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Christians fleeing Orissa in fear of recent attacks.

The burning of one of 800 churches that have been burnt so far.

More burning destruction in Orissa.

Aftermath of Bihar floods (Above: Hundreds of thousands left homeless. Below: A man desperately tries to rescue his cattle in the increasing waters).

After two flights and a four hour train ride with girls giggling at my attempts to speak Tamil the entire way, I safely arrived in Rameswaram—an island off of the southernmost tip of India resting between the Tamil Nadu coast and Sri Lanka.  During the last half-an-hour of the train ride, I gripped the steel bar covering the window and stared with increasing excitement; the familiar landscape emerging from nighttime darkness.  Soon the train was suspended over an endless body of water—an eerie sight in the dark—and I knew I was nearing Rameswaram Island, my home for the next five months. 

As the train station approached, I looked out of a window on the right side to see the construction of the Training Center nearing completion.  The Training Center is a building that Body of Christ ministries has been building for the last ten years.  When finished, it will seat 20, 000 people and be utilized as a church, conference center, Bible college and educational facility, among other things.  When I was here three years ago, the building looked like cement mass beginning to take form beneath masses of bamboo scaffolding.  Now it is painted white and just months away from completion.  So much has changed.   

The first five nights in Rameswaram, I stayed at the home of Moses and Sarojam Paulose, the founders of Body of Christ Ministries, and some of the most gentle, humble and sincere believers I have ever met.  Their house was brimming with people—most of their children (and their husbands and wives) live with them, along with several grandchildren (one who is due in one week!)

As I walked in to the room I would be sleeping in, I was greeted by a cockroach running between my feet.  The first reminder that, from now on, I will be living a more “authentic” Indian lifestyle compared to the surreal set-up I had in Kolkata. Instead of a washer, I will use a bucket, soap powder, and a stone to wash my clothes.  I will trade in silverware to eat with my right hand.  My bed will be replaced by a thin straw mat.  No more toilet paper, and no more western-style toilets.  The last time I was in India, these were hurdles that took weeks to get over.  This time around, I sigh with a bit of relief.  There is something so purifying about living a simplified life.  I’ve found that in taking away all of the subtle conveniences and little luxuries I have become so accustomed to as things that I “need”, suddenly my authentic and true needs arise from within—and my need and hunger for Jesus begins to increase and deepen. 

Every night I was at the Paulose’s home, we gathered at 7pm for a family prayer time.  The evening I arrived, I just watched as the entire family prayed with such obvious yearning and desire for God to show up in their city, in their country, in their lives.  Recently, India is facing a number of frightful circumstances.  From the flooding in Bihar with a death count that is growing daily and more than 200,000 people left homeless, to the violent attacks and killings of Christian believers in Orissa, there is so much to cover in prayer.  I watched as the Pauloses wept on their knees for the faces of people they had never met.  I listened as they cried out loud—all at once—for God to show up in the midst of destruction, for Him to protect in the atmosphere of fear, for Him to have His way even if it doesn’t make sense right now.  Israel Paulose, the second oldest son, interrupted our prayer to show us a passage about the persecution of the early church in Acts 8 that parallels the current situation of persecution in Orissa:

“And there arose in that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were scattered throughout the regions…Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.  Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.  And crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did.  For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.  So there was much joy in that city” (Acts 8:1-8).

I sat there thinking of the wonders that God could produce from the seemingly endless volatile situation in Orissa.  Though thousands are being displaced in that state, they are moving to new areas to share the wonders of God’s love with whoever they are surrounded by.  And now, they really have a story to tell. My faith began to grow as God gave me new eyes to see that He is great enough to produce something beautiful out of this disastrous situation.  We continued to pray for Orissa late into the night.

On Saturday, the church gathered at the Training Center in Rameswaram to continue fasting and praying for Orissa.  My heart is so moved by the unity of the body of Christ I have seen here in India.  Christian schools across the nation were all closed down on Friday in protest of what is happening to their brothers and sisters in Orissa.  The whole country is crying out to God on behalf of Orissa, and frightening as the situation is, it’s an incredible thing to see the believers operating as a body in this way.

Below, I have added an email that I sent home to the US director of Body of Christ Ministries.  It’s an update on the tragic happenings in India as well as stories that are praiseworthy.  I hope you have a moment to look over it and continue to pray for the nation of India:

 

Dear faithful friends and supporters of Body of Christ Ministries,

Across India, a great number of tragedies have occurred in the past two weeks, leaving a wake of devastation and an increasing need for prayer and intercession on behalf of this nation.

The calamity and chaos resulting from the recent massive floods in Bihar, India continue, as hundreds of thousands of people are left homeless and hungry.  Officials claim that this is the worst travesty to hit the state of Bihar in over fifty years.  Since the monsoon season began, over 1,000 people have been killed in South Asia—675 of them in Bihar.  And the numbers are daily rising.  Continued bad weather is hampering rescuing efforts from taking place and masses of people are left homeless, penniless, and hopeless.  Picture families trapped and marooned in their water-soaked villages just waiting for a boat to rescue them, unsure of how long they will be left without aid.  Imagine frantic villagers attempting to wade through waters as they hold on to the tails of their cattle and the few belongings they still have resting on top of their heads.  Think of family members separated, homes lost forever, loved ones missing or dead.  All of these pictures are striking realities in Bihar this very moment.  Please uplift the state of Bihar in your prayers.  Pray for divine protection from continuing floods, pray for the immediate needs of those stranded and homeless to be met, pray for intervention and relief work to come quickly to the aid of the hopeless. 

Residents of Bihar are not the only ones amidst terrifying conditions.  The Christian believers across the state of Orissa are also facing frightening attacks from Hindu radicals who have blamed the death of Hindu leader Swami Laxmanda Saraswatialong on the Christian population.  Although these allegations are false, the Hindu BJP party (Bharathiya Janatha Party) continues to strike against the Christian community across Orissa.  Currently the death toll has risen to forty believers, a number that is quickly rising as the aggression continues.  Radicals armed with firearms, machetes, wooden clubs and other tools of violence are literally trapping Christians in their very villages to rape, beat and murder—a volatile situation that the Orissa state government is failing to control.  In the past week, 800 churches have been burnt to the ground and 1,500 homes of Christian believers have been destroyed.  Thousands of Christians, including a number of children and pregnant women, have fled into hiding in nearby jungles without provision of food or water.  A great worry is that continued violence will begin to flare up in other BJP ruled states in reaction to the situation in Orissa. 

In reaction to Orissa’s tragedies, the nation-wide church in India is uniting in support of their brothers and sisters in danger.  Last Friday, Christian schools and colleges, including King of Kings Matriculation School here in Rameswaram, were closed in response to the current violence and attacks.  The body of Christ here in Rameswaram is daily crying out to the Lord on behalf of those in Orissa.  National Christian leaders are also organizing a indefinite fast beginning on September 6^th that will culminate into a mass rally reaching the Parliamentary street in New Dehli in attempts to raise awareness to the dire need for Orissa’s government to control the current situation and begin to provide security for Christian believers.

The body of Christ is limitless in its geographical boundaries, and we greatly need the prayer support of other believers worldwide during this tragic time.  As you are praying for Bihar and Orissa, pray that God’s will would be done here in India as it is in Heaven.  God’s thoughts and ways are much higher than our own, and whether or not immediate relief comes, He is still God.  Above all, pray that our great God would use this situation to bring glory to His name, to expand his kingdom, and to turn something wretched and ugly into something beautiful and praiseworthy.  He alone can exchange beauty for ashes, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair (Isaiah 61).

It’s amazing to watch how even in the midst of areas of tragedy or opposition, God provides a way for His message of love to be communicated.  Two weeks ago, a team was sent out from Rameswaram to travel to Bihar and other areas of North India on an outreach trip.  The trip proved to be extremely fruitful as God provided connections, opportunities and specific ways to share His gospel with many people in the northern areas.  God’s presence was especially close at a market just days ago where the team was passing out New Testaments and tracts with a response of immense interest and curiosity from the people surrounding them.  Local police observed the “successes” of the team and followed them back to their place of lodging that evening to tell them to “leave the area immediately.”  Just as the team was packing their bags to move out, members of a Hindu radical party approached them with severe accusations and threats.  “Have you heard about what is happening to Christians in Orissa?” they taunted, “if you don’t leave, the same will happen to you.”  The team left abruptly in response to the opposition and fled to alternate lodging seven hours away to spend the night.  They are now on a train back to Rameswaram.  Even though their trip was cut short, each team member’s heart is filled with a new measure of faith and excitement for the ways God is beginning to move in north India.  Tiffany, an elated team member from Bandon, Oregon, said, “I was thrilled to face the opposition…it means that things are beginning to happen.  My faith has increased so much because of this experience.”  Another team member from Rameswaram, Johnson, stated that, “The opposition is growing my heart for prayer.  I have a new burden on my heart for the Hindus that are against us that I never had before.” 

Please pray for more opportunities to share the lavish love of our great God with people across the nation of India.  Pray for more victories like the team from Rameswaram just had.  Pray for increased faith and joy for believers in the midst of trial.  Pray that the church would reflect the ways of the early church who, in the face of persecution, scattered due to the opposition.  Even though they were spread amongst many regions, the early church “went about preaching the word wherever they were” (Acts 8).   Pray that God would turn this scattering of his people in India due to trial into an opportunity for even greater ministry.

Thank you for your continued prayers.  Our God is awesome and mighty to save. 

Psalm 60:5 “That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer us!”