Hope for Himachal Pradesh

At first glance, the state of Himachal Pradesh* appears to be the least likely place for violence, danger and spiritual darkness. Tucked away in the Himalayan ranges of northwest India, it's a picturesque land of forests, breathtaking mountain peaks, narrow valleys and snow-fed rivers. Terraced hillsides, apple orchards and flocks of sheep and goats reflect a restful, rural pace of life. Friendliness and good humor are common traits among hard-working Himachalis.** (*hih-MAH-chall prah-DESH, **hih-mah-CHALL-ease)

With altitudes varying from 1,100 to 23,000 feet above sea level, it's no wonder parts of Himachal Pradesh are called "the Switzerland of India."

But this is only a first glance. The "Land of Snowy Mountains"—its literal meaning—could easily be called "land of the gods." Every mountain peak is named after, and therefore dedicated to, a deity. With shrines and holy places everywhere, the state is a major center for pilgrimages.

In the mid-1800s a group of missionaries came to this region and built a church with an adjoining cemetery. Today the church building is a Buddhist monastery. The cemetery has become a potato field.

The friendliness found here does not extend to the fundamentalist groups active in the state. They have pushed for anti-conversion laws to be passed in an attempt to restrict the spread of minority religions, including Christianity. Persecution against believers is common, and denial of justice is prevalent.

Strong Opposition
Nayak wasn't expecting seven angry young men to suddenly surround him, blocking his journey home from church—but he wasn't surprised, either. He recognized right away that they were members of a religious extremist group out to eliminate every evidence of Christianity from both their state and the nation.

The next thing Nayak knew was pain as the gang repeatedly struck his face. They soon left, but not without a warning: "Stop holding church services, or we'll bomb your meeting place next Sunday."

As pastor of a growing fellowship of believers in Jesus, Nayak knew he was a target for anti-Christian sentiment. Even before his encounter with them that day on the way home from church, Nayak had experienced strong opposition. He took the threats of this extremist group seriously. He met with a former state government leader who promised his help. The next Sunday, police provided protection for the believers and the church building, and no harm came to anyone.

The repeated threats and incidences of violence have had their effect. Nayak has seen the consequences in the lives of Christians in his church, who have felt not only physically endangered but emotionally traumatized. Recently a group of extremists warned Christians in a nearby village not to attend Nayak's fellowship any longer or even to conduct any sort of gathering in their own homes. As a result, several families are too afraid to make contact with Nayak and have stopped coming to church.

Newly constructed church buildings, like this one, are hard to come by in Himachal Pradesh, where legal regulations often make it difficult for groups of believers to purchase land or build their own places of worship.

The increased persecution has also prevented Nayak from visiting the believers in some of the surrounding villages. He has no way to keep in touch with them or to encourage and teach them from the Word of God. Without the Lord's intervention, there is a strong possibility that these families will slowly revert to their old beliefs.

Rabica and her entire family gave their lives to Jesus after He healed her from several illnesses and delivered her from bondage to evil spirits. They began to attend Nayak's church and made a public confession of their new faith in Christ. And that was when the opposition began.

Members of their community demanded that Rabica's family leave Christianity and return to their original beliefs, but they refused. Then the village leader pronounced that severe measures should be taken. Soon they were unable to buy anything from the local market or draw their water from the village well. The children were not allowed to go to school. The family was not even permitted to walk on the main village road. This cut off their main access to church, but still they attended faithfully, choosing to take a longer route and walk 11 kilometers every Sunday rather than stop coming.

In a relationship-based society, this kind of action by a community and its leaders can terrify new believers. The threat is real: If you follow Jesus, you will be totally excommunicated from your world; your life will become painful and difficult. Some seekers who had been attending Nayak's church have stopped coming out of fear.

But despite these challenges, Nayak hasn't lost hope.

While he cannot ignore the pain he feels when beaten, he doesn't fear the threats of his enemies. He is just as bold a witness for Jesus—perhaps even more so. When asked if he was ready to face more persecution, he replied, "Why not?"

In the face of attempts to clamp down on the body of believers he leads, "the church here continues to grow," says Nayak. Last year 49 Christians made a public profession of faith. At last report, more than 150 believers gather every week for worship, a rarity for Himachal Pradesh, where most congregations number less than 100. Some of the villagers who were threatened by anti-Christians still continue to secretly come to the worship services.

Nayak is encouraged to see new believers stand firm for Christ even under tremendous community pressure. Recently four families in one of his mission stations were excommunicated from their village because they chose to follow Jesus. "You can cut us off from your society," they responded, "but you can never separate us from the Lord Jesus Christ."

A Wide Door
Even before he graduated from a GFA Bible school in 1995, Binu had a burden and a vision for the people of Himachal Pradesh.

When Meena, a young widow, walked into his church service one day and then lapsed into semi-consciousness, he discerned that she was under the control of demonic powers (the result of witchcraft worked against her by angry family members). He and the believers began to pray; after three hours, Meena "woke up" in her right mind. Over the next three months, the congregation continued to faithfully intercede and fast for her complete deliverance, and she was totally freed.

As a result, Meena gave her life to Jesus, along with three other families who witnessed the power of the living God over the forces of evil.

Meena's relatives still reject her, but now she has a new family. Since her deliverance and salvation, she opens her home for prayer meetings.

"Most of the people in this state need physical and spiritual healing", Binu wrote recently.

"I believe the Lord will open a wide door for the Gospel to penetrate their hearts. Pray for the people of Himachal Pradesh to be won for Christ."

The Lord has used Binu mightily: More than 100 have come to Christ through his witness. He also has a goal to disciple young brothers who have a heart for the Lord and a burden for the lost. They will eventually be equipped to visit growing fellowships in the remote areas of Himachal Pradesh and develop a vision for evangelism in each one.

Binu's wife, Nima, works beside him and has a vision to reach the women on their mission field. How she came to serve the Lord is a story in itself.

When Binu and Nima began their ministry here, the results were so bleak they were tempted numerous times to go somewhere else. Instead, they made a firm commitment to regularly fast and pray for their mission field—and that made all the difference.

For Those Who Don't Know Christ

Binu and Nima moved to Himachal Pradesh as soon as Binu graduated from Bible school. Nima found great joy in working alongside her husband, sharing Jesus with the people of their mission field. Before long the couple led 15 people to Christ and established GFA's first Believers Church in the state.

Nima became deeply committed to take the Gospel to the thousands of women and children in their area.

"In Himachal Pradesh, it is very difficult for a man to share the Gospel with ladies," she explained. "Women are very shy, especially in remote villages. They don't speak at all to men outside their families. Only women can go and share the Gospel with them."

When Binu and Nima saw this need, they decided together that she should also attend a GFA Bible school to receive more training to work among the women of this state. It was not an easy decision, for it meant leaving her four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son behind. She would be gone for a year and only see them during school breaks.

How was she able to make such a sacrifice? Nima saw her life through Jesus' eyes.

"It's because of the need of the people and my burden for those who do not know Christ. When I remembered my children, I felt sad and cried. But then I would pray for God to help me finish my studies."

Nima did finish. She graduated in March 1998 and returned to serve the Lord full-time with her family.

Recently Ashok and two Bible school students spent an entire Saturday walking from one town to another, distributing Gospel literature all along the way. It was worth it, he said. "I was saved through a small piece of paper—a tract."

He Was Born for Himachal Pradesh
Ashok strongly believes in distributing Gospel literature because he was saved through a simple tract.

He still makes time for it today, even though he's busy at GFA's Himachal Pradesh Bible school as a teacher and Director of Evangelism. He often takes students with him as part of their practical outreach training.

Last fall, Ashok and his team were beaten while distributing New Testaments and Gospel booklets. He received heavier blows than the rest because he was the leader. But instead of shrinking back in fear, Ashok simply led his team to another section of town, where they spent the rest of the day passing out large quantities of literature.

Ashok has had a burden to reach the lost of North India ever since he was a student at a GFA Bible school. Now he's doing it.

"The way he talks," commented a GFA field correspondent, "it seems as if he was born for Himachal Pradesh and for its liberation in Jesus' name."