"Privilege to Suffer"

It takes much courage for GFA missionaries to work in Haryana, where they often face persecution.

Badly bruised and almost unable to walk, two Gospel for Asia Bible college students are saying it was "a privilege to suffer for Christ" after they were beaten by anti-Christian extremists on November 14 in Haryana, India.

Vijay and Soman are two Bible college students who were ministering in Haryana, India, during a school break. They went inside a shop to witness to the owner, unaware that he was the leader of a local anti-Christian extremist group.

As Vijay and Soman talked to the man, he acted as if he were interested and asked them to wait while he called some friends, whom he said would want to see their literature too. As the two students waited, a crowd of extremists gathered outside the shop. Vijay and Soman soon realized what the shop owner had done.

"Why do you want to preach a foreign religion?" the extremists questioned. With the goal of making devotion to their religion part of an Indian citizen's patriotic duty, they accused the students of being anti-nationalistic and forcing people to convert. Vijay and Soman answered that they were simply distributing literature that explained how to be freed from sin, but the extremists grew angrier and started hitting the students and dragged them into the street.

"These people are trying get converts by offering large sums of money," the extremists shouted to the people outside. Hearing the accusations, more than 100 people flocked to see what was going on. The extremists grabbed all the students' literature to burn it—and threatened to burn the students with it.

While their tracts and booklets were soaked in kerosene and subsequently burned, Vijay and Soman were dragged around the town while the mob shouted anti-Christian slogans and threats. The mob grew to 600 people, and the incident continued for four hours. During the whole time, the crowd beat the students. Finally, police were able to break through the crowd and take Vijay and Soman into custody for their own protection.

The mob turned to the home where the students were staying. They beat the homeowner for letting the students live there. Then they ravaged the apartment and burned all the students' belongings—more than $600 worth of property.

Another student who lived with Vijay and Ramji but was ministering elsewhere that day came home to a destroyed room surrounded by police. He was also escorted into custody. Even after all they had been through that day, the students learned their enthusiasm to share the Gospel was far from dampened.

"We learned that our brothers had not been afraid at all, even to testify about the Lord Jesus in the police station," he wrote.

The three students were released the next day with the promise to return for a trial on the charges the mob brought against them of forcing conversions. Vijay and Soman received treatment at the hospital for their wounds.

"They are amazed that they are alive after having been beaten for four hours," our correspondent said. "They consider it joy to have the privilege to suffer for Christ."

GFA leaders request your prayer for the ministry in Haryana. This incident made the front page of a local newspaper, and many other GFA missionaries are anxious about what they will face in the near future. Please pray that they will have courage from the Lord to continue ministering, and that their faithful service will bear much fruit for the Kingdom.

Haryana is a state where persecutions regularly occur. Read more about this state.

Read more stories about the opposition GFA missionaries face as they preach Christ.