HARE RAM THE AO CHURCH PLANTER 

Christians are thought to account for around 4 per cent of the population in Nepal and Nepal has been reported to be 25th on the 2018 Open Doors World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to live as a Christian. A law criminalizing religious conversions and the hurting of religious feelings came into force in Nepal on 17th August 2018.

It has been reported that conviction carries a custodial sentence of up to five years and a fine not exceeding fifty thousand rupees. Foreigners who are caught under this law face deportation within seven days after completing the prison sentence. Many Christian in Nepal who are already the minority, fear this law and its implications.

Despite restrictions for spreading the faith in Nepal, there is now a unique opportunity for the growth of the Gospel. People, especially those in the remote areas of this Himalayan Kingdom have not heard the Gospel. There is a generation of young men and women who are passionate about going to these remote areas to fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord. They are stepping out quietly and boldly infiltrating the mountain areas and countryside carrying the shield of faith and the sword which is the Word of God.

One such person is Foot Soldier Hare Ram who was trained in 2014 at our Partner’s Missionary Training School for 3 months. The Lord took him out of a staunch Hindu family to serve Him in a village near the foothills of Janakpur in Central Nepal and this village is a stronghold of Hinduism. After his training, he was sent out to begin his work for the Lord in Janakpur to do church planting. He is grateful to the Asian Outreach donors who have been supporting his church planting ministry.

He faced many challenges and hardship and suffered persecution at the hands of Hindu extremist. But he remained steadfast in his mission to share the Gospel with as many people as he could reach. God saw his passion and love for His people and used him to reach, touch and transform lives through the Gospel. So many souls have joined in his church. Now he has got about 60 believers in the church which is a very great achievement in such hard place.

What is exciting is that through God’s grace the Christians in the village came together and raised funds to purchase a piece of land and build their own church which they are very proud of. Before they used to worship at the home of one of the church members. The Lord has blessed them and now their church is slowly being completed. They still need to complete the toilets, kitchen and walls around the compound. 

Hare Ram receives some support but he also supplements his income by farming and he works very hard. We solicit your prayers for this man of God who despite being unwell, never misses an opportunity to go and share the Gospel. He suffers from heart problems and thyroid condition and yet the Lord has used him very effectively to reach out to the whole village. He quotes 2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.”

As the Christian community grew, this village has now become a safe place from persecution. God’s favour is upon Hare Ram and the Hindu there do not bother him or the other Christians now. Though there have been incidents of believers and pastors being arrested in connection of preaching and sharing in the public in nearby villagers. The government and the community see the Bible as threat to them and when police find a Bible in the bag of believers, they are accused of attempting to convert Hindus which is a criminal offence.

He shares about the recent miracle that happened to two of his church believers. Brothers, Anil and Dilip, were asleep in their home on the floor when they were bitten by a poisonous scorpion. They were in extreme pain and unable to go to a doctor which is in the next village. The family woke up their Christian friends to come and pray with them over the boys. They kept praying for them until 1am in the morning and by the grace of God, the poisons in their body did not kill them. The next day the news spread around the whole village and people began praising and thanking God for this miracle. Even the Hindus were in awe of the Christian God.

 

Prayer Points

1. Pray for the continued growth of Hare Ram’s ministry and favour of God upon his life.

2. Pray for complete healing over his body that he will not be plagued by any sickness that will

    hamper his work for the Lord.

3. Pray for God’s provision to complete the church building.

 CHANGE THE WORLD

I wanted to change the world

When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.

I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.

When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.

Now, as an old man, I realise the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realise that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.

Author: Unknown

Lives are changed for better or worse by how we live the life we’re given and what we make of the opportunities we’ve been given. Every life God creates is good (He calls us His masterpiece – Ephesians 2:10) and has a purpose. The life you have been given is a gift from the Lord. You can change the world in ways you probably didn’t realise or know because the Lord has given each of us a purpose. And we can find this purpose by seeking His Kingdom and His purpose first. When you do this, when you faithfully invest the “little” he has entrusted to you, no labour of yours will be in vain.

Recently, we received a report from our field office in India and it is humbling to see how our foot soldiers have made such a difference in the lives of their community. They are simple men and women of God, poor materially but so rich in God’s love and love for His people. In the far reaches of some of the more remote villages or even in the depths of villages that are in jungles, these foot soldiers are changing the lives of villagers one by one.

In the Nellore District of Andre Pradesh, Ps Nelson and Sara have saved 60 souls who are now secure in the knowledge that they are in and forever will be in the Kingdom of our Lord. They did this in just 18 months of pioneering a church there. The village is a tribal one in a small cattle farming area. People here are not rich and they live a simple life, at times struggling to make ends meet. But even with the little that they have, they have contributed to the building of Ps Nelson’s church. There is no other church within a radius of 10km and the church is the pride and joy of the Christian villagers. Ps Nelson and his wife are changing the lives of people there and they are seeing signs and wonders taking place.

Ps Nelson and his wife were both born into Hindu families and were believers of the Hindu faith. In 2003, Ps Nelson’s village was devastated by the plague and 73 people died. It was at this desperate time, when both Ps Nelson and his wife found Jesus. A pastor had come to their village to pray for the people and share the Gospel and many were healed. Ps Nelson was so touched and moved that he gave his life there and then to serving the Lord. One by one the villagers turned to Christ after witnessing the healing miracles that were taking place.

Sara, whose brother was possessed by an evil spirit had become violent and uncontrollable but after the pastor prayed for him the demon was driven out and he became a new person. Sara and her family saw how prayers work and how our Lord will come to our aid when we call out to Him. She and her whole family embraced Christ.

As how their lives were changed, they wanted to see others transformed and changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are greatly encouraged by God’s promise to them when faced with any challenges. Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

The list of miracles performed through the fervent prayer of Ps Nelson and church goes on. To name a few, Srinivasan, a villager who was suffering from diabetes and as a result could not work in the rice fields was at his wits end. He tried everything, prayed to every Hindu deity and went from temple to temple but nothing worked and his diabetes only got worse. A friend took him to Ps Nelson’s church to be prayed over and he was healed.

Vekatan and his wife, Sangamma were both healed, he from kidney stones and she from liver problems. Maniamma and Venkatramaniah were both handicapped and struggled with ill health all their lives. One day they decided that life was not worth living and made a pact to end their lives and their suffering. God sent Ps Nelson to visit them and share the Gospel with them. Today they have both given their life to Jesus and are leading a victorious life in Christ. These are but a few of the miracles that are happening, not because Ps Nelson wills it but because our Lord has richly anointed Ps Nelson and through deep and faithful prayer, all that the Lord has promised will come to pass.

Ps Nelson isn’t the only one who needed help and was blessed to be given all that he has. Recently, we sent out an urgent appeal for Ps Philip Kumar, whose home was destroyed by the floods in Odisha. We are so grateful and thankful to those who responded.

Ps Philip is no stranger to life’s trials and challenges. His wife and baby died at childbirth and the heartache and trauma over his loss put in him such a state of shock that he fell into a coma. Doctors tried to heal him but they could not and soon the doctors gave up hope, believing that all was lost.

Ps Paul, the President of Faith Apostolic Missions brought him to seek medical treatment in Chennai but to no avail and he was taken home. A few weeks later Ps Paul got a call and was astonished to hear Ps Philip on the other end. He told Ps Paul that while he was in a coma God ministered to him and although he had suffered a great and devastating loss, God is always with him. God still wanted to work through him and Ps Phillip knew that not all was lost. He was healed. This changed his life and he became passionate about changing the life of others through the Gospel. He has since married again to a lovely woman of God.

Ps Philip works in a small village deep in the countryside of Odisha where 94% of the population are Hindu and many are extremist. This state is mostly tribal where foreign missionaries are prohibited from entering and local missionaries and evangelist have also been restricted. When Ps Philip first came to serve God in Odisha, he was unaware that the anti-conversion laws had already taken effect. He had 30 people who were supposed to be baptized when he was falsely accused and arrested for force conversion. He was interrogated and beaten up and finally released but out of the 30 only 8 were baptized as the other 23 feared for their lives and backed out. Ps Philip persevered and continued to share the Gospel and God’s love to the villagers and never gave up no matter what challenges he faced.

 

               

When the people in the village were getting sick from drinking contaminated water from old wells, he reached out to AO for help and praise God we were able to install two bore wells for the community. The people in the village were so grateful to Ps Philip and many people gave their life to Christ due to the tangible love of God that Ps Philip showed them. This time when floods wreaked havoc in the village, he asked not for himself only but to help his community as well. He is changing one villager at a time.      

Change in our world is so urgently needed. Violence, war, corruption and sin of every sort are destroying the relationship between God and man. God is challenging us to show our community and the world around us the full extent of His love. This goes beyond blessing those who persecute us, praying for the lost, and repaying evil with good. Join us to change and transform lives the only way, and that is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 6:8

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Prayer Points

1. Pray for continued growth of Ps Nelson’s ministry and protection for his family.

2. Pray for provisions for Ps Philip to rebuild his house and also provision to help the rest

     of the community who have been affected by the floods.

3. Pray for all the foot soldiers who are facing persecution. That God will strengthen them

    and protect them and their families.