Testimonies Archives - Revival Now!

Impact of Christmas Outreach

Posted on February 8, 2020 by thomas

We want to thank each one of you for your prayers and financial support of our Christmas Outreach program. By God’s grace, more than 400 of our house church leadership trainees, and hundreds of new believers, all joined together for last month’s Christmas outreach. Our main goal was to give our trainees the opportunity to exercise their newly-learned skills in practical ministry. To accomplish this, we gave them the responsibility of reaching unreached villages and people groups in close proximity to their own neighborhoods.

On December 13th, the brothers and sisters started the outreach with a time of prayer. Over the next 10 days, they went “two by two” into the unreached villages, knocking on every door, and passing out “Gospel of John” booklets to every family that would receive them. They shared the Gospel with every household that would listen and invited them to attend a public meeting that was going to be held in their area between Dec. 19th Dec. 24.

Using this strategy, our outreach teams reached more than 68,000 homes in more than 300 villages.

They distributed more than 75,000 “Gospel of John” booklets and held 62 public meetings for the new people from Dec. 19th to 24th. By God’s grace, over 22,000 people attended the public meetings, and over 3,200 people responded to the altar call!

The Gospel Light Shines in the Darkness

Thanks to your prayers, most of the outreach meetings were peaceful. In some villages, the Hindu radicals told our teams to leave the area and not come back to share the Gospel. Our people were able to leave peacefully, without any harsh treatment. Even in the midst of opposition, our teams testified that they could feel the power of prayer, and the Favor of the Lord everywhere they went.

In one incident, some sisters were part of the outreach team. They were going house-to-house in one village all day, beginning in the morning, walking and sharing the Gospel. By afternoon, they were tired when a group of Hindu radicals surrounded them and told them to leave the village. As they turned to leave, one of the young women who were part of the outreach team collapsed and fell to the ground, unconscious. Seeing this, the local villagers rushed over to see if they could help our brothers and sisters. The Hindu radical leader who, just a few moments earlier had been very harsh with them, quickly got his car and drove the unconscious woman and the men that were with her, to the nearest hospital, 30 miles away. On the way, the woman regained consciousness and started feeling better and speaking. They told the driver “she’s fine; you can drop us off here,” but the Hindu radical man refused. He insisted on taking her to the hospital and having her checked by a doctor. At the hospital, the doctor announced that she was expecting a child. That was the reason she became weak and fell unconscious.

New Life, Physically and Spiritually

Instantly it became a time of rejoicing for all of them because she had been unable to have a child for 11 years. God showed His favor on her and her husband. Later, the Hindu radical man who had driven her to the hospital told her “I don’t know why I was helping you. I was very upset with you people for coming to our village and trying to convert our people. But the moment I saw you collapse on the ground, I heard a strong voice in my mind, commanding me to help you. I didn’t want to do it, but something forced me to bring you to the hospital.” He and his family attended the local public meeting and responded to the altar call, giving their lives to follow the Lord. He stood in front of all the people and shared this testimony of the love and power of Jesus Christ.

During the 62 public meetings, God moved in a special way, touching people’s lives, healing many from their sicknesses and infirmities, and setting many people free from bondages. The meetings continued for 10 days, sometimes 2-3 meetings per day, with around 300-400 people in each meeting. In every meeting, people came forward in response to the altar call, and many came forward seeking prayer for different needs, and God met them at the altar.

Miracles Announce the Love of Christ

One man came forward who had been lame for 18 years. Since he was 6 years old, he had not been able to stand up straight or walk without help. After Jesus touched him, he was set free! Now he is able to stand up straight and walk without help!

A woman said it was her first time coming to a Christian meeting. Her family was opposed to her attending, and would not bring her. Instead, she walked alone from her house to the main road. There she took an auto-rickshaw (a tiny three-wheel taxi) to the meeting. This would have been a challenge for any woman, but this woman had been blind for 23 years. Our brothers and sisters prayed for her, and God restored her sight! Her family and friends were amazed at God’s power and love. After Christmas, our brothers shared the Gospel with them. Today many people are attending a Christian meeting in her village.

These are just two examples of how the seed of the Gospel is being sown into the hearts of the people of India. As the days go by, we believe that hundreds of people’s lives will be touched and they will come forward and give their lives to the Lord.

As for our house church leadership trainees, it was challenging but with great admiration, we can say they have been faithful with the little they have, they have worked hard, and sacrificed much. As the Bible says “Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” (Psalm 126:5-6)

We are so thankful for all the prayers and support. May God reward each of you for your faithfulness in helping to advance the Kingdom of God through Christ Jesus.

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,

Tribal People Come To Christ

Posted on January 1, 2020 by thomas

One of the tribes who live in Rajasthan has a population of 2.8 million, and according to the Joshua Project, there is no known Christian among them…that is, until now. They live primarily in villages and lead simple lives, following all the Hindu religious practices, including child marriage. Each of their villages has a population of between 1,000 and 4000 people.

A public Christian meeting — A public meeting

The Good News Received, With Trouble

Recently, two young men in a neighboring county, members of another tribe, came to Christ. They received a call into ministry and went to Bible College. During their studies, in between semesters at school, they participated in our Summer Outreach program. There they caught the vision of reaching the unreached, so after graduation, they decided to go to the particular tribe mentioned above and began to lead many young people to the Lord. We facilitated their ministry work. As they led many to the Lord and discipled them, the new believers began to grow in Christ and started living in obedience to the Word of God. Specifically, they opposed the practice of idol worship in their community. Severe persecution began to increase, and our brothers Sanjeev and Ravi were beaten up several times. Many of the new believers were forced to flee from their villages because the Hindu radicals threatened them, vandalized their houses and set their crops on fire. They moved to a low-lying area, where they built new houses and started afresh farming the nearby fields.

First Fruits of the Harvest

Last month our leaders were in this community for meetings and a baptism service. They met Ramesh, the first believer of Sanjeev and Ravi from this community, who had suffered much hardship for his faith. He told them his story: ‘I used to be a village temple priest in our area. I held a very respected position in the village and community. Then my wife became sick. I tried everything I could think of to heal her, but she did not get well. Then one day two young men (Sanjeev and Ravi) came through our village and gave me the Gospel of John. They told me Jesus loves me and can bring peace to my life, if I can believe in the Lord Jesus. I had never heard the name of Jesus before, and I asked them who Jesus was. They said Jesus is God’s son, and that He came into this world to save sinners. That didn’t make sense to me, because all our gods and goddesses come to destroy sinners. But these men kept saying that Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I thought it was an interesting concept, so I took the Gospel of John and began to read it for myself, wanting to know more about this son of God who loves sinners. As I read, I was impressed with its message.’

Ramesh continued. ‘The following day I was waiting for these young men to come to our village. When they arrived, I invited them to my home and asked them to share with me more about this Jesus. They shared the Gospel with me again, and I told them about my wife, who was bedridden. I asked them if they would pray for her, so they knelt down around her bed and prayed in Jesus’ name for my wife. Those young men visited us every week and prayed for us every week, and as the weeks passed my wife began to get better. After several weeks, these young men came and shared with me that they were being persecuted and the villagers were forcing them to vacate the house where they were staying. They asked me if they could stay in my village, so I offered them a room in my house. Through them, we continued to hear the Gospel, and soon my wife, my two daughters and I all believed in the Lord and invited Him into our lives.’

Set Apart by God, And a New Start

‘As soon as they discovered we were believers in Jesus, the Hindu radicals targeted me and my family. They turned the villagers against us, and they burned down our house, thinking we were still inside. But the Lord saved us through one of their own men, who informed us of the attack just in time so that we could escape. We lost everything. We migrated from there and came to this village and settled here with Sanjeev and Ravi.’

Seven Years of Ministry, And Much Fruit

‘Now, for the past seven years, I have lived here with my family, not as a temple priest but as a servant of the living God. Our Lord has given us boldness and courage to share about Jesus, and in the last seven years, our Lord has used us to establish 49 house churches in this community. More than 800 people have received believer’s baptism and thousands of people have been touched by the message of the gospel.’ (That day alone our leaders baptized 49 people from the same community)

Baptism candidates receive Bible training — Baptism training class

Today Sanjeev, Ravi, and Ramesh travel to different villages in the community. Just last year, with your help, our partners, we gave Sanjeev and Ravi a motorcycle that has helped them expand their territory and reach far into the interior villages. Today the message of the Gospel is penetrating deep down in this community. Hundreds are turning to the Lord. While our leaders were with these brothers, they attended 7 meetings in different villages, and 259 people came forward to receive Jesus into their lives and were baptized! The church is growing! PRAISE THE LORD!

Help Us Share the Gospel

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

Proclaiming the Gospel…

…until He comes,

Revival Among the Tribal People

Posted on December 7, 2019 by thomas

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.)

House church in Bihar — Public meeting in Bihar

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

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

Proclaiming the Gospel…

…until He comes,

The Gospel of Peace

Posted on October 27, 2019 by thomas

Mrs. Heena, 30, a Muslim woman, became bedridden four years ago while giving birth to her younger son. She could not feel anything below the hip, and could not sit in a wheelchair for very long. Her husband, Ali, a banker by profession, took her to different hospitals and doctors where they did everything possible. After about 18 months they lost faith in modern medicine and began taking her to sorcerers and witch doctors. They did everything possible in accordance with their beliefs and practices, but her condition did not improve. They became hopeless, as the mental struggle grew worse. For Ali, fear and depression became a part of his life.

At this time, some of our house church leaders’ trainees were doing outreach in that area. On a Sunday afternoon, they knocked at Ali’s door. His parents opened the door, and two of our sisters shared the Gospel with them. When Ali’s parents mentioned Heena, our trainees asked permission to pray for her. Ali’s parents pointed to the room where Heena was laying. Together, our sisters shared with her about Jesus and His healing power. Since she was Muslim, she knew about “Isa Nabi” (Jesus, the prophet). Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet, but they do not believe that he was divine or the son of God. The Quran describes the miracles Jesus performed, such as healing the sick and raising the dead, but does not ascribe these miracles to his divinity.

The Gospel Brings Healing

The two women shared that Jesus still heals and one of them shared her testimony of how Jesus healed her from back pain she had for a long time. This built Heena’s faith. They then laid their hands on her and began to pray. Heena was laying in the bed. After about 10 minutes of prayer, Heena said to her husband “look at my toes! I’m moving my toes!” For four years she had been unable to feel or move her toes. With great joy and a grateful heart the women continued to pray. God in His mercy touched Heena, healed her and raised her from her bed. This miracle led Ali, Heena and Ali’s parents to receive Jesus into their life.

The Gospel Brings Persecution

Heena, Ali and his parents began to attend the local church, where they truly fell in love with the Lord. Innocently, they began to share their testimony with other Muslims. Within a few weeks, they were under great pressure from the Muslim community. They were threatened with death if they didn’t stop going to church. Ali was fearful, but Heena continued her walk with the Lord. Her in-laws stood with her, and for the last several months they have been persecuted physically, emotionally and have suffered financial losses because of their love for the Lord.

Under tremendous pressure, Ali stopped coming to church, and tried to stop Heena and His parents. But they fearlessly followed the Lord. Heena decided to receive baptism. Somehow the Muslim clergy came to know about it and they tried to stop Heena and Ali’s parents. They even put pressure on Ali to divorce Heena. On Sunday, August 4th, our team was there to give baptism to 21 people, among them were Heena and Ali’s parents. After the baptism, when we got back in the church, Heena came to us and said “Ali called me on the phone and divorced me.” If a Muslim husband says the word “talak” three times to his wife, he has legally divorced her under Sharia law. We were shaken by the sudden development, but Ali’s parents stood with her and comforted her.

After the baptism service, we were preparing to take Holy Communion when we saw Ali coming to the church. He was not alone, but was accompanied by the Muslim clergy and other senior members of the Muslim community, around 12 men in all. Our local pastor politely went out and welcomed them. He told them that we were having Holy Communion, and invited them inside the church and offered them a seat. They came and sat in the church, and listened as one of our team explained the importance and seriousness of communion, and the suffering of Christ on the Cross.

The Gospel Brings Reconciliation

The Muslim clergy and the people who came with him were listening carefully. We continued with communion, and near the end of the service we asked Heena to give her testimony in front of everyone, including the 12 Muslim men. With great humility she shared her testimony of how Jesus healed her from 4 years of her disease, agony, pain and humiliation. After her testimony, we gave an invitation for anyone who wanted special prayer. At this invitation, 7 out of the 12 Muslim men came forward for prayer. As they came and knelt down in front of the church our team and the local pastor laid hands on them and prayed for them.

After the meeting, the Muslim clergy came and told us that he had not known what Isa (“Jesus”) had done for her. He continued “some people in our community misled us and we are sorry.” He then went to Heena and blessed her, saying “Isa (Jesus) will bless you,” and strictly told Ali to never divorce her. Then he called our leader to grasp Heena’s and Ali’s hands together and he told them “I tried to separate you, but now we together (pointing to our leader) are uniting you in the name of Isa (Jesus).” It was a touching moment for all of us.

As he was leaving he told me “I learned about Jesus in the Quran but today what I heard about Jesus touched my heart. I will go back and try to learn more about Jesus.”

Last month on Sunday, September 8th, we were in that church for another baptism service, and the church was full. People were sitting outside in the shade. Among them, we saw a lot of Muslim men and women who have started to come to the church because of the testimony of Heena.

As we left the village that afternoon, we saw the Muslim clergy, standing on the road waiting for a bus. We stopped the car and greeted him. He was so happy and said to us “since we met I have been learning more and more about “Isa” (Jesus). For the last few weeks during Friday prayers I have been teaching about Isa (Jesus). Your words have touched my life too.”

Help Us Share the Gospel

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

Proclaiming the Gospel…

…until He comes,

Liberated To Liberate

Posted on October 9, 2019 by thomas

Last month our national leadership team was visiting one of our mission stations in one of the most anti-Christian states of India. Because of the sensitive nature of this, we can’t mention the name of the state. Believers in this state have been experiencing a lot of anti-Christian activities and persecution for the past few years. Many of our ministry brothers working in the state have been threatened, beaten up, and harassed. Some of them have even been falsely accused and put in prison. In spite of all this, God has enabled our missionary brothers to carry the message of the Gospel to the unreached tribal villages who, until now, have never had a chance to hear the Gospel. Over the last few years, the church has grown tremendously in what was once a tribal area.

On their visit, they were really blessed to see how God is moving in the lives of the people in that spiritually darkened area. They had great joy in baptizing many people in different mission stations, and joining the new believers in worshiping the Lord and in fellowship. One Sunday morning, they traveled to a remote village. On the previous night, after the meeting, some of our people warned them not to go to that area, because recently the Hindu radicals had attacked some of our churches in that area. In addition, they are preventing our native brothers from going to home prayer meetings, and stopping our house church leaders from visiting believers in their homes. Despite the warning, our state coordinator felt that it was time for our national leaders to go and stand with the new believers and strengthen their faith. They agreed, and were on their way to the village for the Sunday meeting.

Seeds Planted, Seeds Sprouting

It was a two hour drive on a bumpy, unpaved village road. As they drove, they passed through hundreds of villages. Five years ago, they traveled the same road, and at that time they asked one of our native church leaders, “are there any Christians in these villages?” The local church leader replied “these villages don’t have a single Christian, and most of them have never heard the Gospel.” For the past five years, we have focused on reaching this area. Several outreach teams have been sent here, and several times our teams have visited this area and conducted public Gospel meetings. Traveling the same road this year, our national leaders asked our local, native leader, who was again traveling with them, the same question “are there any Christians in these villages?” This time, he answered “just a few years ago there was not even a single Christian in this area, but now a good number of villages have regular weekly prayer meetings. Most of the villages have one or more families who attend a house church service in a nearby village.” As they traveled, they thanked God for all He has done, in drawing hundreds of people to Himself!

It Only Takes One Seed

It all began with one woman named Sandya (not her real name). Some of our leaders have known her for 20 years. In 1998, a 22-year-old woman was brought to a small meeting in a remote village by her parents and a relative. During the meeting she became violent, attacking her parents and making loud noises. It was a memorable night. Because of her loud, violent actions, hundreds of village people gathered outside the meeting, curious as to what was happening. Our pastors and a small group of believers who were present gathered around her, laid hands on her, and prayed for her. In front of hundreds of unbelievers, God’s power fell on her, and in His mercy He delivered her from the evil spirits that had been tormenting her. Then they continued the meeting, during which she sat quietly and attentively the entire time. All the villagers who had been drawn by the commotion also sat and heard the Gospel, possibly for the first time. When they gave the altar call, the young woman was the first one to respond, followed by many of the villagers. Later our pastors came to know that she had been brought to that meeting from another remote village, six hours away, because the family said there was not a single Christian or church in their home area.

The Seed Multiplies

Later she was married to one of our missionaries Gagan (again, not his real name), and they moved to this unreached area. They started to reach the villages with the message of the Gospel. They faced lots of hardship and persecution, but our God kept them safe and used them for His glory. Through their hard work and with the support of our partners, hundreds of people have come to know the Lord, and are now being discipled within a local house church. In this area alone, they have trained up more than 49 men and women through our leadership training program to lead the local house churches.

Seed Time Leads to Harvest

As our national and state leaders approached the remote village the sky was cloudy, but their spirits were bright with anticipation. They were led to the side of the village where, filling a rice field, they saw more than 500 people, standing and worshiping the Lord Jesus under a large tent suspended by a metal framework. A team of young native brothers and sisters were leading worship in their native language. When they saw our team approaching the field, the people gave a great shout of “Hallelujah!” They received a heroic welcome as they joined their worship service. All the songs were in the native tribal language, and although our mission leaders did not understand the meaning, still they joined them in worshipping the One True God, Our Lord Almighty! They said their hearts were filled with joy, knowing these were the same people who worshiped evil spirits and stone-carved idols for generations. Now they have come to the marvelous light of the Gospel, worshiping the Living God in Spirit and in Truth.

After worship it was time for a testimony. A man between 45 and 50 years old stood and shared. “My wife was mentally ill for eight years. We have taken her to every hospital that would treat her. Most of the time we have had to put chains on her or lock her in a room. For the past 8 years our lives were a living hell. My four children suffered a lot physically, mentally and financially. My oldest daughter tried to commit suicide three months ago. Since then, doctors have diagnosed all my children as suffering from deep depression. They advised us to send my wife to a mental sanitarium, and keep her away from my children. But I didn’t want to send her. I longed for another solution.

Two months ago my son, who is 12 years old, came and told me that his friend’s family goes to a prayer meeting every week. He said that many people come there and they pray for them and get delivered. The following Sunday I brought my wife here, along with my four children. We brought her in with her hands and legs chained, and we found a place to sit in the back. My son saw his friend, but other than that, we didn’t recognize anyone. During worship my wife made a lot of noise so a few women came and laid their hands on my wife and prayed for her in a very small voice.” (Sandya and some other sisters in the church)

The man continued. “My wife became quiet and fell on the ground. Worship continued, and after ten minutes she opened her eyes and looked at us. I realized she was no longer the woman we brought in chains! I saw my loving and caring wife whom I married, and who lived with me eight years ago. The Lord Jesus has shown compassion on me and my children and healed and delivered my wife from every mental disorder! After the service that day, Pastor Gagan and Sandya asked us to unchain her, and we did. For the last two months our lives have been normal! Our Lord has wiped away our tears, the joy of the Lord has filled our heart, and laughter has filled our home!”

He then asked his wife and children to stand in front of the people. They stood, a young woman and her four young children who were liberated from deep depression, into the abundant life that our Lord Jesus has promised to us. I can assure you that everyone who sat there in the tent has a similar testimony to share, how they were delivered, or liberated from the bondage of sin. Our leaders were so blessed to be there and see the wonderful work of the Lord.

Help Us Shine the Light

Will you help us continue shining the Light of 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,

Desperate Need For Training

Posted on August 18, 2019 by thomas

Brother Anand is from a remote mountain village and from a traditional Buddhist family. When he was in college he suffered serious depression, and had to be admitted in the hospital for a few months. In the hospital, someone handed him a Gospel of John booklet. Through that booklet, he came to know the Lord, and began to attend a prayer group in the college. He met regularly with a few young Christians, most of them from different religious backgrounds, just like him. God in His mercy delivered him from depression and gave him very good fellowship in the prayer group. Just like the young person who gave him the Gospel tract, Anand was also used by our Lord to draw many young people to salvation. Soon, the Lord gave him a burden to share Jesus with his own people in the mountains. In response to this call, he went back to his own village.

Today, two years later, Anand is a fulltime evangelist. Every day he climbs the mountains, walking their steep, rugged trails trying to reach the unreached villages, going into communities where the name of Christ has never been heard. Through his witness thousands have heard the Gospel, and hundreds of people in the mountains have found salvation through Jesus Christ. In April of 2018, Pastor R* traveled to some mountain villages and visited some of the prayer groups that Anand has started. He had fellowship with them, meeting as they do in small groups in different villages.

When he visited with Anand, R* asked him, “What is the biggest hindrance for new believers in this area, as they try to grow in the Lord?” Anand told him “Though many are coming to Jesus, these new believers struggle to grow in their faith. They gather faithfully every week in small groups, but it is almost impossible for me to come to every prayer group every week. So we have to rely on local leadership. With their limited Bible knowledge, these leaders tend to repeat variations on a few favorite ideas, week after week. There are very few resources available, at the local level, for the leaders to grow up in Christ. And because local leaders are not equipped to teach Christ’s commandments, believers are not being effectively transformed or discipled.”

R* was more than happy to share about our local leadership training program. By taking into consideration the needs of this specific local community, we modified our typical training program. Instead of having one lecture day per week for 40 weeks, we scheduled blocks of training. Each block was one full week of all-day Bible training, spaced out at three month intervals. We held this training in Anand’s village, which is in a central location among the other villages, where people could easily come.

In May 2018 we sent out a team of instructors to start the program. Like we planned it, our brothers went and conducted one week of Bible training every three months. As our team of teachers led the training program, more than 28 leaders, representing both prayer groups and house churches from remote mountain villages, faithfully attended the training. This past April (2019) they completed the training to effectively teach and lead their congregations. In an informal setting, they had the opportunity to learn, study and practice biblical interpretation in a small group, similar to the small congregations they have been trying to lead.

Last week R* was in Anand’s area for a baptism service, and to help teach a Bible class for the new trainees. He met many of last year’s trainees who had successfully completed the training. They were very thankful, saying “This training has changed our lives! Now we read the Bible systematically, make note of what God speaks to us and share with the people. The Holy Spirit is ministering through those words to the hearts of the people. Many new people have started coming to our meetings and we have even started new prayer groups in different villages. We never thought that we could teach from God’s Word so effectively!”

Though Bible schools exist in big cities in the region, most of these mountain prayer group leaders have never been to the city and will never have the opportunity to go to Bible school. In addition, their responsibility to their families prevents them from attending regular Bible college. They say these week-long Bible studies are a blessing to them and give them a refreshing experience in their lives. We also find the village churches are growing so quickly that we can’t keep up with the number of native leaders needed. Week-long Bible classes held in strategically located areas fulfill a great need. We are training them to do what they are already doing, but in a better and more Biblical way.

By your prayers and sacrificial giving, we have trained more than 4,000 men and women to be house church leaders and prayer group leaders in the unreached villages. Some of them are now mission leaders, pastors, or evangelists, leading thousands of people to the Lord and reaching the unreached people groups.

This year we have 16 training centers with 507 men and women going through the training program. We need your continued prayers and financial support to train up these men and women.

Help Us Shine the Light

With your help, the Gospel will be proclaimed, and you will be blessed, along with thousands of others!
Proclaiming the Gospel…
…until He comes,

Casting The Vision For Missions

Posted on July 16, 2019 by thomas

As we approach the end of Summer Outreach 2019, we look back in amazement on what God has accomplished. Eighty-six young men joined us for the four-month outreach, coming from different Indian states, different cultures, different languages and family backgrounds. They all joined together for one goal: “reach the unreached with the message of the Gospel”. Young men between the ages of 18 and 28, who once walked in the world, according to the world, living for worldly pleasure, seeking to please their flesh, and spiritually blind.

But God in His great mercy sent the message of the Gospel into their lives. Someone loved them enough to share this glorious message, and it transformed their lives, their way of thinking, and their character. Now they are trying to live according to God’s Word; trying to please the Master who laid His life down for them. They now want to become carriers of that glorious Gospel message to people who have never heard.

The purpose of our Summer Outreach program is not only reaching the unreached and starting prayer groups, but also casting the vision, burden, and importance of reaching the unreached to the younger generation. Before joining the outreach team these young men had a knowledge of missions, or were involved in local mission work around their church, but they had never experienced pioneer mission work. On the unreached mission field, there are no comforts of home, no friends or family nearby, a totally different culture, and a totally different lifestyle. Here, they have only one goal—reaching the lost.

The Vision Grows

Recently R* was in state where he was invited to meet with around 120 native missionaries who are involved in ministry in small tribal villages. The leader of that group is a young man in his thirties and a former Summer Outreach team member. He now leads 120 missionaries reaching this unreached people group. The young man said “Even before I joined the Summer Outreach team, I wanted to serve the Lord. But I had no idea in what capacity. During the outreach work, God gave me the vision and burden to reach the people around me who are perishing. I came back to my own people and started reaching the unreached people with the message of the Gospel. Since then, we have started more than 800 prayer groups and house churches in the surrounding counties around my home.” (emphasis mine)

Counting the Cost

V* is from a wealthy, Hindu high-caste family. In his own words “My family members have served as the temple priests in my village for many generations. My father is the current priest, and from childhood onward he has trained me to be the next priest in the temple. When I was 18, they sent me to learn Sanskrit (an ancient Indian language in which all Hindu scriptures are written). While studying (at a famous university) someone gave me a copy of the Gospel of John. That small book drew me to Jesus, and I soon gave my life to Him. When my family learned of my new faith, they rejected me and I was thrown out of my own home. My own father tried to poison me and kill me, but God in His mercy saved me from death. I was even more determined, and dedicated my life to the Lord’s service. Last February I joined the Summer Outreach team, and they sent me to a remote area to minister in one of the unreached people groups. Coming from a high-caste family, living among the “untouchables” was almost unbearable, but the Lord gave me endurance and His love with which I could love them. I felt Christ’s compassion for thousands of young men and women who lived in sin and idol worship, not knowing the only true Savior who can save them.

Together with the other team members, I shared the Gospel with people in 64 villages. Until now, they had lived under the curse of idol worship and in darkness. We experienced the joy of leading hundreds of people to the Lord, and started 24 prayer groups. The four-month outreach program has opened my eyes and transformed my life. It has given me a clear vision and goal, and built my faith in the Lord. My life goal has become this: share the Gospel with those who have never heard.” (emphasis mine)

How Will They Hear?

S* was a Summer Outreach team member in Bihar. “I would often hear the word ‘unreached’ but I never really understood what it meant until I went to the first village with the outreach team and asked people ‘do you know Jesus?’ I asked hundreds of people I met in the village, but I did not get even one positive answer. No one in any of the villages we visited knew Jesus, or even knew about Him. I felt very small. I finally realized the meaning of Romans 10:12-15 ‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?’ I knew believing in Jesus was important, but I finally realized that, in order to believe, someone needs to hear, in order to hear, someone needs to preach, in order to preach someone needs to be sent, and finally, in order to be sent, someone needs to be willing to go! (emphasis mine) I praise the Lord I was willing to come for the outreach, and that you sent me to the unreached villages in Bihar. I shared the Gospel, thousands of people heard, and many believed in Jesus. As I return to Bible College to complete my studies, I rejoice in the Lord for the opportunity to reach thousands of families with the message of the Gospel, lead many to the Lord, and start hundreds of prayer groups in the unreached villages. I feel very encouraged and spiritually edified. Knowing the importance and the urgency of sharing the Gospel to the unreached people has changed my priorities of life. Today I feel honored to be a part of the group mentioned in Romans 10:15 ‘How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.’”

The Beautiful Feet

Thousands of young men have been a part of our Summer Outreach team over the past 20 years. They have become some of the finest pastors, evangelists, and mission leaders who have caught the vision of reaching the unreached in different states of India. When we travel to different places, they come up and shake our hands and tell us they were part of an outreach team, and how that experience has changed their lives, and given them a vision for reaching unreached people groups.

Help Us Shine the Light

Will you help us continue shining the Light of the Gospel in the darkest places of India? You can share in the blessings! To find out how you can help, or to have more inspiring and exciting stories delivered to your inbox, click on one of the links below. With your help, the Gospel will be proclaimed, and you will be blessed, along with thousands of others!

Join us in Proclaiming the Gospel…

…until He comes,

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The Light Overcomes Darkness

Posted on June 21, 2019 by thomas

One of the primary initiatives of our ministry is to raise up indigenous native leaders among unreached people groups to lead house churches in their own languages. By God’s grace, the hard work of our brothers and sisters, and the prayers and financial support of our partners, we were able to complete this year’s leadership training program. In 14 different training centers in different states, 389 men and women, students from all walks of life, completed the training program. Our leadership team crisscrossed northern India from one training center to another for the graduation ceremonies. We give praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for the impact of the training program on the unreached community in India.

We are training up native people in their own culture and empowering them to share the Gospel to their own community or village. By God’s grace these trainees are impacting, touching, and transforming hundreds of lives.

Called to Those Sitting In Darkness

Almost 7 years ago, Brother Aman and wife, along with their two children, came to one of our leaders and told him they wanted to move from the mission station where they had been working for 5 years, and go to a new, unreached village in Punjab. They had established a very good church, with more than 120 baptized believers, and had even built a church building. Our leader felt it was a foolish decision. He tried to explain to them the advantage of their present mission station, and all the disadvantages of starting a new mission station. But they were convinced that the Lord wanted them to leave their established mission station and go the unreached people group. We gave them three months of time to pray about it, saying “if you still feel the same way, we can think about it.” Meanwhile, we asked them to ask the Lord where He wanted to send them.After three months, they came back and told us they were sure, convinced that the Lord was asking them to move to an unreached village. They had heard about this unreached area through one of their relatives, which was 200 miles away from their established station. As soon as they could, they moved to the village, which was a well known haven for drug addiction, drug trafficking, alcoholism and witchcraft. Local authorities knew that 80% of the youth in that area were addicted to drugs or alcohol. The women in the families had resorted to all kinds of witchcraft, in an attempt to free their husbands or sons from their addictions. Spiritually speaking, the area was in total darkness.

It was into this spiritually dark place that Aman and his family moved, renting a house in the village. The very first day, their house was broken into, and clothes and important documents were stolen. A year and a half after moving to that area, we visited Aman and his family. They shared their disappointment with us. They had worked hard for 18 months, sharing the gospel in the village, but people had only mocked, ridiculed, and persecuted them in return. They had to endure many health issues and financial struggles. We encouraged them to continue to trust God and continue the good work they were doing. We also encouraged them to start prayer walking in the village.

The Light Has Dawned

It has been 7 seven years now, of hard work and sacrifice, and God has honored their faithfulness. More than 175 people from that area have come to know the Lord and have been delivered. Men who had been under the influence of drugs for many years, and women who had been involved in witchcraft for many years, have all been set free by the power of the gospel! Last year we started a training center in that area, and 22 men and women completed the program. Last month, our team was in that village for their graduation, and more than 250 people from that area attended the graduation ceremony.

Light Comes to the Land of Shadows

There is a remote area in the state of Rajasthan where a particular community lives, where they practice all kinds of pagan worship, including animal sacrifices. Violence is a way of life for these people, and until four years ago, no one there had ever heard the gospel. It was then that one of our outreach teams reached that area and began sharing the gospel. They told about Jesus, and prayed for everyone they met. God, in His mercy, healed many from sickness and delivered many from evil spirits. Our brothers started prayer groups in many of the villages. When it was time for the outreach team to leave, one young man decided to stay behind. God put in his heart a vision to continue to minister to that community. This young man was 23 years old, came from a good family and was accustomed to having all the comforts of life, but he decided to stay back in a remote village among people who live without any modern conveniences or comforts. He is his parents’ only son, and they were very upset by his decision. They tried everything they could to bring him back home, but this young man continued ministering among the tribal people. For the past 4 years, the Lord has blessed his efforts. A year ago he told us that they had 21 prayer groups. He said “it is almost impossible for me to reach every prayer group every week.” We asked him to start a training center in that area, and, glory to God, 26 men and women enrolled! Some of them had not yet been baptized. Usually we will not allow unbaptized people to attend the training, but for this center we made an exception. Last month our team was in that area for their graduation ceremony. After the graduation we had a baptism service, where 48 people (including 11 of the trainees) were given baptism.

Good News to the Poor

Many of you will remember the story of Pawan and his daughters and their slum ministry that we published a few month ago. Through Pawan and his daughters’ ministry to the underprivileged slum people, hundreds of people came forward, accepted Jesus as their personal Savior and received baptism. Of these, 23 men and women who had been delivered from witchcraft and idol worship attended one of our training centers (in Pawan’s house) for over a year. This April, they completed the training, and we had a graduation ceremony for them. As part of their practical training, these trainees did outreach in different slums. Through their outreach, many have come to faith in Christ, and they have started prayer groups in the slums. Just last week, 68 people received baptism because of the outreach of these trainees!

Will you help us continue shining the Light of the Gospel in the darkest places of India? Will you invest in the Great Harvest that Jesus spoke of, and is now taking place? You can share in the blessings! To find out how, just click one of the links below. Our missionaries will be blessed, and you will too!

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Revival is Here – Embrace It!

Posted on May 23, 2019 by thomas

There is a state in northern India dominated by the great Himalayan mountains. Known as the “Abode of Snow,” and characterized by hills and forests, it is also sometimes referred to as “God’s own Abode.” The majority of the people in the state (98%) are Hindus. For many years it has been India’s least evangelized state. Every mountain in the state is named after a Hindu “god,” so it is a popular destination for Hindu pilgrimages. There is much devotion to idols.

The Lord opened the way for us to start our ministry in this least evangelized state in 1998. Almighty God is blessing the ministry and the work has progressed wonderfully. Over the past 20 years our Lord has enabled us to reach into thousands of villages and share the Gospel with people who had never heard the Gospel. We have established hundreds of house churches and led thousands of people to the Lord.

Revival in the Mountains

Recently, for nine days, two of our leaders traveled to some of the interior mountain villages where our brothers were able to reach and start house churches among the different communities. Wherever they stopped, the local believers joined them in worshiping the Lord. Most of them had been idol worshipers for many generations, living in spiritual darkness, under the bondage of sin, not knowing the way out. But the light of the Gospel has sprung up in hundreds of villages of this state and is transforming the lives of many people, especially the young people.

After a nine-hour drive, down a narrow road full of potholes, our two leaders finally reached the first of these mountain villages, almost 200 hundred miles away from their home. Here, some of the young believers had started several new prayer groups. The trip to the village had been very difficult. They had felt and sensed the attack of the enemy several times on the trip. At the same time, Almighty God was with them, as it says in 1 John 4:4 “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Throughout the trip they felt the Presence of the Lord and His divine protection. As they reached the village, a large crowd of people was waiting for them, gathered together from the surrounding hills and valleys. After quickly freshening up, they joined the meeting. Though they were physically exhausted, their spirits were rejoicing, that so many people walked so many miles to hear the Gospel.

Worship Sets You Free

During worship, the Spirit of God moved mightily in the meeting, setting people free from the bondage of evil spirits and sickness. Almost everyone who came forward for prayer had one of these problems in their lives. Many of them were in bondage to demonic spirits. When our team of brothers began worshiping, the demons threw the people to the ground screaming loudly, both men and women. As they continued to worship, the Presence of God came down to the meeting. They saw the demon possessed people crying out and the demons departing even before they laid hands on them. Our Lord touched the lives of hundreds of people, delivered them, healed them, and many were restored through prayer and the ministry of the Word. The presence of the Lord was so powerful the meeting went on until two in the morning.

The Presence of God Saves and Heals

The following morning they went to another village 22 miles away, where our missionary D is ministering. There again, people from the surrounding hill villages walked many miles to attend the meeting. The Lord helped them to share the Word and minister to the people, who came with many needs. Our Lord in His mercy healed the sick and delivered the demon-possessed, and touched many lives. Many people came after the meeting and shared with them that they were able to experience the touch of God in their lives in a fresh way.

The next destination was a village where they met a young lady, 22 years old, who had been unable to talk or hear from birth. Six months ago she was healed through the prayer of another young lady who was a new Christian. The lady who was healed was the daughter of a Hindu temple priest. Through her testimony, many people have believed in the Gospel and experienced the power of God in their life. The temple priest arranged a meeting in his house and invited the whole village to the meeting. To reach his village, our team had to walk about three and a half miles. They walked through the narrow paths and climbed the hills with God-given strength. Physically they were very tired, and when they reached the village their legs were swollen and ached with pain.

The prayer meeting there was a great blessing, with around 200 people attending. Before the meeting, the temple priest told our leader “There are lots of people in the village opposing me for allowing this meeting in my home, but my family has served many gods and goddesses for generations without any answer to prayer. Every day I used to spend 11 hours worshiping the gods and goddesses, but none of the gods and goddesses could help my only daughter. Jesus healed her and opened her ears and mouth, so I want to express my thanks to Jesus by conducting this meeting in my village and giving the people an opportunity to hear about Him.” During the meeting the Presence of God was so real in that place as we shared the gospel, 49 people, including the temple priest and his wife, publicly came forward to receive the Lord in response to the Gospel call. During prayer, our Lord in His mercy healed the sick, delivered the demon-possessed and restored broken families. After the meeting, a good number of people obeyed the Lord in water baptism.

All through the nine days our leaders spent in that hilly area they saw a tremendous move of God drawing hundreds of people to the Lord. In every village, people begged them to share the Gospel or come to their home for prayer. One man who accepted Jesus into his life was very upset. He asked them “Why were you so late coming to our village to share the Gospel? If you would have come just a few months ago, my wife and son, who died in an accident, would have heard the Gospel and would have gotten saved.” They literally cried with him. The “Macedonian Call” is ringing out from the villages of India today.

Answering the Macedonian Call

Paul received a vision that directed his missionary activities: A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Will you help us answer our own “Macedonian Call?” Will you help us take the Gospel to the remote villages of India? Will you invest in the Great Harvest that Jesus spoke of, and is now taking place? Just click one of the links below. Our missionaries will be blessed, and you will too!

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Life in the “Graveyard”

Posted on April 14, 2019 by thomas

Bihar is known as the “graveyard of missionaries” among the Indian missions. Bihar is the third largest state in India with 104 million people. It is one of India’s most densely populated states, with well over 2,850 people per square mile. The vast majority (89%) of the population are living in compact or clustered villages in the cultivated plains. Economically it is one of the poorest states according to the government standards. A large segment of the population lives below the poverty level, and the literacy rate is one of the lowest among the Indian states. Almost 58% of the population is below the age of 25, giving Bihar the highest proportion of young people of any Indian state.

Bihar is also one of the least reached states in India with regard to the Gospel. According to the Joshua Project there are more than 450 people groups, out of which 430 are considered unreached by the Gospel. Idolatry, witchcraft, drug abuse, alcoholism, caste discrimination, looting, fighting, and every expression of spiritual darkness is prevalent in this state.

In the last 10 years we have seen tremendous church growth in Bihar. Many mission agencies are involved in reaching the people groups. Our organization alone has 26 full-time indigenous missionaries working in Bihar.

Over the past five years, the Lord has greatly blessed us and has given us a great harvest of souls in Bihar. Last week our coordinator, S*, visited the mission stations and submitted this report:

Passionate Worshipers of Jesus

On March 10, 2019, Pastor J* (a senior minister in our ministry) and I were picked up at the railway station and were rushed to a tribal area where the Lunia people live. In 2017 there were half a million Lunia people, without even as much as a single Christian among them. That year, we sent our outreach team with 13 young people to this Lunia community to share the gospel with them. In the beginning they met with hardship and persecution. Four of our brothers were jailed for three days for evangelizing among the Lunia community. Now, as we bounced down a dirt road in an old taxi, passing through the different villages, we felt the spiritual darkness in that area. As we reached the village where our brothers wanted to take us, we were led to a school building where more than four hundred people were worshiping together on a Sunday morning. J* and I were tired, but upon seeing the people and the way they worshipped our Lord, we forgot our weakness and with our whole heart we joined the worship. I can say it was one of the most touching worship services I ever attended in my life. There were no musical instruments but people were joining together, lifting their voices and singing, every word worshiping the Lord. During that time of worship we saw people delivered from evil spirits. After the service we learned that these people are from the Lunia community. Over the past two years more than 700 hundred people from the Lunia community have come to know Jesus through our brothers. Fourteen villages have a regular Sunday service, and another 17 villages have regular weekly prayer meetings. We were overwhelmed by what we saw and experienced. With tears of joy, we thanked the Lord for the harvest.

Powerful Move of the Holy Spirit

On March 13 we were led to another community called the Bhar, with over 2 million people also in the state of Bihar. As with the Lunia, there were very few Christians among them. Farming is the main occupation of the Bhar people, and they often work as laborers in fields owned by the higher caste people.

In February we had sent two teams, a total of 14 brothers from different communities, to do outreach for six weeks. By the grace of God, there were a lot people drawn to the Lord. Our outreach team led us to a prayer meeting they had started just a few weeks ago in the Bhar community. A prayer meeting was arranged in the courtyard of a house, and as we reached there around 25-30 people from the village were waiting. As we shared the gospel with them, the Spirit of God moved mightily in the meeting. People were being set free from the bondage of demonic spirits and disease. Everyone who came forward for prayer was afflicted by an evil spirit, and most of them had some kind of sickness that manifested in their life as well. When we laid hands on them and prayed, the demons threw the people to the ground and they began screaming loudly. Much of the same thing happened in all nine of the prayer groups we visited with our outreach team, in different villages in the Bhar community. Through prayer and the ministry of the Word, and by God’s rich grace and mercies, God delivered all of them completely.

We went from one place to another and visited all 9 of the prayer groups that our brothers have started in the last six weeks. We ministered to many people, and over 93 people received the Lord Jesus as their Savior. God is moving in a very special way among the unreached community, through signs and wonders, and deliverance. During the 9 days of the trip, we attended three of our local training centers. Eighty-four men and women graduated from different tribal communities after they had completed our 40- day house church leaders’ training this past year. Four new training centers have been started for this year in different areas, and one of them is among the Lunias.

Partnering With the Father

Jesus told us “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.” (John 4:35-36). When you partner with us, you are a partner in the Great Harvest that Jesus spoke of, and is now taking place. Our missionaries will be blessed, and you will too!

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