In March 2020, the first PEPE unit was opened in India, which operated for two weeks with 17 children, but due to the Pandemic and the safety measures imposed by the government, it was forced to close its doors for face-to-face work with children. But the follow-up work via telephone with the families, the care, the help with food and other basic needs that arose over the course of this one year, made the PEPE team gain the trust of the local community. So, after almost two years without formal face-to-face activities with children, the unit could reopen in June 2022, and registered 19 children, 17 of which managed to complete the school year in the country.
In January 2023, the unit participated in the Republic Day festivities in the community, where parents and leaders gathered to raise the flag, the children received snacks and sweets from the community leaders and behaved very well with their country flags in the celebration, making a difference and calling the community’s attention to PEPE’s work there. Also in January, two children from the unit, with their parents, decided to profess their faith in Jesus and began to attend the meetings with God on Sundays. These meetings have already been attended by almost 20 people since the unit began in the community in 2020. Not only the children’s parents have been interested in the Word, but neighbors also invite the Missionary-Educators to go to their homes to pray when they are visiting the families from PEPE.
To end the school year on April 4th, the first graduation of PEPE in India was held. The space was small to receive the parents, the children, the leaders of the partner Association that has supported the PEPE Missionary-Educators there, but even so the celebration was held with the presentation of the children who were prepared by the children of the two Missionary-Educators (a boy and a girl of only 11 years old, but who already understood the importance of completing the mission and love serving God), with the delivery of certificates and gifts from the best students, testimony and gratitude from the mothers and a Word of inspiration from the Leader of the Baptist Association .
The time has truly come to give thanks and celebrate the work of PEPE in India. The local PEPE team is very grateful to all of you who are part of this challenge through your prayers and contributions, and we continue to count on your support, so that we can together complete the mission and reach more children, families and communities with God’s love through this PEPE project.
Halima Ferreira – Continental Director of PEPE Asia
