TRIPURA INROADS INTO - April 2019 - Indian Evangelical Mission

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TRIPURA INROADS INTO - April 2019 - Indian Evangelical Mission
April 2019

             INROADS INTO

      TRIPURA
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APRIL 2019                                                             Vol. 55 No. 03

                  FOUNDER
       Late Rev. Dr. Theodore Williams
       CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
     The Most Rev. Dr. P.K. Samantaroy
 Former Moderator CNI and Bishop of Amritsar Diocese

          HONORARY TREASURER
            Mr. Dinakar Wilson
            GENERAL SECRETARY                                          Contents
            Rev. Dr. Raja Singh Elias
                                                       3      GS Reflections
                    Editor
                Shobana Nelson                         5      Tribute ­ C. Mohan
IEM OUTREACH is published by Indian                    6      Bible Study ­ The Door of
Evangelical Mission in English, Tamil,
Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Oriya,
                                                              Opposition and Persecution
Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi and Khasi.                    8      The Long awaited God’s word is
Those who donate a minimum of
Rs. 150/- per year (Overseas by Air mail                      in our hands!
US $50 per year) towards the ministries                9      Feature article ­ The Cross &
of IEM can receive this magazine.
                                                              Resurrection
YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS may be sent by
cheque, DD or MO drawn in favour of                    11     Praise & Prayer calendar
Indian Evangelical Mission through your
local IEM personnel or directly to the                 21     Cover Page Special
Finance Secretary.                                     28     A New Dawn for Rajbansi
ADDRESS CHANGE: Send old and new                       29     Word Study / Parables
address with your code number or recent
address label. All emails to the                       30     Children’s Corner
Communication Department should be                     31     Field News
addressed to editor@iemoutreach.org
                                                       32     Family special
      For your active involvement
                    Mail us at:
             For Mission mobilisation:
       churchministries@iemoutreach.org                              Theme for 2019
       Finance: finance@iemoutreach.org
        Projects: admin@iemoutreach.org                    “A wide door for effective ministry”
To join IEM: humanresources@iemoutreach.org                            1 Cor. 16:9
Editorial                           Which Friday?
Some time ago, my eyes fell on that word          It was a typical Korku village – a wide
'grasped' in Phil 2.6. The English word           street lined on each side with a row of
'grasped' is from the Greek, harpagmos            long thatch-roofed houses attached one
which carries two distinct meanings.
(Wuest) One is 'a thing unlawfully                to another. It was a typical group of
seized by robbery' – taking other's               Korkus too, mostly men, listening
things and the other 'a treasure that is          perhaps for the first time to the Gospel
clutched and retained at all hazards' –
'holding to something that is rightfully          message typical in that many were very
mine! 'Jesus gave up something that was           drunk. But there was a hush as the
lawfully His (equality with God) and              message of the cross was given, Christ
became empty! How often, I see myself             died for all Korkus, for Korku means
unwilling to leave things that are lawfully
mine; my hands holding many treasures             mankind as well as a particular tribe.
tightly and retaining them at all hazards         Then to stress this good news that
from laying them on the altar.                    Christ died to free us from sin, the fear
The Cross and the Resurrection is the             of death, fear of evil spirits, we repeated,
absolute portrayal of one of the key              “He died on a Friday and rose again on
paradoxes of the Kingdom of God. We
gain by losing. When Jesus emptied                the third day.” At this point a man now
Himself of all His treasures completely,          very sober leaned forward and asked,
he gained people from every tribe and             “Was it this last Friday?”
tongue as treasures into God's Kingdom.
The GS reflection and the feature article
talk about the significance of this Cross         Still they wait to hear after nearly 2000
& Resurrection – the GOSPEL, the only             years. Are there no young Christian
one way to Salvation. The Bible study             men willing to go into this tribe, learn
directs us to the cost one has to pay for
the Cross to be lifted up. The cover page         their language, and win them to
talks about the marvelous way the Lord            Christ?
answered our prayers for the Gospel to
be taken to the needy Tripura. Read and                - the words of Ms. Beryl Girard, a
praise God for the work that is going on
amidst opposition.                                      missionary who labored for many
As always we stand in humble request of                         years among the Korkus.
your prayers for the work in the mission
field. As you take this magazine in your          [Like the Korkus, many other tribes are
hands, we pray that you will be enriched          yet to know the good news of Good
knowing about God's great missionary
work. We humbly beckon your                       Friday. Before we hear about it one
involvement in this great commission of           more time, is there time to spare, to
God with us.                                      think about those who have not heard
May you be blessed.                               about it even once?]
                                              2                                 April 2019
General Secretary Reflections:

The Relevance of the Cross in God's Redemptive Mission.
In 1962, Don and Carol Richardson with their seven­month old baby
went to work among the Sawi people of Indonesia. Having crossed
the initial hurdles of language, they were struggling to get the
message of the Gospel across as the Sawi people who gloried in
treachery and their cunning ways. The Sawi were in constant conflict
and inter tribal warfare was rife. During one such conflict, Don
observed a custom where a child of the tribal chief handed over to the
rival group's chief as a peace child. Immediately Don used this analogy to introduce
Jesus as the greatest Peace Child ever. This resulted in a breakthrough, the translation
of the New Testament in Sawi and the planting of churches. Contextualizing the faith
has always been the most important challenge to theology. In Romans, Paul uses
different imageries to make the salvation message relevant to the people who are
rooted to the Cross and Christ. If God did not die in our place then there could be no
salvation. The following imageries reflect this message powerfully.

1. Propitiation (Rom 3:24­25; 1 John 2:1­2): Paul brings the imagery of a temple court
   where the sinner is forgiven from guilt. In the Old Testament, the wrath of God is
   a divine response to human sin. God never compromises evil in any form. So the
   sacrifices in the Old Testament are a divine gift. God provided a way to gain divine
   favor for repentance, as God's wrath is turned away from the sinner. In
   propitiation we understand that God did not love us because Christ died for us,
   but Christ died for us because God loved us.

2. Redemption (Romans 3:22­25): Paul brings an imagery of the market place where
   a person is redeemed back by paying a ransom. The word 'redeem' means “to buy
   out.” The term was used specifically in reference to the purchase of a slave's
   freedom. Christ came to this world to serve, (Mark 10:45) ransom us by His blood
   (1 Pet 1:18­19) and deliver us. So we are not our own but bought by God; we are
   called to honor Him through our body. 1 Cor 6:18­20.

3. Justification (Rom 1:16, 17; 3:21): Paul presents the picture of a law court where God
   declares the believing sinner righteous in Christ on the basis of the finished work
   of Christ on the Cross. In justification God did not make us righteous but declares
   that we are righteous on the basis of our faith. Justification is an act of God's grace.
   (Rom 3:24) What a marvelous work of God!

4. Reconciliation (Rom 5:1­11): Here the imagery is a home which reflects how Christ
   brings peace and restores relationship. It illustrates how an unsaved person who is
   at 'enmity with God' is reconciled back to Him. (Rom 5:10; 8:7). Christ broke the
April 2019                                  3
wall of separation and dealt with enmity to create a new person to make peace.
   (Eph 2:14­15). Let us bring oneness by prioritizing otherness in the center of our
   life and bring peace.
Paul had the desire to present the message of the Cross meaningfully because he
wanted people to be saved. Lent is a season to 'Remember' the cross and reflect upon
what Christ did for us, through suffering, sacrifice and submission. Let God's love
continue to be poured out in and through us and May our lives be a channel of God's
redemptive Mission.
Dedication of New Testament in Raj Bhansi and HO languages: The New Testament
in Raj Bhansi language was dedicated on 1st March 2019 at Siliguri in North Bengal in
the presence of 600 believers and Pastors. We thank God for the labour of our Mother
Tongue Translators Mr Akhil and Mrs Rumpa Roy. The Ho New Testament was
dedicated during the Jungle Camp in the Mayurbhanj District of Odisha on 03rd
March, 2019 in the presence of more than 1800 believers, partners of IEM etc. We
appreciate the labour of our translators, Mr. John Mathai and Mrs. Elizabeth John.
Kindly pray that the New Testament will be used in the churches for spiritual growth.
National Convention 2019: We are delighted to inform you that the 2019 National
Convention is scheduled to be held from 26th to 29th October 2019 at Vadodara
(Baroda), Gujarat. For further information, kindly contact Rev. Sabu George, the local
coordinator. His contact number is 9601946938 and the E­mail ID is
ss.gj@iemoutreach.org
Field Conventions: Dhemaji in Assam, Nasik in Maharashtra, Ho in Orissa, Koya in
Telangana, etc hosted field conventions in February & March. I could take part in the
Ho and Koya Conventions and see the amazing work of the local leaders in organizing
the entire programme.
General Election: We are approaching the general elections of our nation in the
month of April and May 2019. Kindly pray for the maintenance of law and order and
that God's chosen people will be elected to the noble responsibility to ensure
secularism, democracy and religious freedom of our country. God reigns for all
generation.
Call for a meaningful summer: During the summer holidays in our mission fields, we
have activities like Vacation Bible School [VBS], Youth Meetings etc. It will be good for
the supporters' children and the youth of the church to visit the mission fields in the
same state and make an investment in the community. You can visit our mission fields
during the holidays as a family to see what the Lord is doing. Kindly approach your
nearby IEM representatives for details.
Need of Mission workers: Many missionaries are retiring, invitations are coming to
open new mission fields so we need 60 young people who are called to work in the
                                           4                                April 2019
cross cultural missions. Kindly pray and motivate our young people to consider
missions.
Salary Revision and Finance: We experienced God's faithfulness in meeting our
financial needs for the years 2018 & 2019. We, as IEM family, thank our supporters,
churches and families for your continued prayer and sacrificial support. As I
mentioned last month we have revised the salaries of our missionaries after four
years from April 2019. The budget for the new financial year 2019­2020 is Rs. 29
crores. Kindly pray for the needed finance. May I request our partners to increase the
support and identify new partners to meet the increased needs.
                                                                    ­ Raja Singh Elias

Tribute              Into Heaven s shores
Bro. C. Mohan was introduced to the IEM by Bro. Sasikumar, former state secretary
of Tamil Nadu. Bro. Mohan at first served as an area secretary with us. Through
Bro. Sasikumar, word reached our then training director
Bro. Raja Mohan Doss that Bro. C. Mohan working with
the Food & Nutrition Board, Govt. of India is available to
use his knowledge about Nutrition for missionary
purposes. Immediately, the training director invited
Bro. Raja Mohan Doss to teach in our institute. Wonder
what Bro. Mohan did? He added TASTE in our mouth, in               1952 ­ 2019
our lives, in our missionary service. How? By teaching us to make
pickles, jam, juice, healthy food with whatever was available locally.

“Oh taste and see that the Lord is good” he always began his training sessions and
went on to explain that, unless we as missionaries ate well and remained healthy, we
can never help the unreached peoples get a taste of the Lord. From 1985 onwards,
almost every training batch has enjoyed and greatly benefitted from this necessary
and important art, year after year till lately. It came in handy when tiredness
overpowered missionaries' culinary skills, necessity demanded preservation of
seasonal foodstuff round the year in the remote mission fields, and to add some zing
in the meal.

Bro. Mohan was simple, unassuming, kind, very loving, lively, jovial, exhibiting
genuine concern, great contentment and passion for missions and soul winning. He
never thought twice to travel to our institute then in Chikaldara, Maharashtra and
later to Hosur even it meant to leave his family for an extended time or apply leave on
loss of pay. His passion was contagious, spreading to his family, to his church and the
                                                                     Contd on page 32
April 2019                                5
Bible Study
The Door of Opposition
   and Persecution
  - walking in the Narrow Way
                                                                   ­ Dr. Vijay Anand Ismavel
The Apostle Paul had a remarkable life, born and brought up in a religious
atmosphere, experiencing a supernatural conversion on the road to Damascus and
then a very fruitful period of Christian ministry – missionary journeys, expositions
and the formation and discipling of groups of believers at many places. At the end of
this period, Paul contemplates his fifth and final visit to Jerusalem in the 20th chapter
of Acts:

“ And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things
that shall befall me there: save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that
bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my
life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which
I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God” – Acts 20:
22­24 (KJV)

From this point in his life, he enters into a period of opposition and persecution,
culminating in what many believe, his martyrdom. It is therefore good to reflect on his
attitude as he prepares himself for this last and final stage of his life:

1. The missionary life is not a life of ease and comfort. Jesus himself said that, “Foxes
have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay
his head“ ­Luke 9:58 (KJV). He set an example for those who will follow Him and we
can expect no better.

2. We suffer from many affliction – some personal involving our bodies and minds
and others involving our families and workplaces. Paul also faced personal problems ­
he talks about a 'thorn in the flesh' in 2 Corinthians 12:7­10 and then says that this was
'given to him, lest he be exalted above measure' and as a reminder that “God's grace
was sufficient for him and His strength is made perfect in our weakness”. Each of us is
given a portion which combine pleasant experiences and unpleasant ones. We cannot
pick and choose the good parts of our portion but need to take the whole and God is
watching to see what we would do with what was given. He stands by our side, ready
to take us by our hands and lead us in the best possible ways. Will we look at our
afflictions as 'given by God that God's strength may be made perfect in our
weakness'? Sadly, many of us wallow in self­pity and become self­martyrs, robbing
ourselves of a triumphant Christian life and powerful work for God. We cannot
                                             6                                April 2019
succeed with our own strength and should look at each of these infirmities as an
opportunity to experience the power of God in our live – “for when I am weak, then I
am strong”.

3. In Acts 20, Paul talks about confronting the prospect of external affliction – physical
and mental abuse from others. Instead of becoming despondent, he looks forward to
what the Lord has in store for him. The difficulties of this earthly life are 'temporary
trivial inconveniences' to him as he looks forward to being welcomed back in heaven as
a good and faithful servant who has completed the work that was entrusted to him.
He explains this attitude in greater detail in the book of 2 Corinthians 4.17­18

4. The Christian missionary therefore lives in this world as an ambassador of the
Kingdom of Heaven, temporarily posted to this world. He does not develop deep roots
here or aspires for temporary riches. His Master has sent him to accomplish a task
and he is only 'passing through this world' – his task will soon be complete and he
looks forward to eternal life in heaven. When we are eternal in our perspective, our
difficulties in this world appear to be temporary and trivial and not worth talking
about compared to the eternal riches in heaven, for we live for the approval of God
and not of men. Our riches accumulate in heaven's bank and not in earthly stores
were moth and rust destroy. Do we face our trials with a heavenly perspective?

5. Our joy should be dependent on the knowledge that God in heaven, knowing the
thoughts, plans and ambitions of our minds, is happy with us for we live for His
approval and not the praise of men. This attitude drove missionaries in the past to
great acts of obedience. The early missionaries to Africa died in large numbers – the
children first, then the spouse and finally the missionary – unable to withstand the
place they were sent to. The first missionaries to Papua New Guinea were eaten by the
natives. Others were burnt alive. When these stories reached home, more people set
out to these dangerous places, knowing fully well that they too could face the same
fate. This is the spirit with which the Church was built all over the world. We should
enter into the small gate and the narrow way, because it leads to life. We will be few in
number because few seek after God's approval and live with a heavenly eternal
perspective but this is the greatest possible investment of our lives – for this world
and life after.

6. In the great missionary passage in Hebrews 12, we are told about the great cloud of
witnesses who have gone on before us. Let us run our race with perseverance, fixing
our eyes on Jesus, considering Him who endured great opposition, so that we do not
grow weary and lose heart.

May God be the source of all wisdom, strength and encouragement to us. May he
April 2019                                  7
'whisper in our ears to go to the left or to the right' and may we be willing hearers and
doers of God's instructions. May God's blessings rest upon us so that we live lives
approved in His sight and may we look at the world through his eyes – seeing the
suffering of the people we are called to serve and unmindful of the inconveniences
that we face with our eyes fixed on Jesus.

               “ Dr. Vijay Anand Ismavel MS, M.Ch., (Paediatric Surgery) and his wife Dr. Ann Miriam MD
               (Anesthesia) have been working at the Makunda Christian Leprosy and General Hospital for
               the past 26 years. They restarted this closed down hospital which is, with God's blessings,
               now a thriving institution. They are keen promoters of the cause of missions in India and Dr.
               Vijay writes a blog at http://www.the-sparrowsnest.net/ containing mission related posts."

           THE LONG AWAITED GOD'S WORD
                 IS IN OUR HANDS!
What a joy, what an anticipation and what a
celebration I witnessed yesterday in the last day of the
Jungle Camp! Little did I expect (as it was my first time
visiting this field) that so many people would turn up,
joyfully be ready to welcome us. The singing, constant
clapping and community dancing in gender specific
groups, feet washing of the guests­ all these and more
are the sure indicators of the warm welcome Ho John & Elizabeth with their son Alan.
church offered us.”records Gnanasekaran, our RanaTharu Bible Translator.
“This is a day to be remembered forever in the history of the HO church”, testify the
Ho Bible translators, John & Elizabeth Mathai as they gratefully recollect, “It was not a
smooth road for us ever since we started the ministry. We had to face a lot of
challenges like getting a house among the Ho community, learning a new language
which has the most difficult grammar pattern, lack of basic facility such as electricity,
water etc., and difficulty in getting suitable words to express the key Biblical terms
clearly, accurately and naturally. But all these never deterred us from our
commitment to the Lord, and our determination to give God's Word to the Ho people
in their heart language. The Lord enabled us to go forward in our ministry with
persistence. We acknowledge the untiring efforts of the leaders and missionaries of
the IEM who made this occasion, a grand success. ” After 17 years of hard labour, the
HO New Testament was dedicated by Rev. Dr. Raja Singh Elias, the General Secretary
of the IEM in the presence of many IEM personnel, friends of partnering agencies and
the vibrant HO church elders and congregation. It was a heart touching moment to
receive a sum from the HO church and its Sunday Schools for the printing of 'many
HO New Testaments'!
                                                                                       Contd. on page 10
                                                   8                                        April 2019
Feature Article

                                     The Cross
                                         &
                                    Resurrection
                                        The central fact in the life and
                                          ministry of the apostles

                                                              ­ Dr. S. Hanson Manova
The book of Acts narrates the continuation of the ministry of Jesus by the power of
the Holy Spirit through the Apostles. Acts presents the radical change in the
disciples caused by their understanding of the cross and resurrection of Jesus
Christ.

The Cross was a symbol of curse in the days of Jesus. When Jesus first revealed his
plan about the cross, Peter was quick to oppose it (Matthew 16: 21­22). But, Jesus
rebuked Peter saying it is necessary for him to die on the cross; the disciples
wondered, 'Why did Jesus choose the cross?' All of them left Jesus at the cross thinking
that the story of their master is finished.

On the Third day, the women who followed Jesus announced that 'Jesus has risen.' Yes,
the Lamb who was crucified on the cross is the Lion of Judah who conquered death.
The apostolic understanding of the cross changed with the vision of the resurrected
Jesus. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus became the central theme of the
apostolic preaching in the book of Acts (Acts 2:22­24, 3:13­15, 4:10, 5:29­32, 7:53,
13:28­31).The Apostles realised that Jesus did not die on the cross as a victim but with
a purpose.

They understood that all human beings are sinners in Adam and deserve eternal
death(Romans 3:10­23, Romans 6:23) and that God who does not want anyone to
perish (1 Timothy 2:4) sent His Son Jesus Christ to save us (John 3:16). They were
convinced that Jesus died on the cross as the penal substitution for the sins of
humanity to fulfil the righteous requirement of God, 'Without the shedding of the
blood there is no remission of sins' (Hebrews 9:22). So they repeatedly preached,

April 2019                                 9
'Repent from your sins, confess that Jesus is Lord, and receive Him into your heart'
and gave a bold invitation, 'Anyone who believes that Jesus died for his/her sins and
rose again on the third day will be saved from their sins.’

The Resurrected Jesus appeared to the twelve and then to more than 500 people. As a
result, Peter stood tall on the day of Pentecost and courageously proclaimed that 'the
Jesus whom you crucified isrisen!' The mighty Sanhedrin and a Sovereign Roman
government could not stop the poor Galileans from proclaiming the Gospel of the
Risen Jesus. Later, the power of resurrection transformed a hardcore persecutor like
Paul into a global missionary of the truth that he once denied.The resurrected Jesus
empowered his disciples to be the ones 'who turned the world upside down' and to go
to all nations proclaiming the good news of salvation to all peoples, nations, and
tribes.

Have you realized the power of Jesus' resurrection in your life? By faith, we can. May
God help us to understand the message of the cross and to have a vision of our
Resurrected Jesus so that our mission will be to proclaim Him to the ends of the earth.

Dr. S. Hanson Manova holds a D.Min from the Evangelical Theological Seminary.
He is the Professor of Historical Theology and Bible Exposition and the Registrar of
the Asian Christian Academy, Hosur, Tamil Nadu. He lives in the campus with his
wife Jocelyn and two children Amy & Hudson.

Contd. from page 8
'God's work is buried forever!' thought those who doused Graham and his two sons in
flames in 1999. But the three grains of wheat brought much fruit! The church
multiplied and on the twentieth death anniversary of this great man of God who
invited the IEM to work among the Ho people, the New Testament in the Ho language
was dedicated. Who can thwart God's plans?!
The IEM is blessed to receive this beautiful note from Mrs. Gladys Staines, “My late
husband Graham along with Miss Olive Alcorn, 2 former missionaries worked hard
to see the Scripture for the Ho people. We praise God for the tireless effort of John and
Elizabeth and their team to see the completion of this Translation after many years.”
Indeed the wait is over. Now on your feet… march by His Word, Ho Church.

 “Urged by a speaker, they pledged that those who know how to read, would read the New
 Testament regularly, and also read it out to those who can't. I was personally touched by the gesture
 of the Ho Churches and the Sunday School children who handed over a sum of money they
 themselves collected so more New Testaments could be printed!”
                                                                     ­ Finny Jacob, Ho NT dedication.

                                                  10                                    April 2019
Do you ever cry out to the Lord, "How long, 0 Lord, how long till you vindicate your
cause in the earth? How long 'till you rend the heavens and come down with power on
your church? How long till you bring forth victory among all the peoples of the world?”
                                                                            - John Piper
    NORTH 1- HIMALAYAN ZONE                      Pray: To see people acknowledging the
                                                 Lord; for more people to attend the
DAY 1                                            prayer meeting; and that God would
JAMMU & KASHMIR, Samba                           speak to the people in signs and
Praise: For enabling us to conduct a
children's meeting at Nanthpur village in        wonders; That the baby suffering with
the midst of the situation in the border         varicose veins would be healed.
area. 2 new families are open to the             PUNJAB, Bhatinda
Gospel.                                          Praise: More than a hundred women
Pray: For peace in Jammu & Kashmir. For          attended the women's retreat in
the deliverance of Dogri people; For             Nathana, Mehraj and Lehra Mohabbat;
many to accept Jesus Christ as their             Five believers from Lehra Mohabbat
personal saviour.                                openly confessed the Lord. God blessed
                                                 the marriage of Sonu, our believer.
HIMACHAL PRADESH,                                Pray: That those who attended the
Lahaul & Kullu                                   women's retreat will grow in the Lord's
Praise: For enabling us to visit 8 new           Word; For the healing of Lakbir Singh
villages to share the Gospel; For the
Gospel meeting in Garsha village. For            suffering from TB.
the regular Bible studies among the
Lahaulis; we could visit our close               Day 3
contacts and give a calendar with Bible          HARYANA, Jind
verses.                                          Praise: Around ninety believers attended
Pray: For the people who attended the            the Believers' retreat; We could achieve
Gospel meeting to know the Lord Jesus;           our goals for the year 2018­19.
That we may use the land allotted to us          Pray: For native workers to join in the
by the Government; That the eyes of              ministry; For the marriage of our young
those who oppose us will open to the             believers.
Gospel: That the Lahauli Bible study             RAJASTHAN, Hadothi
group will be rooted in God's Word; that         Praise: Manisha was delivered from
the on­going local fellowship of Lahauli         demon possession. Because of her
will transform into a worship group.             witnessing in the neighbourhood, a new
                                                 worship group has begun in her village.
Day 2                                            Tracts and New Testaments were
HIMACHAL PRADESH, Dharamshala                    distributed in a village in Madhya
Praise: A friend opened her house to             Pradesh through a healing granted to a
hold a prayer meeting.
April 2019                                  11
lady; Two worship groups have begun in             women's meeting conducted in Dawahai
two new villages after a prayer meeting.           village. Few show interest to hear the
The proof reading of Matthew Gospel is             Gospel in Baalwa village.
completed in Hadothi.                              Pray: that the prayers of Ramavati Devi
Pray: For the healing of the sons and              who is seeking the Lord for healing from
daughter of Prithviraj. They are dumb.             breast cancer and Anita's family for a
They are from the Saharia tribe. For               child will be answered. For Pravin and his
many to be touched and strengthened in             neighbor will come to the saving grace of
the Lord during the women's meet in the            our Lord.
first week of May. Mayabai and children
to be blessed with children; For the               Day 5
ministry of our translators, through               UTTAR PRADESH, Tharu
whom seven villages are open for the               Praise: Around fifty people, including
Gospel now.                                        fourteen new people attended the
                                                   believers' retreat in Poya village.
Day 4                                              Pray: For Hari Om and family to grow in
UTTRAKHAND, Dehradun                               the Lord and witness to many people in
Praise: The Chandmari Prayer Hall                  the community.
g ro u n d f l o o r co n c re te wo rk i s        UTTAR PRADESH, Fatehpur
completed; Around a hundred and fifty              Praise: We visited four new villages and
children attended the Kid's camp and               shared the Gospel to many
were blessed; We distribute the                    Pray: That we will get an open door in
Scripture and tracts in different villages;        Madaihar, Dayalpur, Mahoiand and
two new women have believed in the                 Malipur, and prayer groups to be started
Lord.                                              in these villages.
Pray: For the believers who have come to           UTTAR PRADESH, Balrampur
the Lord recently to grow in Him. For              Praise: Three new families are regularly
the on going construction work of the              attending Sunday worship service at
church building in Chandmari; For our              Pipraram and they are looking forward
believers in the army posted in border             to openly confess their faith.
areas; For the healing of Dhoom Singh              Pray: That the ongoing believers' cottage
paralysed since six years; For Pushpa,             meeting in two worship group will
                                                   strengthen the believers and bear fruits
Ramesh, Satya and Chandrama to be
                                                   in bringing new people to God.
delivered from evil attacks.
                                                   For the right placement of Suknath
   NORTH 1- HIMALAYAN ZONE                         Badaik's family to cater to the Sadhulah
BIHAR, Raxual                                      Nagar WG and to develop ministry in
Praise: We visited three new villages to           that area.
share the Gospel. The 2nd level
leadership training was conducted for              Day 6
our Evangelists and believers. Ten                 UTTAR PRADESH, Robertsgunj
people heard the Gospel in the first ever          Praise: Six people openly confessed the

                                              12                                April 2019
Lord last month; Our hostel children              church at Chaibasa. For the healing of
Sanjay and Vipin have completed their             SitaBhuija, bedridden for nine months.
board exams.                                      WEST BENGAL, Coochbehar
Pray: For the healing of Hasturam, our            Praise: Native workers' meeting
missionary who suffered a fracture on             challenged them to share the Gospel
his hip bone and left arm due to an               more effectively. Handicrafts program
accident.                                         was conducted among few families. The
UTTAR PRADESH, Lalithpur                          Jesus Film was screened for 65 people.
Praise: More than 20 people have been             Pray: That the people who saw Jesus film
heard the Gospel through a film show in           will know Him as their Saviour.
Serwas Kalan village; some of them have           Handicrafts teaching may bring more
heard it for the first time. That three           blessing among Rajbansi community.
brothers attending our Sunday                     The seekers' meeting in Subashpally on
fellowship are zealous to know God's              the 19th of this month.
Word.
Pray: For the people who have heard the           Day 8
Gospel to accept the offer of grace and           ASSAM, Dhemaji (Ahoms)
strike a relationship with the Lord.              Praise: That the team could join and
Delhi                                             participate in the first ever Regional
Praise: For the seven new friendships             Koinoniain Guwahati. Memory verse
established; For the Day Care Centre              competition was successfully conducted
that will turn out to be a blessing.              on 17 Feb. 2019 the believers have been
Pray: For all the people whom we                  enriched through the competition. The
reached out through literature and                3rd Dhemaji Field Convention was very
words to experience the lovely presence           meaningful. Around 130 believers from 6
of Lord Jesus Christ and accept Him as            worship groups participated and were
their personal Savior.                            refreshed in the word of God.
       NORTH-EAST REGION                          Pray: The year 2019­20 will be a great
Day 7                                             blessing spiritually in the field where
WEST BENGAL, Jalpaiguri                           many will turn to the Creator God and
Praise: We could conduct believers'               believers to be renewed inwardly and
retreat for 40 people. Day Care children          turn out to be effective witnesses. For
are doing well in their studies. We               our seekers who attended Church
conducted Women's program for a                   service regularly to understand the
group of women. 7 ladies took decisions           truth with conviction and confess their
to witness.                                       faith publicly. That the local leadership
Pray: That Mr. Somra who donated                  be strengthened.
Church land in Birpara may get a                  ASSAM, Dhemaji (Gorkhalis)
blessing to build a house because                 Praise: Two New Testaments and an
recently his house was damaged by                 audio Bible have been distributed to two
elephants. Need a suitable land to build a        people. God has added two seekers and

April 2019                                   13
two contacts in and around Sonapur                Pray: For good weather on the
village.                                          dedication day of the Ngomdir Church
Pray: For many to come into His                   fixed for the 28th of this month.
Kingdom through the hearing the word              ARUNACHAL PRADESH, Tuting
of God. All the believers to stand firm in        Praise: Medical camp cum Gospel
their faith, be mission minded and be a           program was held at ABU Church in
channel of spiritual blessing to many             Tuting. 50 peoples attended.
people.                                           Pray: For God's healing hand on Master
                                                  Tarong Yao 6 month old.
Day 9
ASSAM, Dhemaji (Deori)                            Day 11
Praise: God enabled us to share His               ARUNACHAL PRADESH, Seppa
gospel to three people. The healing               Praise: Reying Pochu and Faisem Lema
touch of God upon our missionary                  were added to the church in February.
Thraya's children.                                Pray: For Kanili Chishi, our missionary
Pray: That the Spirit of God may touch            who is in the CLHTC training in
the heart of the people who have heard            Dimapur. Pray that she will be able to
the gospel and His grace of salvation.            grasp all that is taught.
That Manngam who is taking training for           ARUNACHAL PRADESH, West Siang
CLHTC at Dimapur will learn well and              Praise: God that we could finished team
for her children will be protected by God         checking and back translation for both
during her absence.                               Bokar and Libo.
ASSAM, Rabha                                      Pray: For Bro. Laster John our missionary
Praise: The Ten Commandments and the              to get the right treatment.
Lord's Prayer in Rabha language has               ARUNACHAL PRADESH, Papumpare
been dedicated through NEISEL. The                Praise: For the Puriok scripture apps
provision and protection of God for the           that was created to be used in smart
missionaries in their language learning           phone.
process.                                          Pray: For the checking of the translated
Pray: continue to pray for Anup and his           Scriptures undertaken by the Puriok
family to receive a physical and spiritual        communities in Sarli village. For Rev.
healing from God. That strong believers           King Kong, our mother tongue translator
will rise up to spread the Gospel among           who is down with a heart problem.
their own people group.                           Pray for all the states that is going to
Day 10                                            elections.
ARUNACHAL PRADESH, Galo                           Day 12
Praise: A one day mission awareness               ARUNACHAL PRADESH, Church
program was organised in the Yeggo                ministries
Fellowship in February. Our missionary            Praise: For the Church ministries
Lijamo Murry could serve as the speaker           training programme that went on well in
in the 36th Annual General conference             the Outreach Training Institute. For
of the Galo Baptist Church council.
                                             14                               April 2019
God's protection during the recent               on the IEM calendar to them.
violent agitations that rocked Itanagar.         Pray: For the language learning process
Pray: For the implementation of the              of our missionary Thomas.
decisions taken during the training                         CENTRAL WEST
programme. For peaceful environment
and normalcy in the whole of Arunachal           Day 14
Pradesh.                                         MADHYA PRADESH, Malvi
TRIPURA, Unakoti                                 Praise: That our missionaries Sanjay and
Praise: Rangrung worship hall could be           Binita could visit a new village, Gopiswar
repaired. The Mats and chairs were               and share the Gospel to the people. A
gifted by our missionaries, Akhai Haokip         good number attended a Gospel
family and Malar Justus. All the Tripura         meeting conducted in Paradeshipura
team could participate and be blessed            village. They are showing a keen interest
through the Regional Koinonia. Our               in the Gospel.
Seeker (Muni Urang) has brought her              Pray: That the children and the whole
husband to the worship service. Both             society will benefit from the Day Care
are enthusiastically participating in all        Centre to be opened soon. For the
Church activities                                salvation of all the children who attend
Pray: That Muni and her husband will             our tuition centre.
                                                 MADHYA PRADESH, Chhatarpur
come to the saving knowledge of
                                                 Praise: Eight people attended a Gospel
salvation in Christ alone. For the first
                                                 meeting in Rachpur village. A new family
community development workshop                   has been added in the Ramnagar
plan in the month of May 2019.For the            worship group. The dedication of the
resource persons, travel and the                 church building last month. For the
successful workshop. A new door to               abundant provision and guidance of
minister to the Chakma people group is           God throughout the construction.
opening. Pray for missionaries to work           Pray: For God's healing touch on Manoj,
among them.                                      Pooram and Ramavtar Yadav, suffering
                                                 from Cancer.
Day 13
MANIPUR, Moreh                                   Day 15
Praise: For the willingness of the Moreh         MADHYA PRADESH, Lakhnadone
Christian Local Church to work with us.          Praise: Three believers have confessed
Pray: For the Salvation Camp to be               the Lord openly. For the Bhajan and the
Conducted in the second week of April            Gospel meeting conducted in different
2019.                                            villages and the contacts established
MEGHALAYA, Majai                                 through it.
Praise: For the refreshing time in the           Pray: Our believer Mr. Basant Valavi has
Regional Koinonia in Guwahati. For the           donated a piece of land for constructing
friendly relationship with Sosindro Dam          a church at Kudady village. Pray that the
and family. Our missionary could pass            paper work needed will be completed

April 2019                                  15
without any problem. That those who                 Church. 3 new families from different
professed the Lord openly this month                villages have accepted the Lord and are
would grow in Him.                                  regularly attending the worship services.
RAJASTHAN / GUJARAT, Garasia                        Pray: For the follow up of the field
Praise: Thirty women believers attended             convention held in Bandarpada. For the
a meeting conducted for them in Siava               new family to experience the Christ in
village. It was a great blessing. Jona Ram          their lives.
from Nichlagadh village has decided to              MAHARASHTRA, Kolam
join us as a Good News Worker.                      Praise: All those who confessed the Lord
Pray: The Nichlagadh believers need                 publicly are growing in Him. Ministry in
prayers to stand firm in the Lord in the            these new villages namely Injapur,
midst of opposition. For the future of              Golegat, Raipur, Nadapata, Jamgula and
Jeevan Jyothi Hostel children who have              Posamguda have begun.
given their final exams.                            Pray: For thesalvation of the family of
                                                    Chandraban who have heard the Gospel
Day 16                                              recently. For the urgent need of a land
GUJARAT, Kutch                                      and church building in Gadchandor and
Praise: For the provision of a suitable             Matharjun villages.
house for our missionaries Jacob after a
long search. Tuition classes have been              Day 18
resumed after 2 months. Children are                MAHARASHTRA, Washim
attending classes regularly.                        Praise: That we were able to do a 'prayer
Pray: That the family of Pushpa will turn           walk' among the thousands of Banjaras
to the Lord and seek deliverance from               during a festival. That three young
the crisis they face in the family. That the        people have decided to go for a
Day Care Centre will be a blessing to the           vocational and spiritual training in
whole Koli society.                                 Nagpur.
GUJARAT, Dangs                                      Pray: that Durpathi and Nirmala will
Praise: For the leadership training                 taste the love of Jesus. They have heard
program in Chirapada village in                     the Gospel. For a breakthrough in
February 2019. Many were blessed with               Konadala Mahali village. A few saw the
the Word.                                           Jesus film screened in their village.
Pray: For God's healing touch on. He                MAHARASHTRA, Chikaldara
underwent a surgery. For the youth of               Praise: Six new people have confessed
Dangs churches to come closer to the                their faith in the Lord and are attending
Lord and take the mandate of the Gospel             Bhikheda worship group. For the new
to their own people.                                missionary family of Muthyalu Raju have
                                                    joined us.
Day 17                                              Pray: For the new missionaries to learn
MAHARASHTRA, Nasik                                  the language and culture of the people.
Praise: The Pankash family who had                  For unity among the people of three
backslidden has returned back to the                pastorates. For the follow up of the field
Lord. They are regularly attending the              convention this month.
                                               16                                April 2019
Pray for all the states that is going to         effective and united to share the Gospel.
elections.                                       For the healing of Manjo suffering with
                                                 60% in a fire accident and Dhinabanhu,
Day 19                                           Mahab ailing from a paralytic attack.
MAHARASHTRA, Nagpur                              For the neighbouring language groups
Praise: God's healing touch on Homi who          Bhatudi, Saunti, Kamar to be reached
had been suffering with a problem on             with the Good news.
her neck. 3 new families from Dahegaon           ODISHA, Santhali (EMSM)
village have been delivered from the             Praise: The Jungles camps enlightened
power of the evil spirits. They have             the believers to live for Him.
accepted the Lord.                               Pray: For the Systematic teaching
Pray: That those who openly confessed            through Firm Foundation and to spot
the Lord will grow in faith. That the Day        the quality emerging Leaders to equip.
Care Centre started in Bhagimahari
village will benefit the villagers.              Day 21
                                                 ODISHA, Sambalpur
     CENTRAL EAST REGION                         Praise: For the healing touch on many of
JHARKHAND, Mundari                               our seekers in the past days which
Praise: That our missionary could                enabled them to come to know the Lord.
progress in Language learning and able           Pray: For God's healing touch on Seeker
to build up contacts in this pioneering          Kumudini, admitted in the hospital with
field.                                           many complications and for Budhia Kata
Pray: That God would raise a church and          who is sick.
give us wisdom to carry out the ministry         For four of our friends who have the
strategically.                                   Gospel to respond in obedience to it.
                                                 ODISHA, Kuvi
Day 20                                           Praise: God has given opening for
ODISHA, Ho                                       ministry in the new unreached area in
Praise: Our Lord helped us to conduct            Kalyansingpur block through Media
Field convention of the Ho field in              ministry. We were able to build a rapport
Jharkhand area for the first time. The           with the people there.
Lord miraculously stopped the rain at            The Voluntary Health Workers training
our convention site on 15th of Feb even          3rd phase for 2018­19 went on well and 21
though it was heavily raining in the             trainees got trained and rededicated
nearby area.                                     their lives for the service.
The wives of our Evangelists and Good            Pray: Church construction process in
News Workers are actively involved in            Grahubanda and Majihiamba villages to
the ministry with their husbands.                complete soon and Hostel 3rd phase
The Ho New Testament and Ho Bible                construction(Roof Concrete) to be
App was dedicated on March 3, 2019;              started.
people celebrated the Treasure.                  T h e Ku v i ch u rch e s ' l e a d e r sh i p
Pray: For all the native workers to be           development efforts in three regional

April 2019                                  17
l e v e l t r a i n i n g s i n L a x m i p u r,        training.
Dasmanthpur and Narayanapatna.                          Pray: That the new friends would put
                                                        their faith in the Lord. For the opening of
Day 22                                                  a Day Care Centre in the field. For
ODISHA, Gadaba                                          wisdom and fresh strategies to carry out
Praise: For the new friendships made in                 the ministry among the Madiyas.
Barangbadi village                                      CHATTISGARH, Dhurwa
G ow r i J e yo i s re cove r ing f ro m                Praise: The New Testament is ready to be
depression..                                            released for the Dhurwa community
Pray: For the believers in Godianjar                    Pray: For Church Planting and Scripture
village to grow in the Lord.                            Engagement and for more people to
That we will have open doors for the                    serve the Dhurwas.
Gospel in eight new villages.
ODISHA, Porja                                           Pray for all the states that is going to
P r a i s e : Fo r G o d ' s h e l p t o o u r
                                                        elections.
missionaries in language learning and
tuition classes. For the new contacts in                          SOUTH REGION
Bitre Bagri village.
Pray: For the seekers in Tikarapada                     Day 24
village to experience the love of God. The              TELANGANA, Chennur field
Seekers Meeting in Tikrapada village for                Praise: New worship group started in the
the first time; that the participants may               village Janagam in Feb 2019.
experience salvation in their lives. The                22 believers openly confessed the Lord in
pioneering work and strategy planning                   Feb 2019.
to continue ministry with wisdom                        Pray: Discipleship camp from April 4­6,
among the Porjas.                                       2019 for 50 youth in Chinnoor field.
                                                        Church construction for Nagapur
Day 23                                                  worship group starting this month
CHATTISGARH, Batra                                      onwards.
Praise: Our new believers Puran and                     Native workers Naresh family and
Supri are blessed with a baby girl in spite             Pradeep family as they ministry anew in
of her physical illness, opposition from                Udampur mission station
the villagers. For the progress in Batri NT             TELANGANA, Koya
translation.                                            Praise: 6 openly confessed their faith in
Pray: For the six Day Care Centre who                   Jamedhar Banjaron Feb 3, 2019. 4 new
appear for 10th and 12th board exams.                   seekers are coming to Seetharampuram
For the healing of the brother of                       worship group. God protected Evg.
Ramasingh, suspected with cancer.                       Bhadresh family from accident at
CHATTISGARH, Madiya                                     Erraboru when they were returning
Praise: we were able to build friendships               from village visit. Sunnam Sathiraju
with ten new people in different villages.              From Erraboru was unable to talk or
Shankar could attend the CLHTC                          move from his place; with prayers God

                                                   18                                 April 2019
has healed him. Now he is normal as              state .
before.                                          one missionary Dhirankumar dedicated
Pray: Tirupathamma 52 yrs from                   in Beria Baptist church Hyderabad on
Central Bordu, is paralyzed and unable           March 10th 2019. Steering committee
to walk. For the completion and                  has formed for the 1st Telangana state
dedication of Jamedhar Banjar Church;            convention at Armur, January 2020.
the final phase of construction is going         Pray: Urgent need of missionary couple
on. For God's healing touch for Sode             to work in Kareemnagar district.
Laxmi suffering with Cancer; she is on           Preparations for the 1st Telangana State
chemo therapy.                                   convention January 2020. New Area
                                                 secretaries and to reach 20 new places
Day 25                                           with a missionary vision .
TELANGANA, Bonagiripally                         ANDHRA PRADESH, Chenchu
Praise: Neelala Rajesh who became                Praise: Ankama from Amalapuram was
mentally unstable became normal                  delivered from evil spirit attacks
through prayers within 3 days. We could          through prayer.
conduct Harvest festival and IEM                 God blessed Veerama from Manthanalla
Sundays in our field. God's provision,           with a baby boy through normal
unity and enthusiasm of the Rampur               delivery.
believers towards church construction.           There are traces of changes in the life of
Pray: For believers' active participation        Venketesan. He is seeking prayers and
in the Church construction at Rampur             letting his wife to attend prayer
that has begun from this month. We               meetings. Many from different people
have planned to complete it by August            groups heard the Gospel through the
2019. For Panga Renuka of Rampur                 Outreach done in Amalapuram.
worship, that she will be blessed with a         Pray: Guruvaiah, a new seeker in
child. For the daughters of Rajaiah of           Chedrampenta is suffering with kidney
Rampur to get suitable life partners.            enlargement.
TELANGANA, Nalagonda                             Ankama, Murtuzabi, Guljar, and
Praise: Two people confessed the Lord in         Gurvaiah to know the Saviour. Our
March. God enabled us to do a follow­            Worship Groups to be strengthened
up of the evangelism done in villages.           through new seekers and believers.
Pray: For those newly baptized to be             Nagana a seeker from Korupolu to know
strengthened in faith. Our believer              God; his daughter experienced God's
Rajeetha and Malleswary's safe delivery.         healing touch.
Both are very weak. That the dire need           Day 27
for a church building will be met.               ANDHRA PRADESH, Araku
                                                 Praise: Five people Killo Darma, Killo
Day 26                                           Kasturi, Gollori Rambabu, Gollori
TELANGANA, Church ministries                     Janikamma and Padi Kasulamma
Praise: 12 Different Missionar y                 confessed the Lord openly. Fruitful
programmes were conducted in the                 women's retreat where all women made
April 2019                                  19
a commitment before God to lead their               Lord.
children in the Lord. God's abundant                For our tailoring students who watch the
grace for our Native leaders to                     Jesus film to know Jesus as the LORD.
understand Inductive Bible study                    There are other students in the class who
methods; many were non­literate.The                 have heard the Gospel during the course.
first phase of the Sindhiput church                 Outreach Training Institute
building is progressing.                            Praise: For God's strength and good
Pray: The church building construction              health to all of us in the Campus so that
at Sindhiput to be completed by June.               we can carry our responsibility well. For
That the believers will be enabled to               the ministry of the Trainees in four
learn Bible interpretation principles               villages near OTI and also among the
through the one year monthly Bible                  Hindi speaking people who are working
training program starting this month.               in different companies in this area.
KARNATAKA, Chitradurga                              Pray: For the Ministry exposure that our
Praise: 30 people gathered for the native           trainees will be engaged in 2 weeks in the
leaders' training in Ujjini and                     field as well as church ministry in the
Bharamasagara. Nirmala our believer                 month of May. For a good amount of rain
got married after much prayers. Pray for            in this summer season.
the salvation of her mother and sister.
                                                    Day 29
Pray: For the marriage celebrations of
                                                    TAMIL NADU, Krishnagiri
Anjenappa, one of our first believers.              Praise: 16 alumni of Krishnagiri Boys
This is the first marriage function in the          hostel working in various sectors have
Ujjini station. For the one year course of          vowed to involve in the hostel ministry in
Native leaders; that they will understand           a deeper way. The Church anniversary
God's truth and attend with interest. For           celebrations in Poovathi was a blessing.
the Church construction in Kattegahalli             Pray: For God's guidance in the Hostel
and the need for the same in Ujjini.                ministry; we need to adhere to many
                                                    restrictions due to Govt policies. For the
Day 28
                                                    need of a land in Velgalahally and
TAMIL NADU, Hosur
                                                    Gandagabayil.
Praise: For the steady spiritual growth
                                                    CHENNAI, Migrant ministry
of the seekers in Perumallapalli village.
                                                    Praise: Four people openly confessed
For Ballamma from Sigurllapalli gate
                                                    their faith in January. They are from
who came back to the Lord, after one
                                                    Bihar and Odisha. 400 multi lingual
year of backsliding. For the nine women
                                                    tracts were distributed in different
who successfully completed their 10
                                                    areas. 18 leaders of our churches are
months tailoring course in our tailoring
                                                    regularly attending the leadership
center.For the 180 children from nine
                                                    training every week.
villages for the VBS.
                                                    Pray: Our friends from Seneerkuppam
P r a y : Fo r t h e n e w s e e k e r s i n
                                                    and Pennalur to come to know the Lord
Perumallapalli to continue to grow in the
                                                    personally. That those who received the
                                               20                                April 2019
tracts would respond to the good news.               Cover page special
For the safe confinement of Sharda,
Pushpa and Pavitra.                                             TRIPURA
Pray for all the states that is going for the
elections.
Day 30
TRIVANDRUM, Migrant Ministry
Praise: Started New worship Group in
Arasala with one baptized Believer and 5
new friends.
Five people are ready to confess their
faith openly.                                        · DISTRICTS: 8 districts
Pray: That Unise Masih will learn much
from the workshop, he is attending in                 · AREA: 4.050.86 sq .mi
MP.                                                   · Borders: Bangladesh to the north,
KERALA, Church ministries                               south & west; Assam & Mizoram
Praise: For the blessings in the ministry
throughout Kerala.                                      to the east.
Pray:To get committed full timers for                · POPULATION: 3.67 m (2011
joining the team.                                      census)
ANDAMANS
Praise: Foster valley Church was                     · CAPITAL: Agartala, connected by
reconstructed with a tin roof and was                  road & air.
dedicated in February'19. A team of                  · PEOPLE GROUPS: Bengali &19
supporters from Tirunelveli visited our
field.                                                 Ethnic & sub groups with diverse
Pray: Though 2 of our hostel staff left                cultures.
unexpectedly, God provided new staff to              · OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: Bengali,
run the hostel smoothly. That God will
raise people to work in His vineyard.                  English, Kokborok. Many different
Three of our young people, standing at                 indigenous languages are also
cross roads will find out God's will for               spoken.
their lives.
                                                     · LITERACY RATE:94.65% tops
 Errata:                                               the country literacy chart.
 In the March Outreach 2019 issue, the
 inside cover page carried the catalogue of          Tripura is the third smallest state in the
 IEM publications. In the, third column,             country in area and the second most
 the word Rate should be read as
 donations. The error is regretted.
                                                     populous state in North­East India.
                                    ­ Editor                                 Coutesy: Wikipedia

April 2019                                      21
OU
     R
                  M
an answer
                   IN
to prayers!
                             IS
In the year August 1978, the      TR
then promotional secretary of the   Y
IEM, P S Thomas was invited to                 IN
minister in the Tripura Baptist Christian
Union. He went to present the need of missions         TR
in the churches of Tripura and came back with a          IP
burden to reach Tripura! An article titled 'GOD AT                  UR
WORK IN TRIPURA' was published in the Nov Outreach 1978.              A
It said, 'Towards the later period of the Mughal rule, the Maharaja of Tripura
invited the Jesuits to come and teach Christianity to his people. But suspecting
his motives, the invitation was not accepted. During the British period,
missionaries were asked to come and teach English in the palace of Tripura. In
fact it is said that Felix Carey, William Carey's son visited Tripura in 1818 but
nothing was done after that.

In 1879 a Bengali pastor and his wife were invited by the Maharaja to come and
teach tailoring to the women in the palace. He worked in the palace and heard
that missionaries might be allowed to work in Tripura and he reported the
matter to a Pastor in Dacca, who in turn informed the Baptist Missionary
Society. But it was not followed up.

In 1890 J.H.Lorrania, a Baptist missionary from London tried to enter Tripura,
but he was not allowed to do so. By this time the Maharaja had invited Brahmins
from Bengal and he was Hinduized.”

In 1911, a group of Mizo Christians migrated to Jumpui, in Tripura. As a result of
their witness the Tripura Mizos became Christians. The next tribe to accept
Christianity was the Darlong. They are two of the smaller tribes of Tripura. The
Baptist Missionary Society of New Zealand1 also began to work in Tripura. In
1971, all foreign missionaries were sent out!”

                                       22                               April 2019
“There are baptisms almost every week among the tribals,” continued PS
   Thomas. The church in rest of India should come forward wholeheartedly to
   pray and to support the young church in Tripura, to exist, to grow and to
   evangelize. Will this become another unheeded Macedonian call? God forbid.”

   People took the article to their heart and began to pray for Tripura. The IEM
   sent its missionaries into the state after 35 years from the time the article was
   published in the magazine. GOD ANSWERED PRAYERS in His time! And
   thus the IEM ministry in Tripura today is a classic example of the importance of
   unceasing prayer to the Lord of the Harvest, the Lord of the Nations to send
   workers into His people groups.

   1. IEM Outreach, November 1978, as told by the then leaders of the church.

CAN WE FORBID ANOTHER MACEDONIAN CALL? Absolutely No.
                                                                ­ John Zate, Field Co ordinator
The Tripura Baptist Christian Union (TBCU) invited IEM to come and work among
the Urang people group. This time, the call did not go unheeded. A team comprising
of Bijoy Jajo , Pishang T. Maring, Yhunthonlo Magh, Rev. N. Sunga General Secy of the
TBCU and Rev. Ranguasanga, the Executive Secretary of the Kailsahar Baptist
Christian Union(KBCA) undertook a survey of the Urang people group of Tripura.
                                                        IEM and Tripura
      The Urang tribe of Tripura:
 Habitation: Mainly in the Unakoti district of          Baptist Christian
 North Tripura. Language: Chilomilo                     Association
 Origin: a tribe migrated to Tripura from Bihar,        signed MOU in Our pioneer missionaries
 Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal as tea                  2012 and assigned       with KBCA leader
 garden labourers. Habitation and housing:
 Build houses with mud wall, chan grasses and           Unakoti district for ministerial areas
 bamboos. They don't own lands and stay in              among the Urang people group (Tea
 areas allotted by the Tea company as long as           gardeners). IEM opened the field on 1st
 they work there. Literacy rate: very poor,             April 2014 in partnership with Tripura
 many school drop­outs at 13­14 years. Belief           Baptist Christian Association with two
 system: worship ancestral spirits and also
 gods and goddesses. Observe all the Hindi              young bachelors John Zate and Y Magh
 festivals and pujas. Matrimonial practices:            as the first pioneer IEM missionaries to
 Mostly arranged marriages. The village                 serve the Tea gardeners in Tripura. They
 priest acts as a religious head and conducts           moved into a small old mud hut in the
 the marriage functions. Lively hood and
 Occupation: Urang are plain tribes. They               Jamtoli village. With full zeal and
 mainly depend on agriculture and on the                passion, they started learning the
 income as tea labourers.                               language Chilomilo and exploring the
April 2019                                         23
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