Do Something Beautiful This Mother's Day

May 2014 Newsletter

Do something beautiful this Mother's Day.
Give hope to a mother by giving her child a future.
Sponsor a child's education.

Three Reasons To Give:
35 million children in India are not educated

EDUCATION GIVES PURPOSE
Uneducated children fall victim to drugs, begging, child labor, and early-arranged marriage. Education inspires a child's creativity and learning, and gives direction to their lives.

EDUCATION BRINGS OPPORTUNITY
Children who cannot read and write are largely unemployable. Education allows a child to escape poverty and pursue their dreams.

EDUCATION STRENGTHENS COMMUNITIES
A lack of education contributes more than any other factor to the sluggish development of a country. Education provides increased civic involvement, good health, hygiene, gender equality, and economic stability.
 

Saving Mercy

April 2014 Newsletter

The Lord is good to all. And his mercy is over all that he has made.
(Psalm 145:9)

Gender preference is a large problem in India today. Boys are often prized over girls for their greater potential to earn for the family. Adding to this, to marry off a daughter, a family may need to pay an expensive dowry to the groom’s family. It is no wonder then that girls are regarded as a drain on a family’s resources.

Early last month, a couple brought their premature 24-week-old baby girl to Mercy Hospital, while sending her twin brother to a more-costly private hospital for preferential care. Those first few days, we were not sure if the baby would make it. We offered up prayers as doctors and nurses delivered incredible care. A month later, we are blessed beyond words to still have “Baby Mercy” with us. Mercy is off of the ventilator, breathing on her own, and miraculously, she doesn’t have any physical problems. She is our tiny miracle baby here in Calcutta, and we thank God for her continued strength and weight gain.

Every child, male and female, is precious in God’s sight. He created each with gifts of love and service that must never put to shame or disuse. When you give to CMM, you proclaim God’s truths about children to families who desperately need to hear them.

Please continue to pray for Baby Mercy and her family.

Pick Up A Copy

The April 2014 edition of Charisma Magazine spotlights Calcutta Mercy Ministries as their cover and feature article! Please pray that this exposure will bring greater awareness and support to the needs of the poor in Calcutta. To preview and pick up a copy, visit: www.charismamag.com/magazine

A Cause For Applause

This January, over 2,000 students, alumni, and supporters across the globe gathered in Calcutta to celebrate the 60th year anniversary of our ministry in India, and the 50th year anniversary of our investment in children’s education.

On any given day in Calcutta, impoverished children loiter in alleyways, forage around train tracks, and work in their parents’ tea stalls rather than attending school. Their parents, earning less than $1 or $2 a day, simply cannot afford school fees, uniforms, and textbooks. CMM resolved to make a difference in these children’s lives beginning in 1964 with the opening of an elementary school on Calcutta’s Park Street. That year, 230 disadvantaged children enrolled and embarked on an exciting adventure of discovery and new opportunity. 50 years later, our education network includes over 100 schools with a total enrollment of 32,000 students.

Alongside our Anniversary celebrations, CMM received a wonderful surprise with the release of an article in the Times of India. The newspaper had conducted a School Ranking Survey that placed our Park Street School as third best in education in all of Central Calcutta, and our Tollygunge school as third best in all of South Calcutta. Following this, our Park Street School came fourth in a recent International Market research survey of 170 schools. Thank you for making these wonderful achievements possible. Thank you for giving to Calcutta.

35 Million Minus Me

March 2014 Newsletter

Dear Friends of Calcutta,

India today is home to 400 million children. This number is higher than that of the entire U.S.
population! Sadly, of these 400 million children, at least 35 million remain uneducated. “Building
a Better India by Building Better Boys and Girls” has been CMM’s mantra for children’s education
since its beginnings in 1954. Beginning with our first elementary school in 1964, we now have
over 100 primary and secondary schools providing education to 32,000 children. This is an
amazing testimony to the faithful partnership of our worldwide supporters. Thank you for
making a noticeable difference in children’s lives. Thank you for building a better India.

For the Children,

Randy Valimont
President
Calcutta Mercy Ministries

Here's To 60 More!

February 2014 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

2014 is a celebratory year for us as we commemorate 60 years of ministry in India. In 1954, founders Mark and Huldah Buntain left a New York harbor and circumnavigated half the globe before settling into a bustling harbor in Calcutta. There they began a faithful pursuit of a seemingly daunting task: to reach Calcutta with the love of Christ and be the hands and feet of Jesus to a city that seemed hopelessly entrenched in poverty.

Calcutta Mercy Ministries, then and today, takes its cues from Jesus, who walked with the poor, spoke truth into their lives, and addressed their most pressing needs. The most pressing needs in Calcutta are basic, but of most importance. People are hungry, people are unwell, and children lack access to education. Feeding, educating, and medically assisting the poor are our primary ministries at CMM, because they have to be.

Every year, we provide free medical treatment to 40,000 people living in poverty.

Every day, 25,000 people receive a free hot meal through our feeding program.

Over 100 CMM schools provide primary education, secondary education, and technical training to disadvantaged children and young adults.

This year, we want to do more to ensure that the ministry continues for another 60 years. One focus is raising up a well-trained team of national leaders, many of whom are graduates of CMM’s Bible, nursing, and teacher’s training schools. Another is raising the funds to make significant upgrades to our general hospital so that patients may continue to receive the highest quality of care. Upgrades will include a new fire safety system, electrical system, and cafeteria.

God is alive and actively at work in Calcutta - the City of Joy. We invite you to join us in sharing His heart for the needy and participating in what He is doing for the “least of these” in India.

For the Children,

Randy Valimont, President
Calcutta Mercy Ministries

A Gift of Hope & Transformation

January 2014 Newsletter

Dear Friends of Calcutta,

With a new year comes new opportunity. What if this year, we resolved to give someone else opportunity – a chance to go to school, repair a life-long deformity, or wake up each day to a meal that does not depend on the number of rupees in their pocket. Join us this month in giving to feed, educate, and medically assist those in need in Calcutta. Let us make this year incredible for them, in the name of the loving God we serve and share.

Sincerely,

Dr. Randy Valimont
President, Calcutta Mercy