TAMIL NADU, India — A charred body lies in the rubble of a
church. Hindu extremists had blocked the doors and burned the church to the
ground.
It’s a disturbing picture — one that International Mission
Board (IMB) representative Cole Elbridge* has carried with him on his laptop
computer.
He uses the image to remind himself and others of the cost
of sharing the gospel.
BP photo Indian believers raise their hands in worship as they gather for a Sunday morning service near the eastern coast of India. As a result of 2004 tsunami relief and ministry work, this church grew from 12 members to more than 100. |
In some areas of southern Asia, the risks of telling others
about Jesus are great, even deadly.
The message of Jesus Christ, however, is penetrating those
barriers.
Since the 2004 tsunami, Southern Baptists have found
opportunities to meet both physical and spiritual needs of those who survived
the disaster.
More than 4,000 people along the coast of India and into
Bangladesh have professed faith in Christ and more than 1,400 churches have
been started.
But the danger that comes with being a Christian in some areas of India remains
high.
One of Elbridge’s friends, Vikash*, knows those risks all
too well.
Vikash was a fisherman in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu
more than a decade ago when he converted from Hinduism to Christianity.
When word got out about his decision, Hindu extremists
stormed his house. They beat him and dragged him to a nearby pond where they
tried to drown him.
“After all of the persecution,” Vikash recalls, “it’s by the
mere grace of God that I’m standing here.”
Fearing for his family’s life, Vikash and his family fled to
China.
After the tsunami, he returned to his home along the coast
to help the same people who had tried to kill him. Most of those hit hardest
were in the fishing community.
“Their houses were gone,” Elbridge says. “Their money was
gone.
“They had been brought to their knees and broken. They were
asking for help, and the help came from Christians.”
In the months following the tsunami, Elbridge remembers
Vikash unexpectedly showing up one night — accompanied by men who once had
wanted him dead but, since the tsunami, had sought him out for help. Vikash
turned to Elbridge.
Through the help Elbridge was able to offer from Southern
Baptists, more than 900 families in Vikash’s community received food, shelter,
boats, fishing nets, boat motors and other supplies.
But that’s not all.
More than 100 people accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, 35
were baptized and about 12 house churches were started.
Pravin* is one of those whose life was transformed by
Christ.
BP photo An International Mission Board representative lifts Indian believers up in prayer at a Sunday morning worship service along India’s eastern coast. Strong friendships were formed after the 2004 tsunami when this worker brought needed supplies to the people. |
Growing up worshipping idols as a Hindu, Pravin says his
life was empty.
“Before the tsunami I was struggling for life,” he says.
“I was facing a lot of problems. I didn’t have a real
peace.”
Witnessing the love of Christ expressed through tsunami
relief helped turn his life around.
On the day of the tsunami, six of Pravin’s nieces and
nephews drowned. Pravin was looking for answers, and Christians got his
attention by reaching out to his community.
“When I came to the church, I found a real peace, which I
wanted,” he says. “I came to know the taste of Jesus Christ.”
Though Pravin still deals with threats and persecution, he
describes himself as a “free man.”
‘Just beginning’
In another village — located down a long road, past
watermelon fields, roaming cows and roadside temples — five generations of
churches have started and local Christians regularly supply new believers with
Bibles.
Before the tsunami, Christians were not welcome in that same
village. At a Hindu temple that is the centerpiece of the community, villagers
gather in the evening to dance as they worship their gods.
But because of relief efforts here, tensions between the two
groups have eased.
“This is a village where you started with zero believers,”
Elbridge says. Because of Christians “coming and opening up relationships, you
have believers here.”
“The work is not done,” he says. “It’s just beginning.”
Elbridge is one of more than 5,500 Southern Baptist
representatives serving overseas, thanks to Southern Baptists’ support through
the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for
International Missions.
*Name changed.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Hendricks is a writer for the
International Mission Board.)
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