Women in Russia get pregnancy center as Kids Bible clubs begin in India

 Women facing unwanted and unplanned pregnancy in Russia are often times faced with little support in becoming a mom.

But some of this is changing thanks in part to Slavic Gospel Association’s partnership with Russia’s church. SGA’s President Robert Provost explains,

“The abortion rate in Russia is much higher than America. The average Russian woman will, in her lifetime, have seven abortions, as you could imagine. And the number of abortions that have been recorded is two-hundred-sixty-eight-million. So we think it’s probably double that.”

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 Blazing hot temperatures are one way to announce summer’s arrival in India, opening up the door for Mission India to launch its annual summer Children’s Bible Clubs.

Lindsay Ackerman with Mission India says, “Summer is one of our most exciting times because of the opportunity to meet so many kids, so many boys and girls in villages all across India, to connect with them. To have fun with them through our Children’s Bible club, and ultimately to introduce them to Jesus Christ.”

Around this time of year though, India’s temperatures soar well above 100-degrees Fahrenheit. Yet, the heat isn’t beating out the kids or the camps. Instead, these Bible clubs will sometimes be held under tents and even trees to avoid the scorching sun.

As part of the activities in these clubs, kids get to participate in what is called action songs, where kids sing out praises to Christ and dance before the Lord. Other activities include games, more music and singing, plus they get to spend time reading and hearing Bible stories.

“They get to hear about heroes of the faith, Christians before them in India and in other parts of the world. And they get to hear what it looks like to live a life of faith,” Ackerman explains.

The kids also have time where they learn how to “hide scripture in their heart” by memorizing scriptures and then reciting it before their groups. Often times when kids get the chance to recite what they’ve learned, they are proud. They are proud of their accomplishment and of learning more about God.

As Ackerman says, “It’s so exciting to hear God’s word coming forth from mouths of India’s children and knowing that, that word is powerfully moving forward into the communities where they live.”

Mission India’s Bible club leaders care about the children in their groups both at the camps and when they go home. To continue growing these new relationships, club leaders will often visit the children in the evenings or on weekends to introduce themselves to the kids’ families.

But also, this time of visiting opens up the door for club leaders to offer to pray for families and to tell them how much their child means to them and the joy they bring to the Bible clubs.

“So these kinds of clubs are really opening doors not just into children’s hearts, but into the hearts of families and into the community. At the end of the club, the kids put on a special program, and they don’t just invite their families. They really invite the entire village to come,” Ackerman says.

In India, kids are a family’s pride. They are cherished, loved, and usually at the heart of the family. This love makes it easier to connect into a community, sometimes for the first time, and share Christ’s love with India’s people. Also, when families and communities see the joy their kids return with because of the Gospel, often times they begin asking, ‘Who is this Jesus?’ In all, these Bible clubs don’t only impact kids; it impacts families and entire communities for Christ.