Less than 1 percent of the people in the part of India we shared with know Jesus, and we were able to take part in sharing Jesus on the “front lines.” Our days and nights were spent praying for refugee Tibetan Buddhists, sharing Christ with Nepalese migrant workers by dark, praying for those worshiping Satan in Hindu temples, and sharing Jesus with the local Indians. And we were able to encourage and be encouraged by Christians meeting in several house churches.
What is it like to be a Christian in India in light of what the news often reports? Although real violence towards Christians in India is rare, and technically religious freedom is granted by the government, local Christians are often socially persecuted. Those who do believe in Jesus may be disowned by their families, pushed away by their neighbors, and threatened by people in the local community. The enemy wants Christians to fear, for he has very open and huge strongholds that could be melted away if people share and pray about the freedom Christ has to offer.
Someone asked me last night about my time in Nepal and India, and I detailed in excitement the love God has placed in my heart for these people. And even then I felt myself breaking out in tears. It doesn’t make sense to me, but I’m deeply moved by God’s love for the people of the Himalaya. If home is where the heart is…in some senses, I feel at home around those special highlands.
