Month: December 2019

Our ministry in the state of Bihar started almost 13 years ago. It was God who guided us to start the ministry there, and by His grace and by the prayers and support of the people of God the ministry has grown tremendously. Through our outreach teams, we have reached thousands of unreached villages with the gospel and started several thousand house churches and prayers groups in these unreached villages. These groups are flourishing, and some have grown into “full-size” churches. We have trained several hundred men and women from the native villages to be house church leaders who are used by God, expanding his Kingdom in the unreached villages.

But traveling to Bihar has often been a risky endeavor, due to the violent tendencies of the local people, the frequent terrorist attacks of the Naxalites (Marxist insurgents), and the poor infrastructure, which makes it difficult to reach some of the villages.

Through Many Dangers, Toils, And Snares

In early November R and S boarded an overnight train from Delhi to visit our missionaries. Because it was the first time S had traveled to Bihar with R she had some apprehension regarding the trip. When morning came, they discovered that many people traveling in their compartment had lost their bags and valuables. By the grace of God, R and S’s bags were safe. When they reached the railway station in Bihar as they were getting out of the train, R fell and twisted his ankle. He saw a doctor for an x-ray, and the doctor said there was no fracture, so he bandaged R’s ankle and sent him on. At Pastor Sonny’s home they rested that night, but his legs were in pain and he could not sleep. The next morning, they were on their way to the tribal area where most of our missionaries are working, in a four-wheel-drive SUV that a local brother rented. As they traveled, the roads became more narrow, and the paved road became a dirt road. Soon they were driving through the forest. Finally, after a four-hour drive they reached a village where a few meetings had been arranged. They saw over 300 men and women, worshiping the Lord in their native language. It was a wonderful time of worship, led by our missionary Kris and his wife. R shared God’s Word with them and invited them to receive Jesus in their lives. More than 70 men, women, and young people responded to the Gospel call. After this meeting, they went to another tribal village where over 103 men and women were baptized. After the baptism, R served them their first communion, and they celebrated their new relationship with Jesus. In the evening they went to a third village where they held a public meeting. Again, there were around 300-400 people in attendance, and over 70 people responded to the Gospel call. They prayed for deliverance from drugs and alcohol. They prayed for a lot of people to be delivered from the burden of debt (the tribal people often borrow money from their landlord, at times when they are in need. He lends them money at high interest, and in order to repay the loan, the tribal person works in the landlord’s field. They intend to repay the loan from their wages, but the landlord pays them below minimum wage, forcing them to work long hours to repay the money they borrowed.)

Tis Grace Hath Brought Me Safe Thus Far

After a remarkable day, they got back to Pastor Sonny’s home around 11:30 pm. The next morning they woke, only to find that their rented SUV, which had been parked in front of Pastor Sonny’s home, had been stolen. They had all been asleep inside the house, near where the car had been parked, but none of them heard any sound. The theft happened around 6 am, but when they went to the police station to report the theft, the police took a very casual approach, asking R and Sonny to come back at 9 am since the officer in charge was not there. They were really shaken by this. They had planned to go to another tribal area where our brothers had planned more meetings, so they rented another SUV. R and S went to the meeting, but our local leaders and our Bihar coordinator remained in Sonny’s home to report to the police station. Travel in the forest is dangerous, as the Naxalites dominate that area. After they traveled an hour on a damaged road they were blocked by the police and told they couldn’t travel on this road because there was a conflict between the Naxalites and the police. The police made them take a detour down a narrow dirt road leading into the forest. Their driver and a local pastor riding with them were convinced that this road was even more dangerous to travel. They continued, praying all the way. The road wasn’t smooth, but full of rocks and water-filled potholes. By the grace of God, they reached the village, where again 300-400 tribal people from the surrounding area came to attend the meeting, walking several miles through the forest. During worship, several men and women were delivered from evil spirits when they laid hands on them and prayed for them. Again, R shared the gospel with them, and 48 people responded to the altar call. That afternoon they went to another tribal village and fellowshipped with 62 new believers who were baptized that morning and served them communion. In the evening they had another public meeting in a small village where one of our new house church leadership trainees had started a new church. Around 100 people who had been baptized a week earlier came together to take communion. They are not well educated, and they were new-born Christians, but when R explained the meaning of communion there was not one dry eye in the place. They were sobbing when they realized all the suffering Jesus endured was for our sake.

And Grace Will Lead Me Home

The following day they traveled to another tribal area for still another meeting. On the way back they were stopped by the police, who searched them and made them wait for over an hour until another officer came and verified their IDs and let them go. The trip was very dangerous, life-threatening, and painful, but it was also quite memorable. They experienced God’s presence, His protection, and His provision. Reflecting on the trip as a whole, whether it had been worth it, they gave a resounding “YES!” More than four thousand people heard the Gospel, 249 people received Jesus into their life, and they witnessed over 282 people being baptized. Moreover, they saw thousands of people whose lives were touched by the Gospel, transforming the homes and villages of interior India.

Help Us Share the Gospel

Will you help us continue sharing the Gospel in the darkest places of India? Psalm 119:105 says ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.’ You can share in the blessings! To find out how to contact us, and to read more inspiring and exciting testimonies of what God is doing among the unreached people groups of India.

With your help, the Gospel will be proclaimed, and you will be blessed, along with thousands of others!

Proclaiming the Gospel…

…until He comes,