stationery and they were very excited to
The action songs were
receive their gift!
well received and the
boys were receptive to Dr. Vijaya and Dr. Bennet also attended to those
the gospel message. Dr. who had medical and dental issues.

13th August
FMPB Boys’ Home - 149 boys
Missionaries: Rev. and Mrs. Peter Prabhakar
We were given a rousing welcome here with the native language, which we were touched to
boys having put together a music band which watch.
played as they led us in a
The GHSM team reciprocated with two songs and
procession into the
we shared the gospel with them.
hall. They had put
together a special Brendon then led with the Birdie dance which
song and dance like always generated a lot of happy laughs!
emphasizing the
glory of God in their

9
We gave the boys outdoor sports equipment, The children were very engrossed and
and joined them in a games of Frisbee, cricket thoroughly enjoyed the puppet show. Through
and modified soccer. the story of a disobedient boy who encounters
the Lord Jesus, we were able to present the
Dr. Vijaya was kept busy attending to the medical
gospel in a fun, entertaining and relatable
needs of the children.
manner.
That evening we discovered that Rev. & Mrs
Prabhakar owned a set of puppets. When they
suggested we use them, we
jumped at the chance.

10
14th August
NSM Day Care Centre
Missionaries: Mr. and Mrs. Kush Kumar Dehri

Our trip to this day care centre, quite literally in

the When we arrived at our destination, we found
ourselves in a little thatched house with cow
dung plastered on the floor, and 30 children and
their parents waiting for us. We were very
encouraged to see this, since the day care centre
had been in existence only for a short while.

We began with a Hindi gospel song and Brendon

shared a brief message followed by a talk on
good hygiene practices by Dr. Vijaya.

We gave each child a waterproof school bag and

stationery, and also notebooks donated by Bible
Society of India. We also gave the day care centre
10 children’s picture Bibles to use when they
were there.

middle of nowhere, was delayed for a while by The camp ended with Dr. Vijaya and Dr. Bennet
rain and bad roads. treating the children and their parents who
needed medical and dental care.

We experienced God’s providence, power and protection in very tangible ways all through this
mission trip. Please pray much for the missionaries who serve so selflessly in these remote areas.
Please pray that all that we shared and did would impact the lives of these children for God’s glory.

In the next issue, you’ll read about two very special projects by GHSM: “Shoe that Grows”
and “Dress a Girl”
Jakin David,
Engineer
Expecting great things from God

11
 Children’s concerns and prayer points

“Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.”
C.S. Lewis

As we interacted with the children in the NSM-run homes, here is what I observed:
 I realised that they were emotionally stable, which is so crucial to survive and thrive, especially
in a setting like this.
 Despite a relative lack of amenities, they were content and cheerful. They were satisfied with
the living conditions in the hostels. My inference was that their own homes may not always be
conducive to studying and/or spiritual nurturing.
Children need an emotionally nurturing environment to grow, and this need takes on added
importance since they are away from their families. Prayer with thanksgiving, and Bible reading, as
taught by the missionaries help the children to cement a firm identity and personality.
Hence we believe that more children need to be able to be able to avail the benefits of these hostels.
Needs Prayer and praise points
 Adequate amenities in the hostels could  Praise the Lord for the hostels that
be catered to through GHSM. provide shelter, food, support and care to
 Longer term support and stability in the the children.
form of mentorship and counselling is of  Praise the Lord for the Bibles, medical
utmost importance, as most of these check-ups, school bags and stationery that
children will go back into society in their have been distributed by GHSM during
mid-teens. our visits.
 Have the right to better and higher  Praise God for protection of the children
education along with employment and hostel staff during COVID and also for
opportunities to be able to positively the families of the children.
influence and motivate the local  Pray for spiritual growth as the children
population. develop in body and spirit – that they may
grow in grace and discernment.
 Pray for the parents, that the Lord will
enable them to continue to be employed
during the COVID period and beyond.
 Pray that the children’s education will not
be permanently disrupted due to COVID.

Please uphold the children, their caregivers and the ministry of GHSM in your prayers.
Dr. Jacob Roshan Mathew,
Physiotherapist
Privileged to strengthen – physically and spiritually

12
 What is GHSM?

And why do we do what we do?

George Barna rightly said, that “In the race to a child’s heart, the first one there wins.” We at GHSM
aim to do just this. We are an NGO that comprises of a group of dedicated and passionate individuals
from different walks of life who strive to encourage, equip and empower indigent children by giving
them a head start into life. We are united by our love for Christ and our desire to share the Gospel with
these children so that they experience God's love in a tangible way.

Since its inception in 2011, GHSM has been

working towards providing humanitarian aid
to children, parents, caregivers and
communities from developing countries. Our
primary aim is to cater to the holistic needs of
these children and the individuals directly
involved in their care. Our programs and
projects are comprised of hygiene and health
care services, educational support and
assistance, infrastructure development and welfare, leadership training and funding programs. These
are accomplished through partnerships with Christian mission organizations, churches, and other
non-governmental and non-profit organizations.

Each year, our team of volunteers travel to different

parts of the country to execute these projects. We
then follow up periodically with these children by
visiting them, and keeping in touch with their
caretakers. This helps us cater to their unique and
changing needs, and ensures that what we are doing
stays relevant and meets their current needs.

 We do what we do because we believe that children are

not just the church of tomorrow. They are the church of today as well. And this is why we strive to
impress God's word, wisdom and ways into their lives, as it is these little feet that will one day make
big footprints in the world.
Caroline Prabhakar,
Microbiologist
I got into mission work thinking I would change lives. Little did I know that it would change mine.

13
As you read this newsletter we ask that you would pray, and if you feel led to participate in the work
of GHSM, you could do so in one of three ways:

Firstly, commit to praying for GHSM – for the children we work with, for the missionaries who serve
them, for those in GHSM who volunteer their time and effort in helping these children have a head
start into life.

Secondly, you could contribute towards helping these children have a future that holds genuine
opportunities that will enable them and their families and communities over time to come out of the
poverty cycle and to shine for Jesus.

Thirdly, you could come volunteer alongside us on our upcoming trip and see for yourselves the real-
life circumstances these children live in, and help make a difference on the ground!

Our next mission trip is scheduled for July 2021.

If what you read excited you, do get in touch with us – we’d love to hear from you!

Dr. Eileen Solomon

988 004 6014 eileen@globalheadstartmission.org
Bangalore
Mr. Jakin David
900 324 8029 jakin@globalheadstartmission.org
Chennai
Dr. Bennet Anchan
934 335 1611 bennet@globalheadstartmission.org
Mangalore

14
15
16