Got $5? It makes an eternal difference to kids.

India (MNN) ― What does a dollar buy these days?

  

In North America, it buys a cup of coffee, a pair of socks, 2 packs of gum, or a changed future.

Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Mission India can do a lot more than that with a buck. The population they work with is in India. Nearly half of India's population--over 463 million--are under the age of 20. They are members of an emerging world superpower and the world's largest democracy.

However, the existing caste system condemns millions to a life of degrading labor and social invisibility. Of the poor, 35% of school-aged children are not in school. Many wind up working in dangerous situations in order to help support their families. Child marriage is common.

Yet, India's Christians are eagerly waiting for the chance to introduce Children's Bible Clubs into their communities. Mission India provides indigenous ministry partners with in-depth training for volunteer club leaders and materials in five age levels and more than 20 Indian languages.

Children's Bible Clubs are introduced in a community through a 10-day program. In the clubs, children enjoy songs, skits, and games, listen to Bible stories, memorize Scripture, and discover a loving Savior.

Many children in Children's Bible Clubs make a decision to follow Jesus, and these children are bringing their parents to Christ. Every year, new churches grow out of Children's Bible Clubs.

Children's Bible Clubs provide many important social, educational, and spiritual benefits to children and families, introduce a loving God who created each child in His image, teach children to pray confidently and expect answered prayers, teach the importance of good nutrition and personal hygiene, encourage parents to send their children to school, and teach youngsters to share their faith with friends and family.

The clubs also inspire children to serve their communities and become future leaders. Got $5? Reach 5 Indian kids with a Children's Bible Club. Click here to find out more.

Want to get a glimpse inside India? Get your passport to India here.

India (MNN) ― Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Mission India has found a way to connect families in the U.S. with families in India...without ever having to board a plane.

President Dave Stravers says, "My Passport to India is a ministry to American children. If you go on our Web site, mypassporttoindia.org, you find there a ten-step process introducing children in the United States to what life is like in India."

Why? "India is a very strange place to an American. When you first go there, you can be overwhelmed by what you see," Stravers explains. It's not until there's a personal connection made that interest grows. "When you get inside people's lives, it's just mind-blowing what God is doing. It really sensitizes Americans to the life of the poor, the different kind of needs that people deal with, and how God is meeting those needs."

It's a challenge to sensitize children to needs outside of their own. "Growing up in America today, most of our children have everything they need and more. Understanding how most people in our world live--their needs and their joys--is a great education experience, and it helps us to get perspective on our lives."
 
"My Passport To India" not only communicates what the world is like in a Third World country like India, it also connects the Gospel needs. In the 10-videos at the Web site, tour guide Chris explores a new, exciting destination in India. Each 4-6 minute episode features related material that helps participants learn even more about India's diversity.

Each dollar raised through this ministry pays for one student to attend a Children's Bible Club. The doors are wide open, too. "Muslims and Hindus in India want their children to be served by Christian teachers," says Stravers. "We started year-long Bible clubs. Usually, they meet after school, every day. Children in the community gather together and get help with their homework, and they hear Bible stories, learn songs."

Why focus on children at all? Stravers explains, "Ministry to children is more of a guerrilla-style attack on Satan's kingdom because children are the most open to the Gospel. We've discovered that when children hear a Bible story, they go right into the home with the Gospel, where an evangelist cannot."

"My Passport to India" raised enough money last year to send 284,812 children to Bible Clubs all over the country. Even better, says Stravers, "The most common response that I've had from parents is: 'My kids are now praying for India. They would like to give some of their allowance to bring more of these children to Bible clubs, so they can know Jesus.'"

Once the participating children are made aware of the needs, just like the evangelists they are, they respond. "We've had people tell us that their kids put some of their toys out in a garage sale, or went around to their aunts and uncles to collect loose change to provide help for India," says Stravers.

Click here to enroll. Each kit includes a special passport and a suitcase for each child. Use the suitcase to save loose change for Children's Bible Clubs in India.

The videos provide some excerpts from Chris' journal, as well as devotionals and stories from kids whose lives have changed since they participated in the Children's Bible Club.

All videos and bonus content are available to view at any time, and are appropriate for all age levels.