Featured Pioneer Team

Living and working in the large south Indian city of Madurai this YWAM team is conducting cell groups, youth meetings, and sports outreach events among slum dwellers. Team leader Mark Kannan reports a change taking place in the slums. For example they have begun ministering to the poor and needy of Madurai with savings plans in several slums. These cooperative savings schemes help poor families to start small businesses and meet other critical needs.

The Madurai team is also doing personal evangelism, house visiting, and open-air evangelism. They literally share the Gospel with hundreds of people every week. Many people have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and started coming to church.

The team also have a slum focused medical outreach. They supply treatment and medicine for about 800 people every month. For the major diseases the team takes patients to a wonderful lady doctor. She gives free treatment to the people that the YWAMers recommend. This doctor is conducting a medical camp once a month too. Through these medical works the team has the joy of spreading the gospel to approximately 200 people every month.

Papathi's story:

"And a woman, who had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse..." Mark 5:25-26

Mark Kannan tells of a woman who reminds us of this lady that Jesus encountered. "While we were doing medical work we saw a non-Christian lady named Papathi who was sitting upstairs and crying. One of the staff went up there to find out what was wrong with her. She was thinking of committing suicide because of her debt. Due to financial worries, she was sick physically too. She had taken a lot of treatment but nothing helped her. In this situation we counseled her and gave her the message of hope for her life. We also gave her medical treatment and prayed for her. The next week she came to us and told us that she was healed and her need was met. Papathi said, "it is your God who has done this for me."

This team is in need of finances to fund all their ministries and operating expenses. If you would like to make a donation to the Madurai team please contact Mark Kannan for details at:[email protected]