Acts of obedience to The Lord can have lasting effects on a village, region, country, and world. This month we are honored to be hosted by Pastor John and his family’s ministry in the Manipur state of India. Within a mile they have a seminary, school, and hospital. How did all of this start in the far reaches of north east India? The story is good enough for a movie, and in fact, there has been one made about it!
In 1910 a Welsh missionary named Watkin Roberts sent the gospel of John to chiefs of different people groups in Northwest India. One chief, our host John’s grandfather, responded inviting Roberts to come share more about Jesus with them. The only issue was, though, the people were known by the British government for beheading outsiders, so the government barred Watkins from going.
After awhile, though, Watkins was able to find a guide and a way in, so he came to Manipur to meet with the John’s grandfather. During Watkins stay, John’s grandfather and a few others put their faith in Jesus. What has followed has been 100 years of world changing faithfulness.
John’s father, Roo, whom we have had the chance to meet, was sent to different schools around India in order to learn how to read and write with the goal of translating the bible into his people’s native language that they may learn more about God (Watkins had moved on shortly after his first visit, thus wasn’t there to teach further). His studies took him all the way to Wheaton College where he studied, worked, and at night, for three years, translated the bible into the native tongue of those living in Manipur.
Once his studies were finished, he moved back to Manipur and showed decades of faithfulness to the community. The Lord provided ways to begin a seminary here that offers up to a Master in Theology and trains students, many of whom will go back to their villages or to unreached people groups in the surrounding region. There is a school that provides 2600 children with a top-notch education in a Christian environment. Of the 2600, almost 1000 of them are able to attend due to a child sponsorship program.
Due to the high rate of infant and mother mortality in the region, John’s mother began a hospital decades ago that is still serving the community. Today one of the leading causes of death here at hospitals is post surgery infection, but this hospital can state, by the grace of God, to have not had a single death due to post surgery infection. Those are just a few areas where they are making a different in this community.
What struck me the most is how The Lord does big things with His people when we come with a willing heart. The Lord sent a missionary into an area known for being dangerous and changed thousands of lives because of it. The Lord used a willing young man to translate the bible to people who otherwise would not have it, to start a school for thousands of children, to disciple future leaders for the church in India, and provide healthcare to those who otherwise would not have it.
All these things He did in an area of the world where money is not easy to come by. Just another example of how The Lord is never limited by resources, safety, or conventional wisdom. It also highlights the power of the Gospel. People are hungry to hear that there is a God who loves them, who made a way for them to have purpose and security in this life with Him and joy forever in eternity with Him. We sometimes are too quick to forget just how ready the world is to receive.
I wish all of you could be here to look out from the top building of the school to see the village and lives that are being changed. I wish you could climb with me to the top of prayer mountain and look out at the villages that are prayed for often by the Christians here. I wish you could meet our hosts who have such a heart of The Lord and for their people. Many of them have endured great hardships for the cause of Christ and yet have a love for God that challenges me each time I speak with them.
As I walked through the village on just day two, I realized I will pray for and think about Manipur for the rest of my life. I realized that God is expanding my view of the world and what He is doing in it. We may be from the far reaches of the world, but all of us believers have a story of God’s goodness and work in our lives.
Expect more blogs to come through as we get into more ministry!
