Kardias Ministries 2008 Year-End Report

Dear Supporters,

What a year! I so enjoy these opportunities at the end of a calendar year to look back and see all that we have had the privilege of watching the Lord accomplish.

First of all, please accept our deep appreciation for your generous contributions. On April 9, 2007, Kardias Ministries, working in co-operation with Common Ground Christian Ministries, received its first donation. For the year of 2007 the ministry received a total of $7,499. In 2008, total donations reached nearly $30k (excluding the amount donated for Mission India 2008)!

Allotment	Starting	Donations	Disbursements	Remaining
Gampala Family	$ 0	$ 4,920	$ 4,870	$ 50
Widow’s Shelter	$ 0	$ 1,010	$ 0	$ 1,010
Chennai Orphanage	$ 220	$ 2,398	$ 810	$ 1,808
Matthew 25 Sponsorship	$ 0	$ 1,260	$ 690	$ 570
Burmese Scholarship	$ 0	$ 12,089	$ 12,089	$ 0
Mission India 2008	$ 0	$ 20,710	$ 20,710	$ 0
General Fund	$ 1,989	$ 8,121	$ 7,595	$ 2,515
Total	$ 2,209	$ 50,508	$ 46,764	$ 5,9533

Mission India 2009?

Mission India 2008 (MI-8) was a resounding success. Nine missionaries from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Burma spent two weeks sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in a predominantly Hindu culture. We spent quality time with orphaned and fatherless children, destitute widows, strong and passionate Christians, and Hindus curious about the white people visiting from America.

We are prayerfully considering a return trip in December '09/January '10. We're really trying to weigh the cost of missionaries traveling to India vs. funding the current needs of those whom we are seeking to serve. One idea might be to send fewer missionaries while conducting a simultaneous fundraiser here in the US. If you have ideas on this issue or would be interested in joining us for a mission trip to India from about December 23, 2009 to January 6, 2010, please let us know. We will keep you informed of the details as the time draws nearer. We should have firm plans by June.

Gampala Family

This past year for the Gampala family ministries has been a fruitful one. As part of MI-8, we were able to distribute cookware to all of the widows, purchase chairs for the congregation, provide a new keyboard and electronic drum kit, and distribute Bibles to the youth. We even spontaneously gifted our digital camera before we left.

In addition, God has blessed us to be able to purchase warm blankets and clothing for the cold season, provide ear drum surgery, supply eye surgery for three widows, grant other medical needs, offer supplies for a “pastor fellowship” meeting, and make the holy days a little extra special by providing some food for the Feast.

The Matthew 25 Sponsorship Program was started after MI-8 to give people the opportunity to provide for the needs of a widow. A portion of the donation is set aside for the long-term need of shelter, and a portion is disbursed monthly for the daily needs of food, clothing, and medicine. At the close of 2008, 2 of 25 widows have been sponsored. See the sponsorship program on our web site for more information.

In early 2009, donors like you had provided enough to pay for the tiling of the house of God in Lanka. After the tiling is completed, some widows will be able to move in to the house of God to improve their shelter situation, and allow the Gampala family to more easily care for them. We will share pictures in another update after the work has been completed.

Chennai Orphanage

The Chennai Orphanage was another of our areas of focus during MI-8. All of the missionaries stated that they wished we had spent more time with the orphans. It is heartbreaking to see these kids living in such destitute conditions.

The Matthew 25 Sponsorship Program has also been created to care for the orphans. As of the close of 2008, 2 of 26 current orphans have been sponsored. Again, please see sponsorship program on our web site for more information. Though more than $1,800 has been saved this year for a new orphanage, much more needs to be accomplished before we have the estimated $70k necessary to purchase land and build a proper orphanage facility. We are praying that God will provide for these children.

Burmese Scholarship

After a long and arduous road with TOEFL tests, educational transcripts, and student Visas, Haung Dau arrived in America in November 2008. He is currently attending an intensive English program to raise his English skills, and then will move on to college in the fall of 2009. The current plan is that he will major in non-profit management and pick up some computer hardware skills to prepare him to open an orphanage, school, and community center in Burma.

In closing, we thank you again for your generosity and your prayers on behalf of Kardias ministries. For our partners, we look forward with anticipation to the good works that God has provided for each of us to accomplish.

Agape,

Brian and Stephanie Smith