India is one of the fastest growing countries in the world. In 2018, the population was estimated at over 1.3 billion people. The main religion of India is Hindu and many of the cities and regions in India are named after Indian deities. One example, is the city of Mumbai. When India was a colony of England, Mumbai was know as Bombay. In 1996, the name was officially changed to Mumbai. The name Mumbai is a derivative of the name of a locally worshiped Hindu goddess, Mumba Devi. About 80% of the population of India consider themselves Hindu. Islam is the second most popular religion (13%), followed by Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Christians comprise about 3% of the population of India.

Kerala is the southern most state in India. It is a land of hills and valleys. It is bordered on the west by the Arabian Sea, on the south by the Indian Ocean and on the east by the state of Tamil Nadu. Grace Christian Ministry is located in the southern part of Kerala in a district (similar to a county or parish in the U.S.) named Kollam, in the town of Pathanapuram.

The population of Kerala is about 33 million people, which is slightly smaller than the population of California. Kerala is about 24,000 square miles, making it about the same size as West Virginia. About 5% of the population of Kerala is Christian.

It is tropical climate and receives an average of more than 300 inches of rain every year. June to November is considered the monsoon season.

Main crops grown are coconut, rubber, cashews, tea, coffee, rice, tapioca and many kinds of spices. Babu harvests cashews and rubber from rubber trees grown on his own property to help support his family. This is a common practice for land owners in the area. Most of the jobs in the area involve the agricultural industry, fishing and small scale industry.

As many as 54 different languages are spoken in India. The language in Kerala is called Malayalam.

The main mode of transportation is by bus, taxi and trains.