Dear Pastors, Supporters and Church Family,

 I hope you are all safe and that your family is protected by God from the epidemic. I thank the Lord that He has given me a helper like you. You who are with us in our every sorrow, support us in trouble and never let us lack anything.

Thank God for His faithfulness. During these last three or four months, I have had a lot of problems. We had to stop the church fellowships in two places; one of these was at Sister P*’s house, about who I told you in my previous newsletter. Her village neighbors gave her so much trouble because of her faith. They gave her the option: if she does not leave the Lord, she will have to leave the village. But she remained firm in the Lord and the policemen also helped her.

After some time sister P* left the village. She had to leave because her husband was mentally ill and there were a lot of financial constraints to run the house. Because of this, she went to the big city to work to support her house. Thank the Lord, she continues to have a heart for the Lord and fears God. 

At the same time, there used to also be a fellowship on Wednesdays in another place. In that village, some people who belong to a Hindu organization (who keeps troubling Muslims and Christians), provoked, intimidated and really upset the new believers. The new believers wondered why they were not welcome in a another village. However, thank God that two people from this village, who are established believers, are standing strong in the Lord.

Two More New Fellowships Started! 

Thank God! Two or three months ago the fellowships were stopped in two places. Because of this, we were free on Mondays and Wednesdays. Only then, God opened the doors in two more villages so that we could start church fellowships in them. 

A New Family Who Has Opened Up Their Home for a Church Fellowship

I want to tell about one of these fellowships. A family opened their door so that we could have a fellowship in their house. People from all around the village come to their house to pray and to hear the Word of God. The Woman’s name is R*. She has 5 children: four girls (one is not in the photo) and one baby boy. R* and her older daughter have been baptized. They always listen to the taunts from people (against their faith), yet they do not back down from their faith in God. Her husband left to go to the big city to do work. Before she came to know the Lord, she was always sad. Her husband used to beat her a lot after drinking alcohol. She had 4 daughters, because of which her husband used to torture her a lot.

In our region, it is considered very important to have a son in every family so that their lineage can go on. There is a problem here. Illiteracy is very high in my area. So, the people consider the sons important, but the daughters are considered insignificant. People face a lot of problems when they have a daughter get married. If you want her to marry a boy with a government job, then she will have to give a dowry of about three million to five million. If the boy is a doctor or an engineer, then they get a dowry of five million to ten million. It is all fixed here. It is illegal, but the people here do not obey the law. If a girl wants to marry without a dowry, then the boy will be handicapped or will be unemployed and will not have a home to live in. That’s why the population of girls here is very high, and there are about 6 to 8 children in every family. If there are one or two or three boys in the family, then they stop having children. If they have girls first, then they give birth to 8 to 10 children while waiting to have a boy. 

Due to the high population of girls. People have girls who are minors marry, and have mismatched marriages. For example, if a 50 or 60 year old rich man marries a 16-17 year old girl, her family does not have to pay dowry. Families also sell their daughters, or outsiders come and steal them to do prostitution, sell their organs, etc. 

When R*’s  family came to our church to pray for a son, we told them from the Word of God that men and women are equal in the eyes of God. We told them a lot from the Word of God. That God does not discriminate between boys and girls. We also told them the Gospel. They believed in God and started following God by getting baptized. When she was expecting her baby, she said, “Even if God gives us a girl, we will happily keep it.” But when a son was born, they were very happy. Her husband, who used to beat her a lot, used to say “If there is no boy, then I will marry again so that I can have a boy.” Now, slowly her husband has also started believing. They have opened their home to start a fellowship.

By the grace of God, one other new village has also opened for a church fellowship. I will share about it in my next newsletter. Now, I have 5 house churches going on.

The Future Is Getting Dark!

Every year, millions of children die from cold in the winter, heatstroke, diarrhea, and dysentery in summer, and drowning in the rainy season. Here the government brings many plans for the future of the children, but that plan does not reach the children due to corruption. The government has opened a government school in every village here so that the poor children can study. However, the teachers do not teach the children properly. There are many teachers who do not know how to write their own names. They give bribes to get the job. When any officers come to check on them, they are also silenced through the bribe. Because of this, the future of these children is being ruined. I pray that God works here more and more, and for Christian NGOs that work faithfully.

I met Sh* while he was working in a repair center.

One of these is a child, who works in a four wheeler repairing center, named Sh*. He is just 8 years old and has 6-7 siblings. His father lives far away in the big city to do physical work, and his mother stays at home. They keep themselves alive by eating the 5 kg ration that the government gives.  The last time I saw him, he was telling me how his mother tried to kill him. So I asked why. He said that he had borrowed cooking gas. Because he did not pay the people in time for the cooking gas, they took their gas back. So, his mother could not cook. Wood could not be found due to the floods, so he could not even light a fire. When he went home, he asked for food from his mother, then his mother got angry and beat him a lot. Since then, he works in this workshop.  

I was very sad to hear this and I bought him some biscuits. I explained to this child that now he is the age to study. If he does not go to school now, then he will regret it for life. The government school gives them food and some money. Uniforms and books are all available for free. I also told the owner of the shop in which he works, that if I see them working again, I will complain to the police. Because, it is illegal to give a job to children below 14 years old.

He got a little angry, but later agreed. Now this boy goes to school and studies well. There are many such families whose children’s lives are being ruined. Children spend their time, catching fish with friends from the very beginning. Then they get in fights, drink alcohol, and learn to smoke cigarettes. Because of this, they grow up to commit murder, steal etc.

 I thank God for all of the people who have believed in the Lord at our church. I always encourage everyone to teach their children to go school so that their future can improve. The other believers also say that. I thank God that where the Word of God reaches, there the mind, soul and body of people-everything changes. Living, getting up, sitting, eating and drinking changes from the old life to a new life.

Great Awareness Program About Human Trafficking!

As I have been telling you from the beginning, since the lock-down a lot of illegal work has started here. People kidnap girls to earn money and sell them for prostitution in big cities. They also kidnap small children and take out their eyes or cut off their hands and feet, then they force them to beg. They also take out their liver, kidneys etc. and sell them. Last month, 2 children were stolen from my village who could not be traced. 

I thank God. I have been praying for many years that God would send a non-profit organization here that will make people aware of these things.

Recently, I found out about one such organization which goes from village to village to make people aware that they should not send their children to work somewhere, without testing for it’s validity. Many times, I have read in the newspaper about their work, and that with the help of the police, they rescued many children who were being sent to Nepal to do slave labor.

Hosting an Awareness Program at Our Church

Also, through many videos, the organization explains to illiterate people that many people come and lure them with a lot of money. They are asked to work somewhere outside the village and are given some money in advance. Then they are taken somewhere and sold for slave labor. Either by taking out the eyes of the children or by cutting off their hands and feet (and forcing them to beg) in big cities. If it is a girl, then they sell her for prostitution. The area where I work is the border of India and Nepal. Here, many girls are smuggled into India and also smuggled from India to Nepal. That’s why I also invited this non-profit organization to my church to make the people of my church aware. I thank God and that about 70 people participated in this together with their children and glorified God.

Prayer Requests:

  • Please continuously pray for my father. He fell and broke his hand. May God heal him as soon as possible and arrange for money for his treatment. He has been working for the Lord with me for eight or nine years now without any support.
  • Pray that God will fulfill our every need. Since the lock-down, the price of almost everything has doubled. Especially the price of car fuel has become very expensive. About 30% of my monthly support is spent on fuel. God satisfies all of our needs.
  • Please pray and pray for the family of my church to grow deeper in the Word of God and stand firm in the Lord in times of persecution.
  • Pray for a pastor who is my friend. He was captured by 2 people and forcibly taken on a bike to a place alone. They beat him badly and threatened that if he continues to run his church, they will break into his house and kill the believers. Pray that God will give them protection.
  • Pray for S* who is suffering from a very strange disease, may God heal him.

Thanks for your help, support and partnership for the Gospel.



God bless you all!

Pastor 11

*Names and faces have been changed or omitted for security reasons.