God’s Work Among the Brick Workers of Khedh
Khedh is a small, remote village in northern India known for its high-quality bricks. More than 22 brick factories operate within about 10 miles of the village, employing over 2,000 men, women, and children. Most workers are poor and uneducated, and many families live together in a single room.
My first visit to the village began when a young man, about 20 years old and a bonded laborer at a brick factory, struck my stopped van with his bicycle while intoxicated. He was injured, so we called the authorities and took him to the hospital. His injuries were minor, and after first aid, a police officer asked me to take him back to his village. My wife and I, along with the officer, brought him home. There we met his wife, who was barely 18, holding a baby and expecting another child. She was very thin, and our hearts went out to her. The officer explained what had happened, and we helped the man into his room. Looking around, we saw 40 to 50 families living in a small area. Each family had one room, no kitchen, and access to only a few shared toilets. Sanitation was poor, and small children walked around unclothed. As we drove away, we saw children as young as 12 working with their parents in the mud, making bricks.
In response to our questions, the police officer told us these families had been bonded laborers for generations. Brick factory owners pressured workers to borrow money from them and sign agreements. Although the laborers worked long hours with their families to repay the debt, they were never able to escape it. The officer also said the factory owners supplied locally made alcohol and cheap drugs to make workers labor harder and longer. About 90% of the men, women, and youth were addicted to alcohol, and many died in their prime. We felt deep sorrow for them. They lived in both physical and spiritual bondage and had never experienced true freedom. No one seemed to care for them, and our hearts were burdened. The image of the young pregnant mother and her child stayed with us.
One of our pastors, Mahindra, came from the same kind of situation. Before he was saved, he worked as a bonded laborer and struggled with alcohol addiction. By the grace of our Lord, he was saved and called to minister to people working in brick factories. Although Mahindra could not read or write, the Lord gave him a special gift: he turned Bible parables into local folk songs and sang them among the brick workers. Through these songs, he shared the gospel. The Lord used him to lead thousands of people to faith and deliverance, and each month they see 20 to 30 baptisms. We told Mahindra about the situation in Khedh. Although it was a seven-hour drive from his home, he was willing to visit. Over the past year, he and his son Gopi have traveled to the village, built relationships, shared the gospel through folk songs, prayed for the sick, and helped people seek deliverance from addiction. Twice, Mahindra was beaten by men connected to the brick factory owners. Once, he had to be hospitalized with a broken rib. Still, he continued visiting every week and sharing the gospel.
After a year, I returned to Khedh during the first week of June. Our Sunday school teachers were leading a VBS for the children, with Mahindra and Gopi helping. When Sherly and I arrived, more than 200 children were attending. The young intoxicated man who had hit my van also came forward with his wife to greet me. We were amazed to see the children rejoicing, singing, dancing, and praising God with cheerful hearts. Sherly and I were in tears. These were no longer the gloomy, sick, unclothed children we had seen a year earlier. Now more than 200 children, ages 5 to 14, stood before us healthy, radiant, joyful, and praising God. It was a wonderful experience.
That evening, Mahindra and Gopi arranged a public meeting. The brick factory owners and their men tried to turn people against the gathering by giving them alcohol and asking them to disrupt it. About 15 people attempted to cause trouble, but their own community members removed them from the meeting area. Despite the disturbance, more than 350 people attended. I shared the story of the prodigal son, and more than 41 people responded to the gospel call. Many also expressed a desire to be delivered from alcoholism and drug addiction.
Jaswanth and her husband were forced to borrow money from a brick factory owner to help her father, who had worked in the same factory for more than 32 years and had been diagnosed with cancer. They had no other option. For the past seven years, Jaswanth, her husband, and their three children, ages 11 to 16, have worked long and irregular hours to repay the debt. During the public meeting, they gave their lives to the Lord as a family.
Yuness and his family come from a Muslim background. He, his wife Jamila, and five of their young children worked for 13 years as bonded laborers in another brick factory, trying to repay money they had borrowed at 12% interest. Through Mahindra’s ministry, they came to the Lord, were delivered from alcoholism, and gave their lives to Him.
Over the past year, our Lord has used Mahindra and Gopi to lead hundreds of people to Him from these difficult circumstances. Last week, I returned to the same village to start a daycare center and a small school for children under 10. We also began a special training center for 25 young men and women, some of whom cannot read or write. They will be trained to share the gospel through storytelling in local languages and dialects. The training will take place every weekend at Mahindra’s church, where they will receive Bible instruction and learn to minister to people around them and lead house churches in different brick kilns. We also held our first baptism service in the village. Early that morning, 32 people who had been saved and delivered through Mahindra and Gopi’s ministry were baptized. God is building His church.
YOUTH MEETINGS
In the past few days, we held 11 youth meetings in six states. More than 1,200 single young people, ages 16 to 24, attended. In tribal areas especially, many participants were first-time attendees. About 40% to 45% came from non-Christian backgrounds.
Please pray for our house church leader training programs this year. We plan to hold 25 trainings in six states, focused on equipping house church leaders to reach unreached people groups. We currently have 811 people enrolled in these programs.