Simple Faith – Divine Boldness

Bihar is one of the poorest states in India. Known as the “graveyard of missionaries” since British rule, hundreds of western missionaries have given their lives to reach the people of Bihar. Today, it has not changed much. Two of our missionaries were brutally killed for sharing the gospel in Bihar. Reaching the villages of Bihar has many hindrances, some spiritual and some societal.

Spiritually it is one of the darkest areas due to witchcraft, idol worship, animal sacrifices, superstitions and other demonic religious activities. Societal issues include criminal activities, anti-Christian groups, and discrimination toward low caste people. Traveling to the villages is difficult and living among their culture is challenging.

In the last few years attacks on Christians, churches, and missionaries have increased significantly. Hundreds of new believers have been forced out of their homes because of their new faith in Jesus.

Despite all these hindrances, in the last few years Bihar has been witnessing a great move of God in the villages. New believers from native people groups have been trained and sent out to their own people groups, where they have been greatly used by the Holy Spirit in preaching the gospel. Through their sharing of the gospel and prayer, signs and wonders are happening and people are drawn to the Lord in large numbers.

We have 26 full time native missionaries who are working in Bihar. In the last few years, we have trained over 400 hundred men and women through our training centers and sent them to their people groups in different areas. Through their preaching and prayer every year we are seeing thousands of people come to the Lord through the work of our house church leaders.

In the first week of February Sherly and I (Regi) visited some of our mission stations in Bihar. It was a bit scary because the first day of our visit we heard that three different churches were attacked, and believers, along with their pastors, were beaten up. Several of them had injuries and had to be admitted to the hospital. Sherly and I dressed like the native village people and carefully went to different villages visiting our missionary families. In the five days of our trip, we had 11 meetings and several baptism services.

We visited our missionaries and house church leaders and their families, asking about the progress of the Lord’s work and the difficulties they are facing. Every one of them reported how the Lord has given favor, and there were amazing testimonies of God’s protection and divine intervention in the lives of the new believers. Miracles and wonders are being seen in ways beyond their capacity to understand.  Almost every one of them reported that they were in danger. They are regularly threatened by radicals and followed by people when they go to the remote villages.

But in the midst of trouble, they declare the words of Romans: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”

In one high caste Hindu village, we had around 41 people who were given baptism in the early morning, in the wheat fields where no one would be watching. After the baptism, we left in the evening. Somehow the news of the baptism was leaked to some Hindu radicals from neighboring villages.  They came and threatened the newly baptized believers and local house church leader, and demanded they stop the prayer meeting.  Instead of having their regular worship service on Sunday the new believers came together on Saturday. Around 75 Hindu radicals came to the meeting place. They knocked the believers to the ground and beat them with bamboo sticks, women and children included. The radicals forcefully paraded them through the village, took them to the local temple and demanded they bow down to the idol and put red marks on their foreheads.  When they refused, the radicals again beat them up in front of the villagers. Again, with divine boldness, the new believers refused. They were beaten up a third time, and the radicals tore the clothes of the men, women, and even young girls in front of the villagers. Standing naked in front of the radicals, who continued to demand they bow down to the idols, the Lord gave them grace and boldness. Not one of them, not even the crying children, were willing to bow down in front of the idols. Finally, they took the house church leader and his wife and their young son and daughter. Making them stand fully naked in front of the villagers and the other believers, the radicals mixed cow dung with water and poured it on them (as a rite of purification). By this time a group of women from the village, along with the village chief, came forward, defending the new believers. They brought bed sheets and other cloths and covered them. By seeing support of the villagers growing in favor of the new believers, the Hindu radicals left the village threatening the believers.

These people are simple believers. They only came to know the Lord 6-8 months before this. They are not very educated.  They don’t know much about the Bible, nor do they have a strong theological foundation. They just know Jesus loves them. They were blind but now they can see. They were in darkness but now they are in the light. They are willing to lay down their lives for Jesus. And they know it can be serious. In this area, if one is caught baptizing a person into the Christian faith, that person may be imprisoned for a seven-and-a-half-year sentence.

Help Us Share the Gospel

The people of India are searching and open to the Gospel, despite the persecution they face. The fields are ripe unto harvest. Join us in this work with your prayers and financial support.

To find out how your support will help us, click here. 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!

Proclaiming the Gospel…

                     …until He comes,

March 2023 Partner Letter

Dear Partner,

If you have been a Christian for more than a few years, you have probably noticed that society in general is not always favorable toward Christians who wish to express their faith publicly. Now I’m not talking about making excuses for being rude or obnoxious, and expecting others to approve just because you are “sharing the gospel.” When we share the gospel publicly, we should do it in a way that is loving and compassionate toward others.

Even then, we can be misunderstood. People might have preconceived ideas of our motives, and before taking time to listen, they can attack us verbally or in other ways. How do we address this? By responding with love and compassion. Sometimes the most hateful people are the ones that are experiencing the most emotional pain. They might have had a negative experience with Christians in the past, leading them to make negative assumptions about us.

I am both inspired and challenged by this month’s testimony, where young believers take a bold stance for their faith and suffer public humiliation as a result. Please take some time to pray for these believers, that they will continue to be strong in their faith and witness.

Pray for the Church in America, too. We aren’t facing the same kind of persecution, but we face various kinds of opposition. My prayer is that God would help us remain strong in our faith and the expression of our faith, even in the face of opposition.

As you read this month’s newsletter, I want to thank you for your faithfulness in partnering with us. We could never do what we are doing without your prayers and financial support.

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

Thomas

Jesus is Building His Church!

A new light is dawning in every corner of India where spiritual darkness is great. Our Lord is building His church through the power of the Holy Spirit through the work of indigenous missionaries and by the prayer and sacrificial giving of Gods children.

  • Exciting Word missionaries and house church leaders, as well as our house church leader trainees, have reached over 3,200 unreached villages in six different states.
  • We have distributed over 8,000 Bibles and 42,000 New Testaments. We have also distributed over 250,000 Gospel of John booklets, in 7 different languages.
  • Our missionaries and house church leaders started over 1,000 prayer groups and 410 house churches in different states.
  • 2,100 healings were reported by our missionary brothers, small and great. Around 2,650 people testified they had received both physical and spiritual deliverance, including deliverance from evil spirits and drug and alcohol addiction.
  • More than 11,000 people responded to the altar calls in different public meetings and regular church meetings.
  • Of these respondents, our missionaries baptized more than 7,900 people.
  • Exciting Word helped 11 of our missionaries to get a motor bike.
  • We have given 23 bicycles to our tribal house church leaders.
  • We have distributed 48 rugs to the tribal house churches.
  • Through our house church leaders training centers, 432 men and women have graduated.
  • For the 2022-2023 training center year, 542 men and women are being trained as house church leaders.
  • We dedicated 11 church buildings for the Glory of God in 2022.
  • Our sewing centers trained 208 poor women and widows and 25 sewing machines have been distributed to widows.
  • We have 1,900 children from the slums and poor families attending weekly Sunday school in 48 different slums. In addition, we have weekly Sunday schools in different churches, where hundreds of children are attending.
  • In 2022 we conducted 16 seminars for pastors and missionary families in various locations.  One of the seminars was for married couples relationships. The second type we held was for parents and their children’s relationship. The third type of seminar we held was for the family and the church relationships. Around 700 missionaries and pastors and their families from different missions and churches attended them.
  • Under the banner of Exciting Word we conducted 9 youth meetings in different locations with over 1,600 young people attending where 228 young people dedicated their lives for the Lord’s work.

Despite the economic hardship caused by COVID, severe persecution by Hindu radicals, and several attacks on Christian workers, our missionaries and house church leaders continue to bring the message of gospel to the unreached villages where there is no Christian presence already ministering.

As one of our missionaries reported, from a Muslim dominated area, many Muslims are being drawn to the Lord. Many house churches have started, and more than 138 Muslims have received baptism in this past year. In this area if one is caught baptizing a person into the Christian faith, that person may be imprisoned for a seven-and-a-half-year sentence.

Another house church leader reported that a village church grew from 17 baptized believers to 170 in a one year. According to him “Many people come to the church with their different needs. Through the prayers of the believers and by the supernatural displays of God’s power during the prayers, many people are healed of physical ailments and experience spiritual deliverance. The Lord meets them where they are and demonstrates His power. This is drawing them and their families to the Lord.”

A house church leader trainee reported that because of this past Christmas outreach, there were 65 people that decided to live for the Lord in the past four weeks and he was able to start 7 prayers groups in different villages.

Another one of our missionaries who was arrested 4 times this past year and beaten by Hindu radicals in his village, continues to minister. During that time 36 families in his village have become believers, including some of the ones who have beaten him up!

Help Us Share the Gospel

The people of India are searching and open to the Gospel, despite the persecution they face. The fields are ripe unto harvest. Join us in this work with your prayers and financial support.

To find out how your support will help us, click here. 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!

Proclaiming the Gospel…

                     …until He comes,

January 2023 Partner Letter

It’s hard to believe that it’s already 2023. We survived one of the most challenging periods of time in our lives. Despite man’s attempts to stop God and silence the Church, He is still moving by His Spirit all around the earth. The struggles are real, but God’s power is more powerful than anything the enemy can try to bring against us. Revival fires are burning across the USA, in Iran, in India, and around the globe. As it says in Romans, “where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” (Romans 5:20)

We see a shift happening in government, in the media, and in other areas of society. People are waking up and turning to Christ. Jesus is revealing Himself to Muslims in dreams and visions. We are in the midst of a new great awakening on the earth. God is moving by His Spirit around the world, drawing all people to Himself.

You may discover that people around you are open to the Gospel more than ever before. Reach out in Christ’s love to your family, friends, neighbors, and others in your local community. Then watch God show up and see what He does!

Don’t let uncertainty in the economy prevent you from reaching out to others. You may have to adjust your plans to fit your budget, but now is the time to meet together with other like-minded believers. Do what the Church in Acts did. “breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart” (Acts 2:46 NASB)

As you read the 2022 statistics on the ministry, I want to remind you that these aren’t just numbers, they are real people impacted by your faithfulness in partnering with us. I can’t say it enough – we are so very grateful that you are walking beside us in God’s work in India.

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

Thomas

Youth Revival!

Uttar Pradesh is a state in North India with over 200 million inhabitants. It is the most populous state in India, as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. According to the Joshua Project the Christian population is 0.1%. But in the last 10 years we are seeing a great move of God in that state. Thousands of house churches have started functioning in the villages. At the same time the pro-Hindu governments and radical Hindu groups are involved in attacking Christians and house churches in the villages and targeting native village pastors and evangelists. This has been very regular and recently the attacks have spiked and spread. These attacks on Christians are instilling fear in congregations throughout the state. According to native brothers, the frequency and intensity of the attacks on house churches, new believers, and Christian workers is growing every day. At least five to seven incidents are reported every day, from different parts of the state. The local brothers also reported that many pastors do not know what to do, and some of the house churches were not able to continue meeting. Fear and insecurity are growing among the new believers and house church leaders.

Twenty-five years ago, Steve Robinson and I (Regi) travelled to Jhansi, a city in central India to meet with Edwin Simon, who was a native missionary. The area is called “Bundelkhand”, and it was one of the poorest and least educated areas in central India. People lived in total spiritual darkness, engaging in witchcraft, superstition, idol worship, and sacrifices. The people were regarded as the untouchable caste, and alcohol and drug addiction were common. There were no active mission activities in the area during that time. While we were there, we met with a few young people who had a great burden and heart to reach their own people, but they did not know how to start. In our hearts we heard a “Macedonian call” (Acts 16:9).

Under the leadership of Edwin Simon, we started a summer outreach with 12 young men. This was the beginning of the Exciting Word ministry in that area. Over 25 years we have sent out numerous summer outreach teams to the area, trained up native brothers and sisters, and sent them to the unreached villages to share the Gospel. Our Lord in His mercy worked miracles and wonders through the native brothers, drawing hundreds of people to Himself, and establishing them in faith and starting hundreds of house churches in and around the area.

It was not easy. Our brothers faced great challenges: persecution from the upper caste Hindus and Hindu radicals, and discrimination in the villages. Despite the hardships, our Lord continued to use our brothers to carry the Gospel to the unreached villages, and the light of the Gospel began to shine in the darkest areas.

Brother Edwin Simon and his family have sacrificed their lives building our Lord’s Kingdom in Bundelkhand. In 2013 they lost their 14-year-old daughter, and in 2021 brother Edwin and his wife laid down their lives serving the Lord. They were working as volunteers in the local hospital and in their neighborhood, showing Gods love to the needy who were infected with COVID by carrying medicine and food to them. While doing this, they, too, were exposed and infected, and laid their lives down fighting the pandemic. Edwin and his wife were a great man and woman, with great vision and God used them to reach thousands of villages and start hundreds of house churches in that darkest part of our nation.

In one of my trips to that area I met a young man named Jeven, an alcoholic who was attending a small public meeting. I was preaching to the people in Hindi and a local brother was translating into the local language for me. Jeven, who himself was unable to stand due to being intoxicated, came forward to try to correct my translator, who was not translating correctly. When Jeven’s interference became a great hindrance to my preaching, I reluctantly agreed to let him translate for me. To my surprise, he did very well. By the response of the people, I understood they were getting my points and at the end of the preaching, I gave an invitation for people to confess their sins and receive Jesus as their personal savior. More than half of the people who were in the meeting responded to the altar call. As they came forward to be prayed for, Jeven was the first one who came forward and knelt before me asking me to pray for him. Jeven dedicated his life for the Lord and God gave him a burden to reach other young people who are alcoholic, and drug addicted.

Just this month, Dec.1st to 3rd, I (Regi) was with Brother Jeven who invited me to speak at a three-day youth meeting. It was held in the same village where Jeven translated for the first time. We had around 200 young men and women from different villages of that area. Young people from the age of 16 to 26 years old, who are being transformed and delivered by the power of the Gospel. This three-day meeting was a time of great revelation and a realization of God’s faithfulness and rejoicing in the harvest. During the three days, a great number of people dedicated their lives to serve the Lord and reach their own communities with the message of the Gospel. Through them we heard great testimonies of God’s protection and deliverance from the hands of Hindu radical groups.

As a Christian leader in the area, Brother Jeven and his family are facing constant threats from the authorities and Hindu radical groups. He has been arrested 6 times by the police and spent several weeks in prison, but he continues to serve the Lord and reach the unreached people. According to the Joshua Project, there are more than 750 people groups yet to be reached in that area.

Help Us Share the Gospel

The youth of India are searching and open to the Gospel, despite the persecution they face. Join us in this work with your prayers and financial support.

To find out how your support will help us, click here. 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!

Proclaiming the Gospel…

                     …until He comes,

December 2022 Partner Letter

Christmas is the time of year when we pause our busy lives and thank God our Father for giving us His Son, Jesus Christ. In addition to the spiritual blessings, we remember all the other blessings the Lord has showered on us, including the numerous times when God protected us, delivered us, provided for us, and for our loved ones.

Not only do we have reasons to be thankful in our own lives, but we can be thankful that God is still moving on the earth. The Gospel message still has power, and people who put their trust in the Lord are still being touched by His love and His mercy. I know that we all have struggles and challenges. I am not trying to minimize the real issues each of us is confronted with. I just want to remind us (myself included) that we each have a choice regarding what we will focus on. Instead of dwelling on the struggles, let’s make a conscious choice to dwell on the blessings we have received.

Our brothers and sisters in India have a much lower standard of living than the average American. In fact, if you can afford to own a car, you are richer than most Indians. Can you imagine going to work in an ox cart? What about shopping? How far could you travel? Every time we get in our car, we have something to be thankful for. Our brothers and sisters in India still find ways to be thankful, even at a much lower standard of living.

By the time you read this, our Christmas Outreach program is in full swing. More than 500 house church trainees are sharing the Gospel message door-to-door in the villages. Thousands of people are being touched by the Gospel message, but we still need your financial support to continue reaching them and discipling them. Will you consider a monthly gift to help us reach more unreached people with the message of Christ? Just $30 a month will reach 30 people with the message of new life in Jesus. That’s just $1 a day to change someone’s eternal destiny. You will be storing up treasures in heaven, and when you get there, these grateful people will thank you for your faithfulness!

Every believer has been given the mandate of the Great Commission. The only question is, how will you participate and carry out your part in this command? If you decide to join with us, we will gladly work together to reach the unreached. We believe that 200,000 people can hear the Gospel this month, and then we will endeavor to disciple them into 2023. Just think of the positive impact that can result by having so many new believers! India will be transformed, and Christ will be glorified!

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

Thomas

November 2022 Partner Letter

This is the time of year when we stop and look back, reflecting on the year that is quickly coming to an end. Thanksgiving is more than a time to enjoy a wonderful meal with our families and friends. It’s a time to thank God that we have made it through another year, because of His faithfulness to us.

As we give thanks to God, let’s also remember that many people in India have never heard about our Lord Jesus Christ, or His love for them. We want to share the message of hope with them. The year is quickly passing; the Christmas season will soon be here, and with it comes our Christmas outreach program. This year we have 19 training centers in 6 different states where 543 house church leaders are being equipped. As part of their practical training, every year we send them out for our Christmas outreach. This year also we are planning to send them out to go door-to-door from December 12th to the 22nd, and then from December 22nd to the 27th they will have public meetings with the help of other churches in the area.

Our goal is for our brothers and sisters to reach 50,000 unreached homes with Gospel packets and New Testaments during the 10 days of door-to-door outreach. Following that, we are planning to conduct 38 public meetings during the 5 days of Christmas celebrations.

To accomplish this, we need your support. Specifically, we need the following:

  • 50,000 Gospel packets,
  • 20,000 New Testaments
  • 2000 Bibles
  • Finances to help rent tents and sound systems for the 38 public meetings

Please pray and ask the Lord Jesus whether He would have you be involved in supporting this effort. If He speaks to you, our partner, and you are prompted to give, we can potentially reach 200,000 people with the message of the Gospel. Just think of the positive impact that can result by having so many new believers. The villages will be transformed, and you will be blessed, knowing that you played an integral part in getting the message out.

Thank you for continuing to pray for all of us here at Exciting Word Ministries. We are a small ministry by natural standards, and we depend on the faithful gifts of our partners and friends. If you believe in the power of the Gospel, please prayerfully consider supporting us with a monthly gift. And please tell all your Christian friends to visit our website where they can read the same newsletter stories that you enjoy! To read about our annual pastors conference, click here.

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

Thomas

Annual Pastors Conference

We want to thank you all for your prayers and support for the annual missionaries and pastors conference. Since 2019 we have not held our annual meeting, although we continued to hold quarterly statewide meetings, and monthly area-wide meetings. From the morning of November 1 through the evening of the 3rd, we held our annual conference, where 156 of our pastors and missionaries came together to seek the face of the Lord, to pray for one another, and to fellowship with one another. It was a time of rejoicing for all of us.

The theme of the conference came from Matthew 8:3, “I AM WILLING.” From the first session until the last session, everyone spoke on the subject and the Holy Spirit was speaking very clearly and specifically to everyone. Almost every session we saw our Pastors and missionaries respond to the move of the Holy Spirit and come to the altar and our brothers were ministering to one another.

One session was set aside for praying for one another. It was really a blessing to see they were ministering to one another in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Two afternoon sessions were set apart for sharing testimonies, and there were some amazing testimonies that came out of these sessions.

A village church grew from 19 to 312 in the past 3 years. One of our missionaries came from a remote tribal area where many people practiced witchcraft, and other evil practices are followed. He reported that at the last mission conference he attended in 2019, the theme of the conference was “not to be served but to serve.” He said he went back with a heart to serve, and he continued to serve the people in whatever way he could, even in the pandemic seasons. His love and willingness, and his serving attitude drew many people to the Lord and many of them became followers of Christ. Many experienced physical and spiritual healing through prayer in the church. This encouraged many new believers to invite more people, their friends and relatives, to visit the church. Today his church has grown from 19 to 312 baptized members! And most importantly, four of the witchcraft doctors came to the Lord and got delivered. Today they are going through our house church leaders training program.

Another missionary, who works on the Nepal border, reports that they are seeing supernatural displays of God’s power among the Nepali people in their area. In every meeting, they are seeing people transporting their sick in ox carts to the village church. When the church prays for them, they are seeing more miracles than before.  God is healing people from many different sicknesses, then the ones who experience the healings come back the following week with more sick and demon-possessed people to the village church. Several villages are now open to the Gospel message because they have seen friends and relatives are being healed. Over the past three years, our 5 missionaries in that area have started 63 village churches and last year trained 28 house church leaders. Another 32 are going through the training this year. New churches have been started in these areas and many of the tribesmen have been trained to do evangelism and church planting.

Yet another missionary reported that in their area many Muslims are drawn to the Lord, many house churches have started and 103 Muslims were saved and received baptism. This is in an area where asking someone to change their faith carries a mandatory three-and-a-half-year jail sentence, and baptizing a person into the Christian faith carries a seven-and-a-half-year jail sentence!

Christianity is growing despite the obstacles. Another missionary reported they are seeing a great move of the Holy Spirit in their area. This county, which has a population of 2 million people, only had 230 known Christians 5 years ago. Today there are more than 4,500 Christians! According to him, God is using native believers to spread the Gospel among tribal people in different areas.

Due to the growth of the church in these areas, the Hindu radical groups are attacking the house church leaders and, with the support of the local authorities, are making false cases against them and arresting them. Seven of our house church leaders were invited to conduct a meeting in someone’s home, only later to realize the people were Hindu when they were arrested. By the grace of God their congregations were able to keep meeting, and all of the church leaders have since returned home. One of the missionaries said “there is a sense of fear in the atmosphere. Not knowing which church would be attacked, or when, is a constant threat in the hearts of the house church leaders”

During the conference, we made sure to minister to all our brothers who have suffered persecution, have been jailed, or have been humiliated in any way by anti-Christian groups.

Help Us Share the Gospel

Hearing the reports of our brothers from different areas, truly we can say our Lord is moving in a very special way, and He is building his church in India, despite all the hindrances, persecutions, and hardship.

To find out how your support will help us, click here. 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!

Proclaiming the Gospel…

                     …until He comes,

October 2022 Partner Letter

Where does our victory come from? Does it come from large numbers? Does it come from human strength? No! Our strength comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth. When Gideon faced the Midianites, the LORD told him to send all but 300 of the soldiers away, because there were too many. If Gideon had won the battle with 32,000 troops, God would not have received as much glory for the victory. Instead, because there were only 300 troops, it was clear that God did a miracle that day.

In the same way, God wants to receive glory for all that He does in our lives. We would like to operate from a position of strength, but many times God encourages us to step out and act at a time when we feel weak. Paul tells us that God told him “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Our Nepali brothers started by simply believing the Gospel, and then sharing this message of hope to their friends and loved ones in their community. God responded with His power, demonstrating His love with signs, wonders, and miracles.

May each of us be inspired by the courage and faith of our Nepali brothers. May we step out and share this message of hope and love to our friends and loved ones. And may we trust God with the results and expect Him to respond in power, just as He did for them, because “there is no favoritism with God.” (Romans 2:11)

Thank you for continuing to pray for all of us here at Exciting Word Ministries. We are a small ministry by natural standards, and we depend on the faithful gifts of our partners and friends. Thank you to those who support us sacrificially every month. Your support is the only way we can do anything for the Kingdom of God. If you haven’t yet supported us financially, but you believe in the power of the Gospel, please prayerfully consider supporting us with a monthly gift. And please tell all your Christian friends to visit our website where they can read the same newsletter stories that you enjoy!

Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

Thomas

Shining In The Darkness

Twenty-two years ago, our summer outreach team was working in the mountains. On our way back from a village, we passed through a valley and saw a group of around 20 young men, breaking stones. On seeing the group, we approached them, wanting to share the gospel with them. When we reached them, we realized they were from Nepal. They had come to India to find work, and except for one or two of them, no one understood Indian languages. We told them we wanted to share the gospel with them if they were willing, and I asked one young man who understood our language to translate it into their language.

They had never heard the gospel, or the name of Jesus, in their lives, so it was hard for them to understand and hard for us to share. After spending 45 minutes with them, sharing the story of the prodigal son, we prayed for them and went back to our camp.

We repeated this day after day. We would go to the mountain villages, share the gospel and distribute literature, and every day on our way home, we stopped and met with the men. It was a convenient place for us to rest on our long walk, so every day we shared the gospel with them through the translator and prayed with them for their families and parents back in Nepal.

After this had gone on for a few days, they asked us to share the story of prodigal son with them one more time. We shared and explained to them what that story meant to us, and as we shared, we felt the move of the Holy Spirit in the shade of that banyan tree. We gave them an invitation to respond to the gospel, and on that day sixteen of them responded and received Jesus as their personal savior. That was the beginning of our Nepali church in that area. These brothers were thirsty and hungry after God’s word.

Through them we came to know that there were thousands of Nepalis in the mountains, working in different fields. It was eye-opening for us. These new Nepali brothers in Christ led our outreach teams to other Nepali laborer’s camps in the surrounding areas. They mostly lived in tents in groups. Not being able to speak to them in their language was the biggest obstacle, but our brothers managed to share the gospel through a translator. After 9 months of people accepting the Lord, we had our first baptism service, where 32 Nepali brothers and sisters received baptism. Out of those 32, six brothers were sent to Nepal to attend a six-month Discipleship Training program. When they came back, we sent them to different locations where Nepali people were working. This was the beginning of our Nepali fellowship of churches.

Over the past 22 years, thousands of Nepali brothers and sisters have crossed the border into India to find better jobs and earn some money to support their families. They work as farm laborers, on construction sites, and other odd jobs. Many of them have gone through great struggles. But for thousands it has been an opportunity to come out of the darkness, and into the marvelous light of the gospel.

Today there are hundreds of small house churches and prayer groups among the interior villages in different states, where they meet and worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth. They come together and meet in plastic tents or under a tree, but they carry the glorious Gospel with them to every remote area.

Last month three of our Nepali church leaders went into some of the remote areas in our country. They visited some of the believers who move into the mountains every summer, to farm green peas and potatoes. The roads to this area are open only for 5 months. The rest of the time they are closed, due to snowfall. After visiting over 32 prayer groups and spending time with them and conducting several baptism services, they reported that “it was amazing to see what our Lord is doing, among the Nepali churches in those remote areas. They are seeing wonders and miracles every day. We ourselves have seen with our own eyes that in those small prayer groups and house churches, God moves in a mighty way, delivering people from addictions and evil spirits and people are being healed. They have very little in the way of ‘facilities’ in that area, but they are not bothered about it; their trust is in the Lord.”

We met local people who testified they were healed from tumors by the prayers of house church. We baptized a 32-year-old woman who was diagnosed by a doctor with ovarian cancer. She was healed by the prayers of ordinary believers, and now, after 9 years of marriage, she has given birth to a baby girl and, along with 7 members of her family, received baptism. There are many other testimonies of people who were delivered from demonic oppression.

Today our Lord is not only moving in a mighty way in the Nepali house churches in the remote villages, but He’s using these simple Nepali believers to carry the gospel to some of the darkest and most remote places in our nation.

Help Us Share the Gospel

What began as a very small thing, God has blessed and has become a great work. Under the leadership of these 6 men, the Nepali fellowship is now spreading the Light of the Gospel in the darkest places. It is growing and reaching to the unreached areas and spreading the light of this glorious gospel!

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!

Proclaiming the Gospel…

                     …until He comes,