Kell and Lorri Frandsen

Kell Frandsen visited India in 1994 and was deeply impacted by what he discovered in the state of Orissa, a land filled with destitute people who were dying from starvation and disease. These poor tribals were considered untouchable by Indian society and their needs were largely ignored. The land was filled with temples and shrines to Hindu gods and goddesses but there was little Christian witness to bring the message of salvation and hope. Kell saw that the tribals represented a rich harvest field for the gospel but the national pastors and evangelists struggled in their ministries due to poverty. There was a great need for supplemental financial support that would help the workers establish their churches and ministries. Kell and his wife Lorri wanted to help meet the financial need by designing a society to advertise the needs of India`s poor to Canadian sponsors. Funds raised through donations were then channeled to Orissa for the education of children, the support of Bible School students and pastors, feeding programs for the poor and destitute, medical services, training in cottage industry, and agricultural programs. To gain a deeper understanding of the people and their needs, Kell and Lorri, took several trips to India over the next few years. In 1997 they were commissioned as missionaries to the Orissa tribals and began the work of evangelism, Bible School teaching, preaching in churches, and organizing child and pastor sponsorships. Kell`s focus was the training of young men and women in the gospel of grace and his dream was to see pastors and evangelists preaching the gospel throughout Orissa. After traveling back and forth to India and serving 4 six-month terms there, Kell and Lorri returned to settle in the Comox Valley, B.C. in order to raise funds, expand the ministry base, and handle administration. In 2000 and 2002 Kell revisited India to oversee the ministry and encourage the workers. In 2 short years the 28 pastors and workers supported through Grace Life Ministries had opened up 145 villages for ministry. A daycare and 2 children's homes were subsequently opened in Andhra Pradesh after Christian slum leaders asked Grace Life Ministries to help provide education and protection for high risk children. Recently Kell and Lorri have felt God calling them to full-time ministry in India so as to provide continuous oversight of the  established ministries and to look into starting a Bible School and baby's orphanage.