Steve's Blog...

February 1, 2010

I found this photo while looking through some pictures I shot after Hurricane Rita. This is a shot at Holly Beach, Louisiana.

Just goes to show you that no matter how bad the situation...

Jesus Lives!

January 16, 2010

As we enter into a New Year I would request you listen to the story of how we were introduced to the orphans in India. It is no accident when God is involved. I hope you enjoy our story of hope and faith and ask that as you listen you also pray about becoming a part of the work we are doing in India to help the children.

December 2, 2009

I would like to say "Thank You" for your contributions that allowed us to expand our existing church building to provide safe and secure housing for some of our orphans in India. This addition allows us to move from a rented building with the associated monthly payments into an area attached to our church building that is now totally paid for. This greatly helps with our monthly expenses.

We are still in need of funding to complete the new orphanage which will provide care for over 200 orphans currently on our waiting list. Please consider helping us complete this project by donating through our secure servers.

Pastor Kumar sent new photos of some of our children and I wanted to share them with you here:

Again I want to say "Thank You" for your continued financial support and prayers.

May God continue to bless and prosper you in the New Year.

Stephen Bramham

August 12, 2009

URGENT REQUEST

With the U.S. economy in it's current condition we sometimes forget that other areas of the world are also suffering. I received an email from Pastor Kumar, our Chief Operating Officer for Abiding Light Ministries in India this morning. In his email Pastor Kumar tells me that the rent for the building where we shelter 25 of our children was increased. If we can not pay this increase soon we must vacate this building within two months. This cost is US $1700.00 per year or just US $142.00 per month.

In addition the cost for food for our children has increased three-fold. We are currently caring for 50 orphans in two locations. The cost for food, the cook and helper, medicines and school fees runs at US $500.00 per month.

Pastor Kumar just purchased a three month supply of rice at a cost of US $1,000.00. We are growing some vegetables and fruit on our orphanage property to help keep the total cost of food down as much as possible.

To complete the next phase of the orphanage expansion project we are currently in need of US $25,000.

If you would like to assist in any of these areas, please make a donation indicating where you would like your donations to be used. No amount is too small. Our ministry administrative overhead is very small and as such 100% of your donations will go to the orphans in India.

Please pray about helping these precious children.

God Bless

Stephen Bramham

August 5, 2009

A NATIONAL PRAYER OF REPENTANCE

Joe Wright is the pastor of Central Christian Church in Wichita, KS. On January 23, 1996, He was asked to be the guest chaplain for the Kansas State House in Topeka. He prayed a prayer of repentance that was written by Bob Russell, pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. According to an article in the Kansas City Star from January 24, 1996, his prayer stirred controversy, and one member of the legislative body walked out. Others criticized the prayer. The controversy didn’t end there. Later that year in the Colorado House, Republican representative Mark Paschall angered lawmakers by using Joe Wright’s prayer as the invocation. Some members there also walked out in protest. Paul Harvey got a hold of the prayer and read it on his program. He got more requests for copies of it than any other thing he had ever done. Here’s what he prayed: "Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that’s exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that: We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism. We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism. We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it a choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the airwaves with profanity and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state. Grant them Your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your will. Amen

July 30, 2009

Here are the latest photos of the construction progress on the India Orphanage.

Please consider making a donation to complete the orphanage

July 3, 2009

We are now holding monthly Bible Study and Prayer Meetings in the Kennesaw, Georgia area. If you are interested in attending please contact us at 770-426-0325. If we are out of the office please leave a message and a callback number and someone will return your call with information on time and dates of these meetings.

[SCHEDULE]

Steve Bramham

May 17, 2009

We now have several methods of contacting Abiding Light Ministries:

Internet: Abiding Light Ministries

U.S. Telephone: 1-770-426-0325

U.S. Postal Service: Abiding Light Ministries; P.O. Box 3083; Kennesaw, GA 30156-9119; U.S.A.

Please let us hear from you.

Steve Bramham

April 4, 2009

Abiding Light Ministries currently cares for over 50 orphans in Nalgonda, Andra Pradesh, India. We are in the process of expanding our orphanage so that we will have the capacity to care for over 200 orphans. These precious children come to us from all over the Andra Pradesh District of India.

We are providing a safe shelter, food, medical care, clothing, and an education that they would not otherwise have.

By the Grace of God we obtained Non-Government Organization (NGO) status last year and now have a full-time staff to care for our children. We also purchased 5 acres of property in Nalgonda and have begun construction on the new orphanage which will include a dormitory capable of housing over 200 children. We also will have administrative facilities, a chapel, and a dining hall. We are currently cultivating several acres of this land to provide some of the food needed for our children. Any excess is given to local villages in need.

We are seeing a significant decrease in donations in support of the orphans and I would ask that you prayerfully seek God’s will as to you helping to pick up the slack in our donations. We must continue to help these children.

Look lower down in this BLOG to see photos of our children and the work currently being done in Nalgonda then pray about providing support for this worthwhile project.
You may never have the opportunity to travel outside the United States but you can still have an impact on the lives of these beautiful children of God.

May 1, 2009

Here are some NEW photos of our children in India.

Please consider making a donation to complete the orphanage

March 1, 2009

Back in the early part of 2001, I received an email from a pastor in the Andra Pradesh District of India. First let me say, I receive numerous emails from pastors in many impoverished nations asking for financial support for their ministries. Due to our limited financial resources, I am unable to respond favorably to these requests.

This particular email was different in that this Indian pastor told me he was not asking for financial assistance, but if I would stand in agreement with him that the ministry the Lord birthed with seven people in his home would grow and prosper.

I agreed and a steady stream of emails started flowing between Kennesaw, GA and Nalgonda, India. Over a period of less than three years, I saw this new fledgling ministry grow from seven people meeting in a private home to one where seventy-four new churches are now planted throughout the Andra Pradesh District.

In late 2005, Pastor Sudheer Kumar Jillella emailed me asking about holding a Pastor’s Conference to equip these new local pastors. I really had never entertained the thought of a trip to India since curry is not on my list of approved food groups.

However, the Holy Spirit put it on my heart to consider such a trip. After many months of praying about this trip, I felt led to start arrangements to go. I thought that at some point in this planning process something would come up to keep me from going. I was WRONG!

In January 2006, after a twenty-seven hour trip from Atlanta, Georgia, I finally arrived in Hyderabad, India. Pastor Kumar was at the airport to meet me, and we started the three hour drive to his home in Nalgonda.
Pastor Kumar and his family made me feel right at home. I was a little leery of the food but after two weeks in India, I developed a liking to curry. God has a sense of humor.

During this two-week trip, we visited many areas in India including the Indian Ocean area devastated by the Tsunami of 2004.

We held a Pastor’s Conference during the last three days in Nalgonda where over one hundred local pastors attended including our seventy-four pastors and others not affiliated with any other group. Pastor Kumar had my teaching sheets translated into the local language and bound into a small booklet so that these pastors could keep them for future reference.

In all our travels throughout India, the one thing that really hit me hard were the conditions that the children were living in. Many of these children have lost their parents due to HIV/AIDS or from being killed by terrorist groups. These children were lucky to receive one small bowl of rice and maybe a piece of chicken each day. There was despair in their eyes that haunted me and started me thinking of ways to help these precious children have a better life.

After my return to Kennesaw, I really felt led to build an orphanage to help these children have a safe home, three meals daily, clean water, and a chance to obtain an education.

I asked Pastor Kumar to get with the elders of the church and start searching for a suitable piece of property where we could build an orphanage. Several months passed, and Pastor Kumar finally emailed me that they had located two acres of land where we could build.
I thought the price was a bit high at nearly US$30,000, but we all prayed that God would provide this money so we could purchase the property. HE DID!

Over the next year Pastor Kumar along with the elders of the church and many local volunteers, cleared the property and built a security wall surrounding the entire area.

Next, a water well was dug, and we hit an artesian water source that will provide clean water to meet all the needs of this orphanage.
Pastor Kumar asked if I could come back to India to break ground for the construction of the orphanage. So in February 2008, I made the trip back through Amsterdam and finally to Hyderabad where I was reunited with my dear friend, Pastor Kumar.

The next day Pastor Kumar, the elders of the church, and I proceeded to the property site. When we arrived, I looked at the property and was a little confused. I grew up on a farm, and I knew what two acres of land looked like but this property was much larger than I had anticipated. After a little questioning with Pastor Kumar, I found out we did not purchase two acres of land but instead we purchased two hectors of land (nearly five acres). God obviously wanted us to have room for expansion. This was a most pleasant surprise.

I revisited many of the remote villages where I ministered on my first trip, and again the children really gripped my heart. These precious children remember me from my first visit, and they all called me “Uncle Steve”. I love these kids as my own. We are currently caring for over fifty orphans now in a leased building pending completion of the orphanage.

We are constructing three major buildings, including a two-story building with dormitories upstairs and classrooms and offices downstairs. We will be able to care for over two hundred children in this new facility.

Two other smaller buildings include a chapel for worship and a dining facility where we will be able to feed our children. There is also an outdoor stage area for larger meetings.

I ask that you pray about helping us to help these children by making a contribution in any amount. No amount is too small to help our children.

God Bless you and thank you for taking your time to read this brochure about the work being done to help our children in India.

Stephen K Bramham

December 31, 2008

I want to express our sincere thanks for all the prayers and contributions our supporters have given us this past year. We now have NGO status in India with a 200+ bed orphanage under construction. We have planted 74 churches throughout India and trained over 150 pastors.

None of this would be possible without your prayers and financial support.

As we enter into this New Year our prayers for you are that God's blessing would be in abundance and He will provide for all your need.

God Bless you and thank you from all of us at Abiding Light Ministries.

Stephen K Bramham

November 25, 2008

The foundation is now taking shape for the orphanage.

October 30, 2008

Here are some new photos of the orphanage construction.

We still need your donations in order to complete this project. Please prayerfully consider making a donation. [DONATE NOW]

October 6, 2008

Work is progressing on construction of the orphanage. The foundation footings for the main dormitory are dug and steel is beginning to be put into place.

A business plan was submitted to a foundation for consideration in granting the necessary funds to complete all three major buildings. We are asking for your prayers that we have God’s favor when this plan comes before the foundation board so that this project can be completed in 2009 and that all our children will have a safe home, food, medical care, and an education.

Please keep Pastor Kumar, his family, and our children and workers in India in your prayers as there is an increasing amount of animosity towards Christians in this mostly Hindu and Muslim country.

March 4, 2008

Progress is being made on the construction of the orphanage in India. I just returned from a two week visit to see first hand the work being done. We are currently caring for 25 orphans in a leased building next door to Shalom Church in Nalgonda, India. A ground breaking ceremony was held February 18, 2008 to begin construction of the 200+ bed orphanage. We are currently seeking additional funding to provide the resources necessary to complete this most important project.

Here are a few photos I want to share with you from the latest mission trip.

Orphanage Cornerstone placed February 19, 2008

Up and coming Drummer

Our talented children

Dance and Sing unto the LORD

The girls get in on the activity

Our precious children

The property where the orphanage will be built

Sign on leased building where we currently care for 25 orphans

Steve and his children

Abiding Light Ministries India Office

Please consider making a donation to complete the orphanage

December 29, 2007

As we end 2007 I wanted to thank all of our friends and supporters for your prayers and financial support. Each of you made an impact on the lives of others including our dear children in India. I ask each of you to pray in agreement with me that God will continue to provide everything needed to complete the orphanage in 2008.

I saw God's provision in making it possible to purchase the property in India where the orphanage will be constructed. I saw His provision in showing the location for the well that will provide safe drinking water for our children. I saw His provision in cutting through all the red-tape so that Abiding Light Ministries is now a recognized Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in India. God has not brought us this far to see this work fail. Please be in prayer seeking God's direction for you in this and every other facet of your life.

Artist Rendering of Shalom Orphanage (Courtesy Peter Gebhardt)

Please consider making a donation to complete the orphanage

We have plowed a section of the property and planted some vegetables to help feed our children. I thought you might like to see some of the current photos.

May you have a very prosperous New Year and may God's blessings abound in your life.

Stephen K Bramham

December 11, 2007

On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.' Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Acts 4:23-31

Why indeed do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? Today we have nations fighting against nations but we also have religions fighting against other religions. WHY?

I pray that our Lord will consider their threats and enable us, His humble servant to continue to speak His Word with great boldness throughout the world. I pray that His Mighty Hand will stretch out and heal the sick and perform miraculous signs and wonders and that a mighty shaking will occur.

Only the One True God is capable of doing these things, none other. Let us humble ourselves and seek His Face so that our land may be healed.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas.

Stephen K Bramham

November 21, 2007

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S. Many families will gather in homes to share a meal, watch a football game, and give thanks for what our Lord has provided for them.

There is a song written by Henry Smith called “Give Thanks.” This song starts with “Give thanks With a grateful heart.” Please take a moment tomorrow as we enjoy a time of fellowship with family and friends to pause and truly give thanks, with a grateful heart, to the One who gives us our very life.

I wanted to share a few photos from India showing the progress being made on the orphanage and also some of our precious children.

Main Gate to the Orphanage

Pastor Kumar planting food for our children

From all of us at Abiding Light Ministries – USA and Abiding Light Ministries – India, Thank You for your continued support of this ministry and the work God called us to do throughout the world.

Stephen Bramham, Founder and CEO
Dr. Sudheer Kumar Jillella, President and COO – India
Nalli Pricilla Satya Jyothi, Vice-President – India
Sharon Bramham, Vice-President – United States
Kimberly Bramham, Secretary
James Castle, Treasurer and CFO
Nita Campbell, Director
Keith Cornell, Director

October 16, 2007

We had the opportunity to take some of our kids for an outing to swim, eat, and enjoy the countryside. I thought you might enjoy some of the photos from this outing.

Thank you for your continued support that allows us to help these precious children.

May God richly bless you,

Stephen K Bramham

September 28, 2007

Progress is being made on the construction of the security wall that surrounds the orphanage property. Our heartfelt thanks and prayers of gratitude go out to everyone who has made this vision a reality.

May God richly bless you for your commitment in helping our orphans,

Stephen K Bramham

September 12, 2007

Due to an urgent need to provide shelter and food for twenty-five orphans we have rented a small facility next to our church in Nalgonda. These orphans will be the first group to move into the new facilities now under construction.

Progress is being made on site with the construction of the security wall.

We are excited about the progress being made and knowing that God is what made this possible. Please continue to pray for His provision to complete the work so that the orphans will have a safe place to live, nourishing food to eat, an education, and to know that Jesus loves them very much.

Please consider making a donation to complete the orphanage

You can make a difference in the lives of many children.

God bless you and thank you for your continued support.

Stephen K Bramham

August 30, 2007

A pump was installed in our new well and we now have RUNNING WATER!

The children seem to enjoy both drinking and playing in the clean water.

Thank you for your donations that make this possible. We are well underway with the construction of the security wall that will surround the property and we pray this phase of construction will be completed within the next 60 days.

I ask for your continued prayers and financial support so that we may start construction of the first of three major buildings before the end of this year. We have 15-20 orphans right now in need of a safe shelter, food, clothing, and an opportunity to receive an education.

God bless you on behalf of the staff of Abiding Light Ministries, Inc in the United States and in India, and a very special Thank You from our children.

Please consider making a donation to complete the orphanage

You can make a difference in the lives of many children.

God bless you and the children thank you.

Stephen K Bramham

August 13, 2007

Praise the Lord. We have WATER ! ! !

Here is an email and photo I received this week from Kumar in India:

Over the last few days I was in great tension and worry. The reason is a WATER problem on our property. I bought some material for the construction of the security wall. The ground digging for foundation is almost finishing.

For electricity connection I paid the charges and got permission from the village officials of electricity department. To start work I need electricity and water. The electricity people said as soon as I get water from bore well they assured me to give temporary connection.

The Geologist checked the ground and told to dig 230 feet’s depth to get water. I brought the bore well digging vehicle. Even though we did dug 275 feet depth we did not find water. I was disappointed and upset greatly. Even though we did not get water we still needed to pay the cost to the bore well dig vehicle.

My worry is for water. If we did not get water in our ground, it is very difficult to construct wall and later the buildings. From far we can get only drinking water connection.

For a few minutes I knelt to the ground in a corner and prayed. With faith, without consulting geologist, I asked the bore well dig vehicle owner to dig in the road side area. He said that it is waste of money. I asked him to do as I told. At 175 feet deep we got water. The available water would be sufficient for construction.
The workers and the road side people surprised. I was not satisfied with this. With our church members and bible students that night we prayed at ground. After coming back home, I prayed all night with great burden for sufficient water. Early the next morning God gave the vision and the certain place to dig for water. That morning I brought small dig vehicle. At 75 feet depth we found plenty of water.

Praise the Lord. It is great and great Miracle. PRAISE THE LORD!

Please consider partnering with us to provide a safe shelter, warm food and clothing, and hope for a future for these precious children of God.

[Donate Now]

Thank You and May God Bless You.

Stephen K Bramham

August 8, 2007

It never ceases to amaze me how great is the God we serve. We now have our legal status for Abiding Light Ministries in India and work is progressing on the orphanage.

Here are a few photo of the property and the work being done to clear the land in preparation for the construction of the first of three buildings.

We will be posting more photos as work continues. Please consider joining with us to build this much needed facility to help the children of India.

God bless you all.

Steve