Story number 1 for 16 Jan 2002

(India)–India tops today’s news as persecution against Christians isn’t stopping people from coming to Christ. Mission India says he’s seeing that in their literacy program in a village along the Andhra Pradesh-Madhya Pradesh border. “These people are coming to Christ because we use Bible content primers in this program. In this particular village, 37 of the people that have gone through the literacy program are being threatened and beaten by these extremists and chased from their village and are now living about 35 miles away.” Despite the violence, one leaders says the program continues. “Literacy often, though, opens the door in resistant villages where the Gospel was not welcome through direct evangelism. We can go in with literacy classes and people are more receptive to hearing the Gospel. And, usually that’s a much easier way to introduce Jesus Christ.” Mission India is asking people to support the 25-dollar per person cost for the program.