Sophomore Raises Almost $10k for India

October 16, 2007 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Summary: A Calvin College sophomore from Rochester, Michigan, raised almost
$10,000 this summer to help a church in India purchase its building.

Full story and JPG see
http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2007-08/sheffield.htm
 
A church and children's home in India was able to purchase the building in
which they operate, due in large part to the extraordinary efforts of a Calvin
College student.

Danielle Sheffield, a sophomore from Rochester, Michigan majoring in
international development, raised $8,524 this summer to help Hope Chapel,
located in Tamil Nadu, India, purchase the building in which they were meeting.
Sheffield attained her financial goal in two months.

"I had a lot of doubt that this would come together," she said. "I kind of
feel like God led me through this whole experience because I’ve grown a lot
from it."

Sheffield visited Hope Chapel during a short-term mission trip to India last
summer through Jenison-based Mission Possible. She was introduced to the
congregation by Reverend P.C. Varghese, the founder of Good News for Asia, who
had planted the church. After she preached the sermon that Sunday -- which
Varghese had asked her to do a mere two days prior, Sheffield said -- she
learned that the church might have to relocate.

She and the other team members discussed what they could do. Sheffield did
nothing, however, until she dreamed the same dream three nights in a row.

"In the dream, I went home and started telling people about the church," she
said. "And in my dream, I was able to get the funds raised."

With a limited timeframe, Sheffield turned first to the people she knew best:
friends and family.

"Considering the fact that they'd already sent me to India, they were very
generous," she said. Quite quickly she had raised $4,500, but there the project
stalled. Then someone told her to collect change.

"I said, 'Change? Really,' and he said, 'You'll be surprised,'" she recalled.

By the July deadline, Sheffield had raised half the funds needed to purchase
the Hope Chapel building. The U.S.-based Good News for Asia board and other
donors, based in the U.S, contributed the remainder of the money to complete
the purchase.

The money was an immense blessing to the New Hope congregation, said
Varghese.

"They are really happy that they have their own church now."

Sheffield said she'd like to go into missions someday, and, indeed, Varghese
has offered the entire mission team teaching jobs in one of his schools.

-end-
Received on Tue Oct 16 08:51:03 2007