Dear Praying Friends,
“. . . brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.” (II Thessalonians 3:1-2)
Please pray with us for the upcoming election in India. The outcome of this will significantly impact religious liberties for the country. The leaders of both parties are not sympathetic towards minority religions (non-Hindu); however, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken a blatant and outright stance against freedom of religion. Here are a couple excerpts from newspaper articles:
“BJP will bring law against religious conversions if voted to power. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader M. Venkaiah Naidu has said BJP will bring an anti-conversion law to ban religious conversions in the country if it is voted to power in 2014 General Elections. He said the country will be safe and sound only when Hindus are in a majority.”
—www.thehindu.com
“The Bill (new proposed anti-conversion law) requires anyone wanting to change their religion to first seek official permission. It obliges religious leaders to report conversions, and mandates a three-year jail sentence for failing to do so. That rises to four years in the case of a minor, a woman or a Dalit (untouchable).”
—www.ecunews.com
Indian Christians all across the world are very concerned about the implications of the possibility of this new government and its agenda. Christians in India have been facing persecution for a very long time, but if this new government takes power, it is inevitable for these persecutions to escalate and become much more rampant. Please make this a matter of urgent prayer.
Many times it’s so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life that we sometimes forget to stop and say “thank you” for all you have done for our ministry and for us. As we travel and often face the unknown, it gives us great peace to know that you are praying for us. Your prayers and financial support are invaluable. It is also a joy knowing that as the Lord takes us to India in just a few short months your prayers will be going with us. We love and appreciate you all.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Recently while our family was out soul winning, we tried to get into a single-entry, locked apartment building. We rang all the doorbells, hoping that someone would let us in, even if it were at least to get us out of the cold! When no one answered, we proceeded to knock on doors across the street. While knocking on one of the doors, a young lady put her head through a second-floor window of the apartments we were trying to enter earlier. She shouted at us, letting us know that the house we were at was empty. We asked if we could come back over and talk to her. Not only were we now able to enter the apartment building with the opportunity to witness to all the residents, we were also able to lead her to Jesus. We are thankful that we serve a God who literally opens doors and gives us opportunities to share the Gospel!
Missionary #6703
