Women in India Fearlessly Sharing the Gospel

Women in India Fearlessly Sharing the Gospel

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The Listening Movement held its first Women Leaders meeting where several women gathered to learn, share and encourage each other. These stories are the fruit of that meeting.

Mahima* was already a dedicated disciple-maker before attending the meetings, but something in her heart shifted afterward. She works as a government-employed bus driver, but spends her free time leading Discovery Bible Studies (DBS) with new families. She started a DBS with three women in one village, and since then she has helped establish 46 house churches, and 146 people have received baptism because of Mahima’s Bible studies. She is driven by the belief that access to God’s word and obedience to the Scriptures is what transforms lives.

Another leader, Daya*, encouraged his wife, Shanvi*, to step into the Lord’s work. At first, Shanvi was hesitant, feeling nervous about speaking in front of large groups. She shared, “When I meet with people personally and talk to them, I can work better.” This personal approach has proven to be highly effective for her. Staying within their state, Shanvi connects with women, conducts Discovery Bible Studies, and shares Bible stories. By meeting one-on-one, she shares the Word in a way that resonates deeply with those she encounters. Shanvi has connected with 97 women from nine different villages in her state, spreading the Good News. She travels to meet people and desires that everyone come to know the Lord, which is why she dedicates much time to each woman. 

Radhika* works alongside her husband to spread the gospel, undeterred by the challenges they face. The couple has endured significant persecution for their ministry, having been captured two or three times by members of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a militant right-wing Hindu nationalist  organization in India) and physically assaulted on at least one occasion. They’ve also received death threats warning them to cease their work. Despite these dangers, they remain steadfast in their mission.

Radhika oversees 96 house churches and collaborates with 17 women leaders, whom she trains and meets with monthly. She reaches out to those troubled by demonic oppression, struggling with addiction, and women suffering from domestic abuse. She actively seeks out such families, offering prayers and sharing the Lord’s message. Her work primarily focuses on low-caste nomadic communities, where she brings hope and the Good News of Jesus.

Shakila* was once shy and fearful, convinced that sharing the Good News of Jesus was beyond her ability. However, after attending a women’s training session and receiving encouragement from her husband, everything changed. Now, Shakila goes from home to home in her village, inviting others to listen to Bible stories and engaging them through Discovery Bible Studies. She currently oversees 28 DBS groups, and seven of the families she has discipled have been baptized.

Pray for Mahima, Shanvi, Radhika, Shakila, and others who courageously share the Good News despite the constant threat of arrest, physical assault, and even death.

*pseudonym

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SIMPLICITY VERSUS TRADITION
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A Mother’s Prayer, A Son’s Healing

A Mother’s Prayer, A Son’s Healing

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Devika’s* heart was burdened with pain and fear for her young son, Dalip*. As a child, he suffered a fractured hand, which required hospitalization. He began to show signs of mental distress, and his condition worsened over time. 

Desperate and anxious, Devika searched for hope but found none, until one day, everything changed.  A Jesus Film screening was being held in her village, and Devika decided to attend. There, she heard a message of peace and hope: “Cast all your worries upon the Lord, for He cares for you.” The film portrayed Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount teaching and featured scenes of Jesus healing the sick and setting people free from evil spirits.  Devika was deeply moved by what she saw.

After the screening, a group of disciples visited with Devika. They shared more about Jesus, about His call to make disciples, and how to walk in obedience to His Word. That encounter marked the beginning of a powerful transformation in Devika’s life. She put her trust in Jesus and began to follow Him.

Together with other disciples, Devika began praying earnestly for Dalip. She prayed that he would be healed in Jesus’ name. Miraculously, Dalip was physically healed!  Her faith grew, and the family continued in fellowship, growing stronger in their walk with God. Over time, Dalip experienced mental healing as well. 

Soon after Dalip’s healing the whole family was baptized. Their story of despair and hopelessness is now a testimony of God’s healing power and his redeeming love.

*pseudonym

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Persecuted But Not Abandoned

Persecuted But Not Abandoned

RJ* was a kind and obedient disciple of Jesus, one of the most fruitful church planters in his disciple-making network in North India. He shared the gospel with a quiet but bold and authentic courage.

Between ministry activities and events, he worked his farm, providing for his family with his own hands, the way men in his village have always done. His life was simple, purposeful, and full.

Then all this was nearly taken from him.

RJ was out on a routine errand, riding his motorbike, when the ambush happened. Someone struck him across the head with a pipe or a heavy stick. The blow knocked him off the bike. When he hit the ground, his attackers did not stop. They beat him mercilessly where he lay.

The injuries were devastating. Broken bones. Three surgeries. Temporary paralysis along his entire left side. For weeks, he could not lift his arm. 

Suddenly RJ, as a subsistence farmer, could not provide for his family. The news of RJ’s attack reached the team in North India and traveled all the way to us in the USA. We did not know what RJ’s road to recovery would be like. But we knew he would not walk it alone.

The body of Christ moved.

A group of national and local leaders from his movement network made the journey to visit RJ at home, after his release from the hospital. One of those leaders wrote: “Praise the Lord Jesus. Today was a very important day as we met with Brother RJ’s family. RJ and his wife were very emotional, touched by our visit and the funds that we took to pay for medical costs and provide for some of the family’s daily needs. RJ was humbled and so grateful for your generosity.”

Your giving made that moment possible. The funds that traveled to RJ’s family came from your hands. The prayers that have held him through surgeries and sleepless nights came from you.

There is one Body. One Church. One Kingdom. And we are called to bear one another’s burdens, not as a metaphor, but as a practice.

You did that. Thank you.

Please continue to pray for RJ and his family as he recovers and rebuilds. Pray for the disciples in his network, that fear would not silence them, and that they would keep following Jesus with the same faithfulness their brother has shown. Pray for India. Ask God to expand His Kingdom there and fill the nation with love, joy, hope, and peace.

Almost every day we receive reports about the escalating persecution, families are forced out of their homes and villages, beaten and arrested. The most heartbreaking part is that these disciples are poor and don’t have much to begin with. If God leads you, please give toward the emergency support needed during this difficult time.

*pseudonyms

 

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Bearing Fruit in a Radically Different Culture

Bearing Fruit in a Radically Different Culture

What is it like to be among people who don’t speak your language, whose beliefs and worldview are radically different from your own?  

John*, one of our partners and a movement leader in India, visited a Muslim area in eastern India to see if anyone was open to hearing stories of Jesus.

John felt uncomfortable, though. The men had beards and wore traditional clothing – evidence of conservative Islam. They didn’t speak Hindi, and he didn’t speak their language.

But God led him to a man named Benju* who could speak Hindi. They agreed to meet the next day. Benju said he would bring friends to hear about Jesus. John prayed for people to come and have ears to hear. 

The next day Benju arrived with about 12 people. They had heard of Jesus before, but they had no idea how to follow him. They asked many questions. John was amazed and excited.

Since that first visit, Benju and all of his friends are moving toward saving faith in Christ. They have received ongoing training and coaching, and are facilitating Discovery Bible studies in their homes. They have asked John for Bibles in their language and are growing in their understanding.

God is growing His kingdom through humble, sometimes even fearful, followers like John who follow God’s command to “go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all the commands I have given you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

*pseudonym

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A Church Was Born

A Church Was Born

In the Tibetan Himalayas, a church was born — the first church in its district. Its members began to share the gospel with others from their own people group. This brought much fruit, resulting in the formation of several churches in neighboring villages. The first church also expressed a desire to go to different, nearby people groups, including the Tazig* people. Joel*, BEYOND’s Affinity Strategy Leader for the Tibetan Himalayas, works among the Tazig people and has kept in touch with this church for mutual encouragement.

About three years ago, a man from the church was hired as a teacher in a Tazig school and began sharing the gospel in the surrounding area. Soon thereafter, God led Joel and his team to invite a couple of the church’s missionaries to join their trek into Tazig country. These men accompanied the team on three of their month-long trips. They were able to see how the team discipled people they encountered for the first time, as well as those with whom they had already built relationships. “I have learned so much from joining you on this trip,” one man said. “I have come to this village before by myself, but I didn’t know how to talk to these people, and I didn’t know how to start a church, but by watching you, I have so many good ideas.”

Joel learned that other men from the church were actively attempting to make disciples among different people groups, often walking long distances to reach them. Seeing their obedience to Matthew 28:19-20, Joel offered to lead a DMM (Disciple Making Movement) training for these earnest men. Seven men attended, including the church’s pastor and a young man who had traveled with one of the missionaries. They were thrilled with the training! One said, “I was already committed to doing this work, but now I know how to do it.”

Two of these men have been commissioned to the Tazig people, one to a different Tibetan Buddhist group, and two more to Hindu people groups. Please pray for them as they go make disciples in these people groups. 

*pseudonym

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