Ok, I have been asked by a pastor in southern India to help him raise funds for his church and and orphanage. I came across this ministry on Facebook where one of his members contacted me through FB Messenger.

The ministry is called South India Church Mission and their pastor is Suresh Paul Talluri. Pastor Suresh had been running his own fundraising campaign on his own web site and on youcaring.com. But the government of India, being hostile towards Christians and Christian ministries, put a block on his ability to raise foreign funds on his own.

I was obviously skeptical, given that there are so many scams on the Internet. But wanting to help I thought up what I thought would be a foolproof way of verifying them/him. I wrote a letter to them and the kids and mailed it to the address they provided with instructions to take pictures of them HOLDING THE LETTER in front of the kids so I could see it and them TOGETHER in the pic. 45 days later it arrived and they sent word through Messenger:

If this is an Internet scam it is the most elaborate scam I've ever seen. That is why he is asking me for help. I told him I would do everything I could to help him. They need $250/week at least to operate and meet the needs of the ministry there. Would you ask Jesus if this is something He wants you to support? ALL proceeds are currently being sent via PayPal to the pastor there directly. Please consider a financial gift to help the kids and his work there bringing people to the Lord. I will update the site regularly showing receipts for money sent matching what is given so you can see this is honest.

And who am I? I am David Black, the campaign organizer and manager. Since sending that letter and having regular correspondence with pastor Suresh and getting to know him and his family there and receiving many pictures of his ministry work there, I have gained much trust and respect for him and his work for the Lord there. It is of utmost importance to me that all donors to this campaign know that all money given to this campaign is getting to the intended recipient. I take the stewardship of God's money very seriously. And I am honored that God would trust me to manage this for His work there.

This is how I handle all donations: All funds donated are sent to a separate bank account in my name and then transferred to another account that is linked and verified on PayPal. I do this only because I only have one bank account that I use for PayPal and setting another one up is a pain. I then send the funds via PayPal to the recipient: Suresh Paul Talluri in India. GoFundMe takes a percentage of all funds donated. I usually pay those amounts BACK in so your full donation is sent to Suresh. But, also, PayPal takes a percentage out of the donation as well when it is sent to India. Other than those fees there are no other amounts/fees deducted from your donation. I make sure that your donations are sent to pastor Suresh no longer than a week after I receive them.

In addition to supporting pastor Suresh and his family's personal needs all proceeds are used for helping and feeding orphans. In addition, the proceeds also fund these ministries:

Water well Ministry – Some of our poor and needy churches do not have access to clean, safe water where the South India Mission is located. So many people here are at risk of deadly diseases every single day because they don’t have a bore well near to them. They are all walking several miles to get clean water to drink, bathe and do their dishes, wash and laundry.

We set a target to drill water wells for poor churches in Andhra Pradesh State, who need clean water to drink. So far we have built 4 wells. Each borewell costs from $800 to $1200 USD, depending on the depth needed to drill in order to reach water, as the depth required to reach water varies in different locations. Our Christian brethren and sister churches in these villages will greatly appreciate any support you are able to provide for the drilling of these water wells. Matthew 25 :35. John 4:14

Widows and Old Age Ministry - There are many old aged and widows in our village congregations. These old aged and widows are homeless and starving and are very dependent on us to provide the basic necessities of life for them as they are helpless and without means to provide for themselves. We provide clothing, food, blankets, medical care and spiritual encouragement and Gospel teaching to them in our congregations. James 1:27.

Forest Tribal Ministry - Reaching the unreached in remote areas of southern India with the Gospel and planting churches there. South India Forest Tribal Ministries spreads its wings of compassion to remote areas, locked between the mountains and dense forests. Here there exists a socially deprived class of people. Their staunch belief in socially shunned practices like voodoo, witchcraft and sorcery makes human interaction very difficult and sometimes dangerous. Many of the tribal villagers living in these areas live in extreme poverty and have no knowledge of the One, True God. We are doing our utmost to reach and teach them the Gospel. We established 19 small church congregations. When we have the sufficient funds we have been able to help them by providing food packets, clothing, fruit, free medicine and work in our efforts to bring more to the Kingdom of God. Therefore, I am humbly requesting you to come and see God’s work in India and snatch them from the fire and save them - Jude 23, Mt 28:18-20. Faithfully, we dispense your trust in God’s work in India and we need your prayers and support to uphold the ministry. We warmly welcome you to join and help us to evangelize in the service of God in these Forest Tribal villages - Mark 16:15, Prov 14:31, Acts 11:29, 2Cor 9:7, 12, Phil 2:4, 5, 1Cor 10:31 and Ps 48:14.

About pastor Suresh Paul Talluri of South India Church Mission: A servant in the Master's Vineyard, I, Suresh Paul Talluri, my father Evangelist Joseph(late), and my mother, Deva Krupamma(late), have been members of the church here in India for many years. We have devoted our lives to preaching and teaching the Gospel and caring for the needy saints in the congregations we serve. We have worked diligently to reach and proclaim the Gospel to the unreached people here in India in many villages and in remote tribal areas inside the dense and dangerous tiger reserve forest areas. We have established and are currently working closely with 35 congregations in the Prakasam District of the state of Andhra Pradesh. Hope to reach the more unreached areas where the Gospel has not reached yet.. Thanking our Lord for using me and my family and our Mission Team in His precious work. 1 Corinthians 15:58, Rom.15:20, John 12:26, 1 Peter 2:16, Psalm 34:22, Psalm 115:3

This campaign is unpublished.

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