Gospel for Asia

Gospel for Asia native missionaries use boats to travel from island to island in West Bengal.

Dashing along the waves in a small motorboat, Taj Layak, Gospel for Asia’s island ministry leader in West Bengal, India, traveled to meet a small group of local believers for a prayer meeting. When he stepped onto the shore he was shocked: There stood Giri Banke with 150 believers to greet him.

Giri, a criminal investigator, had received the love of Christ in his life and was faithfully following the Lord, but Taj had no idea that Giri was involved in ministry as well. Since his transformation, Giri had been sharing the Gospel in five surrounding villages, and many people had come to Christ as a result.

Seeing that the number of believers had grown so large, Giri realized they needed a full-time pastor to conduct worship services and disciple the people. So he had called Taj to come to a prayer meeting to see the need for himself.

After the prayer meeting, Taj went to visit Giri’s cousin, Priti Rajat, who was also involved in outreach in a nearby area. She hosts five prayer groups of about 50 people each who have recently come to know the Lord through her witness. She also leads several women’s Bible study groups.

As Taj saw how the Lord was working through Giri and his family, he knew it was time to send missionaries who could help minister to the people’s long-term needs. When he returned home, he found three young men who felt called to serve on the islands. They all had recently graduated from GFA Bible colleges and were eager to begin ministry.

Taj sent two of the young men, Udu Parag and Mani Jiva, to the villages where Giri is serving. They are currently living with Giri and his wife as they disciple the new believers. The other Bible college graduate, Meer Chahel, is serving in the area where Priti lives.

Since the missionaries have begun their work, their ministries have grown rapidly. So far, 35 more people have decided to follow Jesus after hearing the Gospel through Bible studies, worship services and times of outreach.

Giri, Priti and their families continue to share their faith with everyone they meet. Giri told Taj that when he retires he wants to do full-time ministry.

“Whatever the cost, I will serve the Lord with all my heart and ability,” he said. Taj requests prayer for Udu, Mani and Meer, who are now serving as pastors for the new believers. He also requests prayer for Giri, Priti and their families, that they will be encouraged in the Lord each day through the fruit of their outreach.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

Despite threats, many believers in Chhattisgarh are choosing to follow the Lord.

Anti-Christian extremists tried to harm Gospel for Asia missionary Layak Kamol for the second time last month. He is safe, but the extremist group is pressuring other villagers to turn away from their faith in Jesus.

The first incident against Layak happened on December 2. Another missionary working in his area was badly beaten by the radicals, so Christians warned Layak to leave the village. He had to hide in the jungle to escape the extremists.

A few weeks later, Layak led a church meeting about nine miles from his home village. On his way home, a group of the extremists approached him on the road. A fellow Christian gave Layak shelter in his home and kept the radicals from coming in and beating him. Unable to get Layak, the extremists threatened to kill him if they ever saw him again.

The Lord helped Layak to get home safely that night, but the situation remains tense.

“The believers are now facing social boycott in this village,” GFA’s correspondent wrote. The extremists are not allowing Christians to draw water from the village well or take part in village activities. They even threatened to take away jobs if the believers will not turn away from their faith.

“But our believers strongly told the villagers that at any cost, they would not leave Jesus,” GFA’s correspondent wrote.

Layak asks for prayer for these believers to remain strong in their faith, and that the Lord will continue to protect his life as he serves in this dangerous area.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

A 14-year-old girl and her family were subjected to a humiliating reconversion ritual and one Gospel for Asia missionary and a member of his church were

Sonia Devi, a teen girl, much like this girl, prayed for her father to be healed. Later, the girl, her mother and father all chose to follow Christ, which angered the local anti-Christian extremists.

beaten after the girl’s family chose to follow Christ. The missionary and two other Christian workers were charged with forcing people to convert to Christianity. The two workers were jailed for three days as a result of the incident.

Sonia Devi is a student in a Christian education center near her home in Jharkhand, India. Her father, Samsong has suffered from mental illness for many years. Sonia decided to pray for her father to be healed. God answered her prayer and healed Samsong completely. After seeing the power of God at work, Sonia and her parents chose to receive Jesus as their Savior. After seeking her parent’s permission, Sonia was baptized on January 5.

Some anti-Christian extremists in her village were angry when they heard about the family’s decision and Sonia’s baptism. They came to the family’s home and snatched up Sonia and her mother, Vineeta. They dragged them through the village, beating them badly. Then they took Sonia and Vineeta to a local religious temple and subjected them, against their will, to a purification ritual. The ceremony is designed to mark a person’s official return to the faith.

The fanatics also attacked GFA missionary Maliik Hembrom and Anup John, a member of the local GFA-related church, beating both men badly.

The extremists forced Sonia and Vineeta to lodge a complaint with the police charging that local believers had forced Sonia to convert to Christianity.

The police subsequently arrested the two other Christian workers and held them in jail for three days. GFA leaders in Jharkhand sent the following prayer requests.

• Pray for Sonia and her family, that they would not be disheartened, but instead hold steadfastly to their faith in the Lord.
• Pray for a quick recovery for Maliik and Anup. Pray that Maliik would be wise and bold as he continues to minister in this village.
• Pray for the local church in this village, which has 65 members. Pray that this incident would strengthen the Christians in this area and that the believers would remain strong in their faith.
• Pray for the anti-Christian extremists and the police that they would be touched by the Lord’s Spirit and not hinder the ministry any longer.
• Please also pray for the Bridge of Hope Center in this village which has 62 students.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

Anti-Christian extremists in Madhya Pradesh, India, attacked Gospel for Asia native missionary Roshan Yatin and then forced him out of their village.

Many GFA missionaries, like Roshan, continue sharing the Gospel regardless of the cost.

Despite this persecution, Roshan has begun a new ministry in a nearby village.

Roshan was ministering in the village when some angry extremists threatened to kill him if he continued sharing the Gospel. When Roshan continued his outreach the following day, the extremists attacked him with rods, knives and other weapons. They also stole all of his belongings. After the attack, they dragged him to the village gate and threw him out.

“If you ever come back here we will kill you,” the radicals warned.

Beaten and weak, Roshan went to the GFA district leader’s home. The two men went to the local police station to report the incident, but the police told them there was nothing they could do.

A few days later, the GFA district leader went to the village and asked the extremists to return Roshan’s belongings. The extremists said they would only return the belongings if Roshan never came back to their village. Without any other option, the district leader agreed to their terms.

Now, Roshan has begun a fruitful ministry in a nearby village. He works with two other GFA native missionaries who were already serving there.

Roshan requests prayer that his ministry will grow in this new area and that many will come to know the Lord. He also asks for prayer that the Lord will one day open the door for him to reach out to those that persecuted him.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

“By God’s grace and many people’s prayer, the situation in Orissa is becoming normal,” Gospel for Asia’s correspondent in Orissa, India, wrote on

While the situation in Orissa, India, is much better, its people are still apprehensive about lingering violence.

December 31.

As many as 15 people died in the violence against Orissa’s Christian community during the Christmas season.

According to reports from Indian newspaper The Hitavada, the violent situation has calmed down. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the government “will not tolerate any efforts aimed at disturbing the communal harmony,” and “will take all necessary steps to protect all citizens irrespective of community or caste,” the Hitavada quoted.

But tensions still run high. Just a few days ago, GFA missionary Matish Junni, who was beaten and humiliated by an extremist mob, received word that his house had been destroyed. His wife and children are safe, however, and they are staying with a relative.

“The condition outside is very bad,” GFA’s correspondent wrote that day. “People are walking around with swords.”

On December 30, the situation was improving, but still dangerous.

“Many families in a nearby village had to flee for their lives to the safety of the jungle,” GFA’s correspondent wrote. “More than 20 houses were destroyed by the militants. But police officials have taken the initiative to give the families warm clothes and food.

“The situation today is much better.”

Our correspondent said that four church buildings have been damaged, but two that were believed to be destroyed are actually still standing. He reports that all the Christians who attend these churches are safe—but that it is still dangerous enough that even several Catholic nuns have begun dressing in normal clothing out of fear of being targeted by anti-Christians.

While tensions are slowly easing and “returning to normal,” our correspondent still eagerly requests prayer.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

Sri Lanka

Militants attacked 10 students from Gospel for Asia’s Sri Lanka Bible College March 2 and are now campaigning to have the Bible College shut down.

The students were on their way to Sunday worship service at a GFA-related church when the attackers ambushed them, covered their faces and beat them up. They dragged one of the students into a van, where the radicals trampled and kicked him.

All of the students were admitted to the hospital for treatment. GFA leaders in Sri Lanka filed complaints with the police, which are cooperating in the investigation.

The militants are now distributing leaflets in the area around the Bible College, asking others to join them in their protest of the college with the eventual goal of closing the school.

GFA leaders in Sri Lanka ask for prayer that the militants’ scheme would be unsuccessful and that the militants themselves will choose to follow Jesus. The leaders also ask for prayer for the students who were attacked, that their wounds will heal quickly and that they will continue to stand firm in their faith.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

A waterfall, a giant rock and a famous cave were among the destinations for a group of Gospel for Asia Bible college students in Meghalaya, India. It was their

The beautiful state of Meghalaya provided a restful picnic day for a group of Bible college students.

college’s tradition to take time off once a year for a picnic, and this tourist attraction was the place they wanted to go.

Even though it was the students’ day off, they planned ways to share the Gospel during their outing.

The students were awed by the high falls, named after a woman who, according to legend, committed suicide there following a family tragedy. The famous cone-shaped rock is the centerpiece of a local fable about a giant who used the huge rock to till his farm. The students enjoyed seeing these parts of God’s creation—and then set out telling people about the Creator.

The students were eager to do outreach, even on their day off from school.

During their journey home, the students stopped and held an open-air meeting. They handed out tracts, sang songs and preached a salvation message, and many people gathered to listen. The students’ excitement burst over when five people came forward to receive salvation, and several wanted prayer for healing.

When the meeting was over, the villagers asked the students to return and share more about the Gospel. Since that time, a missionary has been assigned to continue working in that village.

The students praised God for the five people’s salvation and the open door to this new village—all on their day off! They request prayer that the new Christians will grow in their faith, and that many more will receive Christ in the days to come.

 This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

Brahmin cows are considered holy in some Asian religions.

Kailash Bagri, a 40-year-old Dalit man, was stabbed to death in Madhya Pradesh, India, after he struck a “holy” cow, according to a recent report in the Times of India. The attackers then burned Kailash’s body to destroy the evidence and threatened his helpless family to prevent them from filing a police report.

The attack came just after the Indian holiday Diwali, meaning “festival of light.” The holiday is one in which people show their thanks to the deity of wealth. Kailash’s neighbor had decorated the cow so that it could be worshipped during a religious ceremony, a common practice during Diwali. But the cow escaped and wandered into Kailash’s home. He struck the cow in an attempt to make it leave his house.

Kailash’s neighbors and several other villagers were so furious at Kailash that they murdered him in front of his mother, wife, brother and sister-in-law. They burned his body and told the family members not to notify the police about the incident. The Times reported that it was three days before one of them managed to report the incident to the police, who took action and arrested 16 people in connection with the murder.

A cow’s life is considered more precious than that of a Dalit.

Attacks like this against Dalits occur frequently and often go unpunished. Even simple assertions of Dalits’ lawful rights and privileges have touched off hate crimes against them by members of the upper castes. Every hour, two Dalits are assaulted, three Dalit women raped, two Dalits murdered and two Dalit houses burned, according to the Human Rights Education Movement of India—yet only one percent of those who commit crimes against Dalits are ever convicted.

Gospel for Asia began working in Madhya Pradesh in 1995, and today more than 375 GFA missionaries serve there. It is their desire to bring the love of Jesus to hurting and broken people, like the family members of Kailash Bagri.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

While behind prison walls, Chandran shared the Gospel with many of his inmates.

One Missionary’s Experience

For 18 days in October 2007, God used Gospel for Asia missionary Chandran Paranjoy to reach inmates in a jail in Chhattisgarh, India. On October 5, Chandran and another believer, Sunil, were arrested while Chandran conducted a prayer meeting. A group of anti-Christian extremists had falsely accused him of forcibly converting people to Christianity.

Following their release, Chandran shared with a GFA field correspondent how they had the opportunity to share Christ’s love with the other prisoners. Here is the story in his words.

I did have the chance to run away when the villagers came with the police to arrest us, but I stayed because they had already caught Sunil, and I thought the mob might harm him. So I just surrendered to them so I could go with Sunil. I knew that whatever happened, God would be with us.

A few days before I was arrested, I had a dream that I was put in jail and was preaching God’s Word. Since that dream, I had been preparing myself to be put in that situation. So I was not shocked when they came to arrest us. But when I was brought to the jail, I was surprised to see that 100 percent of the dream was happening just as I had seen it.

When we got there, I was introduced to the people who had become Christians in jail. I told them I was a missionary, and on Sunday I preached and shared my testimony with them.

The second Sunday we were there, the number of people that gathered increased to about 30; some of them were Christians and some of them were not. I taught them about salvation and life in Jesus. Thankfully, nobody stopped us from worshipping God in the jail. We even were able to worship with drums and other musical instruments.

Some of the Christian brothers were imprisoned for several years because they had committed murders and other crimes. However, they helped Sunil and me a lot and loved talking with us about the Bible.

They were very kind to us, sharing their clothes and food with us. They told us, “Don’t worry, you’ll only be with us a few days.” However, I did think that if I had to stay a long time, it would be nice in some ways because I would be able to thoroughly disciple them. As I saw the condition of the inmates, I had a strong desire to teach them more from the Word of God.

Because our court case was not very big, some of the prisoners were surprised that we stayed as long as we did. They would ask me, “Why are you still here in this prison?” But I wondered how the prisoners would grow in Christ if we were released. I thought, “I should be here a little longer so that I can encourage more brothers.”

I was able to be with 2,000 inmates for those two weeks. I had a chance to preach to them and talk and pray with them. It was very exciting. And the entire time we were there, nobody harmed us.

The inmates soaked up the messages from the Bible that I shared. Before I was released from jail, the prisoners said, “Please come back each week to preach and teach the Gospel to us. We will get permission from the jail authorities.” So now, I am still able to go to the jail and minister.

For the first two days we were in jail, I was sad because I had to leave my family and friends. But later, it was really neat because I was able to do so much ministry. And I felt the Lord’s peace that I would only be there as a guest, not long term.

My wife continually read the Bible while I was in jail, and the Lord comforted her. Also, many believers, pastors and missionaries visited her. Even our neighbors came and visited her. And she prayed a lot for my release during that time.

Sunil was very strong. He trusted the Lord through our entire time in jail. He was so excited that God helped him to share the Gospel even in jail. He gained a lot of strength from the prayer meetings we held there, too.

Now, the villagers who helped falsely accuse us are ashamed. They feel bad about the trouble they caused. While we were in prison, they even sent rice to Sunil’s home, but his wife gave it back to them.

Please pray that the ministry in the prison will continue to flourish. It is so encouraging to see how the Lord used our time there to open doors for us to share the love of Christ. Also, pray for the extremists, that their hearts will be softened and they will be open to the Gospel through our witness.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

Members of the GFA Women’s Mobile Team share the Gospel and pray with the people in the villages they meet. They also show a movie about the life of Jesus.

The first incident occurred on December 11 during a film showing in a village. About 100 people were watching a movie about the life of Christ when a group of 25 people came and disrupted the event. They shouted at Shail Ansal, the GFA missionary who serves in the village, and attempted to beat him up. They also began shouting abusive words at Sarah Faith, the Women’s Mobile Team leader in charge of the movie screening. During the resulting chaos, the four other women on the team disconnected the film equipment and hid it inside Shail’s house.

The extremists called the police and complained that Shail and the women were forcing people to convert to Christianity. When the police arrived, they did not charge the missionaries with any crime. Instead, they asked them to continue the film, which they did. About 60 people, including many of the officers and the vice-president of the village council, watched the movie that night. The police made sure that there were no more disturbances from the extremists, who stood at a distance and watched everything.

When the movie ended, Sarah thanked all the officers and gave each of them a New Testament and a calendar. The police offered to keep two officers at the scene to protect the missionaries, but the missionaries declined the kind offer, saying they would rely on the Lord to protect them. The officer gave them a private number to call in case they had any more trouble. The team was able to continue their ministry activities peacefully that night and the next day in that village.

About 60 people, including many of the officers and the vice president of the village council, watched the movie that night.

The situation for Shail is still tense. Prior to the screening, five families in the village had chosen to follow Christ. When the local anti-Christian extremists learned about these decisions, they went to the homes of the new Christians and threatened to harm them unless they stopped worshipping Jesus and returned to the practices of their native religion. As a result, three of the families no longer attend services at Shail’s church.

The next day, the Women’s Mobile Team moved to a village where GFA missionary Prem Sharma serves, and they showed the film.

When they were returning home around 10:30 p.m., they noticed a freshly-painted sign hanging on an electric pole near the pastor’s house. The sign said “Christian Colony.” Prem quickly realized that anti-Christian extremists had put up the sign and were trying to cause trouble for him.

The Women’s Mobile Team was showing Dayasagar, an Indian-made movie about the life of Jesus, when extremists intervened and stopped the film.

There are very few Christians in the village. Rather, many of the villagers worship an idol in the shape of a monkey. The extremists who put the sign up called the police and tried to implicate Prem and the Women’s Mobile Team for committing a crime. The police came to Prem’s house. After he explained the situation, they declined to take any further action, but the situation remains tense for Prem and his family.

Shail and Prem sent the following prayer requests:

• Protection for their families. Continued favor with the police and the village leadership.
• That God will move in the hearts of the villagers so they will realize their need for Him.
• Pray for the anti-Christian extremists who are provoking the villagers and disturbing the ministry. Prem and Shail would like for the Lord to open the persecutors’ eyes to their folly; and that they will receive the Lord as their personal savior.
• Pray for the Women’s Mobile Team, that they will not lose heart and continue to boldly serve the Lord.
• Pray for fruit among the villagers and police officers who view the film.
• Also pray for the believers who are worshipping in secret, that they will soon be able to stand firm in their faith and become a testimony to many others of the saving power and love of Jesus.

      This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.