Stories

Friends,

The other day, I asked my daughter if she felt ready to go back to school. As she’s starting her last few years of high school, and my granddaughter is starting kindergarten, heading back to school has been on my mind.

When I asked her if she felt ready, I love how Jori answered me: “No, not really. But I’d like to see my friends again.”

Though she was talking about her friends and teachers in our city, her answer offered a profound insight into the ministry people like you faithfully support through Mission India.

As Adult Literacy Classes and Year-Long Children’s Bible Clubs kick off this fall, I’m so excited for those learners and children to have access to resources and information that they’ve never had before. But the most important ministry—in my daughter’s life and in the lives of people across India—is in the relationships.  

It is through these relationships that each learner and student will give and receive encouragement, accountability, and intercessory prayer. They will help one another learn and celebrate each other’s successes. Best of all, guided by an Adult Literacy teacher or Children’s Bible Club leader that you equipped, they will learn to show one another the heart of Christ.

Friends, as you or someone you love heads back to school this month, will you join me in prayer? Pray that each of our programs in India fosters a strong community, so that every day, learners and children across India would say, “I’d like to see my friends again.”

Together, for India,

Todd VanEk
President & CEO of Mission India

Click here to download prayers for September 2026.