July 2025 India Intercessor
Friends,
I played basketball all the way through high school, and my coaches, my teammates, and the sheer joy of the game have always stayed with me. There was just nothing like the comfort of a basketball in my hand after a long day.
Amazingly, the joy of a good game is an international language, one that the children of India know well. They love soccer, cricket, and jumping rope. Unfortunately, they often have no access to real equipment, so they play with rolled-up trash for soccer balls or heavy sticks for cricket bats.
I’m thrilled to say that our Year-Long Children’s Bible Clubs are a place where they can use real sports equipment for the first time. This means that India’s children know our Bible Clubs as places where they are allowed to just be kids.
I’m thrilled about this for another reason, too: As much joy as there is in a good game of basketball or cricket, I know that there is no greater joy than helping someone come to Jesus. When a child joins a Bible Club because they love soccer, they are also joining a community of people who will love them, tutor them, and share the Gospel with them.
As these Bible Clubs conclude for the school year, I’m even more reminded that the fun of sports can quickly become the joy of salvation if we are willing to ask for it. Because of this, I’m so grateful that Mission India partners with faithful friends like you, who pray for these students and their leaders daily.
Together, for India,
Todd VanEk
President & CEO of Mission India
