The people in Mirza’s village devoutly observe their traditional religions.

Like this pastor, Mirza leads a small, yet growing, congregation of believers.

Gospel for Asia-supported missionary Mirza Rangan has two anti-Christian extremist groups—and now the police—opposing his ministry.

Through Mirza’s work, saplings of hope are sprouting in what once seemed infertile ground. This village has long remained in bondage to two traditional religions. The caste system plays a prominent role there, and lower-caste people cannot even drink from the public water taps.

The villagers begin worshiping their gods and goddesses almost as soon as they rise from their beds in the morning. Women fast and pray twice a week for the gods to bless their families; even young girls fast and pray, asking their deities to give them suitable spouses when the proper time comes.

And even though most people in the village hate Christianity, God has been moving there through Pastor Mirza’s ministry. When some people migrated to the village from another district, Mirza had the opportunity to share Christ’s love with them, praying for them and telling them about Jesus. When they ended up choosing to follow Jesus, they removed the idols from their homes and opened them up for Pastor Mirza to lead worship services in them instead.

That’s when some of the other villagers became angry and began to oppose Pastor Mirza’s work. A group of anti-Christian radicals came to the missionary’s house and insisted that he leave. But Pastor Mirza refused their demands, and after a time of prayer and fasting, the situation looked brighter. The extremists stopped overtly opposing him, and more villagers opened their hearts to the Lord.

In recent weeks, however, things have regressed. Members of a different anti-Christian faction repeated the actions of the first persecutors. They attempted to force Pastor Mirza out of the village, asking his landlord to throw him out of the rented room where he had been living. Thankfully, the landlord, who has been very supportive of the missionary, refused to do so.

Then, just a few days ago, the local police got involved in the opposition to the Gospel.

Some villagers had told them Pastor Mirza was forcing people to convert to Christianity. In response to the false complaints, the police went to the missionary’s home in late September, asking him questions such as, “What do you do?” and “Why are you here?”

As Mirza answered their questions, he also told the officers about his ministry and even shared his testimony. Since then, the police have returned to question Mirza’s neighbors.

Pastor Mirza has decided to continue his ministry in the village despite the pressure he has been experiencing. He desires prayer for the following:

  • That God will change the hearts of those opposing him so they will not hinder his ministry.
  • That the believers in the village will remain strong in their faith.
  • That God will help Mirza find land for a church building. He hopes the Lord will appoint a place where the new believers can worship.