Bibles For The World regularly receives requests for more Scriptures and partnerships in different areas of India. In Bihar state, less than one percent of people are counted as Christians. A church planting leader there is working to spread the Gospel among the unreached. To do this, he asked Bibles For the World for help.

Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World on Facebook.

President John Pudaite says, “He challenged me for a million Gospels of John, to provide to his church planters and to support them to equip them for their ministry.”

Pudaite offered to first bring 80,000 copies to a large conference the church planting leader had organized. About 800 church planters came to the conference, focused on three primary states of India, including Bihar. The church planters serve on the frontlines of Gospel outreach, while enduring persecution and oppression in the name of Christ.

The Scriptures arrived in time for the last night of the conference and were met with an enthusiastic response.

“It was just amazing. 80,000 Gospels of John, about 100 per church planter, and they were snatched up literally in minutes,” says Pudaite. “They were so excited to be equipped in that way. We are really working hard now to fulfill their requests for a million Gospels of John in this year 2023.”

Bibles For The World has provided Scriptures to people in 126 nations over the past 50 years. Learn more and support the ministry’s work at BiblesForTheWorld.org.

“We do hope that listeners will come alongside and help provide scriptures for this movement,” says Pudaite. “We just want to do as much as we can as quickly as we can, to provide them with scriptures to equip them. And to get God’s word out and plant as many seeds of the Gospel we can.”

Header representative image courtesy of Rod Long via Unsplash.

India is tough on Jesus-followers, yet World Mission’s Greg Kelley says God is at work using a bad situation to make Christ known.

“It’s one of the most difficult places to share the Gospel because of the majority Hindu and Muslim areas. Now, with COVID and monsoon, it’s a real challenge,” Kelley says, describing the situation in India.

“But, as we see time and time again, God has a way of working in those tragic moments when people are in the valley of their lives [to open hearts] to the Gospel.”

Why is flooding so bad this year?

(Photo courtesy World Mission)

Monsoon rains are seasonal and therefore expected. However, this year’s rainfall and regional population growth make the damage worse.

“Every year, they know the monsoon is coming. [It’s] just a matter of the degree of severity, and this year is probably the worst in five years,” Kelley says about current rainfall.

Plus, “the population in India continues to grow and grow and grow. A village that was 50 people a couple of years ago is now 250 people. So, you have a compounding effect on the number of lives affected.”

Heavy rains and flooding in the Bihar state have affected more than eight million people so far. The poorest of the poor suffer most. “We’ve gotten reports of hundreds and hundreds of people living in trees, just for the sake of getting to dry ground,” Kelley says.

“If you’re not fortunate enough to get into the high ground, you’re planning on your family living in a tree until the floodwaters recede.”

What can I do to help?

In partnership with World Mission, local pastors put Christ’s love into action as they distribute relief supplies and audio Bibles. “It’s not conditional in any way; it’s just, ‘we love you. We’re caring for your physical needs, and we also want to introduce you to Jesus,’” Kelley clarifies.

It’s also opening doors of opportunity that were formerly sealed shut.

In the past, when believers in Bihar attempted to hand out audio Bibles – devices that World Mission calls Treasures –Hindu villagers firmly refused. “If their heart is hostile and they’re not receptive to the Gospel at all, it’s very difficult to engage them,” Kelley says.

(Photo courtesy of World Mission)

However, as villagers saw tangible demonstrations of Christ’s love, their hearts began to soften.

“The same people that refused the Gospel are now, in their moment of crisis, responding in such amazing ways to these pastors who are bringing them food, bringing them tarps. People are coming to know Christ during this flooding.”

Send help through World Mission here. “From a humanitarian standpoint, we’re sending in water filters; we’re helping people get temporary shelter until the water recedes. We’re providing food,” Kelley says.

“From a spiritual standpoint, we’re sending in Treasures, primarily in the Hindi language. Our partners, as they’re distributing this aid, they’re also sharing the hope of glory.”

Header image courtesy of World Mission.

(Photo Credit to Mission India)

India (MNN) — Many women in India are treated like second-class citizens and are considered a burden to their families.

“She Counts 2015” is introducing a new message to India’s women–one of hope.

Lindsay Ackerman of Grand Rapids Michigan-based, Mission India says this year’s campaign is specifically focusing on women in Bihar state.

Of Bihar’s 104 million residents, one-in-three are illiterate and 47% of women in Bihar can’t read or write. Without other ways of supporting themselves, 60% of girls in Bihar marry by age 18.

Illiteracy touches every moment of every day, as it is impossible to successfully get through life without being able to read, Ackerman says.

“When your kids come home from school–if they are lucky enough to go to school–and they don’t know how to do their homework, you can’t help them,” she explains.

Mission India’s goal for She Counts 2015 is to raise $63,000: enough funding to send 2,100 Bihar women to their Bible-based Adult Literacy Class.

Right now, a matching grant doubles every dollar given to She Counts 2015.

(Graphic courtesy of Mission India)

Mission India’s Adult Literacy Classes don’t just teach men and women how to read and write. They also learn about health, hygiene, basic first aid, and what it takes to start their own business.

By the end of the one-year course, Ackerman says, students gain the equivalent of a fifth-grade education.

“When the students graduate, they have the minimum requirement for a job and are able to apply for jobs they couldn’t apply for before,” she adds.

There’s a spiritual component, too. Many women discover for the first time that they are valuable in the eyes of God.

On Mission India’s blog, you can learn more about the impact of She Counts 2015.

This is Mission India’s second “She Counts” campaign; their first one was in 2014. By sharing about the plight of women in India, Mission India was able to raise $43,170 and help 1,439 people.

Thanks to government-ordered evacuations in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, along with the increased popularity of radio and mobile devices, crisis was averted. But another one's on its heels.

"Most of these reports are off the mainstream media, they've kind of gone by the wayside because the death rate was not so big," notes Danny Punnose with Gospel for Asia.

As international attention turns to other headlines and India's government concludes its work in disaster-affected regions, Phailin survivors are left to fend for themselves.

Approximately 900,000 people were evacuated from Odisha ahead of Phailin and its 140-mph winds. State officials say over 500,000 people have lost their homes. Across both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, more than 100 million acres of damaged crops translate into lost livelihoods for impoverished farmers.

"You're talking 12 million people affected and 300,000 homes gone," he states. "This is where we step in because our people are there; our churches are there…they're already reaching out ground-zero where people are most-affected."

See an initial damage assessment from GFA's Compassion teams.

In the northern state of Bihar, along Nepal's border, believers felt Phailin's wrath as the storm moved inland. More than 15 people lost their lives, and the homes of another 95 Christ-followers were destroyed.

Dakshina Nadig, a regional pastor in Bihar, reported the death of one believer’s 7-month-old daughter due to exposure to the severe cold, wind, and rain. Nine GFA-supported pastors’ homes collapsed from the extreme weather, and other affected believers are staying with friends in schools or in makeshift tents made from tarps.

Punnose says many of those affected in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Bihar are Dalits. This people group is the lowest on India's caste system, often regarded as "social lepers," or Untouchables.

"When you come from that kind of background, especially Dalit background…and you lost everything…you have no hope; you have no way to rebuild your life," he explains. "The greatest need right now is for giving people hope and direction, and that's what our people are doing."

As they do, the Gospel comes to life and hearts change.

"When the Gospel goes along with tangible expressions of love it really makes a huge impact on these people's lives," says Punnose.

"People are turning to the Lord, and they're responding because they see love in action."

Can you help GFA reach more people with the love and hope of Christ? Click here.

"This is not like [Hurricane] Katrina where FEMA comes in, the government comes in, and they do something, everyone gets back on their feet after a little bit," Punnose explains.

Ranked at Category 3, 2005's Hurricane Katrina made landfall in the United States at the end of August. According to 2010 data from the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, over 1 million people in the Gulf region were displaced by the storm.

For the 12 million people affected by Cyclone Phailin in India's eastern states, especially the Dalits, there is no "safety net" of governmental help.

"No one's going to be there to rebuild their homes; they're done," says Punnose. "Unless the Body of Christ makes this an opportunity to reach out to those people and help them, nothing will be done."

Help us keep this story in the headlines through social media. There's a button at the top of this article where you can "Share" this article on various outlets. Or, you can click here to write a prayer for Phailin survivors on our Facebook page.

"Use Facebook, use Twitter; 'Share' it," encourages Punnose. "Let people know that they can pray and they can give, and that they can actually make a difference in these people's lives."

Pray for protection for those who survived Phailin's wrath. Pray that someone will share the hope and love of Christ with them.

"They don't have food, they don't have shelter, they don't have clean water; they've lost everything, and they've lost all hope," summarizes Punnose.

Ask the Lord to fill your heart with compassion.

"Put yourself in their place and pray for them. Until our hearts are filled with compassion…we are going to see this simply as news information, not real life," Punnose says.

"The Bible tells us that when Jesus saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion. [It] wasn't that He felt sorry for them, He really, really understood their condition, and it broke His heart; and then He would act based on that."

Today, according to
Gospel For Asia, Bihar's population is 77 percent Hindu and 15 percent Muslim,
with ethnic religions sharing another 5 percent. Christians make up less than one percent of
the population, and because of the area's resistance to evangelism efforts, it
has become known as  the "graveyard of
missions."

Bibles For the World is focusing its attention here. BFTW's Mawii Pudaite says beginning this
week, "100,000 Bibles are on their way to families in Patna in the state of
Bihar in India. The need is so great to
share the Gospel. Let us pray that the
Lord will prepare the hearts of the people to receive His Word with gladness."

Though statistics indicate that at least half of the state
is not yet evangelized, there are signs of greater openness to the Christian
faith. "People are hungry for God's
Word, even though they don't know that it's the Word of God that they are
hungry for. 85% of the people worship two million gods and goddesses. It  shows that the people of India are deeply
religious."

Around 30 major Christian organizations are working in
Bihar. While the Gospel is attractive to some, to others it represents the
threat of change. In some areas of
Bihar, mission agencies have been violently confronted by people who want to
stop the spread of the Gospel.

Open Bible distribution can put those who are searching for
Christ at risk, or result in people being afraid to accept a Bible. Pudaite says, "The genius of this project
method is sending the Word of God by mail. They receive them in the privacy of
their homes, without the fear that someone might be watching them."

Once people begin to respond to the Gospel and begin to ask
questions, she says they turn to another partner who handles the
discipleship. "We are working with a
very sound organization who will do all the follow-up and all the response letters
that we will pass on to them. They are
involved in evangelism and church planting in that region."

The name of the region celebrates the dedication to the
pursuit of a faith. The roots are
deep. People are naturally searching for
truth.

What can you do? Pudaite says, you can help. "Do you know that you can reach a family with
a copy of God's Word for only $2.25? Truly, no child of God is too young or
too old, too rich or too poor to have a part in this program."   

Click here to help.

It's what happens in the 101st year that stresses the
foundation of the vision.  

2010 marked the centenary of Watkin Roberts, a missionary
who introduced the Gospel of John to the chief of Senvon, a Hmar village.

In 2011, the Bibles For the World ministry team headed up
by Ro and Mawii Pudaite asked this question: 
Why not send more Bibles than ever before? Mawii
says, "We can print and distribute 1.2 million copies of the Gospel of John in
India and another 200,000 copies in a restricted access country where few
people have heard the good news of Christ's salvation. We also can print and distribute 610,000
copies of the New Testament in four languages."  

The goals they've set are ambitious. Mawii Pudaite explains: "This month we are taking the first step in
faith toward achieving these ambitious goals. We are launching the printing of
500,00 copies of the Gospel of John in Hindi to be distributed to homes
in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and in Bihar. To
print and deliver each copy costs only 25 cents."  

With all the reports of harassment, oppression and
persecution of believers in India, would the target areas be open to receiving
a Scripture portion, or would it be a waste of resources? They
already have proof that the hunger for hope runs deep. "We
mailed 100,000 New Testaments to the people in Patna, and we have received
no protests against it. It was sort of a test, but 100,000 homes were
reached."

We asked why Haryana and Bihar were on the list for outreach
this year. Mawii says, "Bihar is one of the poorest [States] and densely populated by Hindus and non-Christians. Christianity is very
insignificant there."

In direct contrast, "In Haryana, we are working with a
church. They are asking us for one
million Gospels of John. They would like to distribute it door-to-door
themselves in order to follow up with a church planting program."

Although the price tag to print and send a Scripture portion
is just a quarter, the love of Christ delivers a priceless gift. You can be a part of this. Click here.

Mawii Pudaite of Bibles for the World says she's heard it said that "this northern state of Bihar is one of the most backward and depressed in India."

What was centuries ago a great and wealthy region is now an impoverished area that few venture to visit. There is an extreme lack of long-term missionary presence, and Pudaite says it seems few even enter the state unless they're passing through to Nepal.

"The religion: Hindu: 81.5 %, Muslims: 14.8%, Christians: officially 1.06%, and animists: 1.6%," says Pudaite.

Of course the entire country of India is in need of prayer and missionary presence, but this state needs special attention. Bibles for the World has taken note and is doing what they can to bring the Word of God to the people of Bihar.

"This month, Bibles for the World is getting ready to send 100,000 copies of No Greater Love–the entire New Testament–to 100,000 selected families in the city of Patna," says Pudaite. Patna is the capital city of Bihar.

After the New Testaments are sent out, families will be able to read the Word of God in the privacy of their own homes. There is a follow up team in Patna waiting to talk with and guide those who have questions or would like to accept Christ as their Savior.

In addition to needing the Gospel, the people of Bihar need prayer. Pray that each person in the 100,000 families receiving the New Testament would read it and recognize the Truth. Pray that the follow up team would have the words to answer questions and would reach out with the love of Christ to all who come to their door.

Sending this many copies of the Gospel comes with a cost, but in this case, it's a relatively low one. It costs only $2.25 to print, package and address each copy. That means for a donation of $9, you can send four copies of the New Testament to people who have likely never owned or read any part of one.

To donate, call Bibles for the World at 888-382-4253 or click here. They would also like you to contact them if you are planning to join them in prayer for this effort. If you pledge to pray or donate to this project, Bibles for the World will send you Dr. Ro Pudaite's book, The Dime That Lasted Forever.

Over a month after the Kosi river burst its banks, hundreds of villagers in the Bihar remain desperate for food and drinking water.  Flood victims in one of the worst-hit areas, reportedly fed up with the government delays on relief, looted relief supplies earlier this week.

According to news reports, floodwaters killed nearly 2,500 people since the onset of monsoon rains in June. Thousands of survivors have taken shelter in government relief camps.

Dave Stravers with Grand Rapids, Michigan-based  Mission India says the disaster comes on top of weeks of intensifying religious persecution. "(In Orissa) The government has declared a 24-hour curfew.  Essentially that means no one may leave their home or move from place to place. They're doing this to prevent these roving gangs of extremists from attacking Christians."

The curfew has complicated relief efforts in the area. Floodwaters there also impacted tens of thousands. The heavy rains and flooding only magnified uncertainty in an already troubled region where Hindus have mounted a genocide against Christians.

The situation has taken a heavy toll on ministry overall. "300 villages were virtually destroyed in the violence. About 30-percent of our ministries in Orissa have been closed down, and they're not functioning for the time being." 

Partners in the area report that at least 25 Adult Literacy centers and 14 Children's Bible Clubs have been closed. Three ministry staff members lost their homes and belongings to the floods.

Stravers urges prayer for their partners. "The Evil One wants to use these things to cause fear and discouragement so that people will stop their witnessing, stop their work of compassion and just withdraw. We need people to take courage, to be bold in their faith and to trust in God's care and protection for them."

Pray for those who have lost their homes and family members and are struggling to survive.  Pray for the Christians' safety in a region struggling with mounting oppression. Pray that Mission India ministry partners will be able to resume programs quickly.