PMI Missionaries
Lian & Clara Tombing
Ministry Area: Northeast India
Responsibilities: Evangelism & Church Planting, Orphanage, Mercy Ministries
E-mail Address: lianchinkhup@yahoo.com or lian_clara@yahoo.com
Project: Covenant Children's Home
Personal web site: www.tinyurl.com/liantombing/
Lian and Clara returned to Manipur, in northeast India, after graduating from Covenant Theological Seminary in 2001 with an M.Div. In December 2001 Lian was ordained, and served as a pastor at Mualkoi Presbyterian Church where he and Clara grew up.
In December 2004, Lian was elected by the General Assembly as Coordinator (Ministries & Missions) and serves the Lord faithfully by visiting churches, meeting and training pastors, elders, and deacons.
Lian and Clara are very committed to the care and education of the many orphans in their area. An orphanage called "Covenant Children's Home" was started in January 2002. Lian, Clara, their three daughters and 135 orphans are living in the Home at this time.
Rev. Lian Tombing was born and raised in a Christian family in Manipur, one of the northeast states of India. He was called to serve the Lord at a very young age, and a result, he actively got involved in the church ministry even during his high school life. Lian was grieved to see the sickness and poverty of his people and he earnestly invoked the Lord to use him as a wonderful instrument to help his own people when he grew up.
In 2002, the Lord opened the door for him to begin an Orphanage called "Covenant Children's Home" with 15 homeless orphans which now has grown into 419 orphans. His passion is to build families for children and widows who are in need of care and protection by providing their wholesome need, with all the capacity and resources the Lord provides, to help them grow into self-reliant adults.
In 2004, Lian started a Christian School named "Covenant School" which has up to the 8th Grade with 700 students under the supervision of 20 teachers. The student community comprised of various tribes, languages, and religion from its surrounding areas. It solely aims to impart a solid and Christ-centered education to the students.
Lian is greatly used by the Lord in church planting across Manipur State and also in preaching the Gospel of Grace and planting churches for believers in the town of Churachandpur and its surrounding areas. The Lord blessed his ministry with the mushrooming of 40 local churches which are overseen by 15 pastors. Lian also is actively involved in missionary work among the Meitei Hindus in the state of Manipur and the Meitei Vishnupuryas in the state of Tripura where he works with 5 evangelists in several mission fields.
Latest Report: (updated 1/27/2012)
Dear friends and prayer partners,
Thank you so much for remembering us and lifting us before the throne of grace through out these years. We are doing fine and busy but grateful with the ministries to which the Lord has called us. Below are the Praises and Prayer Concern for the month of February:
Praises:
- Our family rejoice with God's grace that we experience in our daily lives. We are having our family prayer meetings every night starting from this month and truly experience a great spiritual blessings and joy in the midst of so many challenges. This is the first time in ten years that we enjoy each other and maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace in our family. There is nothing that makes life worthy living and ministry enthusiastic than experiencing the true spirit of a Covenant Family as designed by God.
- Our monthly financial shortfall slowly and gradually impoves and we are only a month's support behind compare to the three months deficit till November 2012. God is good and he shower his blessings through individuals and churches like you who have been partnering with us for the past 10 years. God bless you all richly for all your labor with us and through us in India.
- The staff of Covenant Children Home its 530 orphan children are profitably busy with preparations for the up-coming School Session which will starts in February 3, 2012. The Lord enable us to provide the orphans - Home to live, foods to eat and drink, clothes to wear, a School to learn, text books, note books, admission fees, tuition fees, etc. ans through your support. Please rejoice with us as our hearts are filled with the inexpressable thanks towards you.
- Covenant School is being up-graded as a full-fledged High School from this academic session. Till date, the Lord has already given us 784 students. Our goal is to have atleast 800 students for Nursery class to the 10th Grade. Our staff is busy in preparing lession plans and they will have their "Orientation Classes on January 30-31, 2012.
- Our Church Planting ministry is doing well. Lian is in-charge of overseeing the Pastoral Care as the Coordinator (Ministries) this year too. PMI Board of Directors have graciously allow Lian to visit individual friends and Churches in the US in February and March.
Prayer concerns:
- Clara's health is not in good shape as she is down with asthma. We are consulting a Physician who prescribed her medicines. We did a biopsy and blood test for her and the result is due on this coming Sunday. We pray unceasingly for her quick recovery. As a result of this, we did cancelled out proposed trip to New Delhi for February 4-9. Please pray for speed recovery and positive outcomes of her test results.
- My primary goal in visiting the US this time also is to do fundraise for our ministry. I have to raise at least $20,000 in two months in order to make up shortfall amount for our monthly ministry support. I also have to find a good number of new donors in order to make up for those orphans who has been dropped by their donors along the way. I schedule my trip to arrive in St. Louis on February 10, 2012.
- Please pray for my health and journey mercies for my up-coming trip to the US. I am busy meeting with physician docotrs for health check up in order to prevent any health issues while staying in the US.
- Pray for my finance and expenditures during my trip in February and March in the US. PMI will not be able to help me this time due to low-balance in my PMI account. I have to get funds for this trip through my own resources hoping that the Lord will provide. I hope and pray that my travel expenses would rather turn out to be a worthy investment for our "Men Making Ministry" here in Manipur, India.
- Please pray for the up-coming elction for the State's Congressmen on January 28, 2012. As tensions are growing among supporters of various candidates, I have all my church visiting schedules defered for the month of April, after returning back in India. The scenario of party elections involves violence and killings, in India as a whole and Manipur in particular.
Thank you so much for your support.
In His grace,
Lian & Clara
Covenant Children's Home
Manipur, India
Please send your tax-deductible gifts to:
Presbyterian Mission International
12330 Conway Road
St. Louis, MO 63141
Phone: 314-434-4044
Attention: Jean Lehmkuhl, PMI Treasurer
Background Information
Evangelism & Church Planting
Covenant Children's Home
Testimonies
Orange Farm Project
Mercy Ministries
Presbyterian Mission International
12330 Conway Road
St. Louis, Missouri 63141
Telephone: (314) 434-4044
Fax: (314) 434-4819
