2014 Mission Trip

Daughters of the King plan to return to India in November 2014 to serve these ladies and more.  The impact of the God-lead trip in 2012 was so great that Harvest India has asked DOK to return for an expanded purpose.  DOK have been invited to host the first Dalit Women’s Conference in Tenali.  For just $30 per woman, 3-days of lodging and food, transportation from their villages, and conference provisions will be provided.  Our  theme will be Overcoming an Orphan Spirit – when you have accepted Christ as your Savior, but do not embrace a personal relationship with Him, feeling along and insignificant. DOK’s live as heirs to the throne of Heaven, with power and authority, resulting in joy serving our loving Father. Our goal is to reach 100 women, although Harvest India is confident we can reach over 500 – limited only by the donations we receive!  In addition, we will return to continue our relationships with the Ashraya Women and Elders that began in 2012.  We will also dedicate water wells for remote villages, and host medical and mercy camps as donations and God’s provision permit. 

2012 Recap

We operate in partnership with Harvest India (HI), an India-based NGO serving the Dalit class through meeting worldly needs, followed by meeting spiritual needs.  We served in many of their ministries, i.e., dedicated 5 water wells, visited an Aides Hospital, served in a Leprosy Outreach, provided food the destitute in a Mercy Camp, assisted in a Medical Camp, visited the orphanage, visited the nursing college, and prayed for hundreds through laying on hands. We experienced God’s miracles through the Holy Spirit and we will never be the same.

"Water is the life" 

 Valuing life

Food is an answer to prayer 

Sharing the JOY of the Lord 

The future of India rests in the hands of the children

Joy of my Salvation

Sisters in Christ

2012 Mission

In October, 2012 our first mission team of 11 women traveled half way around the world to Tenali, India.  Our primary focus was to bring God’s love to the Ashraya and elder women and to instill the assurance of God’s value of each life. We accomplished this by investing time each day praying with our sisters and meeting with them regularly. We provided simple act of kindness; applying lotion and nail polish to the younger girls, providing sweaters for warmth to the elders (yes, they wear sweaters in 90 degrees; 90 degrees in India is like winter 20-30 degrees colder than their summers) and providing lounge chairs to the elders so they could get off the hard ground.   But the thing they told us they appreciated most was the time we spent with them, praying, touching and caring about their prayer needs, calling them by name. The simple things we all need to feel loved. Though investing time, touch and love to these sisters, and by the grace of the Holy Spirit, walls fell down and the unity of true Christian fellowship emerged. We were able to share God’s love, and reveal to these women the unique value and beauty they possess.  Bond of true love and compassion were so strong, tears were shed upon our departure for home. We knew we’d be coming back and God would make the way.

Marlyn’s Calling

 Upon returning home Marlyn continued to pray for these women in India. About a year after her returned from India, she felt a calling to send a team of women to India – through HI – to show the Dalit ladies what it meant to be a Daughter of the King (DOK).  Her vision was to send a team comprised entirely of women to serve and encourage the Ashraya girls and Elder women, pamper them, build relationships and pray together.  Nothing like this had even been proposed to Harvest India (HI) before… never had a team of only women come, and never had the focus been on the women, to build fellowship, to be together, united as Daughters of the King! (DOK). She wasn’t sure how it would happen or who would lead – but she continued on through prayerful team selection and preparation.  Marlyn prayed over our church directory for about 4 months, seeking names of women she should approach.  She ended up with a team of 11, and found God was calling her to  lead the team– the first DOK team met for nearly a year for prayer, relationship building in the team, and to hear God’s word for this fellowship mission.

A Spiritual Awakening

In 2008, Marlyn Brokenshire’s son John was introduced to Harvest India (HI) at Rock Harbor.  A group of young believers were planning their next trip – RH sends a mission team every year, around Christmas time.  In this particular year, John’s friends were among the group going, so John decided to go for a 3 week trip.  When the three weeks ended, John contacted Marlyn and said he was going to stay for 3 months, although he was not sure how that would be possible with the financial commitments in the US.  Of course, when we respond to God’s calling, the worldly issues have a way of working out.  John’s passion for HI grew, and his service for HI continued for 3 years, with intermittent trips home as required on his VISA. 

About half way through John’s time of service, Marlyn and her husband felt compelled to go see what had grabbed their son’s heart in such an extreme way.  Their life would never be the same.  The need was great; HI’s impact was significant.  Marlyn’s heart broke for the people of India, but in particular for two specific groups of women.

Ashraya Women:  These young ladies (teenage girls in many cases) have been rescued from prostitution in the red light district, and provided safe housing by Harvest India at the Ashraya House, including regular meals and medical care.  They are taught to sew, and provided machines and work as part of the International Princess Project.  Mission teams visit the sewing workshop to view the transformed girls as a way to encourage contributions to continue the work.  The distant expressions and lack of joy in these young girls haunted our team leader – the girls have accepted Christ as their Savior, but didn’t know how to experience the joy of being saved.  Our team leader was moved to action, to create DOK to build relationships with these sisters in Christ, and reveal the joy they can experience.

Elderly Women: These women have served their families throughout their lives, until their age or health limited their ability to contribute.  In the Dalit culture, if a family is short of resources as often happens, the elderly are tossed to the streets to save food for the younger in the house.  The elderly are left to fend for themselves, without shelter, and with a very real threat of being eaten by wild dogs in the night.  Harvest India has built numerous elder homes to provide shelter, a bed, food, and medical care for these people.  With such amazing provisions, the elders are often quick to accept Christ, and spend much of the day in prayer and expressing praise.  However, these elders  almost all women – are isolated from society, and long for relationship and affection.