I have spent the past four weeks in northeastern India working with a ministry that has transformed this community. When I arrived in India, I expected to walk into a world where Christianity was not the norm, but in Sielmat, Christianity is everywhere. There are churches, a Christian school and seminary, and a Christian hospital. Bibles for the World, the organization that hosted us this month, has been vital in bringing the gospel not only here in Sielmat, but in distributing Bibles throughout India. They are also working in other countries, but I’ll share a little more about that later. In this post, I hope to help you get to know the various ministries and how you can be praying for this incredible organization because even though I’m about to leave for Nepal, the work they are doing here will go on.
One of the amazing ways Bibles for the World is impacting the community is through the Christian school and the seminary. I shared a little about the school in an earlier blog post, but this school is offering students a quality education, hope for the future, and teaching them about Jesus. Many students are only able to attend the school because of sponsors who pay for their tuition, books, uniforms, and sometimes even room and board if they come from distant villages to go to the school. It’s an incredible ministry and opportunity for the people here to serve the community by providing quality schooling for the children. The seminary similarly trains students by preparing them to go out as pastors, educators, and missionaries to share the gospel in India and other countries. Please pray that God would continue to provide sponsors for students who need that support to be able to continue their education. You can also pray for the students of Trinity College and Seminary that they would persevere in their studies and that they would be equipped to go out and share the gospel after they graduate.
The hospital is a ministry that our squad has benefited from while we have been here, and over this last week, I have had the incredible opportunity to serve at a medical camp they hosted. In four days, they treated over 1300 patients from all over the area free of charge with a range of issues from general medical concerns, vision, dental, and physical therapy. Watching these people show up early in the morning and wait patiently all day to receive treatment is a humbling experience. Bibles for the World wants to bless this community and show the love of Christ to people who may or may not believe in Jesus. They also host clinics in other villages for people who can’t make the trip to Sielmat for care. The hospital is in the middle of construction projects that they are still trying to finance. Please pray that they would be able to raise the money to complete those projects so that they can better serve this area.
Finally, I mentioned earlier that Bibles for the World has expanded operations to include other countries. They now offer training in Bhutan, in Nepal, and hopefully soon in China. John Pudaite, President of Bibles for the World, and his wife Lawm, are actually in the process of applying for their visas to China so they can start their work there. As some of you know, I will soon be heading to Nepal. John, as he was telling us about their work in Nepal and encouraging us as we get ready to start ministry there, informed us that Christianity is growing faster per capita in Nepal than anywhere else in the world. As I prepare to leave India and move on to Nepal, I want to thank Bibles for the World for being such amazing hosts, for encouraging us in our ministry, and for paving the way for us as we get ready to go into Nepal. My prayer is that God will bless their endeavors as they share the love of Jesus, and I hope that will be your prayer too.
