Samaritan Ministries: the power of second chances

This article was written using content taken from the travel diaries of Andy Lewis, UK Ambassador for Samaritan Ministries.

Samaritan Ministries is a Christian Charity founded by George and Helen Moses in 1976. The vision is to transform lives through education and sharing Biblical values.

In 1993 they created the Samaritan Educational Trust and took over a rural boarding school in Yelagiri Hills, a rural hill station in Tamil Nadu, Southern India. Led by Barnabas Moses and his wife Hadis, the project now helps disadvantaged and refugee children and families. Current programmes include school education, outdoor camping, sports camps, dental care, farming and more, all rooted in Christian values.

They welcome volunteers to learn and work for the development of those in need.

Over the summer of 2025 Samaritan Ministries UK Ambassador, Andy Lewis took up the offer of volunteering at the school for a few weeks. Here is what he learnt:

Tell us about yourself

I am Joe Average, possessed of not much more than a decent pair of trainers, an enquiring mind and of course, the love of God in my life. I’m 60 and have been a big silly noisy buffoon since 1965 but have pretended not to be. I have a background in corporate marketing and consider myself well-travelled. However almost all my travel has been the sanitised Holiday Inn Express version of travel. Lots of bagels, plenty of machine coffee and the odd VIP taxi ride travel. Safe, corporate, boring.

Glory be to God, earlier this year, I was able to be a big silly noisy buffoon with all the residents at Yelagiri and have continued my big silly noisy buffooneryness since I got back to Blighty with the reassurance that God knows I’m big and noisy. He wants me to be me - whatever we are we must always be that before God.

How did you find out about Samaritan International Schools?

I saw an advert asking for volunteers on the Global Connections Jobs & Mission website, so got in touch with Barnabas Moses, the director at Samaritan Ministries.

Barnabas and I spoke by phone on just a few occasions, discussed faith, service, donkeys and more and then he was kind enough to suggest I might like to visit for a few weeks.

I booked a flight because God asked me to…I didn’t know why at the time. It turned out that having an average bloke around the school was actually quite remarkable and God was able to use me. Before I went on this trip I had zero knowledge of trauma, of real life struggles or knowledge of India. I can honestly say that this trip changed my life forever. Sometimes we can best serve by being ourselves.

How would you describe Yelagiri Hills and the campus at Samaritan International School?

It’s amazing, absolutely incredible, beautiful, absolutely stunning but also bonkers, shambolic and chaotic.

It has a warmth, a sense of fellowship and the love of God at its heart. Some very troubled adults and some charming kids have a home, food and a chance to meet Jesus. There is a dental practice on site, a working farm and some cute cottages.

There is a determination, embodied by Barnabas and his wife, Hadis, to help, to share the Gospel and to grow and share more and more. There are also goats on the volleyball court and monkeys playing football in the former boys dorms but that’s another story.

Can you tell us more about the residents you met?

There are a number of families at the mission and some single adults. Addictions, principally substance and alcohol abuse have caused significant harm to their lives to date, their previous homelives have been chaotic and the children have had no education or values-based education. Camp Samaritan provides them with a settled home, work and support before God and they are trusted to work in and for the mission.

What activities did you do?

I ran sports classes for underprivileged and destitute kids and helped with coaching addicted and traumatised adults, including training the men in how to play with their children and how to be role models before God. Some of the work we did was really very basic but transformative.

I also introduced a daily prayer meeting and a short service of thanks to God.

It was the most fulfilling time of my life before God and just fab!

What did you learn?

There is so much more that unites us than divides us. I caught a pretty grubby train while in India. It was smelly, crowded, late and lacking in working loos. I sat with a large family who spoke no English and who were of a different faith to myself. We smiled at each other, waved hands to indicate stuff and they offered me some of their lunch. Kindness and joy from strangers is just so heartwarming isn’t it? Perhaps even more so when it’s from people with nothing in common with us who actually have everything in common with us.

Anything we do before God is everything we do before God. Whatever we are we must always be that before God. The phrase God-Given talent is used a lot outside faith, often by football pundits. Let’s make it used inside faith; it starts with us as ourselves before God. Who are we? How do we want to serve? How can we best serve?

We live in a stunningly beautiful world. Really quite amazing. Whether its astonishingly, achingly pretty hills in Southern India, lush and verdant rolling terrain in Cheshire, England, or the glorious colour of life everywhere it’s just great here on God’s earth. Do we pause often enough to enjoy it? If not, pause right now and savour this incredible space we are gifted.

Finally, most important lesson of all, take time to go to still waters and listen to God and reflect. There is a time and place to rush into something but often going to a still place, especially by water, to reflect, is so helpful. Former Andy would have trampled all over everyones’ feelings pre Yelagiri in his puppydog enthusiasm and with a total lack of reflection. New Andy paused today at church in Nantwich and reflected before making an offer of help to a super lady, rather than take over her project.

How can people in the UK help the Samaritan School Ministry?

• Volunteer – short and long term mission placements are available. Find out more details about volunteering here.
• Equip the school and campus – the school needs learning materials, classroom essentials and furniture, bedding for the dormitories and kitchen supplies.
• Donate - assist with funding for the above and further infrastructure on the campus including the campsite and farm.
• Pray for resourcing the work at Samaritan’s Ministries.
• Pray for Director, Barnabas Moses and his wife Hadis.
• Pray for Andy Lewis in his new role as UK Ambassador for Samaritan Ministries.

Please contact Andy Lewis for more information via email at andy@samaritanschool.com