A Memorial Message

Covid has struck India and many have lost their lives. It did not even spare the saints in the church life nor the serving ones in the literature service. One of our serving ones, brother Kishor Mane, texted me on 29th April 2021 mentioning his situation as he and his whole family were infected with Covid. His message quoted verbatim:

"Brother, though we were taking treatment of medicine but the symptoms were going and coming even for heavy dosage. So mother father got admitted and after two days i got admitted, and now others also are unable to bear, they also will be coming now to get admitted. Sorry brother i was unable to work tor last few days. Please bear with me."

My reply to him was, "Take care of your health. We have been praying for you and your family."

Since then, in our literature office morning prayer and also in our family prayer, we have been praying for his recovery. As days passed by, his situation became more and more severe. A brother then informed me about his falling into depression and health complications. But we kept praying. A few days later, I was informed that his father went to be with the Lord. And after five days, he also went to be with the Lord. Alas, that text message was our last; he was the first serving one whom the Lord took during this crisis. I pray that no more saints would lose their lives due to this pandemic. May the Lord cover us all!

Before he passed away, I had a deep sense within me that he would need financial help. Therefore, I made arrangements to transfer an offering and also his first full-time support since he came to serve in checking the text translation of the New Testament Recovery Version in Marathi. Later, another offering was arranged; this time it was transferred to a brother who was intimately taking care of him and his family.

Today, a day after he went to be with the Lord on the 9th of May 2021, the church in Miraj had arranged a memorial day meeting in which I need to share a memorial or rather a testimony regarding him and his service as much as I know.  Though another brother was to share, he could not make it. Therefore, I had to share on behalf of the literature service. 

Using his testimony, I encouraged the young people to consecrate themselves to serve the Lord, even to learn Greek and be involved in checking the New Testament text translation to Marathi. In fact, today morning in my time with the Lord, the Lord led me to text a brother concerning filling up the gap this brother has left behind. My text reads:

Brother, please pray and consider: if there could be at least two young educated saints who can consecrate themselves to the Lord fully to learn Greek and come in to do the Marathi text checking of the New Testament Recovery Version. Only then we will be able to release the New Testament Recovery Version in Marathi.

May the Lord gain many abled, burdened, and available young educated saints.

This same text was read out by a brother who is his spiritual father in his memorial speech encouraging and calling out the young people to consecrate themselves for the Lord's service especially for the literature service in Marathi. May the Lord indeed raise up many young saints to fill up the gap our brother had left behind.

The following were the points I shared. In fact, the first section I also shared in the literature WhatsApp group as a loving memorial to our brother.

In Loving Memory of Brother Kishor Mane

22 July 2020: Enrolled for Greek online self study. He completed all the assignments on time and passed all the exams. A very faithful, diligent, and fast learner!

16 March 2021: Completed Greek for New Testament translation with 90% score!

1 April 2021: He started text checking of The New Testament, Recovery Version in Marathi.

A Wonderful Pattern in Character: Diligent, faithful, kept the schedule for the works assigned to him.  Soft in heart yet aggressive in learning.

Romans 4: 7-8 For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself; For whether we live, we live to the Lord, and whether we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore whether we live or we die, we are the Lord’s.

Encouragement to the Young People

May the Lord raise up many young educated and consecrated saints to learn Greek and pick up the burden to serve in the literature service to bring out the New Testament Recovery Version in Marathi.

Pray for Kishor’s family, especially his mother, and also for the saints in the church in Miraj

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 For God did not appoint us to wrath but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us in order that whether we watch or sleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore comfort one another, and build up each one the other, even as you also do.