Month: August 2020

Dear Partners and Friends,

Lately, I have been reflecting on Galatians 6:9 “Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in.” (AMP) Over the past 6 months many of us, if we can be honest, may have felt discouragement. I know I have. There has been a constant pressure against us, trying to wear us down.

The enemy tried to prevent the church from gathering; that failed. We now have more gatherings online than we ever had in buildings. Then he tried to divide the Body of Christ on racial lines. He saw a weakness there, a “fault line,” and he sent an earthquake of racial tension. We are still standing strong. He tried to frighten us with a virus, but we have a God who heals!

If you are getting weary of the struggle, tired of the constant barrage against you, then go back and re-read that verse, especially the last part: “for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in.” Don’t give in! Don’t quit! Keep fighting “the good fight of faith.” (1 Tim. 6:12)

Our brothers in India are suffering even more than we are here in America. They are misunderstood and looked at with suspicion. Many people have blindly accused them of causing the coronavirus. Some have been run out of their villages. Some have been beaten. Some have been homeless for a time.

But God is vindicating them, even now. We are starting to see cracks in the plans of the enemy. What he planned for evil, is coming upon the evildoers themselves. Here in America, too. Things that were done in secret are coming to the light. Darkness and evil in government are being exposed. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the tide is turning, the wind is shifting.

Now is not the time to give up. The LORD is moving. Revival is here. Keep praying. Keep sowing into God’s kingdom. Look for opportunities to share the Gospel with your friends. The great harvest is coming, and in fact, has already begun. You can be a part of it!

As I have said in the past, if you need prayer or help in any way, please feel free to reach out to us. And please keep our brothers and sisters in India in prayer, as they face the same kinds of challenges that we face. Together we will overcome, and God will be glorified.

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

                        Thomas

A large Nepali population lives and works in the state of Himachal Pradesh, working mostly as laborers or farmers. Most of them are from a Hindu background and live in unreached people groups. We started our outreach among these people groups 15 years ago, and we have seen thousands of Nepali people come to the Lord Jesus. Our God has moved in that community with hundreds of wonders and miracles. A person who had been paralyzed for 11 years, and was confined to a wheelchair was healed instantly during a worship service. We have documented many miracles: cancer patients being healed; hundreds of drug addicts and alcoholics instantly delivered, hundreds of testimonies of people who have experienced God’s special visitation in their personal life or in a worship service. Today by God’s Grace, there are now more than 25,000 Nepali Christians in this region. People who were formerly under the bondage of idol worship, ritual animal sacrifices, and witchcraft, have been delivered by the blood of the Lamb and are now “worshiping the Lord in Spirit and truth” in hundreds of small groups.

Bhim Singh is one of these Nepali believers. He came to the Lord 5 years ago. He was found by some of our Christian Nepali brothers with serious knife injuries, laying on the roadside bleeding. They rushed him to the hospital, and took care of him just like the story of the Good Samaritan. He had been left on the roadside after a fight with his drinking buddies. Our believers nursed him back to health, shared the Gospel with him, prayed with him, and led him to the Lord. He grew in God’s Word and in faith. By God’s grace he received a favorable court judgement and was acquitted of all charges. He joined one of our house church leaders’ Training Centers, and completed the 40-day training. During the training period he met and married a young lady. After the training, they wanted to go to an area where many Nepalis are working in dam construction, but native High Caste Hindus will not allow any Christians to share the gospel in that area. In fact, many believers were beaten up by the High Caste Hindus for sharing the gospel.

Bhim and his wife Lata were praying for an opening to go to that particular place to share the gospel. A year ago, with our help, Bhim moved to that place, rented a house, and found part-time work as a waiter, every evening from 4 to 10pm. Bhim and Lata began to meet with locals Nepalis and started sharing the Gospel. They found several Nepali brothers and sisters who already knew the Lord, but did not have any fellowship. Bhim and Lata started a meeting in their home, but Hindu radicals stopped them. They forced Bhim out of his job, and drove them out of their rented house. No one else was willing to rent a house to them, so they spent three days living in a roadside rain shelter.

During that time, an old man came by. He said “I don’t have a place to rent, but I have some farmland nearby, just laying idle. I used to farm it, but now that I’m old I’m not farming it anymore. If you will agree to farm the land, I will rent it to you.” For Bhim and Lata, it was the sound of a divine door flinging open! With our financial support, they rented the farm, pitched a tent on the land, and took up farming. With the help of the other Nepali brothers and sisters, Bhim and Lata worked hard and planted vegetables.

Then the COVID-19 situation came, bringing a total lockdown, but by the grace of God, Bhim’s rented farm was actively harvesting winter vegetables. The same people who forced him from his job and his home were now standing in line for his vegetables!

During the lockdown Bhim and Lata, with the support of local government officials, distributed free vegetables from their rented farm to all those in need. They hired native young people to work in the fields, to harvest the vegetables and distribute to the people. According to Bhim “every day we went into the fields for the harvest, we gathered more than enough!” This went on every day for the past three months! Even the villagers could not believe their eyes; the food was just multiplying! More than 11 tons of vegetables have been harvested from the fields and distributed to the people in the village, all free of cost. The rest were sold in the market, and Bhim and Lata have received more than enough for their needs.

Last Sunday Regi and Sherly were in that area visiting Bhim and Lata. The same villagers who forced them out of their rented house have now given them a very nice rented house to live in. The villagers have also allowed them to have Christian prayer meetings in their house. Due to the COVID-19 situation, they have not started the prayer meetings. Regi and Sherly were amazed by the support and the response of the villagers. They treated them like “holy people,” touching their feet with reverence and laying flowers on the path as they walked to Bhim Singh’s house. They showed great respect to them, but Regi and Sherly gave all the glory to God. These were the same villagers who had beaten up missionaries many times, and had never allowed them to share the Gospel. Regi and Sherly prayed over the Singh’s house and started the first Sunday service with 20 people in attendance. (According to the government rule, no more than 20 people can meet together.) At the same time, many people were standing outside, maintaining social distancing while listening to the preaching. Bhim Singh said that over the last three months more than 49 people have received Jesus as their personal savior from this village.

Because of the inspiration of Bhim, many young people who had lost their jobs due to the lockdown started farming, planting cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, and other seasonal vegetables. Today the village has been transformed! A “green revolution” has started. At the same time, a “spiritual revolution” and breakthrough is occurring. The Gospel of Christ is penetrating a hard land and bringing transformation.

As Regi was leaving the village, the villagers brought vegetables to their car as an offering. When they left, the trunk of the car was full of vegetables! They brought them home and shared with other believers, praising God for His wonders!

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, click the links on the right, and keep reading!

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

Proclaiming the Gospel…

…until He comes,