Timeline
On-Going
Status
Currently Operating
Topics
Children's Ministry, Evangelism, Muslims, Pastoral Training, Poverty, Women's Ministry, Youth Ministry
Greetings from a Small Rural Church in India! (Video)
In this two-and-a-half-minute on-location video, David Kumar gives us a look at the rural village where he, his wife, Taru, and Pastor Walter conducted their most recent training.
Dear Team: Reaffirming Our Commitment to (Real) Success
I was both amazed and saddened at the same time. …
From Tears to Smiles on the First Day at Deepam
Monday, June 5 was the first day of the school year for Deepam Primary School, the outreach of our partners, David and Taru Kumar! Deepam Center…
Honoring 20 Graduates in an Indian Slum
It was a warm spring morning. The small collection of rooms that houses Deepam Primary School was full. Tucked into the area of Bangalore, India, known as Modi Road…
What One Skills Training Graduate Says About David and Taru’s Ministry
“I never came out of my house but stayed within four walls of my house and never went to see the outside world…”
7 Things the Lord Impressed on Me in Asia
While planning my travel to Pakistan, many encouraged me not to go. Many expressed sentiments like, “You know what goes on over there!” “I don’t really think you should go to Pakistan,” or “Think about doing something different than going there.” …
David and Taru have been called to minister in a Muslim slum in Bangalore, India.
Impoverished and forced out, this group of people have set up an informal settlement next to a dump, where no one else wants to be.
Many of the men squander their meager income, leaving their wives and children with little to nothing.
It's not uncommon for the little that is left - if there is any - to be split between a husband's multiple households that are home to children numbering the double digits.
School is not provided for these children, so their future is not likely to include anything brighter.
Most of the women are forbidden by their husbands to obtain work outside the slum, and there's little industry within it.
A narrow passageway in the slum where David and Taru work.
David and Taru minister to women and children, for whom life in this Indian slum can be unspeakably harsh and oppressive.
Considered property, many are forbidden to leave the slum or sometimes even their tiny, drab homes.
David and Taru operate a small primary school that prepares children of the slum for future schooling.
They are taught how to hold a pencil, recognize letters and count, but they are also taught about Jesus and that they can call on him. Just participating in organized activities is immensely beneficial. Their parents are thrilled to see how they learn and grow.
Without these experiences, many would begin elementary school having never held a pencil.
Taru and other Christian women provide machines and teach the women of the slum to sew. This allows them to earn income without leaving the slum, making a huge the difference for their family's well-being.
Muslim women learning to sew.
ITMI's Steve Evers and David share the story of the potter and the clay with the women after they've done their sewing.
They come to earn income making crafts, but they LOVE the rare opportunity to connect with other women in a way that is acceptable to their husbands.
During the summer, Taru holds week-long VBS-type outreaches at the Deepam Educational Center. Attendance is highly sought-after by the children of the community and they often have to turn children away.
During the week, the students participate in crafts, stories and games that demonstrate the Biblical principles needed to understand God's plan of salvation.
Taru with two young girls, proudly displaying their crafts.
Taru demonstrates the love of Christ to the young children of the slum through VBS.
David and Taru both grew up in orphanages in India.
Taru doesn’t know why her family left her where she grew up when she was a baby.
David’s father worked at the orphanage where he was raised, but was so poor that the orphans were better off than his own children, so they were raised with the orphans.
David and Taru had been living across the dumping ground from a Muslim slum in Bangalore, India for some time.
They had been in a employee-like role with another ministry organization for quite a few years. But around 2015, when the organization wanted to relocate them to Northern India so David could manage something they were doing, David and Taru risked everything and said they couldn’t go.
They knew God had called them to demonstrate and declare the Good News in that Bangalore slum.
Parents of Preschoolers Crowd Around, Hear the Gospel
It was December 20th. Fifty mothers and four fathers packed into the tiny collection of rooms…
Merry Christmas From Your ITMI Partners!
We asked our partners to share some of the ways Jesus’ kingdom was advanced this year. We hope you are encouraged by their answers and the special messages they have for you!
Your Gifts Shine Jesus’ Light into Darkness
“After many days, we slept well,” Sayida told ITMI’s Taru Kumar, mustering a gentle half-smile.
The Dark Reality of Ministering in India
Taru Kumar thought Rahman* was crying because he did not want to come to school that day. …
