Song of the Persecuted

03/17/2009

There was a quiet pall that hung around our corridors early last winter. Violence toward Indian Christians was on the rise, and the areas most affected were areas that hit close to home. Our biggest national partner has offices in both Orissa and Karnataka, two of the Indian states that faced the most volatile situations.

We heard reports of Christians being attacked for their faith, harassment of pastors and missionaries, and churches being razed to the ground. We even heard stories of our tape players being smashed. We weren’t sure how high the troubles would escalate. Police departments sent policemen to churches every Sunday to keep an eye on proceedings. Caroling was not an option at Christmas, and very few churches held their usual New Year’s Eve watch service. Things did not look good as we headed into 2009.

And then something happened. We began to see just how powerfully God can work in the midst of pain. Some of the most oppressed Christians in these states began to write to us. They did not write us to ask for food or money. They wrote because they wanted God’s Word. They wanted to hear God speak to them at a time like this. It was astounding. People had lost everything, and yet the main thing they craved in this time of need was God’s Word! Our Indian offices were swamped with requests for Scripture, mostly in languages that we haven’t seen much demand for in recent years.

We continue to work at meeting this need. In a few days, a distribution will take place in India where we expect 500 families (more than 2,000 people) to receive God’s Word. Later this year, in May, we hope to distribute audio Bibles to 1,000 families. Here is where we rely on God. We currently have only 700 audio Bibles in India. We would love to send more units in order to meet the tremendous need. Will you consider joining us in sending these audio Bibles to the many people who crave nothing more in their moment of pain? Each unit costs us $50. Join us in helping those hurting to hear the message of hope.