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NEWS OF RALPH "BUD" HARTER. MISSIONARYBIBLE BOOK STORE
3/83, VISHNUPURI KANPUR 208002, INDIA
INDIA TRIP A SUCCESS
Our Lord provided a safe, if nottotally comfortable, visit to
India.The three that went, Norman Maynard,Howard Otto and Ken
Downs, wish tothank each of you for your prayerson our behalf. We
could see thatthe Lord was answering all the prayers of those in
the States and inIndia. We were able to do mosteverything that was
on the itineraryand were kept safe and healthy forthe most part. We
hope you are allinterested in hearing about it sincethat is the
subject of this entirenewsletter.
The trip began as scheduled fromCleveland airport on USAir bound
forFrankfurt, Germany stopping tochange planes in Pittsburgh.
FromFrankfurt we took Luftanza direct toDelhi. The flights were
uneventfulbut tiring as it is difficult tosleep on the plane and we
were looking forward to our arrival.
In Delhi, we got through the entry red tape in time to find
Budwaiting for us outside the airport(due to security, no one is
allowedin without a ticket), Ralph wasalmost ready to give up on us
againas he did in January. Our firstview of India was in the middle
ofthe night, but there were hundredsof people outside the airport,
manysleeping on the sidewalks as istheir lot. This was just the
firsttaste we were to have of the immensepopulation many of whom
are homeless.
After a day and a half in Delhiat the YMCA hotel (where we met
Ber-nal & Joan Getter from Sitapur)sightseeing, we left by fast
trainto Agra to see the great Taj Mahal.The pictures we took could
never dojustice to such a grand structure.But we also had to think
of the expense and labor that went intobuilding a tomb when so many
need somuch. We were also reminded atthese "tourist" places by
Ralph andour taxi drivers of the danger frommuggers and
pickpockets. I supposethe danger is greater in the U.S. atsuch
places, but in a foreign coun
7/6Z
try we were very careful.
From Agra we took a fastertrain to Jantsi then India's
slowesttrain on a spur track to Kulpahar,to visit the Kulpahar Kids
Home.Ralph is on their board of directorsand is a frequent visitor
but thekids had to get used to us. Many ofyou are already familiar
with thiswork, but much of it was new to me.Leah Mosure was our
gracious hostessas Dolly Chitwood was on furlough inthe States. We
stayed in the guesthouse from Friday 'til Wednesday butit wasn't
until after Sunday's worship service that the kids startedwarming
up to us (I think theyrealized that we were there to seethem not
just the adults) . LindaStanton & Velma Held were also
therewhen we arrived, but left before we.The book For the Sake of a
Childtells the story of Kulpahar betterthan I so if you can get a
copy,please read it.
From Kulpahar we had intended togo to Damoh to visit the
Mid-IndiaChristian Mission , because we hadbrought with us much
heavy luggagefrom Vivek Lall (at K.C.C.) for hisfamily. We were
prevented by myheat-sickness which also affectedHoward. Since we
left Delhi, thetemperature was over 100 every day.So we stayed in
the mission's careuntil we could travel to Kanpur (Budhad gone on
ahead by bus to makesure of our accommodations.
In Kanpur we finally got to meetthe Christians that Ralph had
mentioned so often in his letters. Thefirst was Amarjeet Singh.
Amar is2 6 and as yet unmarried. Ralph hasbeen working with him to
oversee thebookstore and other aspects of theClinton mission. Ralph
has recommended Amar to the Clinton Elders asour "field agent" as
the Indian government will not allow any new American missionaries
into the country.The Elders have accepted Amarjeet somuch of my
correspondence will nowgo through him. As long as Ralph isable, he
will continue in the samecapacity that he has but we feel theLord
leading us to be prepared forwhatever He has in store.
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CONTRIBUTIONSOA J.S.NickersonIL 1st Christian, Flora
Glen ValbertRobert Walker
IN 1st Church, GarrettChurch 50.00H,Shellenberger
35.00L.Balliett 45.00S.Vincent 140.00
150.00270.00100.00
50.00270.00
Frank Reas 100.00Osgood Church 120.00Burlington Church
230.00Smithville Church 300.00Singles/Doubles Class 110.00Kenneth
Eade 200.00George Trueblood 20.00Lena Morrical 40.00
KY East Union Ch. School 151.62MI Lewis Domke 250.00MO Liberty
Sunday Schoo?. 216.00
Florence Douglas 25.00NC Capital City Church 2534.40NY Margaret
Dunne 20.00
Mrs. Henry Guay 15.00OH Clinton Church 2625.00
Linden Church 900.00Loyal Daughters C?.ass 140.00Homebuilders
Clasfj 300.00Ruth Handwerk 857.00Stephen Handwerk 3135.00Warren
Steiner 350.00Branch Hill Church 500.00Mrs. W. Lile 60.00A. B.
Slough 1.00.00Kathleen Close 50.00Paul Winland 130.00Leona Blythe
100.00Edward Chamber1in IC'O.OO
Sebring Church 2 0. 00Old Stone Church 8"). 00Milford Church 21'
.42
PA Oak Grove Church 17.00Mrs. LaVerne Romesburg 14C.00Mrs, Ethel
Beardsiley 20.00L. A. Nicholson 60 .00
TN Embreeville Church 225 .00TX Dr. D. F. Peel 350 .00WA Wapato
Church 360.00WV Hooverson Hts. Church i 00.00
EXPENSESBuilding Funds 105C0.0OSalaries 1215.00Kalishiya Sahayak
Sanstha 1000.00Misc. Bookstore etc. 2571.84Scholarships
710.00Airfare '.421.60Books 552.73Postage & Bank Fees
177.96
HARTB^ THROBSINDIA MISSIONArY NEWSRALPH "bid" HARTERFIRST CHU
!CH OF CHRIST2545 W. CDMIT RD.CLINTON, :H 44216
FINANCIAL REPORT OCT 90 thru APR 91
Beginning Balance 10-1-90 $ 2036.75Total Contributions
14733.44Voided Checks 2560.00Total Expenses -18149.13
Ending Balance 4-30-91 $ 1181.06
Continued from page 1
While in Kanpur, we were able tovisit with the leaders of the
various churches that have grown out ofthe Swarupnagar Church. We
alsovisited the building sites of two ofthose Churches; Barra
Church with I.Das and Shalom Church with H. L.Khoji. The
Swarupnagar Church wasthe main focus of our attention however since
that is still Ralph'sChurch and will be his new home oncethe
parsonage is finished. Thiswill be an apartment being builtabove
the Church & bookstore building. At the Sunday service, we
werehonored as if we were kings. A humbling experience we were not
expecting. Wa were to dedicate the newapartment which took place
after theservice, but at the close of theworship, we were given
flowered garlands and other gifts. We hadbrought monetary gifts for
thebuilding funds and small gifts forthe children but were in awe
of thelove thay showed for us.
Non'?. of the members of any ofthe chu:*ches owns their own
house orcar, -but what they -have is gi-venfreely to the Lord and
His people a lesson we could all learn better.We were confronted
first-hand withthe pagan customs of that land, especially when we
visited theirshrines and temples. Such a wasteof money for such an
empty cause.We are to be thankful our God doesnot live in temples
made with hands!
We will never forget the sights,sounds and smells of India, but
mostof all we will not forget our brothers and sisters in Christ
there. Bein constant prayer for them as theywork for the Lord
especially now asthe government is in such turmoil.We pray that the
new leaders willopen th^ door for more missionaries,perhaps one
will be you!! K.D.
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NEWS OF RALPH "BUD" HARTER, MISSIONARY ,BIBLE BOOK STORE
7/130 D SWARUPNA6AR KANPUR 208002, INDIA
MOVE TO SWARUPNAGAR COMPLETE
During the first week of Sept. orthe last of Aug. the last of
Ralph'sfunishings were moved to the newPastorium above the Church
in Swar-upnagar. Ralph reports that many"finishing touches" remain
unfinished but the rooms are very nice indeed. As we recall, the
rooms arebrick (common material) that areplastered over. Even in
the heatduring our visit, they seemed relatively cool.
This ends a long period of anticipation for Ralph and the
otherChristians there who were involvedin this project. The next
rooms tobe completed will be for Amarjeet.Then the plans are
uncertain. Thereare thoughts of moving the Sanctuaryup to the 2nd
(or is it 1st) floorwith the Pastorium. Or moving theBookstore up,
or making a studycenter up there instead. There aremany things to
consider, so only theLord knows for sure how the buildingwill
progress.
WEDDING BELLS FOR AMARJEET
As we expected, after AmarjeetSingh was confirmed as an agent
ofthe Clinton Church he asked that arrangements be made for his
engagement. His intended is named NeeruMassay, but she is called
"Priya"(Preeya) by Amar. This means beloved.
Priya attends a school whereAmar teaches Bible classes on
Sundayevenings. They spoke when possible,but mostly corresponded as
they grewto know and love each other.
Priya's mother is a matron atthe school and kept a close
watchover her daughter. The culture doesnot allow dating or even
conversation between the sexes unless forbusiness purposes, so the
couplecould not develope their relationship as we might. This
seemed veryfrustrating for Amar as he explainedit to me during our
visit. Thiscustom has forced Amar to rely onGod's direction in this
very important step in his life. Since hecould not know as much
about her ashe would like, he must trust theLord that she is the
one.
Priya is a lovely Christian girlwho likes to ask questions. On
ourSunday evening in Kanpur, HowardOtto and I accompanied Amar
toPriya's School for the Bible class.After Howard gave the lesson,
Amarasked if there were any questions.One special 19 year old kept
askingquestion after question about America. Amar made no
particular effortto see her afterward, so I thoughtlittle about her
other than she wasinquisitive. I asked Amar later ifthat girl was
going to be a teachersince she asked so many questions.Then he
explained who she was andthat she asked all the questions toprolong
the class. I asked why hedidn't speak to her or introduce usto her.
He said that her mother waspresent at the class and then wenton to
explain about their customs.
Amar had not told us that shewould be there or I would have
madean effort to speak to her along withthe other girls. (Visitors
have alittle more lee-way with some customs) I only knew that his
"girlfriend" went to a nearby girl'sschool.
The ^arrangements that were madeconcerning the wedding
involvedRalph acting as Amar's father goingto Priya's parents to
ask for herhand. This is the evolution of the"arranged marriage"
that is stillpracticed today. Priya's father isin the Army and it
was originallythought that the wedding would takeplace in 1992
since his leave hadbeen used for another wedding earlier this year.
Apparently this hasbeen cleared up and the wedding isscheduled for
Oct. 17, 1991.
The ceremony is to be held inAmritsar in Punjab province. Thisis
Priya's family home (also Amar'shome province). The honeymoon maybe
at Agra or nearby.
We are looking forward to meeting her if the Lord wills.
Plansare being made for the couple tovisit the U.S. in the early
summerof 1992 after Amar completes hisBachelor of Theology degree.
Nothing definite can be reported, butthere may be some difficulty
in obtaining a visa for both since theU.S. is leery about a
newlywedcouple coming here to "disappear".
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FINANCIAL REPORT MAYAUG 1991
Beginning Balance 5-1-91 $1181.06
Contributions:CO Mrs. Hollis Conner 100.00IL 1st Church, Flora
120.00
Neon Bible Class 75.00IN 1st Church, Garrett 70.00
H. Shellenberger 20,00S. Vincent 80.00
Osgood Church 40.00Singles/Doubles Class 92.00
KY East Union Bible School 173.43Dr. Thomas Omer 25.00
MO Liberty Sunday School 76.50NC Capital City Church 870.64OH
1st Church, Clinton 1600.00
Sebring Church 40.00Loyal Daughters Class 80.00Mrs. Ruth
Handwerk 425.00M/M Stephen Handwerk 715.00M/M Warren Steiner
200.00Linden Church 300.00Branch Hill Church 100.00Homebuilder's
Class 100.00Old Stone Church 80.00
PA Oak Grove Church 100.00Mrs. LaVerne Romesburg 80.00L.A.
Nicholson 30.00
TN Embreeville Church 75.00TX Grayson H. Ensign 15.00
Dr/Mrs.D.F.Peel 200.00WA Wapato Church 240.00WI Richard A.
Huntington 100.00WV Hooverson Hts. Church 400.00Total
Contributions: 6622.57
Expenses:INDIA:Salaries - 615.42
Scholarships 977.65Travel 110.00Books 226.03Building Maint.
65,00
.Kalisiya Sahayak San. 1000.00Clinton Study Centre
1200.00Building Funds 2000.00
U.S.: Office Sup.& Postage 41.70Total Expenses: 6235.80
Ending Balance 8-31-91 1567.83
HARTER THROBSINDIA MISSIONARY NEWSRALPH "bud" HARTERFIRST CHURCH
OF CHRIST2545 W. COMET RD.CLINTON, OH 44216
RALPH KEEPS VERY BUSY
Ralph's schedule for the forsee-able future is quite full. He
hasbeen in Sat-tal teaching for most ofthe summer and by now has
returnedto Kanpur only to leave for Kulpaharto speak at the Kid's
Home. Thenit's off to Madras about October 1then on to Banares to
speak at theconvention with the Getters.
After the wedding, it's off tocentral India to Sarguja for
fourevenings of speaking. Then the preparations for the Holidays
will fastbe approaching.
FROM RALPH'S LETTER 8-5-91
For the past several days wehave been enjoying (more or
less)some rain. Just goes to prove againthat God sends rain upon
the justand upon the unjust. Yesterdaychurch attendance was down,
and thenumber of customers in the bookstoreis also down. I am told
that theattendance in the cinemas is aboutthe same.
There was a head-on collisionbetween two trains between here
andLucknow yesterday morning, one ofwhich was standing in a small
midway station, otherwise the deathtollwould have been higher. Even
then11 died. The negligence involvedboth before and after the
accidentwas shameful.
Otherwise the news is that therela xio news. We called a man to
comecook for us but I conclude that heis not interested. We will
now letthe matter ride until the middle ofNovember because I will
be gone fromhere much of the time in between.
There is one piece of good news:that I passed the exam in Isaiah
andProphets on the second try. Thethree other results may or may
notcome later. Dr. Varma passed a paper on Romans, and another
studentwe have helped has also passed.Amarjeet's. fiancee also
passed herexams with high marks.
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PAIDCLINTON, OHIO
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