Cuddapah is one of many places in India that has been strongly impacted by Maranatha volunteers. Many of the school children come from families who recently accepted Christ when they attended meetings held by previous volunteer groups.

Mel has helped set up and operate the on-site factory that fabricates bunk beds for the children. He also helps in accounting. Sue teaches at the school and gives music lessons to the children. They say they live for the joy of loving the many children on campus.

Mel and Susan say God was behind their plan. Once they decided to go to India, things moved fast. In less than a month, their house sold. Their car sold even faster--in two days. Many of their friends offered to sponsor them. After a yard sale and some packing, the Kohltfarbers placed everything they owned in storage and caught their 2 a.m. flight from Alaska to Delhi. Only two months after their previous mission project in Cuddapah, they were returning to India with a one-way ticket. They were homeless, but excited. "We kept seeing miracles happen. It kept confirming that we were doing what we should do," says Sue.

When Mel and Sue arrived back in Cuddapah, they were thrilled to see how much progress had been made in construction. Referring to their previous trip two months before, Melvin says, "At that time the only completed building was a children's home with about 80 children already living there. Most of the other buildings were in various stages of completion, ranging from just a foundation, to walls and roofs. What a dream come true, the school is almost completed now! Most of the buildings are up and ready for the next Maranatha group to paint."

Life can be challenging in a foreign place. Sue must find a translator to go to town with her if she needs groceries, and the Internet on campus can be patchy. But the Kohltfarbers have not lost their sense of humor. When the washing machine dumped water all over the balcony and flooded the house, Sue said, "Well, I was going to wash the floor anyway." Melvin and Sue both laugh about the time their neighbor invited them over to share a birthday cake for breakfast. They love the way people pop in around dinner time just to see what kind of strange curry Sue is cooking. "I think we both feel very blessed. We've both wanted to be missionaries and we're thrilled to have the opportunity to be here and to be a blessing here in any way that we can," says Sue.