Great Joy and Deep Sorrow

I don't know where to begin so for now I'll just share a desperate prayer request for my friends here in India. This is not something I realized before coming here, but recently Indian Christians have begun to be persecuted more pointedly. This is actually why our itinerary changed. The missionaries at the children's homes in Pune were not safe. So we came to a small town outside of Calcutta instead. But we soon realized that they were worried too. They were very cautious about taking us out in public because they didn't want to be questioned about who we were or why we were there. So on the one day that we went out, we asked our guide about it on the way home. She told us that a certain political party had become worried about all the Christians. They decided to look into why the number had risen from 2.3% to 8% in the past few years. Everyone was being questioned. And they discovered the pastors who preached the good news to be a huge problem. They also realized that the Christian children's homes were a problem for them. They were worried about all the conversions. So they began to persecute them. They also began to work on a new no conversion law. This law that they are writing pretty much says, "Even if someone comes to you and asks to receive God or be baptized, if you help them to do either, you will be arrested." In addition to this law, many Hindu men are kidnapping Christian women and marrying them so that they can try to force them to become Hindu. My heart is breaking for these people. I know Christians all over the world have experienced persecution and that breaks my heart. And India is not to the horrid place many areas of the world are. There is no murder yet. But now to see my sweet friends experience any persecution, it is horrible. 

The man who runs this home plants churches. One of the pastors he helped plant a church for has been told to stop preaching or they will hurt him. He kept preaching. He went on a trip and they came in and took his wife into the street and shaved her head and beat her badly in front of everyone. They told all the people how dangerous it is to be around her. And they made it illegal for this couple to receive certain things. My friends are in danger. Please pray! 

Now i will share their story. Joseph and Deborah run the children's home. Joseph inherited it from his father. When his father turned 18 he became a Christian and was thrown out of his family and left without a penny. God told him to move to the town we are in now. He moved here and got married. But he had no money and one day he realized he couldn't feed his first child that day. He cried out to God for help to feed his child or she would die. And God said, "you are worried only about feeding your one child, I am going to give you many children to feed." He replied, "God, if you will feed my child, I will feed all of yours that you send me." God fed his family and he started a children's home in his hut in 1990. Joseph took over a few years ago and his father died this year so it's just his and his wife's place now. It's no longer a hut. They currently have 167 sons and daughters. These children are amazing because their parents are amazing. I have never seen so many children who could be broken or damaged or still affected by the demon spirit that their parents prayed to, who are fully healed, filled with the joy of the Lord and His Spirit alone, and full of trust! It's so beautiful. So you see, I am asking you to pray for Christians throughout India and the world, but I am begging you to pray for my friends. Pray for protection for them so that that may continue to protect and raise up their children. Joseph wants to take in another 100 children this year. Pray for that to be possible. Pray for God's will to prevail in India. Pray against the devils stronghold in the worship of idols and the banyan tree. Pray that the percentage of Christians in India would only increase under this persecution, as it seems to always do. 

And if you feel that you want to help not just prayerfully, but in other ways please let me know!! Joseph's family has been praying and struggling to feed their kids for years and years and they only have one small supporter in america. They need so much help and support! So there are a couple things you could do. First, if any of you are interested in coming, I would love to help make it possible! They would love more teams of people, or even just a person. They've only once had a white Christian man come. So they would love any men who could come love their boys and play sports with them or do anything! Their boys need to be poured into! Second, I will be bringing home pictures and stories about a few kids who captured my heart. We are setting up a way to send money to them and have it be tax deductible so that if anyone would like to support these children it can be easy to do. The older ones would love pen pals and families or people who really care about investing in them! Third, you can support new projects. Joseph wants to buy a plot of land across the street so they can expand (they have 67 girls in five bedrooms right now) and build a school. For him the amount is outrageous but for us it is definitely doable. $14,000 for 3 acres of land. Lastly, I will be sending a huge package of clothing. If you'd like to help pay for shipping or if you have any dresses (knee length) that you would like to donate (please nothing that's not still nice!! I cannot tell you how many dresses I've seen safety pinned together at the top because the zipper is broken) for girls ages 4-18, let me know! The boys mostly wear uniforms but sweatshirts or running shoes would be great for them. They are also 4-18. Or if you'd like to contribute any fabric, the older children have their clothes made by a tailor, so I'll be sending that too! If you are interested in helping in any of these ways, please let me know! I'd love to make it possible or tell you more about it! 

I am back in New Delhi now with all the other white tourists. I will not see the truth of what's happening here. And I will be home soon and be even farther from it. Please pray that I do not forget these people or what they are experiencing. Please pray that I would have faith like them! And please pray for them. Thank you all on my behalf and on their behalf for letting me come. They have been greatly encouraged by our presence as only a few Christians have ever come to them because the journey is too hard and they are not in a nice place. I'll tell you more about the actual trip later, but for now this is what matters.