They Have Seen a Great Light

Hira and his wife Lathika are from a backward tribal group in the state of Z*. They worship six major gods and a host of nature and ancestral spirits. Although they had no idols or temples, they believed that the Sacred Grove and the Spring nearby was where the supernatural powers lived, and it was there that prayers and sacrifices were made, to avert the ill will of the gods, and to bring upon themselves, their crops, and their animals the blessings of the supernatural. In addition, each family had two more gods of its own, a household god and a secret god, whose name was never divulged to anyone except the eldest son in the family.

Witchcraft also has had a very strong influence among the tribe. They believed in the existence of witches in the society, who, motivated by envy and operating through the medium of the “evil eye” or other magical practices, brought sickness, death, and other calamities upon members of the village community. To uncover a case of witchcraft, a witch-finder would be hired who would determine the cause of the disease and the identity of the witch. Once the name of the witch was known that person was often beaten, fined, driven from the community, and sometimes killed. Witches in their community were always female, while the witch-finders were always male.

Hira and Lathika took part in these religious practices from childhood onwards, and after their marriage, they moved to Hira’s village. Lathika was a high school educated girl and had always spoken against witchcraft. After two years of marriage, she was unable to have a child. Hira’s parents and family members approached a witch-finder to find out why. The witch-finder, knowing that Lathika was against witchcraft, and because she spoke openly against the women in the village, wanted to teach her a lesson. He told Hira’s parents that Lathika herself was the witch! He said she should be thrown out of the village or calamities would fall on the entire village. The witch-finder was able to convince the villagers about it, and the village community ordered her to leave the village within 24 hours or they would force her out of the village.

Hira’s parents wanted Hira to reject and not to be associated with her. But that night Hira and Lathika ran away from the village without anyone knowing. They walked all night and came to the small town. There they took the first bus in the morning, not having any specific destination in mind. They did not go to Lathika’s home fearing Hira’s parents would discover them and forcefully take him back.

Four years ago, one of our outreach teams was walking back to their rented room, after visiting a tribal village in a remote area. After walking a few miles, they stopped to rest under a banyan tree. There they found Hira and Lathika sitting under the tree. They got into a conversation. Hira and Lathika hid their identity but they were desperately in need of a place to stay. Since our team could not allow them to stay in their rented house, they asked for the help of the landlord and he allowed them to stay for a few days. Over the next few days, the outreach teams shared the Gospel with Hira.

Hira and Lathika were amazed to hear this Gospel. A Gospel that saves, unites, shows love and kindness, and forgives every sin and wrongdoing. All through their lives, they had practiced all kinds of witchcraft trying to please their god and goddess, out of hatred, anger, envy, enmity, and by putting down one another. But this Gospel was exactly the opposite.

They found work on a farm and were the first people to join the local prayer meeting with the outreach team. Hira and Lathika joined the house church leaders training program and soon became house church leaders in that village. Their lives in the village over the past three years, humanly speaking, have not been easy for them. They lived in constant fear that Hira’s parents would find them and forcefully separate them. And there was the constant threat from Hindu radicals to renounce their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But their faith and trust in the Lord kept them safe. Through their testimony, prayer, and hard work, they have led hundreds of people to the Lord.

A year ago, R* and S* visited Hira and Lathika in the remote village. They held a church meeting in the village, and over three hundred people attended! Around 60-70 people responded to the altar call. They really felt the Presence of the Holy Spirit, and many people were touched by the Presence of God during that meeting. Hira told us about his ministry that he started in 7 other villages, and those villages are 5 to 6 miles away from his house. We felt prompted to supply their need for transportation. Through your partnership, we bought a bicycle for Hira and Lathika to enable them to travel. They were really happy to have received that!

At the beginning of 2020 we were in the midst of COVID and the lockdown was just beginning, and so many other things but Hira and Lathika were not much aware of any of these things. They continued reaching the unreached villages by bicycle. They traveled from one village to another sharing the Gospel and leading hundreds to the Lord.

Last week our minister-in-charge in the state of Z* visited Hira and Lathika and sent us this report. “Yesterday we returned after spending 5 days with Hira and Lathika it was one of the most amazing trips to the mission field. The day we reached Hira’s village he took us to 29 villages where they have started prayer groups during this last year. We met hundreds of new believers who were once in darkness, but now they live in the marvelous light of the Gospel, worshipping the one and only true God. The last five days we baptized large numbers of people in different villages during our five days’ trip. God is moving in a great way through Hira and Lathika. All through the trip, I was asking the Lord what is in Hira and Lathika that you are using them to draw these people to your kingdom? By the end of the trip, I can say there is nothing special about them. They are simple village people with pure, dedicated, willing hearts being obedient to their Master.”

Today Hira and Lathika are even blessed with an 8-month-old baby! Her in-laws came to know about it, and they visited them, asking for forgiveness. The village authorities have given a small land to build a place for worship.  Our brother laid the foundation stone and started the work. As I write this story, we are now praying for a motorcycle for Hira and Lathika so they can continue to visit the 40 villages where they now have started prayer groups!

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,